Derecho: Número 14: Derecho de asilo

Durante esa parte, los soldados estaban capturando los  niños en la escuela para participar en la guerra. Sin embargo, lo peor es que los niños tenían solamente 12 años- aun un niño tenía 10. Así que, la derecho de asilo esta violado porque el gobierno ni la escuela se podía proteger los niños de participación en la guerra. Podemos verlo cuando la maestra se intentaba a parar el soldado quien se tomó el niño demasiado jovencito. Cuando el niño se intentaba a escapar y se corrió, los soldados lo persiguieron y lo mataron. Así, es obvio que nadie se pudiera proteger los niños. La seguridad no estaba presente.

Derecho: 29 Todos los seres humanos tienen deberes con la comunidad

En esta parte, Chava y los niños estaban disimulando de los soldados. Pero lo más diferente es que al mismo tiempo, las mujeres estaban protegiendo los niños por luchando y mintiendo a los soldados. Las mujeres dijeron que no sabían donde estaban los niños. No se rindieron, y por eso,  se protegieron el derecho que todos los seres humanos tienen deberes con la comunidad.  Las mujeres se pidieron poner ellas mismas en peligro. Sin embargo, tenían la esperanza y la determinación a protegerlos.  

“Damn that reeks, how long has this shit been here?” Dharjin sneers. Or rather, bellows, as he is never quite aware of the thunderousness of his own voice. His burly structure does little lessen the affect as well; in fact his towering height carries his voice across great distances, much like the vastness of the edifice in which he and his team now stand.

“Given the dampness and coldness, 2-3 days perhaps,” says Askra, the youngest of the platoon. He walks, unwavering in dull expression, to the rotting body of a young woman no older than 30, it appears. He kneels beside her, flashing a light on pale, petrified eyes and an open mouth. Closing his eyes, he then shakes his head in disgust and continues, “This is the seventh one today.” He scans the distorted face, and a name appears on his screen, “Mafrir, Jinka.”

Askra opens the air tight carton, releasing an impermeable plastic membrane that surrounds the body. Dharjin growls. “Damned fools! All the same reason! They think that they’ll reach Detoxification, but they never will! Only digging their own graves...” he exhales slowly, as if expelling all of his well-kept anger, despite his boisterous behavior that, at times, would make one feel otherwise.

“To them, an ascent of this magnitude is worth their lives many times over,” adds Askra, who is now scanning the area for more bodies, “this ascent is all that they have to live for now.” 

He stands slowly, as if consciously commanding each muscle to perform the painstaking of lifting his mass off the ground. “Let’s search around some more.”

Imagining the previously vivacious and radiant building was now near impossible, giving the dripping ceilings, and mold covered corners. It used to be a one of the most beloved community centers in all of Kilua, and even held some historical value at it was build in 2067, near 100 years ago. However, the recent performance of Detoxification left the edifice abandoned, as community hadn’t mattered so much anymore. Now, it has become a hotspot for crime, and an ideal location for the disposal of evidence. 

Dharjin runs a light along the wall, revealing older and more recent pieces, however, the message  is all the same engraved in the bottom of each frame is the same message, “Hail and behold the light! Seek the truth! Relinquish the self in search of one’s true being!”  He turns away in disgust. “Askra, let’s check up stairs,”

“Fine. But we mustn’t stray too far as we await the captain’s arrival,”

They run a search into the second level, fortunately, and perhaps unfortunately as well, without success. Each rooms grows more cryptic the deeper they enter the building, increasing in darkness, and, more mysteriously, size. Askra’s sharp mind processes this pattern first, which spikes his curiosity to focus more on the location of each room, rather than its content. They reach the end of a hall where the final room is locked. The two men combine their forces in an attempt to break it down, though their attempts are without avail. 

“Shit, this just won’t budge, eh? We’ll have to return to base for a laser- strange that we don’t have one,” Dharjin states.

“Cap might-” 

“I do,” Askra is cut of by the sudden appearance of Fakir, who walks over to the unyielding door after tipping his head in acknowledgment to his team. He adjusts a switch on a concealed wrist band, releasing a steady, yet powerful beam that follows the frame of the at least 10 foot high metal frame. Once the revolution is completed, the door falls inwards, revealing a room possessed by a deafening silence and piercing darkness. Fakir enters first, flashing his brightest light down the room to reveal a machine machine 20 feet high. 

“What is that?” Says Dharjin impatiently

“I’m not sure,” Askra replies as he approaches cautiously, “perhaps an old world generator of some sort- Cap, could I get some more light no this angle? Perhaps I can look inside of its old fusion box and find something” As he begins to search the contents of the of the machine, Fakir asks, “What is our current status on found bodies?”

Dharji replies, “So far one, sir. Female, early 30’s. Mafrir, Jinka.”  

“Cap?” Askra turns abruptly, questioning the sudden disappearance of the light. “Cap, is everything- “

“What name did you just say?” Fakir asked slowly, as if words induced a slow poison on his lips. Dharjin gulped as he sees a slight crazed look in the eyes of his commander, now staring at him with his chest rising and falling in rapid succession. 

“Mafrir, Jinka, sir,” He replies with eyes locked on the captain. Suddenly, the area becomes dark as save for the small path of a rolling light, of which, the subordinates quickly realize the captain dropped.

Dharjin steps forwards, with all the cautiousness within his possession, questioning this strange stillness that’s possessed their captain. He clears his throat. “Cap?”

However, Fakir is lost in a trance. In a silent state of opacity, making the air around him completely unreadable.

However.

It is clear that his body trembles slightly, and is growing more spasmodic with every passing moment. And suddenly he crashes! His body convulses, and short, ragged breathes escapes his lungs.

“No! No! This can’t be!” He howls. His teammates are frozen in their placements, having never witness such a behavior from him. He stops with screeching abruptness, lifting his head to confirm his fears. To substantiate the name that had just heard. No. No.

“Jinka,” he whispered.  

~~~~~~

They lazed about in Paliua Fields, enjoying the intoxicating presence of the other, ultimately disregarding all urgency of other matters. Fakir laid his head in the lap of his beloved, who was momentarily lost in some obviously weighty thought. Though he said nothing, as he knew her light consciousness would soon bring her thoughts into light. There was nothing that she’d keep from him. Stroking his hair, she begins:

“Fakir, what do you think of humanity? Of where we stand in the moment?” He wasn’t necessarily taken aback by her sudden question, but he knew that it would obviously lead to what had been keeping her so bottled up.

“I think that we have been in a constant stand still. Yes there have nearly zero world wars in the last 50 years, and international peace is well its way to establishment, however, humanity will not change Jinka,” 

“Even with the that new Detoxification process that their creating? I’ve heard wonderful reviews about it. It will bring us to our highest state of being. It will bring us to true selves! What we were always meant to be! In fact, I’ve been thinking-”

“Stop right there Jinka, I forbid it,” he said sternly 

“But why, Fakir?” she inquired softly. “I think it would be-"

“Do you want to risk your soul for such a thing?! Detoxification is not salvation, it is fraud!”

“But what of the magnificence that it presents! The glory! One mere step away from divinity- if I dare to say that it is not divinity itself!” she gently unwound herself from his embrace, allowing herself physical expression to amplify her words. “Darling, we now have the capabilities to be so much more! More than another animal in the food chain, or being made for a purpose. We have given ourselves power, knowledge, and access to worlds unknown. But now, oh now, there is nothing beyond our reach. We have found a way to maximize our human potential!” 

He looked at her with sad eyes, while contrastingly, she looked at him with overwhelming joy. He grit his teeth for a second before tearing his eyes from hers, which seemed to beckon him into understanding. Though he could not. Grabbing both her hands into his, eyes near frantically roaming her face, he took in the unbelievable beauty of dark skin, and pale eyes- a rare yet enticing combination - then brought them up like they were his own hands, burying his face into them as if that was the location in which his salvation lied. 

“Jinka…" he squinted because of the lights surrounding her, "Don’t try to cut in on this either, because you’re quite quick to protest. But understand, or at least to attempt,” he closed his eyes, “there are somethings that we humans just aren’t meant to see.”

~~~~~

As if all the world’s electricity went running through his body, Fakir wakes in a swift gasp, throwing his body upright like it is the most basic instinct possessed by man. He finds himself in the recuperating room of the his office, and realized that he had sent himself into a state of shock, and collapsed. 

Jinka. 

How could she be there?  

Her image races through his mind as the cruel reality was setting back . He stifles back more sobs, as a subtle awareness kicks in, making him abruptly turn his head to find the curious eyes of his commander on him. 

“Fakir,” Commander Hibhan breathes. Fakir remains speechless, for exactly what could he say? Seeing Fakir’s unresponsiveness, Hibhan carries on himself. “Fakir, you needn’t be ashamed was what transpired today. I’m terrible sorry for your loss.”

“I thought she was dead years ago, Commander,” Hibhan raises an eyebrow, and suddenly realizes how little he questions the personal life of his best platoon leader.

“Please explain, Fakir”. He gathers himself, and begins. 

“When the Detoxification process was first being undergone, she spoke to me of her consideration to undergo it herself. I forbade her. Though, one night 5 years later, she left me note saying that she was going to do it, and if I came to my senses, then I would too.

He paused briefly and continued, “While I knew that she’d never return to me, I didn’t imagine that it’d be like that. I imagined that she’d return to me a completely new woman- a woman that was touched by divinity. But when she hadn’t returned home, I went to the detoxification center myself- my status thankfully granting me sufficient access. When I reached the administrator of the process, they told me that I had to detach myself from her. They told me ‘She belongs to divinity now’. They then continued to tell me that all who undergo the process can no longer go back to their past lives, for their existence too great for us mortal humans...so I accepted my fate and her fate and carried on living.”

