Dylan Stasiak Source 5

Question: How does the genre of electronic dance music (EDM) relate to rave culture at music festivals?

Ballantyne, Julie, Roy Ballantyne, and Jan Packer. "Designing and Managing Music Festival Experiences to Enhance Attendees' Psychological and Social Benefits." Designing and Managing Music Festival Experiences to Enhance Attendees' Psychological and Social Benefits. Sage, 18 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.

This source talks about why people go to music festivals and the positives of them. The article makes a point of music giving people as a way to express themselves and attending music festivals gives music lovers an outlet to “connect with the arts” and “discover a sense of identity, meaning, and social intergretation.” Festivals give adolescents the opportunity to experience more psychological and social benefits. The genre of music does not matter, music festivals give people a chance to have unique experiences that he or she might not have another opportunity to do so. It talks about how music festivals are ways to disconnect from the real world and are capable of separating the festival-goer from everyday life. The article talks about how musical festivals have positive psychological outcomes, for example, festival goers said they “felt more positive about themselves, others, and life in general.” An example of this would be that in those big crowds of people, festival-goers have a chance to meet new people and connect with them (as well as their friends) on a different level.

This source was very helpful to my research. Instead of learning about ecstasy, I learned that the experience of a music festival goes deeper than drugs. There is psychological effect to attending music festivals. More importantly, is it a positive psychological effect. I’m happy to see that people don’t automatically compare EDM music festivals to drugs. It’s not just a concert, the festival is an experience in itself. Not only is it about the music, but its about a sense of self-awareness and identity. This source talked a lot of festival culture, but the science behind it was discussed more in this article than my others. It went into a lot of detail about the positive effects that music festivals can have.

This source has me very close to completing my research. So far I have learned rave culture and how raves have morphed into music festivals. I’ve also learned about all the positives of music festivals, not just physical, but emotional and psychological positives as well. I’ve also learned the long and short term effects of the most common rave drug, MDMA. I also read a survey that proves that ecstasy is the most common drug associated with dance music. Since I don’t think I have a full answer to my original question, I plan to find a book that can help me put all my research together. My sources have led me to a lot of information about electronic dance music, the culture of it, and all the great things that come from attending a music festival!

Dylan Stasiak Source 4

Question: How does the genre of electronic dance music (EDM) relate to rave culture at music festivals?

Lim, Megan S. C., et al. "A Cross-Sectional Survey Of Young People Attending A Music Festival: Associations Between Drug Use And Musical Preference." Drug & Alcohol Review 27.4 (2008): 439-441. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 14 Mar. 2015.

My fourth source is a survey that takes genres of music and compares it with drug use. It talks about how people who attend concerts and music festivals are more likely to partake in the use of illicit drugs. More specifically, EDM was associated with the most common use of drugs, especially ecstasy. Other genres have also been associated with certain drugs. For example, rap music is linked to crack, metal is linked to alcohol and marijuana, and pop music is linked to no specific drug at all. Survey results showed that people whose taste in music is EDM or rap are at a higher risk for illicit drug use.

This source was not as helpful as the other two because I’m still question why ecstasy is so popular when going to concerts or music festivals. But this article was a survey that actually interviewed people at a music festival in Australia. The reason I used this source was because EDM is just as popular in Australia as it is in America and there are tons of EDM music festivals in both America and Australia. This source was very different from my other sources too because it had concepts and ideas but it also had facts that they could prove.

This makes me think that because EDM is associated with drug use, why is there an increase in the amount of music festivals in recent years! For my next source, I want to know why there are so many festivals if the use of ecstasy is so bad. But I still really want to find an answer to my original question as to how is EDM is related to the culture of music festivals, concerts, and raves.

Dylan Stasiak Source 3

Question: How does the genre of electronic dance music (EDM) relate to rave culture at music festivals?

Dilkes-Frayne, Ella. "Tracing The "Event" Of Drug Use: "Context" And The Coproduction Of A Night Out On MDMA." Contemporary Drug Problems 41.3 (2014): 445-479. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 Mar. 2015.

