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The first picture, is just a line drawing.
The second is Shadowing with some shadow reflection
The Last one is supposed to be negative space.

Hello again and welcome to blog three. After a ton of research I found that the leading cause of animal abuse is neglect.  32.4% of animals are actually neglected as opposed to the 5.6% that are actually beaten. Not all abuse is intentional most people forget that they have a pet or can’t afford to take it with them when they move.  The animal is forgotten and left to die. Some people think they have left good conditions for their pets and go on vacation, and then they come home to find out that they didn’t leave enough food or water and the pet was neglected.  So really not all animal abuse is intentional. Most just don’t realize what they are doing.  

 

 

 

This will be my last post so good-bye! Thanks for reading!

Illegal, Illegal - punishable, up to 2 years in prison, Illegal - punishable, up to 2 years in prison to death penalty, Illegal - punishable by death, Illegal – punishable by expulsions from country, Men illegal/Female legal, and Legal. These are the words you will see when you look at the homosexual policies for different countries. These names are just from the 'Same Sex Sexual Activity' column. Some people can't even openly say they are homosexual because they will either die or go to jail. Homosexuals can't travel to some places because they are going to be put in jail. No wonder why homosexuals have to hide who they are.

         What does this mean for other homosexuals in other countries? If teens are being bullying to death just because the religious groups are saying this wrong, but in other countries it is illegal, what happens to them? What are their stories? Do they even get bullied or do they just get killed? What are the emotions they feel when they realize they are homosexual but where they live it is illegal? The teens must receive hell in these places like Afghanistan, Barbados, Somaliland, or Sudan.

         We need change, I may just be on teenager at Science Leadership academy, but I know we need to change. Teens are the future; these teens that are attempting suicides could’ve been something special. How would we know though? We wouldn’t, but we can find out. Maybe if people realized that homosexuals are regular people then we can change the world. It may take time, but it would be better for everybody. I WANT to change this. WE NEED TO CHANGE THIS. Next time, you see a teenage being bullied for their sexual orientation, help them, defend them, or tell a teacher. Be a friend. 

For the last two blogs I have informed you of the facts of teen suicide and depression. There are many things that can lead to depression and then suicide. Some teens commit suicide due to religion. Bobby Griffith was one of those people. Bobby had discovered that he was gay and feared what would happen to him. He grew up learning that if you were homosexual that you would not be worthy of Gods love. He also often overheard his mother saying how much she disliked homosexuals. Feeling as though God and his mother would have turned there backs on him and would not love him, he hated himself, he then took his own life by jumping off a bridge. This made his mother devastated. It was only after his death that she realize her view on gay people was wrong, but it was too late for bobby. This all shows that suicide can also be caused by pressure of religion, and pressure of being good enough for your parents. Bobby thought that he could never be good enough for his parents, he took his life.
http://lakeweedatarrowhead.net/1atragic.htm

Jill was a girl who had tried to kill herself three times. She was also easily aggravated and had low self esteem. She had went to therapy to get some help. This is one of the conversations they had, "I want to commit suicide because..." Jill responded, "I want to commit suicide because I feel trapped. I can't be myself. I have to take care of my mother." Then I continued, "Jill if you could be free to live your own life, would you want to live? "Yes," she replied." This shows that when a teenage feels trapped, they will try to release them self. This is the sad reality of life. We teenagers wish to go out and do what they want and be able to live free, but not all of us can.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Teen-age-Suicide:-A-True-Story&id=179598

"The sharp knife winked at me in the dark closet and whispered softly in my ear, "Come play with me. There is nothing called failure here. You will surely win. Just strike me deep down your nerves and I will set you free from this painful world." It almost hypnotized me. I could see nothing but the sharp edge. I closed my eyes, with a warm breath and a smile I accepted the challenge that leaded only to victory." Victory, that's what some teenagers think it is when they have no option left. The way out of there pain. But that is not true. By doing that you plunge yourself into darkness an will be more alone than ever. And they never think about the ones they left behind, the ones they beat, the ones that last a friend and family member. They lost something permanently because of a bet they never made. They lost someone close to them, and will forever grieve. Believing it was their fault. Thinking they were the reason you were depressed, the reason you took your life. When you kill yourself you lose your your life, they all lose a friend. I believe its not worth it. So should you. No matter how alone you feel, someone will always miss you.
http://living.oneindia.in/expressions/personal-expressions/2008/suicide-true-stories-life-decisions-210708.html

The leading cause of death for people 15-24 is suicide. Don't be a statistic. Don't be the one that abuses substances and become depressed. There is always someone there for you. If it isn't your parents maybe it is a friend. For some people, it was there friend that came at the right time to hang out that stopped them from contemplating suicide and helped then realize life was worth living for. And there is always a reason to live. it is just a matter of finding it. Life is such a beautiful thing and should not be shortened. You never know what the future holds so keep a firm grip on life. We are all born for a reason. Find that reason.

