Outfits
I apologize for the lack of audio but the powerpoint would not accept my recordings.
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Lobbying Blog Post 3
I would say that when spring comes around my issue of legislation, the cleaning of Philadelphia parks
will be good. Despite the hard times that the economy is going through,
people really love their parks and the beauty that it brings to the
city. There are forums that people can find and add in their two bits to the issue. Mayor Nutter has put in place last year the "unlitter us" campaign to encourage people to clean up the city and the parks. There are also other groups that are dedicated to helping make parks look great and they have brought a mass amount of support and volunteers to the cause.
The only Philadelphia city council members that would be needed to make any bill to help the environment go smoother would be, Councilman O'Neill, Councilwoman Miller, Councilwoman Blackwell, and Councilwoman Krajewski. Those council people are not members of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and may cause a protest about the distribution of money, though if it comes to a vote, there will be something done to improve parks and make Philly move forward because the majority of the city council plus the mayor is in support for the cleaning of Philadelphia parks.
As far as I know, no one else is working on the topic to make sure that Philadelphia parks are clean. I believe that I could influence some people in my school but there are already a lot of people who would love to see parks be pretty. The time frame for this would have to be in the nicer weather, around April or May would probably be the earliest of starting time frames before when anything will start moving.
The only Philadelphia city council members that would be needed to make any bill to help the environment go smoother would be, Councilman O'Neill, Councilwoman Miller, Councilwoman Blackwell, and Councilwoman Krajewski. Those council people are not members of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation and may cause a protest about the distribution of money, though if it comes to a vote, there will be something done to improve parks and make Philly move forward because the majority of the city council plus the mayor is in support for the cleaning of Philadelphia parks.
As far as I know, no one else is working on the topic to make sure that Philadelphia parks are clean. I believe that I could influence some people in my school but there are already a lot of people who would love to see parks be pretty. The time frame for this would have to be in the nicer weather, around April or May would probably be the earliest of starting time frames before when anything will start moving.
Blog Post #4
The way that I thought about communicating with my organization and legislation members is to first contact them by phone and explain what it is i'm trying to do and then from there contact the organization directly and ask them what different things they are doing not just overall but in the city of Philadelphia. I have also decided a good way to get my point across is to post things on social media sites that have connections with the organization like Twitter and Facebook and use these mediums to allow people a chance to hear my message and what it is I would like to see changed through my work, an example of a post would look something like this
"Childhood obesity can lead to many lifelong illnesses like diabetes and heart disease but when so many schools are taking after school sports programs out of schools because of funding it only leaves kids with inadequate freedom to enjoy themselves and have fun. Through the play60 movement and the initiative to get children to play at least 60 minutes a day we can have this changed and reversed for the better"
This is a example of what one social media site post might look like, keeping in mind that I want to have the organization play60 named so that people can reference and see exactly what it is that they are doing.
"Childhood obesity can lead to many lifelong illnesses like diabetes and heart disease but when so many schools are taking after school sports programs out of schools because of funding it only leaves kids with inadequate freedom to enjoy themselves and have fun. Through the play60 movement and the initiative to get children to play at least 60 minutes a day we can have this changed and reversed for the better"
This is a example of what one social media site post might look like, keeping in mind that I want to have the organization play60 named so that people can reference and see exactly what it is that they are doing.
Blog Post #4
Blog Post #4
Dear Mr. Stan Wischnowski
I am writing to you in hopes that you could run a story about the middle school athletics budget cut. I know you had a little story about the $1,000,000 budget cut, but I feel like this is a huge story that is flying under the radar. I am planning on meeting with both Larry Farnese and Mike O’Brien. I feel like this could be a good situation for both of us, you can write about something many others haven’t even noticed and it would help me right the situation because I would have more support and can fix this problem. This is something that could have a huge effect on the future of Philadelphia’s children. If you wish to write back, my email is ssirochman@scienceleadership.org. If you want to call my number is 215-498-3934. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sirochman
My plan for communicating with my legislator is to get some people from the STARs organization, then schedule a meeting with either Mike O’Brien or Larry Farnese. I feel like this is an issue that hasn’t gotten much attention, so talking to them in person might give me a better chance at pushing the urgency of this situation.
I would write a letter to The Philadelphia Inquirer in hopes that maybe I would get more people aware of the lack of middle school athletic programs. My letter would read like this:Dear Mr. Stan Wischnowski
I am writing to you in hopes that you could run a story about the middle school athletics budget cut. I know you had a little story about the $1,000,000 budget cut, but I feel like this is a huge story that is flying under the radar. I am planning on meeting with both Larry Farnese and Mike O’Brien. I feel like this could be a good situation for both of us, you can write about something many others haven’t even noticed and it would help me right the situation because I would have more support and can fix this problem. This is something that could have a huge effect on the future of Philadelphia’s children. If you wish to write back, my email is ssirochman@scienceleadership.org. If you want to call my number is 215-498-3934. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Samuel Sirochman
Twitter is also something I would like to utilize, if everything goes as planned I would like to get a trend “#PSDBudgetCuts” or something along those lines. I think it would be the most efficient way to see my grassroots and to represent my grassroots. I will attempt to use social media, such as Twitter, to play a big role. If we can get even 25 or thirty people to tweet it, the message will reach thousands of people.