My third source follows a college student, Michael, who attends a music festival with his friend and takes MDMA. The article begins long before the festival even begins, four months prior, to be exact. It explains Michael’s thought process for whether he can afford the ticket, who he wants to go with, and if he should even go. After contemplating over whether he should go or not, he decides to go and take his friend with him. They both have a little MDMA left over from a different music festival and decide to take it for their favorite act they’re going to see. The article talks about festival security and how he should go about taking Molly onto festival grounds. The article talks about entering the site of the festival. Michael was nervous about getting MDMA onto festival grounds because he had a fear of sniffer dogs and police being present. Michael says he is expecting there to be sniffer dogs at this festival for two reasons. The first reason he said was because it was specifically a dance music festival and the second reason being it was the middle of summer. He thought it was the type of festival where there would be sniffer dogs. Also Michael said that he had been at music festivals where there had been sniffer dogs looking for illicit drugs (MDMA). Michael and his friend went in through a different entrance where there would be less crowd flow and possibly less security. Michael then talks about when he plans to take MDMA and the effects of it. Also he talks about “coming up, peaking, and coming down” during the day along with his experiences and feelings of all three.

This source had me thinking because I have been to music festivals in Chicago, IL and Los Angeles, CA and there was a lot of security at all three. This source follows a college student in Sydney, Australia. Australia, especially Sydney is a place where electronic dance music (EDM) is loved by millions of adolescents. It’s the same thing in the US, the genre of EDM has taken over in recent years and the clubbing scene has moved its way to outdoor weekend festivals. The article touched on Michael’s thought process of possible security and how he wanted to get MDMA into the festival. His main concern was sniffer dogs being able to smell out his molly. Michael said that this festival specifically would have good security so him and his friend entered through a less popular entrance to the festival. I think that festivals don’t like people using drugs at these festivals. My opinion of this is that these festivals have such strict security because the club culture has made its way to outdoor venues, they don’t want the drug culture associated with clubbing being at these festivals. Simply for the safety of festival-goers. Along with the getting past the dogs, he took precaution while sneaking the illicit drug into the festival. Michael seemed to have a lot of concerns about getting his capsule into the festival.

The moderately-strict security that Michael had experienced, as well as the security that I have had to go through, it makes sense to have worries about being arrested. I haven’t taken illicit drugs onto festival grounds but regardless of that, it is nerve-racking to go through security. I think that most festivals, all around the world want to prevent the use of illicit drugs, but clearly if Michael can sneak MDMA into his festival, their security hasn’t done much. Is that on purpose? Do festival securities purposely to make it easy for festival-goers to bring in drugs? Or do they not want to arrest a lot of people from having a good weekend because they paid so much money for his or her ticket? So far I’ve learned about the rave culture at clubs and festivals, I’ve learned what kind of drugs people are taking at these events. Now I’ve gone through the eyes of a festival-goer and how typical festival securities are. This makes me think about why music festivals are so popular. There are music festivals all around the world and each one has a different genre of music! Dance music seems to be associated with ecstasy and I want to find out why the two are associated with one another.

Dylan Stasiak Source 2

Question: How does the genre of electronic dance music (EDM) relate to rave culture at music festivals?

Hunt, Geoffrey, Molly Moloney, and Kristen Evans. Epidemiology Meets Cultural Studies: Studying and Understanding Youth Cultures, Clubs and Drugs (n.d.): n. pag. Taylor & Francis Ltd, 2 June 2008. Web. 4 Mar. 2015.

This article focuses on what kind of drugs are used in the rave scene. The main drugs used since the rave scene became popular is mostly ecstasy (MDMA). It is a little less common but ravers are also taking hallucinogens and smoking marijuana. Because ecstasy is the most common drug used amongst ravers, this is what the article focuses on. The article talks about the pros and cons of ecstasy. MDMA has a lot of long-term effects that can affect your brain such as depression, sleep problems, anxiety, and paranoia. MDMA also increases your heart rate and blood pressure and can also cause hyperthermia, dehydration, or the possibility of a seizures or heart or kidney failure. On the contrary, MDMA is a non addictive drug. The reason that so many people are drawn to MDMA is because it gives users enjoyment. The environment of raves and festivals are fun, packed with a lot of people, loud music, friends or lovers, and good times. Ecstasy is used to just make the user get an even better experience at dance event. It is used mostly by young people who attend these raves or festivals. Adolescents are taking these drugs to explore, to have fun, and to enjoy the music.

