I Am Loud, Teach Me Silence

A Thematic Comparison of The Taming of the Shrew and Silver Linings Playbook

In The Taming of the Shrew, the plot revolves around Petruchio “taming” wild and angry Katharine to be a proper and decent wife as part of a challenge. Pat in Silver Linings Playbook does the same to Tiffany unintentionally by falling in love with her.


Though the methods that the two men use may seem different, the end result and the stereotypes the pieces carry out are very similar. Both men see possession over the women in their lives that they wish to date/marry, and both men end their journeys with a docile partner as a result of their actions, whether intentional or unintentional. The idea that women need to be fixed by a partner is perpetuated by both literature and media that portrays men as the changing force of a “troubled” woman’s life. He uses his tools of strength and affection to sedate her ways and convince her to act “normal”. Even though the movie has some more egalitarian themes because it is a more modern piece of work, both The Taming of the Shrew and Silver Linings Playbook show us that outspoken women are seen as something to be loved or taught how to be loved when they are incapable of doing so.


“I will be master of what is mine own./She is my goods, my chattels; she is my house,/My household stuff, my field, my barn,/My horse, my ox, my ass, my anything./And here she stands, touch her whoever dare.” Act 3, Scene 2 (235-239)


In Shrew, Petruchio is a suitor from another land who arrives to purposefully tame and marry infamously untameable and always single Katharine. In this particular scene, Petruchio is announcing to a crowd the power that he has over Katharine, the woman who, as made clear to us, does not wish to marry him. Petruchio acts as if he deserves to own Katharine as both his wife and property. He demeans her by comparing her to objects and animals. He implies how obedient and inanimate she can be under his care. Here, Katharine is shown as something to be taught how to love because she is so “wild” she was previously incapable of doing so. The idea that a loud or rude woman is presented as an inanimate thing waiting to be taught love is sexist by nature.



The man in this scene is named Pat, and the woman Tiffany. They both have ambiguous mental illnesses and violent mood swings, and because of this they do not get along at first. But after meeting through a mutual friend and then establishing a complicated friendship, they manage to find some common ground through their honesty. Pat was imprisoned because he beat up a man that he caught his wife with. In this particular scene, he has recently been released a few days before and is out on a job when he runs into Tiffany. Here, he is explaining to Tiffany why it will work out when he meets up with his past wife, Nikki, again.


“Okay, yeah, we wanna change each other, but that's normal, couples wanna do that. I want her to stop dressing like she dresses, I want her to stop acting so superior to me, okay? And she wanted me to lose weight and stop my mood swings, which both I've done. I mean, people fight. Couples fight. We would fight, we wouldn't talk for a couple weeks. That's normal. She always wanted the best for me … our love's gonna be f---ing amazing.”


Pat acts as if he deserves to win back Nikki and that she should accept his advances, even after their separation was because of an explosion caused by his possession over her body. He sees Nikki as something that he must teach how to love. He implies she was incapable of loving him before he “improved” himself and vice versa. Though this may seem like a more egalitarian way of considering love (both partners must improve for the other), Pat still presents it as if the only reason they will ever be happy together in the future is because they both changed they way they looked/acted.


“Katharine the curst,/A title for a maid of all titles the worst.”

Act 1, Scene 2 (130-131)


In this particular scene, Grumio is speaking to Hortensio about Katharine, and how mad and difficult she actually is to handle. The implication that Katharine already had this nickname assigned to her in the past, since mentioning it is a point of humor. Katharine is obviously seen as a woman who does not fit the societal standards of female obedience, and therefore is labelled as “curst” and “the worst”. But we are shown later in the play that Katharine has always continued to act this way because of the contrast between her and her docile sister, Bianca. She even criticizes her father for not favoring her and instead giving Bianca all of the affection and good marriages. Katharine is a real person acting on real emotions, not a madwoman like she is made out to be.


slp.jpg

In this scene, Tiffany has just finished opening up to Pat about her depressive sexual behavior after her husband died. Then, Pat is discussing the dinner they had with a mutual friend and whether his behavior there would impress Nikki if Nikki had been there. They are speaking about the opinion of the actual woman who held the dinner, Tiffany’s sister. Tiffany is telling Pat what her sister said about him.


“She said you were cool, but … you know.”

“No, I don’t know.”

“Sort of like, how you are … sort of like me.”

“Sort of like you? I hope to God she didn’t tell Nikki that.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s just not right. Lumping you and I together, I mean, it’s just wrong, and Nikki wouldn’t like that. Especially after all the sh-t you just told me.”

“You think I’m crazier than you.”

“Because … I mean, well, we’re different.”


Tiffany is shamed by Pat because Tiffany does not meet the societal standards for female sexual activity. Therefore, Pat treats her as if she is a mad person and unable to be seen as anything acceptable. This is especially true because the purpose of the conversation is for Pat to woo Nikki again, and he condemns Tiffany’s behavior as not something that would attract a partner. Again, we return to the standards set for single women who do not want to marry.