Reflection
I think the letter and meeting in person, will be the most successful part of the plan. The twitter part is a bit of a reach, but it definitely has the most potential though. When I was writing this, I was thinking about Occupy Philly and the Egyptian Revolution, given that this is a much smaller issue. I was thinking about how I could reach the most people, maybe more importantly, the leaders of my situation. Larry Farnese and/or Mike O’Brien, will hopefully listen to the proposals and do what is most important for the youth of Philadelphia.
Sieanna Williams - Poetry
Lobbying Post #4: Fracking
For this portion of lobbying Ms. Julia Boyer & I have teamed up to organise 3 things.
A petition, fundraise, and a protest. So far we have collected several signatures for our petition. We have planned to send the list of signatures directly to Governor Corbett in order for him to jump on board and support us with every Anti-Fracking move we make.
We also plan to sell Buttons, T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers, etc. in order to promote the protest and have other citizens on board with the Anti-Fracking movement as well. And We also plan to especially inform people who are not aware of what may occur with their drinking water.
As far as the Protest goes, we plan to take a bus trip to rally in Harrisburg in order to get Gov. Corbett's attention so he can know how serious we are about this matter.
All of these move combined should gather awareness within the media, which would help us to get other supporters.
A petition, fundraise, and a protest. So far we have collected several signatures for our petition. We have planned to send the list of signatures directly to Governor Corbett in order for him to jump on board and support us with every Anti-Fracking move we make.
We also plan to sell Buttons, T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers, etc. in order to promote the protest and have other citizens on board with the Anti-Fracking movement as well. And We also plan to especially inform people who are not aware of what may occur with their drinking water.
As far as the Protest goes, we plan to take a bus trip to rally in Harrisburg in order to get Gov. Corbett's attention so he can know how serious we are about this matter.
All of these move combined should gather awareness within the media, which would help us to get other supporters.
Bike Paths- Blog post #4
Although it's the snow season and season for jackets as well as being in a car with heat! It's actually a wonderful season to fight for more bike paths! Since there will be more snows and more road/sidewalk being block by our wonderful weather creation. There will be less space for our bicycles to move around town due to the lack of paths as well as paths that sure will be covered by the snow this season. I am looking forward to work with Philadelphia Bikers as well as my fellows to maintain our right to bike!
The most effective and efficient way to maintain people's attention and to make a change is by stepping in by making people realizes what they will have to deal with! One of the bigger idea that I have for this arrangement is to get down and dirty!
How?
1. Block off all of biker lanes
2. Stop bikers from biking
3. Take up all of the bike paths
Bikers need to see and realize all of the possibility that will take away their rights to remain moving and biking in a safe and efficient condition. By stoping bikers from biking, they will soon to realize how important it is to have a bike lane and continue to bike without any disruption.
How?
1. Block off all of biker lanes
2. Stop bikers from biking
3. Take up all of the bike paths
Bikers need to see and realize all of the possibility that will take away their rights to remain moving and biking in a safe and efficient condition. By stoping bikers from biking, they will soon to realize how important it is to have a bike lane and continue to bike without any disruption.
70% of all citizen own a certain source of social network and anyone can get connected to one way or another. It'd be one interesting and quick idea to pass on the words by using social media. Many attentions will be grabbed by and many minds will be seeking into by the facts as well as the words passing on by the quickest method. I will be using my personal social network as well as connecting friends and family to spread the words for everyone to get involve!
However, majority of numbers will make a change but not necessary if one with power does not get involve with the majority. I will personally write a letter of petition to Philadelphia Councilman Bill Greenlee as well as our Mayor Nutter to address the issue. 
I will do what it takes to keep out Philadelphia Bikers alive and moving!
Blog Post #4: Net Neutrality
In recent weeks, net neutrality has become a huge issue thanks to the
recent hearings on the Stop Piracy Online Act (SOPA). The act would have
horrific consequences for the internet. As Adam Savage of Mythbusters
put it, "SOPA could destroy the internet as we know it",
and he'd be right. SOPA would effectively remove free speech from the
internet by blocking websites that have any copyrighted content on them
(youtube, facebook, tumblr etc). In the previous weeks Congress has been
having hearings on SOPA discussing it, and it's quite concerning how
well it's doing.
"So
what can I do to help?" one might ask; well the first thing is to
contact your representative. There are many ways one can reach their
representative. You can email them, you can write them a letter, and if
you feel particularly strong about it you can call the house of
representatives and ask for your representative directly (202-224-3121);
more information on representatives can be found here. So far I have
written an email to my representative (Chaka Fattah) regarding Net
Neutrality and it's importance, with emphasis on SOPA and how much
damage it could do to the free internet of today.
Beyond
contacting your representative, there are many petitions online against
SOPA and other action that would restrict the free flow of internet.
Just two can be found here and here. These options are incredibly easy
to do and can have a huge impact, but they need the support of the
public. Without a huge public outcry, these petitions and letters will
likely fall on deaf ears. With Congress approval levels at record lows,
it's time for we the people to make an effort to have our voices heard.
BM
in Isms - Baird
Rick Kinard
English 12: Sexuality & Society in Literature
Quarter 2 BM-Research Design
Plan of Action How-To
Thesis: The environment that one grows up in has an affect on
one’s sexual orientation.
What thesis-related questions to
study?
•
• What is sexual
orientation?
• How is sexual
orientation determined?
• Can one change their
sexual orientation? Why/why not?
• Is homosexuality a
mental disorder ?
