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Javier Peraza Public Feed

Javier Peraza Capstone

Posted by Javier Peraza in Capstone - Bey - Wed on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at 10:27 pm
For my Capstone I decided to write a twenty-four part novella to reflect on and hone my skills in writing. I aspire to be a published writer one day and I thought doing a writing piece for my Capstone would not only give me practice with long pieces of writing but also allow me to discover who I am as a writer. Every part (or chapter) came out to be approximately 5,000 words each. I say "part" instead of "chapter" just because my novella is not broken into chapters but rather parts that can be read out of chronological order. When writing something so extensive your process is very tedious. Some parts I spent months on because revisions were hefty. I revised the first part at least seven times, and not just small grammar mistakes. The first part actually went through seven full out structure changes, each one making the story read differently than the last. As of now, I am still undecided on which structure works best for setting the scene of my novella. It is something I can reflect on over the summer. Although I did learn a lot about what I was capable of as a writer, I learned more about what my true work ethic was. I saw when I worked best and learned how to know how much I could get done before even starting. I also taught myself to sit still long enough to put at least 3,000 words on paper at a time. In the end, I am more confident as a writer and have this enduring obstacle under my belt. Please enjoy part 2 of my novella which is attached below. 
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bibliography (1)
Tags: capstone, Bey, 2016
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Discussion Controversy in a Classroom

Posted by Javier Peraza in Reading, Writing And Rising Up - Block - B on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 at 11:13 am
Wilson Biggs, Brandon Yam, William Derry, and I decided to research the question "How are controversial topics discussed proactively in a classroom?" We conducted this research by creating a radio piece of a mix of different people's opinion on the topic. We interviewed a professor, a teacher, and a student. Controversial topics range from the shooting in Ferguson to creationism vs evolutionism. We discovered that not only is it possible to discuss controversial topics like these in a classroom but also necessary in order for students to grow within their community and be aware of the world they are a part of. We find this topic to be really important because we feel that proactive discussions about controversial topics should be practiced in all high schools. 

Click here to listen to our piece!
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The U.S.A.'s Secret War Against The Pathet Lao

Posted by Javier Peraza in American History - Jonas - X on Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 10:52 am
IMG_2650
IMG_2650
My info graphic shows how the U.S. went to war with the Pathet Lao and kept it secret for twenty years. I picked this topic because it shows how the U.S. takes advantage of other countries in foreign involvement (the people of Laos repayed America by letting us bomb their country side in search for Vietnam military bases). Refer to Zoe's for picture. 
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Walt Disney

Posted by Javier Peraza in American History - Jonas - X on Monday, January 26, 2015 at 8:34 pm
My topic resolves around the innovative leadership in the fields of economy, entertainment, and education that is Walt Disney. 

I wrote two essays for my topic.

Here is one.

Here is the other one. 


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The Strain

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 3 - Rami - E on Tuesday, November 4, 2014 at 9:22 pm


A settling peace envelops you with a body cradling, feel of refuge. It’s sensual and leaves your now prickled skin energized but content. It’s resounding with a need for sleep, it’s unknotting movement in your muscles. Most of all, it’s silence; empty, free of stress, silence. It’s the kind that invades your mind in the pause after not yet realizing you’ve completed something challenging, much like writing a book or finishing a marathon. This peace is followed with your regarding of black walls. Black walls that move till the end of time in every direction to horizons unknown. Then there’s the smell; awakening and entrancing to your senses.

Only, the smell is not one that is delightful. It’s the feverish smell of rotting corpse and stagnant fluids. The black walls are those of a 777 Boeing aircraft; huge, but not nearly till the end of time, huge. The invading silence in your mind is not of accomplishment but of rape. The resounding need for sleep and unknotting of your muscles is death quickly creeping up on you. Finally, the settling peace is not body cradling and it certainly isn’t a feel of refuge. It’s something darker than a long night’s unrest. What is before you is the scene of hundreds of undead passengers staring at you with full of life, lifeless eyes. They stand steadily, come hither, and fear sets in.

Luckily, you aren’t really here. You are somewhere genuinely safe reading here. What is here? Here is the riveting and nerve twanging novel created by the combined minds of Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan, The Strain. When an airport houses a flight of recently turned, contagious vampires and a zombie overlord with a mind to infect, the streets of Manhattan become a playground for chaos. A CDC agent, a computer hacker, an exterminator, and a Holocaust surviving, vampire slayer soon find themselves to be the last line of defense between the world and the end of the world. It is the only thing the reader can do but grip dearly to these characters’ lives as the pages go on to be evermore tumultuous to his or hers emotions. In short, it is absolutely terrifying and terrifyingly absolute with its purpose to make you turn the pages with eyes firmly shut.  

Don’t let this stop you though since The Strain holds more for the reader looking for thought stimulating ideals that will either shed light on or make you struggle with your own moral compass than those looking for a horror flick. Del Toro and Hogan create unmaneuverable circumstances where their characters and readers alike must share in hackneyed, but unspeakable, quarrels of euthanasia. The two authors make cliché the new black with themes incorporating wedges of intense darkness, tear jerking moments, and insomnious death.  You will question the dependability of your society, baffle with the idea of being dead, and learn more about the innards of yourself than imagined being one of a few novels that actually dig so deep into the sporadic and guarded human mind and heart.

What is truly fulfilling is a rare situation where the exterminator decides to spare those that are infected and search for a cure while the CDC agent loses hope on healing the human race and decides to rid the city of vampires. This change of identity becomes a rewarding read which has left me thinking about my own identity and how the world around me, when it changes, will affect myself. The novel continues to make the reader think this way where they will be forced to put down the book several times just to grapple with what their own interpretations and opinions are on the themes expressed.

Alternatively from writing, David Guillermo had conveyed his creativity in filmography before The Strain. Being the writer and director of several movies such as Pacific Rim, Hellboy, and Pan’s Labyrinth, Del Toro knew the risks and futility of converting what can easily be seen on screen in writing and projected into thousands of people’s minds. His style of writing successfully paints a vivid picture of his story in a way where a reader does not even notice they are reading. The second it takes for readers to switch written words into portraits is completely eliminated when words glide so easily into thoughts that reading a Guillermo Del Toro is like mindlessly watching television.

The Strain is the summoning of Stephen King, Michael Crichton, Richard Matheson, and Bram Stoker together for one purpose; to write a novelty epic in which you will revisit the days of under the bed monsters and moving shadows in the dark. There is no where to be protected other than being utterly lost in the pages of this book. Buy it at your local bookstore and begin to read for the experience is not only doubtlessly satisfying but surely worthwhile. The moral roads traveled within the pages are precisely ones you have not met before. After reading The Strain, if you were not before, you will find yourself thirsty for more in your own vampiric way.


The Strain

Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan

William Morrow and Company

June 2, 2009

585 pages

Horror

To see my creative piece click here.
Tags: english 11
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Mini-Capstone

Posted by Javier Peraza in Bio-Chem 10 - Sherif - D on Thursday, June 12, 2014 at 9:53 am
            One of the most intriguing projects of the year for me was the SFP. This is because it was self instituted and I enjoyed watching myself grow independently. My SFP was really interesting because it was all question based. One day I was looking at the wall around my grandmother’s radiator and saw that a lot of the paint was peeling. I then went home and looked at my radiator and saw that none of the paint was peeling. This sparked my interests so it became my SFP. The internet was my best friend with researching and also real life observations. I did not co-work on any SFP projects but I did gain advice from a lot of members of my community.  I think my presentation was simple and sweet. The information was laid out placidly and it made it very easy to understand. If I were to do something differently then I would be more accurate with the data factors of my experiment. Overall, I thought I was very effective with achieving my goals in this project.                                                    
Tags: g10 science mini-capstone
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Final Portfolio 2014

Posted by Javier Peraza in World History - Block - B on Wednesday, June 11, 2014 at 8:07 am
Screen Shot 2014-06-10 at 1.18.31 PM
Screen Shot 2014-06-10 at 1.18.31 PM

Presently, the systems that make up every government are based solely off of corruption, greed, and social gluttony. Racism no longer exists because of hatred for one another. Instead, it is brewed out of the struggle for a superior social class. People oppress the different groups of the world to gain an advantage in life. Evidence of this stems from the theory that the education  system is purposely weak to send more lower class minorities into the grasp of the judicial system. It turns into a cycle where each new generation has no degree of acceptable education and must turn to a life of crime if they are to survive. Higher levels of education are granted only to those who are born into the superior social class. Our world segregates because of the need for power, not because of the need to hate.

