Personal Reflection:
The realization I have come to through this unit was that one of America's biggest problems with food is our assumptions about what is included in a "healthy" diet. We eat food with a focus on meat and only eat vegetables as a side dish. We have normalized a huge intake of fat and sugar to the point where most people would fall under science’s definition of obesity, but consider themselves a healthy weight. It is an ironic problem, because some of today’s most deadly health problems are caused by an excess of essential components in our diet.
Another part of the unit that fascinated me was the strange practices of the major food companies. It is a scary thought to realize that every item on the shelf can be traced back to a few names, it is also hard to imagine how much of our food can be traced back to corn. This seems to me like one of our biggest problems. The scientists who engineer our corn are very nearsighted, they worry about making a profitable crop, but not necessarily what to do should something happen to kill off the corn.

For Annotated Bibliography and additional information, go here

by: Tyler Creighton, James Prell

Shakespeare is known for his ability to create characters that resonate with every reader. Hamlet is one of his most famous creations, particularly well known for his “To be, or not to be” monologue. The fame of this piece arises from its resonance as a separate work, taking the monologue out of context does not in any way subtract from it’s meaning. The reason for this is that in the passage, Hamlet addresses a subject that almost everyone throughout human history has had to wonder about at one point in his or her life. Themes in this passage include life after death, the meaning of existence on earth, and whether or not your actions during life matter in the long run. The genius of this passage is that it doesn’t lay these themes out in front of the reader, but guides them down a path of thought that eventually leads to these subjects. What starts as an analysis of Hamlet’s life suddenly becomes much deeper contemplation about the reader’s own existence.

Taken with the rest of the play, Hamlet begins to think these thoughts after a visitation by his father’s ghost. It is revealed to him that his uncle murdered his father, and that his father expects him to take revenge. In the moment, Hamlet agrees but as time goes on he grasps the magnitude of the task. What he needs to do is treason, and he needs to do it alone. As time goes on his responsibility weighs on him. He delays his task for as longs as possible, and becomes secluded and short tempered with other characters at court.

            “To be, or not to be: that is the question” A fitting start to the monologue, as it sets the scene with a summary of what is to come. It comes from a dark place, where Hamlet contemplates suicide. “The question” –whether or not he will end his life there or live on to commit murder– has him torn between his duty to the memory of his father and his own fear of being caught, his hesitance to act. “Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles.” Will his struggle be worth it, how will his actions be remembered? He wonders if he will look back with satisfaction in the end. He wants to know if his perseverance will be worth the trouble. At the same time he wonders if the better thing to do is nothing at all. ‘‘Tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” in the end would he be more at piece if he suffered through the rest of his life, or if he fought –possibly died– avenging his father. He continues in the same vein, “And by opposing end them? To die: to sleep; no more; and by a sleep to say we end the heartache and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to” What would happen should he choose to carry out his father’s revenge? Should he die, what would happen? He finds a bright side in the thought of death, because at the very least he would hope that his troubles would end. In saying, “Sleep” he implies that it will bring him a peaceful death. Settling the souls of himself and his father. 'Tis a consummation devoutly to be wish'd. To die, to sleep; to sleep: perchance to dream.” He hopes that upon entrance to the after life he will dream a better dream. Shakespeare has Hamlet end this portion of the monologue with a profound thought, “Ay, there's the rub; for in that sleep of death what dreams may come when we have shuffled off this mortal coil.” The problem, he says, is that we don’t know what comes after death. This is the train of thought at the root of his hesitation to kill his uncle. He believes that any of the choices he makes going forward could easily result in his death. He doesn’t know what will come, and that ignorance turns into a fear of the unknown. Hamlet reflects in a very real way how any person might react in his situation.

​Artists Statement:

Our sculpture was designed to be functional and visual. The eyes are drawn to the lights around the wheel as they light up and turn. The sculpture only reaches its true potential while the unicycle is being riden.

On the circuitry side, the bulbs are wired into several branches with two bulbs in a series each. This allows for the same voltage through each branch and an even distribution of brightness as the bulbs are slightly dimmer in each branch of the circuit.

Over the last month I read the Fifth book in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. I watched as the war of the five Kings wound to a close. I tasted the meals while reading George’s famous descriptions of food. I hurt when my favorite characters felt pain, and I smiled every moment they didn’t die tragically.

George R.R. Martin’s A Dance With Dragons is the fifth 1,510 page installment to his A Song of Ice and Fire series continuing his stories of the fictional continent of Westeros. While a healthy appreciation for fiction is certainly needed to get through such a large book, I can say that the series has much more to offer than originally meets the eye. Dance continues the story telling style of using “point of view characters”. Chapters are divided up by character, telling the story through their eyes.

For readers unfamiliar with this style of storytelling, let me tell you that it makes it very hard to hate one character more than another. Martin creates a world of gray areas. Much like real life, every character has a reason for their actions. This leaves it up to the reader to draw his or her own opinions. The maddening part of this type of storytelling is that those characters who might otherwise be considered the “bad guys” get to show their own perspective. I found it frustrating that George R.R Martin didn’t let me fully agree with the “good guys” or completely hate the “bad guys”, but I will say that it kept me on my toes. It keeps the story relatable and interesting more than anything else.

One issue I’ve had with the series so far is the inclusion of characters that don’t drive the plot in any way. This continues in Dance. For example, Quentin Martel’s inclusion in the story doesn’t serve any purpose other than to give exhausting details about unimportant places. His entire story can be summed up in the sentence “ The heir to Dorne travels east to find his queen.” I found myself caring little about him and more for what his actions mean to other characters. To those readers who don’t care about every detail but still want to be able to understand the plot, skipping Martel’s chapters is a safe way to save time.

While I love this book and hope everyone reads it. I also had to read the other huge books in order to get to it. Dance is completely plot driven, and will not make any sense unless the first four books are read before hand. If you think you are up to the challenge of reading such a long story, I guarantee that you will enjoy yourself. If you’ve made the journey through the other four books, congratulations! You are in for another thrilling installment to the series. Remember though, George R.R Martin in infamous for killing off major characters. In A Dance With Dragons, winter is coming, and that certainly doesn’t mean he’ll relent.

.By James Prell

This year has seen me grow considerably. My ideas have matured a lot from September to June. Over the course of the year, I feel as though I’ve come across three general understandings that I feel are significant. They show that I’ve grown significantly this year.