Hibhan looking pityingly at Fakir, “But why did you then assume death?”

He coldly replied, “She was then a part of another world where she could no longer have any relation to me- seems an awful lot like death. But why would her body show up in an abandoned center? If she was so unreachable in this world now?” he suddenly gasps in horror at his own correctness. “I told her that process was a fraud! And they killed her-!”

“Is no fraud, Fakir. Pull yourself together and listen to me,” he cut in sternly, “The Detoxifying process is not for everyone, Fakir, and that is what they don’t tell you. It is held to the utmost esteem, for they advertise is as the ever attainable, and accessible passage to divinity. Well let me tell you this, it kills. The majority of people who go in for detoxification do not leave detoxified- in fact they don’t leave at all. Those who are detoxified, are no longer human, because they have the capacity for divinity.” He sighs deeply. “And that community center was home to one of the first tests for Detoxification. That machine that Askra spoke of to me was probably one the earlier, yet faulty models.”

Fakir sits silently, unsure of what to say. The multitude of events is currently to much for him to handle, making him groan in sheer frustration. Hibhan suddenly stands, making Fakir jump.

“I’ll let you sit on all of this,” his says with his voice growing smaller as the door closes behind him.

Fakir watches the door close, and swears that the light in the room in suddenly duller with his commander’s absence.

~~~~~~

With the days passed him by, Fakir couldn't bring himself to move. He isn’t sure how long he’s stayed in the same bed, in the same clothes. He isn’t aware of the foul stench that he’s emitting, nor the extreme overgrowth in hair and fingernails.  However, since the discovery of Jinka, he hasn’t moved from that spot, only accepting a daily meal and headquarters status from his platoon or Hibhan. Hibhan the platoon had excused him, and decided that it were best for him to stay out of the work, and more importantly, the public, until he came to his senses. Though curiously, Hibhan’s seems to light up room in way that no one else can. 

During these hours of complete thought, Fakir began to hear things. He had began to hear the hallway murmurs, ignorantly praising those who underwent detoxification, purifying themselves. He heard someone say, "I wish I could get detoxified…how grand would it be to see the world as if we were all gods ourselves?". He muttered that such a right belonged to whatever god there was, not us. He then heard things that haunted his dreams. He heard Jinka first whispering softly in his, then screaming terribly only seconds later. He heard the voices of men chanting. He heard the city collapsing. But somehow, worst of all, he heard the voices come together in unison saying, “Hail and behold the light! Seek the truth! Relinquish the self in search of one’s true being!” He screamed several times himself, screaming from his crazed self, and screaming to be away from it all.

Now he still sits upright, motionless, staring into the strange light rolling across the room. He wonders, where did that light come from? He cocks his head to the side curiously, and decides to stand and follow it. He falls at first, seeing as though he hasn’t stood in quite some time, but then stands and continues to follow the rolling light. It carries him outside of his office and down the stairs. Then outside of the building. The into the city plastered in fake terrace. It follows a road that spirals downward into habitats of the grim faced. Past the center of detoxification that seems to be brighter than usual. It light rolls all the way down to a grim building which mold covers its corners and drippings fall from the ceilings. It travels up a level and down a hall where the room gradually increase in size. It rolls into the last room, and hits a piece of machinery with a ting. 

“Oh look, I’m back here” he says almost absentmindedly. “I followed the light!” He nearly screams. He circles the ruinous machine and running calloused fingers around its metal frame. Suddenly, he hits a a button, sending a colossal light into the ceiling. His eyes widen in amazement, and even excitement, as his most primal instincts stir inside of him, beckoning him to touch the light. He realized that the truth was in front of him. His truth self could be found in the light.

“Hail and behold the light...Seek the truth... Relinquish the self in search of one’s true being” he mumbles unknowingly and he plunges himself forward.

For my capstone, I created the SLA Book Club, and and explored reading and analytical skills, community togetherness and leadership exemplification during the process. It started during a summer meeting with my mentor, Ms. Rami. We asked ourselves what our goals were, and how would set out to meet them. We ultimately came to the decision to hold monthly meetings, including snacks and drinks every time. When the school year arrived, I decided to form the book club committee which was a group of about 8 seniors who helped me with my decisions on book choices and meeting structures. I ended up starting the club in mid-October and had my very first meeting in the end of November. I skipped December (because of winter break) and carried on for January, February, and May. Each meeting was held in the cafe, and lasted about an hour. Every member either contributed a snack or a drink, giving everyone a role of some sort. The turnout for each meeting varied, and so did each discussion. We explored gender and identity, sexuality, humanity, growth, uncertainty and many other themes throughout. Thorough out this process, not only did I do something that I loved, but I tried to create another space for the readers of our schools, and bring us together. I learned what it meant to organize groups and events, and ultimately lead them. I’ve learned what it means to create a community.

Literacy is one of the great accomplishments of man kind. The ability to transmit ideas, beliefs, messages, thoughts, through the use of words and pure imagination is something to be celebrated. Here at SLA, we celebrate learning, thinking, and growth. We celebrate science, music, ideas, math, engineering through clubs and events. Yet we’ve yet to dedicate a space for stories. We’ve yet to have a create an environment celebrating stories and dedicated to reading. That’s where I step in. I’ve decided to create the SLA Book Club to unify our avid readers and writers across the SLA community.

The idea began towards the end of my Junior year with my English teacher, Ms. Rami, and avid reader a book lover among us. She discussed her ideas on bringing together a community of readers and writers, and that is where is I stepped into the picture. Together, we met over the summer to discuss matters regarding our goals for club, and the plan to see it through. Beyond the influence of Ms. Rami, I decided that I wanted to do something that I normally wouldn’t, start something. I wasn’t one to step up and create an event, but I’d rather be behind the scenes giving my support to someone who, on the hand, would. I took my capstone as the opportunity to change that, and step outside of my comfort zone. I decided to use my book club not only for the community, but for my own leverage; I wanted to truly become a leader.

I’ve been able to incorporate the SLA Core Values into my capstone quite effectively:

Inquiry- I aimed to satisfy certain questions such as, How can I give back to SLA? How can I bring meaningful discussion to the table? What is the strength in book clubs? What good can they do for a community? What are the things that I intend to get out the of club? What are good ways to run a club? and time with the club has answered these questioned. I sought to not only analyze books and search for answers within them, but I questioned the effectiveness of the club. 

Research- My biggest thing to research was how to run a book club in the first place. I ended up consulting numerous books from which sprang some key points that I included in my meetings. These include tactics to good discussion like having preparedness, and asking engaging questions, and sharing the spotlight. Other tactics that I learned from my researched included sharing the power. While I ultimately made the decision that I saw fit, I always engaged the members and included their input and opinions. I employed these during every meeting to demonstrate and apply my learning from my research.

Collaboration- The collaboration was on the whole was between myself, my mentor, my committee and the club itself. I combined the input of these people into my executive decisions, such as club dates, book choice, and food purchases. As previously stated, one thing that I had intended was for everyone to contribute not only their voice, but also food. Through this, everyone would have another responsibility in the club.

Presentation- Presentation was simple: the meetings themselves. Here the magic happened in which everyone came together to share their thoughts,feelings and connections made with the book. I took extensive notes and gave my own insights of course.

Reflection- I can say that this is definitely evident in the meetings themselves, and through my very frequent emails to my club members. In these two areas, I was able to get review and opinions from members and take their ideas for incorporation and betterment of the next meeting. 

The initial steps to starting this capstones were always meetings. During the summer before senior years, I had meeting with my mentor, Ms. Rami. We asked ourselves what our goals were, and how would set out to meet them. We ultimately came to the decision to hold monthly meetings, including snacks and drinks every time. On the first day back to school I created an Interest Sheet, instead of a sign-up sheet because it seemed like a bigger commitment, and advertised my club during our school’s mini-club convention. After getting an estimate of my numbers, I proceeded to make an email list and send an introductory email to all of those of who showed interest. I then went to form my committee, SLA Book Club Committee, which was a group of 8 seniors whom I met with on occasion to help with logistics and coordination of meetings, and the all important book choice. After getting my first book settled, I held a introductory meeting- on October 23rd, during both lunches- to club, to see who was really interested- the turnout was about 20. I gave each a copy of the my letter giving club details, goals, and books to be read. After that, I used October to work more closely with the committee. During that month we assigned two books to choose from, set the first meeting date for November 27th. I took pictures and even made video of this meeting. I skipped a December (because of winter break) and carried on for January, February, and May. Each meeting was held in the cafe, and lasted about an hour.

