Scholarly Research

I am trying to learn about the sleep patterns of teenagers during the school semesters. I am studying this concept because I want to find out whether or not students' attendance and performance could be improved if their classes started at a later time. I am doing this in order to help my reader understand that school districts may want to consider adopting flexible class schedules that would improve the attendance and performance of the students who are not getting enough sleep.

Revised Paragraph

For those of you that do feel college athletes deserve to be paid, think of it this way. Picture the star of your favorite college team. Football, baseball, swimming, whatever it is, think of the most important player to the team. Now imagine that player is caught accepting a bribe. Perhaps he or she is receiving weekly payments and depositing that money straight into the weekend party funds (this is college we’re talking about). Would this anger you? Would it disappoint you that your team’s star athlete’s sole priority wasn’t sports? After all, if it requires money for one to play a sport, how much could that player really love the game?

With so many aspects to consider, forming an opinion on this type subject can be very difficult. Imagine that the star player of your favorite college team is caught accepting a bribe from a member within the organization. Chances are that the athlete isn't using this under the table cash for basic necessities such as food or school supplies. Unfortunately, this money is most likely being deposited straight into the party funds (this is college we're talking about. Upon hearing this news about your team's captain, or leader, do you think this would anger you? Would it disappoint you to hear that this player has more on his mind than just the team? After all, if it requires money in order to get an athlete to perform, he or she probably doesn't respect the team enough to be on it.

Venue for Argument

The College Connection

Joe Posnanski

Joe Posnanski, in this Sports Illustrated article, writes about the issues associated with paying college athletes. He clearly states his main idea behind the article several times, and it is as follows: "College athletics are NOT about the players." An intial reaction to this statement may be disagreement, but Posnanski backs up this statement further on. Joe says that when he looks at the big picture, he can't imagine how paying college athletes could possibly be fair. He makes the argument that big time college athletes are already getting paid. They are being paid with free college tuition, room and board, incredible training facilities, world-class coaching, public relations, national exposure, free travel, the best doctors, direct access to the professional ranks, and all of their priceless experiences. In addition to this, he also discusses a topic i planned to use in my paper, dealing with the difference between college and professional sports. He recognizes that the skill level in pro sports is superior to college athletics. So he questions why people love these college games so much, and then attributes it to the connections people feel to the university. He states that college athletics are FOR the players and not ABOUT the players. It's this connection that drives college sports. Even if Penn State's entire football team quits because they are fed up about not being paid, would people still come to watch the replacement players compete? And the answer is yes.

To make his argument, he first expresses all of the arguments presented by the other side, and then addresses them one at a time picking apart the argument flaws. In his introduction, he states his thesis that "college athletics are not about the players," and then welcomes the reader to stop reading if he or she does not want to hear his argument. He first analyzes the question at hand, and then proceeds into his arguments. He uses claims and backs them up with reasoning throughout. He concludes by discussing what would happen if college athletes were paid. If you take away "college" from the term "college football," and add the word "money," you are left with professional minor league football. He then says, "See how many people go and watch that."

I agree with the author because he made great additional arguments in addition to ones I was already aware of. He is also a respected journalist employed by a well-known source, Sports Illustrated. He is also very knowledgable of the subject and makes several good rebuttals. He let the claims from the other side of the debate set up his own arguments perfectly, which makes the piece very effective.

I loved all the questions Posnanski asks and comparisons he makes in the article that made me feel very involved while reading it. I plan on using some of his comparisons in my argument. The fact that he addressed the other side so much also added a great sense of credibility to his writing and I would like to use this technique as well.

Controversial Topics

Sports and Drugs

Doping Officials Will Confront Athletes

Mark Fainaru-Wada, Lance W. "SPORTS AND DRUGS / Doping Officials Will Confront Athletes: FINAL Edition." San Francisco Chronicle: D.1. Print. 2004.

Competitive sports, especially those at the professional level have always had difficulty keeping illegal drugs out of the game. The most common drugs used are those that are considered performance-enhancing. In this particular article, the U.S. anti-doping agency is working with athletes by shortening suspensions of doping violations in return for inside information on other competitors using performance enhancers. The games are not nearly as enjoyable to watch when competitors are suspected of cheating. Baseball is one sport that was especially affected by performance enhancers. It is now one of the most highly criticized sports, but the commissioner is working hard to remove the blemish from the league. I believe sports are at the most entertaining level when the game is played fairly. Contrary to those that believe watching Barry Bonds hit 80 homeruns in one season is entertaining, I do not wish to see these players hurt the league, as well as their own bodies. It would be in all of sports best interest if the leagues worked harder to keep doping away from the game.