It is made clear that Tiffany is a real person acting on real emotions, not a madwoman like she is made out to be.


Pat is Petruchio and Tiffany is Katharine. Both Tiffany and Katharine are labelled as onry and untamed. Except in Playbook as opposed to Shrew, both Pat and Tiffany are tamed by each other instead of the man taming the woman on purpose. Pat makes that clear when he says, “The only way to beat my crazy was to do something even crazier. Thank you. I love you.” Still, there are underlying implications of Pat taming Tiffany by loving her, and by the end of both the movie and the book (Shrew), both women are passive. Both Tiffany and Katharine are shown as people who need to be loved, and then are taught how to love once it is obvious that they are “unable” to. These portrayals show us that society’s attitudes toward heteronormative courtship/dating are largely skewed. Women are not seen as equals in the relationship in relation to men. Instead, they are first seen as something to be edited in order to fit patriarchal expectations. The moment they express themselves, outspoken women are seen as something to be loved or taught how to be loved when they are incapable of doing so.


The Bride's Keeper

A Comparison of "The Taming of the Shrew" and "Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhunia"

The play “The Taming of the Shrew”, explores the complexities of love and how it can eventually turn into marriage based in the past. On the other hand, the hindi film Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania (Humpty Sharma’s Bride) takes a look at love and marriage in the 21st century. In the play and the movie, the parents have a huge say in the marriage part of their children’s love story. The parents in both stories wish to see their daughters secure financially. While there are similarities between the concerns the parents have about their daughters, the way that their concerns evolve and they come to a compromise throughout the stories are different.

In the play, Baptista is only concerned about the money that the suitors can offer his daughter. This idea doesn’t budge or change at all throughout the play. In the end, he’s happy that both his daughters were able to get married to such rich men and doesn’t really ask for much else. In the movie, Kavya’s (Humpty’s lover) father is unaccepting of Humpty’s financial situation. However, after getting to know Humpty and who he is, he changed his mind. These stories reflect that while fathers can still be concerned about financial security in marriage for their daughters, today they are more flexible and willing to accept marriage from a suitor with a good heart and personality.

“Faith, gentlemen, now I play a merchant’s part;

And venture madly on a desperate mart.”

(Act II, Scene i, 345-346)

In the quote, Baptista is referring to himself as a merchant. It’s almost as if his daughter’s marriage means he’s selling her, like a merchant would sell his goods in a marketplace. By this point in “Taming of the Shrew”, Petruchio convinced Baptista that his daughter has agreed to marry him and that they will be married by Sunday. Baptista is very happy. What else could he ask for? Petruchio had everything he wants which consists of money, money and even more money. By playing merchant and essentially “selling” his daughter, Baptista can rest assured that there will be plenty of money involved in this marriage.

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In the film, Kavya’s father, Mr.Singh, finds himself in a dilemma. Her daughter loves Humpty, who doesn’t have much to amount for financially. However, her marriage is already fixed with a man who is the perfect match in his opinion. Mr.Singh tries to immediately break Kavya and Humpty’s relationship, but seeing his daughter’s persistence he gives Humpty a chance.  

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The conditions are simple. Humpty has to find just one reason why Kavya’s shouldn’t marry her fiance. This shows that even from the start, Kavya’s father is measuring Humpty on his brains and wit, not just his bank account. He wants to put Humpty in his shoes

“Fear not, Baptista, we will content you.”

(Act V, Scene ii, 139-140)

During this scene, Baptista finds out that Cambio is actually Lucentio. At first, he is completely outraged. He sternly asks why Lucentio married his daughter without his blessing. Vincentio comforts him, by promising that Baptista will be content with what Lucentio will be able to offer. Everyone in this time period knows that a father wants nothing more than a financially stable husband for his daughter. Vincentio understands and can promise money to Baptista, who’s now worried about this new identity reveal. After the promise, Baptista quickly forgives Lucentio for his trickery. Even though he knows nothing about Lucentio other than his finances, Baptista doesn’t mind his daughter’s marriage with him anymore and doesn’t ask any questions.

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By the end of the film, Humpty realizes that there’s nothing wrong with Kavya’s fiance. In fact, he’s an amazing guy. However, there was no guarantee that the perfect suitor would make his daughter the happiest. He tells Mr.Singh that people weren’t created to be perfect. It is the strength and love of a relationship that helps make two people perfect. Still, Mr.Singh is not fully convinced. Kavya’s wedding with Angad proceeds.

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It took his daughter to give Mr.Singh the final push towards acceptance. She doesn’t beg, just simply speaks her heart. Humpty and Kavya love each other very much and would figure the rest out. Humpty reminds Mr.Singh of himself as a young man. Once a simple mechanic when he met his wife and now a successful businessman. Soon enough Mr.Singh realizes that Humpty is the one for his daughter. Humpty is smart, sweet, humble and everything that one could ask for in a partner. Mr.Singh happily gets his daughter married to Humpty.

