For my research, i will be looking at the rapid increase of baseball pitchers needing to get elbow surgery because of young bad habits.  This surgery is called Tommy John and was named this after the first MLB pitcher that got hurt.  Tommy John surgery is when the UCL tears and is replaced with a ligament not needed somewhere else in the body.  Many athletes get this surgery but is most common among baseball players.

When researching more about the topic, i found out that this is rising because of kids throwing more curveballs at a younger age causes more stress on the elbow and leads to the injury faster.  The thing about curveballs being thrown is that it twists your full arm and puts a lot of strain on that ligament at all times.  Playing as a little kid, coaches need to know that it is about more fun then competing and kids can’t hit to perfection any how so there should be no chance of the kids throwing curveballs at the age.

 

1:  The Tommy John Epidemic 

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/tommy-john-epidemic-elbow-surgery-glenn-fleisig-yu-darvish/

The Essential Content of the Article: This article shows how fast the rate is going up in which baseball pitchers are needing to get this surgery.  Just alone in 2014, there were more surgeries then in all of the 90s.

What it Proves: It proves that the rate is going up and the surgery is becoming more common to pitchers.  It also shows there can be ways to avoid getting an arm injury this serious from studies done through different organizations.  These studies have been done from levels of little league all the way to the pros.

2: Young Arms and Curveballs: A Scientific Twist

The Essential Content of the Article:  This article shows how throwing curveballs at a young age can stress the arm out earlier and lead to higher rate of an injury.

What it Proves: This article proves the reasons behind why it is bad to throw curveballs at the young age.  Kids are not fully developed so they don’t have enough neuromuscular control meaning they can get fatigued when throwing curveballs causing things in the arm to break down.It also shows ids also do not have proper mechanics which puts strain more on the arm causing more likelihood of injury.

3: Examine the Rapid Rise of Tommy John Surgery in Youth Baseball

http://www.si.com/edge/2015/07/30/examining-tommy-john-surgery-youth-baseball-mlb

The Essential Content of the Article: This article shows the rise in kids being injured due to throwing to much.  There is one answer this article gives and that kids these days are just simply overthrowing which when not developed can cause injury.

What it Proves: This article proves that kids who get injured and want to continue to play must get the surgery.  It also proves that kids when they are younger usually play sports all year round as in 3 different sports but now kids are playing baseball in the fall, winter, spring and summer which is causing to much stress on the body and arm leading to injury.

4:Pitch 22

http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/12842678/why-tommy-john-surgeries-cease-soon

The Essential Content of the Article:  This article shows the grind behind the pitchers who have so much to prove and all the stress it puts on the arm during the process leading to injury.

What it Proves:  It proves a few things, first that throwing a baseball overhand is very unnatural to the body.  You see pitchers throw once a week but softball pitchers can go every game because underarm is a normal motion.  This article shows that someone who throw a 95mph fastball has so much stress on the arm that the forearm wants to detach from the body but is held to the upper arm by the UCL ligament.

5: Broken From Baseball

http://www.10news.com/longform/broken-from-baseball-the-rise-in-youth-baseball-injuries

The Essential Content of the Article: This article shows the damage that can be done from overthrowing and the pain kids can go through after this happening.  It also shows some details behind what the UCL does and how it can be hurt.  Also, this article gives some information on the man Tommy John in which the surgery was named from.

What is Proves: This article proves that kids are being over used.  Kids these days start playing travel ball which is stated in the article that have kids competing all over the country and going to showcases.  This is a lot of stress and work ethic for a young kid who is not fully grown so can have easier injury cases.

For my research, I came to the conclusion that my topic will discuss how hitting a softball is different than hitting a baseball. By “different,” I mean harder. Most believe softball is a sport girls play when the can’t compete with “the big guys.” In fact, softball pitchers have much greater force than a baseball pitcher. The angle, speed, distance, and spin are just a few of the aspects of how difficult hitting a windmill pitch really is.

