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Vincent Russell Public Feed

Capstone Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in Capstone - Dunn on Friday, May 31, 2013 at 6:01 pm
Abstract:

Mentor:

Ms. Rosalind Echols will be our mentor. We have selected her because she has the knowledge needed for this project, pertaining to mathematics and physics, to complete. I also did a similar project last year with her as my teacher, so we can learn from our mistakes of the last project.


Topic:

Mechanics of a trebuchet as well as the math behind it. As I wish to pursue degrees in Mechanical Engineering this project allows me to, get my feet wet, if you will, with the real world application and model of concepts of engineering that we will be exposed to. It’ll give me experience working for college.


Goals

By doing this project I hope to learn some of the concepts used in the engineering field as well as experience using some tools I haven’t used before. I wish to study Mechanical Engineering at each of our future respective colleges. Going beyond getting a degree, eventually to obtain a job as an engineer. This project will house material that we will study in college, along with a physical project in which to showcase our understanding.


Product:

It will be a Trebuchet because its physical representation of the mathematics/physics and other subjects that we have learned over the course of the year and what we will learn throughout this year. As well as weekly progress reports on what is done.



Proof: 

Youtube Videos

Pictures

Process Paper: Here

Bibliography:


"Physics30 - Amanda and Jacqueline's Trebuchet." Physics30 - Amanda and Jacqueline's Trebuchet. Amanda and Jacquelin, n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://physics30.wikispaces.com/Amanda and Jacqueline's Trebuchet>.



A miniature project that had success, could be primary? Shows their process, materials and how they built it. Also, shows a data table of how far it went with what mass.Their successes could help us to succeed.


"Lever." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/lever-info.htm>.



Shows how levers work and the application of the lever. Basic concepts that we need to know. This is important because we can use this to make the trebuchet, and use it for math.



"Trebuchet Physics." Trebuchet Physics. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Jan. 2013. <http://www.real-world-physics-problems.com/trebuchet-physics.html>.



Shows a lot of math and reasoning behind the trebuchet.

This will be vital to predictions and how to see what size of a counter weight be need. Also, with the design process of the different ratios of the parts.



Da Vinci, Leonardo. Da Vinci Crossbow. Digital image. About.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. <http://inventors.about.com/od/dstartinventors/ig/Inventions-of-Leonardo-DaVinci/Giant-Crossbow.htm>.


Good primary drawings from Da Vinci himself. Shows different views of it and how the machine works.




Kretschmann, David E., Jerrold E. Winandy, and David W. Green. "Mechanical Properties of Wood." N.p., n.d. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.woodweb.com/Resources/wood_eng_handbook/Ch04.pdf>


This source is good for telling us when, and when not, to use wood for the creation of the trebuchet. We used wood in all parts of our project last year. This source could tell us if there should be a different material used for differents parts of the trebuchet.





FAT's & F2K's. N.d. Photograph. The HURL. Browsing Gallery: FAT's & F2K's. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.< http://www.thehurl.org/tiki-browse_gallery.php?galleryId=14 >


This source may be used just for design ideas and appearance ideas. Especially since the trebuchet is so similar to our previous project. The HURL is a website that shows the process of actually making the trebuchet as well as how it performed after it has been produced. There are some sections that discuss the math behind using the trebuchet but there will be some modifications if we decide to use a sling.




Sciortino, Tom. "Trebuchet Construction." Ra226.net. 2007 Tom Sciortino, 2007. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.< http://www.calpoly.edu/~tsciorti/treb/ >


This source is particularly helpful in doing the math needed for the event. If one person brings a watermelon and another person brings an orange, we want to try to get both objects to land in the same vicinity. This is another source that discusses what to use to build the trebuchet and it’s kind of helpful to compare and contrast other sources that make certain suggestions on how to build certain parts.