During the second quarter of my World History class I was assigned to write a play that emphasized the meaning of social struggle and change. I decided to base my play off of the idea that our society works in a pyramid structure of class that depends solely on somebody’s race. The play was about the different ethnicities of the world banning together to defeat a greater evil. At one point in the play, a character declares, "The oppression of a race has nothing to do with racism or hatred, it has to do with the struggle for superior social class" (Play, Brek Carlier). Brek hit an understanding here that people have to be taught to hate and are never born with hatred. What they are born with is a struggle to survive in a world where there is no social equality. This is what could drive people to oppress another race even when they know doing this is wrong. Of course, there are people born into ignorance and begin to oppress merely because that is what they know to be true.

At first I found it hard to believe that the entire world could operate in this way. After completing a worksheet called “Scientific Revolution” I realized that an idea, no matter how good or bad, can spread globally because of the amount of success it has. I wrote, “An idea works like a virus. It starts out in the deepest reaches of your mind and spreads like a framework until every last inch is infected by it. When corrupt views move like a ripple through socialism it is not very unlike an epidemic. When these views are accepted globally that is when it turns into a pandemic" (Scientific Revolution Worksheet). By this I mean that ideas are infinite and can control the minds of many if they fit people’s needs. When the world is separated by class it must have seemed appealing to be able to fight for your betterment even if it is out of corruption.

I researched further on how people segregate different social classes without seeming too openly racist. I even took it out of the World History class and into the English 10 class. I found out that our education and judicial systems co-align so that more people fill jails while less people with schools. On a worksheet I stated, "A country's crime rate is solely dictated by that country's education system. It works in a cycle where you can only invest in one. Investment in education leads to a more peaceful country while an investment in the amount of jails drastically drops the quality of education the citizens of such country receive” (Global Education Worksheet). Members of superior social classes want to keep the minorities at the bottom of the food chain so there is no sharing or equality. They do this by providing a poor education system which leads to high crime rates which then eventually leads into the incarceration of many.

As unfortunate as it is, our society works in oppression. In my opinion, the only way to fix this problem is to spread empathy and awareness amongst the public. Then and only then will we have the encouragement to try and make a difference. I wanted to focus solely on the idea above but below is some other quotes that lead me to different general understandings. I will not go into depth on them for the sake of keeping your attention. Instead, I’ll let you make what you want of them.


Additional Thoughts:


"Without the attention of the world the people of revolutions would be left unsupported. Social media can be the most effective and yet the least helpful way of communicating change globally." (History Digital Story Script)


"Religion is not a road to happiness for people. The sole purposes of religion are to lend structure and reassurance to lives." (Journal #10)


"There is never a right time to judge someone, no matter the past, the present, or the will be’s" (Journal #44)
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Revolution Guidebook Project

Posted by Javier Peraza in World History - Block - B on Tuesday, March 4, 2014 at 9:25 pm
​During this Unit of World History my classmates and I have been learning all about the importance of revolutions. It is essential to know that our entire society has been molded by the outcomes of revolutions. We were just beginning to scrape the surface of this  when questions soon arose. Questions like "How do you create a successful revolution?" and  "Can a revolution be bad?" or even "What spreads awareness of an ongoing revolution to other parts of the world?" Naturally our class dove straight into an inquiry based curriculum to answer some of these questions. Our ending project for the Unit was to research a question of our choice and to then make a digital story. 
Below is the outcome of the digital story my partner and I created. Our story is based around the idea that in order to have a successful revolution you must spread awareness of your cause through the globe's population. Though that question came with many more. Also entailed in this digital story is the most effective way to get your thoughts and ideas across to such a great number of people while still changing the lives of so many. In the end it was obvious that my partner and I had answered all of our questions and had learned a great deal about the importance of revolutions. 

Revolution Guidebook Project from Brandon Huntsfield on Vimeo.

Tags: digital story, revolution
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Pipeline Monologue Project: Javier Peraza & Kevin Courtney

Posted by Javier Peraza in World History - Block - B on Monday, October 21, 2013 at 9:29 am
​ In World History class my fellow peers and I have been actively engaged with a topic of herculean controversy that has even pondered President Obama on what should be done. We have dived into the research and collaboration of the Keystone Xl Pipeline and all the intuitiveness that is carried with it. Most people applied beginning questions such as “What even is the KeyStone pipeline?” and “How does this affect me?”. Over the course of the lesson we began to learn that the pipeline was a proposed idea for an independent refined oil source that would run through the United States from Canada. Everyone was tasked to understand the viewpoints of people who were pro pipeline and people who were against it. It gave us a chance to step into someone else’ shoes and think differently. This change of thought better supported growth in our minds and helped our ability to see multiple theorems and possibilities. Some standpoints included how the pipeline could do nothing but benefit us due to its extreme safety and economical abutment. Others argued that the pipeline would be dangerous to the environment and could cause feuds with other countries. The students of the history class were involved in much research and many activities. Our last and final project was to create monologues that represented different arguments and people who are somehow connected to the pipeline. The project itself was fun, manageable and gave the class an opportunity to matriculate a subject unique to us.5 

Key Facts about the Keystone Pipeline

 - The Alberta Tar Sands oil development is garnering attention again as pro-energy forces on both sides of the U.S.-Canadian border increase pressure on the U.S. Government to approve TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline.

- Keystone XL is an export pipeline. According to the presentations to investors, Gulf Coast refiners plan to refine the cheap Canadian crude supplied by the pipeline into diesel and other products for export to Europe and Latin America.

- Reducing demand for oil is the best way to improve our energy security. U.S. demand for oil has been declining since 2007. New fuel-efficiency standards mean that this trend will continue once the economy gets back on track.

- “Its a given that the crime activity increases and hospitals are getting more use, and housing is so expensive. Sure, there are jobs, but you can’t find anywhere to live.” - Assiniboine and Sioux Rural Water Supply Commissioner Bill Whitehead 

- “The Keystone XL pipeline is not in the national interest. This pipeline, which is proposed to carry Canadian tar sands oil to the Gulf Coast, is for the purpose of generating profit for a private company, it is for a private use. It will generate very few jobs, and the oil is destined for export markets.” - Northern Plains Resource Council 


Monologues:

Green Words

(Outgoing ring of telephone. Rings then goes to voicemail. Man waits for voicemail to be over then he leaves his message. Sighs continually before speaking.)

“Hey Maria, it’s uhm your husband Tom...you’re probably not home right now or you’d answer the phone. This is my uhm fifth time I’ve called you. Maybe you got a new number or something. Maybe I just have the wrong one. Ha-ha eh its been so long since I’ve been home I don’t even remember our number. Well I mean your number now so..I tried asking your mother but she won’t have anything to do with me. She says I'm no good for you but I know she’s wrong. I know I am plenty good for you. Good for us. Look I miss you Maria, I miss our son. That’s all I do anymore is think of the two of you. I just wanna come home and have things be like they were before. I have my shit together, I do I SWEAR I DO! REALLY! I even went to one of those head doctors, shrinks I think they call them. He said that I’ve improved tremendously since the uhm..accident. I just really wanna go home and be with you and our boy. Just please...hear me out. It was all because of that dreaded pipeline I swear to you it...”

(Hangs up phone, presses head against telephone box, and starts to sob while banging his fist against the wall) 

(Calls again later. After a few rings someone picks up on the other line. Tom doesn't hesitate to answer.)

“Hey bab-Maria. I mean uhm Maria. Yes Maria. Can we talk now I just really-..no I did not get the divorce papers yet. Yea well because-...but-..yes but..Can we just talk about this please? YES! THANK YOU! Thank you so much… I uhm you know I have been sober for two weeks straight now. No I’m not lying-yes I know thats why I stopped! I don’t want our Kevin to be exposed to that kind of stuff either. I can come home now, I’ve stopped really-Now just wait one minute he is my son too!! Of course he is OUR Kevin, HE IS OUR CHILD FOR GOD’S SAKE!!! No no I’m sorry don’t hang up on me please. I didn’t mean to yell. There’s nothing wrong with me honest! It just all changed on that morning….It wasn’t my fault.. I woke up that day and went to guard the pipeline from protesters. It was getting harder and harder to do. While those damn Americans took their good old time deciding whether or not to allow our pipeline across their country more and more riots had been breaking out everywhere. Meanwhile we are up here freezing our asses off with a potential source of refined oil that we can’t possibly use until we have their pathetic consent!-Yes I know you’ve heard the story plenty of times but not this one just listen please. Those damn full of manure tree huggers were having a huge protest right next to the pipeline. They were jumping up and down on the thing and smashing bottles against it. I honestly hate them all, making my job harder. My badge did nothing. The right and just presence of a state trooper phased them none. Well everything was happening so fast-I uhm I know you have work just please listen a little more-....there was a man there. He seemed like the big guy, the damn leader of those hippie liberals...eh-he uhm he uhm had an axe. Everyone was cheering him on as he delivered a vicious harangue and pretty soon things got even more out of control. He went to start hacking away at the pipeline. I don’t know what he was thinking-he couldn’t possibly damage all 329 miles of it in Canada but I-I-...when the bullet penetrated his body everyone went silent. It was one of the most horrific things I’ve ever witnessed...I’ve ever committed. All I could think about as his limp body hit the ground was who this man was. I later found out that he had a family. Wife, kids, a brother...I didn't want to leave our family after that but I was scared!-..I got to thinking and maybe them tree huggers-I mean people..maybe they have a point. I never cared about the environment and shit like that. I only cared about protecting the community but I’m starting to realize that protecting the community involves protecting where the community lies. The Americans are right. They should proceed with caution for such a matter. Maybe I’ll go on to write my own speech and dance around a tree like those hippies-uh those people that care ‘bout where we live. I don’t wanna drink through my nights anymore, I wanna be with you and Kevin. Just please give me that last chance I’ll even-what? You really have to go now?..Uhm tell Kevin his father says hi..I love you-”

(Phone hangs up on other line. Tom starts to sob)

I didn’t mean it...I-I regret.. everything.

