No child left behind

For my research project I am looking up the subject of No Child Left Behind. It seems to have a wide range of opinions. The reason I am interested in the subject is due to my youngest son in middle school. He keeps reminding me no matter how bad he does in school he will still pass. Being a mom I know it is not true, but became very curious how it all came about. It seems I may of taken on more than I can actually do.The subject spreads from congress setting up the act to states setting the standards for their school systems. No Child Left Behind seems to have its flaws have been a work in progress since 2001.

For the People, By the People

In my paper, I will explore the economic benefits of the practice of localism. I will address the dichotomy between commercial versus local consumerism and explore the authenticity of localism and its potential for positive economic and social impact on small communities during this economic downturn.
I was first introduced to the idea of localism through the works of Alice Waters: chef, author, localism advocate, and owner of the iconic restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. My interest in localism was perked when Waters recently received the blessing of President Obama to plant an organic garden on the grounds of The White House: a symbol of health, community, prosperity, self sufficiency, and a source of inspiration for American people in these troubling times of environmental crises and financial instability. Those practicing localism strive to create communities that are in line with the popular notion of what a community should be opposed to what many communities have become: detached entities that are unaccountable, unproductive, and slowly failing to satisfy the personal and economic expectations of their citizens.
Having lived in North County for over 7 years, I have become accustomed to the unique benefits of my community: beautiful beaches, healthy outdoor lifestyle, and a seemingly endless bounty of delights from the sea and neighboring fields of flowers and local produce. Although I'm surrounded by all of the elements necessary to sustain a simple, community conscience lifestyle, I still find myself in strip mall parking lots on sunny weekends, wrestling with hordes of consumers in air conditioned grocery and department stores.
Localism is the practice of strictly consuming products or purchasing goods from local sources such as farmers, and has expanded its scope to include individually owned markets and locally owned small business service providers. The rationale for localism is a simple one: by making personal connections and supporting the strategic efforts of our neighbors, like-minded individuals can positively affect and foster a more affable and prosperous community. Localism is certainly an attractive and idyllic notion: one deserving close evaluation.

Mass Media and the Decline of Social Values

I've decided to research the effects of sex and violence in the media and its influence on social values in America. There have been many claims that link our overexposure to violence in the media to violent behavior. Theoretically, it logically flows. Oftentimes, an alcoholic is the child of an alcoholic parent. A person who has grown up in an abusive family, is at a higher risk of being in an abusive relationship himself/herself. As one of the articles I used in my research put it.."What we see is what we do..." So the questions is - how much of an influence does our constant exposure to sex and violence through media channels affect our lives, our value systems, our behaviors? Are we responsible for our own social decline?

"Genocide" or "Civil War and Unrest"?

I have chosen to do my research on the Armenian Genocide. Through the research, I intend to fully understand the history and facts behind the 1-1.5 million lives lost in this genocide of the early 20th century. I want to find out the methods that the Turks used in order to annihilate so many people over such a short period of time, and what justifications they use to support their actions.

I currently have little knowledge of the subject. It is well known that Turkey refuses to admit it was genocide and denies the evidence held against them. They claim that all of the lives lost were result of civil war and unrest. Maybe the only thing that kept the world from initially giving a name to the mass killings in the Ottoman Empire was that they had no way to describe the barbarities that were taking place. The word 'genocide', after all, would not be coined for another 20 years.  I initially set out with the goal to find information both in defense of Turkey and against them. Most important to me are all the neutral facts and statistics behind the extermination of the 1 million + Armenians. However, the deeper I delve in to available resources, the more I find that legitimate evidence in defense of Turkey is scarce. So, simply put, my question has evolved from "What is the primary evidence for and against calling this conflict genocide?" to "Why did the Ottoman Empire feel entitled to slaughter a race and how does Turkey justify it today?" and "How did the 'Young Turks' and others of the Ottoman Empire accomplish what they did?"  

My interest in the subject is due to my Armenian heritage. The genocide is the reason for my family’s citizenship in America today and I would like to know more about the atrocities that led my great-grandfather to flee his homeland.

Professional Players' Payoffs...

I have decided to explore the salaries of "superstar" professional athletes, i.e. 'LaDainian', 'A-Rod', etc., in comparision to both their non-"superstar" counterparts and to the average working American.

The numbers are staggering: some pro players are receiving an excess of $25 million, a far cry from the seemingly large sum of $1 million earned by lesser-knowns. Still this is a long-shot from the societal average of just over $50,000 annually.

The debate on this matter is a lively one. The material I have gleaned is informative and interesting. I hope to examine all sides of the argument and present them respectfully and accurately. I look forward to digging deeply into the realms of research and review!

Thank you, and happy writing.

Medicinal Marijuana
Not everyone agrees with medicinal marijuana and may think how does medicinal marijuana benefit the ill? When speaking of “Marijuana” many think of a harmful drug. But what about prescription medications….There is a reason why two nurses have to count pain medications (narcotics) when giving them to a patient because, they are highly addictive and can be harmful to patients if the wrong amount is given and healthcare professionals have been know to abuse these drugs in the hospital. The purpose of medicinal marijuana is to treat the symptoms and pain associated with illnesses. Some symptoms that are treated with medicinal marijuana are relief of: nausea, loss of appetite, pain, and anxiety to name a few. Cancer and aids are deadly diseases and the only thing that can be done for these patients is “palliative care” maintaining their pain level to keep them comfortable in their last days of life. If they choose marijuana to help assist in their palliative care that should be their choice. Medicinal marijuana has been used since the ancient times and according to Earlywine, M of the oxford university press it is noted that marijuana has fewer side effects than legal drugs and it is almost impossible to overdose on marijuana. When speaking of medicinal marijuana that means it legal for medical purposes only and not for general use. I'm going to stop here but there is so much more to say on the benefits of medicinal marijuana, I'll save the rest for my paper.
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Global Warming: Melting Ice Caps.

I chose to do my research paper on Global Warming and because it's such a large topic I narrowed it down to discussing the melting ice in the arctic. I've never really known much about global warming or why I should be worried, so I thought I would take this opportunity to find out. It turns out that there is definitely a lot of evidence supporting a warmer Earth, including melting ice, but there is also evidence that shows that it might not be all due to human activity.

NASA has satellite photos of the Arctic in the 1979 and 2003 showing how much the ice has melted. When the suns rays hit the ice they are reflected back up into the atmosphere, but when its rays hit the dark ocean they are absorbed. Causing warmer waters, which cause the ice to melt faster and in turn causes a warmer climate. This melting ice effects not just the weather, but also the animals. Scientists found that polar bears are being greatly affected by the lack of ice during the summer. The melting ice also causes rising sea levels, which could be disastrous.

Sunspots are another factor people tend to leave out. The sun has many dark holes on its surface that create high volumes of energy which make for a warmer Earth. However, these spots are in specific places and as the earth rotates the climate can change. For example, in the 1700's scientists discovered that there were hardly any sunspots and during that cycle England saw some of it's coldest and longest winters.