            My first general understanding is something I’ve learned a lot about in history. I’ve come across many examples of how conflict is required for social change. Though I’ve realized that this conflict is most successful when violence is not involved. "The French revolution was a revolution in the way that it was carried out, and because of the results of the uprising. It was not however, much of a change for the better. The government in France changed but the difficulties did not end." (French Revolution Reflection) I wrote this after completing the French revolution unit in history. It seemed that the French ultimately didn’t gain anything meaningful after the uprising. My next example comes from my project How to Start a Revolution. I found many examples of successful social change in history that was mostly nonviolent. "There are many different methods of nonviolent protest. An effective one would to have women and children at the front of a demonstration, this would discourage any military force brought up by the dictator from attacking. Another is to humanize the military force by talking and interacting with them. This shows both sides that they are all part of the same country." (How to Start a Revolution) My last example comes from a journal entry I made pretending to be Galileo during his in-house arrest brought on by the church. I feel that he ultimately succeeded by complying and not getting himself killed. "I've resigned to comply with the Church. I’m tired of fighting this fight; it is better for me to reject my work then to die. At the very least I’ve contributed to the scientific community. Even if I’ve not enlightened the public, at least I can say that some benefit from my work."(Galileo Journal Entry)

            My next general understanding comes from a mixture of my classes of English and History. After out many discussions about the issues we covered I feel that the discussion helps me see the full issue. Discussion helps me see all sides of the argument. My first example comes from my Servant Point of View piece. My role was to see the issues that came along with the French revolution through the eyes of one of the lowest members of society. But as we discussed the issues at hand, I learned about all of the higher rungs on the ladder. "I'm just a servant, no one important cares about the likes of me. I just go about my day making sure the palace stays completely perfect. Everything around me costs more then I will ever make in my entire life. The royal family is a group of pigs! They make all the decisions so that they'll always come out on top." (Servant POV) My next example comes from my reflection on the Sweatshop trial we had in History. I realized after the trial was over that I’d begun with a very biased opinion on the matter. It was only until after it was over did I realize that I’d been ignoring half of the points that were made because they were made against my group. "I think that each group that participated in the trial did a good job of representing their organizations. It is especially difficult to do a trial like this when there are no clear victims or groups at fault. All groups defended their positions with relative success, even when they were more clearly at fault in the situation." (Reflection on Sweatshop Trial) My last example comes from my roles as Pope Urban the second during the religious role-play. I feel like the lesson from the French revolution role-play where driven home during this unit. "Hello, I'm Pope Urban the second. I became pope in March of the year 1088" (Religion Role-play)

            My last general understanding comes from the beginning of the year in English 10. I realized that writing out the stories of my life and describing my experiences gives me a fresh view. My first quote comes form my very first assignment. It gave me a vague idea of what I would be doing for the first part of the year. All I had to do was describe myself in a journal entry. "I'm 15 years old, born in Philadelphia/ Spanish is my second language, after 10 years, I'm fluent/ I play soccer, defense, and I work hard. In sports, and everything else/ I have a brother and a sister, I'm the oldest one." (Theme for English 2) Our next assignment that year was to write a descriptive piece about a painting in our house. I was given a new look at the painting after having to describe it in detail. Every time I walk past it in the hall I think of the assignment. "In the foreground, waves rock the two boats as they approach their prey. The men are experts, standing in the their positions, ready for action" (Description of a painting) To finish up the unit, I had to write a whole descriptive essay. In this essay I had to describe several different memories in detail. I think that describing them has helped me remember them more clearly. "As I sat inside, I heard my brother talking animatedly to my sister, to him this is a fun family-bonding treat. He smiles as he runs back and forth, helping the rest of us in the small ways he can" (Descriptive Essay)

            My growth this year has been gradual. But I can see it clearly just by looking at my work in the beginning of the year. My initial reaction is to laugh at myself from a year ago, or to feel embarrassed. But in the end I’m proud, because it shows how far I've come.

 

 

This Project had us research the Trans-Canada Keystone Pipeline Project and learn both sides of the story. We then had to write a series of monologues to illustrate what we'd learned. My stories show the lives of an Amish and Trans-Canada employees.

(An Amish Farmer is distressed about a decision he made under stress)

(Pacing back and forth) I didn't have much of a choice when I was offered the chance to have the pipeline run through my land. But how will my neighbors react to it when I tell them? (Waves arms) The Amish of Kansas don't let this sort of thing happen, I should have been a better person and put the land and nature before myself, but I needed money.

I don’t make much money as it is, I never really have (sigh and glance down). The farming business isn’t something I’m good at, but it’s my only option, it's all I know. When TransCanada came to offer me money for the land they needed for the big pipe they were building, I wasn’t doing very well back then either. I was in between plantings after a failed harvest and I needed money pretty bad. These men offered me a deal; they would pay me lots of money if I let them cut through my land with big machines. And lay down this big pipe that would pump thousands of barrels of dark, crop killing oil from Canada to Texas.

            I’M A FARMER! (Shouts) What was I thinking? One mistake along any inch of that huge thing could completely destroy my work, my house, and I wouldn’t be able to plant for years afterwards. Not even the huge amount of money they paid me would be able to help me then. I’d have to leave everything I know behind. That poisonous fuel would forever taint all of my work, my father’s work, and his father’s work.

        I can’t turn back now. I’ve already signed a contract. I just wanted to be able to support myself, but I might end up destroying myself. I can only hope that our president stops the company from building the pipe. It might be selfish, because I know it will give a lot of people jobs. But if I ever have kids, I guess I want them to carry on my legacy here on the farm.

 

A Change of heart

(Trans-Canada employee wonders if what he does for a living is ethical)

 

I’ve worked on these oil sands for most of my adult life, long before these protesters started objecting to what we did over in America. I’ve taken part in setting up a lot of the more recent extraction plants too. (Shakes head) I grew up here in Alberta and witnessed the start of the dirty oil era. (Stretch arms and yawn) My life hasn’t really taken off yet though. At least, I hope it hasn’t. I spend all day operating the steam extraction machinery, and the pay isn’t great. (Cough) I’ve been wondering lately if working like this is worth the years taken off my life from inhaling the fumes.

Maybe those people down in Washington have the right idea; they’re working for a good cause fighting against the new Keystone pipeline. They’re passionate about what they believe in.