"Trebuchet.com." Trebuchet.com. RLT Industries 2013, n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.trebuchet.com/firstfat>


This overall source talks about the measurements of the different parts of the trebuchet, but we mainly used this source to focus on how we can make a trigger to release the arm to send the projectile. We had a makeshift trigger mechanism for our previous trebuchet but we aren’t quite sure if we want to make an elaborate trigger contraption or we can just use a block of wood to prevent the arm from swinging before we want it to.






"Floating Arm Trebuchet Plans Download." Trebuchet.howtopool.com. Miller Family Estate 2012, 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://trebuchet.howtopool.com/>


This source can mainly be used for comparison in results. There are specs related to the measurements of their trebuchet and how it worked. We can use that to determine what changes we need to make to peak potential.


"Floating Arm Trebuchet." Russell Jones Floating Arm Trebuchet Comments. N.p., 2009. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.rjones3.net/projects/floating-arm-trebuchet/>


This is a great forum that discusses the process in which their trebuchet was built and the users talk about how their trebuchet performed based on their specs and changes in default measurements.



RIPCORD. "Welcome to THE HURL." Welcome to THE HURL. N.p., 20 Oct. 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.thehurl.org/tiki-view_forum_thread.php?topics_offset=1&forumId=1&comments_parentId=25233>


This source discusses the variables that determine the output of the trebuchet and what possible problems you may run into.




Saimre, Tanel. "TREBUCHET ñ A GRAVITY-OPERATED SIEGE ENGINE."Estonian Journal of Archaeology. Estonian Journal of Archaeology, 1 Oct. 2006. Web. 1 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.kirj.ee/public/va-arh/arch-2006-1-3.pdf>


This source is helpful in the physics part of our project and determining how air resistance and gravity will be be working against us.




SMKYTXN. "Modified Floating Arm Trebuchet." Tacoma World Forums RSS. Tacomaworld, 13 Nov. 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/off-topic-discussion/248534-modified-floating-arm-trebuchet.html>


Honestly, this source could literally build our entire project if we simply follow its directions. However, we want to be original so we’re going to have many additional modifications because we have different ideas in mind. This source also provides some useful feedback from other people who built a trebuchet with a similar design. Their input is valued when in the building process because it could help us avoid some common mistakes that maybe they had made.


"The Hurl - Wiki." Merlin -. N.p., 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<http://thehurl.wikidot.com/trebuchettypes:merlin>



This source discusses the variables that determine the output of the trebuchet and what possible problems you may run into. The math looks a little complex, but, hopefully, we can use the math we’ve learned last year in physics to get the overall results we are aiming for. If the math proves to be more complex and difficult than we can handle, we’ll most likely have to reschedule our events in our timeline and dedicate some time to learning from Ms. Echols.


TeamCatapult. "Floating Arm Trebuchet, the Most Effecient Catapult!" YouTube. YouTube, 03 Apr. 2010. Web. 01 Feb. 2013.

<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qDvMwa71Fg>


This is mainly for inspiration. It’s fun to see how other people’s creations perform and how we think ours will compare.


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Q4 Benchmark

Posted by Vincent Russell in Globalization - Herman on Friday, May 31, 2013 at 9:19 am
​Here you go.
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Q3 Benchmark

Posted by Vincent Russell in Globalization - Herman on Friday, March 22, 2013 at 1:23 pm
​Here.
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Bench Mark 2 Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell on Friday, January 11, 2013 at 8:26 am
​Here it is.
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Creative Project Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in Sexuality and Society in Literature - Dunn on Monday, December 10, 2012 at 12:09 pm
​

Table of Themes:

Forgiveness and acceptance:

[ retribution … clarity ]

Love

[ love … thick&thin ]

Outcast

 [ weird … scorned ]

Public vs. Private

[ expression …  erosion ]

Motif's

[ runners … habits ]

Colors

[ red … maroon ]

Emotions

[ anger … disappointment ]

Birthing life

[ imp … hospital ]

Relationships

[ knowledge … peace ]

Since this is a creative project I wanted to take some thing normally bland and show it in a different light. Word art seemed to be a good fit for the idea I had. I choose a guitar because I thought it represented expression and that was a main theme throughout both texts. The reason the guitar isn’t too colorful is because of the combination of the puritan times and the indie/soul of Juno.  choose themes such as; Love, Outcast, Forgiveness etc, because they show the brunt of the media without going into detail. Branches of the themes are the words, which associates with the theme through different angle and perspectives. I choose words that were on a level that anyone can understand it, while trying to go advanced with other words. Overall, this project is shows expression through words using different themes.