Most also indicate that since the ball is bigger and brighter, is must be easier, right? Wrong. Everything about softball pitching is totally different than baseball’s over hand style. The only aspect that seems to be the same is the batter standing in their same box. While researching, it has been proven over and over again how hitting a 65 mph softball is more difficult than hitting a 95 mph baseball.

http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/sports/article_07444756-beee-557f-9bf6-7814fdb3f653.html

The Essential Content of The Article: The point of this article is about comparing the two. Since a baseball is small, it can move more, but the softball pitch angles up and can continue to go on that up angle through the strike zone. This makes a pitch like this very difficult. The author also discusses how the distance and speeds differ. Though hitting the softball is not impossible, but getting a productive hit almost is.

What it Proves: This article proves that there are some comparisons with softball and baseball, but not many. The skills of the batter must also be in the equation as well. Their are batters at the college level hitting over .500. This can mostly be from their impressing hand-eye coordination.

http://pzoneacademy.blogspot.com/2011/10/which-is-more-challenging-task-hitting.html

The Essential Content of The Article: This author makes points that are focused on the actual eye muscles that the batter uses while waiting for the pitch. How we can’t see near and far at the same time, and how our eyes must adjust so quickly. Also, the author discusses the bats that are being used in the college level and professional.

What is Proves: This proves that the batter will have almost the same kind of aspects for hitting both baseball and softball. The difference in this is what the angle and distance of where the ball is coming from.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2004/08/the_softer_they_come.html

The Essential Content of The Article: This author discusses the many aspects of hitting a softball, and how the pitch is really thrown. It discuss how important the pitchers are in softball. We know pitchers like Jennie Finch and Liza Fernandez because of their ability to make batters unable to hit their pitch affectively. The author also goes into an overview of some of the softball history.

What it Proves: This proves how affective a softball pitcher can be. The point with the famous pitchers is something that is never thought much of. People know great baseball hitters like Babe Ruth and Mike Trout, but when do we see outstanding softball hitters? Softball pitchers also have almost twice as many pitches as a baseball pitcher does. Which is another aspect as to why hitting this ball is so difficult. The uncertainty of where the ball is going to end up and what speed it’s going to be is extremely challenging.

http://baseballrebellion.com/cpippitt/the-myths-of-hitting-down-and-through/The Essential Content of The Article: This article talks much on how to hit the ball. The angle the batter must take to make contact at the correct position. The author also discusses different kind of bat issues. There are also some diagrams explaining the angles and contact points made in the strike zone.

What is Proves: This proves more scientifically how a batter hits the ball. This article is mostly about hitting the baseball, but softball batters make almost identical swings. Softball batters hit with a different contact point because the different angle of the ball coming in. Which is why hitting that 12″, bright yellow ball is challenging.

Throw Like A Girl by Jennie Finch (page 167)

The Essential Content of the Story: Finch discusses a part in her life when she had a job at This Week in Baseball. During this time, most of her sessions their was for proving how powerful she is. They had her pitching the incredible professional ball players, and striking most out on a daily bases. She states that most players didn’t want to face her because of the teasing they would get from their teammates.

What is Proves: This proves that a few dozen professional baseball players, who hit 95 mph fast balls almost everyday, were scared to face the great and powerful Jennie Finch. I feel like this proves that even professional baseball players can’t even come in contact with Finch’s movement and speed. Being the “best of the best” in baseball means nothing when it comes to softball.

 

For my research paper, I will be examining of how electronic technology in this generation affect humans in negative way.Technology has grown rapidly over the years it allowed people to communicate more quickly and efficiently. It became a centerpiece for people success such as who wish to perform tasks that would have taken a long time in the past. We live in luxury century where people do not have to work as hard, also we cherish time management as well.   I want to proof that even though electronic technology does help humans greatly due to easy access with less time consuming, still has flaws.

In my research that I conducted is that there are many negative affects on the usage of technology.  As I researched I was shocked the arguments were made were actually in theory they were correct. Here are some examples of how negative effects of technology.

Sleeping- People would not sleep the 7-8 hours , the healthy requirement.

Distraction- Students would use phones during in class when the teacher is teaching a lesson. Students would text of what they are going to do after class or tonight activities.

Obesity- The more the people endorsed in time in technology they become more obese. They are not as active because they are simply holding a controller.

