Sky Kalfus Public Feed

Q4 Benchmark

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Globalization - Laufenberg on
​Here it is!

The most difficult part of this project was finding concrete examples of vague and intangible forms of globalization, such as "energy" or "human rights." Ultimately, I was able to make a list of things to photograph, and biked all around the city taking pictures. My favorite picture is the one of the Lukoil gas station, because it's such a pedestrian sight and yet such a perfect example of globalization through trade, not to mention an illustration of recent US-Russia relations. I think globalization is ubiquitous in Philadelphia. Virtually all technology is made overseas. Clothes are almost always from Asia, and it's necessary to make an extra effort to find American-made products. I think globalization is prevalent throughout the United States, but perhaps less so in land-locked states, who don't have immediate access to trade and travelers from overseas.

Diario 10/05/11

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on
1. Rigoberta Menchú es una activista de Guatamala quien escribe un libro sobre injusticia en Guatamala.
2. Ghandi fue un líder políticamente en India quien promovía activismo con no violencia.
3. Los dos lluchan por los derechos humanos con no violencia.
4. Ghandi era un abogado primero; Menchú trabajo en una hacienda.
5
  1. ¿Quién es Rigoberta Menchú?
  2. ¿Quién es (el otro pacifista que escogerion)?
  3. ¿Qué tienen en común?
  4. ¿Cuáles son unas diferencias entre los dos?
  5. ¿Por qué crees que no se incluye Menchú en los textos de historia ni en el curriculo?
Frases útiles:
  • En cuanto a (With regards to)
  • tener en común (to have in common)

Ahorita 09/05/11

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on
1. La República Dominicana
2. En el receso de primavera pasado.
3. Una estructura fue destruido.
4. Es un mural de violencia en la República Dominicana, con dos mujers y dos soldados.
5. Estudiantes de SLA fue en la República Dominicana con "Build-On."
6. Accidentado, con las playas.

A Day In the Life - New Zealand

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Globalization - Laufenberg on
​http://www.lucidchart.com/invitations/accept/4dbf6585-ae7c-4d44-81c3-10a20a56cead

De Hek, Danny. "New Zealand Immigration Packs." NZ-Immigration. New Zealand Information Network, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.nz-immigration.co.nz/education/index.html>.

"King's School." King's School. King's School, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.kings.school.nz/index.cfm>.

"Ministry of Education." Ministry of Education. Ministry of Education, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.minedu.govt.nz/>.

"Education Review Office." Education Review Office . Education Review Office, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.ero.govt.nz/>.

"Education New Zealand." Education New Zealand. Education New Zealand, n.d. Web. 2 May 2011. <http://www.educationnz.org.nz/>.

Tarea 4-28-11

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on
1) Si  tuvieras la oportunidad de viajar a Venezuela ¿adónde te gustaría ir? ¿qué te gustaría hacer?

Me gustara viajar los Amazonas y la pradera. Me gustara dar unas caminatas y nadar en las playas.

Hugo Chavez

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on

1) ¿Qué opinas de Hugo Chávez? ¿Qué críticas tienes de él? ¿Estás de acuerdo (in agreement) con unas de sus acciones?

Pienso que Hugo Chávez es un dictador, pero no es un tirano. No me gusta su redadas de policía secreto ó control de los medios de comunicación. Soy de acuerdo con su decisión bajar inflación.

2) Si fueras Venezolan@, ¿votarías por él? Explica tu respuesta.

No, porque quiero vivir en una sociedad democrático con libertad de prensa. (Por supuesto, si su opositores sería peor, votaré por Chavez.)

China/Libya Comparison

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Globalization - Laufenberg on
For my comparison, I chose two very different countries, China and Libya. China is a world superpower with an enormous economy. It's physically large and biodiverse. Libya is a small middle eastern country whose primary resource is oil and whose population is currently rebelling against their dictator. It's also at war with NATO forces.

I thought it would be interesting make my comparison using an infographic that broke each section of the five-point framework into quantitative data. I began my research by sifting through environmental databases available through the Penn library. I was lucky to find EarthTrends Environmental Information, whose searchable database proved to be a trove of statistics regarding the environments and economies of countries all over the world. This website also gave me the vocabulary I needed to find similar data elsewhere on the internet.

I had two problems use the five-point framework. First, I had trouble discerning which data belonged to which section. The difference between the "Environmental Damage" section and the "Climate Change" section often confused me; I also had trouble sorting out "Hostile Neighbors" from "Friendly Trading Partners." (Having few friendly trading partners is roughly the same thing as having many hostile neighbors.)

Also, when Jared Diamond developed his five-point framework, he had whole civilizations in mind - not individual countries. The climate change that we worry about today acts on a global scale. No individual country suffers from significant swings in climate due to climate change.