• Is homosexuality
passed down through genetics
• What causes
homosexuality?
What data might be relevant to collect?
(link to sources in your AB in this section, if applicable)
•
• Statistic/survey
linking child abuse and sexuality
• Statistic/survey
linking sexuality of parents and children
• Statistic/survey
linking homosexuality sexuality of identical twins
• Research done on brain
function of homosexuals
• Research done on genetic
of homosexuals compared to heterosexual
• Research done on the
causes of sexual orientation
How would I analyze the results?
I believe the environment and lifestyle one lives has a impact
on their sexual orientation. If the from the data about brain functions show
that homosexuals and a health heterosexual are similar, it will rule of the
possibility of homosexuality being considered mental illness. If the research
on genetics and the statistic/survey linking sexuality of parents and children show
it now genetic, I can rule out the argument of it being a disorder passed down
for parent to child. If the statistic/survey of homosexuality sexuality and
identical twins don’t seem to show any trends it cans also rule out the
genetics argument because identical twins has very similar biological make ups.
Boeree, George. "General Psychology Sexual
Orientation." Sexual Orientation. N/A, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/sexualorientation.html>.
This
article is about biology and genetic and how a people behaviors are based off
of them. It states that men with less testosterone
tend to look and act somewhat more like women, and women with more testosterone
than other women tend to look and act somewhat more like men. It also go on to say
there is no direct link from testosterone to homosexuality. The helps support
my topic because even though the genetic the genetic structure of a person my
have some effect on a person’s sexual behavior it isn’t the cause of
homosexuality.
Goldstein, Dora. "Biological basis of sexual
orientation." stanford.edu. Stanford University, 03/10/95. Web. 1 Nov
2011. <http://news.stanford.edu/pr/95/950310Arc5328.html>.
This article’s information is mainly on puberty. Is stated a
week before and after birth, testosterone has an irreversible organizing effect
on the body and brain of males. If the hormone is absent during this period,
the individuals’ anatomy and behavior never can become wholly male. Also, that
during puberty males gets a surge of testosterone, which activates their male
sexual development and behavior. This gives some hints that testosterone levels
affect sexual behavior. This source and be use to support both nature and
nurture arguments.
Hidalgo, Hilda. "Sexual Orientation." healthy minds. american
psychological association, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://www.healthyminds.org/More-Info-For/GayLesbianBisexuals.asp&xgt;.
This document give some basic information of what sexual
orientation is. It also lists some cause that is believed to effect ones
sexuality. It states homosexuality was believed to be the result of troubled
experiences or environment, and it is not a form of mental illness .The information I
receive for this document I can use to introduce my topic and give general
information on sexual orientation and how ones environment is believe to effect
it.
Johnson, Ryan. "Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture."
AllPsych Online. N/A, 4/30/03. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html>.
There are statics identical twins in this document. I can use
this because identical twins have very similar biological structures. If the
both of them are the same sexual orientation there is a chance that the
biological build has a part to play in their sexual orientation. If the studies
show that identical twins have the same sexual orientation this could prove my
idea wrong
Jones, Michael. "Nature vs. Nurture Debates Over
Sexuality." Change.org. N/A, 10/05/08. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://news.change.org/stories/nature-vs-nurture-debates-over-sexuality>.
This
article suggests that both the nature and the nurture have valid evidence on
what can affect a child’s sexual orientation. It says
proven Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in place very early
in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. Its also that suggest that
nurture could be a cause homosexuality. Some causes are estranged relationships
between gay children and their parents, allowing male children to play with
dolls, not forming healthy same-sex bonds with peers as a toddler, and sexual
abuse at a young age.
Swidey, Niel. "What Makes People Gay?." Boston.com.
Boston Global, 08/14/05. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2005/08/14/what_makes_people_gay/>.
In this document there is information on childhood gender
nonconformity. It is a child not being comfortable in his or her own body. In
this one of a pair of twins is showing signs of childhood gender nonconformity.
In this situation the mother is open minded and what’s her children to have
freedom of expression and allow the behavior.
Van Buskirk, James E. "Nature And Causes Of Homosexuality
(Book)." Library Journal 106.21 (1981): 2321. Library, Information Science
& Technology Abstracts. Web. 1 Nov. 2011.
These articles talk about one environment and sexuality. It says
that a family of homosexuals it is more likely for a child to come out
homosexual. It also states that some events and/or relationship with parents
can influence a child's sexuality. This directly contributes to my idea that
one environment influence ones sexuality.
"sexual orientation and homosexuality."
psychology.org. Australian psychological society, N/A. Web. 1 Nov 2011.
<http://www.psychology.org.au/publications/tip_sheets/orientation/>.
This article rules out a popular belief that homosexuality is a
choice. It states that ones sexual orientation is determined at a young age
before there is any kind of sexual act. It shows how some were not comfortable
with their homosexuality and tried to change it. In the end their homosexuality
didn’t go away. I can use this to kill the argument that sexual orientation is
choice when in the end leaves the arguments that it is either nurture or
nature.
SCOTUS CASE: Perry vs. New Hampshire
Issue: In a criminal case, is a court required to exclude eyewitness identification evidence whenever the identification was made under the circumstances that make the identification unreliable because they tend to suggest that the defendant was responsible for the crime, or only when the police are responsible for the circumstances that make the identification unreliable.
