Please post a list of the remaining research tasks your group has.  Alongside each item, please list the name of the group member who will head up that research task.  You can use the below form as a template.  Add or delete blank rows as necessary.

Research Task                                            Member Responsible for

1. Connection between society’s response, media response, and the product on the field (Mental health of Athletes) Arturo
2. Racism in Sports Elijah
3. Child Abuse and Domestic Abuse (In Sports) Usman
4. Drug Abuse (In Sports) Ben

Sports Group

Creative piece: Group….we each contribute lines to the poem

Primary text with description: Usman

Primary text with description:  Ben

Primary text with description:  Elijah

Primary text with description:  Arturo

Close reading analysis paper: Usman

Close reading analysis paper:  Ben

Scholarly analysis paper:  Elijah

Scholarly analysis paper:  Arturo

Integrating Sources

With the information presented in “Plant of the Week” the notion of the dandelion being simply a “garden weed”, common nuisance for any gardener changes. “Plant of the Week” presents the dandelion as a plant with dignity, one that has many invaluable properties.  This new image of the dandelion makes the plant look not only important, but it makes the gardeners who dislike the plant look petty.

People who see dandelions as a negative object see it as a weed or nuisance on their lawn. Nevertheless, Dr. T. Ombrello teaches the reader how important dandelions really are. Dandelions can be used to make rubber and that’s exactly what countries did during World War II. Additionally the importance of the dandelion is magnified when examining its usefulness after natural disasters. The dandelion helps to revegetate sites after natural disasters. It is invaluable in providing food, stabilizing soil, and preventing water and wind erosion. The dandelion is also useful in providing shelter and food for different animals.

       The gardeners who view the dandelion as “just a weed” and the children who view the dandelion as something that can be used to make a wish, would have greater appreciation for the dandelion if they knew its uses.  With more information about the dandelion and how important it is to the environment in the greater scheme of time, they would have a more authentic, fuller appreciation.

Collier, Matthew H, et al. “Productivity differences between dandelion (Taraxacum officinale; Asteraceae) clones from pollution impacted versus non-impacted soils.” Plant&Soil 329. 1/2 ( Apr 2010):173 – 183.EBSCOhost. Web. 01 Apr. 2015.<http://remote.baruch.cuny.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=8gh&AN=48569742&site=ehost-live>

Markham, Derek. “Guide to Common Edible WIld Plants.” Discovery News, 11 Nov. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2015. <http://news.discovery.com/adventure/survival/guide-to-common-edible-wild-plants.htm>

Sturtevant, Edward L. “A Study of the Dandelion.” The American Naturalist. 1st ed. Vol. 20. N.p.:         U of Chicago, Jan. 1886. 5-9. Web. 01 Apr. 2015. <http://www.jstor.org/stable/2450721?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents>

The changing meaning of the dandelion is reinforced by information of how it traveled throughout Europe to the United States. The dandelion has impacted different cultures and there have been different receptions of the dandelion in each culture.   

“For you, a thousand times over”

– The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This quote is used in Khaled Hosseini’s novel, The Kite Runner, to express the theme of unconditional love.  The phrase is really powerful because it was originally used by Hassan and then used by Amir.  The first time it appears, Hassan tells Amir, “For you, a thousand times over,” as he runs after the blue kite. This blue kite was important to Amir because it represented him winning the tournament and his father’s pride. Hassan knew the importance of this blue kite and would have stopped at nothing to retrieve it. However, It’s because of this blue kite that the course of this book is altered onto a guilt-ridden path. Hassan’s rape scene shows that while Hassan has unconditional love for Amir, Amir does not show enough love to stand up for Hassan.

However, the reader later finds out that Hassan writes a letter to Amir, stating that he has forgiven Amir and does not blame Amir. Once Amir knows that he is forgiven by Hassan, he finds a way to “be good again” by saving Sohrab, who is Hassan’s son and represents Hassan. Furthermore, Amir starts to develop a bond with Sohrab, much like the one he had with Hassan. Hosseini ends the novel with irony by switching the roles of Hassan and Amir when Amir is the one telling Sohrab, “For you, a thousand times over,”  as he chases after a kite. This symbolizes the complete redemption of Amir through unconditional love.