The simple fact that Mr.Singh gets his daughter married to Humpty even though his financial situation does not change throughout the movie shows reinforces the idea that the 21st century dad understands that there’s more than money to happiness to a marriage. Though initially Kavya’s dad doesn’t approve, he takes the time to listen to his daughter and her feelings. Per her request, he gets to know Humpty and eventually changes his mind. It’s all about what his daughter wishes for, finds happiness in and loves. By the end of the movie, everyone is ecstatic. Kavya gets Humpty, her father’s blessing and a fun filled wedding!

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Q3 Conferences: April 27-28, 2016

It's that time of year again! Spring has sprung and Q3 conferences are upon us. Be sure to schedule with your student's Advisor.

04/27 Wed: Evening conferences 3:30-7:00pm

04/28 Thur: Half day classes / Afternoon conferences
8:15-9:05 C
9:10-10:00 D
10:05-10:55 X/Y class
11:00-11:50 E
11:55-12:45 A
12:50 lunch 
1:30pm -4:30pm conferences

Rocket Rolls 15-0 Over E&S; 8-0 on Season

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Screen Shot 2016-04-24 at 5.30.13 PM
Much like the game vs Carver E&S, this article will be quick. 

Tony Brown led off the game after working a patient Walk and scored two pitches later on Leon Finney's Double in deep Center. That would technically be enough as Lukas Supovitz-Aznar and Kevin Courtney would hold E&S hitless in a 4-inning 15-0 win. The hitless streak for opponents has now reached 13 consecutive innings, and no team has tallied more than 4 hits in a game on the season vs Rocket pitching. 

In his 2nd at-bat in the 1st, Brown hit a hard single up the middle to score two and make it 8-0. Triples by Kristian Ramos, Kevin Courtney and a Double by Kenny Carroll would factor into a 12-hits attack that simply overwhelmed E&S pitching.

Courtney, who would take the mound in relief for the first time since recovering from Tommy John surgery, would finish the day 3-3 with 4RBIs and score the 15th run by tagging up on Ben Simon's deep shot to Center. 

With the win The Rocket is 8-0 on the season and comfortably in first place. With just 4 league games left before the playoffs start in mid-May, the Rockets are poised to move up to A-Division for the 2016-17 season. Next game is a make up vs Ben Franklin on Thurs, 4/28. Come out and support The Rocket. First pitch, 315pm (29th & Chalmers). 


Rough Cut Sets Records at 10-Day Film Awards w/ 4 Films, 13 Nominations, 3 Wins, and 3 Top Ten Films

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Screen Shot 2016-04-21 at 10.30.01 PM
​Rough Cut was prolific today in their sophomore showing of the 10-Day Film Challenge Awards.

Just like last year when 5 Rough Cut films (most ever) took home some hardware, 20% of the films eligible for 2016 awards were Rough Cut originals and all were nominated for multiple awards.

When the dust settled, Rough Cut picked up 13 Nominations, and took home 3 Top Prizes for Best Screenplay "Depression. The Man"; Best Editing "Don't Question It"; Best Performances for "Les Be Friends".

3 Rough Cut Originals also placed in the Top Ten, a feat never accomplished in 10-Day Film Challenge history. 

With these wins, all four films are automatically Official Selections in the 4th Annual Rough Cut Film Festival (June 13-20) hosted by Philadelphia Film Society, University of the Arts and The Greater Philadelphia Film Office. 

Congratulations to the teams behind these amazing films. So very proud of the calibre of films they produced for this! 
 
"Surveillance" 
Tiarra Bell, Tenzin Chemi, Felix D'Hermillon, Dylan McKeon
Nominations (2)- Best Editing, Best Film Poster Design

"Depression. The Man" (Overall 8th Place Finish)
Felix Schafrothdoty, Mark Gucciardi-Kriegh, Juliana Concepcion, Daouda Njie, Joaquin Thomas
Nominations (3)- Best Screenplay, Best Sound Editing, Best Film Poster Design
Winner (1)- Best Screenplay
Top Ten Finish- 8th Place


"Les Be Friends" (Overall 3rd Place Finish)
Indee Phillpotts, Xavier Carroll, Zoe Andersson, Cacy Thomas, Anastasia Petropoulos
Nominations (3)- Best Performances, Best Use of Dialogue, Superior Technical Merit
Winner (1)- Best Performances
Top Ten Finish- 3rd Place


"Don't Question It"- (Overall 2nd Place Finish)
Eamon Kelly, Mitchell Berven-Stotz, Javier Peraza, Tamira Bell, Sean Morris
Nominations (5)- Audience Award, Best Musical Score, Best Film Editing, Best Use of Prop and Superior Technical Merit
Winner (1)- Best Editing
Top Ten Finish- 2nd Place


#roughcut4life


Allergies

Science
  • Allergies are a bad response from our bodies to a substance

    • An external stimulant either ingested or airborne

  • Allergens are seen as foreign to our bodies and we react to them.

  • When our bodies come in contact with allergens it releases antibodies

    • A protein that attaches to some antigens.