After learning more about the rave culture, I was looking to find out what kind of drugs ravers and festival-goers use. I found ecstasy is the most common drug used by festival-goers. I also found the positives and negatives of this drug. This source changed my view of drugs being used at festivals. I think that MDMA can be dangerous simply because of its long term effects. Taking ecstasy mostly won’t hurt you in that moment, but in the future, it can really affect your brain and might affect your life. As of right now, I totally support young people exploring themselves and trying new things for fun. I wish there were ways to make it safer to prevent lives being lost.

Both articles I’ve read so far have helped me get a further understanding of rave culture at music festivals. This article wasn’t as broad as the first one. The first article just mentioned the subculture of ravers. This article specifically talked about the drugs being used at festivals. Now, I understand what kind of drugs are being used at concerts and why they’re used. Since so many ravers are taking these drugs, I’m curious about how festivals think about people taking drugs and how people are preventing it or making it safer!

Dylan Stasiak Source 1

Question: How does the genre of electronic dance music (EDM) relate to rave culture at music festivals?

Anderson, Tammy L. "Understanding the Alteration and Decline of a Music Scene: Observations from Rave Culture." (n.d.): n. pag. Sociological Forum. Blackwell Publishing, 9 June 2009. Web. 2 Mar. 2015.

This article mostly talks about the current trends in rave culture throughout the United States. The rave, or electronic dance music (EDM), subculture encourages individuality for adolescents transitioning into adulthood. Ravers show off their individuality through fashion. Bright colors with accessories like glow-sticks or pacifiers were common. The subculture promotes this notion of “peace, love, unity, and respect” aka PLUR which seems to be the anthem for these ravers. Rave culture began in the US in the mid 1990s as a way for young people to express themselves through music and dance. Raves normally took place in big fields or abandoned warehouses with tents or room separating one DJ from another. The government started to interfere with these raves so DJs started having shows at venues, then promoters began to put together EDM music festivals which are the very popular in the United States. The heavy base and catchy beats have ravers dancing through the night. The most common trend is the use of club drugs. Ravers are taking these club drugs in order for the user to have a better experience.

I’ve been to music festivals, concert venues, and raves, and what I’ve noticed is that each one is completely different. My opinion before doing any research of rave culture, is that I think it’s cool that these people come together for their love of music. Regardless of their excessive use of drugs, everyone is incredibly nice and respectful. After I read this article, I learned more details about rave culture, where it came from, and how it’s changed. It also got me wondering about these club drugs and why they are so popular. For my initial question, rave culture is all about self expression through dance and drugs that help them do so. Now I need to look for an article that touches more on details of how club drugs make EDM more enjoyable.

This article led me to more questions in order to find the answer to my question. I am curious to find out what kind of drugs are being used. Also, how are people getting these club drugs? I’m also looking to figure out of the festival or rave promoters know about the drug use and how they feel about them.

Jessica Ranstead Source #5

Step 1:
A) How does media rather than social media influence body image?
B) Cole, Ellen, and Jessica Henderson. Daniel. Featuring Females: Feminist Analyses of Media. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2005. Print.

Step 2: 

The book I chose is called Featuring Females, and it's all about women's perception of the media. The argument is that the media puts too much emphasis on the value of physical appearance and an unrealistically thin ideal. Evidence shows that tv shows and media purposely chooses women who are unrealistically thin or heavier than the ideal, they do not portray "normal sized" women. After looking at social media women start the self-comparison process, it is in our nature to naturally compare ourselves to others, and the media fuels that. There is also a strong connection between music video and soap opera viewing leads to more frequent dieting.

This source further proves my thinking that media does influence eating. It was also interesting to see the other side not of social media, but just plain media. I agree with the source about eating and body dissatisfaction, but I don't agree with the assumptions about sexual relationships. Yes this source completely answers my questions that social media does indeed influence body dissatisfaction. 

This source agrees with my other sources. This source does have a different spin than my other sources because this book is older and it is referring to traditional media rather than social media. Although they can both portray the same effects, I think social media can be worse because you are able to see your friends, and people you know, whereas traditional media is more celebrities and people you don't know. I would definitely put this source into conversation with my first source, because that source talks about how women purposely go seeking pictures and websites to knock themselves down, and here women start the comparison process once they see a picture that they think looks better than them. I agree with both sources because they both provide evidence that women feel dissatisfied about their bodies upon looking at media. 