As I worked on this project, I realized that not every section of the five-point framework could be expressed numerically. How do I quantify a country's relationship with the world? I would have liked to use quotes from the New York Times and other periodicals, or describe the nuances of the country's political situation in my own words. But I felt this wouldn't be in keeping with the indexical nature of the medium. In retrospect, I wish I had done it anyway. Ultimately, I'm glad I got to experiment with this form of delivering content. I'm fascinated by the some of the infographic posters we have hanging in the classroom, and I've been wanting to create something similar. I'm glad I had the opportunity.

My bibliography is here.
China-v-Libya
China-v-Libya

Claudio Bravo por el punto de vista de el novio de la hermana de Gonzalo.

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on


Soy el novio de la hermana de Machuca. Soy facista. Vivo Pinochet! Pienso que un pais necesita solamenta una identidad. Pienso que un pais necesita un militar grande; la guerra y la violencia hacen el pais mas fuerte. Practico luchando con los nunchakus porque yo quiero servir mi patria. Soy orgulloso ser un Chileno! Cuando un pais tiene muchas clases, es disfunciónal. Necesitamos una clase, un partido politico. No me gusta la clase obrera. Ellos son débil. La gente necesitan estar disciplinado, patriótico, y fuerte. Necesitamos unir y luchar! Necesitamos una militaria grande y un líder con convicción. Allende es blando; Pinochet es firme.


En ésta obra de Claudio Bravo, vemos cuatro bolsas differente. Dos bolas estan blanco, una bolsa esta verde, y una otra bolsa esta amarilla. Dos pequeña bolsas estan enmarcado de dos bolsas mas grandes. Ellos se sientan en una mesa. Las bolsas estan iluminadas de un fuenta de luz invisible.  Detrás de ellos, unos nubes flotan en un cielo morado. El tono es tranquilo pero presentimiento. Los colores son cálido, pero en sombra. Las bolsas son de color claro, y el fondo son oscuro. No esta evidente donde la escena esta - la mesa se parece a una mesa en una galería del arte. La iluminación es anguloso y llamativo. Las bolsas tienen las sombras largo. Las arrugas en el papel de las bolsas es muy definido. La estilo es muy, muy realista. Claudio Bravo es una “hiperrealista.” El es posiblemente influenciado de Diego Velázquez, una artista de España quien pintaba muchas pinturas realismo famoso.

Las bolsas simbolizan la clase obrera. Ellos son differentes, entonces tienen discordia. Ellos son arrugado y apagado y infeliz. Los nubes simbolizan discordia. Una tormenta esta que se acerca - una revolución comunista. Las bolsas estan arrugadas, porque ellos sufrían. La mesa simboliza la patria. Las bolsas dependan en la mesa y la gente dependan en la patria. El título, “Supermarket Ghosts,” significa que las bolsas son las fantasmas. Individualmente, sin unidad, la gente son fantasmas, poco sólido. Las sombras largos indican la tarde, el fin de la dia, y de la época de la democracia. Las dos bolsas mas grande dominan las dos bolsas mas piqueño. Las bolsas mas grande son similar y blanco. La mayoría domina, porque la mayoría es fuerte. Las bolsas estan vacío; en el régimen de Allende, teníamos pocos recursos. Comida estaba difícil encontrar. La vacuidad simboliza el hambre de la gente. Pero las bolsas retenen sus forma; retenen la memoria de la prosperidad, y esperan para cambio.

En general, ésta obra es sobre la debilidad de democracía. Según Cladio Bravo, una país necesita unidad prosperar. La fuerza militar mantiene una pais sano. La obra es esperanzado. Las bolsas tienen el poder vencer. Pinochet trajo la fuerza a Chile, y ayudado la pais vencer. Ésta obra es una inspiración para nos Chilenos y el mundo.

Soy de acuerdo con Claudio Bravo y su mensaje político. Pienso que la obra es agradable estéticamente, tambien. Claudio Bravo es un pintor hábil. Soy honorado ello es un Chileno.

Second Quarter Benchmark

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
​Click here to view my benchmark!

In researching my benchmark, I tried to find court cases, bills, and executive functions with local implications. It was easier to discuss the effects of executive departments within the City of Philadelphia, as I am more directly involved with Philadelphia bureaucracy. I also looked for court cases, bills, and executive functions that involved education. As a high-school student, nearly every decision my government makes regarding education has a direct impact on me.
Finding good examples for each branch of government was difficult, but not for lack of available information. Rather, I had most trouble wading through vast catalogues of court cases and legislative bills. To find information in manageable quantities, I had to pursue a creative line of research.
If I were to repeat this project several years from now, I suspect I would find it much easier. As I get older, I will become more involved with the government. I'll get a steady job, pay taxes, vote. As a minor, I'm not recognized as an independent citizen. When I turn 18, that will change.

