26th Amendment

​Reflection:

Why did you choose this topic?

I chose this project mainly because I think this amendment relates to seniors a lot. Most of us are turning 18 and before we know it we are going to be thrown into the hot pot of politics. Also in SLA I think our seniors and juniors are more informed about what is going on in media and politics more then other schools. So the fact that we are well informed, and turning 18 is really important. Because there are a lot less votes coming from younger people, and we need to change that. Especially since we are basically the future, we should have a say in what happens. 

What did you like about this project? What was most challenging?

I always like putting together the movie together. It just is always a nice way to wrap up information in a creative way. I think the hardest part is trying to find what clips I could use within the movie. There was really only one c-span slip that had to do with young voters so trying to find different clips to incorporate and highlight that clip was a bit difficult. So that part was the most challenging for me. 

Describe the most interesting fact or event that you investigated.

I actually didn't know much about the voting age changing. I knew it did change rom 21 to 18 but that was as deep as it was for me. So researching about why it changed was interesting for me, and finding out that young men who were drafted at 18 felt that if they fought for the country they should be able to have a say in it as well. Which makes sense. So that was really interesting. 


How could this project be improved?

I would have liked the video to be a bit longer, and I really wanted to do interviews of young adults between the ages of 18-21 and figure out their voting history, if they have one. I think it would have really complemented the video and would have added a really interesting view since the young adults, themselves, would be saying how they felt about it. 

Where did you run into trouble with the project?

I think the hardest part was the fact that my partner and I were really doing well with the ideas and brainstorming of the project. We were really on our way to an awesome project. But there were some complications that got in the way and kind of flipped the whole project upside down. So trying to to get back up and start on my own was a bit difficult. 

What went well with this project?

I think the clips I did get looked really nice within the movie. The movie has a nice flow to it, though its short, it states it's point well. 

If you had it to do over, what would you change about your decisions or your process?

I would definitely get interviews of 18-21 year olds so that I had more clips for the movie, which would lengthen it but also make it way more interesting. I also would have worked harder to get it done faster and remember to post the video after I made it.  

What did you learn?

Some of the things that I learned was not only the details of the voting age changing but also how important it is for young adults to vote. Though a lot of 18 year olds may think our vote doesn't count, it really does. We really should work hard in making sure we have a say in our government and our future. A lot of us are more informed then many older adults when it comes to politics and media since most of us have classes based on those. So our thoughts, and votes are needed. I just learned a lot about the importance of young adults voting. 


Kashif Ahmad Benchmark reflection

Since I was leaving to Pakistan I didn't have access to computer like that, Ms.Laufenberg assigned me this project. One thing I liked about this project is that it reached things I didn't knew before. What was challenging is that I had a little struggle with finding information about Pakistan government. One interesting fact is that Pakistan presidents serve 5 years instead of 4 years like here. This project could be improved if I included more pictures. I didn't really have problem with this project but one problem I encounter was that when I came back from Pakistan my computer battery was messed so now I can't use my computer without being plugged in to the charger, it makes it hard because I have to turn on and off my computer all the time. Finding the key points of the 2 government went well. I would make a video instead of slide show. I learned that Pakistan only had 12 presidents, also each president serves 5 years. 

Passing Final Project

Poem

Why?

It seems like when ever there is something, it could be a good thing or a bad thing, there is always a main source. So to completely eliminate something, that main source. For instance, you need to take out bulb so the lamp won't glow. But in my video, I explained that it is almost impossible to end this problem with racism and people not feeling accepted and they feel like they don't have the rights to do things that they have a desire to do. Many people are to scared to attempt to fix this problem.



Here is the video of the poem...
If the video doesn't work, then make yourself useful and read it yourself.​



Poem:

The Oil of Fire

 

Life is made in many different forms,

These different forms come from different makers.

 

You eat the food from the ground,

You drink the water from the seas,

You smell the scent of the flowers,

And you breathe the air of the earth.

 

The Presidents made the constitution,

The gods made the earth,

The chicken laid the egg,

And seed made the tree.

 

Everything has a source.

It’s the heart of the body,

Without it we would be dead

It’s the Sun of the Universe,

Without it we would be dead.

It’s the racism of our society,

Without it we would be alive.

 

It has brought nothing

Except hatred and war,

It is something undesirable,

Nothing we adore.