This source has led me to ask and wonder about the timeline of media influence. Has media always influenced women negatively in regard to their body image? Or does social media spark this more than traditional women? The answers that I have so far are that media and social media have a heavy influence on the female body image. It leads women to compare themselves to others and lowers their self esteem. It often leads women to turn to disordered eating, and sometimes full-blown eating disorders. 

Paul Oliver Source 5

Will there be an end to this gender inequality?

Ore, Tracy E. The Social Construction of Difference and Inequality: Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality. 6th ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, 2003. Print.

The book deals with inequalities in many social categories. This particular chapter deals with inequalities in sex and gender. The chapter explains that society structures women to have jobs "appropriate" for their gender and these jobs tend to be lower paying. Men dominate positions of authority and leadership in society, even domestically. Men and women are separated by roles and this reinforces the differences and inequalities they have. Gender inequality has a long history. The chapter explains that these inequalities were purposefully built in the social structure so that men can always be in power just as whites did slaves.

I think it is over the top to compare gender inequalities to racial inequalities. It has similar patterns of oppression but not nearly the same issue. It is true that men have always been the powerful figures through history and women are always painted as the sidekick. This article makes me realize that there are so many other inequalities behind gender. Until those inequalities are fixed, salary will be the last thing that will be take care of. There will be no equality in salary until every other issue with gender inequality is taken care of, salary is just one of the many components on a giant to do list.

This book can make my other sources seem like a pity party. The book is deals with the inequalities in gender in so many more areas than wage. It gives historical reason and background as to why my other sources are even being discussed.

It answers my question and this inequality will never end until the others are taken care of. Is it okay that men make more than women? It really depends.

Johnny Eierman source 5

RESSLER, WILLIAM HARRIS, IAN REBHAN, and JESSE GOLDBERG-STRASSLER. "Is This Heaven? It's Iowa The World Baseball Classic." Nine: A Journal Of Baseball History & Culture 22.1 (2013): 78-102. SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

What does the World Baseball Classic do for different heritages and cultures of people?

This source talks about what the WBC is doing for the world in overview. For example this tournament is actually much bigger than just playing the game of baseball. It's about pride in who you are. Players in the major leagues are from the United States but have parents maybe from Italy for example so he plays for the Italian WBC team. The WBC gives players all around the world get the chance to go out and wear their country on their chest and represent their country on a big stage. For some players this tournament will be the biggest games they will ever play in. For countries like New Zealand or South America there are not many major league players but in this tournament they get to play in the tournament against the best teams and best players in the world on national television in nice stadiums. 

This source goes with my thinking of this tournament is the future of international baseball. This tournament gives awesome opportunities for players to play against big time players in a once in a lifetime tournament for some players. This source brings the new idea for countries like Israel to get a chance to show how good they are and get a chance to play on tv, most likely for most of these guys will be the biggest stage they will ever play on. This source lets me answer my blog question, I've said it a few times already, it gives players from around the world a chance to play on a big time stage like major leaguers and it promotes baseball in countries that baseball isn't a big sport. This source brought this to my attention, not every country loves baseball like our country does and this tournament shows how great this sport is. 

This source agrees with my last source in both promoting the WBC. The first source about this talks about the basics about the WBC and this new source talks about the heritages and cultures of these counties participating and pride of these countries in the WBC. I tend to agree with the second source about the WBC because pride for your country is huge and I didn't read about that in the first source. 

In conclusion this source put the WBC over the top. It confirmed that I don't agree with baseball being in the olympics anymore. If you were to tell me this going into my argument I would have thought there was no way, I thought absolutely baseball needed to be an Olympic sport. When it comes down to it though, the Olympics isn't the place for baseball. The WBC gives a chance for the best players in the world to play in a tournament before the Major League Baseball season starts. The WBC just makes sense, it takes place it various locations over the world while the Olympics just takes place in one location. The WBC is the future of international baseball instead of the Olympics and the tournament is just going to get bigger and bigger worldwide. 

Alexa Thein source 5

This week I wanted to look into Putins motives for wanting to annex Crimea. This will be helpful in seeing Russias point of view and their side of things. I would also like to see some external viewpoints on the United States involvement and what other countries, specifically Crimea and Russia, think of us as a nation. 