The process of creating this project was tedious, but not too much. The themes represented, were some of the many of things we discussion about when reading/watching The Scarlet Letter and Juno. The words are what I associated with that idea, or what I what I would feel in those situations. The only real problem that happened was trying to put the words into an image. It was difficult trying to find something that can represent both media, but I’m happy I choose the guitar.

I am most proud about how all of the pieces fit together with each other and building on each other. Everything has a purpose and each part rely’s on the whole. Although, maybe the words I choose where a bit too mundane and should have opted for more complexity. If I was to do this all over again I would probably change the representation of it. My original idea was to do a stained glass window, but that seemed too time intensive for the amount we had. As a whole I feel this creative piece is a well portrayal of the themes in The Scarlet Letter and Juno.

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Abolish Research Fraud

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Tuesday, November 13, 2012 at 1:17 pm
​By: Terrance, Mat and Vinny

Our G-doc with all the information on it.

2 Comments

VRussell Election 2012

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Sunday, October 14, 2012 at 10:26 pm
​here it is. 
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Group IV Post

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Monday, October 1, 2012 at 2:31 pm
​Here is our g-doc.
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Political Cartoon - VR

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Wednesday, September 19, 2012 at 9:18 pm
​Here ya go.
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Room for Debate

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 at 9:35 pm
The U.S.A. P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act is a rather large update to America's Government on the investigation and capture of terrorists. It is mean to secure America from dangers lurking in our midst, not thousands of miles away. Through roving wire taps, bank records and much more. It meant to protect the whole of the public while finding the dangers. The most important part of this bill arguably is the title that lets different agencies share information with each other. Allowing for more support and different takes on issues.

Now to the matter of privacy. The Government now has access to roving wire tapes, which they can follow a person if they switch companies. Before they would have to get another warrant, for the different company. To the average american it means nothing to you because you first must be behaving suspiciously. Not too much to worry about. The Government now has access to library records. This, I feel, is does not help the government at all and so vague. Just because someone reads a book about Osama Bin Ladin does not make them a terrorist, or researching explosives because you have an interest in become a bomb technician. It is highly speculative and doesn't, to me, provide any real benefit. Plus, if there is freedom of the press, what's the point if what you read can mark you on there list. Some where on that law says an officer can seize any "tangible" thing that can be used, without a warrant. This is too much power, an invasion of privacy and a perfect setup opportunity. 

Finally, the NSL's (Nation Security Letters: a demand for information, not needing a judge) gives the government too much power. There is no checks and balances here, which makes it a bit of a wild card. Other than the things listed above it is a fitting update to America's security.

Tags: RoomForDebate, PatriotAct, Activity1
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Blog Post 1: Enemy of the State

Posted by Vincent Russell in American Government - Herman on Friday, September 14, 2012 at 6:23 pm

This movie pretty much puts the government in a bad way. Or at least a team of rogue NSA agents. They could do just about anything they wanted or get anything they wanted. Their SSN, finical records, credit cards, address etc, seemed to be easy access with out needing a warrant. There is no privacy for citizens in this movie, or respect for it because if these people want to do it they can. The government shouldn't have this so easy access to all this information, there should be some balance to their power. There is some law maker that is trying to get this bill passed, and the scary thing is its recent. Privacies should be respected until suspicious circumstances. Just like warrants to search your house, etc, they don't have that for a lot of things online.

Tags: AmerGovt, EnemyState, BlogPost1
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You've got mail!