    • Antibodies are y shaped proteins

  • When having an allergic reaction:

    • Antibody and antigen attach and travel to the mast cell in body tissue.

      • The purpose is to flush out allergen.

      • Kill chemicals that cause allergic reaction
    There are a couple different kinds that happen when we come in contact with different allergens. Theres hay fever which the most common, they are seasonal allergies. The next one is Contact dermatitis and this happens when we a chemical in a soap, lotion, detergent, or clothing makes us react and we get a rash. The last one is a food allergy which we get when we eat certain foods and they can make us sick. Sometimes when people with food allergies eat the food they are allergic to their throats can close or they can have swelling in the face or mouth. One other thing that is important is anaphylaxis, this is when we have one of the above allergies, but we react much different to that and it is more extreme then it would be if we had a regular allergy.
Society
  • In 2010, $17.5 billion dollars were spent on health costs by people with nasal swelling they lost approximately 6 million days at work/school and made 16 million doctor visits.

  • Food allergies cost about $25 billion each year.
Self
I have really bad allergies and I have had them for a while now, so this was something that was interesting and important to me. I also did it because it is allergy season


Here is a link to my full slide show

MDMA The Party Drug

Science:
MDMA also known as Molly or a stronger version of  Ecstasy or even Scooby Snacks was created by Anton Kollisch who wanted to make a pill or drug that could help soldiers with PTSD and abnormal bleeding, but the strong was really too strong . It made the soldiers happier but at the same time they couldn't think right. BY the 1940’s-50’s, mixed with other chemicals and ground down into a powder that turned into a easy popping pill, or heated to be shot using a needle MDMA became a popular party drug. People who take MDMA or Molly found that they were a lot happier.  Your brain floods with at least three or more neurotransmitters like, Serotonin, Dopamine or even Norepinephrine that gave you more energy and could focus more. At the same time your senses would be heightened such as seeing and hearing clearer (hence why it’s used a lot in clubs and concerts). Some consider it as a world of psychedelic colors.When taken as a pill it takes about 15 to 20 minutes to enter your system or bloodstream and the effects begin. It last about 3-6 hours depending how it was made and the dosage. Even though there are positive effects from using Molly there’s always negatives. Impaired judgment, False sense of affection, Confusion, Depression and Anxiety, Sleep problems and insomnia, Paranoia, Muscle tension, Faintness and chills or swelling the common Nausea and if Molly is taken often it can lead to usage of other and stronger drugs.

Society:

Since MDMA is a party drug it is commonly used by high school students, college students and some adults.  Because it is so cheap ranging from $25-40, 1 out of every 10 college students have experimented with Molly and  98% of college students who had used ecstasy had also used marijuana. Sometimes MDMA is replaced with PMA which is another cheaper version to look like Molly but because each dose isn’t as strong you buy and use more making it easier to OD. People should also know the difference between Molly and Ecstasy even though they both come from the same chemical compound. Ecstasy is mixed with other drugs or chemicals like rat poison, bath salts, baking soda, LSD. Compared to Molly which is straight MDMA they both a lethal but Ecstasy could be considered cheaper. Because teenagers are still going to be partying and going out there’s been an increase of Molly consumption (especially in the US).


Self:

I did research on MDMA for my chemistry BM I wanted to share some of the information I found out. I had to do more research on what’s really happening in the brain that makes the pill works the way it does. I like parties and it’s could be warned about what’s out there and what people are really getting into. It’s something like teenagers do dabble in a lot of things during college and Molly could be one of them. We’re all going to college soon and it’s good to know what’s what.


Links:

"MDMA (Ecstasy or Molly)." NIDA for Teens. NIH...Turning Discovery Into Health, 2009. Web. 15 Apr. 2016. <http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/mdma-ecstasy-or-molly>.


Roderick, Ryan. "18 Things About The Drug “Molly” That Might Be Important For You To Know." BuzzFeed News. BuzzFeed, Inc, 3 Sept. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/things-about-the-drug-molly-that-might-be-important-for-y#.blB5dQZaB>.


"Understanding Ecstasy, MDMA and Molly." Ecstasy Addiction and Abuse. Recovery Worldwide LLC, 1999. Web. 20 Apr. 2016. <https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/ecstasy/>.

Ben Simon Throws NO HITTER, Strikes Out 17 in 8-0 Win Over Roxborough; SLA 7-0 on Season

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Screen Shot 2016-04-20 at 11.54.52 PM
Benny was a beast today. 

But unlike what you see in the majors when everyone loses their mind, Ben Simon and his fellow Rockets simply lined up to shake hands after a fitting strike out ended a game without a single Indian reaching base by a hit. Simon was humble about it, and hours later still seemed less than moved by what he accomplished. But his performance today was better than anything HBO could have offered up on a Wed afternoon. Much like their perfect undefeated season, the unthinkable playoff upset of #1 Frankford, and a berth in the Final Four in 2015, this too is something Simon and this team will have forever. A bona fide NO-HITTER!