Peace out,
Nick M.   
  

The last two Blog entries I wrote showed my anguish and upbraided feelings to the fact that the US Government were thinking about shutting down this program. This decision was averted but it still does not affect the way that I feel about this topic. Lawrence 'Donnell has a show called "The Last Word" on MSNBC. This show was dedicated to Planned Parenthood and how upset he was that Republican Senator Jon Kyl said a lie that Planned Parenthood's services are 90% abortion; when in actuality only 3% have to do with abortion. When asked about the statement Sen. Kyl said that "the statement intended to be a factual statement". Many politicians said that after something like that a lot of Senators cannot trust his information.
Then O'Donnell shared something heartwarming that made even him tear up. He read an e-mail from a personal friend who uses Planned Parenthood. She was laid her from her job and can't afford to go to a regular doctors' office. For 10 years she hasn't seen a doctor and for 5 she hasn't seen a dentist. This e-mail was more of a cry out for help. In the e-mail she said that Planned Parenthood does many other services; some I didn't even know they did. One example is that they give out mammograms for women. O'Donnells's friend has been getting lump on her breast that appear and disappear since she was 17. Now the lumps are getting worst and worst, and she said that Planned Parenthood is helping her out a lot with this problem. Women all over not just her go through the same thing. Not everybody is employed, not everybody has money to go to the doctors. Planned Parenthood does much more then what people see. They save lives and help you prepare for new ones.

 I am pleased to hear that the government did not shut it down, but personally I feel like it should had never been thought about in the first place. Even as a teenager I know some of my older friends who use Planned Parenthood. I truly and strongly believe that urban women would not be the same if this program did not exist. Birth control has become very expensive. Young adults need Planned Parenthood, despite what you believe or think young adults should have a right to have birth control available to them. I strongly hope that this is the last time something like this happens. 





Video:http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/08/lawrence-odonnell-tears-planned-parenthood-government-shutdown_n_846953.html

 

So last time we left off with some information about the different toxins that are going into the air and what we should be aware of. This time we will be talking about the emission trends & projections of the environment. From statistic's the Fifth U.S Climate Action Report concluded, in assessing current trends, that green house gas emissions increased by 17 percent from 1990-2007. Over time, the U.S. GDP increased by 65 percent and the  population increased by 21%. The  dominant factor affecting U.S. emission trends is CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion, which increase by 21.8 percent over the 17 years period. Methane and nitrous oxide emissions decreased by 5 percent and 1 percent which is a good thing. The decline in nitrous oxide emissions is largely due to the installation of newer N2O control technologies in motor vehicles throughout the past decade. I think that we should try to increase the production of hybrid cars instead of continuing to make cars that give off gas. If we stop the production of gas powered cars then the percentage of N2O would decrease rapidly. 

If you want to know more click here.
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Do you receive a trans pass from the school district, in order to get to and from school? Well, until today there was a chance that that could have been cut from the budget. Thankfully SEPTA released a statement saying that it will continue to bargain with the school district of Philadelphia. This relieves many parents and students of the stress of finding out how to take their child to school, or finding out how to pay for the public transportation.

I know it sounds easy to pay the 2 dollars for a normal bus to school, but most people don't realize that some people have to take the trolley or multiple buses. This can turn out to be very costly if you are taking 3 buses to get to school in the morning and 3 buses to get back home at night. Then you will have to do that 180 days. This all adds up to a grand total of $2160. This is way out of the realm of possibility for some families. This money could be put toward furthering a students education, like college but instead these families might not be able to afford to send their child to school everyday of the week. This could increase the drop out rate and again increase the incarceration rate because the students will have to find a way to make money for school, but won't be able to get a job because of their current education status.

Citations: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/pennsylvania/122708103.html

​To sum this whole "Gay is the New Black" controversy, gay rights is a civil right. However, should not even be thought about being compared to the black human race. People of African decent have been separated from other races because of their skin color. White people and black people had to be separated in school because of their skin color and the discrimination. However, please sit a think... has there ever been a school for straight people and gay people?

 Dont get me wrong, gays have endured a lot throughout their entire lives. No one asked to be gay. It is a proven fact that people are "Born This Way". I totally think it is wrong for a person to sit down a lecture a homosexual about the wrongs of being gay. I believe that people should be able to do what ever they want to make themselves happy, as long as it is not harming anybody else. People can say that "it hurts to see a gay person because they are so disgusting". However, all it really is, is a person being selfish. I have never witnessed a gay person walking around discriminating against straight people.