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 11:24 pm
One unread message
20 Comments

Blog Post #5

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Sunday, May 27, 2012 at 11:12 am
  • Who did I speak with and why did I choose that person?


    I talked to Marion because I wanted to see where she lived in France.

  • What did you learn about them? What did you learn from them?


    She likes a lot of music and movies, she lives in Paris and in highschool.
  • How did this interaction help you move towards achieving your personal goal?


    I wanted to see what movies she liked, and she told me.
  • What specifically did you do well according to your goals/expectations?


    I wanted to find about about movies, and she told me .

  • What specifically do you need to improve on? (Quote specific things you said or did and what you would have done or said if you could do it again)rc


    Some words I wanted to say I had to look up and sometimes I had to translate a word she said with word reference.
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Blog Post #4

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 7:36 am
  • Who did I speak with and why did I choose that person?


    I spoke with Melina in this conversation. I've talked with her before and decided to use this one.

  • What did you learn about them? What did you learn from them?


    She has a cat, and she calls it dog. And her family calls it other names, so it must be a very confused cat.
  • How did this interaction help you move towards achieving your personal goal?


    It worked out good, my goal was to talk about sports but this helped a bit. And was interesting.

  • What specifically did you do well according to your goals/expectations?


    My goal was to talk about sports but I forgot I asked her that already. But my expectations were met because it was interesting an I used a bit of spanish I don't normally use.

  • What specifically do you need to improve on? (Quote specific things you said or did and what you would have done or said if you could do it again)rc


    I need to improve on constantly speaking spanish, this was one of the few times I didn't. But I decided to use this anyway.
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4 Comments

Conversation #3

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Tuesday, May 8, 2012 at 10:37 pm
  • Who did I speak with and why did I choose that person?


    I spoke with Melina in this conversation. I talked to her before and she made sense.

  • What did you learn about them? What did you learn from them?


    She likes playing volley ball and going to the beach. I also learned a bit of the culture
  • How did this interaction help you move towards achieving your personal goal?


    It worked out good, my goal was to talk the culture but I don't think she quite understood what I said.

  • What specifically did you do well according to your goals/expectations?


    I learned but not much, it was fin though

  • What specifically do you need to improve on? (Quote specific things you said or did and what you would have done or said if you could do it again)rc


    She didn't understand me so I had to write in english to get my point across. I'm not so sure other than trying better
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Conversation 2

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at 7:47 am
​
  • Who did I speak with and why did I choose that person?


    I spoke with Géssyca in this conversation. I don't remember why I choose her, or she choose me.

  • What did you learn about them? What did you learn from them?


    I learned where she lived and what she lived to do.
  • How did this interaction help you move towards achieving your personal goal?


    It worked out good, my goal was to talk about music and it went well

  • What specifically did you do well according to your goals/expectations?


    Talking about music and past experiences

  • What specifically do you need to improve on? (Quote specific things you said or did and what you would have done or said if you could do it again)rc


    I didn't understand her at first but I quickly got over that.
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1 Comment

Blog Post

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Monday, April 23, 2012 at 8:49 am
  • Who did I speak with and why did I choose that person?


    I spoke with Belén Belli, because she is around my age (19) and I thought it would make a good conversation

  • What did you learn about them? What did you learn from them?


    I learned about her taste in music and different ways of phrasing what I wanted to say ( correctly).
  • How did this interaction help you move towards achieving your personal goal?


    It worked out pretty well, my goal was to keep a conversation going and it was pretty nice.
  • What specifically did you do well according to your goals/expectations?


    Ask questions and make comments to keep up the conversation, always have something to talk about.
  • What specifically do you need to improve on? (Quote specific things you said or did and what you would have done or said if you could do it again)rc


    Phrasing basically, and using the wrong words, as you can see in the chat.
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Vincent Russell - Atoms

Posted by Vincent Russell in Physics - Echols on Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 7:04 pm
atoms
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Goals for Conversation

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Friday, April 13, 2012 at 5:00 pm
​Some of my main goals are:

-talk about experiences 

-add more detail to stories 

-simply hold a conversation

-think of different/new questions to ask people 

-correctly use spanish grammar 

Some question could be: 

What do you like to do in your city?