Basically in this case Barion Perry, the guy who is being prosecuted for breaking into someone's car. The thing that is making this case so difficult is because the person who saw him do it, could not identify him what so ever. When the cops put him in a line up she had no clue who it was. To me she pretty much took a wild guess there perry came out. The information being used in this case isn't reliable information because they are not sure if the police were their or not. The eyewitness was not sure if perry was the person or not and they are trying to say that the police were there but then again they are now going to have to put the case on hold because the they don't have enough evidence.
Basically in this case Barion Perry, the guy who is being prosecuted for breaking into someone's car. The thing that is making this case so difficult is because the person who saw him do it, could not identify him what so ever. When the cops put him in a line up she had no clue who it was. To me she pretty much took a wild guess there perry came out. The information being used in this case isn't reliable information because they are not sure if the police were their or not. The eyewitness was not sure if perry was the person or not and they are trying to say that the police were there but then again they are now going to have to put the case on hold because the they don't have enough evidence.
Blog Post #4
Since I am lobbying for music and athletic programs to be brought back as well as stop cutting them, I decided to try and get in contact with the superintended of the School District of Philadelphia and attack the problem right on the head. I soon noticed that this was a really hard task because it was extremely hard to find his own personal email. I then looked for a way to get in contact with someone who could relay the message and when browsing the school district of Philadelphia's website, I came across a link that provided phone numbers to the schools in the district. I wanted to get my voice heard on a larger scale so I decided to call Central, Roxbourough and Sayre. I targeted these three schools because they are larger schools that have large music and athletic programs so they can understand my concern. Unfortunately they haven't responded to me yet.
https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile
https://webapps.philasd.org/school_profile
FAFSA
https://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view#448c-bcd8-4edff2b2-8c60-40280a5ac729?branch=82a33e52-b82d-423e-bc72-a220b3e33d9c
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is the form used by the U.S. Department of Education to determine your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) by looking at your financial information, such as income, and household information.
https://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view#448c-bcd8-4edff2b2-8c60-40280a5ac729?branch=82a33e52-b82d-423e-bc72-a220b3e33d9c
Bureacracy Project Reflection
Federal Student Aid, an office of the U.S. Department of Education, ensures that all eligible individuals can benefit from federally funded financial assistance for education beyond high school. We consistently champion the promise of postsecondary education to all Americans and its value to our society.
Lucid Chart:
https://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view#448c-bcd8-4edff2b2-8c60-40280a5ac729?branch=b317a48f-5df6-425e-93b0-dc26066ae7ff
if I could change one thing I would change the length of the whole process itself.
I believe it became so complicated because they don't want just everyone to get it, they want the people who actually need it to receive it first.
Lucid Chart:
https://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view#448c-bcd8-4edff2b2-8c60-40280a5ac729?branch=b317a48f-5df6-425e-93b0-dc26066ae7ff
if I could change one thing I would change the length of the whole process itself.
I believe it became so complicated because they don't want just everyone to get it, they want the people who actually need it to receive it first.
Lobbying Blog Post #4
The person that I really need to get in contact with would be Anna C. Verna because she is the chair of the rules committee but if I am not able to get in touch with her, I have 8 other options of people to get in contact with including James F. Kenney who is the vice chair of the committee.
Speaking hypothetically, I send out letters, e-mails and make calls to both the chair and the vice chair and I do not get in contact with them and I never hear anything back, I’ll first contact Donna Reed Miller who is one of the members on the committee. The reason why I’ll contact her is because she serves the 8th district, which is my districts’ councilwoman.
My plan of action is the following:
1. Write a letter addressing my issues and ways I chose to go about fixing the issue (Just in case I need to send a letter)
2. Call Verna to get in contact with her first and work my way down the line if my plan doesn’t work.
3. Attend a meeting to figure out their viewpoints they already have on curfew. The point of the meeting would be to be observant of
what plans they have already made and see how can I add to it or tie my ideas into their laws.
4. Set up a meeting with whoever is willing to meet with me and discuss my ideas with them and try to get them to agree with me to represent this to a larger audience.
5. Hopefully get feedback from the larger audience and see if my issue can be brought before the mayor and see what he says about it.
Vice Chair James F. Kenney
Chair Anna C. Verna
Council Woman Donna Reed Miller
Caraco vs. Novo Nordisk
Issue: Whether a generic drug manufacturer may sue the company that produces the brand-name version of the drug to require it to correct information filed with the Food and Drug Administration, information that is relevant to the agency's decision whether to approve the generic version of the drug.
Caraco is a pharmaceutical laboratory who's main job is to create affordable medication for patients
Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and worldwide leader in diabetes care and medication
The case which revolves around Caraco diabetes drug repaglinide, Caraco certified that its' drug label wouldn't conflict with respondent novo nordisk repaglinide-metformin use combination
Caraco is a pharmaceutical laboratory who's main job is to create affordable medication for patients
Novo Nordisk is a healthcare company and worldwide leader in diabetes care and medication
The case which revolves around Caraco diabetes drug repaglinide, Caraco certified that its' drug label wouldn't conflict with respondent novo nordisk repaglinide-metformin use combination
The case is whether a patented drug that is filed by the FDA can be sued by the generic maker of that similar drug for not given correct information regarding the exact drug and everything included in it. (chemical mixtures etc.)