During my research I thought about the app Pokemon GO that was released in the summer of 2016. The app basically is a free-to-play, location-based augmented reality game where the user would have to walk out or run to catch virtual characters known as “Pokemon”.

Cyber Bullying- Cyber Bullying on the Internet is common, in this generation people would try to against you or threaten you for their amusement. It takes less than a sec to completely humiliate others by just a text or a update a status.

These negative effects could be a strong reasoning of why technology is imperfect. People are yet to see that technology portray differently but in reality there many issues that overlooked.

Source 1.

25 Negative Effects of Technology

For my research I will be examining the hypothesis that involvement of foreign affairs and how it starts more wars rather then prevent wars. While many countries believe lending a helping hand may create a better world, it actually causes more problems with the world in terms of threats and creating a war.

While researching the involvement of foreign affairs I found that more problems occurred when foreign countries started getting involved with a problem. The UN was created to decrease problems but really, them being involved just creates higher tension with in themselves and leads to bigger problems, such as terrorist attacks or even going to war.  

Syria: The story of the conflict

The Essential Content of the Article:  shows us what was going on in Syria the problem people had with the government and how a war broke out, the advantage that terrorists take from the people in a state of emergency. What foreign countries do to lend a helping hand, and how they affect the people of their own country.

What it Proves: what this proves is that risks do happen in helping others out, many should think about there own people before helping others.

Germany’s real problem with refugees

The Essential Content of the Article: This shows us the problem of lending a hand with foreign countries and allowing these Syrians to come into the country, they would bring there ways with them such as assaulting people and creating many problems.

What it Proves: What this proves is that lending a hand just may seem like the right decision but there are many after effects that can be caused by helping others in a time of need. Your people may get hurt and threatened, all because you want to help.

Why ISIS threatens the U.S.—and what we can do about it

The Essential Content of the Article: This shows us that even by handling a hand to help some innocent people out, the enemy could be feel endangered and show signs of anger by doing an attack to warn us off. By helping out a friend we could get attacked and have our own citizens hurt.

What it Proves: This proves that we should think about ourselves and our people before getting involved with foreign affairs that we have no conflicts in, because at the end of the day our people might be getting hurt.

Syria’s civil war: US to send extra military personnel

The Essential Content of the Article: This shows us that we are taking our own people out of USA to another country that we should have no affiliation with or get involved with, sending our soldiers and risking their lives for the better of the Syria.

What it Proves: This proves that we are willing to risk our own soldiers to send them into foreign affairs and risk their lives, instead of keeping them with their families safe.

Who’s Fighting Who In Syria

The Essential Content of the Article: this shows us everyone who is involved there affiliation with this civil war, what actions they are taking, and there reason of getting involved.

What it Proves: This proves that many countries got involved for different reasons whether it was for economic reason, better for the world, or just to cause chaos. All got involved for their own belief, for a better world for themselves.

 

 

 

http://www.people-press.org/2014/06/26/section-6-foreign-affairs-terrorism-and-privacy/

 

For my research essay I will be examining Competitive video gaming (or eSports) and discussing its validity as a professional sport, such as: Soccer, football, tennis or basketball. To start one has to understand just how large this industry is. Based on data gathered by Newzoo.com, 23% of all regular CNN viewers have watched or participated in eSports, followed by MTV holding 21%, Cartoon Network with 17% along with ESPN also at 17%. Some of the championship events in eSports have even beat out some of sports most popular televised championships. Events like the 2014 Masters tournament had a viewership of 25 million but the 2014 League of Legends tournament had a viewership of 27 million people along with a sold out arena in Seoul of 40,000 people. What makes this industry even bigger are the sponsors behind big name eSports teams. Sponsors like Nissan, Red Bull, Logitech and Coke.

Whether one considers competitive gaming a sport or not they cannot discredit the fact of how similar both eSports leagues and Sports leagues, like the NFL, are managed. One of the bigger arguments against eSports not being a sport is how competitive gaming requires no physical expertise, and only “real” sports require this. But with competitive gaming one has to have the stamina, reflexes and game knowledge to win. Pro eSports players even have longer practice hours than pro athletes do, and the games that are played competitively all require teamwork just like basketball, soccer or football. Competitive gaming can be validated as a professional sport and only time will tell.