Braun, Aurel. "Tougher Sanctions Now." World Affairs 177.2 (2014): 32-44. EBSCOhost. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

This article talks about how to understand the situation we really need to understand Putin and his thought process. The articles goes on to say that "in the crimea and ukraine, Putin may be acting out of a certain disori- entation as a result of the definitive nature of the Maidan movement’s rejection of his eurasian union, which he felt he had secured by alliance with the now decamped Yanukovych government in Kyiv, and its strong embrace of the european union’s eastern Partnership. without ukraine, Putin has little hope of rebuilding the russian empire and once again attaining superpower status." This is a very helpful sentence, as it shows more insight into Putins viewpoint and what he thinks. The article also talks about how what Putin is doing is wrong and how western involvement is needed now as much as it was in the beginning of the conflict. Putins actions are a long term threat to international institutions and America can't let that happen. 

I really liked this article and thought it made some good points. It was a lot like the article I read last week, but it seemed to have some more factual evidence to support its reasoning and not just opinions. American involvement has been less than ideal throughout this entire situation and Putin seems to just be getting away with what ever he wants. My viewpoint on the issue is the same as last week, in that I believe the United States need to use its force as a global leader to. It isn't cool of Putin to do this, and it breaks so many commitments and truces that Putin previously had with Crimea. In a perfect world, this kind of annexation would never happen and the United States would never have to get involved in other countries conflicts. But, this is likely to never happen and until we reach global peace someone needs to stand up to the bully (Russia) in support of the underdog (Ukraine)

This author would very much agree with the author from the article I read last week, in saying that Putin doesn't get to get away with this so someone has to step in. While last weeks article used more opinion based reasoning, this article used facts and examples to show that Putin is in the wrong. This author would very much disagree with some of the other articles I read, that talked about why US involvement isn't necessary and how we should let them work out their own problems. Where as this article says that we, as a nation, can't let Putin get away with something so illegal, other articles I have read talk about how the global leaders need to let Crimea decide for themselves where they want to go next. It may be true that they had an election that said they wanted to join Russia, but should we really let this be the reason we allow another world leader to annex part of another country?

I plan on doing further research, as I obviously still need a book. I found a book but wasn't able to get ahold of it. It is about a broader global policy and how involvement can lead to wars and conflicts lasting longer than expected.  

Taylor Cross Source 5

Q:Should the government have to pay for healthcare for all of its citizens?

Miller, David. "Value-Based Pricing." Pharmaceutical Medicine 1 Jan. 2012: 217-22. Print.


In summary of my fifth source, it talks about how the US and the UK are adopting similar healthcare programs for their country. The source talks a lot about Value-Based Pricing or VBP (hence the title of the article) which is a way to improve both sides of the healthcare debate, the costs and the quality of care. It goes on to talk about the different things that both countries are doing to improve healthcare but also lists how they differ. The United States is clearly one of the biggest spenders and we are looking at ways to change the system, to save money and improve healthcare without making our citizens pay more.

Since my topic is mainly on how the United States is going to go about healthcare issues i tried to ignore the parts about the United Kingdom a little more. At the same time though i thought it was very insightful to see what another country was doing in order to compare it to the US. While they are similar and all we are the country that spends the most most on our healthcare which provide very few benefits to our citizens. It is actually proven that we have spent more on our health than we have on our food. I really liked this article because it was more insightful and informative than the last few that I have read. This source spoke a little more on the things we were trying to do to fix the problem rather than just bashing the system, I think it would be easier for me to say the government should pay for healthcare if they were actually providing benefits for its people but as of right now they are providing very little.

Synthesizing this source with my other sources is a little challenging. Looking at the big picture my sources all ultimately agree with each other on the fact that our healthcare system is very damaged if not, non-existent. All sources propose options and ideas that we could use to help change that and advance our healthcare. The government seems to want full control though, obviously for financial reasons, but through reading all of my articles it seems that the government is becoming hopeless in its efforts to control healthcare and is scrambling to find alternatives. The healthcare system that we have now has put us in a bind financially, bigger than its ever been. None of my articles really disagree with each other, they all recognize there is a problem and that it needs to be fixed.