The Thorn In The Birch

Green blades of grass bristled my hooves as I pranced through the open field.  The white, fluffy stuff that falls from the blue dome above covered the field in patches. My brown fur sheathed me from the cold while my horns of masculine dominance showed justly. Right hoof, left hoof, right hoof, left hoof. Moving was instinct. I was looking for my kith. Right hoof, left hoof. Look for kith. Right hoof, Left hoof. My kindred must be around somewhere. The field with the white, fluffy stuff was only a short breadth from where my kindred lie in home valley. A quick whisk through the tall beings that supplied nutrients was all that was needed to reach the lowland. I bobbed and weaved through the gracious beings with meshy, green camouflage and hopped over the lifeless grey spheres that strived on the ground. Quickly I bustled into the valley only to find it empty of my family. SNIFF SNIFF. I smelled for them. SNIFF SNIFF. No scent was picked up. SNIFF SNIFF. My only thought was that they went to quench thirst at the path filled with moving clear liquid. As I was about to right hoof, left hoof it out of the valley I noticed a strange monolith, grey in color, that reigned sideways through my home. All around it was pulled up grass and destroyed shelters created from branches. My home that I had lived in for my entire escence of time was gone. The monolith was not there aforetime ago but it certainly was relevant with the stranger stuff that was going on. I first saw them when the silver circle bequeathed the blue dome two times before today. Weird looking creatures with peach, mushy fur that stretched across their whole bodies. They galloped on twos instead of fours and had long tendril like things coming out of their arms. They emitted foreign sounds while creating abstract gestures. They held in their tendrils long strips with symbols on them in which they placed on the ground. After picking them back up they inscribed more symbols on a square board. When they left I thought no more of it but now after seeing this substructure in the valley I was almost certain it had to do with them. Suddenly the monolith shook and started oozing out a black honey that had a horrible stench. Singing creatures that soared in the sky got stuck in it as they landed. As it spread, the tall nutrient bearing beings cloaked in green fumed up in red and emitted intolerable heat. I turned, dashed away immediately and in an instant was taken hold by aptitude. I barely noticed the other creatures rush by me in blurs as the rest of the forest was overwhelmed more by that heated, red element. The furry creatures that dig holes in the ground blew up in red. The flying beings fell from the blue dome as black ghosts puffed in the air. Soon I was out of the chaos and stood alone in an empty clearing. Alone. With no great alpha to guide my journey in the forest. Alone. With no kindred to buckle antlers against. Alone. With no mate to even dare attempt continuing legacy. Alone. With nothing but a grey monolith whose purpose in the forest I surely hoped was greater than the lives of my cousins that called such forest home first. 

Obama Turnover

(Walking through the hallway towards her husband’s office and immediately calling for him for plans for the night.)

“Barack...Barack. Are you in there I need to ask you something about tonight? Hello there gentlemen how are you doing today? Thats good I’m doing fine. Is the president in there? Thank you. (Opens the door of the office.) Barack...Barack. Are you in here? Hmm... He might be in the bathroom or he’s just not here. Barack can you hear me? Are you hiding from me, I want to talk about dinner tonight...you know with the kids. Its the first in a month we get to have dinner as a whole unit.”
(Cell phone rings..)
 “Hello? Oh Barack hi... umm Where are you? Your where? Atlanta! What the hell are you doing down there? Barack you know were suppose to be having dinner with the kids even my parents are coming over. Oh your sorry that I told you this plenty of times Barack c’mon...umm like really I had this all planned out. You better be back on time. Ok FINE!!!... Love you too, see you soon. 
(Starts walking away and hears a folder full of papers hitting the ground softly, and turns around.) Hmm....What's this? Is this.....(gasp of silence). What’s going on here? Is this one of Barack’s plan? The Keystone Pipeline. I’ve never heard of this. (Starts reading the proposal) The Keystone pipeline is ....(gasp)Oh No I have to call Barack. (Dials the phone and goes to voicemail) BARACK!!! You have a lot of explaining to do when you get home later today. I know you're probably doing a speech right now like you always do every time you visit a state but, its about this Keystone Pipeline thing..umm What's this all about? We need to talk in private later tonight. Bye. (hangs up phone.) (Reads more of the proposal) The keystone pipeline is suppose to be in service by 2015. It suppose to run 329 miles through Canada and 858 miles in the U.S. This will create 20,000 jobs to help people. $585 million in taxes!! Ok this is not right...right for our environment. Ohh Barack(pause) I can’t wait to yell at you. Why would you agree to this. Thats a shit load of oil being pumped for that amount of miles. This can hurt the people. This...this....this can hurt the whole environment. (She throws the paper runs out the room).  

Mended Spirits

(Kenny is walking with his boss. The phone rings and Kenny picks up the phone and hears bad news about his brother Louis, while walking near area )

“Hello? Oh hi mom. What’s going on? And why you sound like you're about to burst into tears. Wait What!!!! What the fuck you mean Louis is dead. Stop playing a joke on me mom this isn’t funny. ARE YOU BEING SERIOUS RIGHT NOW. no no No No NO NO NOOOO!!!!! How did he get killed ?!! Pipeline? What Damn pipeline theres plenty of pipelines throughout Canada. The Keystone pipeline. That new pipeline that is “suppose” to help us canadians. Wait he was shot. By who? A cop?! Why was he even shot. Mom I got to go...No I’ll call you later.”
(He hangs up the phone and starts screaming) “AHHHHHHHH NOOO WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? WHAT DID HE EVER DO WRONG. (Kenny’s Boss ask what's wrong) What’s wrong with me? Oh umm let me put it this way. MY BROTHER WAS SHOT AND NOW HE IS DEAD! Don’t tell me calm down! Im sick and tired of all the negativity that gets put on. You know what I’m done. I QUIT MY JOB! Now get out of here before I take out all my anger on you.” 
(Kenny’s Boss runs away. Kenny then kicks down a trash can and pulls out his phone and hits the record button on his camera) “Listen up Canada and people in the U.S and listen up real good. Ask yourself this. Is the Keystone Pipeline affecting our environment? Well let me tell you a little story. Moments ago I don’t know when..umm My brother has been shot to death for purposely “attacking” the pipeline. Now I’m not sure if you love the pipeline or you hate the pipeline, but if you’re a person who hates it, I agree with you (Pointing his finger to the camera). I can already see of what’s happening. People starting riots, holding up signs that say stop the keystone pipeline. Now I’m a shy guy, but now its time to stand up and raise our voices to protect our land and our freedom. Us Canadians and quite frankly Americans don’t want to have higher taxes. This is all just for oil. Are you kidding me? Now let me ask you this. What if all of the oil oozed out, what do you think would happen to our land? What would happen to the wild creatures that live on our land and protect their own kindred. As of right now I’m going to be a protester to support my brother who didn’t deserve to die over this dang pipeline. Obama or anyone specific working on this pipeline is watching at this moment...we're going to take this pipeline down. You don’t know who you're messing with. (Hits the stop button on his phone)     


A Toppling Democracy

(Governor of Nebraska walks into office and sits at desk. After reading a report from one of his officials, he sighs and pulls out his personal voice recorder in which he uses to journal is thoughts. He leans back in his desk, turns on recorder, and starts speaking)

“It has been two years since the Keystone Pipeline has been introduced into our pinnacle of society...yet my campaign to creating a better economy has gone nowhere but south. I consented to the pipeline due to the benefits that it could bring to our country. Only a few on our side of the border stand with me to seeing those benefits. To seeing true reason. The need for independence in energy renewal for this country is at an all time high. We must reduce the conflicts for oil in other countries and start coming to tangible solutions for energy resources with actual allies of us. Not lead our own country men into war when there is something we can all agree on that causes no violence. I was subtle, strong as a wall but still subtle. I have tried not to take the more radical approach but I think the call for radicalness is upon us. If even the President can not come to a conclusion soon then who can? I believe I am that person. I am quite aware of what the duties as the Governor of Nebraska are and what kind of social respect comes with such but these are hard times and hard times come with even harder reprimandations. I believe it is time for diplomatic immunity. I don’t see myself as a bad man but one who wants to see his country and countrymen thrive to their potential. Because of this I am warranting the arrest of any protester that dares raise a single finger against the Keystone Pipeline in the borders of Nebraska. I want those traitors to our country to be locked away in a cell far underground. I want them to feel pain, I want them in my grasps- uhm hi baby girl…-no Daddy can’t play right now. Because Daddy has work to do...NO DON’T TOUCH THAT SWEETY- No-

(Voice recorder ends suddenly as little girl grabs it and turns it off accidentally) 


Videos:


 

large from Javier Peraza on Vimeo.

large from Javier Peraza on Vimeo.