For a long time I saw the oil as a good thing. It was a miracle of modern science that we could extract fuel directly from the earth, without expensive drilling equipment. I was proud to work for the sake of helping people drive and provide oil to the world. I felt like a pioneer, leading my country forward.

(Nods) These Americans have opened my eyes though. If I help with the Keystone project, I could take a huge part in the pollution and destruction of North America. Sure, I might help a man get to work, but I might also kill someone by polluting his or her water supply. I don’t want that blood, or oil, on my hands.

 

Russ Girling (CEO of TransCanada):

 

            Walks into room and sits on couch. Today was a tough day at work. It’s hard to hear myself think with so many protestors yelling outside your window. I know a lot of these people just see me as some greedy CEO that will do anything to get more money. Is that really me? I know I wouldn’t see myself as that, but if I look from their perspective, put myself in their shoes and look at myself? What am I? This pipeline would bring so much money to this company, and would benefit Canada and the USA in many ways. Jobs, money, oil. Does all that outweigh any potential environmental impacts? Right now we need oil, and we need a lot of it. In the future we may not need oil so much, but right now we do. This would at least postpone the energy problem for a while, until we have the means to postpone it further, or maybe even finally solve it. But is that what we really need? Would that make the problem worse? I doubt there will be any problems caused by this while I’m alive, but what about my children? No, I don’t think this pipeline will make or break the environment. It’s just one pipeline, and what people really need to do is stop wasting so much. Besides, if you ignore the environmental impacts this may or may not have, this is only beneficial to everyone.

 

Bill Mckibben:

 

            We have lived and taken from our planet for tens of thousands of years. We started off just taking what we needed, but then we kept taking more and more and more, and now look at what that’s gotten us. We are polluting the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat. At the same time unemployment is rising, along with gas prices and debt. It seems as if every single unsustainable thing we’ve been doing in the history of this country has finally collapsed on us at once. We need money, and oil, and jobs. We also need to conserve the environment. If we aren’t mindful of how much we waste, and render the planet uninhabitable with our pollution, the planet will be fine. After a few thousand years, the planet will repair itself, and be back to the way it was before humans. The only thing we’d be killing is ourselves, and everything we share the planet with. The XL pipeline would do two things. It would bring money, oil, and jobs to America. And it would be another nail in the coffin of environmentalism. Will this completely destroy the environment in one fell swoop? No, but will it solve our debt, and job problems? No to that too. What we have to do is weigh what options would be best overall. Should we build it and generate a few thousand jobs, and billions of dollars in revenue, or should we not build and save countless plants and animals, and reduce our oil dependency. Transcanada says their pipes will not leak, but can we really believe them when their own pipes leaked 12 times? We can’t risk it leaking, because the pipeline goes over a major aquifer that people drink from. And it would pollute the drinking supply of millions with crude oil. I don’t think we should build the pipeline, because I believe that there is other ways of improving the economy, but there is only one way to protect the environment right now, and that is to stop the XL pipeline from being built.

 

Kenneth Hewitt:

 

    I’ve been unemployed for almost a year now, and my unemployment benefits are starting to run out. I’ve been living out of this crummy apartment in this terrible neighborhood for about as long. I was laid off from my first job as a construction manager, and for the first few months nobody would hire me. After that nobody was hiring me because of how long I’d been unemployed. I heard about this new pipeline TransCanada is planning to build between Canada and Texas. I could maybe get a job helping building this, it shouldn’t be too difficult since it’s such a big project, and they’d need to hire a lot of people. Sure, it wouldn’t be permanent, but it would be something to put on my resume so employers wouldn’t immediately ignore my application due to not having been employed for a long time. But at the same time, do I want to help this project? So many people are protesting this because huge negative environmental implications. Maybe I could get a different job somewhere else, but where? This is the surest bet. But what do I care about more, my own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of my children and their children. Then again, the world’s already messed up for my kids; surely this one pipeline wouldn’t be that big of a deal. But if it’s not such a big deal, why are so many people protesting it? I can’t turn down work, but is this the work I want to do? I guess if this is going to be built I have no choice but to work on it, my only other option being unemployment. But I hope Obama blocks this from being built, so I don’t feel obligated to work on it.

 

 

     ​For this project we printed out an element of the periodic table. My element was Cadmium with the atomic number 48. 
     Making the print was a long process, first we drew the print-mine was a television because cadmium is used in the cables-then, we carved the same drawing into a tablet and covered it with paint. After this we made four different prints, three we gave a border and one we used to make a large periodic table.

      By looking through my work this year, I hope readers notice the growth I've gone through- both in writing and as a person- as I have. Looking back, I can see that my strengths are essay's and not creative writing, so I hope to grow more still by becoming better at writing creatively. I was very surprised to see, first, the amount of work I've done and forgotten about, and second, the change I can see evident in my writing. Going back through my work was one of the most interesting projects I've had to do all year.I am most proud of my Odyssey Persuasive Essay, because I try to prove an opinion that most people didn't share, and I enjoyed the challenge.



1) Macbeth Character Analysis:     This was one of the first projects I did for the year. I'm glad it was, because somewhere along the line I completely forgot to write a conclusion. Besides that, I think I did well for a project at the beginning of the year. The project had me go very deep into the macbeth as I needed to map out his transformation throughout the book. Looking back on my writing style, I can see how far I've come from the beginning of the year. So here it is, Macbeth's Transformation, fully corrected and with a conclusion paragraph.

 
Macbeth started out as a loyal friend and subject but was then transformed into an evil tyrant.
 