This article  actually posed some very helpful questions in its mass. It asked if the prices will go down? Will the quality of care change? etc. While these are all important questions they don't really help me answer my question. My question is, Should the government pay for healthcare for its citizens. I think I have done enough research and I'm ready to write my full paper on this topic through the questions I've asked in my past journal entries. I think you have to ask the wrong questions first to be able to get to the right ones and see which ones will actually help you answer your main question. With that, I think for my question its not WHAT i ask but WHO i ask. With a topic so controversial in our country, it really comes down to who has to deal with the controversy. That would be the citizens of the United States and the US government, so I think the question to ask is what they think should happen next?

Paul Oliver Source 4

What are the reasons women make less than men while working the same job?

Stanberry, Kurt, and Forrest Aven. "“Unequal Pay For Equal Work”: Why Women Still Lag Behind After The 50Th Anniversary Of The U.S. Equal Pay Act." Compensation & Benefits Review 45.4 (2013): 193-199. Business Source Premier. Web. 11 Mar. 2015.

The source is about women gender inequality in pay on the same job. The source composes many aspects research that prove the issue. Then the source browses through remedies. They claim that more laws on top of the laws that are already in place will help remedy the problem. The author claims that there is no specific reason or that the reason can't be found as to why this inequality exists. Especially since the Equal Pay Act has been in place for 50 years.

Well the article answers my question without answering it. The article says that there is no answer to my question, basically. No one is sure of why these inequalities exists, they just know they do. That's why the issue persists. There is not enough evidence to blame discrimination. I think the reasons differ on a macro and micro level as my previous source stated. This inequality is okay in some cases and not in others.

The further acknowledges that  there is a problem just like other sources. This source is more evidence based than the others. It further proves the problem that the other sources sad exists.

Will there be an end to this inequality? What is the real remedy?

Patrick McDonald Source 5

How did the overall process of implementing the Affordable Care Act go?

Brill, Steven. America's Bitter Pill: Money, Politics, Backroom Deals, and the Fight to Fix Our Broken Healthcare System. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

The book I read was America's Bitter Pill by Steven Brill. He took on the task of recounting all of the events of the idea of the ACA all the way to it implementation and how it has succeeded and failed. He starts off by talking about how they were fighting to get the 60th vote needed to pass it and how they lost it to a republican taking the seat in congress. They almost thought that there would be no bill at all when that happened. Then the book goes on to talk about how it finally got through and approved. Also, he continues to talk about how poorly the website was implemented. He said there were too many people in charge and that they were basically determined to fail because no one had taken on such a large task before. He mentions that the US total healthcare spending is $3 trillion which is more than the next ten countries combined. He also states that we spend as much on treating back pain as we do on our police force.

I think it is good to look at the entire implementation of the ACA and this book does just that. This source makes me think that the ACA was good in concept, but it has many flaws and has suffered many issues. I agree with it in that the way the website was implemented was absolutely atrocious and that there are many hidden cost that people did  not expect. I really do not have anything to disagree with because it is all pretty much fact sprinkled with his opinion. This source does answer my question at the top because I now understand the full process of the ACA. I have a great grasp on it overall and I can use it to help with my main topic of how the ACA affects cancer patients and survivor. 

This responds to my sources by agreeing with the ones that talk about spending and how much money companies and hospitals make off of people. It does not really talk about cancer specifically because it was focused  on the ACA itself rather than specifics. It is just the general information about the way the act came to be and how it has turned out so far rather than a specific topic. I tend to agree with the side that believes that the act is costing way to much money for people, so I agree with the author of this book. 

This source has really answered all of my questions on the ACA itself and I already feel like I have a good background on the cancer side of my paper too. This is my last source so my research is essentially over unless I feel like I need more help, but I feel like I have a really good understanding of my topic now. I believe I have the positive side of the argument answered, as well as the negative and I also have a general idea of the act as a whole. I feel ready to write my rough draft soon.

Scott Hilse Source 5

A) What are general patterns in online dating?