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Element Print

Posted by Javier Peraza in Art - Freshman - Hull on Friday, June 7, 2013 at 9:09 am
​

Reflection (two sentences on each core value relating to such project):

Inquiry:
How does this project reflect our intuitive knowledge in both art class and bio-chem?

This project can lead to us exploring new possibilities and questions in cooperative acts in other projects.

Research:
There was substantial research in this project especially listening to Ms. Hull to know how everything is done.
We all had to go online to research our element to have an equilibrium of everything we could use it in during art class. 

Collaboration:
I found myself asking for help and working together with many other classmates.

If someone had a good idea for a different element than their own they would go and tell that person who had the element. 

Presentation: 
Although not an assignment I saw a lot of kids in the hallway and at lunch using this project to practice their presenting skills.
This project gave us a good idea how presenting works because if you have a bad eject then you will have a bad presentation. 

Reflection:
Some of my classmates and I all sat down at lunch and thought on what we learned from this project due to the fact that if we don't understand what the point of everything was then we wouldn't be able to take anything from it. 

I incorporated this project in life lessons like to push yourself harder and surprisingly in reflective thought I came up with many that could help us in the tough journey that lies ahead. 



Photo on 6-7-13 at 8.54 AM
Photo on 6-7-13 at 8.54 AM
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Independent Reading: Jurassic Park

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Friday, June 7, 2013 at 8:51 am
​This is the link to my project 
Tags: Independent Reading, Dunn, English
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E1 U9 Tú Casa

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at 7:36 am
​Se llama Juan Gabriel Sánchez. El es muy inteligente. Su deportes favoritos son básquetbol y frisbi. Le gusta animales, especialmente el gatos, montar una bicicleta, California, y la playa. 

Estimado Señor Sánchez, 
Tenemos el cianotipo de tú casa sueño. Tú casa es en California en la playa.  Es cerca de un parque y un supermercado. Tú casa es mediana, moderna, divertida/vibrante,con dos pisos, con jardín, con una “cueva de nombre”. Tienes dos baños y tres habitaciones. Tenemos igualmente una bicicleta, básquetbol, y frisbi con la casa. Tú casa tiene  un aro de baloncesto, teles de pantalla planas muchas, una pista de baile,  una cueva de videojuegos, una bar, una invisible orquesta, ver de california, mentiroso de monster, y libros muchos debido a grande biblioteca.

10 descriptivo frases : 
1. El baño tiene aseo hierro.
2. El baño también tiene un aseo con palanca.
3. Finalmente, el baño se ve como una mazmorra por excitación.
4, La sala tiene un aspecto moderno.
5. La sala es muy muy tranquilo y cómodo. 
6. La cocina tiene una estufa y un fregadero.
7. La cocina es increíblemente bonita. 
8.) El segundo baño es muy grande con un espejo y una bañera. 
9.) Las habitaciones es mediana con unas camas y unas lámparas y unos libros. 
10.) El jardín es bastante grande con rastro bicicleta y mucho flores. 

Información de contacto:
Diseñado por Javier Peraza y Brandon Yam

Teléfono: 
1-800-CRAFTER

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Random Acts Of Kindness

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Monday, May 13, 2013 at 9:17 pm

Since my last two blog posts, (which you may view here Blog 1 Blog 2), I have made my hollow and cavalier promises into things more concrete and worth of time. Many weeks have passed between what I write now and what you have last read of my experiences. During those weeks I took the opportunities given to me and went hands on the projects I wrote about. It’s extraordinary thought how much the human mind can accomplish when setting one’s goals. It is even more extraordinary though how much more the human mind can accomplish in numbers. I have put a great amount of care into all the stuff I did to get involved with the community. I wouldn't feel right however without including the people that aided me in my journey. Therefore before starting you readers, who have so graciously chosen to read my blogs, on inspiring events produced by your fellow members of society, I will first thank those who deserved to be thanked. For everyone who is mention in this blog I seriously could not have done any of this without you. All of you guys have proven just and have involved yourself in the campaign to human kindness more than I have.

My You And The World project revolved around human kindness. I wanted to do something deeper than helping an old lady cross the street or paying for someone’s food. I wanted to be kind to people’s emotions. Nowadays there are tons of problems in the teenage world merely because we are all too immature to be nice to one another. Part of my project gave people the occasion to change that. I created a Google-Doc page where people could go on and just give positive reviews about their friends. So far the whole thing has been a real success and I see smiles in the hallways all because of things I’ve said on the Doc. I encourage everyone to go on and say a couple of things for yourself. The link to it is right here.

Other things I did included unveiling everyday forbearance on people’s parts. You’d be surprise on how people strive to do good in this world. I feel that knowing you made someone happy that day is a gift in itself but I really wanted you guys to see how all of your classmates interacted with each other. It is seriously heartening knowing that we live in this community where we all take pride in helping one another. If you want to see the documented pictures/photos click here.

As a christian I take self pride very seriously. In order to accomplish my goals in this project I had to actually go out and start doing acts of kindness. I don't believe in tooting your own horn or trying to make yourself look good. Pretentiousness is something I don't look fondly on. So instead, I decided to observe my neighborhood for good deeds that other people did. I even made a journal to keep track of things. On April 5, I witnessed my 4 year old sister let my brother use the TV in the livingroom even it was her turn to use it. On April 9, I saw a man drop his wallet while walking to the store. Before I could register to go and pick it up for him a stranger walked by and gave it to the man himself. So inspired by what happened I went home that day and talked to my older brother. He then turned around and followed in the stranger’s footsteps. On the 10th of April he came home and told me that he did his best to be a good samaritan in his school. On April 12th I saw my friend Brandon lend my other friend William a pen. It was all these little things that really made people’s day better.

My process hasn't ended yet for I am still trying to expose the generosity people have in their hearts. The distance that I have accumulated already though has been kind of great. At first there was a few problems but after I solved them everything went smoothly. One of the most pronounced problems that I had was trying to figure out what to do. It was hard trying to figure out the whole meaning of kindness. At many times I was trying too hard, but what I noticed was the whole point of being benevolent was not to be selfish. All I was doing was going out in the world and showing off all the good things I’ve accomplished. What I really needed to do was to show off all the good things other people accomplished. That is how I came out with such a community reflected project. It wasn't about me, it was about everyone.

I have a hard time controlling my emotions and mostly only the bad emotions come out. I haven’t been the most selfless person in the world and I am still not. The thing with this project though is that it helped me so much to be a better person. I wasn’t the only one impacted by all of this. The chain reaction of friendliness made tons of people’s days better I could really feel all the positive energy radiating from everyone.

I don’t see myself as a leader and I don't see myself as a follower. I don’t see myself as an observer and I don’t see myself as an unveiler. Samaritan is too high of a title and libertine is too low of a title. Instead I see myself as a vindicator. I do things for a purpose and only do things if they are worth it. I saw the chance to make people see how our world still had people who cared as worth it. I don’t think I’ll ever stop doing this. It starts chain reactions, that eventually when big enough, could really revolutionize the world in tranquillity. I encourage everyone everywhere to walk alongside me. If you recall my research on Pay It Forward  in my last two blogs then you will be proud to know that I am trying to start a Pay It Forward Philadelphia. Please email me at jperaza@scienceleadership.org if you are interested.