SCOTUS Case: National Meat Association vs. Harris
National Meat Association vs. Harris:
In this supreme court case, the National Meat association of California is going up against Federal law. In this particular case State law is being challenged by federal law, which usually comes out on top in terms of supreme court cases. California state law dictates that a sickly animal must be destroyed immediately while federal law outlines that the animal must be quarantined and observed so an illness can be pinpointed to see if the rest of the slaughterhouse animals could possibly be affected by the disease. The animal would also be quarantined to find out the symptoms of the disease or infection in order to find it in other animals (pigs in this case). Part of California's argument included that leaving a quarantined animal to die from a horrid infection or illness is a form of cruelty while those backing the federal law stuck to their argument that finding the root of the illness and preventing an outbreak of disease among a group of animals bound for the slaughterhouse has a much greater reward than risk. Since the case is relatively straightforward, officials will most likely come to a decision in the early months of the upcoming year after the weigh the pro's and con's of each dictated law.
In this supreme court case, the National Meat association of California is going up against Federal law. In this particular case State law is being challenged by federal law, which usually comes out on top in terms of supreme court cases. California state law dictates that a sickly animal must be destroyed immediately while federal law outlines that the animal must be quarantined and observed so an illness can be pinpointed to see if the rest of the slaughterhouse animals could possibly be affected by the disease. The animal would also be quarantined to find out the symptoms of the disease or infection in order to find it in other animals (pigs in this case). Part of California's argument included that leaving a quarantined animal to die from a horrid infection or illness is a form of cruelty while those backing the federal law stuck to their argument that finding the root of the illness and preventing an outbreak of disease among a group of animals bound for the slaughterhouse has a much greater reward than risk. Since the case is relatively straightforward, officials will most likely come to a decision in the early months of the upcoming year after the weigh the pro's and con's of each dictated law.
Blog Post 4
I decided that the mobilizing activity that I will undertake will be a personalized letter to the targeted decision maker.I decided to do this because I feel as though this will be most affective. Also because its a direct messaga and I believer it will have a much better impact that creating post cards or rallies and demonstrations.
I plan on writing a letter to Blondell Reynolds as well as meeting with her in person to discuss the curfew issue and a better way of going abou the curfew. I would express my views on the situation as well as the view of my peers. Also though the ultimate decision maker is the Mayer, Blondell Reynolds also has a large influence on the decision as well and it was mainly her idea to enforce the curfew.
Plan of Action
1. Write a letter addressing my issues and discuss and different way to discipline youth that do cause trouble and not you the approach were everyone if affected because of someones actions.
2. Call Blondell Reynolds to set up a meeting with her to discuss her reasoning and the way she feels about the subject. Also to see if my letter had any impact on her.
3. Attend one or two meetings to see things from their viewpoint. Get their opinions they already have on curfew law. The point of the meeting would be to be to simply observe and see how they come to a concisus.
4. Set up a meeting with the Mayor if possible as well as Blondell Reynolds so that we could all talk together,
5. Hopefully get feedback from the larger audience and see if my issue can be brought before the mayor and see what he says about it.
I plan on writing a letter to Blondell Reynolds as well as meeting with her in person to discuss the curfew issue and a better way of going abou the curfew. I would express my views on the situation as well as the view of my peers. Also though the ultimate decision maker is the Mayer, Blondell Reynolds also has a large influence on the decision as well and it was mainly her idea to enforce the curfew.
Plan of Action
1. Write a letter addressing my issues and discuss and different way to discipline youth that do cause trouble and not you the approach were everyone if affected because of someones actions.
2. Call Blondell Reynolds to set up a meeting with her to discuss her reasoning and the way she feels about the subject. Also to see if my letter had any impact on her.
3. Attend one or two meetings to see things from their viewpoint. Get their opinions they already have on curfew law. The point of the meeting would be to be to simply observe and see how they come to a concisus.
4. Set up a meeting with the Mayor if possible as well as Blondell Reynolds so that we could all talk together,
5. Hopefully get feedback from the larger audience and see if my issue can be brought before the mayor and see what he says about it.
Marriage project-Reflection
For this project my partner and I decided to file for marriage papers. We searched online in order to find the paperwork but we couldnt. We discussed it with our teacher and decided to give them a call. When I called the office the first thing they asked was whether the two people getting married were over 18 and then a list of things I'd need to bring down to their offices in order to legalize the marriage. I didnt have much of a chance to speak and got a little confused. I tried to get my teacher on the phone, but it was something I had to do myself. I found that I could not get a copy of the papers, in order to even see the papers we had to actually get married. By the time I got back on the phone the lady hung up on me. I then tried again the next day and received some information we needed to complete our project but were still unable to see the documents. Our final product was based on our process and all other data we gathered. I found this project very informative, different and very nice to work with because I now know the process one has to take in order to be legally married.
Ryan Francis Blog Post #4
Background Info On Blondell:
Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown has been a long time champion of children and youth, the arts and culture community, and small business development. She is now an emerging leader in energy conservation and environmental matters and is infusing her policy initiatives to reflect this new and important priority.
Some of her Accomplishments Include:
-Persuading the Phillies and Eagles, along with Mayor John F. Street , during the sports stadium negotiations, to establish a “Fund for Children” requiring each team to contribute $1 million annually for 30 years.
-Structured the new Department of Parks and Recreation to reflect national best practices.
-Sponsored resolutions that supported organized labor unions (SEIU – Janitors and 1199C – Childcare Teachers) in their efforts to gain fair contracts and fought for amendments to protect union jobs from privatization (DC33).