Some of the biggest challenges that I faced were really within communication for the most part. As stated about, March and April were skipped- even though books were still assigned- but I ended up having a mid-May meeting to discuss those books, and even had to push my May meeting into June. The reason was simple: I feel behind in my own work. I can say that it was from not only the workload of being a senior, but also the workload of life. Regarding communication, my means was through email, which had great advantages disadvantages. People didn’t always respond as quickly as I would’ve liked, and sometimes they wouldn’t respond at all. On the other had, sending an email was definitely far easier than holding tons of mini-meetings. Aside form my personal challenges, I was able to overcome my sometimes poor reception by simple things: like approaching people directly. Another challenge that I faced revolved turnout. Like most clubs, interest can sometimes fade, and so do the numbers. I saw my numbers had not been as high as my first two meetings, but I was far from discouraged. Instead, i was touched my the consistency of those who kept coming back, and those who were always engaged. That kept my enthusiasm high. As far as making it happen, most of the money came out of my pocket, but my groups member bought snacks and drinks, contributed money for pizza. I also made use of SLA cameras and equipment for documentation of my first meeting.

While there are literally hundred of things that I could have done for my capstone, I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Not only am I proud of myself for taking on such a risky position as a leader, and really putting myself out there, I’m proud of the meetings. I’m proud of the great depth that was explored in each book, and I’m proud of connections that were made. I’m proud of the ridiculous comments, and all the laughs. I’ve learned that’s its not easy to be in charge of something, and hope that people continue to show you their support- I’ve seen some members come twice, once and not at all. However, I’ve learned that taking risks can yield great rewards. I’ve seen that in the group that stuck through with me the whole way. Though, I would do some structural things differently. I would definitely employ the use of some other form of communication, rather than just email, so that everyone and myself would be on the same page. One thing that was recommended to me was to create a reading guide- though I never did it. Perhaps next time, I will give that a try. I would probably expand my range of genre even wider as well.

Overall, I believe that I’ve made a worthy attempt to better SLA, even if it were on a smaller level. To me, the success came because of those who consistently came, and consistently read, and consistently shared their ideas. That is something that makes me more proud than anything else in this entire process. So yes, I attained my goal; I’ve given some students some great books to read thorough the year, and I brought us together over food. While my mark can't necessarily be seen, it can never be taken away.

¿Quién yo soy? Soy una mujer quien se intenta a apoyar a mi familia. Una mujer quien se trabaja solamente para tener los mínimos básicos por mis cariños. Entiendo el sufrimiento porque he sido pobre por todo de mi vida, y por eso, aprecio a todo me recibo. 

Soy la mama de Machuca, y mi familia y yo vivimos en Chile. Estamos de pocos recursos, pero, nos amamos sin embargo. En este momento, hay un división entre la clase alta y la clase pobreza, y la tensión entre los dos es fuerte. Al primero, habrá algún forma de esperanza cuando el Salvador Allende era al presidente, pero, cuando el General Pinochet se derrocó el gobierno, todo se cambió. Por este momento, lo veo el mundo como así.

Primero, en esta pintura, Ángel Dulce por Luis Royo, puedo ver una mujer y lo que creo son tres hombres. La mujer está sentando en el suelo, y los hombres, quienes están cubierto totalmente, se están arrodillado al lado de la mujer. Uno de los hombres está tendiendo un espejo al frente de la mujer, y ella se le mira. El otro, está lavando el dorso de la mujer. Los colores son oscuros; hay mucho morena y variaciones de naranja. Pero, la mujer es casi blanca. En total, el tono de la obra es espiritual, y me da el sentimiento que estoy sintiendo la toca del hombre. También, por algún razón, siento tranquila cuando la veo esta obra.   

En el 1973, el mundo se cambió. Para mi, tenia miedo y era enojada con todo por la tratamiento que recibimos mi familia. Fue un dia normal hasta el militar de Pinochet se derrumbaron a mi aldea, y él se tomó poder. Nunca olvidaré cuando los soldados se vinieron y se atacaron mis vecinos, mis cariños, y mis amigos. Nunca olvidaré cuando un soldado mató la amiga de mi hijo. Los acontecimientos que se ocurrieron me dió la perspectiva que la tengo aún ahora. 

Para mi, esta obra se representa la subyugación constante de la mujer. Lo puedo ver en la posición de ella. Su idioma del cuerpo dice que ella se les escucha a todo lo que exigen, porque se está agacha. También, el hecho que the mujer no está vestido totalmente me mira la vulnerabilidad de las mujeres. Aún más, durante los acciones de los hombres, ella le ve, pero es porque lo tiene que. Entonces, el espejo se simboliza la realidad de opresión. Y por eso, el artista probablemente se quisó que presentar el mismo mensaje- las mujeres ya tampoco luchar para la libertad actual. Lo creo porque la mayoría del arte de pintura se presentan las mujeres en maneras sexuales y liberadas, y por este representación, Royo también lucha por el próximo revolución para las mujeres. Por eso, él la pintó.

Puedo relatar completamente con los imágenes en el foto. Desde mi punto de vista, la idea que me mira la sociedad como “a bajo” no es una nueva idea. He visto muchas veces cuando una mujer fue dominado de los hombres, y la sociedad. Finalmente, me siento poderosa y tengo la confianza en la progresión de las mujeres. 

Así lo veo; esta obra me hace recordar lo que esta bien y lo que esta mal. Pero, puedo ver mi papel como una mujer por esta obra también. Esto es el razon por que me llamó la atención; los papeles de las mujeres ya tampoco necesitan que cambiar- necesitan mejorar. La escogí esta obra para compartir mis sentimientos lo que se expresa la obra. Y por eso, estoy de acuerdo con el pinto. La obra me da las memorias del 1973, no obstante, me hace sentir alegría para el futuro. La guerra para la equalidad no ha terminado, y nosotros, los igualitarios, no vamos a rendir. 

When the dense, frigid air of winter is shucked aside, I'll be found, once again, sweating or laughing along a beautiful water front. That water front is you, Schuylkill River Trail. When I used to intern with SRDC, the Schuylkill River Development Cooperation, I spent my Friday afternoons exploring and maintaining your expanse from the  "South End" (Locust Street), to the "North End" (near the Water Works). Some days the I drove the cart, though far from expertly, along your length, receiving in a breathtaking, inner city view. Other days, that statement became quite literal when I used you as a course to run along, often scoffing at your long hills. But whether I was working or working out, you brought laughter and great memories to me; one time, I spotted 17 turtles sunbathing in one day! Josh, my old employer, and I stayed incredibly still, and watched in awe as tiny turtles began to pop their heads to the surface, and nimbly plop down on the nearest log. It was the cutest thing. Other times, there were far more serene days in which it was simply enough to just gaze out into water, high or low tide, and observe small waves bumping subtly against one another. Trail, when I think of the countless hours that I've spent with you, I can only smile. Thank you for your simple beauty, and your presence that helps me aim towards my own. Thank you giving me the intangible- pieces of happiness.

Forever with Love,

Sasha Sapp

​Heya! Sasha Sapp here presenting my Food Unit Benchmark. This unit covered from individual health, to comunal health, to the food industry and its political role in the nation. My Benchmark has 3 parts: a "Food Rules" slide, a personal reflection of the unit and a recipe an analysis of my home family dish. Enjoy!

Part 1: Food Slide


 

Part 2: Personal Reflection 

I can definitely say that this has been a very relevant and engaging unit in more ways than one. While the point of this class is to merge the relevance of science within everyday society, I feel like this unit really touches more on the role of the individual, and makes everyone accountable- in a way. Firstly, I've always been aware of the disparities in our world among food, access, resources, and other things. Yet, this unit has made me see these disparities a bit differently- I now see everything as more interconnected. For example,  I learned the roles that physicians and health care play in and the national debt from Doctor Brenner. It presented the idea of a very minute group controlling the system of out healthcare; furthermore, the idea of a very small group controlling an entire system, in general. That is the way that the world works. This also ties into the very few, powerful companies controlling our entire food systems. The degradation of food quality, and even how we obtain out food has been corrupted. Yet the furthest corner of my mind, I can see no other way. 

Firstly, there are over 7 billion people on this planet; of course, we don’t have the adequate resources to feed, clothe, and house them all. It’s just impossible. That being said, how exactly is it supposed to be that everyone is “entitled” or “should” have access to the better quality food. Regardless, there’s someone out there that doesn’t have access to food in general. While our system isn’t just in some aspects, it is adequate to feed people, in the moment. It can still be improved in the long run- maybe. I say “maybe” because we have no idea how we’ll be in the next 50 years, let alone 20, so what sort of substantial promises to better access and quality to basic resources can we make, when we cannot sufficiently supply all right now? I believe it is that problem that must be tackled, in the most practical of senses. What are to do with an ever growing population, and continuously decreasing supply of land and resources- the Earth is not ever-expendable. 

In all, it’ll take years to re-work system so firmly established- when there’s money being made, it’s hard to fight against it. Food/health is just another thing that has been turned into a product of capital gain, and for that reason, the system- while wrong and corrupt- will remain. Considering the socio-economic factors that dictate health and lifestyles only solidify that. I suppose my point overall is that in a grander scheme of things, its impractical to put the importance of “good food” over food at all- though I realize that we only have this argument in the first place because we are in a country that has the luxury to do so (please don’t mind, my thoughts are sort of rambling). It's not that I don’t care about having good quality foods, I just think that looking outside- and even still within, this country- having food in general is the more important problem to be tackled. America and other nations that are developed can afford to say, “people need better food!”. Though, a ridiculous amount of other countries do not have that luxury. I think we need to look beyond ourselves as a nation, just for a bit, and see that on a grander scheme of things, having food at all will be the questions for the next generations.

Chicken Fried Rice

Serve 8:

Calories Per Serving: approximately 400