B)Madden, Mary. Online Dating: Americans Who Are Seeking Romance Use the Internet to Help Them            in Their Search, but There Is Still Widespread Public Concern about the Safety of Online Dating.            5 Mar. 2006. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

This study (35 pages) tries to fill a gap in online dating research that time and time again gets overlooked. This study answers many questions that no one has ever really bothered to try and answer. They begin by comparing internet users to online relationships. They found that more internet users have met their partner offline than online. They then list what percentage met their partner in what way. They also found an interesting fact that through their study they found that only 16% of singles in the US are looking for a Romantic partner. Therefor, this data would show that the majority of people on online dating sites are looking for hookups rather than a committed relationship. Surprisingly, they have found in this study (keep in mind it was done in 2006) that the majority of users have reported a positive experience. Another being that people who have used it agree it is a good thing while the general public is split on the issue. It continues to go on and on with study after study.

I can use this source to answer almost any general question about online dating. It is great because there are LOADS of data here for me to use for my paper. Also included is how the study was done and all the specifics of the study. Because of this, i completely trust all the information provided because there is no reason for me to distrust them. This source obviously 

Many argue that online dating brings about many risk factors. It has been researched and revealed that "Previous studies have shown that individuals who use the Internet to seek sex partners were more likely to report unprotected sex (Benotsch, Kalichman, & Cage, 2002; Clark et al., 2012; Garofalo, Herrick, Mustanski, & Donenberg, 2007; Liau, Millett, & Marks, 2006), higher rates of drug use in the past 12 months (Benotsch et al., 2002; Clark et al., 2012), more sexual partners (Benotsch et al., 2002; Horvath, Rosser, & Remafedi, 2008; Mustanski, 2007; Ogilvie et al., 2008), and failure to discuss sexual histories (Mustanski,2007) compared to individuals who do not use the Internet to seek sex partners"(Brown). While other argue that a bigger risk is the fact that "Most internet users (66%) agree with the statement that online dating is a dangerous activity because it puts personal information on the internet"(Madden).

This source has only led me to ask what other general studies i can find that i can use to support my overall thesis. It has opened up my mind in the sense that i don't have to only focus on specific studies about online dating, but i can also look at general studies that includes online dating. So as of now i have a lot of information i can use for my paper. They work together in the sense that many of the studies somewhat overlap and i will take advantage of that and be able to implement and use that information in order to further my emphasis on solving the thesis.

Alex Barrett Source 5

Is social media use in higher education a good idea or bad idea?

Pătruţ, Monica, and Bogdan Pătruţ. "Social Media in Higher Education: Teaching in Web 2.0." IGI Global, 2013. 1-474. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. doi:10.4018/978-1-4666-2970-7

This book described reasons why many teachers and schools are starting to use social media sites, like Facebook in their teaching. The growing popularity of social media websites among students has gotten the attention of the educational system. Everyone knows teens and young adults are always using these sites to stay connected with each other and find out what's going one in the world. Many teachers noticed this and wanted to take advantage. Why not integrate social media into the classroom. Teachers began to have discussions and put up homework assignments on these sites. Many teachers realized that this is a great way to boost participation, especially with students are do not like to talk in front of a class. It also kept the discussion going outside of the classroom. Some teachers also found out that students became closer to one another through always communicating online. Students are able to express themselves freely online and what they truly feel comes out. Many teachers and educators like the reactions they get when they integrate classroom learning with learning over social media. Students generally have positive reactions because they are using something they are familiar with. The integration of something students like and learning helps improve their attentiveness. This is why it has become so popular to integrate social media into education.

This source helps me justify my opinion on this matter. I am for using social media into education because mainly of the reasons listed above. I feel that students would enjoy using it and it is just more convenient. But, the one thing I found wrong with this book is that it did not list the other side of the argument. It only supported one side and never mentioned any bad things that come along with social media. I overall agree with this source because it further supports my side on the matter. I agree that since technology and social media is becoming very popular with students, it is a great idea to integrate it into education. I also agree that students will be able to fully participate fully since some people are shy and do not like speaking in front of a class. I disagree that people will say what they truly feel because a lot of bullying is on the internet and sometimes people might be afraid to state their opinion if they know it will lead to negative comments or even bullying. This source did lead me to answer the question for this blog post. Social media in education is an overall good idea because of the time spent discussing the material outside of class and the full participation will be helpful to the students.