Lukas Supovitz-Aznar took a No-Hitter into the last at-bat on Opening Day in a 13-0 win over Mastbaum. Leon Finney had a 2-hitter against King in his first start in Rocket Blue, and now it was Simon's turn to shine by setting a new team record for Strike Outs in a game with seventeen. It's crazy to think that this only bested Finney by one K who had 16 in their most recent outing vs Kensington on Monday. This makes 33 Ks in the last 14 innings for Rocket Starters. In fact, no team has gotten more than four hits in a single game off SLA pitching in 2016. That, plus the bats, has been a serious recipe for disaster if you're anybody but the Rockets. 

In similar fashion to the methodical 3-0 win over Kensington on Monday, The Rocket played small ball by adding a run in each inning to build a 4-0 lead into the 6th after Kevin Courtney smashed a 300ft home run to dead center. They'd add four more in the 6th and 7th, but by that point Simon was locked in. After the 3rd, "Benny Buckets" struck out 10 of 14 batters faced, and the only contact made were two weak tappers back to the mound that Ben easily ran down to first himself. 

As far as Rocket offense went, Senior 1st Basemen Kevin Courtney was back at it, going 3-5 with the Home Run and 3RBIs. Freshman Catcher Avi Cantor also had 3 RBIs of his own, going 2-2, drawing 2 Walks and a Sac Bunt to move a runner that would score on a single by Sophomore Outfielder Tony Brown. 

It may take some cool dreams tonight for the reality to truly sink in for Simon. However, April 20, 2016 will forever be engrained in Royal Blue lore as the first Complete Game No-Hitter in Rockets Baseball history.

Congratulations Buckets, you're truly a Beast!

Next Up - The Rockets return to their home field in Mt. Airy after a perfect 4-0 road trip to take on E&S this Fri, 4/22.
 

Kristian Ramos Dominant; Rocket Bats Rip Apart Edison Pitching for 14-2 Win

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Screen Shot 2016-04-20 at 11.06.30 PM
Kristian Ramos was utterly dominant, striking out 13 and only giving up 1 earned run on 2 hits over 5 innings. Meanwhile, the Rocket bats were on fire from the first at bat when Shaion Denny hit a solo homer to the right center gap. Arsenio Gomez singled in the next at bat and moments later off Kristian's opposite field single. 

The mantra of the game was "Win The Inning", and the Rockets did just that. In the first it was simply responding to an early run by Edison to make it 2-1. But then the Rocket exploded for 7 in the 2nd and 5 more in the 3rd to blow it open. Those additional 12 runs included lots of extra base hits including
 a 3-run homer by Leo Cassel-Siskind, who went 2-3 with 5RBI on the day. After the 3-run blast Leo's next trip to the plate brought in two more with another rip into the gap. 


Arsenio "Pepe" Gomez was en fuego, going 4-4 with a triple and 3RBIs. Kristian Ramos did it on the other side of the ball as well, also perfect at the plate (3-3 3RBI). Alex Torres got into the action by smacking a triple into the gap in left center in the same inning as his brother, and Jaime Vaquero-Garcia ripped a double in his last at bat of the day to add to the pain. 

Honestly, Edison didn't know what hit them. The confident swagger they had taking the field after scoring just one run in the first quickly disappeared and may never return after this literal drubbing. SLA JV is in 1st place and 5-1 on the season. Next up, a showdown with natural rival Central on Thurs, 4/21. 

Adam and Eve

Science

3.8 billion years ago, the Earth was mostly ocean. And that ocean was populated by billions of tiny archaea and bacteria. That was life. Life stayed like that for 2 billion years. These prokaryotes existed in an “energy canyon” they did not have the energy to get bigger and more complicated, and the only way they could develop the mechanisms to get bigger and more complicated, they would need energy. It’s a paradox. So for 2 billion years, nothing really changed, and there was no reason life wouldn’t continue like that for billions of more years. But one day, complicated, diverse life began to develop. The theory as to how this miracle happened is as follows. An archaean (a bigger single celled organism) and a bacterium (a smaller organism) are floating along, and they happen to bump into each other. Improbably, impossibly, the two cells merge. The bacterium, now stuck inside a bigger cell, should struggle to survive. It shouldn’t be able to eat, or live, or reproduce. The larger cell should protest, should excrete the imposter bacterium. But that didn’t happen. Very improbably, very impossibly, the bacteria, called a mitochondria, survived. The big cell fed it, allowed it to reproduce, built mechanisms to keep the growing population alive. 

You might be wondering, but where did the energy for this growth come from? What about that energy canyon. The answer is across the cell membrane of the mitochondria. They are a special type of cell that produces a large electric charge across its membrane. It’s an electric charge equivalent to a bolt of lighting. So it grew, and diversified, and made proteins and DNA and organelles, it reproduces and spread, and over the next 1.8 billion years that 2 cell merge evolved into all the complex, eukaryotic life on Earth today. 


