4b)The topic that I have chosen to research about is bullying. Bullying is a horrible trend going around in almost every school and it needs to be ended today. There are many serious cases of bullying and it has gotten so bad that people are actually committing suicide because they can't take it anymore. I am excited to learn about different ways that we as a community, can try to work together to help end bullying. It won't be easy and it will take time but it can happen. We can make a change! Although bullying is a horrible thing for someone to do, it's still interesting to learn about all of the different types of bullying and how we can support those that are the victims of bullying.

4) Bullying For and Against X
Most people in the world are against bullying because it is a horrific trend that is going around everywhere and it gets to the point that people kill themselves because of it. Only people that are heartless and who have never gotten bullied before would be for it because they never experienced it and they do not know how it feels. Some people are in a different mindset and they think its okay to take their anger out on others.

4a) What have we been studying in class this year? 
So far this year, we have been doing many different blogs about the internet and things going on in the world today. We also picked different research topics to find one topic we would like to research about. I have learned many new things about the internet that I never heard of before.
Which subjects appeal to me?
The subjects that appeal to me are the ones that are happening all over the world and also the ones that they want to find a cure for.
What are people writing about?
People are writing about things that interest them and that also goes for the news too. Most people only talk about the things that they are interested in and the things that they want to learn more about. For example, I want to learn more about bullying and someone else might want to talk about or write about something completely different like politics.
What's most interesting to me?
Awareness is most interesting to me because I like when things that are in need of help, get help and get the awareness that they deserve. It's interesting to know what different people have gone through in their life because sometimes you might even be able to relate.
Can I find information about that?
Yes you can find information about that because you can most likely find information about anything going on in this world today.

5) Briefly list what you know about your topic already. 
Surprising facts or statistics 
-Over 3 million people are bullied every year
-Almost 160,000 teens skip school everyday because of bullying
-Most people believe that most schools do no help out when it comes to bullying.
The extent of the problem
- Bullying has become a major problem around the world and it gets worse and worse every single day.  It can also put peoples lives in danger based on how they handle it personally.
Important people or institutions
-HR- designated office for addressing workplace bullying.
Observations You Made
- I noticed that schools do not address bullying as much as they should. Also, I believe that some bullies have been hurt in the past so they believe that it's okay to hurt others the same way that were hurt. There should be a new punishment for bullying because the ones that they have now are not strong enough because bullying is still going around. People need to learn to stick up for themselves.
Major Controversies
- Many people are killing themselves because of how much they are getting bullied. Many people get bullied because of the amount of money they have, the clothes they have, the way they look, the way they act and so much more and its not right at all.

Drunk Driving

1. Should states adopt stricter penalties for drivers who refuse to take a BAC test? Why or why not? Yes I do believe that states should adopt stricter penalties for drivers who refuse to take a BAC test. Most people don't take drink driving seriously and don't realize how dangerous it can be for your own life, and for someone else's life.
2. Should laws be enacted that require ignition-interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders? Why or why not? Yes laws should be enacted that require ignition-interlock devices for all convicted drunk drivers, including first-time offenders. Ignition interlock devices are very useful and to expand use of ignition interlock devices, 
3. Do you think DUI checkpoints should be used more often and in more places? Explain.Yes I do think that DUI checkpoints should be used more often and in more places. No matter what, if someone is suspicious or suspected of drunk driving, they should still get pulled over even if they aren't drunk. It's the safest thing you can do.
4. Describe other measures you think could be implemented to reduce drunk driving. I think new and more stricter laws should be implemented to reduce drunk driving. If people saw how much trouble they can get in for drunk driving, then maybe they would actually stop making their wrong decisions which can put their life and someone else's life in danger. 

ADHD

1. What is the best course of treatment for ADHD? The best course of treatment for ADHD is either having the person go through therapy, or putting them on a certain medication that is made for ADHD and nothing else.
2. Do you believe ADHD is an actual psychiatric disorder? Why or why not? Yes ADHD is an actual psychiatric disorder because people with ADHD has a hard time mentally. 
3. Are children being overmedicated? Explain your answer. Some may argue that children are being overmedicated and some may argue that its the right amount of medication in order to keep their kid calm. Some parents are worried that their children will be used to so much medication that they will overdose some day.  

Animal Cruelty 

1. Should animal welfare laws include provisions for animals being used for entertainment purposes? Yes because some animals that are in the entertainment business can most likely be abused with out anyone knowing.
2. Explain why some animal rights activists view horse racing and circuses as cruel to animals. Some animal rights activists view horse racing and circuses as cruel to animals because these poor horses are forced to be trained for long periods of time and are also forced to run for a long period of time. Some people use whips and that can hurt the horse. The horses basically have their rights taken away from them because of this endless amount of work that they can't do anything about.
3. Who should regulate the animal entertainment industry?