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Boneless Chicken Breast (family pack)- (140 calories per slab)

White Rice (5 cups)- (242 calories per cup)

Onion (1) (44 calories)-

Green Pepper (1)(33 calories)-- 

Habanero Pepper (1)-

Pepper (1)-

Season Salt (1)-

Onion Salt (1)- 

Chicken broth (1 can) 94.55 calories-

Recipe:

1. On a cutting board, slice the chicken slabs into assorted chunk sizes. Also, slice the onions and peppers.
2. Setting the stove to high, bring a skillet to a low simmer with butter. 
3. Once the butter is thoroughly melted, toss the chicken into the skillet and turn the burner low. Add the sliced peppers and onions as well as a few dashes of each seasoning. 
4. Turn the pilot very low and sauté the chicken for 60 minutes (the low simmer allows for a well-marinated taste). At the same time, as the chicken broth for extra flavor.
5. 40 minutes through the sautéing the chicken, fill a crocpot with water and add the 5 cups of rice to the water. Let the rice cook for 20 minutes 
6. When the 60 minutes are through, combine the chicken and the rice. Eat and enjoy!

Analysis:

My meal as a whole is mostly healthy, and ecenomically sound, but it is mostly socially impactful. 

Processed vs. Whole: The majority of the foods in this meals are whole foods, other than the white rice and the chicken broth. The white rice would be is bleached to the make it look white- it would've been healthier to use brown rice. As the for the chicken broth, it is only a compilation of chicken extract and other flavors, therefore it is not a whole food. The peppers and onions, however, are whole foods.

Environmental: Just about all of the ingredients are harvested on US soils, so any effects that we see occur here. The production off the peppers can be taken into question, as the peppers that I bought were grown commercially. The peppers are sprayed with Ethephon, which is used to promote early ripening. However, the toxicity of the Ethephon is quite low, so the environmental impact isn't as bad as it could be.

La película es llena de temas controvertidos. Son los temas de los derechos de los humanos, la significa de la vida digna, la eutanasia- es un crimen o no- y la muerte. Una pregunta que la película se presenta es “¿Qué son los derechos de los humanos?” En la película, Ramón pensaba que el derecho a morir era suyo. También, se pensaba que morir era el derecho de todo. Aun así, su familia y el gobierno decían que no. Además, la película se traiga la idea de la dignidad de vivir. ¿Como nos definamos la dignidad? ¿Y exactamente que se da la dignidad a la vida? En la película, Ramón discutía que la vida de un tetrapléjico no era digna, pero otro puede discutir que no es necesariamente la verdad. En este caso, la respuesta es totalmente del individual. Finalmente, la película se pregunta si la eutanasia es crimen un crimen o no. La película se pregunta sobre la muerte- ¿es de nosotros? ¿Es el derecho de la muerte una cosa los humanos pueden usar? Los temas abren debates feroces para la sociedad porque la religión y libertad son cosas que están en contra de ellos mismos. También, el hecho que la población está divido; la mayoría de la población son a favor de la religión, así que, los temas que han presentado, están en contra de este parte de la población.

Primero, para mi, es dificil decir que son los derechos de los humanos. Es porque mi punto de vista, por lo general, no es evidente. Por un lado, creo que los humanos tienen los derechos de cualquier cosa. Tenemos los derechos a vivir como lo queremos; se incluye amor, trabajar, y más, que nos da felicidades. Pero, por otro lado, creencias de religión me da pensar en otra manera. Un parte de mí cree que algunos derechos no son nuestros. Igual que no tenemos a derecho a quitarse la vida de otro. Sin embargo, mi opinion del tema próximo es más evidente. Como lo veo yo, la vida digna es vivir. Es vivir con cualquier cosa- se incluye las condiciones igual a un tetrapléjico. Pero claro que los todos no estarían de acuerdo. Dignidad es una cosa que el significado cambia desde persona a persona. Aun así, este hecho ha sido probado ser polémico. Veo que los humanos frecuentemente intentar a imponer sus creencias sobre los otros. Y por eso, estamos más reluctante a respetar los deseos de otros. No obstante, este continuará. A pesar de eso, debemos vivir siempre- porque hay solamente una vida, y la vida vale a pena. Con este idea en mente, no estoy de acuerdo con el deseo de Ramón. Tercero, la eutanasia es un crimen según los leyes- no es legal a matar otra. Pero es diferente moralmente en este caso- porque Ramón lo quiere. Sin embargo, ¿es la eutanasia igual a dejar uno de los seres queridos- si esta en coma o alguno estatua como así- morir? En la sociedad, es acceptable. Sin embargo, es como la eutanasia un poco. Por eso, la sociedad tiene opiniones diferentes, pero a mi me parece que es un crimen y no. Y finalmente, la muerte. Para este, mi opinion es también de religión. Creo que uno no puede quitarse la vida- ya tenemos horas para morir. Desde mi punto de vista, a muerte es algo que nadie puede predecir o parar, pero podemos vivir completamente y verdaderamente hasta el final. La muerte no es para nosotros.

La película Mar Adentro se trata de un tetrapléjico que se llama Ramón Sampedro. Él era de España y trabajaba como mecánico marinero. Viajaba mucho a lugares como París, Nueva York, China. Se parecía que él tenía una buena vida, pero, todos se terminaron. Un día, Ramón se saltó del borde del acantilado en el mar. Pero, el agua no fue ancho, y se rompió el cuello. Por eso, él no podía moverse por el resto de la vida. Después de 28 años, Ramón decidió a quitarse la vida. Su familia y el gobierno estaba en contra del deseo, pero él tenía otras personas que estaban listos a ayudar. En el final, él se quitó la vida.

La película es llena de temas controvertidos. Son los temas de los derechos de los humanos, la significa de la vida digna, la eutanasia- es un crimen o no- y la muerte. Una pregunta que la película se presenta es “¿Qué son los derechos de los humanos?” En la película, Ramón pensaba que el derecho a morir era suyo. También, se pensaba que morir era el derecho de todo. Aun así, su familia y el gobierno decían que no. Además, la película se traiga la idea de la dignidad de vivir. ¿Como nos definamos la dignidad? ¿Y exactamente que se da la dignidad a la vida? En la película, Ramón discutía que la vida de un tetrapléjico no era digna, pero otro puede discutir que no es necesariamente la verdad. En este caso, la respuesta es totalmente del individual. Finalmente, la película se pregunta si la eutanasia es crimen un crimen o no. La película se pregunta sobre la muerte- ¿es de nosotros? ¿Es el derecho de la muerte una cosa los humanos pueden usar? Los temas abren debates feroces para la sociedad porque la religión y libertad son cosas que están en contra de ellos mismos. También, el hecho que la población está divido; la mayoría de la población son a favor de la religión, así que, los temas que han presentado, están en contra de este parte de la población.

Primero, para mi, es dificil decir que son los derechos de los humanos. Es porque mi punto de vista, por lo general, no es evidente. Por un lado, creo que los humanos tienen los derechos de cualquier cosa. Tenemos los derechos a vivir como lo queremos; se incluye amor, trabajar, y más, que nos da felicidades. Pero, por otro lado, creencias de religión me da pensar en otra manera. Un parte de mí cree que algunos derechos no son nuestros. Igual que no tenemos a derecho a quitarse la vida de otro. Sin embargo, mi opinion del tema próximo es más evidente. Como lo veo yo, la vida digna es vivir. Es vivir con cualquier cosa- se incluye las condiciones igual a un tetrapléjico. Pero claro que los todos no estarían de acuerdo. Dignidad es una cosa que el significado cambia desde persona a persona. Aun así, este hecho ha sido probado ser polémico. Veo que los humanos frecuentemente intentar a imponer sus creencias sobre los otros. Y por eso, estamos más reluctante a respetar los deseos de otros. No obstante, este continuará. A pesar de eso, debemos vivir siempre- porque hay solamente una vida, y la vida vale a pena. Con este idea en mente, no estoy de acuerdo con el deseo de Ramón. Tercero, la eutanasia es un crimen según los leyes- no es legal a matar otra. Pero es diferente moralmente en este caso- porque Ramón lo quiere. Sin embargo, ¿es la eutanasia igual a dejar uno de los seres queridos- si esta en coma o alguno estatua como así- morir? En la sociedad, es acceptable. Sin embargo, es como la eutanasia un poco. Por eso, la sociedad tiene opiniones diferentes, pero a mi me parece que es un crimen y no. Y finalmente, la muerte. Para este, mi opinion es también de religión. Creo que uno no puede quitarse la vida- ya tenemos horas para morir. Desde mi punto de vista, a muerte es algo que nadie puede predecir o parar, pero podemos vivir completamente y verdaderamente hasta el final. La muerte no es para nosotros.

There’s a vast array of interpretation that can be made about the meanings and messages behind the acclaimed novel “The Scarlet Letter” and the modern film Juno; though, as separate works. However, putting them in a side by side comparison forces one to hunt for common ground as simple, and as applicable, as the statement, “The theme of this is story is that lying is bad”. I personally chose to view both works through a certain feminist lens; a lens that looked at society as consistenly divided by gender and its accompanying stereotypes. Through hours of labor, I composed a charchoal piece symbolic of the past and current state of women, and the normalcy of its oppression.

My piece is an 18x24 inch large charcoal drawing, consisting of a nude woman with one arm in a chain, and the other hand pressed against a wall in front of her. The statement that I want to get across regards the standards to which women are held to because their womanhood, and how oppressive is has been, and will continue to be. First, the woman in my drawing is nude, yet she cannot see because her hair covers face. The nudity is symbolic of the vulnerability that women face consistently, and the impaired sight is a sort of conditional disadvantage. I deem it conditional because as the woman in the picture can choose to push the hair from her face with her free hand, women in our world today can choose to let their womanhood be a hinderance or disadvantage. A little bit more obviously, the wall and the chain are the constraints of society and gender roles in the world. Though, I chain specifically represents the seemingly unbreakable aspect of it, and the wall shows the seemingly immovable aspect of it. Both obstacles are repressive reagrdless, but I felt the need do incoperate both.

Speaking of obstacles, I honestly didn’t face too many that while creating this piece. My inial ideal had changed- after we finished Juno- but the idea was still very similar. I started by setting a mid-tone on the entire page, and began to construct a profile, or side view, face. From there, I losely worked my way down, making sure to outline the arm placement, and shape of her torso. It was here that I began to make contrast, shade and highlight. If anything, making sure that the darkest areas of my piece was dark enough, and the lightest areas of my piece were light enough, was my biggest challenge. Also, I’m very finicky when it comes to anatomy, so I tried my hardest to get my proportions correct. I spent a good hour just on my left hand alone! After I finished my hand, I touched up on my lighting, and wanted to make sure that my shadows were cast in the right places. I then transitioned into the chain and then the wall. Both objects didn’t necessarily have particular shading that added their sybolism, their actual appearance wasn’t something to focus on, but rather what they stood for.