In Act 1 scene 2 of Macbeth, a captain comes into the throne room bleeding from multiple wounds. He has just arrived from a battle between the royal army and a group of rebels in which the royal army emerged victorious. He stumbles up to king Duncan and informs him on the outcome of the battle, then says this about Macbeth “For Brave Macbeth – well he deserves the name – distaining fortune, with his brandished steel, which smoked with bloody execution.” (Act 1, scene 2, page 4) Macbeth was the hero of this battle, showing his courage in battle by killing the enemy everywhere he went. Macbeth has earned the trust and admiration of the king and the other Thanes; through doing this he has proven his loyalty to his kingdom. At this point in the play Macbeth is as loyal as a man can be, but that is about to change.
Later, in Act 1, scene 2, king Duncan receives the news that the Thane of Cawdor betrayed him and helped the enemy to organize this battle. He decides to go after the Thane and promote Macbeth to the position of Cawdor, so he says. “What he hath lost noble Macbeth hath gained.”(Act 1, scene 2, page 6)  Now that the old Thane of Cawdor has been taken care of the noble Macbeth will succeed him. In promoting Macbeth King Duncan sets off a chain of events that lead to his own death. This is because by promoting Macbeth he confirms the witches’ prophecy that Macbeth will be promoted to Thane of Cawdor, then become king.
In Act 1 scene 5, Macbeth writes to his wife about the witches’ prophecy that he will become Thane of Cawdor, and then King and how shortly after he was promoted the first part of the prophecy came true. His wife is excited, she interprets the witches’ prophecy to be an invitation to kill king Duncan, she and Macbeth start to form a plan to make the second part of the prophecy come true. After listening Macbeth says, “We will speak further”(Act 1, scene 5, page 18). He wants to be king but doesn’t have the time to talk. Lady Macbeth then tells him not to worry and to leave everything to her to set up. This is significant in his transformation as it is the first time he considers what he will need to do to become king.
In act 1 scene 7, Macbeth has king Duncan over for dinner; in the middle of the feast Macbeth goes to a private room and debates whether or not he should kill king Duncan. Lady Macbeth then has to come in and blackmail him into wanting to go through with it. Macbeth then says this“ I am settled, and bend up each corporal agent to this terrible feat. Away, and mock the time with fairest show; false face to hide what the false heart doth know.”(Act 1, scene 7, page 23) He is ready to kill king Duncan, and advises his wife to pretend not to be plotting the death of their king. Macbeth is now moments away from his attempt on the life of Duncan. He is ready to take charge, start killing, and start to turn away from being a loyal subject.
In Act 2 scene 2, Macbeth has just killed Duncan. He comes to his wife, shaking and says, “I have done the deed, did though not hear a noise?“ (Act 2, scene 2, Page 27) He is very nervous because after he actually killed the king he starts to wonder whether or not he should have done it and he imagines how easy it would have been for someone to wake up and discover him. He’s made mistakes and not followed the plan so Lady Macbeth starts to panic and takes over. This was Macbeth's first kill, and because of the influence of the prophecy and his wife this first kill will make all the rest easier and more justifiable.
In act 3 scene 1, Macbeth believes that Banquo might realize that he murdered Duncan. So he sends murderers to take care of him and his son. After meeting with the murderers he says “Banquo, thy souls fight, if find heaven, must make it out tonight”(Act 3, scene 2, page 45). If Banquo is going to die then he needs to do it tonight. This marks to point at which Macbeth truly loses his old self. He was willing to kill his best friend, and an innocent child in order to keep himself safe. He is no longer a friend to anyone.
In act 4 scene 1,Macbeth realizes that other people know that he murdered Duncan so he goes to consult the weïrd sisters “I conjure you by that which you profess, howe’er you come to know it, answer me.” (Act 4, scene 1, page 64) He wants to find out all he can about what the future will hold for him, because he thinks that he will be able to defeat his enemies by knowing it. Macbeth is putting complete faith in the thing that is destroying him and turning him into the twisted, evil person that she is.
In act 4, scene 3 Malcolm and Macduff meet in England, at first they suspect each other of murdering Duncan, but then decide that the other is trust worthy and agree that Macbeth is the enemy, “But Macbeth is”. (Act 4, scene 3, page 73) They say that Macbeth is a tyrant and is poisoning the kingdom. Macbeth has now turned friends into enemies and has transformed into a worse version of the Thane of Cawdor before him.
In act 5 scene 3, everyone knows that Macbeth killed Duncan in order to become king. When a servant enters his room, but does not speak quickly enough Macbeth starts to yell “The devil damn thee black, thou cream-faced loon! Where got’st thou that goose look?” (Act 5, scene 3, page 87). He then goes on to say that 10,000 soldiers are on their way to the castle and Macbeth wants to send out soldiers to skirt the country and hang all those who might help the soldiers on their way. This decision is beyond all reason and could only be thought up by a ruler who has lost his mind.
In act 5 scene 7, Macbeth knows that the army of soldiers is coming to kill him. But is either to stubborn or crazy to give up “They have tied me to a stake. I cannot fly. But bearlike I must fight the course. What’s he that was not born of woman? Such a one am I to fear, or none.” (Act 5, scene 7, page 94). They have trapped him with nowhere to go but he still wants to fight back. He probably knows he is going to die but by now his lust for power clouds his vision to the point where he doesn’t care.
          At this point macbeth's Transformation is complete and fully evident. He has betrayed his friends and allies and turned from a loyal servant to a monster. He was pushed over the edge by his wife, but once he got going he didn't stop. He started out killing for the king, for a just cause. But ended by killing women and children to gain power for himself.

2) Memoir Vignette:
     This project was inspired by a canoe trip I took as an incoming 7th grader. I had to write a four page short story about it and include writing tricks like humor, simile's, and magic three. Looking back on it, the writing style seems forced and awkward. I honestly hope I've grown since then. But here it is in all its glory, "Out of the Country Without a Passport"  