 

The main source of it,

Died many years ago,

Not possible to fix,

This situation left us in woe.

 

We can always attempt to make a change,

Getting a lot of people to agree, is very hard to arrange.

Most likely it is impossible to complete this task,

Everyone is two afraid to help, they will wear the fearful mask.

 

-Daniel Varnis


Q2 Work

Here is my work for this quarter. Some of these may go into my portfolio. Not all are posted, just the ones that best represent each project.
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 8.40.44 PM

"Passing" Art Piece


This picture is meant to question the feelings that Clare and Irene might have had in that apartment when Clare's husband confronted her about being black. Did Irene push Clare out of the window? If so, did she do it because it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of her? If Irene didn't push Clare, did she fall out of the window on purpose? Was she grateful for her death or was the whole thing an accident?

Passing Painting
Passing Painting

Mí escuela !


SLA es un muy intelegente escuela. Es pequeña, divertida,y creativa. en la esculea tenemos que actividadas de basketból , drama y tecnology. Es quinientos estudientes y veinte professor@ . La escuela es en el centro filadeífia. Mi gusta escula porque es muy interesente y difícil.   

Synopsis ;


Clase: español

Profesor/a: la Srta. Manuel

Actividades: en la clase leemos, cantamos, habla en inglés

Responsibilidades: complemente tarea y clase trabaja

Materials:  un lapíz, una pluma, la carpeta, record de tarea

Opinión: me encanta la clase porque es muy. interesente


Clase: álgebra

Profesor/a: La Srta. Garvey

Actividades en la clase: escribamos, problemas de álgebra

Responsibilidades: completemos la tarea para credito

Materials: un lapíz, mí carpeta, mí computadora, una calculadora 

Opinión: me encanta la clase porque es muy facíl y importante

Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 7.40.12 PM
Screen Shot 2012-02-01 at 7.40.12 PM

Kurns Vs. Railroad "Ryan Francis" Supreme Court Case Presentation.

Case: Gloria Kurn's is suing the Arizona RailRoad Company for the cause of her fathers death due being exposed to asbestos from a railroad part. The problem in this case, is that the "National Railroad Act" states that each part they send out is to be expected thoroughly before being transported to the workers on the railroad. " He subsequently died of malignant mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos during his employment." - Chuan Liu. The district court denied Mrs. Corson's case, stating that the Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA) took on the state-law claims and the United States Court of Appeals agreed. 

The Locomotive Inspection Act was passed in 1911, and re visited in 1915 and 1924. The law states that it's mandatory for the company to inspect every aspect pf the parts they send out to the companies that order them. In. In this case, they didn't. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case may limit the kind of claims that other people can successfully use in court. Gloria Kurn's initial question was could she sue, and how she would go about it. So she and her family did their research, and found the different laws and acts enacted, and brought them into court n the day of their Supreme Court trial.

"This case will determine whether the Locomotive Inspection Act preempts state-law tort claims against locomotive parts manufacturers for injuries that occurred in railroad-maintenance facilities. Petitioners Kurns and Corson argue that the LIA only regulates locomotives in actual service on railroad lines, and thus that its preemptive scope does not cover state-based claims arising from injuries sustained when the locomotives were off-line or in repair." - Amanda Hellenthal"

The outcome of the case is still being decided because the case was so stumping. No one could really get to a conclusion from the information given, even with the laws states. Neither of the sides know what the law covers exactly, and how far it can be used in this case

Attached Below is the audio of the court case's argument: 



KURNS v. RAILROAD FRICTION PRODUCTS CORP. . The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 20 January 2012. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_879>.


Inc. – 5 Supreme Court Cases Entrepreneurs Should Watch. (2001, October 7). Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/articles/201110/5-supreme-court-cases-entrepreneurs-should-watch.html

Supreme Court of the United States – Search Results. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/10-879.htm

Alliance for Justice – Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.afj.org/connect-with-the-issues/the-corporate-court/kurns-v-railroad-friction.html

Kurn's Vs. Railroad Trail (Ryan Francis)

Case: Gloria Kurn's is suing the Arizona RailRoad Company for the cause of her fathers death due being exposed to asbestos from a railroad part. The problem in this case, is that the "National Railroad Act" states that each part they send out is to be expected thoroughly before being transported to the workers on the railroad. " He subsequently died of malignant mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos during his employment." - Chuan Liu. The district court denied Mrs. Corson's case, stating that the Locomotive Inspection Act (LIA) took on the state-law claims and the United States Court of Appeals agreed. 