Here is the link to my bibliography.
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Javier Peraza: Negative Space Art

Posted by Javier Peraza in Art - Freshman - Hull on Friday, May 3, 2013 at 8:37 am
1. Negative space is the space between and around the topic of a picture
2. I have studied negative space before and therefore it was quite easy to find it. The simpleness is just the empty space around the subject. 
3. Negative space strengthens an artist's perspective of things. 
4. The enhancement of drawings and ext. because of negative space solely depend on the artist. Although, most likely seeing everything from different perceptions does increase knowledge and skill on that base term. 
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Final Perspective Drawing

Posted by Javier Peraza in Art - Freshman - Hull on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at 7:35 pm
​“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.” 

-Abraham Lincoln

One of the most salient things in life to know is that before you can fully understand something you must have equilibrium with all of its perspectives. For how can you truly know what a square is without seeing also the cube? How can you label a story character as a samaritan or a nefarious being without stepping into their shoes? The first stride in venturing into the world of equal empathy is to know that almost everything has infinite perspectives. This is foremost especially in the macrocosm of chaotic madness and rightful order we call art. 
It could be said that you can never reach an infinite number of perspectives in art. That eventually every one of them would be discovered and taught in a classroom or studio. One aspect of looking at that is false. New perspectives are thought of every day even without the slightest of recognition. Therefore in an ultimate loophole of a herculean panorama, where anything is possible, it is quite hard not to say that art perspectives are infinite. Although, mathematically speaking, infiniteness is a line of continuum motion in which the destination or point never comes close to your term. This a very arguable topic and could easily be discussed in class.
​ Speaking of infinities, something that a conclusion can come to without arguments is that you can't learn all of an individual's infinite qualities or separated beings. Which makes me say that I am exposed to new information but also apt to it. During this task I was novelly engaged with one of the infinities of art, one point perspective. It was a promenade that I never traversed before and I was intuitive in knowing how much a vanishing point in a drawing affected thus. I soon discovered that this could turn any number of my weird looking mindsets into reality perspective. The importance of this is that having a quantity of colorful options will only aid you. 
Just as there is infinite amount of perspectives for art, there is an infinite amount of perspectives of one point perspective. The view I chose to take was one of the negative light. In one point perspective, everything is white on black instead of black on white. Javier Peraza thought that he could not fight the compelling feeling to dig deeper in the very meaning of perspective. That is why he wanted to complete the project in that way. Since it is onerous to make out detail in a negative version of one point perspective I blue printed the very heavenly cosmos that Javier's mind creates but in a positive view. If corrected, it would be wise to travel to a different perspective of one point perspective. Of course just for clarity on the infinite macrocosm theory.

​ Often beginers trip and find their own follies. This is needed in life for without mistakes they would never rank up from beginners. An adduce that all beginners should remember though is that you must first learn the rules before breaking them. I personally, Javier Peraza, take the unorthodox path and do whatever I/he/X/Y/ a-Z/1-100/∞ wants. You must know that no one is confining you from doing what you want and you can use your freedom to produce thaumaturgy. As long as you know who you are talking to then you are fine.
A fountain of imagination and creativity, that is indeed itself inarguably an infinite, is my mind and also yours. You should never underestimate the power of the human mind for the whole concept of infinities and time comes from it. They breed to make dimensions and mathematics. It will always be your source for anything and everything for it was my source. Note though that you have OTHER minds just as capable of accomplishing as much as yourself so Javier recommends that you listen to your peers and authorities. 
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Tags: perspective, 1st Perspective, 2013, red, Red Stream
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Macbeth BM Creative

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 11:23 am
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For the third quarter benchmark our English 9 teacher had us do a quote analysis write up for Macbeth. This was meant to explore our abilities we learned on quote analysis and to be standardized on it too. Basically, the better the better you soaked up the lessons for the quarter would be the better you do on the project There was a catch though because this write up would only count for 50% of our grade. We also needed to do a creative project!
The creative portion of the project had to reflect on our quotes and our thesis. In my project I really wanted to show the evidence on how my quotes proved my thesis correct. My thesis revolved around the idea that Macbeth had healthy ambition and curiosity his whole life but when his fate was made known it all became quite nefarious. To do that I needed to incorporate every stage of downfall into the creative portion presented by the quotes. 
I soon came up with the idea of making a clay Macbeth and quote weights. As the story progressed, each quote weight would be added to Macbeth to show the struggle he endears on his journey. By the final quote Macbeth is no longer able to hold up the weights and therefore falls. This is supposed to show how in the end all of Macbeth's choices finally kill him. 






In the beginning the process was tremendously easy and had no challenges or annoyances. I always thought of myself as a pretty creative person and knew myself well enough to see that I could get anything done. It did not all go so good though for when I sat to brainstorm ideas I only found that I was sitting there for thirty minutes with nothing. To figure out what to do I stopped thinking of creative projects and started thinking of things that could be used with my quotes. That is when I came up with my project idea.
It did not get better from there unfortunately. I had to use clay for my project and because of that I went to the store and bought clay. Simple enough but I was terribly wrong. The amount of clay balls I had to create for different combinations of quote weights were in the fifties. There was only one right combination of sized balls where the statue of Macbeth would fall on the last quote and not the others. The process even got more tiresome after cooking the balls and seeing that it didn't work when cooked. Inevitably I had to go buy more clay and do it again. Crafting the Macbeth dolls was a pain for he never stood up on his own which lead to toothpick supports. During the whole thing I was constantly thinking about how this makes sense compared to my written portion of the project. I would stop and plan out everything. Most of the times the plans did not go so well and I had to go back and just plan something different. 
It's difficult having good ideas that you really enjoy but having to scrap them because in reality they are terrible. That was something I encountered many times. Surprisingly though a majority of the ideas weren't bad but just out of my capability of doing. Now I usually believe that anyone can do anything but sending Macbeth to the moon was a bit over exaggerated. 
I am seriously proud of my dexterity, endurance, and effort. I never gave up and multiple times tried to do better. After hours of tiresome work I did not go for the B but went up and beyond to get the A. I fought my own "furies" and pillaged on through lack of sleep and tired, clay filled hands. In short, it was all kind of amazing.
In thinking about it now I honestly don't know what I would change in this project. If given time then I would have hundreds of answers. If I could change the project maybe I would spend more time on brainstorming and decision  making. I want the best ideas possible and the greatest decision made. Although I see perfection as an infinity, making it impossible to reach. You can always approach perfection but when you try to grab it then it will just ran miles away with harder possibilities trailing away. It is this idea though that pushes you to do better each time. Which makes a college student generally better than a high school student, which makes a C student into an A student. 
Many things were learned from this experience, which was intended. First, I saw things that I would never even guess that some of my colleagues could achieve. Next, I found out somethings about people that I wouldn't know from not being social with them which will make me more apt to change so. I also learned that even though we all see ourselves as great and invincible, you should never over estimate your abilities. I struggled more than I thought I would but something I did not need to learn was that I amazing and therefore fought through the struggle. 
If I could acknowledge anyone it would be Ms. Dunn for teaching me well, my friends for listening to my presentations and presenting fantastic projects themselves, and my family for putting up with all the clay in the house. 
Tags: "English 9, Dunn, Macbeth
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Nuestras actividades

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Wednesday, March 6, 2013 at 8:27 am
Mi nombre es Javier. Tengo quince años. Mi cumpleaños es el ocho de febrero Me encanta ser activa. Por lo tanto, después de las clases practico deportes. Tambien odio cocinar. Así que nunca cocino. Es por que mis padres cocinan. Todos los días como. Cuando tengo tiempo libre hago la tarea. 
No sé el cumpleaños de mi padre. Mi padre trabaja todos los días. Es por eso que cuando tiene tiempo libre relaja. De vez en cuando ve la tele. También a veces el es muy, muy bobo. Mi padre odio videojuegos. Por lo tanto juga videojuegos. Mi padre encanta deportes. Así que ve la ESPN. 
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E1 U4 SLA es mejor escuela del mundo!

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, February 7, 2013 at 11:45 am
Mi nombre es Javier pero mis amigos me llama Julio. Tengo catorce años. Soy mucho loco, lindo, y moreno. Soy italiano y irlandés. Soy bastante deportista, increiblemente artístico, y muy, muy inteligente. Me gusta pasar un rato con amigos. Tambien me encanta dormir. Soy estudiante de Science Leadership Academy. Está en el centro de la ciudad. El centro es enorme.  Está cerca de Comcast Centro y Libertad 1. Tambien está cerca de Comercio 1 Comercio 2. El Comcast Center es un enorme rascacielos! El Science Leadership Academy es muy fantástico. Hay mucho colores. Hay muchos estudiantes y profesores encantadores. Hay cinco pisos. Tenemos un estilo de aprendizaje creativo. Tenemos estudiantes inteligentes. Tenemos mucho computadoras. Tenemos cosas muy buenas y un principio increíble. Tenemos un equipo de fútbol increíble! Participó en fútbol porque es asombroso. Me mucho encanta el fútbol.

