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I Love Marijuana???
Posted by Josiah Mast in English 1· Giknis· A Band on
Marijuana Hi, my name is Josiah Mast and I am a 15 year old freshman that is currently attending Science leadership Academy (SLA) . I am a supporter of marijuana for medical and recreational use. I started to realize the benefits(i’ll explain in an upcoming paragraph) of what legal marijuana could do for our city and state as it has done for the states that have it legalized for medical and recreational use as well. I wanted to do something about it but I didn’t know where to start and how to start. That all changed when we thankfully got this You & The world project because now I can talk about why I am passionate about this topic and real world issue that needs to be better addressed. (Above) Marijuana leaf being grown so scientist can do research on the plant It started out as just a support for medical marijuana for the reasons that it was helping people all over America with their diseases. In a show called “Last week tonight with John Oliver” he talks about a veteran he was trialed for having marijuana. The man explained that he had PTSD which is a disease that stands for post traumatic stress disorder. and the pill that the doctor was giving were not working so he would smoke some marijuana and then go back to bed. He said he would wake up in the morning and go help veterans and do other great things like that. John Oliver talks about how people are a lot of the time saying that Marijuana is a gateway drug “but it’s a pretty nice looking gateway if that’s the stuff that happens on the other side.” He said this referring to the man’s actions that he did when he helped people.I am very open with supporting marijuana and that went from wearing marijuana socks to school to creating and singing songs about marijuana. I had planned to start a medical marijuana club at school but got in trouble for wearing the marijuana socks at the school. What was intriguing to me was the school never gave me a chance to talk with them and change their mind. They said that because of past reasons with marijuana in the school that it could not be accepted. This is the school that on the front door has a sign that says all are welcome. I DO NOT FEEL WELCOMED! The reason I support recreational marijuana is because of after doing some recent research online(http://preview.tinyurl.com/n89e3hl Link to my annotated bibliography) and seeing how much more money states with legalized recreational use marijuana is making compared to the states that don’t. After visiting a multiple websites they all seem to give about the same estimate amount of how much extra money california has made since they legalized marijuana for medical and recreational. It is an estimated 100 million dollars. Imagine what our city could do with around that much extra money. We could fix up schools and unsafe neighborhoods. Help the needy and make roads evenly paved with no potholes. It would be amazing right? Well, with this state is not with medical or recreational marijuana we are not making that extra money so we are still stuck here with a poor school district and some rough neighborhoods. Do you really want to live on a city that is against something that could make us prosper? Do something about it know and tell people what is happening and join me in my fight. (above) Man shows his passion for recreational marijuana in the streets of philadelphia
The Absence of Homework
Posted by Hannah Layton in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
A majority of modern cultures have not evolutionized from the consistent assignment of daily homework given to students throughout the school year. Although homework is often misconstrued as a helpful tool for students’ learning development there is an absence of information to support this common belief. In fact, scientific studies have prevailed this common assumption. With modernized knowledge we now know that homework is no longer a benefiting factor in a student’s attainment of information. It has been proven in several studies that homework does not improve a student's academic strengths, therefore students should no longer have to use this method. Regardless a majority of countries have continued to make students uphold/ partake in this old traditional method of teaching. In a quote from Independent Co a news organization an article written by researcher and journalists Gerald K Letendre, he informs the public of the serious physical strain large quantities of homework can inflict on students. “Empirical studies have linked excessive homework to sleep disruption, indicating a negative relationship between the amount of homework, stress and physical health.” What starts as a well intentioned attempt to help students through their endeavors can end up becoming a hindrance for a child’s learning development. Lack of sleep causes people to become prone to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease. Not to mention the mental strain that sleep deprivation puts on a person. Sleep strengthens your memory, and productivity. Two essential components for a student to fully retain lessons efficiently. Stress has proven to weaken a person's immune system making them more susceptible to illness. It also encourages factors such as fatigue, depression, and anxiety. When a person experiences prolonged stress, the adrenal hormone, epinephrine is released. Excessive adrenaline is dangerous for a person's heart commonly causing heart disease. In many countries homework has been re-evaluated invalid in their student curriculum. For example Finland has followed through with a no homework policy. They also hass the highest test scores and graduation rates in the world. Finland supports one on one teacher interaction, showing how learning can be positively affected by community involvement. “In Canada, the high school graduation rate is around 78 per cent and in America it comes in at around 75 per cent. Now, consider the fact that the graduation rate for students in Finland comes in at 93 per cent – showing a massive comparison between the countries. Finland also happens to have the highest rate in Europe for students going to college (two out of three).” This piece of data shows the correlation between teaching styles and resulting graduation rates. The absence of homework and over testing creates a different atmosphere of learning that allows exploration of community teamwork and involvement. As an argument many may say that homework proves to be good practice for obtaining responsibility. Especially when these students come of age and are expected to be dependable working citizens as well as helpful members of their communities.In this quote from a scientific study by the George Lucas Foundation, the negatives outweigh the benefits of doing monotonous assignments. “Finally, there isn't a shred of evidence to support the folk wisdom that homework provides nonacademic benefits at any age -- for example, that it builds character, promotes self-discipline, or teaches good work habits. We're all familiar with the downside of homework: the frustration and exhaustion, the family conflict, time lost for other activities, and possible diminution of children's interest in learning. But the stubborn belief that all of this must be worth it, that the gain must outweigh the pain, relies on faith rather than evidence.” Luckily there are many other ways a teacher can test and strengthen a student’s ability to follow through with tasks.Lesson plans can be altered to test students capabilities. For example group activities, projects and in class assignments can all cover the basis to the same extent. In conclusion the additional stress of homework has no purpose in our learning system. It worsens students experience in a learning environment and creates a negative connotation with learning. Homework overwhelms students that are struggling with concepts and bores academically advanced students. New methods should be set in place to push the boundaries of modern education so society as a whole can further our knowledge in the structure of learning. Why this is my best possible 2fer: In the past many of my 2-fer’s have been incredibly wordy and ridden with run on sentences. I think this essay may be one of my shortest and most concise pieces of writing. I focused on getting to the point with the information that supported my thesis rather than rambling and getting off topic. I also followed through with explaining quotes briefly before introducing them to my paragraph. This made the information simpler to understand and easier to convey. Bibliography LeTendre, Gerald K. "Does Homework Help Children?" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 03 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. Ashton, Danny. "There Is No Homework In Finland [Infographic]." NeoMam Studios. NeoMam Studios Limited, 10 June 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. Bibliography LeTendre, Gerald K. "Does Homework Help Children?" The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 03 Sept. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. Ashton, Danny. "There Is No Homework In Finland [Infographic]." NeoMam Studios. NeoMam Studios Limited, 10 June 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Cat Videos On The Internet Are Purr-fect
Posted by Claire Byrnes in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Claire Byrnes Pahomov English 3 May 1, 2017 Cat Videos On The Internet Are Purr-fect 4,000 years ago, the first cats were domesticated by the Ancient Egyptians who used domesticated cats to catch vermin. Now, cats have transcended this simple task by becoming internet sensations such as: Lil Bub, Grumpy Cat, Nyan Cat, Maru, and Lolcats. Domestic cats are some of the most viewed content on the web and have attracted the attention of scholars who strive to analyze why this form of art becomes iconic and psychologists who research the positive effects of cat videos. Research has shown that watching cat videos not only helps viewers regulate their emotions, but it also allows the viewers to imagine a world where they are not constantly surveillanced. Cat videos are associated with procrastination and are cited as a guilty pleasure but those derogatory titles may not hold true. Jessica Gall Myrick, media scholar at Indiana University, surveyed nearly 7,000 internet users to explore how emotions are affected by the viewing of internet cats. Her results, shown in the bar chart below, support the idea that “happiness gained from viewing Internet cats can moderate the relationship between procrastination motives, guilt, and enjoyment.” Cat videos have been proven to cause positive feelings but their effect on behavior has not been fully researched, until now. A Japanese study led by four scientists examined the effect of cute images on various tasks such as “fine motor dexterity” tasks. University students were asked to perform various tasks after viewing cute images. For all trials, viewing cute images narrowed the focus of the participants, allowing their performance on the tasks to improve. Cat videos have been proven multiple times to be a rewarding experience for the viewers’ brains that increases effectiveness for tasks. Another topic of research is cats’ indifference to filming, since from the FBI to the Department of Homeland Security to the Defense Department, various surveillance programs have been implemented by the government to watch what citizens do online. For example, the Department of Homeland Security tracks approximately 380 keywords organized into categories such as cyber security or emergencies and weather or terrorism. There are many psychological risks of mass surveillance – under certain conditions, constant surveillance can encourage social conformity, promote distrust and increase mental strain and stress. The positive effects of cat videos (providing a dopamine boost and keeping negative emotions in check) can combat the negative effects of constant surveillance. A researcher at Massey University in New Zealand analyzed cat videos and found that the cat videos popular on the internet tend to have a few key characteristics. “They are generated by users, shot on a mobile device such as a phone, and set in a domestic environment.” These characteristics set up the viewers as “observers” to the cat’s actions with the cats being indifferent to the filming. The cats are oblivious to the camera which contrasts against other online videos. When dogs are filmed, they make eye contact with the camera and understand, to some extent, that they are being watched. “The cats’ apparent uninhibited behavior gives the viewer the illusion of voyeuristically catching a glimpse of a self-sufficient world. This lack of self-consciousness and sense of authenticity are key to their reception as ‘cute’ videos.” When asked, internet users might say that cat videos are merely for entertainment, but on closer inspection, they not only regulate viewers negative emotions, but also combat the stress of constant surveillance. Surveillance programs sponsored by the government to watch citizens’ internet usage places strain on them. Cat videos are the purr-fect combatant for whenever a dopamine rush is wanted. This is my best possible 2fer because I edited my thesis statement throughout my writing process. A few times, I found a very interesting study that I knew I had to include after tweaking my thesis. In other 2fers, I researched information that would just prove my existent thesis which didn't allow me to use other arguments that were still applicable to my topic. My flexibility during this 2fer allowed my argument to be changed depending on my research and made my essay more well-rounded. Works Cited Baer, Drake. "Here's the surprising psychological reason the Internet loves cat videos." "Cats’ indifference a crowd-pleaser." Cats' indifference a crowd-pleaser - Massey University. Chambers, Chris. "NSA and GCHQ: the flawed psychology of government mass surveillance | Kounang, Nadia. "Watching cute cat videos is instinctual and good for you." CNN. Cable Myrick, Jessica Gall. "Emotion regulation, procrastination, and watching cat videos online: Nittono, Hiroshi, Michiko Fukushima, Akihiro Yano, and Hiroki Moriya. "The Power of Kawaii: O'Meara, Radha. "Do Cats Know They Rule YouTube? Surveillance and the Pleasures of Cat Videos." M/C Journal. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/ index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/794>.
Business Insider. Business Insider, 17 June 2015. Web. 30 April 2017.
<http://www.businessinsider.com/psychology-of-cat-videos-study-2015-6>.
Massey University New Zealand, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.massey.ac.nz
/masseyabout-massey/news/article.cfm?mnarticle_uuid=E50983B4-920A-0C58-CB7B
-0DCD96B677DB>.
Chris Chambers." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 26 Aug. 2013. Web. 30 Apr.
2017. <https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2013/aug/26/nsa-gchq-
psychology-government-mass-surveillance>.