-Equipped police officers with a new and stronger curfew law to complement the opening of 11 citywide curfew centers.
-Created and implemented the “Groceries for Guns” initiative, a gun buyback program that resulted in an unprecedented number of gun buybacks, to help curtain gun violence in the city.
She has shown a great deal of involvement in the city of Philadelphia's affairs that have to do with child safety, recreation of homes and sponsoring programs.
I'm Lobbying laws that can possibly help the Youth in Philadelphia become less liable to be incarcerated. I called the Philadelphia Prison System Office (@2156858395) and was transferred to the Criminal Justice Center near 15th St. I was able to get a few statistics from the man I spoke to about the incarceration rate of Philadelphia, some of his thoughts on how the city is run, and how he deals with youth who come through to the trials.
"It's just heart wrenching to see kids who look like they barely got the hang of high school yet, come through here and get processed. I wish I could have possibly saved some of them, because they all just look so angry at the world, or angry at themselves, and it's truly heartbreaking. A lot of us officers do our jobs to keep the streets safe, but we don't always like it. Especially when another young kid is being convicted of a crime that could possibly ruin his teenage years." - Mr. Carl Washington
He didn't give me an exact percentage, but he did tell me that the incarceration rate and drop out rate are higher than the graduation rate of students in Philadelphia. He also said "The more they undereducate, they Over incarcerate." When he told me this, I felt as if he knows that theres a way to save our youth in Philadelphia, and he has hope for the future.
My plan of action is to get Ms. Blondell Brown to come out to my mom's 3rd Annual "Positive Impact: Young Men's Conference" on January 28th and speak to the youth.
Information I plan to send
(Flyer from Second Annual)Positive Impact Motorcycle Events Presents
Young Men's Leadership Conference
Date: January 28th, 2012
This event is for Young Males between he ages of 10-17
Positive Impact has lined up 7 Dynamic Professionals to speak at our event
"Our focus is to change lives, instill integrity and build character so the the next emerging generation of husbands and fathers will take these skills and vision to make a positive difference in the world."
During the First Annual Young Men's Conference in 2010, we've had between 90-120 Young Men come out to learn about different things that can benefit their lives positively, and they got to meet keynote speakers who have taught Anger Management, Making Passions into careers, cooking, and Leadership. Some speakers we're ex cons, some were accountants and relater. I want to Contact Ms. Blondell to be apart of this event, because the purpose of the "Young Men's Conference" is too educate and inform the youth of Philadelphia, Chester, Delaware, and New Jersey on the different opportunities that they have to succeed, and they teach them about the jail systems, and the different extra curricula's that go on around the city they live in. It's important to keep our youth busy, and keep them off the streets and caught up in things that could potentially ruin their futures.
http://www.blondellonline.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1&Itemid=3
Court Case
Case
10-948- CompuCredit Corporation v. Greenwood.
Cheif
Justice John G. Roberts
According to http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/compucredit-corp-v-greenwood/?wpmp_switcher=desktop
The decision made
by the courts was that the federal statutes that both create a right to sue
also bar waiver of rights under thee statute are sufficiently explicit to
override the strong federal policy in favor of arbitrability expressed in the
federal arbitration act. The relative language is virtually indistinguishable
from that and the credit repair organization fact that we have before us today
the cases inclide the ADEA and CROA which create a cause of action for
aggrivated parties to bring actions for damages and both statutes explicitly
bar waiver of quote "any right under the statute. Well, that statute
didn't have as this one has a disclosure requirement that says you have a right
to sue. And that's the sole distinction between the two statutes. So the --
first of all the disclosure statute is a -- describes in layman's terms, gives
a quick description of an operative civil liability section which is set out in
1679(g) and which tells us exactly what Congress had in mind in creating a
cause of action. And when you look at the language of the actual operative
provisions in (g), it's almost as if Congress deliberately went out of its way
to use language that would not preclude arbitration.The
Supreme Court's decision will clarify the extent of the federal policy favoring
arbitration and will elucidate how consumers may proceed against credit repair
organizations under the CROA.
The decision the court made is not really clear basically, they were both in the wrong to certain dagree, the wording used in both documents was almost identical, and there was a part in their documents saying that they did not have the right to sue the other party.
4th Blog Post
The process that it took me to get to write a letter wasn’t
as hard as I thought the decision would be. I started off by saying I wanted to attend a meeting about
curfew, but I began to think just hearing my voice alone speaking on the topic
wouldn’t be as strong as writing a letter. Then as I still research dates for
the meetings, I realized that none are being held. Therefore, that being said,
it made my decision easier to write a letter.
From
Jasmine Gladden
jgladden@scienceleadership.org
Dear To Whom Ever it may Concern,
Hello, my name is Jasmine Gladden and I attend Science Leadership Academy. I am writing this letter as a civilize student and young adult to inform you that I don’t believe that the curfew law is reasonable or fair. I understand where you’re coming from with your reasoning but I don’t think your looking at things from all perspectives. I believe if you would’ve look at things from the parents perspective and other young adult who not into flash mobs perspective then you wouldn’t have came to the conclusion with the curfew law that has been presented to us. I believe it’s not fair to the parents because some parents for one don’t have much control over there children to have their kids listen to them and be in the house at a certain time. Another reason I believe it’s not fair that a parent has to pay if their child gets caught; they have pay with their hard working money for the nonsense.