Sources:

1.  Resistance is futile: eSports is massive… and is growing

The Essential Content of the Article: This article provides the statistical viewership data of eSport championship events and nationally televised sports championship events. Also the number and types of sponsors backing eSports organisations.

What it Proves: by listing the viewership numbers for the events it shows how popular competetive gaming events are compared to other traditional sports.

2. Esports reaches tipping point as media brands scramble to get involved

The Essential Content of the Article: This article contains the percentages of people who watch eSports within big name T.V channels such as CNN or ESPN.

What it proves: This proves that there is not a specific stereotype for people who enjoy watching or playing competetive games.

3. On the Scientific Relevance of eSports

The Essential Content of the Article: This article provides information about the lack of scientific research behind eSports.

what it proves: This source proves that eSports is more than just a casual game that anybody can pick up and play. It shows that it requires a physical form that not everybody has.

4. Esports jocks are just like NBA players… real athletes

The essential content of the article: This article shows an interview TMZ did with Rick Fox, a former basketball player, businessman and actor who owns his own eSports team/organisation.

What it proves: That the media and the majority of society are very biased and ignorant toward the fact that eSports cannot turn into a mainstream sport like football or soccer.

5. ‘ELeague’ eSports on TBS Debuts May 24 with Three – Hour CSGO Broadcasts

The essential content of the article: This article is about the announcement of a brand new eSports league debuting a Counter Strike: Global Offensive tournament on national television on TBS during its sport segment.

What it proves: This is the very first successful U.S/ T.V broadcasted eSport tournament. ELeague is showing very promising viewership figures.

Rock ‘n’ Roll…and God

The Pitch…

My hypothesis is that the Rock’n’Roll did not rely on the Occult or invoke the Devil, but instead had a focus on honoring the Christian God and the various deities of other religions.

It is a common belief that Rock performers would immerse themselves in the world of the Occult, and tried to spread their messages of violence, sex, and anarchy. Album covers and the way that these artists behave seemingly support this. However, there are clear indications of just the opposite- Rock is used as a way to invoke religion and its various teachings. Many popular Rock performers are actually very spiritual, which can be seen in some of the most well-regarded tunes. Through Rock, the word of God is actually spread to  young listeners who do not attend church regularly . And in fact, many of the songs that are commonly thought to honor Satan and dark magic are actually warnings against such ideas. In this research paper, I will go against popular belief, and illustrate a point of view of Rock’n’roll that makes much more sense than what is currently thought.

 

…+ 5 Sources

Top 10 Quotes About Rock and Religion – Ultimate Classic Rock

• The Essential Content of the Article: A top 10 list of well known Rock musicians providing quotes about their personal relations with religion, and how it crosses over to their music.
• What it Proves: Some of the most popular Rock performers are very much into religion and spirituality. Shows that a majority of Rock stars do not worship the Devil and the occult.

God, Love, and Rock n’ Roll – CBN.com

• The Essential Content of the Article: Rock is another way for God to spread his messages. His messages were given through various ways in order to capture the attention of specific crowds, whether by types of music or specific people (such as John the Baptist, a relatively disheveled man who was able to attract many people with his words and actions).
• What it Proves: That there can absolutely be the presence of God in Rock music. Rock’n’roll, although seemingly unorthodox to conservative Christians, still spreads the messages of religion to groups of individuals who do not identify with the classical form of learning scriptures.

The Top 10 Epic Rock Songs Featuring Jesus Christ – VH1.com

• The Essential Content of the Article: A top 10 list of beloved Rock songs that mentioned Jesus Christ and religion in their lyrics, including Norman Greenbaum‘s “Spirit in The Sky” and The Doobie Brothers‘ “Jesus Is Just Alight”.
• What it Proves: That some of the most popular Rock tunes had to do with religion, casting it in a good light. Shows that God can be associated to Rock. From this point I will also mention the fact that “Spirit in The Sky” is one of the most requested songs at funerals.