On that note, I think that I did a great job with creating a piece that clearly displayed the message that I wanted to get across, throught my effort. Charcoal is a very messy medium, but if channeled correctly, it can produce a beautiful outcome. I believe that I worked hard and precise enough on the actual image of my drawing, but also, I believe that I composed its entirety in a way that isn’t too hard to pick up on. Furthermore, I think that I made sure to encompass both pieces of work. My theme can be applied to “The Scarlet Letter” a bit more blatantly than it can in Juno, but if you squint, you can see that Juno broke many gender stereotypes herself, though it wasn’t as focused upon. On a different note, I believe that I could have made my shading a bit more smoothed out in the drawing. I also could have put her in a different space. Ultimately, all of possible things that I could have done better, are techincal. Yet if I could do this all over, I’d try to create a piece that captures themes that are bit more critical in thinking.  Overall, I’m satisfied with my work and portrayl of my ideas.

Cambiome,

por la vida sería mejor. 

El aire se sentiría más fresco,

Los pájaros cantarían más bella,

El sol brillaría más brillante.

Aun el mar sería lleno de vida-

Igual a ti-

Si me dejarías ir.

Verías el mundo mas claro de ahora.

Estarías ligero sin la carga de mi.

Si solamente, me cambiarías-

Sufrirías nunca más-

Nunca más

Me llamo Sasha, y soy de Filadelfia. Soy artista, escritura, hija, hermana y amiga.Valgo mucho del arte porque dibujando es mi cosa favorita para hacer, y me da risa. Tengo una moda llamativa y excéntrica, a veces, porque me visto en ropas diferentes, y cualquier cosa. Pero al mismo tiempo, soy impaciente, porque no me gusta esperar para cosas, o vida. En el futuro, quisiera ser una mujer de justicia ambiente y creatividad sin duda. Pienso que tengo un compromiso al mundo. Creo en cambiar el mundo positivamente para todos, y creo en vivir para todos. Me molesta mucho las personas que no importan los sentimientos de otras personas. No creo en destruir el medio ambiente, porque, creo que necesitamos que conservar el mundo. Sueño con vivir en un mundo de paz y derechas por todos- sin embargo no es posible en este estatua presente. Tengo miedo de vivir una vida inestable porque necesito estructura en mi vida. Me siento feliz cuando estoy dibujando, corriendo, y leyendo, porque los todos son cosas que me definan. Esta es mi cuenta.

Mi apariencia física es complicada. Soy mestiza. Soy Filipina, Africana American, Nativa Americana, y Alemana.  Tengo ojos de la gente de Asia. Son pequeños y oscuros. Por otro lado, tengo el pelo muy rizado, y marrón oscuro. Mi nariz es puntiagudo, mi sonrisa es grande. También, soy baja, pero, soy fuerte. Mis piernas son muy musculares. Al mismo tiempo, soy una gordita (en mi estómago). Llevo gafas y aparatos- es una combinación buenísima!...Fue un chiste. No obstante, no le odio, pero me molestan estas a veces. Los aparatos me duelen mi boca!

Los demás dicen que soy trabajadora. Es todo la verdad. Es por eso que tengo éxito en mis clases y mis relaciones. Soy trabajadora en todo lo que hago. Cuando estoy estudiando para una prueba, o escribiendo un ensayo, siempre pongo mi esfuerzo mejor en mi trabajo. Adémas, con mis relaciones amistades, les doy a mis amigos felicidad y carcajadas. Intento que ser una persona de confianza para los demás que los amo. 

Al contrario, aunque tengo muchos compañeros, disfruto cuando estoy sola. Disimulo esté a menudo. En mi tiempo libre, me encanta dibujar, leer, escribir, y pensar- solá. Corro sola, y voy de compras sola. Me siento que afición estar solo, no es una mala cosa, sino una buena cosa. Significa que alguien puede sobrevivir sin depender de los otros mucho. Aun así, no dependo de los otros de todos modos, así que cuando estoy solo, es porque soy personal a veces. Aunque me gusta cuando estoy con los demás, prefiero pensar sobre el mundo, o los sentimientos, o las ideas. Este hecho, jamás he dicho muchas personas. 

A pesar de este, me caen bien la mayoría de los demás que me conozco. Atreo muchos tipos de gente: desde los demás seguros a los demás sensibles. Aun la gente nerviosa a la gente huraña. Puedo verme reflejado en personas diferentes. Y es por eso entiendo los demás. Tengo la simpatía por los otros porque los todos tienen que sobrevivir. Tenemos que sobrevivir. Y es importante que entendamos este idea.

Ya dije esto, pero me enamoré del arte. Arte es palabras, ideas, canciones, fotos, cuentos, movimientos, poemas, dibujos, pinturas, y los todos, los amo. Desde estaba una niña, he sido enamorado con expresando a mí mismo. A dentro, me espero que los otros entiendan mi amor de arte, pero un poquito puede.

Pienso en el futuro mucho, tampoco. Pienso en los condiciones del mundo y sus habitantes. Pienso en los derechos y el sufrimiento de todos. “Cómo será el mundo en el futuro?” es lo que me pregunto. Y preocupo. Verdaderamente, ya sé que el mundo es violento y llena de dolor. A la misma vez, tengo esperanza.

En total, soy una mujer joven que aprecio todos. Es bueno que pienso así. Me importa el futuro. Me importa mi familia y Dios. Me importa mi vida. Es la verdad que tendre exito en todo lo que quiero hacer. Soy Sasha Sapp, y voy a cambiar el mundo.

Well that is not the actual text, but it is my own variation of the wonderfully dark tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Set in London during the late 1800’s, this a tale of the beautiful yet vain Dorian Gray. He meets Basil Hallward, who becomes infatuated with his beauty, and paints him. Gray meets his friend, Lord Henry Wotton, and is influenced heavily by his ideas of hedonism and self-pleasure. Gray foolishly wishes that the painting of him will age instead of him, and begins participating in things moral and immoral alike. This is an excellent classic focused on themes of morality and one’s self, and it is also a challenging enough text to help broaden someone’s vocabulary. I highly recommend this book for it is a reflection of something that most want- youth. Yet it teaches a lesson of life and is sure to leave a great influence upon its reader. You will find yourself lost in the hedonistic world of Gray who lives only for the pleasures that he demands. You will feel sympathy for the poor Hallward who tries to impose a better influence upon Gray. Most importantly, your heart will be pulled at its strings in this completely human tale that we could all relate to in some way.

Video diary by a girl in 2012.

My point of divergence in the US is that Rachel Carson, the biologist whose book, Silent Spring helped push forward the environmental protection effort, and combated the use of a dangerous pesticide DDT, instead never switched her major. From my research, I found that that Carson had originally planned to have an English, but later on switched to biology. Without Carson being the voice against the environmental impact of DDT, I envisioned the future to have all of the results of the use of DDT- but ten-fold. There were 3 major things that I decided would come about from the excessive use of DDT: 1. Malaria would be eradicated. When looking for DDT sources I came across several sources that ask the same question that I pose. Apparently, those sources spoke of a Malaria free world if the pesticide had continued to be in use. I saw a graph that showed a very sharp decline of deaths of malaria, but then an even sharper increase after the brief decline. I concluded that Malaria is directly affected, so Malaria would have to be gone in the world DDT is still used. My second major thing: the prices of fish are sky rocketed. My third major impact is also within my second. The fact that fish prices are so ridiculously high is because their aquatic habits are contaminated with runoff containing DDT. That is explained when the character I portray say that she can't even swim in the ocean. The result from the contaminated water is that the majority of the fish have died off, making them endangered. Yet they are still for sale (greediness of humans anyone?). 

Those were important details in my portrait of the future. I can say that I wish I had made my video journals look more...personal. I wanted them to look plain and seem almost impromptu, because I was supposed to be a random spewing of thoughts. Hence the reason why I didn't add things like transitions and stuff. I wish I could have given my character a more personality of my own- I hope remnants of myself didn't shine through too much. So I think if I were to do it again, I would make a person dramatically different from myself.

Aside from that, from this project I've realized the immense impact that little events have on our world. It makes me think of all of the world's great and evil leaders- how much things would be different if these people took different roads in life. I'm aware that we would would live in an entirely different world. I also realize that our world is the way it is because of the same people stayed tenacious and never let go of the vision that they had in mind. Mind you, that can be good or bad. Though regardless, it teaches the ever-repetitive lesson, "never give up", which mostly lives up to the praise that it receives.                                               

Pre-Conversation

Since I'm doing a chat instead of video, I think that the people answer quickly and politely.

I'm looking forward to meeting my goal for this chat: chatting without a dictionary.

I'm not really nervous about much, but the on thing is when I come into a stump. I want to be able to call upon all of my knowledge to prevent that.

Post-Conversation

Name: Emilio Gago

Country: Spain

Emilio is a great guy! We talked for a long time about things that we liked, and he really likes comics, and learning english. I learned that he is from Spain, and is also a student. I've learned a lot from him actually. He really helped with grammar errors, and even just better phrasing. I've learned some cool phrases too, one being:

"Eres el amo"- you are boss and another less school-appropriate :O.

I was really proud of my ability to recall all of what I know, and I was even complimented on my spanish abilities! Though, I must admit, it was much easier to think on my feet while I was just TYPING. But I still give myself credit because it was IM.  I'm very aware that I can conjugate pretty quickly when I'm typing/writing, but talking takes a few seconds more. For my next post, I want to have more questions ahead of time (just in case) and I also want to have a way to measure what I learn. Perhaps, I might just count the number of strategies I come up with. Or I may even make that my next blog post question- ask what are good strategies for conversations in Spanish.

More Slang (from Peru I believe)

Slang: Mamada.- significa Mentira

Choreado: Robado