However, I am 18, so the curfew doesn’t really bother me, but I when I was 17 and younger I was never the type to vandalize and do bad things to mess up or harm anyone. I was reading this article that was about Mayor Nutter speech and I didn’t really agree with what he was saying. I don’t believe that every child is bad and can’t control themselves in a crowd. I don’t think it’s okay to categorize everyone into one category and it’s not everyone.
All I’m asking is for you to look into consideration of what I am presenting to you. I think this could work if you only include or show that you took in consideration everyone’s perspective. I think once you look at things fully and attempt to understand whom others are coming from, things may rule in a positive favor. Thank you for your time! Please if you find more time, can you reply with your thoughts base on what you think about my ideas.
From
Jasmine Gladden
jgladden@scienceleadership.org
From looking at my previous blog posts, I feel like a letter is best because I could compile everything I need to say in one document to get my point across. I can then be able to point out the certain aspects of each blog post I thought was important in each. I think the blog post that influence me the most was the 3rd blog post because this had points from actual people feeling towards the who situation.
Lobbying Issue: Funding for Philly Youth Poetry Movement (Phase Four)
For my lobbying project, I made a petition that I’ve been circulating on Tumblr as well as sending an email to the mayor’s office to request he and city council allot more funding to PYPM because it is a very influential, innovative program that allows young people to express themselves in such a constructive and creative way that it also helps promote literacy improvement as well as building better social skills. My primary plan is the email I plan to send shown below, which basically explains why this is something that should be acted upon as well as getting people from Philadelphia to sign this e-petition.
To Whom This May Concern,
Hello, my name is Chelsea Starks and I am a senior at Science Leadership Academy. I have been working on a lobbying project in my American Government class to help me learn more about how the legislative system works. For my lobbying project I chose to lobby aiding the non-profit organization Philly Youth Poetry Movement (P.Y.P.M) which promotes youth to use power of their voice through spoken word and literary expression. PYPM is more than just a group of poets rhyming together, it’s like a family. No mater how long you’ve been there 6 months or 6 minutes, they will show you love regardless and will make you feel welcome. This organization was originally founded in 2006 by Greg Corbin, and really gives at-risk youths aged 13-19 a safe environment to express themselves, explore and find their identity as well as advocating for themselves in such a way that is creative but building better social skills at the same token. A program like this has been an inspiration to many including myself. My first time being at a workshop was very intriguing and I was interested to come back again and get to know everyone. The environment overall had so much love there even though they didn’t know me and I felt accepted by these people whom I didn’t even know. Programs like these need to exist around the city, but until the city can fund all of those projects, starting off with PYPM will help start it. This organization has been doing very well and has gained support of many politicians holding office in the city but now it’s calling on it’s community, i.e the city to help them continue to grow and flourish. With this funding this organization could be so much more, we could finally get a main building and hold workshops there, have youth night as well as open mic there as well. But that also cuts down on the unintentional segregation that sometimes happens when young people can’t go as far as others in terms of traveling outside the city. By having one building it will actually put some parents at ease because that allows them to know this limits how far some kids are traveling and are in one specific place. PYPM is an inspirational, innovative, uplifting organization committed to helping the city’s youth. So in closing, I hope that you will take this into consideration and help this organization prosper. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Starks
Science Leadership Academy
cstarks@scienceleadership.org
Basically what I’ve done so far I can’t even begin to believe I’ve done honestly. I didn’t think I could get this far on my own nor did I really think I could make a true difference in the system of politics. I always thought most of them really didn’t care about what the young people had to say as a lot of politicians don’t but those whom I am working with to get PYPM more funding are definitely in favor of the young people in the city and really want us to be all we can be. I think that once the issue of money is settled for Philly, this will be a great investment because we are investing in our future via the young people that participate in these programs. This only the beginning of something that could change this city for the better. We already have the “Unlitter Us” campaign to help keep the city clean and it seems to have something of an impact. With proper funding I believe this could really help put the city’s youth into a better place as well as the city itself.
Right now I could use help with the letter before I send it off because I want to make sure this makes sense and is professional enough. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism below.
To Whom This May Concern,
Hello, my name is Chelsea Starks and I am a senior at Science Leadership Academy. I have been working on a lobbying project in my American Government class to help me learn more about how the legislative system works. For my lobbying project I chose to lobby aiding the non-profit organization Philly Youth Poetry Movement (P.Y.P.M) which promotes youth to use power of their voice through spoken word and literary expression. PYPM is more than just a group of poets rhyming together, it’s like a family. No mater how long you’ve been there 6 months or 6 minutes, they will show you love regardless and will make you feel welcome. This organization was originally founded in 2006 by Greg Corbin, and really gives at-risk youths aged 13-19 a safe environment to express themselves, explore and find their identity as well as advocating for themselves in such a way that is creative but building better social skills at the same token. A program like this has been an inspiration to many including myself. My first time being at a workshop was very intriguing and I was interested to come back again and get to know everyone. The environment overall had so much love there even though they didn’t know me and I felt accepted by these people whom I didn’t even know. Programs like these need to exist around the city, but until the city can fund all of those projects, starting off with PYPM will help start it. This organization has been doing very well and has gained support of many politicians holding office in the city but now it’s calling on it’s community, i.e the city to help them continue to grow and flourish. With this funding this organization could be so much more, we could finally get a main building and hold workshops there, have youth night as well as open mic there as well. But that also cuts down on the unintentional segregation that sometimes happens when young people can’t go as far as others in terms of traveling outside the city. By having one building it will actually put some parents at ease because that allows them to know this limits how far some kids are traveling and are in one specific place. PYPM is an inspirational, innovative, uplifting organization committed to helping the city’s youth. So in closing, I hope that you will take this into consideration and help this organization prosper. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Chelsea Starks
Science Leadership Academy
cstarks@scienceleadership.org
Basically what I’ve done so far I can’t even begin to believe I’ve done honestly. I didn’t think I could get this far on my own nor did I really think I could make a true difference in the system of politics. I always thought most of them really didn’t care about what the young people had to say as a lot of politicians don’t but those whom I am working with to get PYPM more funding are definitely in favor of the young people in the city and really want us to be all we can be. I think that once the issue of money is settled for Philly, this will be a great investment because we are investing in our future via the young people that participate in these programs. This only the beginning of something that could change this city for the better. We already have the “Unlitter Us” campaign to help keep the city clean and it seems to have something of an impact. With proper funding I believe this could really help put the city’s youth into a better place as well as the city itself.