News Network, 20 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/01
/20/health/your-brain-on-cute/>.
Who watches Internet cats, why, and to what effect?" Science Direct. Elsevier Ltd, n.d.
Web. 30 April 2017. <http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii
/S0747563215004343#>.
Viewing Cute Images Promotes a Careful Behavior and Narrows Attentional Focus."
PLOS ONE. Public Library of Science, 26 Sept. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
<http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0046362>.
Online." Alternet. N.p., 06 June 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.alternet.org/story/
155764/6_government_surveillance_programs_designed_to_watch_
what_you_do_online>.
Homelessness
Posted by Sydnye Misero in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Helping Homeless Everyday life in a large city consists of seeing a homeless person, and that deep wracking guilt that nothing can be done. Many of the homeless seen on the street are there due to a lack of housing. 1.6 billion people lack adequate housing across the world. Countless organizations work to help the homeless, but still the homeless have yet to receive adequate aid. Homeless should be given additional access to services, such as public restrooms, health services , and living facilities, because it would improve life for all persons in the community. As of 2005 it was estimated that the world wide homeless population is 100 million people. According to a University of Texas two-year survey of homeless individuals, each person cost the taxpayers $14,480 per year, primarily for overnight jail. The cost of homelessness can be quite high. Hospitalization, medical treatment, incarceration, police intervention, and emergency shelter expenses can add up quickly, making homelessness surprisingly expensive for municipalities and taxpayers. Less homeless would be arrested for loitering, drug use, etc because they were provided shelter, this would provide a large amount of money to go towards other services. Instead of having to put in effect new taxes, such as a soda tax, the money saved on homelessness could be used for a multitude of reasons. The money saved could be put back into homelessness and with enough continued support, more money would continue to be saved. The more money in circulation, the more that can be put to use to better the community. Lorena Cassady of San Francisco State University manages a home health agency in Los Angeles. Cassady oversees the growth of an individual as they attempt to re-enter society. Through working with multiple programs, she concluded that people who exit homelessness by entering permanent supportive housing (permanent housing with supportive services) reduce public spending, formally used to mitigate crises in their lives. According to a 2009 study by The Economic Roundtable, the typical public cost for residents in supportive housing in Los Angeles is $605 a month, whereas the cost for homeless persons in or out of shelters is $2,897. This results in about $2,300 that could be saved per person. With a homeless population of 1.6 billion, this could potentially put $3.68 billion back into the hands of the people or the circulation of the government to be used for other things. For example, This $3.68 billion is more than a third of what Pennsylvania puts towards their public school budget. Billions of dollars could greatly improve the quality of education in major cities by defeating the budget crisis, or preventing another. With the implementation of additional services for homeless, not only will the lifestyle of homeless be benefited, but all of society. Treating homelessness not as an epidemic to society, but as an industry would be the key to putting more money in the hands of the people, but while being driven by the betterment of others. Economically and morally, the world would be a better place while helping to end homelessness. This is my best 2fer because I pushed myself from previous feedback to not be biased and let my opinions shine through. I personally disagree with my entire 2fer, but I feel that I pushed myself to prove my thesis purely through statistics. I took a look at my 2fer that gave constructive criticism about myself, and feel that I followed that closely. Multiple times throughout the writing process I tweaked my thesis, and I feel it really acted like a Linchpin. This is exactly how I would want to end my 2fer career. CITATIONS: "About Homelessness." National Alliance to End Homelessness. NAEH, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.endhomelessness.org/pages/about_homelessness>. Writer, Leaf Group. "The Effects of Homelessness on Society." Our Everyday Life. Our Everyday Life, 29 July 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/effects-homelessness-society-8838.html>.
God Didn't Make Man, Man Made Gods
Posted by Opoku Kwateng in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Since the beginning of times there have been questions that people have sought answers for. These questions range from how humans were made to what will happen in 10 years. This curiosity has led humans to creating numerous possible answers about any topic that crosses their mind. One of the sources of these answers is the idea of religion. Religion is a complicated factor in the lives of people, but in reality religion is a manmade concept. Looking at any religious piece, one will find numerous controversial and inconsistent statements. However, there are already numerous articles that thoroughly explain these points. If one were to look at the most undiscussed argument that could be used to show that the construction of religion was by man, it would be the personality of god. In numerous religions, God displays disappointment, anger, regret, happiness, and numerous other human emotions. How is it possible for an all powerful enlightened being to display human characteristics and still be labeled as the deity it is supposed to be? The attributes given to God, a divine deity, are similar to those possessed by his imperfect creation, humans. It can be concluded that God’s attributes are a reflection of his creators and a direct representation of how man perceives themselves. Furthermore, the male father figure traits given to God show that God was designed around the male father figure. Religion being manmade does not disprove the fact that the bible and other religious texts were constructed 100’s of years ago. Archeologist have found evidence to show that the first handwritten bible was produced in around 1380. Over the years the bible has been re-written and translated into numerous other languages. However, its followers still believe in the usefulness of it when there are clearly outdated principles. While God is a reflection of man, the bible is a reflection of the time when it was originally written. Due to that time period, there are numerous principles stated in the bible that would seem absurd if they were ever brought up in modern times. The main examples of this are found in bible verses that could be labeled as sexist. For example, In Timothy 2:11 it is said; “I permit no woman to teach or have authority of man.” This verse is clearly a reflection of the time when the bible was written. A time when women were below man and were seen as nothing more than an object of sex. In 1380, for it to believed that a woman has no right to teach a man is extremely logical. This leads to bible verses such as that of Timothy 2:11 to be seen as controversial in the equality striving world we live in. Yet logical to the sexist, racist world that was around when the bible was being constructed. In conclusion, religion being created by man is not an idea that most lead to pure chaos and self doubt. Instead it should bring questions as to how the human nature truly is. Why do humans constantly need answers? Why do humans fear not having answers to the point where they must create answers? The system of religions have been around for centuries. It is possible that as time goes on the same way the beliefs of the Greek became labeled as myths eventually the same will occur to Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and so forth. However, when or if this happens, how will it be handled? With man’s source of answers being lost, will humans fall into complete anarchy, or will they start to see how the beings they have worshipped for so long are merely reflections of themselves? Why This Is My Best Possible 2fer Out of all 7 2fers I have written this year I would like to say this is my best. What leads me to this conclusion is I feel like I was able to stray from the past mistakes I have found. To do this I reflected on the 2fer where I discussed my most common mistake. Also I had the courage to attack a very controversial topic that could cause a large amount of controversy. Attacking such a topic forced me to have to be very thorough with my research so that my points would be valid and not fall during a conversation. Because of these methods I have used I believe that this 2fer is the best 2fer I have written so far and am proud to submit it as such. Works Cited Thomson, J. Anderson, and Clare Aukofer. "Science and religion: God didn't make man; man made gods." Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 18 July 2011. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. English Bible History: Timeline of how we got the English Bible. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. Fish, Stanley. "Is Religion Man-Made?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 24 June 2007. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. "“Aren’t All Religions Man-Made?”." Probe Ministries. N.p., 20 Mar. 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
Narcotics to Psychotics
Posted by Kawthar Hasan in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Kawthar Hasan (Kay) Ms. Larissa Pahomov English 3 1 May 2017 Approximately 80% of people in the world who smoke and take narcotics suffer from major health defects and die due to simply taking; Tobacco, Xanax, Heroin, Marijuana, etc. Taking unprescribed medications or recreational drugs can lead people to have ‘Drug Addiction Characteristics’. This means that a person who abuses a chemical stimulant becomes dependent and addicted to it. Adults are not the only ones who struggle with addiction; teens are affected by this issue as well. In the United States teenagers struggle with drug addiction. Recreational and non prescribed drugs within the teen community is becoming more encouraged and accepted. Abusing them at such a young age will cause complications in their later lives, that could hinder how they function as adults. There are differences and similarities between illegal, and legal drugs. There are also many ways of using them as well. The commonly used illegal drugs are; Marijuana, Hashish, Heroin, and more. Marijuana which also have many other names like weed, is a cannabis that can be smoked in cigarettes or joint. Hashish or hash is made from cannabis that can be smoked from a pipe, vaporizer, or joint. Heroin is processed from morphine and has a natural materials taken out from seed pod of particular poppy plants. On the other hand the most frequently used legal drugs are; Nicotine, Alcohol, OxyContin, etc. Nicotine is a stimulant/relaxant which allows people to be more ‘happy’ yet it increases the heart rate and pressure. Alcohol is a liquid substance that is usually comes in form of beer, wine, and liquor. OxyContin is a painkiller medicine that has an active ingredient of oxycodone. On “Addiction Center” website it stated the side effects of taking any drug; “Substance abuse affects teen brain development by: Interfering with neurotransmitters and damaging connections within the brain, Reducing the ability to experience pleasure, Creating problems with memory, Causing missed opportunities during a period of heightened learning potential, Ingraining expectations of unhealthy habits into brain circuitry, Inhibiting development of perceptual abilities.” Therefore, teens should avoid taking any drug whether it is legal or illegal so that they would not face any dominant health issues at an early stage in life. As a person reaches adolescence stage in their life, they would often begin to experiment and find things out on their own, especially with drugs. At a young age many of them were taught by their parents, guardians, or at least their teachers to try to avoid becoming a drug addict simply because of how harmful it is to that person. While some may listen to that specific advise, others may want to learn the hard way of acting doing drugs. It could be affected by how their older advisers would guide them. An example could be, how someone could put too much pressure on persuading them to not take it and not necessarily telling them the consequences causing that teen to not care and start the addiction. Whereas, someone who is giving that health lesson offering a lot of great information for a teen to adjust to why they should not face harming themselves with it, what would go through becoming an addict, and ways/places to get seek for help to end the bad harmful habit. On the “Partnership for Drug-Free kids” site it offered information as to possible reasons to why they may take drugs and it stated; “...some teens abuse prescription medicine to manage stress or regulate their lives. Sometimes they abuse prescription stimulants (used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) to provide additional energy and the ability to focus when they’re studying or taking tests. Others are abusing prescription pain relievers and tranquilizers to cope with academic, social or emotional stress.” Nonetheless, teens sometimes find ways to do things with many activities and objects. This can be build by creating different habits for themselves. However, it can lead to start doing more positive or negative things to affect a path they would create themselves of their future. Either way, becoming an addict at a young age does not sound like a great path that someone should risk to take. Drug usage at any age can cause many medical complications, but teenagers who have addiction to narcotics in particular are at a higher risk simply due to the fact that they are extremely young. For example, the most common problems that teens face after smoking include hysteria attacks, apprehension disorder, and depression. It also makes it very hard for them to give up their obsession if they are abusing it from their adolescence to adulthood since they have been on it for a while. This connects to the blog written by Casa Palmera Staff stating; “Statistics show that drug abuse is a growing problem among teens. In addition to cocaine, Ecstasy and other club drugs, a recent Monitoring the Future Study showed that the top six most abused drugs by teens are: marijuana (31.5%), Vicodin (9.7%), amphetamines (8.1%), cough medicine (6.9%), sedatives & tranquilizers (6.6% each). Without treatment, the effects of drug abuse on teens can lead to serious consequences now and well into adulthood.” Either way, if knowing that taking any harmful chemical stimulant can affect physically damaging their body, why even take the risk? There are many ways of resolving this addiction, but that person needs to willing take the second chance to be their vigorous selves again. Therefore, if teens want to live a nice healthy life as they get older, they should try to seek guidance in ending their obsession to drugs. One way a teen can end their dependency on drugs is going to Rehab. Rehab is a facility that people stay to live for a period of time for recovery and they are 14,000+ rehab centers that are available in the United States. Treatment and unique techniques for anyone who is struggling with addiction is offered to help combat their disease. From the “Teen Challenge” rehab website it mentioned; “Unwilling to settle for helping only 20 percent of those desperate for help, Pennsylvania Teen Challenge and McFadden created and launched Project 80, where they are endeavoring to provide services for 80 percent of candidates calling for help.” A lot of times it is extremely hard for a teen to seek for help about their addiction, they may be so involved with their drug abuse that teens may not realize that they have an obsession and that they need any possible assistance. If teenagers stopped to think about it, they would realize that taking illegal or legal drugs does not just involve having an addiction, but it also it causes a lot of health issues as they grow into their adulthood as well. No matter if they may be struggling in their life with, they should find more positive habits to solve their issues. Harming themselves can cause their situation to be worst that what it already is, especially around those who they may be encounter to. That is why teens throughout the world should put an end to their addiction to not only keep their bodies healthy and to save their lives but to allow them to have more of an open mind about what they are interested doing in life. Works Cited:
Gonchar, Michael. "Is Smoking Still a Problem Among Teenagers?" The New York Times. The New York Times, 06 Sept. 2013. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
http://www.livestrong.com/article/108848-teen-smoking-problems/
Boehlke, Julie. "Teen Smoking Problems." LIVESTRONG.COM. Leaf Group, 19 Apr. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-teen-smoking
"11 Facts About Teen Smoking." DoSomething.org | Volunteer for Social Change. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
Board, Journal Editorial. "Teen Smoking Still a Big Problem." Rapid City Journal. N.p., 09 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Apr. 2017.