Tracing It to Its Origins – Inside Rock Music

• The Essential Content of the Article: An analysis of the origins of Rock music, and how at its basic roots, it was all about offering tribute to well known deities. Also mentions how early performers invoked these deities, and attempted to spread the ideas to the millions of listeners.
• What it Proves: Religion has always had a place in Rock music. For example,Voodoo, which was very popular with Rock performers, may appear to be a  big representative of the Occult, but in reality, the word is derived from the African term vodun, which is translated as deities that speak through humans.

Japanese Buddhist and Lutheran Pastors Spreading God Through Rock

• The Essential Content of the Article: Japanese Pastor Kazuhiro Sekino and his band Boxi Rocks, along with Monk Yoshinobu Fujioka and his band Bozu, spread the word of God and happiness to hundreds of audience members through fun Rock music.
• What it Proves: A prime example of how religion and Rock can blend very well, and how this combination successfully spreads the good word of the Lord to multitudes of young people and non churchgoers. Shows that Rock is not entirely about spreading messages of anarchy, sex, and blasphemy.

Edwardnihlman’s Proposal

For my research essay I will be analyzing the American government’s tendency to blame personality corruption on the developers of violent video games rather than the parents who buy the games for their children. Over the last decade or so, there have been instances of violent crimes committed by the youth that are rooted in inspiration from violent video games. While it is questionable whether or not video games have truly impacted these criminals, a bigger question is perhaps who should take responsibility for the actions of these people.

Most video game inspired crimes are committed by young, impressionable individuals. A major argument is that the content of the video games is what inspired them to commit a crime, so the developers of the product should take responsibility and edit said content. However, video games, similarly to movies, have a ratings system in place to advise parents what games their children should or should not be playing. In turn, this means that the only people who should hold responsibility for children’s increased aggression are the parents who allow it to happen.

Edwardnihlman’s Sources

APA Review Confirms Link Between Playing Violent Video Games and Aggression

The Essential Content of the Article: The article is an analysis of a study by the American Psychological Association. They explain that their research indicates that people who play violent video games have increased aggressive behavior and decreased empathy and sensitivity to aggression. It also states that while there may be an increase in aggressive behavior, there is no correlation between playing violent video games and committing criminal activity.

What it Proves: The information does not help for any particular stance, but does show that there is a correlation between violent video games and increased aggression.

22 Charts & Graphs on Video Games & Youth Violence

The Essential Content of the Article: This article contains tons of data and graphs detailing gamer demographics, video game sales, and violence trends among the youth.

What it Proves: The information here will be beneficial if any statistics are needed to prove a particular point, or just for a basic understanding.

A Timeline of Video Game Controversies

The Essential Content of the Article: This article gives a breakdown of important video game related controversies. Within it there are many related to the topic of video game censorship in response to tragedies inspired by games.

What it Proves: The timeline found in the article will help in citing the several instances in which the government tried to blame video games for affecting younger minds and causing them to commit crimes.

Why do we blame games for real-world violence?

The Essential Content of the Article: The article provides a study that shows one third of 2,278 US adults will let their child play any video game. The article discusses the lack of awareness parents have to the video game ratings, and how in turn the misinformation leads to them purchasing inappropriate games for their impressionable children.

What it Proves: This article proves that a substantial amount of parents put very little thought into what they are purchasing for their children, and can be seen as the true reason for these children committing terrible acts of violence.

How the ESRB Works

The Essential Content of the Article: This article discusses how the ESRB rates video games. It explains the process of how each game receives their rating through meticulous speculation.

What it Proves: This article shows that the ESRB puts a lot of thought into the rating of each game to ensure that the right audience is playing the title in order to prevent things such as children playing extremely violent and mature games.

Blue Lives Matter

For my research paper I will prove that police officers do not receive individual attention regarding their mental stability following a life threatening scenario that calls for instantaneous reactions. A study conducted in 2012 by Pamela Kulbarsh, a psychiatric nurse for over 25 years and a member of San Diego’s Psychiatric Emergency Response Team, found that 150,000 officers have experienced symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, not to mention the officers who have yet come forward with their symptoms, following a shooting with a criminal. In 2015, 102 law enforcement officers have committed suicide after displaying significant signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a nation that prides themselves on a strong law enforcement system, America has ignored the calls for help from the people who have set out to protect our nation.