This source would agree with a few of my other source and disagree with the rest. While source 2 provides evidence that some students may not like it, it is only a small study. Those results might not be the same over a large number of students. Source 3 also claims that there has not been enough research done to actually prove if it is beneficial or not. This would put source 2's claim down a bit and it would put more emphasis on the side saying social media should be in education. Source 5 would agree that social media should be in education and says almost the same things as the other sources that agree with it.

Do students tend to get cyber-bullied when social media is used for class? Are there any bad effects of this integration? I should be asking questions about the negative effects of using social media in education because this book only listed the good things about it. My research will take me to trying to find out more on the disadvantages and advantages of this. So far, I have a lot of advantages of social media and a few disadvantages. These will lead me to put everything together and answer the overall question.

Micah Schiff Source 5

What is being done or needs to be done to solve the issue?

Who is responsible for the lack of a solution for the issue of climate change? Is anything being done? What needs to happen?

Stern, Nicholas. The Global Deal: Climate Change And The Creation Of A New Era Of Progress And Prosperity. n.p.: New York:, 2009. EconLit. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

This source covers the different actions that have been taken, will be taken, and need to be taken to reduce the climate change issue that is befuddling the world. It talks about the dangers of emissions, the cost of reducing them along with every angle regarding economic concerns. The basic purpose of the book is to provide as much information about the issue and what can be done about it. This would be the first source to recommend to someone who has never heard the words "Global Warming." It establishes a plan for the world and how to solve the issue.

I thought that this source was important to include not only because it holds an immense amount of information regarding the issue as a whole, but it also points at the fact that not everyone is careless about the issue. This author has gone out of his way to inform and create an in depth plan for the planet. He includes specific examples of what is happening to cause the problem and specific. I question if his plans would work? How would the world implement the plan that he proposes? How accurate and objective is his overall account of the situation?

Comparing this source to the others the first thing that you realize is that Nicholas Stern has a sense of responsibly and passion for solving the issue. This disproves the idea that climate change is an issue that nobody acknowledges. Stern wrote a whole book on the problem. This source agrees with many of the others though, proving to be an accumulation of all of the other sources; it states facts about the consumer's lack of ethics, the government's inability to push any legislation through the floor, and the corporate greed that smothers any attempt to inhibit carbon emissions. This book is essentially a synthesis of all the issues from other sources that I have found accompanied by the author's note.

I found this to be a great source. It was the final piece that I needed to tie my exploratory paper together following a long and vigorous search for the answer regarding who is responsible for the the climate change issue and the lack of action towards solving it. After all of my research is said and done, I am left asking only what I can do from a personal standpoint to help fix the problem. I have great passion for the environment and the outdoors. I want to preserve the beauty of nature for generations following me. Once we solve the problem how do we sustain the condition of the earth? Is there a final key in the distant future that will ultimately eliminate emissions of harmful gases permanently? Could nuclear energy be the answer? What are some other possibilities?

Amber Sipe Source 5

What advancements has animal testing made?

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Volume 1245 Animal Models: Their Value in Predicting Drug Efficacy and Toxicity. Vol. 1245. New York Academy of Sciences. 1-64. Print.

This book is about animal use in experimentation and whether or not it has actually beneficial. It talks about how it would be more effective to do mechanism testing rather than testing of diseases like cancer.  This book talks a lot about what animals are currently used for, like anti-obesity, toxicology research, pluripotent stem cells, and genetic studies. Many tests have failed, some have given amazing results, but not all tests are accurate due to inducing the animals into a certain state. It talks about how to utilize animal models, because in reality there are very few models that respond in a way that would further human research for human medical studies. One of those suggestions was mechanism testing, like how and why a disease the way it is instead of treatment and constant medicine.

This source basically tied together all the research I have been doing. It gave me insight into more detailed ways that animals help research. Most of my readings have been detailed as far as animal rights and animal welfares, but not many have been detailed in the direction of what exactly animals are used for and what they benefit. I think what they said about utilizing animal research so that it accurately responds to experimentation would further benefit humans and cause less animal tests needed. This source answers my blog post question.

This source does a good job of going into great details about the things I have been reading about in the four other sources. The 3 R’s, the experiments, and the way people are working in the direction of making it better and more productive have all been described in great detail, something the other sources scratched the surface of.

This source wrapped up my research in a very good way and led me to believe that my research question has been answered. I think it has answered all of my questions and now I am more prepared to write my essay with all the sources I have.