https://www.summitbehavioralhealth.com/blog/top-10-addictive-illegal-drugs/
"What Are The Top 10 Most Addictive Illegal Drugs?" Summit Behavioral Health. N.p., 10 June 2016. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
http://www.attn.com/stories/2643/crack-vs-cocaine
Bracy, Emma. "Here's the Surprising Difference Between Crack and Cocaine." ATTN:. ATTN:, 09 Aug. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
https://casapalmera.com/the-effects-of-drug-abuse-on-teens/
Staff, Written By Casa Palmera. "The Effects of Drug Abuse on Teens." Casa Palmera. N.p., 23 July 2015. Web. 27 Apr. 2017.
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs339/en/
"Tobacco." World Health Organization. World Health Organization, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.
https://www.centeronaddiction.org/addiction/commonly-used-illegal-drugs#.WQh2VPQrK00
"Commonly Used Illegal Drugs." The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse. N.p., 14 Apr. 2017. Web. 02 May 2017.
http://drugfree.org/parent-blog/top-8-reasons-teens-try-alcohol-drugs/
February 13, 2017 by Julie. "Top 8 Reasons Why Teens Try Alcohol and Drugs." Partnership for Drug-Free Kids - Where Families Find Answers. N.p., n.d. Web. 03 May 2017.
The NFL Draft is Wasteful
Posted by Gil Rosen in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
The NFL Draft is Wasteful The National Football League, and other professional sport leagues, hold a draft every year. This consists of each team in the league selecting the best players available in their opinion who declare for the draft. In this process, the NFL and the other leagues who participate make a big deal out of it. This year, the NFL draft is held in Philadelphia, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. It is the first NFL draft where the venue is being built and held outside on the stairs of the Art Museum. Also, the NFL is having a new event called “The NFL Draft Experience”. This will be an outdoor experience that is free to the public that will serve as a convention like atmosphere. This will take over the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia and allow closures to occur. The National Football League’s draft process is a waste of time and money because it doesn’t benefit the city nor the audience in attendance. The NFL draft has seven rounds over the course of three days. Essentially, each team has one pick per round and in almost the same order. Sometimes teams trade their picks to one another for a higher pick, lower pick, or for current players. This means that teams may not have picks in a certain round which leaves their fans waiting until their next pick. Even during the actual draft, teams are allowed to trade their picks away to gain more picks or to move up in a spot where they can pick a certain player before another team can. “beyond the top pick, anyone watching only really cares about who their team chooses. So the eager fan sits and listens to all the MC's who are just reading from media packets and speculating on the shape of a football for an hour while you wait for you team's pick.” (Brian Wolff, Bleacher Report) Fans are only watching the draft so they can see who their next star player will be to help fill a certain position on the team. They are eager to see when their pick is and the lead up to it. Just as their team is on the clock, the team trades away their pick. This causes for the fans to get upset to have to wait for when their team picks again. This may occur over and over again, until the pick actually is made. Once it is made, the excitement lasts for a short period of time. This is boring for everyone. Majority of the audience doesn’t care about the other selections. They only care about their own. Even when the fan’s team is on the clock, they still have a long period of time to wait until the pick is actually made. Not only that, but the broadcasters are still talking about the previous picks because now it is day three and they can’t keep up. The entire process is just boring and a waste of time. Philadelphia is hosting the NFL draft in 2017. They are closing a major part of the city to allow the creation of the draft to happen. Having closures from this makes the traffic increase and gets the city’s population frustrated by what they are doing. There are already tons of construction happening in the city, so this is not helping anyone get to where they need to be any faster. A good portion of Philadelphia does not care for football even though the city has a huge fanbase for the Philadelphia Eagles. This means that the draft is irrelevant to them and is just making their commute worst. Not only all this, but it is costing Philadelphia a lot of money. “The city will shell out $500,000 for the 2017 NFL Draft Experience coming to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway this month. That’s only a fraction of the full cost of the event – an estimated $25 million. The NFL will cover $20 million, and the rest, $5 million, will come from private funding secured by the city.” (Claire Sasko, Philadelphia Magazine) The city of Philadelphia’s education is falling. The school district cannot afford their teachers’ salaries and has major budget cuts every year. Recently, a lot of schools have been closed because they couldn’t afford to stay open. The school district needs money for the children, and their education. Instead, the city of Philadelphia decides to host the NFL draft, and spend $500,000 on it. The city barely earns any of it back from revenue and loses it all in the process. Building the venue does not help either because the venue’s left over material won’t get recycled anywhere else. No education is being helped and not even construction is going faster. This is a waste of time for the other people of the city, and a waste of money for the city itself. Not only is it a waste of time during the draft, but the lead up period as well. The fans aren’t the only ones participating the in draft by showing up and cheering for their team. There is a whole group of people for every team that is working long hours just to select a player a round, if they have that many picks. The General Manager and other personnel work long and hard to come up with a scheme of selecting the player that is right for them. Not only that, but scenarios in which other teams select their player before they can. The process is long and hard for these people. “The pre-draft excessiveness starts in January with the Senior Bowl, where each team sends its GM, scouting staff and coaching staff. Then in February comes the Combine, where teams send 35 or so employees to Indianapolis for an expensive week of flights, hotels and meal costs, all for an over-hyped event. Then in February comes the Combine, where teams send 35 or so employees to Indianapolis for an expensive week of flights, hotels and meal costs, all for an over-hyped event.” (Jeff Diamond, Ex- General Manager: Sportingnews.com) Teams are put to the test to which players they really want out of the draft. Their draft process is long and hard. They have 81 days until the draft after Super Bowl. The NBA only has 4 days after the finals. That is absurd that the scouts have to do all this research on a couple of players that they are picking. They are pushed to the limit to find the right guy. Even so, sometimes they have the perfect plan they developed and then all of a sudden, another teams do something no one expects and take the guys that this one team had planned for. Now they are all in panic mode and are screwed up. This entire process, for what, nothing. The entire time they are doing this and now they just end up not being able to do what they wanted to do. Even during the scouting process, it is a waste of money. They have to travel everywhere to meet with the guys and learn their skill. That isn’t free of charge. They have to pay for it. Altogether, this draft is a waste for both the fans, and the people behind the draft too. The NFL draft is doesn’t benefit anyone due to it being a waste of time and money from both ends. The fans are bored waiting for their pick to happen and don’t care about the other teams. The cities hosting the event have to pay a big fee just to host it. It could be going towards other important things like education, but the decision is already made. Even the personnel behind the draft process for each team is bothered by this. They work long and hard to pick someone who isn’t on the draft board no more. The NFL draft is just a waste of time and money for everyone. Work Cited: |, Claire Sasko. "NFL Draft Will Cost Philly $500K." Philadelphia Magazine. N.p., 13 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.phillymag.com/news/2017/04/13/nfl-draft-cost-philly-500k/> Jeff Diamond Contributor @jeffdiamondNFL Published on Apr. 6, 2017 Apr. 6, 2017. "NFL Draft period's annual overkill is bad for GMs, prospects alike." Sporting News. N.p., 06 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/nfl-draft-2017-date-time-process-schedule-interviews-team-visits-overkill/19hccqz4u6g401vba1vntgyh5d>. "The NFL Draft Probably Won’t Have Much of an Economic Impact on the City." Crossing Broad. N.p., 24 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.crossingbroad.com/2017/04/the-nfl-draft-probably-wont-have-much-of-an-economic-impact-on-the-city.html>. I believe that this was my best 2fer that I have ever written because I felt that I gave my all for it. Personally, writing 700 words is a lot when you think about it. For this 2fer, I took it to the next level and wrote 1300 words. More than a 2fer needs to be, but I had a lot to talk about considering I felt passionate about the subject. I will say that this 2fer is actually me playing devil’s advocate because I do enjoy watching the draft and going to it. I had to write an essay with a different point of view than my own which is the first time I did ever in a 2fer. Since I could produce a well done 2fer from someone’s opinion, I think that this my best 2fer because of it.
Wolff, Brian. "Why the NFL Draft Is Boring." Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report, 11 Apr. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://bleacherreport.com/articles/162267-why-the-nfl-draft-is-boring>.