Mis clases son divertidas! Tengo Inglés, Drama, Español, Matemáticas, Tecnología, Arte, Historia, y Almuerzo. Mi favorita es Literatura y Historia porque es muy fácil. No me gusta mucho La Tecnología porque es aburrida. En la clase de Literatura nosotros actuamos escenas y leemos libros. Y en la clase de Historia nosotros escribimos ensayos y participamos en actividades. En todas mis clases que necesito una computadora, unas plumas, unos lápices, una carpeta, mi bata de laboratorio, unas hojas de papel, y una mochila. Para tener éxito en mi clases tenemos que ser trabajadora. Tenemos que también tenemos que trabajar con lo mejor de nuestras habilidades. Necesitamos tomar apuntes y hace toda la tarea. Tenemos que estar preparado. Es importante ser entusiasta!

Mis profesores son bastante genial! La Señorita Manuel es mi profesora de Español. Ella es divertida y su clase es fácil. Definitivamente mi clase favorita! El Señor Sanchez es mi profesor de Historia. Él es cómico y tranquilo. Tú puede ser genial en su clase. La Señora Dunn es mi profesora de Inglés. Ella nos da libros interesantes para leer. Su clase es creativa. La Señor Bey es mi tutor. Él habla español y él es impresionante.
SLA es una gran escuela. Me encantan todos los estudiantes y profesores. Todos ellos son increíbles. Odio que la escuela es tan pequeña. Todo el mundo debería ser capaz de la experiencia de SLA . Lo que más me gusta de SLA es tenemos independencia. SLA es bastante asombroso y muy fabuloso. Me encanta el estilo de aprendizaje aquí, es increíble.  SLA es la mejor escuela. Todo el mundo debería ir a la entrevista.
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Pay It Forward Blog #2

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Thursday, January 17, 2013 at 1:22 pm

Advancing from my last blog, (The link to the blog is posted here http://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/You_And_The_World-YATW-Pay-It-Forward) I have been exigent to get more involved in the Pay it Forward movement while still keeping you guys versed on what is milestoning. I surmise that if I indubitably strive to make a difference then there is nothing out there desisting me from my goal. I wish to achieve global cognizance on how philanthropy and magnanimity can really shape our world for the better. I hope to be some spark that ignites the flame of truly good moral amongst the human race. To invigorate the honorableness in peoples’ hearts which will set in motion a path towards peace. Before I can even work to becoming this spark I must investigate whether or not humanity is capable of such a change. Also if I am to be confident in myself I must dive into creative research. This inquisition can help give me an idea on where I stand in my plan. Maybe if I find out where everyone else poses in this predicament I will be apt to come out stronger in my campaign. Like everything big, I must start out small. I should inaugurate in my community first. The only problem that arises is what can I possibly do?

Humility, generosity, chastity, meekness, temperance, kindness, and diligence are the seven main virtues that are instituted to students in Catholic schools everywhere. They are responsible for building teens’ personalities into righteous and forthright good samaritans. If you live your life by these seven virtues I am confident that you could really make a difference in your hometown or city.  As a result I felt that my journey to making this world a better place should start around here. I attended Catholic elementary school for eleven years and each day was being educated that everything Pay it Forward stood for was the way to live, in an indirect sense. In this environment we had to constantly be kind, generous and forgiving. My friends that I knew in elementary school were the exact image of eleemosynary samaritans. They treated everyone, including strangers, like a friend. Always being willing to pay for another kid’s lunch, these people are the perfect model of exactly who you're suppose you be if you join Pay it Forward. To find out more on what it means to truly be a good person I interviewed my brother Vincent. Vince is in his freshman year at Roman Catholic High School and always has a story to tell on how teens at his school enact deeds of kindness. Roman Catholic High School is filled with courteous and debonair children who are always ready to learn. Here is the link to Roman Catholic’s website if you want to learn more about them http://www.romancatholichs.com.Thus when I conducted my interview with my brother I had the utmost confidence that he would for sure tell me tales of how students in his school love to act like christians. The interview between him and I is written down below.


Me: Vincent, Pay It Forward is the organization who performs acts of kindness that is sweeping the nation. So far Pay it Forward is responsible for influencing thousands of people to perform good deeds in the world. Soup kitchens have been donated generous amounts of money and stolen items everywhere are being returned all because of Pay It Forward. Nice isn’t it, to have people out there who actually care? Especially today where there is so much evil out in the world. Tell me, how does what the people of Pay It Forward are doing make you feel?

Vincent: It’s heartwarming to see so much compassion and generosity in our society. This is proof that there are still genuine people in the world today who actually care for others.

Me: It’s good to know that this affects you so. I’m glad to have someone like you in our community who takes the time to think about this. Now I believe that you attend a Catholic school and from past experiences I understand that Catholic schools pressure their students to be good samaritans. Some say that Christians are more felicitous to exhibit acts of goodwill in the world because of their teachings of being kind to everyone. Do you see a lot of this displayed in your school?

Vincent: I have often noticed acts of kindness shown in my school. It would seem that there is some connection between students and teachers alike because they all care for each other as if they were family. Whether it is something little like holding the door for someone in the morning or helping someone with a huge task, it is the thought that always counts.

Me: That is very inspiring, I am even more happy to see that kids our age are really trying to get out in the world and spread honorable deeds like that. I think for the most part that growing up in an environment as such can have a huge impact on one’s personality. For example, you have shown that teens being taught good samaritanism not only try to make a difference for the better, but also enjoy it. Do you agree, that if you are born surrounded by other humanitarians that you are prone to lead a life of good doing?

Vincent: If you grow up in a healthy and supportive Christian environment, there is no doubt that you will grow up to be a helpful and successful person. I myself find it satisfying to give to others in need. It is such a great feeling when you know you are truly helping someone.

Me: After thinking about this more do you think you’ll try to get out in the world, maybe? The whole point of Pay It Forward is to make a chain reaction of kindness among the world. Later in the year when I start to pursue making an actual change will you join me and move on to spread beneficence in your own school?

Vincent: I’ll do anything it takes to secure a brighter and better future.

Me: Thank you Vince for allowing me to take some of your time. I hope that talking to you has inspired you to really start thinking about making a difference. I hope you have a nice day my friend.

The interview between Vincent and I gave me hope that this world is ready for a change. Although thinking through the situation made me have an altered view on things. Here was a kid who lived his whole life being educated that you should be a prime person. Was there any doubts that his response would be nothing less than “A savior of humanity’s moral good”? I became concerned that what if normal people living normal lives could be the same. I needed to conduct an experiment to see how willing everyone is to put away their selfishness and actually care about someone else. After much thought I decided to transact a survey. Walking around my neighborhood seeking friends and family I depicted a situation where they supposedly found a clip of one hundred dollars lying in the street. I then asked them if they would try to bring the money to its rightful owner. The amount of persons I asked totaled to thirty. Using a pie chart to record results, I saw that the denouement was quite disturbing.

Unlike Vincent’s inspirational account on what it means to be a good samaritan, this pie chart shows that not everyone can have a truly generous heart. Out of all thirty people I used in this survey only 7% said they would try to return the clip. That is only two people! I was upset, discouraged, driven to the point of nihilism. Surely this couldn't be real. It was inconceivable for this to be real. I went over the results over and over again but to no avail. It seemed that greed persisted in people’s souls no matter what. It was time for me to change offense. Pay it Forward is routinely educating people around the world about the seven virtues and how to live by them. Did they ever think to mention the seven vices and talk about how not to live by them? Greed, lust, sloth, wrath, pride, envy, and gluttony. The tools of the devil; the 7 notorious archenemies of Pay It Forward. The ones that prevent us to fulfil our lives as right and just people. To raise knowledge on how to avoid these deadly offenders I created a chart on what to do when evil is on your doorstep.



