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“How to lie with statistics”: 1st Post

Posted by Alhaji Koita in Statistics - Miles - B on
​​Group members present during the discussion 

Adam F, Alhaji K, Lala D, Michael

Here is the link to our Audio

What your club discussed 
In the discussion we talked about what the author points were in each chapter. Something that we always wanted to manage in the discussion, was making sure each main point was met. We talked about the points we didn’t understand we used that to our advantage it indeed helped move the discussion along.

How you discussed it
It was an open floor for all of us to speak. It really was all hands on deck for everyone to talk.

Any points of conflict/disagreement in discussion
None that interrupted the discussion.

Questions that came up as a result of the discussion

What is Old Gold?
Where does the author find his studies?
Is it possible to connect the findings in this book with other themes in class?


RubyJane Anderson, Global Fiction Project

Posted by RubyJane Anderson in Globalization - Block - D on
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1431098076
This inforgraphic is about oil spills in the Niger Delta. Since the 1950s, the oil-rich Niger Delta has been a hub for oil drilling. But, the region's lack of infrastructure has made it difficult to regulate oil companies like Shell. There are many oil spills in the Niger Delta, and they are rarely cleaned up. The oil companies blame the oil pirates, and the people living in the region blame Shell for not guarding it's product as well as it should be.
In this graphic, I pulled quotes that explored the perspective of the pirate, Shell, and the Nigerian government. No matter whose fault it is, it cannot be denied that all of these oil spills have been disastrous of the people of the Niger Delta. The water is unsafe, but they rely on it to survive. The fish in the rivers have died, and it's very difficult to get clean water. These oil spills are killing people, and it's time for the guilty parties to take responsibility and clean up these messes. 

The Taming of the Bridesmaid

Posted by Isabella Beato in English 3 - Pahomov - C on
​ In Shakespeare's "The Taming of the Shrew" there are two sisters. The youngest sister, Bianca, can't get married until her older sister gets married, Katherine. The only problem here is that nobody likes the older sister because they think she's too aggressive. In the movie "Bridesmaids" the maid of honor lost her life savings and boyfriend and lives a boring life. She has a "friends-with-bennifits" relationship with a self absorbed man, who makes her feel worthless and unwanted, similar to the way men feel about Katherine in "The Taming of the Shrew." Women who are treated in this manner think that they will never get married and that they are destine to be alone. Often this isn't the case. If women weren't so stuck in their own ways, they would find that happiness comes at ease. When they do realize they need to change, their life changes for the better almost instantly. 
​"Call me daughter? Now, I promise you
You have showed a tender fatherly regard
To wish me wed to one half lunatic,
A madcap ruffian and a swearing Jack
That thinks with oaths to face the matter out."
(Act 2, Scene 1, lines 278-282)
​ During this part of the play a man named Petruchio comes to marry Katherine. Katherine can't stand this man and immediately denies his proposal. However, the man lies to her father and says that they are in fact getting married. Her father believes the man without second thought causing Katherine to become outraged. It also made her feel like her voice wasn't being heard. 
​ During this part of the movie the main character, Annie, is trying to leave a man named Ted's house. This is the man that she is "friends-with-bennifits" with. She is trying to leave his house after he tells her he would like to stay friends, even though they had sex the night before. This made her feel like she has no worth. 
While these two scenes seem very different, they do have some similarities. Even though Katherine is getting proposed to she still denies marriage. If the fact that she just met this man is ignored, a man wants to marry her! This doesn't happen very often because every man around thinks she is terrible. Katherine is stuck in her own wicked ways so much, that she ignores the fact that a man wants her to be his wife. Annie on the other hand wants Ted to be her boyfriend. She tries everything to win him over but it doesn't work. He basically kicked her out after they had sex. Annie fails to realize that Ted isn't the man for her and that he's just using her for sex. If she would stop going back to her old habits with this man, she could find a new man that would actually make her happy. These women have very different outlooks on life but are making the same mistake. They wont let go of their old ways and are forcing themselves to be miserable. 
​"Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper,
They head, thy sovereign - one that cares for thee,
And for thy maintenance commits his body
To painful labor both by sea and land,
To watch the night in storms, the day in cold,
Whilst thou li'st warm at home, secure and safe;
And craves no other tribute at thy hands
But love, fair looks, and true obedience:
Too little payment for so great a debt....
But now I see our lances are but straws,
Our strength as weak, our weakness past compare,
That seeming to be most which we indeed least are.
Then vail your stomachs, for it is no boot,
And place your hands below your husband's foot,
In token of which duty, if he please,
My hand is ready, may it do him ease."
(Act 5, Scene 2, lines 146-154, lines 173-179)
Fast forwarding to the end of the play, Katherine finally shook her old ways. She is talking to a few other women about the importance of her husband in her life. She basically tells them that a women needs to be everything for her husband and always be whatever he needs his wife to be. 
​ Also fast forwarding to the near end of the movie, Annie meets back up with a man from her past. She didn't even give this man the time of day when they met before but now she has fallen for him and is willing to let go. 
Again these scenes seem different the two women have many things in common. Katherine finally let go of her ways and fell in love with a man who always loved her. She realized that she truly could be happy if she let go of her ways. She also got to tell other women about the way she feels which is not something she was used to doing. She showed herself that she has value and worth and truly can live a happy life. Annie also let go of her old ways and began to open up to a new, better man. She finally realized that the guy for her was really there all along and she didn't even know it. By letting go of the past she is now able to be happy and maybe on day get married just like her friends. 
Throughout the play and the movie it is clear to see that letting go of old ways and changing is always better. In todays society dating is looked at very different from the time "The Taming of the Shrew" was written. That doesn't mean we can't learn from it though. Many women are now able to be themselves and love people for who they truly are. This is all thanks to letting change in. 
​Bibliography: 