Habits! By Jamie Polson
Posted by Jamie Polson in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Are habits breakable? By: Jamie Polson Everybody has habits both good and bad and many people believe that it is close to impossible to break the bad habits like smoking or eating junk food, but research shows that their is hope for breaking bad habits. What are habits? The definition is” a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.” What does that mean? Everything we do is some type of habit. Everybody has habits no matter where they are or who they are. Some examples of habits that are pretty common are brushing teeth, the route that one takes when commuting to work or school, or eating breakfast etc. How do habits form? They are the result of needs, desires or wants. Habits come about from three different stages. The first stage is that the person should continuously try to accomplish something new. This is often the hardest phase of making a habit, because it requires the full attention of the person that is doing the action. A good example of this is tying shoes or taking a route somewhere that is new to the driver or commuter. The next stage is repetition. A habit is formed from doing something over and over again. If a person ties their shoes a lot, they will, in turn, get very good at tying their shoes and that is now a habit. The third and last stage is reward. When people do a difficult task that they want to get better at, a good way to do it with more ease is to reward themselves everytime they do it correctly. This sends a message to the brain saying that it likes doing that action because it leads to a treat afterwards. This then makes the action easier and more fun even later when you do not reward yourself because your brain has a happy memory of having done that thing. Habits can be both good or bad. Even a healthy habit can be dangerous if you do it excessively. To explain, if you eat too much even healthy foods, you could get fat, which is not healthy. Exercise is good but if one exercises for eight or nine hours a day, it could put a lot of strain on your body. You could also lose more weight than is healthy or natural. Often habits are formed around a certain desire or need that people feel is important. There are many behaviors that feel good while people are doing them but have more negative impact than positive. Smoking tobacco products is a big one. While one is in the act of smoking, it may feel great. It relieves stress and makes you totally calm. People have also reported that they tend not to binge eat while they are smoking. However, smoking has more negative impact than positive, like lung cancer, damage to one’s airways, increase of having a stroke, and increase of dying just to name a few. The reason why people don’t stop in spite of these dangers is because of the negative impact is because of how addictive the tobacco is. Often people also don’t realize how bad they are until it is too late. How can one break a certain habit? Habit breaking can be very hard. If the following steps are accomplished it can be accomplished. Typically, the type of habit that people want to break is the type that is evident and off-putting in social situations, like biting your nails when in a conversation. In order to break this type of habit, you have to notice when and where you typically do it. Next, you need to follow through with some sort of consequence (applying a nontoxic, but bitter taste to the nails). For instance maybe eating a food that is unenjoyable for that person so the habit becomes undesirable to the person in question. Other good ways of eliminating bad habits is to get rid of the trigger. The trigger is the thing that causes someone to do the habit, like a trigger for relaxing on the couch is that someone would automatically watch T.V and get unhealthy snacks. A good example is if you tend to immediately sit on the couch, eat chips, and watch tv, when you get home , it might be wise to move the chips and remote to other places so that it is harder to find them. This would start to slowly break that habit because of the work required to start it. Another good way to break a habit is to get a friend to push you to stop, this would need to be someone who cares about your well being and wants to see you live a healthier life. Ideally this person would be present when the person tends to engage in the bad habit behavior. Habits are caused from doing an activity over and over again with the intention to get better at the activity. They also help to free up our minds to focus on more important things. Everybody has habits both good and bad which are caused consciously and some without realizing it. Many people think that bad habits are close to impossible to break but with hard work, repetition, persistence, and a friend to help it can be done. http://www.npr.org/2012/03/05/147192599/habits-how-they-form-and-how-to-break-them https://seachange.zenhabits.net/how-habits-are-formed/ http://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejsp.674/abstract http://jamesclear.com/how-to-break-a-bad-habit http://lifehacker.com/top-10-ways-to-break-bad-habits-1694247761
Your Skin Doesn’t Define You
Posted by Aniya Linder in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
“Wow, you’re really pretty for a dark skinned girl.” “She’s one of the dark skinned girls that don’t actually look dirty.” “If your skin wasn’t so dark all that acne wouldn’t look so bad.” “ You should try a skin lightener so your skin isn’t so dark.” For centuries dark skinned women have been the described as the opposite of beautiful. They have even been shamed by other African American men and women that are shades lighter. To be shamed by other races along with your race makes dark-skinned women feel as though they don’t have a place and that there is no place for them because of their skin. There are 2 types of melanin produced --pheomelanin, which is red to yellow in color, and eumelanin, which is dark brown to black. People with light complexioned skin mostly produce pheomelanin, while those with dark colored skin mostly produce eumelanin also some people differ in the number and size of melanin particles that they have. Why should someone be alienated because they have more of something? Dark skinned women are looked down upon because of the society that we’ve grown into. On December 31st, 1996 Khoudia Diop was born into the world. Khoudia is a Senegalese model, one of the darkest models in the world.Khoudia was teased as a child because of her dark skin tone by her classmates, friends, and family. Khoudia had to constantly tell herself that she was beautiful and there would be many of times where she would lock herself in her room just because she didn’t wanna hear what all the kids at school had to say about her. On “Glamour.com” Khoudia shared her story in an article called “I Want To Show Girls It’s Not Bad to Be Dark- Different is Beautiful”. In her interview, she said that while growing up in Senegal more than 25 percent of dark skinned girls would bleach their skin and that she never tried it but she did crave the desire to be lighter as did those other girls. When Khoudia was 15 she went to Milan and on the street, one day she looked into a huge mirror then looked at all of the light skinned people around her and the realized how her skin was pooping and that's the reason why people look at her. She said every morning she looks into the mirror and tells herself “ Look at your skin. Look at your teeth and your smile. You are beautiful.” After this trip to Milan, she went to Paris and that is when photographers and modeling agencies noticed what she noticed and exposed her beauty to the rest of the world. Khoudia joined Instagram and named herself “Melaniin.goddess” to show girls that it’s not something bad to be dark and that different is beautiful. However, not every dark skinned woman will go on the same journey that Khoudia went. Growing up close to the equator it was normal for people to be as dark as Khoudia so she wasn't so often shamed as a girl in Brooklyn New York would be or a girl in California would. When people see something new they gravitate to it to judge it and point out the flaws instead of the positive things about whatever the person place or thing may be. That is what has been being done all around the world. Germans and Jews, White folks and Black people, North and South Koreans, and even down to name brand foods and the generic versions of those foods. Women that that are light skinned don’t understand so when they try to convince dark skinned women the skin color isn’t that big of a deal they are downplaying it and not understanding because they don't go through the struggles of dark skinned women. There was talk about how rapper ASAP Rocky makes a comment in an interview with “The Coveteur” that dark skinned girls shouldn’t wear red lipstick. Dark skinned women who heard of what he said were furious. They asked him what were his thoughts on women wearing makeup and he gave an honest opinion which was that he prefers someone who goes naturally. Then he carried on and said “But for real, for me, I feel like with the red lipstick thing it all depends on the pair of complexion. I’m just being for real. You have to be fair skinned to get away with that. Just like if you were to wear like—f*cking for instance, what do dark skin girls have that you know fair skinned girls can't do… Purple lipstick? Naw, that looks stupid on all girls! Purple lipstick, guys! Like, what the f*ck…” A woman should never be told what she ca and can’t do. There is a hue of red for every woman out in the world. ASAP may not have said it to intentionally said that to down anyone but those are the kinds of things that can bring a Dark skinned woman's self-esteem down.For most men and women the grew up in a society where being “fair skinned” is the right skin but that is not true. Social media and the entertainment industry is brainwashing everyone's mind into thinking that you have to look a certain way to look beautiful when in reality you only have to look like yourself. All around the world dark skinned women are reminded that their skin is what blocks them from being who they really are because society doesn’t accept what the what to do, say, and or wear. For a dark skinned women to go to a makeup store and be told by a light skinned woman or a white woman that they don’t carry the shade of foundation for their skin or the nude lipstick that would look appealing on their skin is alienating them because of the European beauty standards that were set for all women. On “Madamenoire.com” they allow dark skinned women to share the things that they have had said to them because of their skin. One thing that was said by an anonymous user what that a man said to her “I don’t date dark women.” People also shared comments like “ The blacker the berry the sweeter the juice”, “Ooh girl, I'm getting dark”, “You should put on a hat before you go out in the sun”, and also “ Do tattoos show up on your skin?” The questioning and commenting leaves dark skinned women wanting to change themselves to please others when they should mainly try to please themselves. Some o to the extreme such as taking bleach baths after coming out from the and depigmentation procedures and spending loads of money on skin lightening creams. Dark skinned women need to realize that it never gets easy and that building a foundation to protect themselves from the outside world criticism is what’s best. Tearing each other down will never fix anything and neither will extreme skin treatments. People who tear others down are too insecure in their own skin so they boost themselves off of another's insecurities to feel confident. Citations "Skin Color Adaptation." Human Biological Adaptability: Skin Color as an Adaptation. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 May 2017. Wilson, Julee. "ASAP Rocky's Misguided Beauty Advice, Rapper Says Dark Skin Girls Shouldn't Wear Red Lipstick." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 08 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 May 2017. Gharib, Malaka. "How Khoudia Diop Learned To Love Her Dark Skin." NPR. NPR, 20 Nov. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017. Butler, Meg. "15 Things Women With Dark Skin Are Tired of Hearing." MadameNoire. N.p., 25 Apr. 2017. Web. 01 May 2017. This is the best possible 2fer that I have ever written because I know that I only write about things that I deeply care about. When I write about things that I take interest I tend to do lots of research and I dig deeper than what the sources tell me. This topic is something that I care about so I have payed lots of attention to the things that I wrote. In some of the other 2fers that I have written it was noticed that some phrases become repetitive and I also over explain. In this 2fer I’ve tried to to straight to the point while still explaining the problematic problems that dark skinned women have faced and are still facing.
More than letters and numbers
Posted by Athalia Tan in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
What right does a person have to judge others? Who is to say that they’re smarter than others? Many students say that they’re smarter than him or her, but what defines intelligence? According to the Merriam Webster Dictionary, intelligence means “the ability to apply knowledge to manipulate one's environment or to think abstractly as measured by objective criteria (such as tests).” Nowadays, people are considered smart due to their scores and grades in school. If they get one of the higher grades in the class, people will automatically assume that he or she is smart or intelligent. However, scores and grades do not define the intelligence of a student because of different criteria. There was a survey done at Costa Mesa High School, California in 2014 about grades reflecting intelligence. The authors, Catherine Kricorian and Jeirany Chavez, said “For every class, the teacher sets up a system to ‘weigh’ the importance of tests, homework, participation, etc., and the combination of all of these aspects create a grade.” Meaning that grades doesn’t only come from the intelligence of a student but also from how the teacher aspects the student to be. Different teachers have different standards and rules in which they want the students to follow. Some teachers grade on effort, dedication, etc., so not all grades and scores are based on full intelligence or knowledge. It’s true that every teacher grades differently because they all have different rubrics that they go off of. Even though it might have the same categories, each category might have different description on meeting the expectations. Similarly, there was a website that had people’s response to the question, “Do grades reflect intelligence.” On this web page, people vote either yes or no and also wrote their reason behind why they chose their answer. A post from mexicanmhitman said, “One can be lazy and not do their schoolwork. Millions of people in the world are intelligent, yet we choose not to do work. I don't do my classwork frequently, yet my test grades are higher than your average grades. I never hand in homework, but I have never gotten lower than an A in quizzes.” Another post by a user name, luvlee37 says, “Grades are usually based on a limited testing arena, which is usually a pen and paper test and does not take into consideration the student's frame 0f mind while writing the exam. A three hour written test has its own limits and cannot judge a child's true calibre as such.” Those two comments is simply stating that grades and scores are from tests. The first comment is saying that many people might be smart but lazy, that can give them a “bad grade” because they’re lazy to do what the teacher is telling them to do. Meanwhile, in the second comment, that person is saying that grades are only based on tests, using a pen and paper. It’s also saying that tests aren’t enough to judge a student’s intelligence because there’s a limit of how much a person can take a test for so long. Therefore, grades are mostly an overall score of all of the work that’s given to the students. Even though they tell a little of how much a student know, grades does not fully define the intelligence of a student. There are many different factors that make up a good grade, so it’s not only the intelligence of a student. The intelligence of a student is defined from what they understand as an individual not because of a grade. Students’ are more than just letters and numbers. Works Cited "Do Grades Reflect Intelligence? by Catherine Kricorian and Jeirany Chavez." The Equestrian. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.cmhsnews.com/featuresopinions/do-grades-reflect-intelligence-by-catherine-kricorian-and-jeirany-chavez> "Do Grades Reflect Intelligence?" Debate.org. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.debate.org/opinions/do-grades-reflect-intelligence> This is the best 2fer I've written because I learned from my mistakes. Hopefully, I didn't make the same mistakes again, but I think that I covered it. I used factual information from people, so that I can prove my thesis more. Using actual information will make the reader see my point of view and why I wrote my thesis.