VICEWHAT IT ISWHAT YOU CAN DO TO AVOID IT
Pride Pride is an inflated look on yourself and your achievements. If you are very prideful you might have a big ego.It’s always good to be happy for yourself and to keep your head high;sometimes too much of that is a bad thing. To avoid pride you might not just want to be enthusiastic about your pros, but about other people’s too.
WrathMost definitely the most violent of the seven vices, wrath is an over amount of explosive anger towards a person or thing. Wrath can be really dangerous to the people around you and that is why it is important to try and sidestep it. A good way to make sure you never are responsible for horrible deeds caused by anger is to think things out. If you try to put things in a different perspective, then you might see there is no real reason to be that mad. Try to see the outcome of a situation before you do anything you’ll regret.
Gluttony Gluttony is the overindulgence of food or drink just for spite. If you and your friends ordered pizza and you eat the last piece not because you're hungry but because you did not want your friend to have it  then that is gluttony. Never look at food as a luxury but as nourishment. Once you feel that you eat just for pleasure then that is the first step towards gluttony. Try to only consume in an amount of food necessary to keep you alive. Remember there is people out there that don’t have the money to buy food.
GreedGreed, I personally feel, is one of the worst of the seven vices. Greed is accountable for hundreds of atrocious deeds committed in history. It has started many wars and domination in the world. Greed is the need for wealth.If you realize that you do not need money to enjoy life then you will be walking farther away from greed than you know it. See money not as a  necessity but as an asset. You might not believe me but the goal to happiness does not involve wealth what-so-ever.
EnvyAssassinations and broken friendship can all be found in history caused by the evil of being envious. Envy is jealousy of another person’s possessions or status in life. Envy is tremendously evil and you should always approach cautiously if you ever feel jealous of another person. If you are unable to avoid jealousy then here is a simple tip to make sure it doesn’t brew into envy. No matter who a person is and what they own you can always fulfill your dreams if you set your mind to it.
Sloth Sloth is emotional, physical, and spiritual apathy. Sloth can be something as facile as not getting up to get the TV remote because you're lazy or even neglecting to socialize with people because you don't want to waste a breath. A good way to maneuver sloth is to try to get active in the world. Make it a habit so it sticks. If you join a sports team or repeatedly do simple tasks such as holding the door for someone then you will be less tempted not to do something in the future.
Lust Lust is a strong emotion of intense desire in your body. Lust takes many forms such as lust for knowledge , lust for power, and or lust for sex. Lust is always knocking on everyone’s door. The temptation to do, say, or have whatever you want is not something you take lightly.  To counteract lust you can try to think about other things when your desire for something comes up. Starting a hobby or hanging with your friends  can help distract you from any desires.


I hope you guys can take the time to look over these deadly vices and see if you are under danger of being corrupted by anyone of them. Going back Pay It Forward I wanted to see how much the organization influenced people around the world. Reading articles and consulting people I finally found out that this global phenomenon actually inspired a director to make a movie called “Pay It Forward”. The movie involves a young boy who is given the chance to do good in the world. I watched the movie and introspected it as tremendously heartening. I'm not going to say anymore ( You can learn more here http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0223897/)but the point is that if this movement that is sweeping the world can be strong enough to have a movie made about it then why can’t it do better? After watching the movie I felt better despite the horrible events of my money clip survey. It looks like some people seriously want some vicissitude for the greater good of the human race.


Pay It Forward movie cover.


It is hard to sleep at night knowing that humanity might be growing mature from some its old and ridiculous ways of life. The ways of life where people have to filch and murder to get by. You wonder why it is hard? It is hard to sit back and not join the cause. I have such a strong opinion about helping everyone around the planet that I have been boiling with enthusiasm ever since day one. The pullulating eagerness I feel to get my hands on some project that could inevitably make another person smile is inconceivable in amount. I am willing to put gargantuan volumes of devotion in my crusade to embodiment true values of justice in our country. Unfortunately reviewing the steps leading up to this second blog I realize that my research was pointless. I'm still left wondering whether or not even Philadelphia is ready for something like this. I am timorous that support might be problematic to acquire. It unsettles me not to be confident that I’ll receive reinforcement in what seems to me an epic battle of good and evil. Although I know that history repeats itself and I'm aware that throughout history it was always the will of one person that breaks and bends the turn of events. Anyone can make a difference own their own and I am determined to have my voice heard. I can’t help still being candidly moronic on what Im doing to do for my agent of change. Everytime I think of an idea it feels like it isn’t enough to create a spark herculean enough to wake people up. I will strive forward in my research until I find the ‘treasure’ of real enlightenment. If you have any ideas or are interested in service to the world then you can email me at jperaza@scienceleadership.org


This is the link to my annotated bibliography: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1WHe41_DlnlJDnn1ULc7fNqNr9Tp8edR8O7Unbr8mIsU/edit
Tags: "English Dunn, Dunn English You and The world
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Mis Seres Queridos en Mi Vida

Posted by Javier Peraza on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 11:35 am
Spanish BM Q2 Script




This is the link to my video: https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/file/d/0B0fGcgI04GwSWGt4bEIzN2l4TjQ/edit



Introduction 

Bienvenidos ami video. Por favor disfrute.


Yo

Mi nombre es Javier. Tengo catorce años. Mi cumpleanños es el ocho de febrero. Me gusta dormir y leer. Soy BASTANTE artístico y MUCHO deportista. Yo tambien soy ITALIANO. 


Él

Se llama Vincent Capitolo. Tiene catorce años. Tiene el pelo corto y negro. Tiene los ojos cafés. Él INCREIBLEMENTE inteligente. Es importante para mi porque ES MI MEJOR AMIGO.


Ellos

Son Lucas Capitolo y Delaney Capitolo. Son MUCHO cómicos y bobos. Les gusta descansar. Tienen un pez y una familia grande. Que so importantes para mí porque es mi HERMANO y HERMANA.



Ellas

Son Isabella Mezzaroba y Brittney Cooper. Son BASTANTE extrañas y MUCHO habladoras. Les MUCHO gusta escuchar música y hablar por teléfono. Ellas son MUCHO molestas. Son importantes para mí porque son mis amigas.


Nosotros

Se llama Brandon. Somos MUCHO deportistas y BASTANTE talentosos. Nosotros los do tenemos una hermana más joven. Nos gusta practicar deportes y pasar un  rato con amigos. Es importante  importante para mi porque ES MI MEJOR AMIGO.


Conclusion

Muchas gracias por viendo. 



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The Storm of the Century

Posted by Javier Peraza on Tuesday, January 8, 2013 at 8:39 am
English Q2 Benchmark ​
English Q2 Benchmark PDF
Photo on 1-8-13 at 9.38 AM
Photo on 1-8-13 at 9.38 AM
Tags: "English, #Dunn
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The Storm of the Century

Posted by Javier Peraza on Monday, January 7, 2013 at 7:54 am
English Q2 Independent Reading Benchmark
English Q2 Benchmark PDF
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Adivina

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, December 13, 2012 at 8:41 am
Él italiano. Él bajo.Tienes los ojos negros. Te gusta comer y cocinar. 
Bella
Vincent
Pizza Guy
Photo on 11-26-12 at 3.06 PM
Photo on 11-26-12 at 3.06 PM
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Screen Shot 2012-11-21 at 9.14.48 AM
stock-vector-illustration-of-an-italian-cartoon-chef-with-a-freshly-baked-pizza-27610309
stock-vector-illustration-of-an-italian-cartoon-chef-with-a-freshly-baked-pizza-27610309
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Javier Peraza Q2 Media Fluency

Posted by Javier Peraza in Technology- Freshmen - Hull on Monday, December 3, 2012 at 9:08 am
Before I tell you why I made my slide the way it is, I will tell you that what solely influenced me to make the decisions I made was the rubric instructions and the Presentation Zen website. Now back to business. First I put a picture of myself to make it a visual theme that someone would just have to look at once to know it was about me. Next I only made one point and that is that I am “half seen, half witted.” This also is meant for only a three second glance to know what it is. I purposely made it cryptic and vague so the audience will half to listen to me speaking to understand it. I then made the word “ ME” in big white text on black background to get the attention of the audience. I used contrast by changing colors, font, and size for each text to make the slide more interesting. Another reason I did this is to make the audience think that this is more important than it really is and to give the audience a “WOW” thought. I purposely made my Last Name and Picture bleed because one it went with the “Half Seen, Half Witted” phrase and because it gives it a better artistic look that is appealing to the audience. The rule of thirds in my slide allows the viewer to get their eye caught by the big picture of me and then drawn to the words giving them a better understand of what my slide is about. I used empty space to give it a more mysterious but yet artistic look. I purposely did a black back drop instead of a white because black seems new and appealing while white is the first variant. It makes the viewer feel like it is important. My slide has a visual theme for the mix of pictures, colorful words, and exotic black back drop. 
Me
Reflection: 
Looking back at the critique I began to matriculate that the cinched, lucid, and unambiguous slide design is more often aggrandized by the monotonous audience. A monumental confabulation inscribed on a slide show is paroxysm to the benighted, and perhaps even moronic, musters. Not only that, but it distracts them from the real picture which is what transpires from the vocal cords in your throat. The persisting sound during phonation is no amalgamation with culminating knowledge. You want your assemblage to be completely ken to what you are saying; therefore your slide should have as little as possible along with the most meaning. This alone can be vindicating enough, so the elementary way to do this might be challenging. The idea is to have your point unequivocal to give the onlookers the topic in diminutive amount of time. Maybe more importantly, it is salient to have the slide visually appealing. You don't want to lose your 'people' just because you are too intwined into sloth to care. These articulations have a perfect panorama on why I changed my slide to a mild but tenacious introduction to 'ME'. 
Italian
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Una Carta para Ti.

