What I've Done and Websites

 One of my concerns was the counterarguments. Today I did a little more research and found out some of the specific adverse reactions that can occur with vaccination and added a nice paragraph about it to my paper. I was also worried about cohesiveness. I haven't really done anything specifically to address that problem, but it seems like my flow isn't as bad as I originally thought. I think my next step will be to go through all of my transition and make sure they are effective.

Effective Websites
http://health.utah.gov/
http://www.cougardental.com/
http://www.miessociety.org/
http://jackjohnsonmusic.com/home

Ineffective Websites 
http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/alexander_fleming_and_penicillin.htm
http://www.greatbuildings.com/architects/Ludwig_Mies_van_der_Rohe.html
http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/fnart/fa267/mies.html
http://burleylions.org/spudman.html

I think one big design thing is empty space and how you use it. Size and placement of text is huge too.

Not Patchwriting and my issues with the Issues

The modern definition of myth has change from something with cultural and historical significance to a word we use to express disbelief that another's values are as valid as ours (Bacchilega 25).
I'm struggling making my paper a coherent whole. I have a lot of cool things I want to say, but it's a bit of challenge to organize them logically. Also, now that I've written my first draft, I realize that I have some holes in my research, which is a bit of a bummer. As another issue, I'm not sure I really addressed the counterarguments well. Perhaps I should just give up and run away to Nova Scotia. Just kidding. If I was to run away I'd go somewhere more tropical. Be looking for a postcard from Jamaica!:)

What I Learned From Library Day 1

Our class in the library was really helpful and I'm glad that such days are part of the Writing 150 course. The biggest thing I came away with is that there is no need to fear research. There are so many resources available and so many people willing and able to help. It was helpful to learn about the open lab, the live library chat thing and the actual people in the library who are there to help. I really like that Writing 150 has it's own page under the library's page. I had no idea about that before yesterday. I had used similar databases before, but it was nice to learn what ones the library had and which ones they recommended for different aspects of research. I also learned that encyclopedias are a big no-no in college level writing. They are good only for background information and should not be cited. As far as questions go, I don't have too many about research in general. Most of mine are more topic specific like, "How exactly should I narrow this topic down and make sense of it?" and "Why me?" (ha ha, just kidding). In addition to everything I learned about research, I also learned that iPad's are more of a cool concept than a practical tool. That's that to say I didn't enjoy using one, along with the bummer-car style desks. Those were sweet.

Issues Paper Proposal

I came upon my topic while reading a Desert News article titled "War on Boys." This article covers a lot of different ways boys are getting the short end of the stick in today's society. What I want to focus on it the views boys have of girls and womanhood and how those are impacted by the internet and how this is related to gender inequality. As I typed after "focus" I realized what I said wasn't terribly focused, but I think this is the general direction I want to go. My initial stance is that this is a problem that needs to addressed in an effectively and timely manner (a super lame stance, I know. I'm working on that, but I'm thinking it will come as I focus my topic). I will be asking questions like these. What would need to change in society and the media to present girls as less sexualized and victimized and would this change be possible? How are non-virtual romantic relationships and gender inequality impacted by a boy's use of porn and video games?
I'm not completely sold on this specific topic, but I think it's a good place to start. I find this topic in general fascinating because for so long women have been consider the ones being treated unjustly in the gender war. According to this article in the DN, men and boys are doing worse than girls in women in just about every statistic named. Boys have worse emotional health, lower graduation rates and higher suicide rates. There has been a big push to get girls into math and sciences, but there hasn't been a big push for boys in any direction. There is most assuredly gender inequality, but not in the direction people often think. As I type this I starting to realize that I'm more interested in other aspects of this issue, but the one I have above fits the best with "new media."Anyway, I think this topic has a lot of potential.

**Update** As of right now this is my argument.
"Video games and porn are increasing the gender gap by negatively impacting boys' emotional and realationship health."