16 Is The New 18
Posted by Jevon Price in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Every four years the American public prepares for the always entertaining and important presidential election. The country comes together to decide by majority vote the person believed best suited to lead the most powerful country in the world. However, not everyone is included in this all important decision. The twenty-sixth amendment requires each citizen be a legal adult, age eighteen, to vote in any election whether it be presidential, congressional, or just district. The amendment does not take into consideration how the newly elected leaders will affect teenagers who had zero input in electing them. Because they are directly impacted from actions of the American government, the voting age in the United States should be decreased for those teens to have a say. In the United States, the youth is eligible to partake in various adult activities. By sixteen teenagers can drive, work, pay taxes. At seventeen one can even enlist in the military and be transported overseas to fight in volatile battle in defense of the country. Despite all of this, teenagers are still considered too young to vote. The twenty-sixth amendment was ratified thus lowering the minimum voting age in the U.S from twenty-one to eighteen. This was primarily due to two major ideas. The first uttered by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt that “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” This meaning that since men could be drafted into the military at age eighteen, they were able to handle such responsibility as voting. Roosevelt’s slogan became popular during the youth voting movement. The second idea being that by lowering the voting age, there would a greater voter turnout. This would allow more representation and opinions in elections. Richard Nixon once stated at a White House ceremony, “The reason I believe that your generation, the 11 million new voters, will do so much for America at home is that you will infuse into this nation some idealism, some courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose, that this country always needs.” This idea lead congress to pass the amendment. Voter turnout amongst the youth has proven vital in the presidential election. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, young voters (age 18 to 24) were the only group to show a statistically significant increase in turnout in 2008, despite an overall increase of some 5 million voters. In fact, The 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama saw a voter turnout of some 49 percent of 18- to 24 year-olds, the second highest in history. This clearly shows the vital impact young voters can have on elections as well as there need to vote. History has shown that while growing maturity and responsibility teenagers in these sixteen to seventeen range are old enough to vote. When new leaders are chosen, they are given the great responsibility of implementing ideas that are meant to better the country and every citizen in it. Different politicians have different agendas, and it’s up to the public to decide which agenda will be most effective not just for the individual person, but for the majority of the public. The youth are directly impacted by these decisions that they aren’t apart of. Anything that policy makers implement will affect the youth who had zero opportunity to effectively voice their opinion and have adequate say. Even though many youth have opinions on policies and what should be done to fix not only the major issues within the country, but also the daily problems are legally quieted by the constitution. This way of voting is not a true and complete representation as a large portion of the country does not have legal say. Other countries have implemented laws that allow for those sixteen and above to vote in different elections. For example, In Scotland, where 16- and 17-year-olds were eligible to vote in the independence referendum in 2014, an impressive three-quarters of those who registered turned out on the day, compared with 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds. In 2007 Austria became the only rich country where 16-year-olds could vote in all elections. If this is being allowed in other countries with consistently great turnouts, that more reason for the United States to decrease the voting age. Not only is it allowing representation for a wider range of people, it also connects to the previous point that voter turnout would increase significantly. The United States has built its entire political system on the idea of democracy and fair say all. Every citizen has the right to one vote in any electoral vote in selecting who the new county, state, and national leaders will be. However, a large portion of people with valid opinions are being neglected their input. Teenagers, specifically sixteen and seventeen are knowledgeable enough and will be impacted just as much as legal adults. Because of this it only makes sense that they should be legally allowed to vote. If America wants to pride itself on democracy, then it must truly value and accept the input from all of those willing and eligible to give it. Work Cited: "Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age." Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age. National Youth Rights Association, 2016. Web. 01 May 2017. History.com Staff. "The 26th Amendment." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 01 May 2017. Why this is my best 2fer I consider the 2fer to be my best or a good 2fer to end the year with because it reflects a cause that I firmly support, and allows me to inject a lot of opinions. Whereas some of my past 2fers have been on things that I found online or topics that I found interesting. This 2fer centers on an idea that I think should become a reality. I got to learn more information concerning why the voting age in the United States is eighteen, but also more information to support my claims that it should be lowered. I enjoyed writing this 2fer the most because it allowed my actual voice to come through so that it wasn’t just another essay. This 2fer is my best it was written well, had a unique topic that I cared about, and the most effort was put into it.
Finstas for the Soul
Posted by Olivia Cooper in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
If anyone is more pressured by the media, it’s teens. They live their whole lives online. The solution is a fake instagram account. A Finstagram, Finsta, account is an instagram account primarily used by teens that showcases the true ups and downs they are enduring in their daily lives with less care about what they post and what it looks like. This is in comparison to a real instagram, Rinsta, account, where lives are also showcased but the account focuses on the outward attractiveness and less interaction with others about their daily lives . Finsta accounts help relieve teenagers of stress. For starters, Finstas are, for the most part obscene and unfiltered. The finsta community is a great place for people to release their emotions at 100%. According to The Odyssey Online, one of the top 15 reasons users create a Finsta is to rant or rave about life events. If a teen is having a bad day or maybe a teacher or classmate upset them, they can make a Finsta post to let off some steam and perhaps find other followers who relate. Tiffany S. from Connecticut says, “I think Finstas are to vent about what I'm stressed about and to share what I find funny with my friends. And because it's a Finsta, I don't really have to worry about what other people think. I can say kind of whatever I want without worrying if people will judge me because, for me, only my really close friends follow my Finsta.” By allowing teens to vent about their issues, Finstas can help alleviate stress. Along with being good stress relievers, Finstas are also good for discarding the popularity contest. On a Rinsta account, standards and priorities are held such as likes, followers, and a feed. A lot of the time when posting a photo on Instagram, the main things that go into consideration are, “how many likes will it get,” or “does this go with my feed?” This factor can also contribute to stress in a teen’s life. The aspiration for popularity is especially strong in the teenage years. That being said, on a Finsta account, followers and likes and a feed are almost irrelevant. The majority of finsta followers are close friends that the user can develop a bond with and can tell them what’s going on in their personal lives. Lastly, a Finsta is private. The majority of Finsta users keep their accounts private so that they can choose who can and cannot follow them. So when a user goes to rant about that person they don’t like, or rave about an interaction with their crush, the user doesn’t have to worry about them seeing a post about them or a hater commenting negative things. Also, this is a way to keep out of a parental or relative’s watchful eye. For the people who have parents and family members that like to use social media, a Finsta can be private, keeping any nosy parents or guardians out of their business. This also relieves stress to not have to worry about someone being or you about all your actions all the time. Obviously, Finstas are highly beneficial to teens regarding all aspects of life including stress relief and their social lives. It can be seen by the followers that there are things going on in someone’s life on a more personal level that allows them to connect. Also, it’s can provide shelter from the perfection and standards of family and parents or even peers. Teenagers create finsta accounts to relieve stress. Why this is my best possible 2fer This is my best possible 2fer. It’s my best possible 2fer because I combined all the criticism and comments from my peer reviews edited my essay accordingly. I also edited my essay based on the techniques I learned during class. Knowing this was the last 2fer I would produce in this class, I made sure that I put the most thought into it. My topic was something that I knew a lot about, and that I as confident in writing about that I also knew met the requirements of a good working thesis. That’s why this is my best possible 2fer. Sources and Citations: Harnish, Amelia, Best of Instagram • Entertainment News • Health • Health Trends • How To Deal With Stress • News • Reclaim Your Domain • Tech, and Illustrated By Ariel Davis. "We Need To Talk About This Unhealthy Social Media Behavior." Who Am I Social Media Identity Crisis Instagram Stress. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.refinery29.com/2017/03/146733/identity-crisis-causes-social-media-fake-world>. Sheveland, Hannah. "Opinion: Instagram should inspire creativity not stress." The Seabury Tides. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://seaburytides.org/2537/opinion/opinion-instagram-should-inspire-creativity-not-stress/>. Migdol, Erin. "The Dark Side of Instagram Popularity That Nobody Talks About ." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/130396/having-a-ton-of-instagram-followers-can-make-you-absolutely-miserable#.hpEGN64k1>. "8 College Students on 'Secret' Instagrams." Fresh U. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.freshu.io/stacy-andryshak/8-college-students-and-secret-instagrams>. "15 Reasons Why Finstas Make The World A Better Place." Odyssey. N.p., 08 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/12-reasons-why-finstas-make-the-world-better-place>. Kazemi, Alex. "What ‘Finsta’ Accounts Are and Why Their Owners Will Live to Regret Them." Observer. N.p., 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://observer.com/2017/03/finsta-accounts-why-their-owners-will-regret-them-fame-fake-instagram-hollywood/>. Harman, Justine. "The Crazy Way Teens Are Hiding Their Imperfections Online: Finstagram." ELLE. N.p., 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.elle.com/culture/tech/a29243/finstagram/>.
Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.