#5 - Finalize and Extend

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
​I just sent a letter to my district representative, Larry Farnese, requesting to meet with him to discuss education policy. I don't think I'm in any position to lobby for my cause just yet, but I hope to learn a lot about city politics and what it's like to be a representative. I plan on asking him what he thinks of Ackerman's Imagine 2014 plan. I also plan on finding out what he does as part of the state senate education committee. How does he influence political decision making? How does he serve my district? I'm also interested in his opinions about education - how does he feel about magnet and charter schools? And, with regard to my lobbying cause, what does he think of the SDP curriculum? I'm hoping he will also be able to direct me to other authorities involved with education who might be willing to speak with me.
sdp
sdp

Buying a Home from the Department of Housing and Urban Development

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on

My partner and I chose to illustrate the process of a buying a HUD home. We began by reading the instructions available on the HUD website and choosing a house from the HUD Home Store. Next, we acquired the necessary paperwork frommy partner's aunt, who is a real estate agent. The paperwork for buying a HUD home turned out to be voluminous but straight forward . The hardest part of buying a house, we discovered, is negotiating with people about purchasing the house, and getting it inspected. The forms, as intimidating as they initially seem, actually guide the process. Furthermore, a person buying a HUD home would have a broker or a real estate agent to explain each step of the procedure. It's the decision making, the money managing, not the bureaucracy, that makes buying a home an arduous process.

Screen shot 2010-12-17 at 8.50.18 AM
Screen shot 2010-12-17 at 8.50.18 AM

#4 - Communication

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on

I'd like to begin communicating my message by writing a letter to Larry Farnese and inviting him to discuss education policy in Philadelphia. I think he'll be able to answer some of my questions about the state of the public education system. In particular, I'll ask him about the success of the Imagine 2014 plan. Larry Farnese is involved with education funding, and helps decide which programs get the most money, but he's not directly involved with designing the curriculum. Hopefully, conversation with him will lead me to other people in power who have more to do with my particular cause.  I'd eventually like to pinpoint a specific piece of legislation that I can petition to have changed. If I'm successful, I may also write a letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer. I'll probably draw on anecdotal experience based on my time at SLA to encourage people to get involved with education reform.

Resena de la Pelicula "Mar Adentro"

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Spanish 4 - Manuel on

La película "Mar Adentro" se trata de la vida de Ramón San Pedro, un tetrapléjico quien quiere quitarse la vida. Él es cuerdo y intelligente, pero piensa hay más dignidad en moribundo de elección. Pero su decisión es controversial. Su familia no quieren Ramón morir, y no es legal por para personas ayudar Ramón.  La pelicula hace la pregunta, "¿Tenemos el derecho para decider cuando terminar nuestros vidas?” Para mi, la película es convincente con su punto que personas tienen el derecho morir. Ramón es sano, sabio, y articulado.  No está deprimido o irracional. Su decisión es inusual, pero su pensamientos son sólidos.

Creative Freedom in the Classroom: Blog 3

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
#3
Arlene Ackerman’s Imagine 2014 district improvement plan aims to “[revise] language arts, math, science, and social studies curricula to be more integrated, rigorous and relevant in preparing students for college and careers in the 21st century.” This past year, the district identified new literacy and math programs, and plans to institute new English and Math curriculums for 2010.
I haven’t been able to find the details of these new curriculums. A powerpoint presented to the School Reform Commission outlining the goals of Imagine 2014 lists raising test scores and increasing the number of “predicative assessments” as goals for 2011. A focus on test scores means that teachers have to spend more time teaching to the test and less time teaching creatively to the interests of their students. “Predicative assessments”, I believe, is just another term for more testing.
It’s clear that Arlene Ackerman holds the most power regarding my issue, but I think Larry Farnese has the power to approach her. He certainly is involved in getting education funding for the state.

Creative Freedom in the Classroom: Blog 2

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
#2
In my district (the first senatorial district), senator Larry Farnese is most involved in education reform. He’s on the state senate education committee, and he’s working with State representative Curtis Thomas to establish five new technical and vocational schools in the next five years. He is also partly responsible for increasing education funding by 250 million dollars.
Larry Farnese is a democrat and advocate of public education. His grandfather served on the Philadelphia school board. He’s sponsored programs on behalf of the Sister Cities Young Artist Program at the Moore College of Art and Design, as well as Italica Arts and Education. He attended Villanova University for undergraduate school and Temple University for Law school.
I think Farnese will take interest in my cause. He’s clearly invested in public education, and he cares about art programs, which suggests that he values learning as an end to itself. (Maybe that’s wishful thinking, but it’s possible.) He’s also is willing to spend money on education.
My district representative is Babette Josephs is an advocate for public school, and for charter schools in particular. She strongly opposes giving tax money to religious schools. She’s voted for special education funding, and is strongly in favor of the public school system.