     I had just started summer break after 6th grade when my mom asked me,(Opener)
“How would you like to go on a week long canoe trip in a few weeks? (Dialogue)
As I hadn’t done much camping at that point in my life I said that I definitely would.
She had found this camp, in the way of most things like this, through a friend. (Humor)This friend had a husband who had gone on a boating trip as a counselor and had seen a group of  people who were part of this camp. So my Mom looked into it, signed me up, then asked me. (Magic 3)
I didn’t care much that she had signed me up before asking, it wouldn’t be far from home, and it sounded like fun, I definitely wasn’t disappointed.
     So, when the day of the trip arrived, me and my dad got up early in the morning to drive me to the house of a friend who was also going. When I got there, me, my friend, and another kid who I didn’t know got into the car of this friends dad and  shared the small space with enough comic books to last us several trips to the moon (by car).(Hyperbole) None of these comic books were mine, but when we got to the campsite I was familiar with a lot more characters than I had been previously.
     I arrived at the campsite to some surprising news. My other two friends and I (I can now refer to the other kid in the car as a friend. It’s amazing how long car rides bring people together) (Humor) represented half of the campers going on this trip. There were six of us. Besides us, there were three counselors, but I’m not going to call them “counselors” in this story because they only ever cooked for us, so from now on they will be called, “cooks” or “night watchmen”.
     After a small lunch of hamburgers and hot dogs we set out in our canoes, each holding a rower, a steer-er, and suitcases belonging to the campers. (Magic 3)We rowed for an hour or two, then landed on a small island that looked like it had been a sandbar foremost of its life.(Simile/personification) After setting up camp- at the highest point possible- (Humor) we introduced ourselves. The two friends I mentioned before both live deep in Mount Airy and read for half of every day, (Hyperbole) besides them, there was a girl who lived in a large suburb, and whose father apparently owned most of it. (Humor) There was a boy a little older than I was who camped a lot but had huge problems with boy scouts (Humor). The last girl I can’t remember much about, but my impression of her is that she spent most of her time on her cellphone, which was one of the few items on the “DO NOT BRING” list for the trip (Humor). We were an interesting group, early on the rich girl developed an obsession with the boy, but he hated her (do we see a theme here?) (Humor) so every time he did or said something that would send a normal girl into a rage she would take it out on me. The week was full of wild screams and overturning canoes (Metaphor). Me, my two book fiend friends, and the boy on one side and rich girl and texting girl on the other. (I should point out that texting girl wasn’t on rich girl’s side because of thoughts on what was going on with the rest of us. It was because she didn’t care and she was the only one who wouldn’t whack rich girl on the head when she tried to go after me)
Each day after breakfast we packed up and set out for the next campsite, once we got there we would unpack, eat lunch, then explore (Magic 3).
     The mornings were always the same, with me stumbling out of bed with bruises from sleeping in a tent, then eating quickly before setting off again .It was in the afternoons when we needed to entertain ourselves.
Building structures with sand, exploring, and making up random songs (Magic 3) were the main things we did. If those didn’t sound fun, we would go to our default. Burning things (Humor).
This sort of fun was new to me, I had never before needed search this hard for entertainment or something to do because I always had computers, television, and I lived in a big city (Magic 3).I never knew that planning things to do for a week could be so hard, by the fourth day I resolved to ask my parents how they planned our vacations. I needed to adjust myself to a new way of life three hours from where I lived.
After a day of doing whatever  it was we felt like, be it swimming, fishing, or- onone occasion- throwing rocks at each other (Magic 3/Humor). We would sit around the campfire and burn  stick, burn leaves, burn apples and even burn small fish (Rep for effect/ Humor) to keep ourselves occupied as the cooks made dinner. During the trip this was the place where I felt most at home, the heat of the fire was comforting, and it felt like the thing that drove me forward through the day looking towards the time I could relax. It was the point at the end of the day when everyone really got along well.
     When the trip was finally over and we’d burnt our last goodbye (Metaphor/ Humor) I went home, and when my mom asked
“So, was it fun?”  (Dialogue)
I told her about all the great fun we had and the songs we made up and the objects we burnt (Magic 3). I said that I’d had a lot of fun and thanked her for telling me about it.
     But it wasn’t until much later, after a trip to Africa, when someone would ask me how I liked the trip, I said the same sort of things I’d said after the canoe trip. I went on a seventeen hour flight to have the same great time a three hour drive brought me (Realization).

3) The Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay:
     Here is my compare and contrast essay, where I gave evidence as to why Odysseus and Poseidon are so similar in character. I enjoy looking back on this piece because the idea I had was a little different from the way most people thought of the relationship between the two character in "The Odyssey". Wile most people thought Odysseus was the complete opposite of Poseidon, I set out to prove the traits they shared.


     Not many people consider Poseidon and Odysseus to be similar in character. In fact, Odysseus is widely considered to be more like Athena, Poseidon's rival and direct opposite. But there is plenty of evidence to contradict this. Odysseus and Poseidon react in the same way during many different situations. After Odysseus blinded his son, Poseidon made Odysseus's life miserable, and when Odysseus finally returned home, he discovered how the suitors had treated his wife and son and killed every last one of them. The only huge difference is that Odysseus needs to fear death. Odysseus and Poseidon are both protective of their family, powerful, and proud. But Odysseus knows when strength isn't the way forward; he is mortal so he knows that in order to stay alive he needs to use a combination on strength and brains. He is the embodiment of the rivalry between Poseidon and Athena.
        Both Odysseus and Poseidon are protective when it comes to family, and are quick to kill or disgrace anyone who dishonors one of their own. When Odysseus finally gets home to Ithaca and learns of the suitors defying his house and name, he is quick to learn all who betrayed and disgraced him in his absence “Go now, gather crusts from all the suitor, and test them, so we can tell the innocent from the guilty" (The Odyssey: pg.366 line 397-398). This shows that he stops at nothing, even killing women if they disgraced himself and his wife Penelope to defend his honor and family. In the same way, Poseidon answered the curse invoked by the Cyclops when Odysseus blinded him "Hear me Poseidon, god of the sea blue main that rocks the earth. If I really am your son and you claim to be my father, come grand that Odysseus, raider of cities, Laertes' son who makes his home in Ithaca never reaches home" (The Odyssey: pg.228 line 585-590). Because of what Odysseus did to his son, Poseidon continuously drove Odysseus off coarse forcing him miles and years away from home; he was only spared his life because Athena took pity on him. Poseidon and Odysseus both went to somewhat ridiculous ends to humiliate the people who harmed their family.
     Even though Odysseus and Poseidon have great devotion to their families, they also each have a trait that can sometimes mask their love for the people close to them. They are both very proud, with a need to get themselves the most glory they can and uphold the honor they've earned. Odysseus shows this when he is heading straight through the path of Scylla. Instead of speeding himself through with only a few deaths in his crew, he has to put on his armor and stand ready to fight "So I shouted. They snapped at each command, no mention of Scylla - How to fight that nightmare?" (The Odyssey: pg.278 line 241-242). He did this so he could try to kill Scylla, even though he knew it would cost him a lot of men he wanted to have the glory of killing something to unreachable for any other mortal man. Similar to this, in the legend of Poseidon and the walls of Troy; when Poseidon is threatened and refused money for assisting in building the walls of Troy by the king at the time he becomes furious and floods the countryside. Then set upon the walls with a sea monster. He needed to do this because the king offended his pride.
     Odysseus may be prideful, but he knows when he can't get out of a situation with strength alone. He recognizes that he needs to take care of himself so he can get back to his family. In the Cyclops’s cave he tricks the Cyclops into drinking extremely concentrated wine to make him slow, because he knows that they won't be able to open the cave if the Cyclops is dead "Here, Cyclops, try this wine - to top off the banquet of human flesh you've bolted down" (The Odyssey: pg.222 line 388-389). This shows that he can think on his feet and uses his brain when he can't use his sword. Poseidon is the opposite, because he never takes the smart way out, and uses his powers to destroy his enemies in the most humiliating ways. He doesn't ever recognize that he is outmatched, because the worst that can happen to him is a tiny bit of pain or a short term punishment. Being a god, he doesn't worry about that sort of thing, and he doesn’t think it’s important to try to take care of beings that aren’t necessarily as powerful or immortal as he is. Poseidon is constantly trying to overthrow Zeus or get the best of Athena, and even though he almost never succeeds he always tries again later because he doesn't know the meaning of defeat and can't recognize when he is being arrogant or repetitive. He doesn’t understand compassion for others, and lets his instincts for power and pleasure rule his life.
     It cannot be denied that Odysseus and Poseidon are very much the same. They have gone to every extent to protect their family and their pride cannot be matched. But Poseidon doesn't know when to stop, and goes to far when Odysseus would have stopped. Poseidon is a god, so he doesn't have to worry about death, and twenty years means nothing to him. Odysseus has to stay alive, even if it is just to protect his family and get back home. He knows that he needs to use his head instead of his sword sometimes because he cannot risk death the way Poseidon can. If Odysseus were a god with no worries about dying or family he would act the same as Poseidon.