Degree vs. Diploma
Posted by Madison Militello in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are a few names that come to mind when speaking about success stories of people who have prospered without a college degree. But, not everyone can be the lucky few. College degrees are extremely helpful in developing a career in today’s industry versus only earning a high school diploma. There are more benefits than just the above average annual salary once you have a degree. Below the surface, lifestyle is greatly impacted by attending college. Earning a college degree will help further one’s career which can lead them to a more successful life. The payoff from earning a college degree is apparent through the amount earned in your bank account. Four years of a college degree earns someone a bachelor’s degree, which is the usual degree one earns as a college undergrad. A report from the US Department of Labor Statistics in 2013 depicted the average wages of people who have a bachelor’s degree in comparison to people who only have a high school degree. In the 2000’s, the bachelor’s degree line stayed between $45k and $55k. The high school diploma line in the 2000’s stayed between $30k and $35k. Paychecks determine a great amount in one’s life. Many life decisions revolve around what a bank account allows. Diet, activities, and clothes are all determined by how much money one earns. The more money earned, more is available to spend or save. The degree average salary is not asCompared to a high school diploma, one can lead a better, more successful life. In 2013, the College Board released statistics about college graduates lives involving happiness, health, socialness, and personal development. With a bachelor’s degree or higher, 51% of people were satisfied with their job, while people who only earned high school diplomas were 41% satisfied. 68% of bachelor’s degree graduates exercise at least once a week, but only 40% for high school graduates. Only 8% of bachelor’s degree graduates were smokers and 25% of high school graduates smoke. Once someone graduates college, their overall life is impacted, not just their paycheck. Studying a specific career of choice will give someone a better chance of maintaining a job they enjoy. Five out of seven days a week are spent at the workplace, so it is important that their job is enjoyable. Health and fitness impacts happiness. One is more likely to afford a monthly gym membership with a higher salary. When one’s health and happiness is thriving, that means their life will end up successfully compared than no college degree. College isn’t only working through a path to earn a degree. College is a way to meet new people and network through them. Networking is to interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one's career. John Bennett, director of the Master of Science and executive coaching and assistant professor of behavioral science at Queens University of Charlotte says, “Research tells us that between 60-80% of jobs are found through personal relationships.” Universities are full of different people with unique backgrounds. Everyone shares the same common ground of the student life, so everyone is willing to help another. A major problem today is finding a job after graduating college; networking allows this process to become easier. Networking allows room for new colleagues as well as friends. The faster a job is earned, the easier life becomes. A steady paycheck ensures more benefits to life at a faster rate. Attending college and earning the degree helps with success further in life. Attending university has a lot to offer on a closer inspection. Some deem college as unnecessary, while not assessing the full benefits. A high school diploma does not compare to a college degree. According to statistics, people are much more healthy, happy, and successful when having earned a degree. Lifestyle, happiness, income is indirectly impacted by completing college. Earning a college degree compared to a high school diploma ensures a better chance of a better career which brings a successful life. Why this is my best 2fer: I believe this is my best 2fer because I have made steady argument regarding my thesis. I feel quite strongly about this thesis so it was easy for me to explain it and argue my position. I made sure to check over my draft several times to ensure that I had the best analysis. It was quite easy for me to repeat myself and over explain, but I corrected some sentences and checked that everything flowed easily with a thoughtful explanation. Works Cited "College May Not Pay Off for Everyone Liberty Street Economics." Liberty Street Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. "Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. Pfeffer, Jennifer. "Rasmussen College." Rasmussen College - Regionally Accredited College Online and on Campus. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
The Evils of "Health"
Posted by Pablo Salvatierra in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Food plays a vital role in every single person on Earth's life. It is the one constant among all people, and thus is often being examined. In a world with so many options of what to eat, people are afraid they could be eating the wrong thing. Worried that their food could be bad for them, the environment, farmers, or animals people turn to dietary recommendations. One of the biggest healthy eating “ideologies” is the one of vegetarianism, and the smaller, but growing, sect of veganism. Vegetarianism dictates one should eat no meat, veganism though dictates that one should eat no animal products at all. These two dietary plans differ in their severity towards restricting the intake of animal products, but not in the reasons to follow these restrictions; which often involve appeals that focus on the environment, health and animal rights. While often coming from a good place, the diets of vegans and vegetarians actually turn them into hypocritical people who live under a dictatorial and destructive ideology. Saving the environment is one of the greatest appeals that persons opposed to the consumption of animal products have in their arsenals. This appeal consists a string of “facts” meant to shame meat eaters into ceasing to consume meat, such as “a staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture” (PETA) The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) instead says that this number is 14.5%, and could be reduced by 30% while sustaining the current meat supply. (The Guardian) The difference in these studies is simple, the one that claims 51% adds numerous things to CO2 emissions that are erroneous, like the claim that ⅓ of animal emissions can be from animals breathing. This is an outrageous difference, yet even organizations such as the PETA, a major proponent at the forefront of the argument for the vegan or vegetarian diets, use faulty statistics. Data so incorrect that to proclaim it as fact is to not understand it or to willfully spread disinformation. In reality, vegan and vegetarian diets don’t actually really reduce a carbon footprint at all. Since to sustain such a diet a variety of foods is necessary to avoid malnutrition, foods that must be flown in from across the world. In the end, the footprint balances out to those who eat meat anyway. (CNN) Plus there is not only the effect on the globe, but on the long term good for humanity. If the United States became vegan it could support 735 million people, while if the restrictions were to be made less extreme and the U.S. was to be vegetarian it could support 807 million people. In fact, it was found in the same study that diets consisting of 20-40% meat were actually significantly more sustainable than any diet that was meat free. (NOVA) Eat healthy. The ideology of dietary restrictions consistently insists that their diets can be tied to numerous health benefits. The PETA says “all our dietary needs, even as infants and children, are best supplied by a meatless diet.” This statement is not altogether false, but this system of eating is not altogether as safe as it would suggest. Such as a case in Georgia where two parents received life sentences after starving their baby to death on a “vegan diet”, (Daily Mail) or another case in Italy where a 14 month old baby was found to be malnourished and weighing the same as a baby that was 3 months old after being fed a vegan diet. (Washington Post) These two cases are examples of issues with veganism, that the diet itself is naturally lacking several nutrients extremely important to human development normally found in meat. Italy is in the process of passing a law that would institute a four year penalty on parents who enforce a vegan diet on their kids, after three other such cases involving malnourished children under vegan diets. (BBC) It is often easy to tie a host of health benefits to a vegetarian diet, as a study in Austria found that they have lower BMI’s. (Medical University of Graz) The PETA spouts numerous facts claiming those who eat vegan or vegetarian diets are less likely to have heart attacks or cancer. This forgets to factor in that people who follow these diets are also less likely to smoke, consume tobacco, and are wealthier something the study from Austria did do. Vegetarians were found to suffer more from anxiety or depression, chronic diseases and a 50% increase in heart attacks and cancer. This is then portrayed as the “healthy” diet. Animal rights rest on the crux of vegan or vegetarian arguments. People don’t want to hurt animals, and they see the industry that creates animal products as being abusive. If someone has a guilty conscience about eating meat then they can become vegetarian, or even go vegan. What can’t be done though is guilt those who would like to eat meat into following a diet that is less sustainable, needs supplements to make up for lost vitamins, has the same carbon footprint as eating meat, and can hurt one’s children. The sort of behavior by organizations like the PETA and the vegans and vegetarians who support it is akin to a cult, they ignore facts and dogmatically push their arguments. They ignore that their diets meant to be champions of healthy and the ecosystem go against everything they claim to believe in, and instead insist on lying about the subject. It pushes veganism and vegetarianism on people, dietary restrictions than can actually force people to sacrifice something that can be a large part of their lives and happiness, meat eating. For now though, the structure that pushes veganism and vegetarianism is harsh and hypocritical, often having to use downright lies or bad science to support their ideas. Vegans and vegetarians use propaganda, and they share company in history with fellow infamous vegetarian Adolf Hitler who too used system wide deceit and denial of reality to push his ideology. Why this is my best possible 2fer: For me 2fers were at first just assignments, but the longer I did them they became easier and I decided that I did my best work when I was having fun. My first 2fer was about human attention span, it was an interesting enough topic but I just couldn't really get interested. What I was writing about was too factual and too easily agreeable. As time has gone on, I have tried to make my 2fers more outrageous and to prove ideas that can be difficult to approach or prove. I decided to make this 2fer the climax of that, to prove a point that had little to no evidence in actuality to back it up and to prove it with a relation of events and data. This is my best possible 2fer because I made it fun and made a claim that seemed ludicrous relevant and believable by the end of the paper. Works Cited: "Going Vegan Isn’t the Most Sustainable Option for Humanity." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 16 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/going-vegan-isnt-actually-th/ "Italy proposal to jail vegans who impose diet on children." BBC News. BBC, 10 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37034619 Thompson, Paul. "Vegan couple will serve life sentences for starving baby to death on a diet of soy milk and apple juice." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. "Factory Farming: Misery for Animals." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/ "Disadvantages of Being a Vegetarian." HealthGuidance.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11183/1/Disadvantages-of-Being-a-Vegetarian.html Martindale, Wayne. "Is a vegetarian diet better for the planet?" CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/06/health/vegetarian-diet-conversation/ Dye, Lee. "Researcher: Vegetarian Diet Kills Animals Too." ABC News. ABC News Network, 01 May 1970. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97836&page=1 "Meat and the Environment." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/ Bryce, Emma. "Do the UN's new numbers for livestock emissions kill the argument for vegetarianism?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. "Vegan Diets: Healthy and Humane." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. Buckert, Nathalie T., Johanna Muckenhuber, Franziska Großscha¨dl, E´va Ra´ Sky, and Wolfgang Freidl. "Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study." Journals. Medical University of Graz, 7 Feb. 2014. Web.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&type=printable
Negative Space Cut Out
Posted by Simone Marant on
Negative space is the space around and between objects in an image. That space is used to emphasize the object of the image! In my cut out I found negative space by looking at the opposites. I knew that if parts of the one side of the owl were present, I would have to take that presence away on the other side. For artist, it is very important to see negative space. Artist can utilize negative space to their benefit and create many wonderful pieces. They can use negative space to make the main object of their piece to stand out and become more unique! So negative space can definitely enhance a drawing because of that utilization of space!
Sister City Exchange with Frankfurt, Germany!
Posted by Larissa Pahomov on
Ten SLA students are back home after a successful weeklong exchange in Frankfurt, Germany.
The new program was organized with the Sister Cities office of Philadelphia and government officials in Frankfurt. Students were paired with high schoolers at Gymnasium Riedberg, a bilingual high school with a focus on science and technology. They stayed with families, attended school, and participated in special programming put together for the visit.
The exchange was specifically designed to create intercultural understanding of the two cities, with programs to explore stereotypes of each nation and an interdisciplinary project where students explored the relationship between cities and personal memories. The participating students also were received by Frankfurt's deputy mayor at a formal reception at city hall, pictured above.
The ten students from Gymnasium Riedberg will round out the exchange by visiting Philadelphia in the fall. SLA students are hard at work planning the program and preparing for their guests!
An Experience Or An Excuse
Posted by Quran Riddick in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
There are many experiences from birth to a teenager that a person will go through that will build themselves as they will get older. These experiences are a guidance to a variety of roads that will give a certain path and it’s up to that individual to make the decision that’s best for them and their future. One of the trials that the youth are impacted by regularly is, “peer pressure”. Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group, usually the influence being negative. This is claimed to happen to many teenagers as they become accessible to more freedom from their parents and they begin to crave a larger desire to be around their peers. Teenagers are curious and sometimes this curiosity leads to them trying negative actions such as; smoking, drinking, and even having sex when not ready with their peers of course as they decide to go through these experiences together. For teenagers that have a more positive mindset, doing such things are often claimed to have happened because of peer pressure since people who are associated with them expect them to not fall for these types of mistakes. However, this brings the counterargument that peer pressure is just an excuse for a teenager to make a mistake and receive sympathy for their wrong choices. Which brings up the question, is peer pressure a real thing or can it be resisted and labeled as an excuse? The answer to this question is it can be resisted and mistakes by one should be owned up too. It is true that most teens or a person at any age desires to be accepted. For teens, this pressure comes into play a lot throughout the school year. It’s important for teens to be accepted into a group that likes them for themselves. Without this happening, one can become depressed and feel abandoned in school as they feel like they are not wanted by the ‘cool kids’ or feel as they aren’t good enough to be involved in a group of entertaining friends. This is where teens tend to do whatever they possibly can to fill that emptiness inside from not feeling wanted by their peers which leads to decisions being made without thought. This is where the pressure supposedly lives, the decision making of the teen. However, the youth at some point in their young lifetime are educated on the difference of being a follower and a leader. Also, how doing drugs and other negative actions similar are bad and can lead down a path of destruction. It’s up to that person the teenager to listen and understand how doing things like drugs, drinking, and even dares that can put their life at risk, is something they should work to stay away from. Putting the blame of their actions on another is weak and in reality can be a downfall because if they continue to make mistakes at a higher scale, judges in courtrooms will not take in “peer pressure” being an excuse for committing a crime. Parents stressed this a lot to their children, how it’s easy to mess up or slip up. As long as the parent is pressuring this on their teen, the peers shouldn’t be an issue or at least not enough to not receive necessary consequences for one’s negative actions. Living and learning does not involve making excuses and allowing a teenager to rely on the fact that another teen making the same mistake makes their actions less unacceptable. In a CNN survey, it stated that 17% of high schoolers are caught drinking, smoking, during the school day with peers. Also, in another CNN survey, 75% of high schoolers say that they are encouraged to party with marijuana or alcohol when they see images of their peers doing so. Reflecting upon the second survey of the two, it can be reasonably assumed that the high schoolers will not be surprised to see smokes and drinks at the party. In fact, in most scenarios it’s highly spoken about before going to the party, “who’s bringing what and who’s doing what?” Essentially, this makes it the teenager fault of being aware of their surroundings and allowing themselves to be persuaded into doing something illegal or something their not suppose to be doing. When it comes to the idea of peer pressure it’s mostly looked upon as all negative but that’s not always true. There is a such thing as positive peer pressure. This is a peer that will help one do something they should be doing. Encouraging one to do right and keep up the good work. For example, positive peer pressure can consists of consistent completion of homework, exercising, and more. In a teen’s perspective there is a better chance of getting this type of encouragement from parents or guardians. Parenting can definitely impact a teenager’s decision making when it comes to situations involving themselves and their peers. The parents must be the people they want their children to become which will display how the teenagers should behave in a way that is in their best interest. In reality, teenager don’t want to take responsibility for things they do which is why they blame the people nearest to them which is their peers. If one tell their peer to jump off a bridge, most teens have an absolute NO in this case. So when one tell a peer to smoke with them, the teen will either not smoke or smoke based on what values and lines they have set in their mind, not on what their friends are telling them is “cool” or not. If teenagers stop to think about it, they would realize that peer pressure is an excuse for them to make mistakes and they it’s important to be a leader by understanding they are in control of their actions and making the best choices for their future. However, if one does decide to be a follower and make negative choices, be prepared to own up and face the consequences instead of placing the blame on a peer. Throughout the year, I have wrote many 2Fers that touched on many different topics. However, out of all I strongly believe this 2Fer was the best. Because I touched on a topic that impacts almost every human person at some point in their life whether as a teen or even as an adult, I felt this 2Fer was way more powerful than the others. With this being said, also in this 2Fer I was able to correct many of my mistakes I made in previous 2Fers to make this written wise a lot improved! In conclusion, I can say my ups and downs in my previous 2Fers contributed to this 2Fer in my opinion being my strongest of all. Works Cited: Zeiger, Stacy. "Statistics on Peer Pressure." LoveToKnow. LoveToKnow Corp, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Statistics_on_Peer_Pressure>. "Teens and Peer Pressure." WebMD. WebMD, n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://www.webmd.com/parenting/teen-abuse-cough-medicine-9/peer-pressure>.