The Locomotive Inspection Act was passed in 1911, and re visited in 1915 and 1924. The law states that it's mandatory for the company to inspect every aspect pf the parts they send out to the companies that order them. In. In this case, they didn't. The Supreme Court’s decision in this case may limit the kind of claims that other people can successfully use in court. Gloria Kurn's initial question was could she sue, and how she would go about it. So she and her family did their research, and found the different laws and acts enacted, and brought them into court n the day of their Supreme Court trial.

"This case will determine whether the Locomotive Inspection Act preempts state-law tort claims against locomotive parts manufacturers for injuries that occurred in railroad-maintenance facilities. Petitioners Kurns and Corson argue that the LIA only regulates locomotives in actual service on railroad lines, and thus that its preemptive scope does not cover state-based claims arising from injuries sustained when the locomotives were off-line or in repair." - Amanda Hellenthal"

The outcome of the case is still being decided because the case was so stumping. No one could really get to a conclusion from the information given, even with the laws states. Neither of the sides know what the law covers exactly, and how far it can be used in this case

Attached Below is the audio of the court case's argument: 



KURNS v. RAILROAD FRICTION PRODUCTS CORP. . The Oyez Project at IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law. 20 January 2012. <http://www.oyez.org/cases/2010-2019/2011/2011_10_879>.


Inc. – 5 Supreme Court Cases Entrepreneurs Should Watch. (2001, October 7). Retrieved from http://www.inc.com/articles/201110/5-supreme-court-cases-entrepreneurs-should-watch.html

Supreme Court of the United States – Search Results. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.supremecourt.gov/Search.aspx?FileName=/docketfiles/10-879.htm

Alliance for Justice – Kurns v. Railroad Friction Products. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.afj.org/connect-with-the-issues/the-corporate-court/kurns-v-railroad-friction.html

Anthony's day

TOok me a little longer than it should have. Had some problems with the audio it blended together in parts. Its fixed now. Days later. 

Benchmark Reflection (Ryan Francis, Jason Davis, Tariq Smith)

​Our Video lives on this post: http://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/Enchanted--_The_First_Amendment

For this benchmark, my group and I chose to cover the topic of freedom of speech through music censorship. The reason we chose this, because ach of us is involved in music some how some way. I personally write, produce and perform my music all over Philadelphia and in other places, so to me, I wanted to talk about something that was intertwined with something that is pretty precious to me. What I liked most about this project was the fact that I could take something that I love, and be as creative as I wanted with it. The fact that I could put my personal touches to the beats lyrics, and then produce the song myself made me feel like I was in control of the project, and I really felt as though I showed why I was passionate about the law of being able to free speak on my own accord. The hard part though was trying to find a creative way to use the C-Sband footage, but we found a way eventually. I really believe that my group worked hard, because we not only made a video, I originated the song for it myself, Jason and Tariq collaborated to finish the video as well, so it was like we put our minds together and used our talents to carry out this project. One thing I think I could have really improve on was incorporating more C-Spand footage, and instead of worrying about how creative we could get, actually approach the second half of the video academically. I still believe that our hard work had a nice product though. I didn't really have trouble coming up with the lyrics I and Jason wrote, because we both knew what we wanted to say, and how we'd get our points across. Another thing I did find challenging too though, was trying to go above and beyond the requirements to make the video engaging, and fun to watch. We didn't want a boring standard project. One of the most interesting things I learned during this project is that politics influences everything. Everything could be posed as a political matter, and there are laws for everything. Things we do in our everyday lives, although were aloud to freely speak, there are laws and rules in some case that we can't speak about. It's funny to me. If I could do it all again, I'd probably be more academic with it, and not as creative.

Fracking in Philly: Blogpost #4

             The hydraulic fracturing company that has stepped into the waters of Pennsylvania, Marcellus Shale has only been in business for about four years now. “We have had enough time to perfect our technique. Our coalition takes special precautions when it comes to harmful chemicals and our drilling process.” After a twenty-five minute holding period because of busy lines over the phone, a representative of the Marcellus Shale Coalition (MSC) had assured me that there were major precautions taken in the drawn out drilling process in Pennsylvania.