Augusto Monterroso constantly stresses the element of irony in the short story, “The Eclipse”, by writing about a Spanish priest lost in a Guatemalan jungle. The use of irony provides a critique in the false belief of Western Dominance in such a way that makes the priest’s belief of intellectual dominance becoming his very own demise.

In Tim Brown’s article, “Never mind A-Rod’s apology, the question now is can he hit?”, he discusses how Alex Rodriquez apologized on Tuesday, February 17, 2015. In this Yahoo Sports News article, Brown states that Alex Rodriquez took a step in the right direction by writing a letter of apology to the fans. Alex Rodriquez, also known as A-Rod, was suspended 17 months ago for the usage of performance enhancing drugs, again. Brown also points out the ironic timing of this apology letter as it is “a few hours after Biogenesis founder Tony Bosch was sentenced to four years in federal prison for, among other things, supplying illegal substances to Alex Rodriguez.” Even though Brown mentions A-Rod’s apology through out the whole article, the apology is only the foundation of his main idea. Tim Brown believes that the letter of apology was the right thing to do but was not necessary because what really matters is to see if Alex Rodriquez can play the game of baseball.

Brown, Tim. “Never Mind A-Rod’s Apology, the Question Now Is Can He Hit?” Yahoo Sports. Yahoo, 17 Feb. 2015. Web. 17 Feb. 2015. <http://sports.yahoo.com/news/never-mind-a-rod-s-apology–the-question-now-is-can-he-hit-213646252.html>.

Nike. Inner Drive. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2015.   <http://www.designyourway.net/blog/inspiration/35-nike-print-advertisements-that-boosted-the-companys-income/>.

“Can’t we all just get along?” Rodney King once asked this famous question but there has never been anything that could unite everyone. However, sports come pretty close to unifying a nation or nations. That’s right, sports.

Just recently was one of the largest spectated sports program in the United States of America, the Super Bowl. The Super Bowl causes millions of people in the Unites States to gather around the TV and spectate watch the Super Bowl. Yes, some people only watch the Super Bowl for the famous commercials, but a lot of families, friends, and strangers from all over together to watch a single football game.

The Super Bowl is just a small domestic example of how sports bring people together. Sports affect nations on an international level. Last year’s event, the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, brought many nations together. The FIFA World Cup is the world’s most widely viewed sporting event, and spectators from all over the world watched their own country play in a competitive game of soccer. During the 2014 FIFA World Cup nations would cheer for their country in unison.

This is not the only example of sports bringing people together on an international level. The Olympics unifies nations like no other global event. During the Olympics there is a special tradition called the Olympic Truce. Because of the Olympic Truth, nations must suspend wars. Ending a war is one of the hardest things to accomplish, but something so simple as the Olympics can achieve that.

Countries have always been striving to create world peace, but the thought of world peace was always just a dream. Surprisingly, sports have a magical ability to bring people together. So the real question is, can’t we all just play a sport together?

“YouTube Stars Expand to Snapchat” is an article in Bloomberg Business written by Lucas Shaw. Shaw focuses on the entertainment company called Snapchat Inc. and the company’s expansion. Snapchat Inc. is coming out with its own superhero series and “SnapperHero” is what the company plans on calling it. Snapchat Inc. plans on releasing 12 episodes and each episode will be anywhere from 100 to 200 seconds. In addition, “SnapperHero” plans on including famous YouTube personalities such as Anna Akana and Freddie Wong. Since Akana and Wong have such a large following, they will both help promote the superhero series. Snapchat Inc. will also incorporate an interesting feature where fans play a role on helping to determine the superheroes identities, costumes, and origins. With this in mind, Lucas Shaw focuses on a central idea of how Snapchat Inc. is growing rapidly and coming out with new innovations. Shaw shows how rapid Snapchat is growing by mentioning the 10 billion dollar worth of the company and the partnerships with other large companies such as AT&T. Also, Lucas Shaw states how Snapchat recently formed video partnerships with Walt Disney, CNN, and Yahoo to make a new Discovery feature. As the social media industry is growing, companies must brainstorm new ideas and Shaw illustrates exactly on how Snapchat Inc. is coming out with new ideas and continues to grow.