Society

Based on this theory, the story in the Book of Genesis of Adam and Eve, of two things coming together and creating life, doesn’t seem that far from evolutionary biology. If Genesis is, as many Christian scientists believe, a romanization of reality, then this theory of evolution might fit into the Bible. 

The other societal implication that arises from this theory is the possibility of alien life. Because of the pure improbability of how complicated life came to be, it’s statistically very unlikely that this could have happened anywhere else, no matter the vastness of the universe. However, it is not that unlikely that we could find bacteria roaming the surface of far away planets. But alas, no E.T.


Self

Inside of myself, there are mitochondria and DNA remnant of that original merge. If you look hard enough, you can see how I am related to the origins of life. 


Sources

Abumrad, J. (Producer). (2016, April 6). Radiolab [Audio podcast]. Retrieved From http://www.radiolab.org/story/cellmates/ 

Rosen, J. (2015, October 19). Scientists may have found the earliest evidence of life on Earth. Science Magazine. doi:10.1126/science.aad4732

Brom, R. H. (2004, August 10). Adam, Eve, and Evolution. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.catholic.com/tracts/adam-eve-and-evolution  

Battle of Undefeated Leaves SLA (6-0) Alone in 1st After 3-0 Win Over Kensington

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Screen Shot 2016-04-20 at 11.16.40 PM
A true pitcher's duel unfolded in a scorcher on Monday with two undefeated teams battling for sole possession of first place in B-Division. The game only saw seven hits in total between the two teams thanks to dominant pitching from both aces. While Kensington's Matos held the Rocket's bats in check for most of the game it was Leon Finney at his most dominant to date that truly sealed the deal. 

Leon hates the cold, so this was his kind of game. He pitched very well in that freezing, windy showdown with previously undefeated Edison last week, but this was a different experience. Finney's fastball was blazing, his off-speed had good hitters looking silly and some seriously nasty movement along with excellent framing by freshmen Avi Cantor behind the plate led to 16 strikeouts on a hot one devoid of wind.

Leon would also get the first (and winning) run of the game in the 3rd when he worked a 2-out walk, stole 2nd, moved on to 3rd on a pitch in the dirt and then scored easily when a ball scooted past their catcher. Technically this was all SLA would need to win the game, but Lukas Supovitz-Aznar has other plans in the 4th when he crushed a fastball roughly 325ft deep to center over the cinder block wall to make it 2-0. He came through again in the 6th with some insurance by singling to the opposite field, plating ijustice Avery who had singled and stole into scoring position. 

The Rocket is used to scoring more than three runs in a game, but you don't need more than that when only the same number of balls actually finds a way to crawl out of the infield. In the fifth Kensington fans and players started to ask "Who's Your Daddy?" after a couple of walks and a weak single loaded the bases in a 2-0 game. When no one else reached base the rest of the way the answer was clear that Finney was theirs.

Next Up: The Rocket continues their road trip and visits Roxborough on Wed, 4/20. First Pitch 315pm






Day Light Saving

Science:
Day light saving time is occurs twice a year where you turn your clocks an hour back for the winter and turn them an hour ahead for the spring. This is supposed to allow us to conserve time and energy. Studies show that day light saving time shows an overall increase in residential electricity. Back in World War I they took advantage of day light saving time to say electricity, coal etc. Benjamin Franklin was one of the first advocates for day light saving.  

Society:
People can argue that it saves energy, some say it does some say it doesn't. It has a mixed effect on people's health, some people suffer different types of health issues because their bodies and minds have a hard time adjusting to day light saving. 

Self:
I personally like dight light saving when we gain an extra hour of sleep but I don't like when it gets dark early. 

SLA Boys Varsity Ultimate Wins Tourney!

The Science Leadership Academy won Division II of the Hip Hop on Pop Tourney in Oaks, PA on Sunday with four straight wins to take the day! The boys started their day with a 13-5 win over Barrack Hebrew Academy. The first game saw the team start slowly, winning half 7-4 before going on 6-1 run to win the game. SLA started slowly in their second game, going down 2-0 to Cardinal O'Hara before raising their level of play. Sophomore Saamir Baker led the team with some of his most inspired offensive play as a Rocket. SLA took half 7-4 in that game, and won 13-6. SLA played their most complete game in their third game, beating Strath Haven 13-2 to set up a finals match up against the host school - Perkiomen Valley.

The finals saw SLA get tested like no other game that day, with the teams trading early points. SLA struggled late in the first half against Perkiomen Valley's zone defense, and PV took half 7-5. But the Rockets saved their best for last, as the seniors stepped up to bring the Rockets back. Tri-captains Jonas Bromley, Miles Cruice-Barnett and Andrew Roberts played smart, disciplined ultimate against the tough Perkiomen Valley defense to put the Rockets on top 9-8. But PV was not done, tying the game at the time cap 9-9 to set up "Universe Point" to decide the game. 

On game point, the SLA offense clicked perfectly, and the game ended on a sophomore connection - Eli Block to Nate Little to Jori Gerveni for the win and the trophy! It was a great day of Ultimate for the Rockets, with all 11 players making key contributions toward the tournament victory. Go Rockets! 