In my research I have found that there were 51 deaths by suicide of law enforcement officers in the last six months of 2015. That would indicate that approximately 102 law enforcement suicides occurred last year. The pressures of law enforcement has led to the development of high blood pressure, insomnia, increased levels of destructive stress hormones, heart problems, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and suicide. How are they to be brought back to their original self? American’s have grown so dependent on law enforcement that they fail to acknowledge an officer’s signs of distress, which is mind boggling considering we live in a country that is so fixated on improving our overall health. It is inexcusable how many lives have been damaged and/or taken from the lack of support for people who sacrifice their lives on a day-to-day basis to keep us safe.

Sources:

1. “Why Departments Need to Develop Mental Health Programs for Cops“

The Essential Content of the Article: This article examines the idea that in a predominantly male culture that emphasizes toughness and a suck-it-up mentality, officers are forced to withhold their emotions and resort to detrimental methods of coping with their stress, including alcoholism, drug use, risk-taking behaviors, etc.

What it Proves: An officers health, confined by cultural beliefs,  is not being dealt with in a healthy, productive matter.

2. “Suicide leading cause of death among police officers”

The Essential Content of the Article:  This article focuses on a study conducted by Badge of Life, a national surveillance of police suicide, that lists the amount law enforcement officers who have committed suicide in 2015 as a result of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. It also highlights the emotional affects that a distraught officer has on his or her family. The overall well-being of the officers and their family are being put into jeopardy by not offering any assistance to help officers cope with their anxiety.

What it Proves: My thesis says that there is nothing being done for law enforcement that examines their mental health following a distressing situation. Since this article focuses entirely on the death toll of police officers, it provides me with a basis for my argument that officers are not getting the type of support they need to be efficient in their line of duty.

3. “Patterns of PTSD among Police Officers”

The Essential Content of the Article: This journal recognizes that shooting incidents are a rare phenomenon in low violence police work. How do we prepare for something of this magnitude? The article focuses in on 37 police officers of the Amsterdam police force, who were involved in serious shootings incidents in the period between 1977 and 1984.

What it Proves: The article provides me specific, concrete examples that allow me to build off my thesis that, even during the early 1980’s, there was little support given to officers that were traumatized by one single incident.

4.  “Impact of Stress On Police Officers’ Physical and Mental Health“

The Essential Content of the Article: This article gives statistical analysis of how an officer’s stress level can put them at risk for several health complications, such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. It also shows that suicidal thoughts are three times higher in law enforcement than in other municipal workers.

What it Proves: Health complications and suicidal tendencies among law enforcement officers are becoming more prominent because of high levels of stress.

5. “PTSD Symptoms in Suburban Police Officers”

The Essential Content of the Article: This article focuses on a study conducted by Cleveland State University that says 63% out of the 100 suburban cops surveyed stated that a critical debriefing period would be beneficial following an extremely stressful event related to duty. This study is dedicated to help officers, almost immediately, following an incident such as a mass shooting.

What it Proves: This survey is extremely useful because it supports my claim that officers are not given the proper care needed to maintain a level of stability in a highly stressful job. There is obviously a major flaw with law enforcement and I intend to expose this flaw by using these statistics.

 

The NJ Sales Tax is Not Regressive

Hypothesis: The current 7% sales tax in the State of New Jersey is not a regressive tax on the poor and is a fair tax for everyone, so it should not be lowered.

Proposal: There is no need to lower the New Jersey sales tax. This is a tax on luxury items which it is fair for the government to tax. Many basic necessities are tax free, so the sales tax does not hurt the working poor people of New Jersey.  Under a current bill passing through the New Jersey legislature, the sales tax would be decreased to 6.875% in 2017 and then to 6.625% in 2018. This is a tax on luxury and non-essential items, the current 7% seems appropriate.

Source #1

Sales Tax Exemptions for Groceries

Essential Content of Article: This article is mostly a map that shows which states exempt groceries from the sales tax. New Jersey is listed as a State where groceries are completely exempt from the sales tax. This only applies to unprepared food. Some examples of this include: canned soup, canned, raw, or frozen vegetables, milk, bottled water, and any non-prepared food. Soda is not exempt, because it is non-essential.