Right now I could use help with the letter before I send it off because I want to make sure this makes sense and is professional enough. Please feel free to leave constructive criticism below.
Lobbying Blog Post 4
Dear Mayor Nutter http://www.phila.gov/mayor and City Council, http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/
As a Teen I’ve read different commentary on how the curfew law should be stricter. I support what has been done, however there should be other methods then public speaking. For example other methods that can be used are advertisement campaigns, and public service announcements these other methods could more effectively target everyone and hopefully reduce what is going on. These other methods will include images and videos of teens harming and injuring innocent people. After watching these videos this would make teens realize that they should not be doing what they are doing and become a better person latter on in life. It could also help them understand why the curfew in place.
Link to Video:
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8364662
Some teens may still disobey the rules no matter what is said to them. Some of them may feel that this law is unfair and have a no care attitude and that they would do anything that they want to do in life. The curfew law needs to be more enforced then what it is now since some teens are still getting out of hand. However with the changes in the law things have improved. It is unfortunate because people who don’t commit the crimes are also being affected. The curfew law can affect an average citizen, parents, teens, and City Council. For example how curfew can affect the average citizen is that they are worried whether their environment is safe to go out for a walk. The curfew law affects city council because they have to keep up on the teen’s behavior and if the curfew law is working when they have much important issues to work. The curfew law can affect parents because it reflects on the way they raised their kids and whether they can be trusted or not. This also affects the amount of effort the parents must make to make sure they kids follow the rules. The main purpose is to decrease the opportunity for people to do things that would get them in trouble and hopefully reduce crime.
Resources:
http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/28/mct_pacurfew.html
http://www.phila.gov/mayor/
http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CouncilMembers.htm
http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/2011/10/19/qa-independent-mayoral-candidate-wali-diop-rahman/
http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=news/local&id=8364662
http://teens.lovetoknow.com/Facts_About_Teenagers_Curfews
Alexis Beckton: Lobbying Blog Post 4
Blog Post Four
- Dominate something.
The way I decided to communicate with my representative about my lobbying topic was to call the office at the same time everyday. I thought that by being consistent with how I handled my situation they would know that I was serious about this issue and that sooner or later they would have to address me. - Do a few things well
They never called back and very seldom did they even answer the phone. I was upset and almost outraged at the fact the office of the man that was elected to represent my interest was never available to actually listen to my needs. I was persistent in calling but I started to vary the times. I didn't want to change my strategy because it was a good one it just wasn't as effective as I would've hoped. - Make the strategy personal.
The strategy became very personal as I felt my voice wasn't being heard. I think now I will change my strategy looking back because there was no progress with calling. Now I will draft one letter addressed to the representative and ask that every senior in the school email it to him. Or invite him to the school so that we could have a group discussion on how to move forward.
Scotus Blog: Reynolds v. United States
In the Reynolds vs. United States the issue was about sex offender registration an d notification Act (SORNA) which congress enacted in 2006. This law was designed to create a nationwide system to keep track of all different sex offenders that committed crimes in the past. When congress decided to do this they hoped to prevent a situation in which a sex offenders convicted in one location could then move to another state another state, where neither police nor his new neighbors would he aware of their history if they were registered sex offenders.
In 2001 Billy Joe Reynolds was convicted of a sex crime in Missouri and served four years in prison. Then when he was released, he registered as a sex offender in Missouri, but he didn't do it with authorities in Pennsylvania when he moved there in 2007. A couple of months later Reynolds was charged with violating SORNA's requirements. When he went to go argue his case in the lower court they refused to even consider his challenge. Now Reynolds is being held in violation of the federal constitution. The court was divided on that issue. The U.S. Solicitor General urged the Court to deny review of Reynolds' petition.
In 2001 Billy Joe Reynolds was convicted of a sex crime in Missouri and served four years in prison. Then when he was released, he registered as a sex offender in Missouri, but he didn't do it with authorities in Pennsylvania when he moved there in 2007. A couple of months later Reynolds was charged with violating SORNA's requirements. When he went to go argue his case in the lower court they refused to even consider his challenge. Now Reynolds is being held in violation of the federal constitution. The court was divided on that issue. The U.S. Solicitor General urged the Court to deny review of Reynolds' petition.