2fer #7: Bees Misunderstanding
Posted by Cindy Chen in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Many people don’t care about how bees are becoming extinct. They believe that they are just nuisance and that life would be better without them. Although this may be the case, people don’t think about the good things bees can provides for us. This is most likely because of how many people misunderstand how important bees are in the society and doesn’t realize that without them, humans wouldn’t be able to live long. For those who may not know, bees are flying insects that collect pollen and nectar. There are about 20,000 species of them in which somes that stings and some that does not. As well as some bees who makes honey and some who does not. They are able to see every color, but the color red, have great sense of smell to get their way to the flowers they pollinate. The facts about bees are not really known because they are mostly known for what they are bad for. Many people do not appreciate bees. From a blog Arizona exterminating co, it states how bees are known for being loud, having painful stings, destroying properties, being annoying and cause allergic reaction to others. There is always a time where someone experience the fear of getting sting or getting annoyed by the loud buzzing sounds continuously. Their stings are painful but they don’t always sting unless they think they are in danger, but some bees dies after they sting someone because they’re unable to take their barbed stinger back out. This includes their abdomen, digestive tract, nerves and muscle which kills the bees. This gives us some reason why many people may dislike bees because no one want their property destroyed and be annoyed to death by the sounds it makes. It’s possible that they dislike them and misunderstand what they dislike. Besides these facts about how someone may misunderstand bees, bees are very essential for society. Bees provides us with enough food. In BBC, it states how bees pollinate about 70 different types of crops that includes vegetables and fruit such as apple, mangos, peaches, grapes, etc. Some food for animals that are also consume by others. Bees provides us with honey and wax. In fact they make about 6,000 tonnes of honey as well as give the economy 400 millions dollars. Without bees, humans would not have enough of resources to feed themselves for a long time. Bees are disappearing globally and the cause is what humans don’t know they are doing. Bees are dying rapidly from pesticides that people puts up to keep bees away from. This kills the bees. They are also dying from parasites, disease and habitat loss. Some people don’t realize how important the process of pollination is. Pollination is when one transfer pollen grains from the anter to the stigma which are used to grow fruits and vegetables. Bees are very important part of pollination and without them, a huge part of fruits and vegetable would be lost. This would cause problems for the economy and would limit the life on earth due to the lack of food. It has been estimated that without bees, the life of humanity would only be able to live 4 years. From this, it can be seen that bees are very essential for life. But due to people misunderstanding how annoying they are to what they actually provides for us. If more people understand how bees plays a big part in our society and don’t use as much pesticide, it would save a large portions of the bees. This would also prevent them from going extinct. But due to the many factor of how bees are known as unneeded and just bad over how they are very essential part to society is hurting bees without people even knowing. Although bees can be annoying it doesn’t mean that they are not important. If more people realized all the good things bees provides for a person instead of all the bad things, bees won’t be as close to being extinct, life would be longer and not be limited to only 4 years. Why this is my best possible 2fer? I believe this is my best possible 2fer because I always have problem with writing the thesis since it would not be debatable enough which would result in a lower 2fer grade. I feel like this thesis is actually debatable and not just a statement or a fact. I also have enough evidence to back up the information with numbers instead of just stating opinions. I didn't argue it but I prove it since I know that a 2fer prove not argue with opinions. Therefore, that is why I believe that this is my best possible 2fer. Sources: "Pest World For Kids."Bees - Facts About Bees - Types of Bees - PestWorldforKids.org. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/bees/>. Museum, Canada Agriculture and Food. "What is a Bee?"What is a Bee? | Bees A Honey of an Idea. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/what-is-a-bee/default.php>. "BBC iWonder - Would we starve without bees?"BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zg4dwmn>. Jamwal, Akshayl Singh. "How long would humans survive without bees? Answer Request."How long would humans survive without bees? Answer Request. Quora, 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <https://www.quora.com/How-long-would-humans-survive-without-bees>.
2fer #7 - The Dreamers
Posted by Seyni Ndaw in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Seyni Ndaw 2fer #7 In the movie The Dreamers, an American boy named Matthew has traveled abroad to study cinema in Paris. There, he meets two siblings named Isabelle and Theo. Although all three get along, their dynamics shift between them as pairs and inevitably causes tension overtime. As the movie progresses, the viewer observes how Matthew’s position in the trio develops until a point where he is cast out due to his inability to fully fit in. Despite the growing romance between Isabelle and Matthew, she still chooses Theo over him in the end, showing that she was willing to sacrifice a new kind of love (romantic) for one she already knew (platonic). Through this, the viewer can see how the fear of the unknown conflicts with the notion of love at first sight, and people will often choose what they know because it offers security and stability. Aaron Ben-Zeev writes an article called, “Is Love at First Sight Possible?”. He writes, “The first argument implies that romantic love consists not merely of attraction to external appearance, which is the basis of sexual desire, but also of knowing the agent's character traits, such as kindness, honesty, wisdom and a sense of humor. Such knowledge cannot be present at first sight, as it requires familiarity and common history.” In other words, love at first sight is rooted in sexual attraction and not what many people believe ‘love’ to be, which presents itself to be a deeper connection than just sex. Real love requires having an understanding of a person’s traits and what makes them who they are. This is an idea that is explored throughout the movie. In the beginning of the movie, Matthew finds himself at a protest/demonstration and he is surrounded by ‘film buffs’. He spots Isabelle, and when the two make eye contact she asks him to remove her cigarette since she has chained herself to a gate. Later in the movie, Matthew admits he was attracted to her from the moment he saw her. He says, “When I saw you and Theo at the Cinemathque, you looked so cool, so sophisticated- like a movie star.” to which Isabelle responds, “I was. I was acting, Matthew.” This interaction supports how love at first sight is a rather superficial notion- the whole reason Matthew found himself attracted to Isabelle was based in fable and a dissociation from reality. Not only is this relevant to Matthew and Isabelle’s relationship, but the trio’s dynamic in general. Isabelle and Theo’s shared love for cinema causes them to be rather removed from reality, which makes it increasingly difficult for Matthew to fit in with them. In this scene, Isabelle and Theo propose beating a world record with Matthew. The record is based off a film in which three friends run through Louvre in 9 minutes and 45 seconds. Matthew expresses concern that he could be deported if they are caught. Isabelle says, “Matthew, this is a test. Are you going to pass it or fail it?” This is the first time in the movie that Matthew’s commitment to the group is tested. This further emphasizes how Theo and Isabelle base their standards off cinema rather than real life and make it hard for people who aren’t them to understand them. They end up beating the record by 17 seconds, at which point Isabelle and Theo chant, “We accept him, one of us! We accept him, one of us!” which, too, is based off a film. The trio goes on like this for a while, giving each other difficult tasks to complete even if it makes them uncomfortable. One of the tasks includes Isabelle and Matthew having sex at Theo’s command. Although the two were consenting and had interest in each other, it was deliberate for Isabelle’s virginity to be lost as Theo orchestrated. The siblings have a control over each other that toes the line of platonic and romantic, which inevitably makes Matthew uncomfortable and confused. Matthew makes several attempts to convince Isabella to invest in their new love, confessing to her a number of times. Despite her having feelings for him, Isabelle cannot let go of Theo. In one scene, when all three are sharing a bubble bath, Matthew tells Isabelle he loves her. She says, “I love you too, Matthew,” and he responds, “Yeah, but I really love you.” Isabelle goes, “I really, really love you too. We both do. Don’t we, Theo?” Theo agrees, but with little emotion in his voice. It is at this point where Matthew expresses his frustrations with the two for the first time. He doesn’t want them to say they love him just because the other did, or group their love for him together. He wants them to be able to say they love him as individuals and mean it. The two laugh at him and think he is being dramatic. Isabelle rebuttals his point and says, “There’s no such thing as love, only proofs of love. Are you ready to give us proof of your love?” Matthew readily agrees and they all get out of the tub. Theo and Isabelle try to shave his pubic hair, and at this point he reaches his breaking point. He calls them crazy, and Isabelle exclaims, “It’s just a game!” Matthew calls them out for their childish ways and trying to drag him into it. He continues and tells them they will never grow if they keep clinging to each other the way they do. His outburst temporarily upsets them but otherwise has no lasting impact. Theo and Isabelle have created a codependent life for themselves that traces back to childhood habits they have yet to let go of. Essentially, they are in a bubble. It’s impossible to place something inside a bubble that isn’t already there without popping it. Deep down Matthew knows this, but he continues to try. It isn’t until the end of the movie where he realizes there is truly no hope. In the last sequence, the three of them wake up to a protest happening in the middle of the night. Theo finds a group of his school friends as they are distributing glass bottles with explosive chemicals. Matthew tries to stop him, causing Theo to grow increasingly angry. Matthew tries to get Isabelle to stay with him, but she sadly shakes her head and goes with Theo. Matthew looks at the two longingly as he realizes he cannot continue to be close with them; they can never love him the same way they love each other. Matthew slowly walks back into the crowd of protesters, turning his back on Isabelle and Theo forever. Although The Dreamers may only seem important to those who enjoy foreign films, it should in fact interest anyone inquiring the truth about love. Throughout the movie, the viewer is anticipating Isabelle to finally realize her relationship with her brother is unhealthy and commit to Matthew. However, it is Matthew that ends up alone. The end of the movie shows that love at first sight holds little to no substance, and that love with familiarity and security is often the first choice. I believe this is my best 2fer because I was able to keep focus throughout the essay and these are probably the best transitions I've written between paragraphs all year. My main idea was love at first sight vs. love with familiarity and security, and I was able to focus on this idea and use supporting evidence from the movie. I also did my best not to have my essay turn into a detailed plot explanation, and I think I did a good job with that. Works CIted Ben-Zeév, Aaron. "Is Love at First Sight Possible?" Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.