"Bridesmaids." IMDb. IMDB.com, n.d. Web. 20 Apr. 2015. 

Shakespeare, William. The Taming of the Shrew. Ed. Barbara A. Mowat and Paul Werstine. New York: Washington Square Press, 1992. Print.  



Airport Security | Blog Post #1

Posted by Christian McCormac in English 1 - Giknis - X on

Christian McCormac

Ms. Giknis

Blog Post #1 (X Band)

24, April 2015


Airport Security

Planes are a form of transportation that is very popular. This has led to security having to be enforced on planes in order to keep the passengers safe. But, sometimes safety goes too far. Sometimes those that are supposed to protect you are the ones that make you feel unsafe. The topic that I am talking about is Airport Security. Since Airports are a very big and populated space it is only right for their to be security. But security is too much at times. There should be less security for the main fact that it is a invasion of privacy. No person has the right to pat you down and scan your body. The whole point in wearing clothes to provide privacy, so therefore by patting someone down they no longer have any sense of privacy and it is as if they are not wearing clothes. Then you have body scanners. These scanners can make it seem as though the person being scanned is naked. Therefore the person being scanned has absolutely no sense of privacy anymore. The guard that you have never met before has seen you naked.

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A airport security guard.

There are better methods that are more efficient. For example metal detectors. They can be used to detect any form of metal. Since metal is a thing that is found in most weapons it will be a very smart move to install extremely strong metal detectors. Now for the dangerous objects that are made out of materials such as plastic you can use dogs. You see since dogs are able to detect drugs then with the proper training they should be able to detect any dangerous chemical found in dangerous objects. A dog simply sniffing a person is much less invading then scanners that allow you to see people like they are naked. A dog simply sniffing a person is much more comfortable than a person thoroughly patting down another person. By patting someone down your are invading their privacy and feeling them. By a dog simply smelling someone they don’t even have to make physical contact with them. The dogs just have to be close enough that they can smell the dangerous chemicals. Another method is having a machine that only detects dangerous threats. This machine will scan the person but instead of giving the viewer a naked view of the person they will simply only see the dangerous chemicals. This method shows no invasion of privacy whatsoever and keeps all people at the airport safe.

People getting patted down.
The reason why I feel so strongly about this topic is that it has happened to me before. I have gone through a body scanner that made me feel shameful afterwards because the guards had then seen what my clothes hided. This experience has made me very passionate about airports being able to keep passengers safe without having to technically harass them. Therefore I want to educate the public on the belief that we should not be forced to go through harassing security measurements.

Ad Campaign: Brain Lesions

Posted by Jennifer Perez on

Individual part: Other Group Members: (Azaria Burton and Emily Jenson)

The brain is the most important part of a human body, it helps us learn and gain knowledge. By the help of forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain, we are able to do activities and focus on our regular daily basis. The brain also controls all systems of the body and is the key of every access of a human body. Imagine how our lifestyle would be without being able to do certain things. Brain Lesions is considered as one of the worst cases that is able to block brain structures and their functions 

Brain Lesions are spotted to any type on the abnormal tissue, they can only be seen throughout on a brain imaging test in a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). They appear as small to large parts of the brain, which is a minor of life threatening. Lesions are caused by damages from an injury or diseases. As well as infections, problems with the immune system, exposed to certain chemicals, and many more. The symptoms are changes in eye vision or pain, nausea and vomiting, strong behavior, headaches, fever, seizures, and confusion. Brain Lesions are compared to brain tumors, the causes are usually unknown but are very complicated to handle. Such as, leading the way to deadly cancer and having high chances of suffering from trauma. 

The brain is responsible for every process of the body. The two types of cells that forms the brain are neuron and gila. Most diagnosis of brain lesions are affected to a human by family background history or physically harm. It is to know that not all brain lesions are the same. Apparently, there are two different types of lesions called Abscesses and Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM). Both not similar to each other but are part of the causes in brain lesions. Abscesses are the infections in a brain tissue that includes pus and inflammation. It affects the areas near the ear, sinus, and even dental infection. Also, they present after an injury or surgery onto the skull. It’s uncommon to be affected but definitely very dangerous to handle. The Arteriovenous Malformations (AVM) begins in an early development. When arteries and veins grow in the brain, it becomes connected in tube structures that are called fistulae. Since the arteries are not strong as regular arteries in lesions, the veins are able to enlarge because of the flow of blood that directs itself through the fistulae. Overall, AVM can cause vessels to be fragile and may leak brain into the brain. Therefore, it would be unable to function and likely to create seizures. 