Jodido:: Destrozado, arruinado, tambien significa " Super"

a. What went well? 
What I think went well was the amount of teamwork, and cooperation that we had. I think that as a group, we meshed our ideas together, and divided the work well and evenly.

b. What did not? Actually not too much didn't go well. But I guess the only thing was our file gave us a bit of problems, but we solved that.

c. What would you do differently next time? Next time, I would definitely change my timeline, and try to have less text on it. Perhaps changing structure of it.


d. Specifically comment on the 10 tips for effective infographics -

Be Concise- Make sure that fonts and colors remain the same, or complimenting through out.

Be Visual- Pictures and visuals are vital for showing information. Make sure that the main portrayal of information is from images rather than text.

Be Smarter- Divide work to save time. Make sure the theme of your info graph fits your topic well. 

Be Transparent- Don't beat around the bush and provide irrelevant information. Make sure that the point and information of you info-graph is clear.

Be Different- Be original! Be creative and make your info-graph stand out.

Be Accurate- Try to be precise with your dates provided. Have good and valid sources for your information.

Be Attractive- Be tasteful with the amount of words, or the colors.

Be Varied- Have different kinds of sources for you information! Provide images and statistics and anything that can easily transmit information. 

Be Gracious- Be neat and tidy. Try not to have information just scattered about, and lacking structure. Structure is key.

Be Creative- Have fun! Make your info graph something totally original and more importantly cool looking. Find cool and appealing ways to represent different types of information.

Which of these areas did you excel in? Which were not so well represented? Why do you think some elements of design were easier or harder to include in the end product? 

I think we excelled when it came to being smarter, transparent, varied, and attractive. I believe we excelled in there areas because our work was divided evenly, and we each shared an equal role in the design. I think we were very transparent will the point of the info graph, as well as having a nice supply statistics and images to further the understanding of the text. I think that it is attractive because of our colors that we chose, and how they relate to the drilling that happened in the town- hence, all of the brown. I don't think that being concise and visual was represented as well because not all of our fonts are exactly the same, and we had a lot of text. I think that we could have organized the text differently, and that would change the visual effect on the reader. I do think that it was harder/ easier to represent some of the elements of design because it vary depending on the type of topic that you have. I believe that visuals are used in specifics ways, and some ways may not be as universal as others. For us, I think that it was harder being completely visually creative.

What did you learn from doing this project?  

How do you feel about your final product?

If you could do your project all over again, what would you do differently/the same? 

1.The presentation that Tenzin and I chose was a poster. We chose to highlight the choices that the each president made; we chose one individual change that they wanted to make, and then we chose the systemic change that was then brought about.

2."What causes systematic and individual change?"

Systemic changes come about from a person or persons who put their will into action, and decide to take necessary step to make a difference in the world that they live in.

An individual change either is the result of or it proceeds systematic change, because it involves a person to look at themselves, and the at the problem before them, which leads a choice that has to be made to be made for the greater good.

3.One thing that I still want to know: Just how much will giving more benefits to smaller businesses do for the economy? If they are newer, wouldn't it be harder to start up anyway?

Here, I have:

Large Clear Object:

For my large clear object, I chose to draw a water bottle. I used only a mechanical pencil and some charcoal on a large sheet of paper. The pencil is indeed my favorite and most used choice of medium. I started out by outlining the bottle, at eye level, to get the shape just right. I’m very particular about some things, so I knew that I also had the background to really help give a sense of being able to see through it. So using perspective, I placed the bottle in front of a table and I also added a floor for even more perspective. Another thing to note is that I didn’t use a mid-tone at this time (I wasn’t very fond of it), but instead, I located my shadows, and from there, I smudged to give it that look. More specifically, to show that there was water in the bottle, I had a bit of a cloudy appear to it; it was darker where the water brimmed the edges of the bottle, and lighter towards the center. I added the same shadow effect to the top of the bottle, where I brought out my lights to show light reflection, and well as a transparency of the bottle. The most challenging part would definitely be getting the shape of the bottom part of the bottle and also capturing the shadows. It caved and erected in a pattern, meaning that I really had to find the appropriate areas to highlight. Overall, I think I was successful in capturing the bottle.

5 Photoshopped Pictures:

Link to the photos and descriptions: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2236943/PHOTO%20SHOPPED%20PICS.pages

Copy A Master:

For this “Copy A Master” assignment, I chose to copy my favorite and most inspirational artist, Masashi Kishimoto. Using one of the volumes of his world popular manga series, Naruto, I copied a page that had half of a poster of the 3 main characters. I drew Naruto    using a .5 mm mechanical pencil, and HB, 2B, 4B, and 9H shading pencils. Pencils are really my favorite medium because it is simplistic, yet definite. While it’s not impossible to be abstract using pencil, I think that it’s better to be straightforward with the image- but of course, the perception of its meaning will vary. So my basic routine involves starting with the head of the model, and I tried to guide my hands using my eyes along the already sketchy lines. Since it was a line art picture to start with, I just tried my hardest to really capture the shadows and the perspective. Indeed, the hardest part was really capturing the partial “worm’s eye” perspective; to be more specific, it was hard catching the view of someone in front, and slightly higher than you. This was one of the perspectives that I hadn’t really toyed with before. What I really enjoyed was capturing the parted lips and the eyes. I think that I really got the shadows on the lips and the above the right eye. Also, I captured the shadow around the jaw-line and nose especially. Through the wonders of a nice dark mid tone and smudging I was able to capture this image.

Unfinished Products:

Internet Sculpture:

What I did for my Internet sculpture was one of my own designs: using old shorts and turning it into a mini-tote. I used two old shorts and for the first side of the bag, I sewed the front of one to the front of another. Overall, I ended up using:

-A sewing machine

-2 pairs of shorts

-Several pieces of fabric

-Needles and thread

-Measuring tape

-Fabric marker

-Safety pins

Ultimately, the design was to have one solid back of the back and then use a different jean color for one half of the front. I then wanted to make a patchwork of jeans and fabric material for the other side. I started by measuring an inch of inseam for where I wanted to sew onto, and proceeded to make one side. Unfortunately, I did not finish this product. I wanted it to be the main piece, but even an artist gets caught up. Perhaps, I was dedicated to completing everything else.

http://scienceleadership.org/blog/Espanol_3_BMQ2-Ssapp_y_Awallace

Sasha Sapp

1/12/12

English Q2BM

Final

 Slums

The sound of quick steps splashing through thick, mucky puddles caught the ears of grey silhouettes moaning agonizingly, at dusk. They jerked painfully towards the footsteps increasing in speed and with animalistic growls they tried to communicate with what they knew was a person from “the world”. The world of which they wish they could return; but their jagged movements and inability to stand thwarted these futile thoughts; their distorted faces and contaminated existence prevented them from returning.

            Though nonetheless, they stirred like the starving animals that they were perceived as by humans, for fragments of humanity was lost when the Third Flash hit.

            As the bodies in the once great city of Azeroth vacillated erratically, the footsteps stopped. Axus scanned the denaturalized landscape in search of one figure in particular. She furrowed her brows; squinting violet eyes at the general area where the young slum girl usually had lain. Where could she be? She thought perplexingly. She knew that the girl could barely move a few centimeters without howling in pain, so the idea of her trying shift somewhere else was out of the question. After looking around the general area of the wasteland, Axus reluctantly continued toward the warehouse while trying her hardest to ignore the shrieks and deathbed moans that penetrated her non-gas tight suit.  After all, the suit was designed to lockout contamination. Yet presently, Axus began to wonder if the suits should also be sound proof; she wondered if the tightness in her heart was a contamination of their wails.

            She reached the oxidized steel doors of the warehouse, and stood above a circular pod that dropped her below once it recognized her Vitanumber. Sliding down the shoot for about 3 seconds, she landed in the Abeochamber- the area that neutralized any toxins that settled on the outside of her suit. She released a great sigh as she removed her facemask and as the near suffocating body suit dropped to the floor and revealed her petite frame. Glancing momentarily at her reflection, she quickly threw on some loose slacks and a blouse. Suddenly, a low whistle caught her ear, and the sound grew closer and closer to her. She realized that it was Videi coming down the shoot- Yukan had damn near lived in the warehouse recently, so it couldn’t be him.

            Confirming her hunch, Videi landed gracefully with his knees slightly bent, and flashed a goofy grin at Axus.

            “Salve Axus,” he greeted in his usual cheery tone, “I- oh, you don’t look so well today, are you lacking supplements?” His deep blue eyes flashed with worry for a moment as he inquired her present state.

            “I thank you for the concern, but I’m quite alright Videi- greetings to you as well- it’s just that…” Axus habitually swept choppy brown locks away from her face and inhaled as she continued, “I can’t seem to find Elvira…I haven’t a clue of where she could have gone! Hell, she can’t turn on her rib-exposed belly without releasing the most horrifying shrill!” It hadn’t occurred to her that she was practically shouting at him, but her worry overcame her. Internally, Videi shrugged in annoyance. He didn’t know what the hell was the point about caring for a slum girl! She was bound by death! Her fate was sealed along with the crash of the Third Flash! As much as he loved her, he didn’t agree with her infatuation with that creature. But that mattered not, because she loved Yukan.