4) Macbeth Creative Project:
     This game was made as my creative project during the Macbeth unit this year. I used a program called Scratch to make it, and posted it on the Scratch website. I remember having a lot of fun making it, even though I spent hours each day for a week to finish it just in time. The game follows Macbeth through his transformation, and includes the quotes I used to in my essay. The link to the game is here:

5) Independent Reading Project 1:
     To do this project, I needed to choose a book to read, then write a review of it. The book I chose is called "It Happened in Boston" by Russel H. Greenman. It is a book about a mentally unbalanced man and the situations he gets himself into, but you can read more about that in the actual review.


The author of “It Happened in Boston” is a man named Russel H. Greenan. This was his debut novel and he went on to write “Nightmare”, “The Queen of America”, “ The Secret Life of Algernon Pendleton”, “Heart of Gold”, “ The Bric-a-brac Man”, “Keepers”, “Can of Worms”, “Doomsnight”, and “Glamour Doom”., all of which were published and made famous around the world.
It happened in Boston is from the point of view of a man (who goes unnamed) who tells
about his life as a painter, and eventually, a killer. From the beginning, the reader can tell that this man is unbalanced because he explains that he can sit down and transport himself to any time period he wants by closing his eyes. Also, because he is suspicious of pigeons spying on him so he poisons some bread and puts it on the windowsill. There is a lot of conflict in the story, both inside the main character and with others due to the characters twisted mental condition. To name a few, his wife, an art dealer, and a sickly insurance manager.
He is an extremely talented artist, and creates many works of art that are approaching, if not equal to the works of Leonardo Da Vinci. The problem, at first, is that he can never seem to catch a break, so doesn’t get much money. When someone finally does start to pay him for his paintings, they end up involving him deeply in art forgery and steal his wife. That’s when he loses his mind.
My favorite character in “It Happened in Boston” would have to be the unnamed protagonist. His journey really picks up on human emotion and how we react when betrayed on every turn. Another thing I enjoyed about this character was that, even though I knew what he did was insane he seemed to approach his conclusions logically and never acted unbalanced.
Although he was my favorite character in the story, I don’t think I can relate to him. I’m not a bad artist, but I wouldn’t consider doing it professionally. (SPOILER) I’ve never killed anyone, let alone seven people as a sacrifice to meet and overthrow god. Also, I don’t suffer from paranoia or depression, so I can’t say I know what that feels like.
I love this book; right from the beginning I could tell that it would be interesting because you don’t know what is true and what is the crazy ranting of a madman, so it pays to make predictions and assumptions because they will help you make sense a weirdly played out story. I also enjoyed learning about all the complexities that go into painting a portrait, or carving a statue.
I wouldn’t recommend this book to early readers, because in all honesty it would turn them off reading for a very long time. However, If the reader is experienced and is prepared for many hours sitting in a chair mumbling just to make sense of the storyline then I think they will enjoy this brain twister immensely.

6) Four Journal Entries:
     These are four journal entries that I've written through out the year. It's interesting to look back on them because they document my daily life at different parts of the year and all the ways I've changed. They are all free write, so looking through my journal, I found a couple lengthy entries about how I don't like writing journal entries. But the pieces I've chosen for this show my writing at different parts of the year. I can't say I'm proud of the amount of dead words present.

1)
     My first week was great! I had a great time this week but I'm still really exhausted. It was a long week and there have been a lot of things to take in, I've enjoyed all of it.
     The only thing I'm not happy about is how long it will take to get our laptops. After we get them, life will be a lot easier.
     I enjoy the atmosphere of the school and I feel like I know everyone already.

2)     
     Because of my past actions most people expect nothing but the best from me. This puts a lot of pressure on my head because it makes me feel like I have a responsibility to keep up with those expectations. So I feel frustrated if I don't do well on something. It makes it way easier to disappoint people. It feels good to help people but sometimes I wish i wasn't the person that everyone went to for help. It would be great if there was someone with that responsibility.

3)
      I had a lot of fun over break, I even enjoyed shoveling my massive driveway when it finally snowed. I was able to balance work with relaxation relatively well, with a day of homework, then a day of rest. A little before new years day some friends of my parents came over from Cleveland, so we spent a few days in center city walking around playing tourist. But we also had a fair amount of time doing nothing at home.
     At the moment I'm working on m spanish 4 benchmark. The work isn't hard, all we need to do is review a movie we watched before break, then choose a soundtrack to go along with a few scenes.

4)
     A good story teller is someone who can make whatever story they are telling feel alive and make it connect to the listener. The Odyssey Kicks off with a bit of foreshadowing on what happens at the end of the story. The Main characters so far are Athena, Zeus, Poseidon, and Odysseus.