Overall, It is to know that there are different types of brain lesions. Most treatments are different, depending on the case of the brain. As a patient, one may want to find a cure and to be treated. Going through a situation of being diagnosed with brain lesion, it’s not a pretty picture. The human body as a victim, will react to the uncomfortable feeling of being affect by different medications and attending visits to the hospital. The treatment goals are to cure, improving length of life, and relieve the symptoms of lesions. The way brain lesions are treated with an chemotherapy and radiation therapy, only for the lesions that are cancerous. The use of medications to treat brain lesions are antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs. They help to smooth and calm the immune systems but also to make the system react differently onto the body. It would be the only ways to prevent from brain lesions, unless if the lesions are strong, brain surgery must be performed. 

People should be aware of brain lesions, it takes many forms and make a huge impact of a human being. The average of United States population of having brain lesions are 700,000 and 14,000 who are battling brain tumors. The most common ages of male and females to be affected are the ages 20 years and older. It would be best to decrease the rates and statistics. If a person have any more questions or can be related to the symptoms should contact their doctor or research more information online. Together, we can live a better lifestyle without any pain and suffocation.

Reconstruction Era Visuals Project

Posted by Taytiana Velazquez-Rivera on
The  visual that I created had meaning to the reconstruction period. This showed the drastic change during reconstruction involving, lincolns death.

Something that is a bit confusing to my audience may be the lincoln after death photo. The reason I chose that picture is to show that long after his (or anyones) death his legacy will live on and the way that they made people feel will have an everlasting affect.

 

CopyofTheChangingTimes
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vm5ytZxhDSWyiCVUPjngMA1UP98pPc4f2Mu8eBLRFJs/edit

What Changed Our Mind?

Posted by Tia Roberts in African American History - Jonas - A on
​Link to Newspaper:

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/presentation/d/1FQqZoFgMFvbKrXdLs449FjWXUe1luhw6BcHYlzcnRAc/edit?usp=sharing

Link to Research:

https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/17TwbeizFcnhClPlKkyFBXxRw6V03Y8oOa9E2UQNGE_w/edit?usp=sharing

Readers Statement:

My project is a series of newspapers that show different opinions given throughout the civil war and years following. If you pay attention to it, the newspapers show certain years, corresponding with the pictures and situations going on at that time. The visuals indicate different opinions due to observations at the certain time period. This matters because it shows that even people on the unions side who had wanted to see the slaves freed became easily irritated with them and considered them wild and uncontrollable. It also shows how even though they were on the north's side doesn't mean they liked blacks, they just didn't like all slavery rules. Also most opinions and cartoons were made by cartoonist Thomas Nast. He was a north supporter and created the first image you see and called that the evolution of the world. He created it before the war was even over, trying to send a message of how the emancipation proclamation will change the circumstances most people were in. As you go through the series of newspapers you will see how the emotion was for blacks before the civil war ended and years after and during reconstructing times. As you come along to the last newspaper you see how what first was a plea to let blacks free turned quickly into a sign of help from the blacks. It seemed that they were trying to portray a message that the blacks were out of control and didn't deserve the right to vote.

How to Lie with Statistics: Book Meeting 1

Posted by Nia Hammond in Statistics - Miles - C on
Podcast 1
(read chapters 1, 2, and 3)​
​Group Members
  • Nia Hammond
  • Alexis Mccormick 
  • Alaina Silverman
  • Monisha Das
Discussed: 
  • What is "average"?
  • Different surveys
  • Visual graphs
There were no points of conflict because we all agreed that there is never that much honesty in numbers.

Questions:
We think that government knows that certain data is misleading and we were wondering if they will do something about it?

Macromolecules

Posted by Olivia Cooper in Bio-Chem 9 - Dunda - A on
Foods High in Nucleic Acid. (2015, April 26). Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.livestrong.com/article/326559-foods-high-in-nucleic-acid/

 Livlivi9098's profile | MyFitnessPal.com. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.myfitnesspal.com/livlivi9098 

Count Your Calories for a Healthier Lifestyle. (n.d.). Retrieved May 6, 2015, from http://www.caloriecount.com/

4 More Rough Cut Films Win Awards at 10-Day Film Fest!

Posted by Douglas Herman on
Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 10.57.28 PM
Screen Shot 2015-05-05 at 10.57.28 PM
Over 120 short films were submitted this year to the 10-Day Film Challenge in the Tri-Sate Area. Only 30 were selected as finalists and 4 from Rough Cut made it to the Awards round. All were nominated for multiple categories and each won at least 1 major award!!!

FULL STORY and Links to Films

I'm so very proud of all our amazing filmmakers for their achievements!


#roughcut4life