Good Spirits
Posted by Nicholas Shaw in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Death is no new thing, it’s been around since the dawn of animals themselves, and to no person death is avoidable. Death also always come with preconceived notions of sadness and regret, where even in funerals people dress in colours that represent sadness. However, Death itself shouldn’t be feared. Death shouldn’t be feared during life, but looked forward to at a certain time when the afterlife is more appealing. In multiple religious texts, it represents the afterlife in a positive tone. For example, in the Bible when they talk of the afterlife, “ For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” They talk of the afterlife in a positive tone, saying that the wages of sin, or depending on what happens during people's’ lifetimes; depends on whether people come over into the afterlife in a positive tone. For any religious Christian or Catholic, living an eternal life next to Jesus Christ would be the epitome of happiness. He would grant any person, regardless of the amount of sin that you have made in your life. You’re still granted eternal happiness and life during the afterlife. Continuing with the use of religious texts, the Bible has tons of quotes about death. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The beginning, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you’, talks of giving love before death, and saying that love isn’t just given but can also be received. In the second half of the quote, it says, ‘not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let your heart not be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ It says that you should give love to other people before you pass, and not give love to the world. The afterlife isn’t just something that is used in Catholicism or in the Bible. It’s also used in every religion, with Islam not being an exception. In the Quran, in the chapter Sura, 2:82, “ "But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (For ever).” In this quote, it talks of those who have lived a good life, or a life without breaking any sacred rules; are granted life among the Garden for eternity. They’re granted a life after their own life that they worked through, and have the option of living among their gods. Similar to the two bible quotes, the quote from the Quran promises a life that is better than that of the one you had before. Religious texts and various mother forms of media have portrayed death in both positive and negative matters; but death should be viewed as a positive thing when reaching a certain age. Dying young is a tragic thing, however. . Death shouldn’t be feared during life, but looked forward to at a certain time when the afterlife is more appealing. "The Rewards of Paradise." Muslims' Belief in Life after Death: Paradise. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. "100 Comforting Bible Verses About Death Of A Loved One." South Africa News | Read Latest SA News on BuzzSouthAfrica.com. N.p., 03 Jan. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. "BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Islam and Death." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. This 2fer is my “best 2fer”, because I followed my own constructive criticisms I had in the self reflective 2fer. I had written that I don’t really explain the research or the quotes that well, and basically repeat the same argument over and over with poor analysis. In this 2fer, I used quotes from religious sources like the Bible and the Quran, and while the analysis wasn’t the best, I still tried the best I could to analyse the quotes.
Abortion Rights
Posted by Nadia Green in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Abortion is an extremely controversial issue and can cause strong arguments for either side. Those who oppose abortion believe that pregnant women are playing god and are committing murder. The people who agree with abortion believe that pregnant women have the right to choose if she wants to have the baby or not. Women have the undeniable right to decide the fate of their unborn child. However, laws have made it harder for women to enact these rights because of personal beliefs. Pregnancy is a huge moment in a woman’s life. She is creating another life, which brings her as well as the family a lot of joy. However, a large percentage of pregnant women are not able to take care of their future child. This causes other options being discussed and abortion is considered greatly as a primary option. Guttmacher, a center in research states, “75% of abortion patients in 2014 were poor or low-income. Twenty-six percent of patients had incomes of 100–199% of the federal poverty level, and 49% had incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level ($15,730 for a family of two).” ¾ of the women getting abortions are not able to support themselves let alone another life. This shows that there is a valid reason for pregnant women to have abortions. There are many laws that restrict groups of people. Laws can be unfair and even times contradicting. The government has decided to have a say in the medical rights of specifically pregnant women. In 2007 there was a first ever law that banned abortions. This allowed politicians to interfere with the health decisions of women and families. The abortion ban criminalizes abortion that is in the second trimester of pregnancy. This ban restricts women the right to their own health decisions. No one should be able to tell someone what they can and cannot do with their own health. A lot of times abortions are recommended from doctors due to the safety to the carrier. There are many complications that can occur during a pregnancy that can lead to having an abortion. Since 1976 there has been a Hyde Amendment. “The Hyde Amendment has blocked federal Medicaid funding for abortion services (since 1994, there have been three extremely narrow exceptions: when continuing the pregnancy will endanger the woman’s life, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest). This means Medicaid cannot cover abortion even when a woman’s health is at risk and her doctor recommends she get an abortion.” (plannedparenthoodaction.org). This is an unfair Amendment. Every pregnant woman should be able to get the help coverage they need no matter what for an abortion procedure. As stated before most women who become pregnant are not able to financially take care of their child, which means there is no way they would have the money to pay for a very expensive procedure. This law was not created for the benefit of pregnant women, but to satisfy biased opinions from lawmakers. This shows how much rights can be violated and stripped away from contradicting laws. Pregnant women should have the right to make decisions about their health as well as their unborn children. Unfortunately laws make it extremely hard for women to have abortions due to their biased opinions about the situation. Not wanting pregnant women to play God by aborting their unborn children, the government has decided to play oppressor in retaliation. Works Cited Parenthood, Planned. "Hyde Amendment." Planned Parenthood Action Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment>. Parenthood, Planned. "Federal and State Bans and Restrictions on Abortion." Planned Parenthood Action Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion>. "Induced Abortion in the United States." Guttmacher Institute. N.p., 17 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states#fn0>. "Possible Physical Side Effects After Abortion." American Pregnancy Association. N.p., 02 Sept. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-side-effects/>. This was my best 2fer yet because I took my faults into consideration when writing essays, and tried to make sure they were not implemented into this essay. Also I was more interested in this topic compared to the others.
The Truth Behind K-Pop
Posted by Paul-Ann Whyte in English 3· Pahomov· A Band on
Paul-Ann Whyte Pahomov Air May 1, 2017 The Truth Behind K-Pop When people think of K-Pop, many would imagine PSY. PSY was an internet sensation for his release of his song “Gangnam Style”. He introduced K-Pop to those who had never heard it before. The downside to how PSY introduced K-Pop to new audiences, is that now people believe that K-Pop is all about horny flashy men who sing catchy choruses and dance. This belief is false because there are different styles of K-Pop. Even though people believe that K-pop consists only of young women and men who are willing to flaunt their bodies for popularity, the songs that are more on the cuter side get more attention. In 2015, VIXX, a Korean pop group, released their single ‘Chained Up.’ Known for their songs creating a story, ‘Chained Up’ tells the story of the members being ‘chained’ to a girl. This story is extremely sexual with the use of collars and ropes and involves themes of bondage and BDSM. A screenshot from the music video is shown above on the left. This screenshot shows a collar on one of the member’s neck. Another song that was released in 2015 was ‘Just Right’ by GOT7. Like VIXX, GOT7’s songs are known for creating a story. However, unlike ‘Chained Up’, ‘Just Right’ is a happier more lighthearted song about the members telling a girl that she doesn’t have to change and how the girl is perfect enough. A screenshot from the music video is shown above on the right. This screenshot show the members of the group dancing and just generally being happy. ‘Chained Up’ has around 16 million views on their main YouTube channel music video. It was released November 2015 However, ‘Just Right’ has around 110 million views. Many may argue that it is because VIXX and GOT7 debuted in different times. However, that only proves the argument of tid essay. GOT7 debuted in 2014 yet VIXX debuted in 2012. Even though VIXX is an older group that was famous, their more sexual song lost to GOT7 simply because it was sexual. Going back a year in 2014, another Korean pop group, named Girl’s Day released their song “Something.” This song is about a woman catching her partner cheating. She feels “something” is wrong and now addresses him about it. However, the dance to this song does not reflect this story at all. The dance is filled with sexual moves and suggestive themes. In the screenshot above, the members of the group are dressed in crop tops and very short short shorts and are doing very suggestive dances. This song had 24 million views for the music video and 10 million for their dance music video. Another song that was released in 2014 was Happiness by Red Velvet. This song was about just being happy and nothing could bring them down. This dance was very happy and full of energy. In the screenshot on the right it shows the group’s final pose for the music video. This music video had 51 million views. Although many may believe that K-Pop is all about the sexual songs, the data says otherwise. The cuter songs have more popularity Work Cited SMTOWN. "Red Velvet 레드벨벳_행복(Happiness)_Music Video." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFgv8bKfxEs>. Jypentertainment. "GOT7 "Just Right(딱 좋아)" M/V." YouTube. YouTube, 12 July 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrdk3IGcau8>. RealVIXX. "빅스(VIXX) - 사슬 (Chained Up) Official M/V." YouTube. YouTube, 09 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqzBrI76e4g>. LOENENT. "[MV] GIRL'S DAY(걸스데이) _ Something (Dance Ver.)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVO5xTAbxm8>. I believe that this is my best 2Fer ever because I finally chose something I was interested in. I can't say that I did not enjoy all the other 2Fers I did but I do believe I enjoyed this the most. For this 2Fer, I took my time and did a lot more research than what I normally do. This was also more fun because I knew somethings already and just had to piece them together. This might be my best 2Fer yet but that does not mean it's as far as I can go. I can always do better but with my skills right now, this is the best I could do.
Negative/ Positive space cut out
Posted by Sanaa Scott-Wheeler in Art - Freshman· Hull· c1 Band on
A. What is negative space (explain this concept to a fourth grader that has never heard of it)
Negative space is the blank space on any canvas. If you draw a boat on the sea you could make the boat the positive space, that is colored in and the negative space could be the sea, which would not be colored in. Or vice Versa.
B. Explain how you found negative space inyour cut out?
I found negative space in my cut out by mirroring the positive space. Whenever I cut something out in red I knew it would have to be mirror on the other side in orange. The red represents positive space and Orange represents the negative space.
C. Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?
When an artist sees in negative space they are seeing other possibilities for their artwork.
D. Does seeing in negative spaceenhancedrawings, why or why not?
Seeing in negative space adds an interesting effect on the drawing, in my opinion it adds perspective, it makes the viewer wonder what else is possible for a drawing. The contrast in the colors used does make the picture pop.
2fer #7 // Jamal Hampton
Posted by Jamal Hampton in English 3· Pahomov· B Band on
Week 3- Day 2-negative space cut out
Posted by Alina Seing in Art - Freshman· Hull· d2 Band on
Negative space is an area of an object that surrounds the main object of the picture. I found negative space in my cut out by looking at it and there was two different colors; one was light and the other was dark. The dark area was positive space and the light one was negative. So I cutted out the negative space. It helps artist to see in negative space because it is easier for them to see the main subject of the picture and it could be more eye catching to the viewers. I think seeing drawing in negative space does not enhance the drawing because it takes away alot of details in the pictures.