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 11:12 am
Querid@ (name)
¡Hola! Mi nombre es Javier. Estoy tranquilo. ¿Qué tal? Tengo catorce años. ¿Y tú? ¿De dónde eres tú? Soy de Filadelfia. ¿Qué tiempo hace hoy? Hace mucho frío aquí. ¿Cómo es en España? Es muy bueno para vivir en Filadelfia. ¿Alguna vez has visitado América? Nunca he visitado un país de habla española.  
Soy alto y delgado. Soy lindo y moreno. También soy bastante cómico, increiblemente atlético y muy inteligente. Soy italiano, irlandés, y cubano. ¿Y tú? ¿Cómo eres? Me encanta practicar deportes. Mis deportes favoritos son el baloncesto, el fútbol y el béisbol. Los fines de semana me gusta dormir y pasar un rato con amigos. También me gusta ir al cine y escuchar música. Sin embargo Odio ir a la escuela y detesto estudiar. ¿Y a ti? ¿Qué te gusta hacer?
Si usted no sabe, Filadelfia es una ciudad entre la ciudad de Nueva York y la capital. Es una ciudad grande. Aquí se conoce como “ La Ciudad de Amor Fraternal.” ¿Cuál es tú equipo de fútbol favorito, Real Madrid o Barcelona? Bueno, me voy porque tengo que salvar a mi amigo, panqueques gigantes que comen hombres están atacando. Responde cuando puedas.
Con Cariño,

Javier

        
P.S.
Disfruten de las fotos.
556_I_Love_Philadelphia
556_I_Love_Philadelphia
Philadelphia-skyline
Philadelphia-skyline
philadelphia-visitors
philadelphia-visitors
Thanksgiving-Day-Parade-parkway-600
Thanksgiving-Day-Parade-parkway-600
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Mis favoritos

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 7:26 am
Screen Shot 2012-11-28 at 8.25.02 AM
Screen Shot 2012-11-28 at 8.25.02 AM
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Screen Shot 2012-11-28 at 8.24.56 AM
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You And The World (YATW) Pay-It-Forward

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Wednesday, November 28, 2012 at 7:00 am
My name is Javier Peraza and I am a freshman student attending SLA. For an English project we have to pick a world issue and blog about it. We also have to go out in the world publicly and try to help fix the issue we picked. I decided to choose lack of human kindness for my issue. Before I went to SLA I attended a catholic school where being a good samaritan was pressed hardly on its students. Because of that I am interested in going out in the world and physically making a difference. I feel lack of human kindness is a broad topic so I am going to central my project around the organization of Pay-It-Forward.
For those of you that do not know what the Pay-It-Forward movement is, its doing good deeds not because someone has done one for you but because you want to out of the kindness of your heart. The point of Pay-It-Forward is to start a chain reaction of good deeds by inspiring people to find kindness in their hearts and be generous.  Pay-It-Forward has tons of members worldwide that go around performing acts of good to make the world a better place. A Pay It Forward act of kindness could be helping pay the bill for a customer at a store or even just helping an elderly woman cross the street. It can also be returning lost items to their rightful owner and donating money to people in need. Any act deemed kind is a Pay It Forward deed. Click here for the Pay-It-Forward official website http://www.pifexperience.org
There has been accounts of many generous Pay-It-Forward stories but one I find extremely influential is that of a good samaritan asking of nothing but to see people happy. In Sherwood, Oregon a Target cashier bears witness to one of the most inspirational things that could go on in a local store. At register 11, Debora Durral had just saw that family’s credit card was denied. They didn’t have enough money for the bill so a kind good samaritan quietly paid the bill. When the family found out what had happened they were so taken back from joy that there is people in this world that are compassionate that they gave what little money they did have to pay for the people’s bill behind them. Inspired by the family, the next customer did the same for the people behind them. Debora Durral witness as each person in line contributed money to other people in line. Finally when the last person in line had no one else to contribute to, that person gave money to Debora who then went on to do the same in other local stores. I cried all the way home and just thanked the Lord," she said. This is one of a kind story that shows what Pay-It-Forward is really about. To read more about Debora Durral click here http://www.katu.com/news/local/Kindness-really-is-contagious-Customers-at-Target-pay-it-forward-175036691.html


Debora Durral accounting her story of what happened that day.

Another story that I found influential enough to share with you is the birth of the Karma Seed. On April 25, 2010 a man named Christopher Lo lost his camera outside of his university’s library. Although he doubted he would find it there, he check the university’s lost and found website and to his surprise found his camera. When he retrieved it he found a video on there that he definitely had not taken. The video was of the person who had found his camera returning it. Click here to see the video http://thekarmaseed.org/about# . Inspired by the kindness that some people have in the world helped Christopher create the Karma Seed. The Karma Seed, which you go on The Karma Seed.com to get, is a small gift card in the shape of a seed which you put money on. You carry the Karma Seed around in your purse or wallet and when the opportunity comes to be generous you use it to pay for someone’s bill. After you pay for their bill you give them the Karma Seed to go out in the world and do the same. Each person with the Karma Seed can add more money to it online and if you visit the website you can track your seed as it goes around the world doing good deeds. You can also upload stories of what you used the Karma Seed for and read other stories of what different people used it for. Pretty soon your very own Karma Seed has gone on a huge adventure spreading joy and generosity.

Karma Seed website page.

As I continue researching about the Pay-It-Forward movement throughout the year I ask myself how I can make a difference in the world. Although knowing what a good deed is could be said as easy, thinking of something original and yet strong enough to make an impact on the nation might not be so easy. While the project progresses I will try to at least once a week go out publicly and perform an act of kindness. My hopes and goals are to inspire people to do the same, maybe creating a chain reaction like the one that Debora Durral witnessed. I ponder the question “Can one person really make a difference.” After investigating the news I see that most of the Pay-It-Forward stories only occur because of one person’s doing. So the answer to my question is, yes. If you are someone who has always wanted to make a difference but never got out there because you thought that you alone couldn’t do it, then please take this blog literally. The power of someone’s will is extremely strong and can be proven in history for the many accounts of change that one person has made. So, get out there and make a difference because you can do it. Join many others in the Pay-It-Forward movement and make a change now!


Click here for Annotated Bibliography https://docs.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/document/d/1WHe41_DlnlJDnn1ULc7fNqNr9Tp8edR8O7Unbr8mIsU/edit
Tags: You and the World, Dunn, English
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Vincent Capitolo

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Wednesday, November 21, 2012 at 9:52 am
Se llama Vincent Capitolo. Tiene catorce años. Él es de Filadelfia. Él es bastante gordo. Él es muy bajo. Es increiblmente inteligente. Es mi hermano. Él está italiano. Es molestón. Le gusta estar de vago. Es uno de mis mejores amigos. 
Screen Shot 2012-11-21 at 9.14.48 AM
Screen Shot 2012-11-21 at 9.14.48 AM
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To Kill A Mockingbird Editorial

Posted by Javier Peraza in English 1 - Dunn on Monday, November 5, 2012 at 7:55 am

To kill a mocking bird editorial
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Cómo está? Buen Gracias GREETINGS

Posted by Javier Peraza in Spanish 1 - Manuel on Thursday, October 25, 2012 at 9:43 am


Explanation: In order to be able to greet people in Spanish you need to know these simple translations.

(If image is too small, click it)

Screen Shot 2012-10-24 at 8.45.18 AM
Screen Shot 2012-10-24 at 8.45.18 AM
Click
here
for video
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Peraza, Javier, LucidNetwork, Newtwork

Posted by Javier Peraza in Technology- Freshmen - Hull on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 12:26 pm
I have a TV, multiple laptops, multiple phones, multiple ipads, multiple ipods, Printer, and a Xbox 360 . I learned that networks are much more complicated than most people think. There is much more work and process that goes on to give us our internet. I feel networks are more boring and confusing after learning all of this. If I were to tell someone something important about having a home network would tell people that it costs money but its very important so its worth the cash.
PerazaJavierLucidChartHomeNewtwork
PerazaJavierLucidChartHomeNewtwork
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Gracias Courtesies

Posted by Javier Peraza on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 at 8:52 am
Explanation: To be polite in Spanish you need to know these courtesies.
(click to enlarge image)
Screen Shot 2012-10-24 at 8.50.59 AM
Screen Shot 2012-10-24 at 8.50.59 AM
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