Paying College Athletes

Is Pay for Play OK for College Athletes?

Neuharth, Al. "Is Pay for Play OK for College Athletes?" USA Today: 11. Print. 2011.

College athletics have also began to have their share of trouble with the law. Although the problem has been around forever, colleges are seeing an increase in the number of athletes receiving money from university boosters. It is illegal for these athletes to receive money benefits of any kind solely because they play a sport. College football is getting hit hardest with the implications of illegal sports boosters giving bribes to the players. It's most recent attempt to put an end to under-the-counter payments is very simple. It has been proposed to pay the football players over-the-counter. In other words, make it legal to pay the college football players. When I first heard of this news I thought this would proposal would last through one meeting. However, this policy of paying college athletes is being highly considered and is starting to look likely to happen. This would violate the college morals. If we begin paying college athletes, what separates them from the professionals who are viewed as being so unappreciative.

The Death Penalty

Death Penalty's High Price

"Death Penalty's High Price." Sarasota herald-tribune: A.8. Print. 2011.

The death penalty is one of the most debated topics in America, and perhaps the entire world. There are an infinite number of considerations and arguments that can be made on both sides. Death penalty, or capital punishment is the process in which the accused murderer is put to death rather than being kept in prison for life. This particular article questions whether the cause of public safety is helped or harmed by enforcing the death penalty. I can see the argument both ways, but I believe the death penalty does the closest possible thing to bringing safety to the public. Plus, I would rather see the money spent on bringing closure to the victims family than being spent to keep a murderer alive in a jail cell for life.

Pancakes vs. Waffles

Waffles

Waffles and pancakes are two very similar breakfast foods with very similar tastes. The difference between the two lies in the structure. Waffles are typically made using a waffle iron. Common types include American, Belgian, and Scandinavian. The structure of a waffle is typically thicker and contains more air within the crust. The typical way a waffle will appear is with a checkered pattern, as shown in the picture below. Compared to the pancake, the waffle is also crispier and harder, but still contains a soft fluffy structure within the crust. Waffles are unique because they aren't always served in a circular shape. In addition to the round shape similar to pancakes, they can also be in the shape of a square. Furthermore, the waffle is often sectioned into four pieces that can be easily broken apart. The overall stability of the waffle is actually quite strong. By holding a waffle by an end, a waffle is not going to sag on the opposite end. The typical waffle would break before it could bend.

Pancakes

The pancake, on the other hand, differs in it's structure. Due to the way the batter is cooked, it affects whether it is classified as a pancake of a waffle. The pancake differs because it is not prepared by using a waffle iron. The structure of the pancake is thinner, flatter and rounder than that of a waffle. Additionally, the texture of a pancake is smoother than the waffle's. A pancake prepared properly prepared is in a perfectly round shape and both sides will be as flat as the skillet is was cooked on. The shape of the pancake will also affect the taste somewhat. It loses the crisp of the waffle and feels softer and more flexible. A pancake could very easily be folded over or rolled up. A pancake would also tear before it would "break."

Overall it is simply the structure that separates the pancake from the waffle. Differences in the two's physical features does create a slight difference in taste, but all in all, the way the batter is prepared is the only thing distinguishing pancakes from waffles.

An Evaluation

Tradition, pride, and loyalty. Penn State football began in 1887 and still today the university is proud of its history and where it began. One of the ways Penn State represents their legacy is through their football uniforms. This season Penn State recently made a slight change to their uniform. In previous seasons, the uniforms featured blue collars around the neck and sleeves of the uniforms white uniforms, and white collars around the neck and sleeves of the blue uniforms. However, in hopes of keeping the uniforms as old-school as possible, the team decided to eliminate this part of the jersey and make the uniforms either all-white or all-blue. This is the same way the jerseys appeared in the early 1900s.

When news broke out about the change, there was a lot of negative speculation about it. Students criticized the new jerseys arguing that Penn State should make their jerseys more interesting, and not take away any more detail than they had. However, what some students don't understand is that the appearance of Penn State's jersey is meant to withhold the tradition of Penn State. This is why I have chosen to evaluate the Penn State football team's uniforms.

These jerseys would fall under the category of a old-school uniform. An old-school uniform is one which replicates that of the team's past uniforms. It's the whole idea of the uniform being retro that makes it meaningful. It is widely used in college football and is also used by schools such as Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, and Alabama. It can be compared to these school's uniforms as well as all of the new-age uniforms. A new-age uniform features unique stripes or appears flashy, and doesn't necessarily appear similar to the team's old uniforms. Uniforms are important because not only do they represent the football team, but it represents the entire pride of the school as well.