First off, this is the final blog post I will be making during my research of the school districts budget cuts.
Next, a bit of bad news. The School District of Philadelphia has confirmed that transpasses will not be provided as a service next year. Meaning that families should plan ahead to carpool or invest in a monthly transpass for their children. On top of that, the District has said that they will be letting go of security in some schools, even with all the violence that is still present, or would be present without them. This is just another example of the School District cutting a priority service that will change the face of education in our city.
     The Philadelphia School District has decided to cut full meals, arts, music, gifted programs. But don't worry, there are some things that will get bigger next year, class sizes and number of students assigned to councilors to name two.
     Most of this isn't final, so there is still hope. In order to convince the District to spare security, nurses, transportation, and the art; write to Arlene Ackerman and others associated with the school district telling them that what they are suggesting would damage the district badly, ask them to try to find a solution that won't hurt the students to the extent that this plan would.
     Remember though, the 627 million dollar budget gap won't disappear with easy cuts. We will be hurt, but there must be an easier solution.

     Last time I talked about the project I'm doing in English class this year, and how I will be posting updates on the recent developments in the school districts budget crisis, my last post can be found here.
     I'd like to start off By giving a statistic, there are 577 teachers planning to retire next year, and 147 teachers have informed the district that they are resigning. But those 724 teachers leaving the district still won't be enough to help the district cut back on jobs enough for next year, another 536 teachers will have to be laid off next year on top of the resigning teachers. Many of our great teachers will need to find new jobs next year because of the damage this deficit has done.
     There is one piece of "good" news though, a recent state budget plan released by republicans will provide an additional $310 million statewide for education. It isn't clear yet how much money will be given to the Philadelphia School District, it won't come close to fixing the $610 million deficit, but it is money we can use. Here's something Arlene Ackerman said
   "With $630 million [to cut], and only $300 million of that being from the stimulus funds, which we knew was going to go – by the way, we spent that money exactly the way the federal government outlined it. …"
    The funny thing about this statement though, the federal government outlined that the stimulus funds should be used for one-time costs and improvements to schools. What did the district do? They spent the funds on long terms purchases and on the upkeep of the district to help with that years budget. That money is gone now, and we are in debt.

1) ¿Cuántos años tenía Rigoberta cuando empezó a aprender español?
 23

2) Qué crees: ¿Por qué no pudo aprender el español usando un libro?
Era inalfabeto

3) Hay una creencia (belief) que los indígenas en la América Latina siempre son VICTIMAS y que no se organizan para luchar por sus derechos. En el caso de Rigoberta Menchú, ¿qué hizo para luchar?
 Uso sus palabras

4) Rigoberta Menchú aprendió español para luchar y defender. ¿Qué conexión ves entre los idiomas y la opresión? ¿Ves conflictos causados por los idiomas?
Si, porque si no puedes cominuicar  causas problemas

5) Los idiomas (language) ¿es un tema (issue) político en los estados unidos? ¿Cómo?

Si, porque los Americanos solo aceptan ingles aunque puedes hablar cualquier idioma en el EEUU

B. Pon en orden las películas según cuanto interés tienes en verla.

1) El Norte

2) Voces Inocentes

3) La Boca del Lobo

4) Romero

El Norte:

Guatemala

Los soldados de Guatemala atacan a los Mayas

Podemos observar violasion de los articulos 1 y 5

Si,  creo que voy a gustar.

¿Quién es Rigoberta Menchú?
Rigoberta Menchú es una mujer que luchaba por los derechos de la gente Maya en Guatemala.

¿Quién es (el otro pacifista que escogerion)?
Escogí a Las Mariposas, tres hermanas en la Republica Dominicana que luchaba contra Trujillo [el dictador].

¿Qué tienen en común?
Los dos son mujeres que luchaba contra un Dictador, los dos tambien eran torturadas.

¿Cuáles son unas diferencias entre los dos?
Rigoberta Menchú viví en Guatemala, fue exijilada, aunque no pudria leer escribio un libro y gano un premio Nobel. Las Mariposas vivian en la Republica Dominicana, fueran encarceladas, rebelio activamente, [una hermana] era una abogada y eran asesinada.

1. ¿En qué país se tomaron estas fotos?

En una pais española que metó en guerra civil

1. ¿Cuándo se tomaron?

Esta año.

1. ¿Qué pasó en la primera foto?

Un disastre natural.

1. ¿Qué pasa en la segunda imágen? ¿Quiénes son?

Hay soldados amenazando a la gente normal.

1. ¿Por qué estaba allí el grupo en la tercera (third) foto? ¿Quiénes son?

Creo que son un grupo de estudiantes de el USA allí para ayudar a los inhabitantes.

1. ¿Cómo es la topografía de este país?

Montañosa

     During these next few weeks I'll be blogging about the budget cut happening across the district, how they'll effect our school, and what we should do about it. I want to stay informed, and you can too by keeping up with this blog.
     Next year 16% of school district employees will be laid off. The school district won't be offering trans-passes for the students who use SEPTA to get to school in the morning. And on top of that kindergarten will be a half day program in many district schools.
     Why are these services, the most basic things a district should offer being cut? There are certainly other ineffective programs that should be cut before all this.
     The budget cuts aren't all due to the huge deficit in the district budget, the blame can also be laid on the shoulders of Governor Corbett who has proposed a 1.1 billion dollar cut from schools to help fund state prisons. Should this stand? Can we let Corbett get away with cutting school programs to fund prisons? Doing this will fill prisons with drop outs who don't stay in school due to those cuts.
I encourage you to spread the word about this issue, to save the education of the Philadelphia youth.

A. Negative Space is the space in the drawing that is usually considered the background, so a negative space drawing is when you only show the background and take out the front.

B. I found negative space in my cut out by separating the foreground and background and flipping them to show both parts. For the drawings I outlined the objects in the foreground and colored in the background.

C. It helps to see in negative space because it forces us to study to space normally ignored.

D. It enhances a drawing because it makes people notice the smaller parts of a drawing

Here are two wanted posters made by me looking for two characters in the movie "El Bola". These posters refer to the child abuse in the movie. Asking the viewer if they have seen either of these people, so that they can be found and saved or brought into custody.

     This benchmark had us interview three people, one each from 10,20, and 30 years older than me. I asked them what their favorite song was from that time. The results I got were Ghostbusters, "Gloria" by Them, and "We will rock you" by Queen.
     On top of that, we researched historical events from around that time. A summary of these articles, as well as links to the articles themselves are located here.
     The purpose of this project was to study the music and events of different time periods. As well as study the similarities of the two.