WAG Philly ILP

My ILP is wonderful. It is a great learning experience for me. I learn about different ways of rehabilitation in post-op animals or injured animals. I learned about the history of acupuncture and the benefits of it. There is also a sense of family at my ILP because I see the patients weekly and everyone is comfortable. 

Q3 Art

I am not an art person. Seriously the last time I did anything similar to any of this, I was probably 11. So, personally, all of this is really difficult for me. Art isn't expressed mathematically, it cannot be calculated, and there is no clear answer as to what is right and what is wrong. It is also extremely difficult to personally be able to tell if what I create is worth anything or not. I guess the best thing for me was watercolors, because I made Star Trek space art, which was really exciting. 
Q3 Art

ILP #2

       For my ILP I work for timoteo flag football.  In my ILP I do a lot of online work.  I organized there different papers that they get in from the people in the football league.  Now that the football season is starting there is a lot more work for me to do.  I decided to start a snapchat for them too.  During the games I take videos of them playing and post it.  And the people get excited to see the videos.  Now that the season started I am doing my ILP not just on Wednesdays I am doing it on Saturdays and when I am free.

Hangovers

Science
The actual cause of hangovers is unknown. We know that a hangover is a result from drinking too much alcohol, but why does alcohol cause hangovers? Some of the symptoms of a hangover include headache, fatigue, nausea, sweating, confusion, stomach issues. Many people believe that hangovers are a result of dehydration, given the fact that when you drink a lot of alcohol you have to pee a lot, and you're probably not drinking a lot of water. However, many studies have proven that there is no correlation between high levels of the hormones associated with dehydration and the severity of a hangover. It's likely that dehydration causes some of the symptoms of a hangover, but dehydration is not the direct cause of a hangover. 
Another theory as to where hangovers come from is that high levels of alcohol interfere with your body's natural chemical balance. In order to process high amount of alcohol, your body has to convert the enzyme NAD+ into an alternate form NADH. When you have too much NADH and not enough NAD+, your cells aren’t capable of doing a lot of things they normally do like absorbing glucose or regulating electrolyte levels. However this has also been shot down by a study that found when people are drunk they don’t necessarily have lower electrolyte or glucose levels. 
The most compelling theory so far is that hangovers result from a release of the toxic compound Acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is the first byproduct of processing alcohol, and can be 10-30x more toxic than alcohol itself. In a controlled study, Acetaldehyde has been proven to cause all of the same symptoms as a hangover.
Hangovers have also been proven to be slightly genetic. Certain people don't experience hangovers as much as others. Sometimes, this is due to race. It is common for women to experience more severe hangovers than men, but that can be explained by the fact that women generally weigh less than men. Age also plays a role in hangover severity, but that can be due to the fact that as you get older you are less likely to binge drink, or your body is becoming more and more used to alcohol.

Society
Binge drinking almost always leads to a severe hangover, and many college students binge drink. In fact, 80% of college students say they drink on a regular basis. Many college students binge drink because they work all week then the second they get out of class, drink in huge amounts. Hangovers can make you extremely sick, and sometimes too sick to go out or work. Some things you can do to relieve a hangover are drinking water or sports drinks, eating light, and taking pain relievers. 

Self
As someone who is going to college in a couple of months, I want to be prepared for this new lifestyle. I want to be educated on why so many college students get sick when they party, and how to help myself and my friends be safe. 

QUARTER 3 ART

This quarter has been pretty fun! Its started off rough because this time we had two art history's. But I understand why she did it like that. My favorite piece of art would be the mosaic piece. At first I thought that we would be using pieces of glass. But when we asked Mrs. Hull, she said we were using construction paper. For my mosaic piece, I did a purple octopus, because purple is my favorite color. This project brought back memories of when I used to do mosaic pieces in elementary school. My second favorite was the water color!. I absolutely love love love to water color. But what I didn't know was that there was different ways you could water color. I only thought who ever you get the paint on there is how it's done. To know that there are names for different techniques was pretty cool. For my water color pieces I did a combination of 4 pieces split into two. I got one whole piece of paper and split it in half. Next I taped the two half pieces in another half to create four different sections. I split it up like that because I did not want to do four big pieces.

My hardest piece of art is my wire sculpture. Honestly I do NOT know how people get this stuff to bend perfectly. I tried to do the easiest thing which I thought was to do my name. Then I realized my name has 8 letters, so the back up plan was to do my middle name. Which was semi successful, I manage to do 4 out of the 6 letters. I could not get the "a" and the "e" to cooperate. SO it say "Nish" instead of "Nishae". I wish the wire was a bit thicker so it would bend how I want it to bend. I'm excited for next quarter, learning about banks, and loans and how all that good stuffs works. 

Christian Moore Q3 Art

For Quarter 3, I decided to do art that reflected me. All my pieces mean something special to me, from my drawings to my colorings also. From doing the difference assignments, I learned that art can be very fun and is not as hard as people thought. Taking a basic shape and turning it into something we can all recognize is cool. 