The world would be so much of a better place if we could stop worrying about the minor things in life and worry about tackling the bigger issues. Homosexuals are not doing anything to anybody. I believe that gays are just trying to feel comfortable in their own skin. When people discriminate against gays, they are just being a bully and need to go get a hobby because making people miserable for something they cannot help is awful! 

Citations-
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/2011/2011/05/22/erica-essay-2/

http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/genetics_of_homosexuality.html

​ We all love snow and snow days off from school or work. Unless of course that cost hard working people the money they need. Speaking about snow, remember the huge snow storm of 2010? Record were being set all over the United State. 49 of 50 states were hit by some sort of heavy snow fall. Florida was untouched by all the massive snow falls. There is a pretty good explanation for this phenomena.

As things get warm, it becomes easier for it to become moist. This is true in most cases. Take that example and put it into our atmosphere. With the increasing temperatures, more moisture is being held in out atmosphere. All this moisture will be turned into heavy rainfall, hurricanes, or thunder snow. Guess what? this is all caused from global warming.

How this works? In a basic sense, as from what I have read so far, the increased heat is melting the polar ice caps. The released moisture will rise into the atmosphere and collect.  All that moisture will equal major storms and what not. 

There also seems to be an increase in tornado's in the United States. Just recently there was a tornado in North East, Philadelphia. Tornadoes in Philadelphia, let alone Pennsylvania are very rare. About 4 days ago, there was an EF-0 Tornado in Lehigh Valley. When does that ever happen? Scientist have just claimed that the increase in tornado activity is from global warming. Not enough information has been released for me to say anything about it. 

It's a scary thought to have tornadoes tear apart your house. Or to have massive amounts of snow cave in your your ceiling and roof. I'm pretty sure none of you do either. So please take into consideration all the destruction that you can potentially cause by just throwing a McDoThe world doesn't revolve around it. It revolves around your actions. So take action and save the world!

Here's a quick fact:


Sorry if you can't see it
Henry Out.



Sources: 

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2011-01-12-2010-warmest-year-climate-change_N.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/weather/climate/globalwarming/2011-03-01-snow-cold-global-warming_N.htm

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2011/02/03/chicago-snow-2011-and-1967-global-warming-then-too/ 

​Since the food industry has grown and there's always more people to feed, the quality of food coming out of factories isn't the same as they used to be 40 years ago. A large factor to that is corn. Cows bred by big coporations are fed corn mil. Cows stomachs are supposed to be fed grass. This species for centuries of generations were raised on the open land of grass. Corn messes up the digestive system of a cow and as a result, they need to be given antibiotics by the time they start eating corn. Which is once they come out their mother's uterus lining into a world where the calves purpose is to be eaten. 

Two men, Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis, decided to become farmers to learn were the food they eat so much came from. After a nine month period, after planting 31,000 seeds of corn on one acre of land, turned into 10,000 pound harvest. Ten thousand pounds of corn can produced 57, 348 cans of soda, 3,894 corn-fed hamburgers, 2,301 pounds of bacon, or 6,726 boxes of corn flakes. Both of these men realized corn was literally in everything they ate. Doughnuts, bacon, beef, soda, etc. In the conclusion of gaining this knowledge, they decided to get their analyzed to exactly see how much corn was in their bodies. Cheney had a 58% make up of corn in his body and Ellis 53%. 

Cheney and Ellis actually made a film called King Corn to show regular Americans what most of their food consists of. Cheney and Ellis say Earl Butz, the 18th secretary of agriculture, is the blame for this big industry of corn production that caused the fast food industry to boom in the past twenty years. After being in office from 1971 to 1976 under Presiden Nixon's appointment, Butz's idea was to genetically modify corn to create a surplus of the product. 

So, Butz who died in 2008, could be the primary blame for this vegetable that colonized all of Americas died, but regardless, since it's a big money maker for corporations and no farmers, it's going to be hard to wean of off such a highly used project. 

Sources:

Fueling The Fast Food Industry

One topic I feel that needs to be addressed is bullying. It is such a powerful thing and I feel it should be mentioned.The bullies don't even realize how effective what they're doing is. Over the internet, phone or in person. Bullying is bullying. There are a a lot of different reasons. The bullies feel insecure and they need someone to pick on and make them feel better about them self. Jealousy is a major reason. Like the bully isn't as pretty and the one person gets all the attention, so the bully just hates it so much she tries to make her feel bad. Because the other person is different. For example gay. When in reality there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, in my opinion.

These are just a few examples of what bullying could be about. If bullying of any kind is done to the point where person getting bullied is starting to feel so awful about them self they let the bully win. They take their own life. It's a heart breaking thing. It really is. 

The last two pictures are pictures of my sculpture. I took 200 photos and during my weekend vacation to portland I used 3 pictures from the bunch and altered the saturation and exposure of these photos. 