The criteria of evaluating old-school uniforms can go very in-depth. Because all of the old-school jerseys are plain in the most case, the criteria must be very specific. First off, an old school jersey must be conservative. Anything flashy or modern looking ruins the effect of trying to capture the old-school tradition. Therefore an old-school jersey should have a minimal variety of colors, and have a simple design.

Additionally, an effective old-school jersey must appear as close as possible to the way the jerseys appeared when the team first began to play. This goes back to why Penn State eliminated the complimenting color of the collars. Any jersey that adds details or elements to the jerseys also doesn't capture the retro look in the most effective way.

Thirdly, the greatest old-school uniforms must not have the individual player's name written on the back of it. The jersey's that don't include the player's last name on them encourage the idea of team unity, and that the team is more important than the individual. This attitude is something that has been forgotten in modern sports.

To build on the topic of team unity, an old-school jersey should not feature "helmet stickers." These are the stickers given for individual accomplishments and stuck onto the helmet. The more accomplishments a player makes, the more helmet stickers he receives. By avoiding these stickers, a team shows that it values all of its players equally, and that they all contribute to the same cause. Accomplishments should be shared by the entire team, not an individual.

Finally, an old-school jersey must have one detail that distinguishes them apart from other teams. In Penn State's case, its the single blue stripe running down the center of the helmet. Another example includes Nebraska's "N" on the side of their helmets. This detail must be simple but distinguishable in order to differentiate them from other teams.

The Web Design

As I read through chapters 51 and 53 of the Norton Field Guide, I began to realize how boring my blog must appear. The chapter discussed ways to make your web text more attractive, and I realized that my blog contained nearly none of them. My blog is easy to read, and I would consider it appropriate for a college classroom about writing, but it is certainly nothing special to look at.

Overall, my blog is decent, and it gets the job done, but there are a few things I can do to make it a much easier to read. On one hand, I like how plain my blog is. It consists of a background of a variety of books and a conservative black text written over white space. It actually captures my personality somewhat in that it's not too wild, but after submitting several posts on my blog, it has become boring to look at just the text. The Norton Field Guide suggests using visuals such as large headings, pictures, and tables or charts. Although I can't employ a chart into my blog very easily, I definitely like the idea of some pictures and colored headings, and I'd like to use it in my blog somehow. I think I can also use the idea of breaking up big points into smaller paragraphs in order to make my blog more effective.

The layout of my current blog fulfills the assignment, or purpose of the English 15 Rhetorical Writer Blog, but it doesn't do so in the most creative way possible. Adding this sense of creativity to my blog will make it much more pleasing to the eye to read, and this is what I hope to do.

After making a few changes, I am now much more pleased with the appearance of my blog. Before changing a few things, I felt my blog was rather boring and plain. After the changes however, I feel the blog has gained a sense of excitement. The first change I wanted to make was to include a picture. At the same time, I wanted the title of my blog to stand out greater than the title of some of my blog entries. I turned this into one step and created a title banner at the top of my blog which contains my blog title alongside a picture that applies to it well. The banner really stands out against the relatively plain background and really makes the entire layout easier to look at. In addition to the title of the blog, I changed the individual titles of each blog entry to show up blue. I did this in hopes of emphasizing each individual entry and make the entry title stand out better. Beforehand, the titles were all black (the same color as the text), so I think the bright blue color eliminates the boringness that was shown before. I also made changes to the text itself. Before the changes, the text was a very conservative one called "Georgia." I replaced it with a text that gives the page a little bit more of a fun look without going overboard with anything along the lines of "comic sans." The text I have chosen I feel is appropriate for a college English course.

After seeing the title text color on Google News, it provided me with the idea to use it on mine. Something about the blue title and black text on a white background felt smooth to me. I also attempted to model my blog after the style that CNET uses, in which entry titles would be visible, but only 3 or 4 lines of the content text would be visible on the home page and you would have to follow the title link to view the whole entry. This would have condensed my page down and drastically increased the neatness of it had I been able to find this type of layout.

These new layout choices I made are meant to reflect how I hope to write. I want my blog to appear neat, interesting, and flow smoothly just as I want to write in this fashion. These choices I make satisfy the criteria of the blog because they are meant to improve my blogs layout, and the blog is meant to improve my overall writing skill.