Creative Freedom in the Classroom: Blog 1

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
#1
I’m advocating for a flexible curriculum that gives teachers more creative freedom in the classroom. Currently, teachers are hindered by a restrictive curriculum that directs not only the content of each class, but how the content should be taught. Teachers aren’t able to tailor their classes to the individual needs and interests of their students, and they aren’t able to experiment with teaching methods. I’ve heard stories about dozens of teachers who would be willing to teach at public schools if only they could teach without the guiding hand of the school district. Instead, they go to private schools.
In public school, teachers often receive “Routine Cards” that dictate the details of each lesson. Students are frequently given standardized Benchmark tests designed to make sure that teachers remain on track.

Darwin's Evolution and Positivism

Posted by Sky Kalfus in Science and Society - Best on
As Darwin's theory of evolution gained credence in the scientific world, philosophers and theorists began apply natural selection to other realms of thought. Among those particularly smitten with Darwin's theory was philosopher Auguste Comte. In his work, "A General View of Positivism," Comte proposed a brand of scientific philosophy that he called Positivism. For Comte, evolution was proof that man could know the mind of God. According to Positivism, the world was governed by natural laws, and if man could discover these laws, as he had discovered evolution, he would be able to predict all natural phenomena. All was predetermined, not by a literal higher power but by science.

Comte's friend and colleague, Herbert Spencer, was an ardent positivist.He believed that all behavior of life on earth could be explained by natural selection. In several essays extolling the virtues of physical beauty, Spencer writes that unattractive physical features are signs of more significant hereditary traits - stupidity, for example - hence their (to his mind) repulsive quality.

Comte's positivism was supported by the discovery of the chemical structure of DNA in 1953. The idea that a person was the sum of their DNA - a mass of pre-written and unchangeable code - was a highly deterministic one.

In 1990, the Human Genome Project challenged this way of thinking. It was found that different strands of DNA could be interpreted differently. An experiment was conducted in which sequences of firefly DNA were inserted into the genome of E. Coli. One sequence encoded a protein that would make the bacteria glow red; the other would make it glow green. Together, the two sequences ought to have made the E. Coli produce yellow light. For some individual bacteria, this was the case. But others produced orange light, and still others incandesced turquoise. The same gene sequence produced different effects. In humans, identical sequences of genes are expressed in varying ways. Blue eyes are not all the same shade of blue; twins are never perfectly identical. Organisms are more than their genetics.

A non-deterministic world means that we are not limited by our physiology. We are forever capable of change.

Works Cited

Lehrer, Jonah. Proust Was a Neuroscientist. New York: Mariner Books, 2008. Print.

Spencer, Herbert. First Principles. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1897. Web. 10 Nov. 2010.

Comte, Auguste. A General View of Positivism. New York: E.P Dutton & Co., 1848. Web. 10 Nov 2010.

Brewing Controversy: An (illustrated) legal history of the Volstead Act

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
Sky
Click the thumbnail to view an illustrated history of the Volstead Act.


Works Cited

BILL COMPLETED FOR ENFORCEMENT OF PROHIBITION. 27 Jun. 1919. The New York Times. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Mendelson, Richard. From demon to darling: a legal history of wine in America. 2009. Google Books. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Moore, Mark, and Dean R. Gerstein. Alcohol and public policy: beyond the shadow of prohibition.  20 Oct. 1981. Google Books. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

PLAN STRICT ACTION ON DRY BILL HERE. 29 Oct. 1919. The New York Times. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

PROHIBITION ACT PROBABLY HELD UP UNTIL JULY 7. 28 Jun. 1919. The New York TImes. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

"The Prohibition Era." historicpatterson.com. Historic Patterson, New York, n.d Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Tumulty, Joseph. Woodrow Wilson as I know him. 1921. Google Books. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Sky
Sky

Interview with a Voter

Posted by Sky Kalfus in American Government - Laufenberg on
​Why did you come to the polls today?
Republican misinformation made me angry.

Did any political ads stand out to you?
I tried to blot them all out.

Were you certain of who you wanted to vote for when you entered the voting booth?
Very sure.

What would you like to see change in Philadelphia?
I'd like to see less corruption, and more transparency. I'd also like to see the Mayor pick bettor advisors.

Do you think your vote will count?
I hope so.
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