What it Proves: This proves that any food that someone cannot live without is not taxed at all. This tax does place an extra burden on the poor. People with low income are not paying a tax on items they need to survive, so lowering the sales tax would not save them money at all.

Source #2

http://www.metro.us/philadelphia/new-jersey-gas-tax-hike-announced-alongside-a-sales-tax-decrease/zsJpiD—TvZpjkpErKkek/

Essential Content of Article: On January 1st, 2017 the sales tax in NJ will decrease by .125% and then on January 1st, 2018 the sales will decrease by .25%. These sales tax decreases will not lower prices at all for the poor. Calling this a tax cut for the poor is ridiculous because people who can only afford to buy necessities are not paying the tax regardless and even those who do buy luxury items are saving very few pennies.

What it Proves: Lowering the sales tax by such a small amount is doing nothing. This will hardly save people money when they pay the tax at a restaurant or on a luxury item. If someone goes to the Wawa and buys a $1 coffee after the sales tax decreases, they will pay seven cents sales tax because the percentage will be rounded up.

Source #3

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/06/9_facts_on_the_nj_sales_tax_which_may_be_going_dow.html

Essential Content of Article: The State of New Jersey exempts clothing from the sales tax. So clothes are cheaper in New Jersey that in a State that taxes clothes. Everybody needs to buy clothes, so it is considered an essential item. So this tax  does not affect the poor who need to buy clothes

What it Proves: This article is just another example of how the New Jersey sales tax is not regressive. Clothes are necessary for everyone to have and winters can be cold in New Jersey so everyone has to stay warm.

Source #4

Click to access sales_and_use%20tax.pdf

Essential Content of Article: While many items are exempt from the New Jersey sales tax, this article provides a list of non-exempt items. Some of these items include: alcoholic beverages, balloons, pet food, candy, tobacco, and many more non-essential items.

What it Proves: All of the items listed above are non-essential items. None of those items are necessary for a human to survive so there is a tax added on to them. So the sales tax on these items is not hurting low income people because there is no added tax on what they need to survive.

Source #5

NJ Raising Gas Tax 23 Cents to End Road Funding Crisis

Essential Content of Article: Under a bill that the New Jersey Assembly, New Jersey Senate, and Governor Chris Christie have agreed on, the sales tax will become 6.875% on January 1st, 2017 and 6.625% on January 1st, 2018. These politicians think they are helping the poor but they are not making any difference to the average  or even poor person in New Jersey. Since the sales tax is not applicable to basic necessities, it is not helping the poor or middle class by lowering it by less than .5%.

What it Proves: This articles proves that sometimes politicians like to say they lowered taxes on people, but the tax is so small it will not save people a lot of money. The poor should not pay sales tax regardless and the middle to upper class will saves pennies on the dollar.

Source 6

 

http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/eligible-food-items

 

For my research essay I will be examining the hypothesis that Dialectical Behavior Therapy could benefit the majority of college students, not just those with diagnosed disorders. Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a form of behavior therapy that focuses on the treatment of emotional, relationship, cognitive, behavior, and self dysregulation. When most of these problems are found in one person, diagnosis is often given and DBT is prescribed. However, one or two of these problems are found in the same majority of “normal” college students mentioned earlier, whether diagnosis is possible or not, and DBT has not even been considered. This is not only unfair to the students, but unfair to the people around them that they will inevitably affect with their dysregulation. DBT could help all of these students to a healthier, happier existence.

In my research I have found that 82% of college students have admitted to using verbal violence against a partner, creating relationship and emotion dysregulation. 44% of college students have been classified as binge drinkers, which falls into the category of behavior dysregulation. And finally, 11.1% of students reported having suicidal ideation in the past four weeks, another example of behavior dysregulation.

Sources

1. Acceptance and Mindfulness in Cognitive Behavior Therapy – Herbert, James D.,Forman, Evan M_.pdf

The Essential Content of the Article: In its section on DBT, it outlines the basics of the therapy and for whom it is necessary. It mainly specifies people with personality disorders, but gives breakdowns of what issues can be treated by DBT. It defines the different types of dysregulation and shows how DBT helps fix them.