After dressing himself, and shooting her an even more worried look he replied, “I don’t know what to tell ya Ax, but honestly, we have more important things to tend to right now.” She would have been taken back by the seemingly heartless remark, but she knew Videi, and she knew that he was right.

“You’re absolutely right Videi,” she said weakly, “We must speak with Yukan! It’s been an entire month and he’s been down here doing God knows what!” After scanning their Vitanumbers, giant doors slid open, leading the researchers into the main branch of Likon. The dimly lit, dome-like lab consisted of thousands of machinery, constantly creating an unintentional mockery of the human heartbeats, with the buzzing and beeping of monitors. Videi sat at his computer and brought up a projection of the present state of the universe. He made a sharp intake of breath before relaying what he saw.

“Axus” he whispered as she cautiously turned in his direction. She could feel her face growing pale just at the possibilities of what he could say. Seconds later he finally spoke, “we’ve got less than 100 light years until the Fouth Flash.”

A hushed silence swept threw the room and Axus felt paralyzed in it. She wanted nothing more than to try to better the conditions on Earth, which is why she joined Likon a few years ago. Videi felt her strong distress in that second, and suddenly felt that same wave of sorrow crash over him- but for a more sinister reason. He wanted to comfort Axus, but for some reason, a different word choice crawled out from his mouth.

            “Axus, we are Likon. We are dozens of underground, slum dwelling researchers who share one common trait: we are hell bent on preventing this destruction yet again. We are here to try to ensure protection to the best of our abilities, and that’s all. No matter what it takes, we must protect our race. Take Yukan for example. Yeah the guy has lived here for a month, but he is head researcher. We better be happy that he does most of the work for us!” His chuckles were cut short by the low creak of a much older door opening slowly. A deep, baritone voice emerged from the darkness.

            “Glad that I can be of help to you Videe” started the deep voice, “Worry not Axus, hope is found yet again.” Axus stared in amazement at Yukan. His uncanny ability to function normally as a time like this was astounding. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him. The splashes of grey in his hair lit up when light was shone upon it only reinforced the obvious attraction that Axus had for him. She approached him warmly and tried to catch her professional mask before it slipped away.

            “Yukan! We’ve been worried sick about you! For an entire month, the lead researcher at Likon disappears! More importantly, whatever you have been doing, you haven’t bothered to even cue Videi and I in on it! We’re your partners, and we have been so for four years now! Yukan please! No Secrets!” her words seemed to have merely scrapped the exterior of Yukan. He had very deterministic ways. Nonetheless, he smiled while placing a calloused hand on her slender shoulder.

            “Of couse my dear Axus, no more secrets,”

            Her same weak smile appeared on her face at the moment. She felt…strange. It was like the pit of her stomach was boiling and the heat traveled to her heart. Something was off. She shoved it off for the moment as the 3 proceeded through the lab casually, even laughing lightly at minor jokes being tossed around. Like their jokes about the near crumbling ozone layer they helped repair by recapturing the lost nitrogen and oxygen molecules. Or even their pretentious attitudes towards the past usage of coal for energy. She noted how passionate the two men became when it came to this subject. They bashed and badmouthed the ancestors for not being more innovative, and remarked that solar energy should have been the first energy alternative when humans could even process this idea. According to Yukan, he would’ve changed the entire world if he had been born during that time period.

  Though, with all the lighthearted small talk being thrown around the room that same feeling welled inside of her once more. As if a parasite had been eating away at her innards…that’s how she felt; as if slowly and steadily, they gnawed at her major organs making her feel hollow.

            She knew what it was; she knew why this hollow feeling was surfacing in her. Throwing suspicious glances at her partners, Axus slowly paced around them as she finally spoke.

            “Something…something is wrong,” Videi and Yukan immediately snapped their heads upwards and gaped at her intensely. Habitually, she swept her shabby bangs away from her face. Inhaling sharply, she continued, “Videi, you just said that we were less then 100 light years away from the Fourth Flash and now…you’re so calm. Yukan, you’ve been hiding away from for one month, one month! We return, and you act as if nothing has happened or even changed. And moments ago, you just mysteriously said ‘hope is found yet again’. What exactly do you mean Yukan? I just have a terrible feeling that something is horribly wrong!” Once more, she found herself near shouting. Yukan and Videi exchanged confirming looks at one another, signaling that it was time. This did not go unseen buy Axus, who was now looking with bewilderment at the two men before her. Yukan approached Axus sternly, sighing as he did so. He knew…he knew from the start that Yukan would be against him completely. But you love me don’t you? I can see it in your eye’s Axus; you will not oppose me. 

            “Axus…come with me. It is true; I promised that there would be no more secrets between us. Come now, you want to see what I have been up to for the past month? I will show you,” He grabbed her hand and led her to the outmost test room located in the lesser used part of lab- Test Area C. The cylindrical pod scanned their Vitanumbers allowing them entrance. Upon entering, simultaneously a dozen lights bright lights flashed, one immediately following the other, guiding their eyes to a massive hourglass-like machine with what appeared to be an entity hovering inside of it. Walking in closer to the machine, Yukan began to speak.

            “Axus, you know this machine before you. It is one of most powerful devices on Earth- Model Dergon 90Y1- or better known as the Energy Harnesser,” they finally reached the base of the machine, when Axus could now see tubes transferring the black aura to a much smaller Energy Harnesser adjacent to it. She gasped realizing what was in the smaller harnesser. It was the power of the Flash. Yukan observed her gaze and continued on.

            “As you know Axus, the Third Flash, much like the Second, and the Infamous First, are accumulations of the photon particles being released from the sun. But as we’ve witnesses first hand, these photon particles have wiped out vast civilizations across the face of the earth, and the surrounding areas experienced the backlash of the rays- resulting in their terrible deformities, and the denaturalization of the terrain. I’ve studied the behavior of the photon particles. And to cut to the chase- they can be counter acted-” He paused when he heard sharp gasp.

            “It’s true? You’ve found a way to counter act the particles? How,- oh! It must be this energy that you are harnessing! What is it?!” She waited anxiously for an answer- though she felt as like she answer you would receive, would be one that she would oppose to her grave.

            “Much to your dismay Axus,” he caught Videi’s eyes once more, and went on, “the energy that I have discovered that will counter the power of the photon rays…is the power of human energy.”

            Axus’ eyes widen to the point where she felt it was possible for them to pop out of the sockets. She didn’t understand...How could he harness human energy? It was wrong!

            “Yukan! How could you! Humans! Why! We are here to protect our race! Not to take innocent lives! I don’t undestand!” she cried furiously. Yukan’s eyes flared red for a second- he had lost.

            “Axus, my dear. This is the only way. There must be sacrifices to be made if you want to prevent the Fourth Flash. More importantly, the specimen that I used was just a creature of the slums. Not a person, so worry not- although, I’m aware that for foolish reasons, you still oppose me”

            Axus stopped breathing in that moment. Her heart ached, and her stomach felt as though it was disintegrating inside of her. The taste of hatred swelled in her mouth.

She was bemused by the words that Yukan spoke. Then she lost control. Thorwoing her arms in the air like she was mad, she began,

            “Have you too turned you back on humanity, Yukan! Yes they may be deformed, but they are still humans! How dare you dehumanize them! -“ Yukan interjected before she continued.

            “Don’t act as if you are the savior of the slum people, Axus. Don’t let conceit get the best of you. You cannot save them. They are doomed for death. The young creature whose energy I am harvesting will save us all, I just need at least of all of the bodies from the slums, and then we can completely counteract the Fourth Flash! Don’t you see!” he paced swiftly as he spoke, “THIS WILL SAVE HUMANTIY!” He stopped once again, and saw her sobbing, “Poor Axus, you have too much love to give. You give it to these slum people, when indeed; their sacrifice will save us. In fact, you have no reason to love them any longer. The one that you loved has made the greatest sacrifice of all.”

            Just when she thought she couldn’t sob harder, she did so. She realized that the black floating entity that was being harnessed was Elvira. She fell to floor. She wondered, when had the world become so cruel? Yet to her dismay, you knew that she could not save the people of the slums. She knew that even if they could prevent the Fourth Flash, they would still suffer. But…even so, treating them like animals to be proceeding was the most morally unjust thing that she could contemplate. Yet, she saw for herself; the power countered photon rays. This is what I joined Likon for, is it not? I wanted to save the world, and now I can, she thought sickeningly.

            The two men just stared in pity at the woman before them. When you finally stood up, she waked over to the machine and hugged it tightly.

            “I’m so sorry Elriva,” she muttered, “I won’t allow your death to go in vain.”

            Looking upon the slums the three researchers gazed over the land, as it was now pitch black. Axus stared blankly and realized that she would physically and mentally be walking into the darkness. Yet, it was for the sake of the world right? She kept that thought in mind as the three researchers began cultivating the "creatures" of the slums in the night. 

4.      Q:Where have you encountered the highest amount of ad campaigning?

If only the feeling of true self-recognition could be put into meaning,

Into a splatter of exploding visuals,

Into a serenade beautiful sounds,

Into a parallel reality where I am one with my inner parasite,

