Posible Junior Theme Topic?

So today in the library, I found it really helpful to look on the class links website to search for and choose a possible JT topic. One of my favorite topics was the Environmental/ Wildlife conservation topic. I Soon discovered that even in that topic, there are hundreds of ways Icould branch off and write my paper. Im having trouble thinking about how to address my problem. When I talked to Bolos, he gave me the idea that branching off into more of a political aspect, and talking about how presidents in the past, and present have delt with conservation issues. I think that would really give me a solid idea to write about and there is a lot of information on the internet. My only problem is finding a novel that addresses that topic. Any suggestions?

Are we allowing killers to become heroes?

Virgina Tech. We all remember the tragedy of when 33 students and faculty members died in a school massacre. Northern Illinois University. We again remember the shootings so very recently where a gunman walked into a class and fired at will. Columbine High School. Yet another tragedy of two boys walking into a high school and killing 12 people. These were all horrible incidents that were horrific in every way, shape, and form. The other day, while watching a news report on how NIU was planning on building a memorial for the students that died, it occurred to me that the real tragedy of all these shootings, is the way the media has a way of glorifying the killers. Every time I flipped a channel during the week after the NIU shootings, all I saw was the murderer's face. I hate seeing it. Its like staring hate and evil in the eyes. But no matter what channel I was on, they had his face front and center, like a movie star. What is wrong with this picture? Can we be any more of a sick society? Those people are sick, cold blooded killers, not rock stars that deserve so much news coverage. I don't want to see their ex-girlfriends, I don't want to hear from their families, I really don't care. What does that say to the rest of the sick people of the world? You kill...you become a hero.

Women's portrayal in today's music

Every morning, I wake up to my radio alarm at 6:45 am. It is always set to 103.5 Kiss FM, and artists always sing their songs to get me out of bed. But recently, I started really listening and comprehending the lyrics of some of my favorite songs, and I realized that a lot of the songs are incredibly sexist and contain lots of derogatory comments. Some of today's hottest hip-hop and rap songs are filled with women being portrayed as strippers, prostitutes, and "things". The song Low, for example is a very popular song that is played on all the hot stations on the radio. The lyrics go like this: "Work the pole, I got the bank roll, Imma say that I prefer them no clothes, I'm into that I love women exposed, She threw it back at me, I gave her more, Cash ain't a problem, I know where it goes" Here, the entire verse is describing how women are somehow just objects, and not respected as equals. This song refers multiple times to women's sexuality and how they look better without clothes. Another song that became really popular is the song Smack That by Akon. This song is entirely about how they want to meet a woman at a club and bring her home and smack her around. In one line of the song, it reads "Money? No problem. Pocket full of that now..." and "Every gal is game". Once again, women are portrayed as something men can just, and every woman could just be bought. So what are the messages being sent out to today's teens and young adults? Or do most people just read over the messages? whatever happened to songs that actually have true meaning behind them??