    I completely understand that there are people in the world who are going to argue against the title of this blog post. However, to me, it's just a rhetorical question. There are so many other things in the world , that are actually wrong, that those people can be spending their time on.

    The United States has come so far over the years with same-sex marriage. Granted, there has been over a  half a million hate crimes for same - sex couples. Keep in consideration that there weren't that many people coming out in the 1920s, so that number of hate crimes was a lot.

    There was a change that came for same-sex couples. In 1972, East Lansing, Michigan banned the discrimination against same sex couples.  However, with change, there are always going to be people against it.  Many people thought that it was a "threat" to the American way of life. Also, some Americans didn't want to have a gay airplane pilot, school teacher, or even doctor. However, when you think about it, we need those people. Why would you stop someone from helping you get to where you want to go, learn, or even cure your disease. WHY?

    When you just sit there and ask yourself the question "WHY" , it is hard to think of an excuse. Any type of discrimination is wrong. There is a wide variety of people who are discriminated against on a daily basis. There are people that really take that seriously. There are people who take their own lives BECAUSE of it. But what I wan't you to do is just as yourself "WHY". You know the reasons why they are doing this. But why do most people want this for same-sex couples or anyone who is teased. These are the consequences. WHY? WHY? WHY and HOW can  people so cruel?



The Link were I got all of my statistics is here.

          After more of my research I still see that more kids each day are starting to do drugs and drink at a young age. By a young age I mean 10 and up. I don't really know why these kids do this. After researching that, I found out that most kids do this for publicity and self esteem. I also found out that children who use or drugs and alcohol is to feel old. To be older than they actually are.

          I do know someone who smokes and drinks to be cool his name is Nasir he is only 10 years old he has 2 older brothers and 2 older sister they live right next door to me. He smokes and drinks because his brothers do it. He tells them that if he doesn't smoke or drink with them he will tell their mom. The 2 older brothers are also young one is 12 the other 15. Now people come around asking to buy off of them and smoke with them. In reality they are using his money they no he want buy the drugs or alcohol because they are friends. So he buys and buys, smoke and drink. It is sad to see people at a young age do these things.

          I have tried talking to them but they don't listen. I don't get why they don't listen. It is for their own health, but the more their friends come around the more they buy.

         I hope all of this stops not just with them but in general drug and alcohol, abuse messes up people minds and action. It makes them look different as a person and kills people including themselves.

NO DRUGS
NO ALCOHOL

 

 

            Some of you people that are reading this are probably thinking that childhood obesity can’t affect much of our general public.  You are wrong.  16% of children are obese.  That is a large enough of a percentage to be called an epidemic.  Out of those obese children, ½ of them become obese adults. 

            If you are a parent and your child is obese, don’t just think that they will magically become fit.  That is a process which lasts for a long time.  Diet and exercise affect your Child's weight, and so does mindset.  You need to make them think, and be strong enough to get through each day’s workout.  You need to encourage them, and push them.

            As I have previously stated, obese children are 51% more likely to get heart diseases, diabetes, or some other possibly fatal disease.  About half of all obese people have diabetes as well.  Also, people with a lower education have a higher chance at becoming obese.  These are staggering statistics.

            Throughout this project, I’ve discussed obesity through the lens of an academic.  I cannot fathom being obese, but I know that this is an issue that needs to be pursued.  America is slowly becoming more obese, and I don’t want the future of our country to look like the movie Wall-E.  Help America by checking out the links below, and doing research yourself.  With our help, this topic could become a first priority.

Bibliography:

http://usgovinfo.about.com/library/weekly/aa010803a.htm

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09317.html

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/obesityinchildren.html

Well i wanted to stay home because I needed to work on my capstone and my calculus benchmark. Sorry everyone. I know you miss me ;]

1. How is sound produced by this instrument (now that you know more about sound, please try to refer specifically to the energy transfer and vibrations)?

I was thinking about doing piano at first. Pretty sure I'm going to make either a xylophone or a twanger to make matters easier. Sound is produced with the xylophone by hitting on the keyboard of different sounds and pitches. The longer the rod the more mass it has where as to a shorter rod it'll have a more pitch sound.

2. Based on your understanding, how are you changing the pitch? What physical characteristics are important in this instrument?

 It depends on the length and width of the rod to create the sound.  

3. What materials will you actually be using for your instrument and why? How will you play your instrument? What is your plan for constructing the instrument?

I planned on using metal plates to use as the keyboard and a box to have a base for the plates. From my understandings, the length and width of the rod will have more of an effect in constructing the instrument I would like to play. 

4. What outstanding questions do you still have?

Am I on the right path Ms. Awesome? 

 It depends on the length and width of the rod to create the sound.  


Am I on the right path Ms. Awesome? 

really, really enjoyed the past few days.

now for next Tuesdayyy. :]

i'm such a weirdo.