     I started this drawing  by measuring the back wall, then drawing the vanishing point.
After that I drew the side walls, floor, and ceiling. To draw the ceiling tiles I used the vanishing point then drew a line from the corner of the back wall box to the opposite corner of the paper. After that I started drawing the smaller details on the back wall and ceiling such as the lights, the fans, the wifi box, and the windows.

I'd like to mention Kristy who I think did an exceptional job on the project.

     Me llamo Salvador Allende, soy una izquierdista y soy el presidente de Chile. Quiero un sistema mas igual y justo para la clase obrera. Entonces estoy introduciendo una forma del Socialismo. Tengo el soporto de los comunistas, pero tengo problemas con el EEUU. Peleo por muchos años para ganar la presidencia de Chile y quiero usar mi poder para el beneficio de todos. Tengo muchos enemigos, pero solo quiero ayudar a la clase obrera. No me cae bien el Presidente Nixon, porque el soporto los grupos en Chile que quiere verme lanzado fuera de oficina. También, el es republicano y solo esta en oficina para ayudar sus propias metas y la clase alta.


     En la pintura, veo muchas colores oscuros, con amarillo brillante en el fondo. Veo unos rejos y parecen que están deshaciendo con el calor. El paisaje parece muerto porque no hay vegetación. Hay algo que parece un animal muerto o durmiendo. Hay una mesa que esta creciendo un árbol. En el fondo hay una luz como el sol, unos nubes, un acantilado y un lago. Hay algo muy extraño, parece un pedazo de metal muy grande, y no se porque esta allí porque no tiene sentido en este contexto. El negro en la pintura es demasiada oscuro para solo ser la oscuridad de la noche, entonces creo que es una sombra de algo grande que no podemos ver de este posición. Hay un sentido de aprehensión, creo que algo grande esta pasando porque el mundo esta metiendo en sombras. Todo estas objetos tienen significancia profunda, no solo, pero si mezclan en esta manera es muy interesante.


     Para mi representa el término en oficina. Cuando empezó tenia el soporto de mi país y el Unidad Popular, pero ahora hay protestaciones y etemtos en un revolución. Creo que mi tiempo se está ejecutando hacia fuera. Creo que Salvador Dali pito porque estuve en un situación tal como mío, que mis memorias del pasado son mas felices que mi vida en este momento.  Creo que el animal representa una persona pobre de la clase obrera quien esta demasiado cansado para seguir. Los relojes representa el realidad que no tenemos tiempo infinitivo para hacer lo que queremos hacer. El paisaje representa el futuro para este animal, que va a morir como la vegetación. El luz, los nubes y el acantilado en el fondo representa la memoria, cuando cosas no fueron tan difícil. Recuerdo que tengo muchas problemas en frente de mi, los momios y el EEUU quieren un golpe de estado, y casi ninguno de mis planes para una país mas igual fueran realizadas. Tengo el mismo sensación de aprehensión en mi vida que tengo cuando veo este imagen, creo que mis problemas con los momios y la clase alta van a solucionarse en una manera o otra. Ademas de este aprehensión estoy calmado, porque recuerdo los tiempos antes que fue metido en problemas políticos, como cuando era un doctor.

    En general, Me gusto este pintura. Me hace pensar mucho de mi pasado, y el futuro. Me siento refrescado y calmado. Para mi los imagines en la pintura significan que algo grande va a pasar de repente y quiero saber que es.

     Me llamo Salvador Allende, y soy el presidente de Chile. Quiero un sistema mas igual y justo para la clase obrera. Entonces estoy introduciendo una forma del Socialismo.
     En la pintura, veo muchas colores oscuros, con amarillo brillante en el fondo. Veo unos rejos y parecen que están deshaciendo con el calor. El paisaje parece muerto porque no hay vegetación. Hay algo que parece un animal muerto o durmiendo. Creo que el animal representa una persona pobre de la clase obrera quien esta demasiado cansado para seguir. Los relojes representa el realidad que no tenemos tiempo infinitivo para hacer lo que queremos hacer. El paisaje representa el futuro para este animal, que va a morir como la vegetación. El luz en el fondo representa la memoria, cuando cosas no fueron tan difícil.
     Para mi representa el término en oficina. Cuando empezó tenia el soporto de mi país y el Unidad Popular, pero ahora hay protestaciones y etemtos en un revolución. Creo que mi tiempo se está ejecutando hacia fuera.

Interpretacion del punto de vista Presidente Salvador Allende.

"The Persistence of Memory" by Salvador Dali (1931)
Porque creo que va a ser interesante a estudiar en mas detalle.

1) ¿De qué se trata la película hasta ahora? ¿Dónde y cuándo toma lugar?

La película se trata de dos niños, uno de clase alta y uno de clase baja durante el golpe de estado en Chile. Los niños aprenden de los clases diferentes y su opinión del comunismo. Los dos niños son amigos cuando sus clases sociales son enemigos.

2) Los dos protagonistas son Machuca y su amigo, Gonzalo. ¿Cómo te relacionas con ellos? ¿Con quién tienes más en común? Explica (explain).

Soy en el medio de los dos en la clase media, que no tiene un parte en este película.
No tengo problemas en mi familia como Machuca, pero no soy pobre como Gonzalo.
No soporto el Comunismo entonces estoy mas en común con Machuca.

3) Compara tu vida con la de Machuca. Nombre dos similitudes y dos diferencias.

Dos similitudes que tengo con Machuca son que tengo dinero y que mi familia no soporte el Comunismo. Dos diferencias son que no tengo problemas en mi familia y mi escuela no es privada.

4) ¿Qué observas sobre Chile en la época (the era) cuando toma lugar esta película?
Estos eventos paso en los años 1970. Había mucha tensión entre los clases altas y obreras. Había muchas opiniones diferentes del Comunismo.

5) ¿Qué crees que va a pasar en el siguiente segmento que veremos en la próxima clase?

Creo que la Militaría va a tomar poder. Creo que Chile va a convertir en Comunismo. Machuca y su familia van a ser atacados porque son ricos.

I like the flare tool

 I changed my my slide in the way I did because I wanted the words and pictures to stand out more, so I made the background darker and chose a different picture with more light. I also changed the layout of the words so that the picture was the center of the slide and the words revolved around it. I think I used ideas like bleeding pictures and contrasting words and images to great success with this second try that I didn't manage to do the first time.