Contact the Marcellus Shale Coalition at (724)-745-0100

 “…But you do use harmful chemicals when drilling, right?” I asked when on the phone with the representative.”

            “There is no reason to be alarmed, our machines are top of the line and we have very experienced workers”, she said, without answering my question.

            For a company with such an assuring logo, the MSC seemed to be dodging each question that was asked over the phone with an almost automated response. It was as if the representative had a paper of frequently asked questions in front of her to look through while I drilled her with not so pressing questions.

           The biggest contribution MSC makes to the economy are the jobs that it creates because of drilling for natural gasses. They also advertise how clean their natural gases burn, effectively leaving less of a carbon footprint than so many other materials that are used in today’s market. When looking at the following graph, we can see that natural gasses do produce significantly less harmful chemicals than other energy sources, which is great…

           However, what they don’t tell the public, and instead releease secretively to the state of Pennsylvania is a record of over 300 chemicals that are pumped into the ground along with pressurized water.

¡Me encanta mi escuela!

SLA es no normal escuela. Su diferente a otras escuela. Podemos expresarnos. SLA es muy pequena y no tiene muchos estudiantes comparada con otras escuelas. SLA esta en Filadelfia. Aqui en SLA, hay muchos clubs y clases. Hay drama, tecnologîa, español, mathemáticas, inglés, y ciencias. SLA tenemos más o menos quinientos niños y más o menos veinte profesores/as. Me encanta SLA porque es perfecto. Somos una familia y me encanta.

Lobbying Blog Post #5 Occupy Movement


 The Occupy Movement is an international protest movement, that is directed towards economic or social inequality.  The first occupy movement was the " Occupy Wall Street" which was primarily started by a Canadian activist group called Adbusters. 

 
File:Occupy_Wall_Street_Together
File:Occupy_Wall_Street_Together
 We are the 99%, is a slogan political slogan used by Occupy Protesters. The Slogan originally  was a name  of a 28 year old New York Cities, tumblr page.  I feel like its important that I ad this to this blog, because people are marching because they believe that they are the 99%. Marching because high paid people in the world, such as CEO's of big corporations are paying low tax rates and are causing this country problems. 
we-are-the-99-occupy-movement-spreads-to-560-l-ooofvg2
we-are-the-99-occupy-movement-spreads-to-560-l-ooofvg2

Lobbying Blogpost #3

Curfew

This topic hasn't really been spoken about since the end of the summer. There was only one official who was against the curfew law but even she presented her thoughts on the other side of the argument saying that it may be necessary because of the Philadelphia parents who don't parent. Her name is Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown. She is a spokes person for the kids in Philadelphia. The mayor has to decide about the Philadelphia curfew and everyone on the committee has to help make the full decision. 

Studying the Issues

    Children are the future and as such should be treated with the utmost respect and guided with discipline.  However this is a difficult task.  Children are changing but the methods of which they are dealt with have not.  Schools aren’t as stimulating the minds of the youngsters nor are the extra curricular activities provided.

    In relatively recent years access to information has rose exponentially.  What a child can get from a teacher, a text book, or even his or her parent is only a mouse click away.  This can can and has caused many children to develop authority issues.  With children knowing more than the people set to teach them there is very little left for them to use to differentiate themselves from adults.  They start to see themselves as equals to adults and some times police or other law enforcement officers.

     There are many small groups that share similar ideas for better schools, although some for different reasons. All of them are equally important however it would be nice if there was a single figurehead to lead the movement in solidarity.

descripcion SLA

​SLA es a divertida y inteligente la escuela. SLA has muy deportes. tenemos fùtbul
bàsquefbol y otro deportes. At SLA tambièn tenemos clubs. poesía club 
es a club que nostros at SLA. SLA es located en filadelfia en centro de la ciudad. me amor SLA!

Reflexion

Mi grupo y yo hicimos un PSA sobre basura en el rio. Por crear el PSA, la cosa más importante que aprendí fue mas basura en el rio es muy mal. Es no bueno. Yo Aprendí fue no lance basura en el rio. Mi gusta el PSA de mi group porque trabajamos bueno junto . Mi grupo es un bueno grupo. Si pudiera hacer el proyecto otra vez, yo cambiaría es el PSA.  PSA sobre polucion en Filidelfia, no sobre basura en el rio PSA.