Maybe then, I could begin to explain the reason

Why I write.

This parasite within…

And how exactly do I coexist

with this symbiotic parasite?

or is it a parasitic symbiote?

Or is there not a difference?

But…

When I write…  

Am I channeling it?

Or is it channeling I?

I do not know…

BUT I STILL WRITE.

When the omnipresent universe decides to falsify my reality,

Where do I turn?

As if hope-ridden tears aren’t enough to satisfy its lust for pain,

Where else can I go?

Because seemingly, placing a barbed barrier stability and I won’t suffice-

What do I do?

I write.

I do not know why…

BUT I STILL WRITE.

Perhaps,

These hands of mine hold the words that refuse to roll off my tongue.

Perhaps,

These hands of mine hold the bittersweet idealisms trapped deep within my heart.

Perhaps…

These hands of mine hold the link to myself and the world-

• • 
    
    When finding out the history between the US and it's immigration, most things seemed to make sense besides one thing. The period between 1881-1890 (note: I realized that I made a mistake for this date on the project) . While it was a huge immigration boom during this period, I found the Chinese Exclusion Act was also established during this same decade. So, I'm still confused as to why the immigrant numbers increased so greatly. Some obvious increases and decreases were things like The Industrial Revolution, and The Great Depression (which are great points that show extreme disparities between immigrant numbers in the US history.) As for my prediction of the US numbers of Immigrants for the next two decades, I don't find that to be the easiest thing to predict. My reason for that is  because of the current economic state of the US, which is still in it's stages of pending effort to create more jobs, and to not add more to our deficit. Then again, we are still the most developed nation in the world, and I can imagine other millions of people wanting to come here for the opportunities as well. Not to mention, the number of immigrants that come would have to do with the nations that they are leaving from. The US would be flooded with immigrants if a nation perhaps has some sort of natural disaster, or fall in government. But overall, over the next two decades because the world is advancing more (could be in negative or positive ways) I could see 4 or 5 millions of people more than the previous decade coming over. As a group, we made our decision to to present the information similar to graph style but with a twist simply because of our inability to come up with something else more creative, but could also could be done within a certain span of time. But in the end, we decided to represent each decade as a building in a city and  the title of each building has historical significance to the events of the decade that affect US immigration numbers (it's on paper by the way). Some parts of the group that were challenging was really finding the time to work on it together besides in class. Also, we weren't always on the same page, or we always were. If I could do this project over, I would definitely go with one our first ideas because they would've been more visually appealing, albeit more time consuming.

• What is your refrán supposed to communicate? 
  Queiro enseñar el centro de la cancion.
• What are you especially happy about with your first draft?
  Yo emocionado sobre que significar para me.
• What would you like to improve about your refrán first draft?
  Encontrar las palabras rimas.
• What was difficult about writing your refrán?
  Tomando una linea.
  
  

  Vengo de musica,

  Donde cantando esta de alma

  Y dibujas,

  Todos los fotos hablamos 1000 palabras

   

  El Refran:

  Amor es en mi Corazon

   

  Verse 2:

  Con la familia,

  Y los noches de comida y divertida

  Vengo

   (Verse 2 no es completa)

  
  
  
  

A once quaint streak of depressingly similar 18ft wide, boxy, West Philly row homes-

now infested with the bellows of

“OHHHHH YOU TRYNA BUST???”

Is where I’m from.

Where voicing verbal lashes of insults with your very best friends are the norm.

And if the insult wasn’t “good enough” then

“That shit was ass”

is the retort for your failed attempt of humor.

Yep, I’m from

Teeth chattering and hand numbing winter nights of 20 and below

On a cold and unwelcoming cemented porch

Where adolescents bundle air tight with each other’s limbs and torsos

like horror-struck kindergarteners

clinging dearly to their mothers with a suffocating iron grip on the first day of school.

Where being together in the cold of the night was more important then being warm, cozy and sane

apart.

I’m from

“Yo, what’s ya name?” and “Damn, who’re you?”.

Where apparently silence isn’t taken as “I’m clearly NOT interested”.

I’m from summers of sweating puddles, shopping obsessively, and

Singing badly.

I’m from persistent car alarms screeching ear-popping pitches,

all because our football decided to take air in its own route.

Where shades of mocha, caramel, and vanilla

strut underneath towering tracks of the EL,

pushing aside outward differences for a mere moment-

is where I’m from.

Yeah, I’m from

Horrendous animal nicknames, tedious trips to the “Papi’s”, and

hyena-like fits of laughter with my very best friends.

Yeah…

I believe I’m from those days

with my very best friends.

“Yo Sash!”

That’s a typical conversation starter between my best friend Des and I. She had banged on my front door as usual, demanding that I sit outside in 20-degree weather and listen to how well her day went. I complied of course; she always had something interesting to talk about.

            “So we hit up downtown, job huntin’ and what not, and I saw these banging heels!” she stated excitingly.

            “Forreal? I bet they were like 4 inches high or something!” I replied mostly playfully, but seriously as well. Des was awesome at walking and running in heels.

            “Of course they were! Why would I go any lower?”

            “Des, you are insane! Like, I would totally fall after like, 1 step!” After I said that she burst into laughter even more. I cocked my head sideways in confusion. Surely what I just said wasn’t that funny. She glanced at the expression my face held and laughed even harder.

            “Des! What is so funny?!” She finally settled down, and gave me a reply.

            “Wow, even though you do it all the time, I just had to laugh this time. You just be switching from soundin’ real black, to soundin’ real white!” I gave a light laugh and replied,

            “I guess so.” Though in my head, I thought of all the times that I had received a similar comment, “Why do you sound so white?”

            I am a normal girl who grew up in West Philly. The confusing part about it, I look Asian, live in a black neighborhood, but mostly sound white. This often throws people off as soon as they look at me, but then hear me open my mouth. For as long as I can remember, my childhood friends had always made comments like, “You stay sounding white”, but people I meet for the first time are surprised when I tell them that I grew up in West Philly and have lived there for almost of all my life. They often ask me “How you grow up in West Philly, but talk so proper?” I couldn’t give them a good answer, and would reply,

“It’s just the way I speak”.

            One day, I was on Facebook, and my friend Quaron had sent me a message about one of his “Dumb Squirrel” moments in school.

             “Jeez Quaron, you’re SO STUPID!” I wrote to my friend. He replied 5 minutes later with something I had not expected at all.

“ I AM NOT DUMB! I’m so tired of you always calling somebody dumb, like you’re not all that! You think you better than everybody else just cuz you go to a better school and talk all proper! Well you not, and your’re conceited as hell! I mean, we grew up in the same place, and yet here you go thinkin’ you better than somebody! Why? What makes you better than us?!!”

When I read that, my breath was lodged in my throat, and air was desperately trying to enter my lungs; but I wouldn’t let it. I was too busy sitting there, eyes wide, and mouth agape, trying to fathom what I had just read. One of my best friends felt that I had the audacity to believe that was better than the rest of my friends. All because of the way that I spoke! Apparently, that language that you speak, or maybe just the way you speak that language, affects how you are viewed by society! It even affects how your friends view you!. I was trying to think of a good replied, though I was still baffled by this statement? Did I really make him feel like a dumb squirrel?! I had to explain to him that I- in no way- thought that I was better than any them. I told him that I have no reason to think that I’m better than anybody really. I also apologized. But what was I apologizing for? I was definitely not apologizing for the way I speak, but the fact that I made him feel that way. That day, I realized that the language that I spoke determined where I belonged.

 From experiences like these, I was able to analyze how much my language affects those around me. The fact that simple things like the words you use, and how you pronounce them can affect how people categorize you, makes me wonder why I try to fit in anyway. Regardless, if I carry the words I say and how I say them everywhere I go, someone will categorize me. My closest friends have shown that to me already. But they have also shown me that my voice is powerful, and my words have an effect on people, even if that affect is negative. That gives me the strength to continue to speak as I do, without the worry of judgment from others.

 According to James Baldwin, “…It reveals the private identity, and connects one with, or divorces one from the larger, public, or communal identity. ” Baldwin is saying that language can embrace one into a community, or push one away from a community if it’s not accepted. If a certain group wants to be seen a certain way that has to do with their language, you will be separated from that group if you don’t fit into their mold. I agree very much with the quote because I felt that I was being pushed away from the “community” better known as my friends when I was being singled out because of the way I speak our language. They could’ve completely “divorced” me from our circle of friends because I didn’t fit the mold of a teenager living in our neighborhood. Then again, I think that Baldwin is saying that language can be the “mold” for living in a place and looking a certain way. Because how you sound is one of the most immediate ways that a person can judge you, it makes sense that it could be a frame to judge someone by. If this is how Baldwin feels about language, I agree with him very much.

Language is a determinant of a person and their background, as well as a connector or separator of a person from a certain group. My friends prove this to be true. If they had let my language be the factor that divorces me from our clique that would have show how they want to be viewed as a community. But as it turns, out they don’t push me away. Instead, my friends more than accept me. If anything, my ways of speaking are starting to rub off on them! I realize the value of my voice even more, and I plan to continue to use it, no matter who categorizes me. This also shows me the role of language in the world. It can bring people together, or tear them apart.