Quarter 3 Portfolio

     ​Starting off this quarter seemed harder than most. The projects seemed like they were getting out of my comfort zone but I like it. My favorite piece of artwork from this quarter would have to be my skull watercolor. Watercolor is usually used for bright and seemingly joyous art and I felt good switching it around. It was interesting to see how the colors blended to create this piece using the blowing technique. My second favorite would have to be the rocketship paper clip (that rhymed!). I was really stumped about what to make for my wire sculpture until one day I was in my Econ 21 class and we were given the assignment to make a creative paper clip out of wire. I took the opportunity to start making something cool out of wire and this was the result. As a senior it's good to remember that you are leaving in only a few months and have something that reminds you that you will always be a part of your school. At the end all these projects represented me in one way or the other. The abstract watercolor brings out my chaotic yet serene life. The Coat of Arms which took the longest shows how my family and I like to spread our wings and be adventurous. The metamorphosis, a beautiful representation of how humans think that they support the earth while it supports everything else. It all comes together for me especially as someone just trying to get out of school and make it through the year to take a step back and express myself. 

Anastasia Petropoulos, Q3

This PowerPoint displays  the different pieces of art I have created over the past ten weeks.  
The first assignment I completed was the adult coloring. I never knew that coloring could be such fun, but for this assignment that is what I discovered. For each coloring book page I choose a color scheme I wanted to focus on.  The first two coloring book pages have a scheme of light secondary colors and the third page has a scheme of dark primary colors. For my self portrait I focused intently on the shape and size of my face in order to properly capture my features. I am very satisfied with the outcome, especially comparing it to my first self portrait. The value piece I create came to be using a lot of charcoal. Smudging was very useful during this process in producing a gradient scale.  I choose to draw a sphere for my value model because I thought it would nicely showcase my perception of using the light/dark scale. After reading the excerpt on basic shapes I decided to draw a pineapple for the assignment. I used a pineapple as the model because I figured that pineapples are constructed most of the basic shape and for that reason it would be easy to recreate. Also pineapple means "Welcome", I believe.... For the final assignment I choose to draw a bunny because I like bunnies. :)
This is my art, take as you will...

Pedro: Q3 Art Blog

Quarter three of art this year was definitely a journey. There were ups and downs in and out of art, for me at least. Third quarter being the longest and most stressful made sitting down and taking the time to draw very difficult for us. But at the end of the day, everyone pulled through. This quarter, like the past two began with some art history. We answered a couple questions based on a text that we read and then we moved on to a lesson about abstract art. I created the head of a pharaoh made out of diamonds and triangles. I thought this would be a different and more urban take on abstract art. Next we moved on to advanced coloring. I drew a main character from one of the best selling fighting game franchises to date: Tekken. Once I got the sketch of him down, I decided to not use many colors. I brung out his gloves and his left eye because those are the features that stand out about him the most. The next drawing of the quarter was another self portrait. While I went for a more realistic drawing this time, I tried to focus more on the clothes that was on me. I scratched out features of my face because I wanted people to focus on the picture as a whole. After this we learned about value and the black and white gradient. We were asked to create a drawing of something with round ends so that we can give it a 3D look using value. I chose to draw a ball and I made the light come from the top right corner. The next assignment was about basic shapes. This was the hardest for me because I usually just hop right into a drawing. I decided to TRY and draw a teddy bear by drawing the shaped that made it before hand and then doing the same but adding detail. The final was animal shapes and I decided to draw my first dog, Kayto. He was named after the Green Hornet's sidekick, Kato. He was a beagle puppy. Unfortunately we had to give him away when we moved later that year. 

Quarter 3 Portfolio

With a new quarter comes new challenges, and this quarter was full of new. The amount of mediums I consistently work with is typically limited to one, sketching. This quarter we went over many new mediums for me like wire sculptures, painting, and even mosaics. This variance was very effective in making me have to think of more creative ways to express the ideas I had for the project. The wire sculpture was probably the most difficult for me given my inability to understand how to accurately pose the figures. Other than that I feel all of the methods were done with very clean details and designs. Overall, I feel my work and understanding of these newer mediums were better understood after finishing this project.

My personal favorite part was the Coat of arms, it gave me a moment to look over family insignias. I knew my family had a Family Crest  which I used as the basis for my design, it was open in design and had small details that made it look clean. I wanted to replicate that feeling for anyone who saw my coat of arms. Of course, I added my own details, I feel the stripes added a bit of character.

Jared trusty #3 blog post

In my 3rd quarter  blog post i have an assortment of my best works over the few months. My self portrait is of me as a baby while my other works are more modern and resent. The first thing i completed was the advances coloring, i have three different characters the first being Lavi the second soul eater and finally my own version of posiden. The next thing we did was basic shapes. With a perfict transition we then did animal shapes and value. Thank you for looking at my blog post bye.