A person that truly loves animals and will put the animals safety first in any situation, should regulate the animal entertainment industry.

Bullying

1. Do you think schools are doing enough to stop bullying? Explain your answer. No I don't think schools are doing enough to stop bullying. Every single day someone gets bullied and the school's can't do anything about it. They only tell the students that bullying is not allowed but don't really do much about it. Bullying is not right and it can get the bully in a lot of trouble but that doesn't stop them from doing it. 
2. How should bullies be punished? I believe that bullies should be suspended for a few days and I would make them write an apology letter to the victim. Most bullies don't like to express how they feel and they don't like to apologize for their actions. 
3. What should schools do to help students who are the victims of bullies? Schools should start clubs to support those who have been bullied in their lives. This can be a way of teaching kids how to open up and listen to everything people have gone through in their life.
4. What are the reasons that students bully other students? How can this behavior be changed?    Most people that bully innocent people have gone through something tragic in their life or got hurt in the past. Actually, many bullies have actually been bullied before in their life and they do it for attention. 

Sweatshops

1. Do sweatshops advance economic stability in third world nations? Sweatshops do advance economic stability in third world nations.
2. Are sweatshops a violation of human rights? Yes sweatshops are a violation of human rights. People are forced to work at such a young age (most children don't even get to receive an education) and are also getting very low pay. Many sweatshop workers are starved because they work for hours each day and barely have any breaks
3. Does the availability of cheap products outweigh the use of sweatshop labor? Why or why not? The availability of cheap products does outweigh the use of sweatshop labor. Many people don't realize what the sweatshop workers are going through. They are just worried about the product. 
4. Are there ways in which socially responsible labor practices can strengthen multinational firms? I believe that there might be so ways in which socially responsible labor practices can strengthen multinational firms. They can help get the workers a better work environment, and they can try to get the workers a higher wage. Many sweatshops are very dirty and that can cause many people to become ill and die. 
5. Explain what critics of sweatshops are referring to when they charge global corporations with causing a "race to the bottom" in their search for lower production costs? When critics of sweatshops are referring to when they charge global corporations with causing a "race to the bottom" in their search for lower production costs, they mean that there isnt enough money or wage to be able to make that race go up. Therefore, it will go to the bottom

Potential Research Topics

Choose five topics that you think are potential research topics for your paper and briefly (in 2 to 5 sentences) explain why these topics are of interest to you

Drunk Driving- I am interested in the topic drunk driving because I am against it so I would like to do a research paper stating why its wrong. I would also like to explain why drunk driving needs to end and to find a way to end drunk driving. 

ADHD- I am interested in the topic ADHD because i would really like to learn more about ADHD. I want to know what people go through that have it and I would also like to learn how people deal with it. It is definitely a disorder that I have interest learning about.

Sweatshops- I am interested in the topic Sweatshops because I really think that sweatshops should end and not exist anymore. People are being forced to work because they don't have any other jobs being offered to them. I believe that they should be offered real jobs instead of jobs where they get payed low wages but spend hours working. 

Bullying- I am interested in the topic Bullying because I also believe that bullying should end. Bullying is a horrible crime that can happen anywhere and I would like to try to find a way that bullying can be ended. I am very against bullying and I think that no one deserves to ever be treated like that. 

Animal Rights- I am interested in this topic because I really love animals and I would also like to know what kind of rights they have. I believe that animals should never be abused because they are innocent and do nothing wrong. I believe that animals should have rights just like humans do. 

What Ticks You Off

Make a list of four or five things that "tick you off." Explain why. (Choose significant things that others might experience as well. For instance, your little brother might tick you off, but there is little chance that this annoyance will yield a possible paper topic). It is possible that one of these annoyances can be transformed into an interesting, engaging, and researchable project.

4 things that tick me off are Bullying, Drunk Driving, Child Abuse, and Texting and Driving

             Bullying ticks me off because no one deserves to be made fun of, ever. There are many mean people in the world who tease people but do not know anything about their life. They basically just do it for attention which is not right at all. Drunk driving ticks me off because if someone is drunk and driving, that means that they do not know what is going on around them as they are driving. Their mind can be in a different place and they can also lose focus very easily which can put other peoples lives at risk and it is also very dangerous. Child abuse ticks me off because there are many innocent children out there that get abused for doing absolutely nothing wrong. Child abuse needs to be ended and it is something that is not right and something that people do not deserve especially at a young age. Texting and Driving is something that really ticks me off. It is very dangerous to text and drive because you are putting yourself at risk and you are also putting other peoples lives at risks. Something can easily happen very quickly in the matter of seconds if someone is texting and looking down at their phone.