 How is your family doing?

 What is your favorite type of food? etc...
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Reflection Paper

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 3 - Pahomov on Friday, March 30, 2012 at 5:44 pm

With all projects come challenges and easy points. So, I’d say our group did a fairly decent job. When we first got our topic we told each other what our weaknesses are and our strengths, and planed accordingly. As a group we were split on what medium to use for our project. Eventually decided on using both a video and a website. We then split our group into smaller groups; Mabintu and Joe working on the website while Mat and I work on the video. Collaboratively we all gathered resources to put on both medias and shared the google doc so we could have access to it. 


A challenge for me was finding videos that go along with the facts. It was easy finding out what had been cut but for a video you need someone to say it, to be more believable. Also, I thought communication with in our group was a challenge since some people would be on at times and other not, but we over came that. 


I think our success was knowing what angle we wanted people to view the topic as. It is such a complex and broad problem to talk about so we ended up showing more about the struggles that the district is facing. Not so much that its their fault but its a system that we’re apart of and can improve.


All in all, I think our project was pretty decent. We’ll start getting the word out there this spring break to see the impact, if any, it has. Hopefully there will be. And continue on from there.

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The Secret Past of Our Modern Life

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 9:21 am
Process Paper:

Since I am all ready interested in the sciences, it wasn’t a leap to research the history of electricity. I knew all the technical and science aspects but not how it was adopted into the U.S. and the world. The idea was to choose a topic that is related to today but one that we take for granted or don’t necessary ask, “What is the history of this”? I thought it would be very interesting to research how it became so deeply in every aspect of our life. I knew Edison invented the light bulb and little bit on Tesla but not the relationship between the two. Or how F.D.R. used R.E.A. to make electricity spread across the U.S.

I watched documentaries about the subject, although they weren’t very specific into my topic I gathered a lot of information from them. Over the course of about 2 to 3 months I compiled a document of the information, including essays that were used for another project. Also, finding primary sources such as actual legislature and real footage, by the way of the Internet which is where the other facts came from. They helped the video aspect as-well. The other archival footage was really helpful in explaining facts and it gave a sense of the past - since most of them where made in the 1930-1960’s. Most of the information for the video was from articles and secondary sources. 

I choose to do a video to be more engaging and entertaining than just a website with text and pictures. As well as, it would be a more creative project that just facts and point of views in words. I represented themes visually and let people actually see what happened in history with footage. I tried to make it more of an entertaining movie rather than me just talking about facts on facts. Instead of trying to visual the scenes in your own head. For the programs, I used iMovie to make the video. The video is from various websites, mainly youtube, mostly primary. I compiled the video with dramatic scores, and near the era music, to get into the time of what it was like back then.

After the introduction the project goes into the three parts of the NHD theme, Revolution, Reaction and Reform. The revolution part is the first steps of electricity and how it was started. That sparked, no pun intended, an electricity race across the country and it primarily between two minds who had different ideas on the topic. The Reaction part of the project is how Edison reacted to Tesla, what he did to try to squash Tesla’s ideas and inventions. By electrocuting an elephant and making the electric chair. Finally the reform part is when the government, F.D.R., got involved and how they implemented it across the country. There is no conclusion because I wanted the audience to make their own conclusions, to think about the video and how it relates to their life.


Bibliography:

SECONDARY

"The Missing Secrets Of Nikola Tesla - YouTube." YouTube - Broadcast Yourself. 29 Oct. 2009. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5uiK_QnyrE>.

A video showing the history of Nikola Tesla ranging from childhood to latter life. Basically the last half talks about a death ray and world peace (not really useful). But the first half talks about the history of him, Edison and Westinghouse. Which I could use to provide some background during the article.

"Welcome to the Tesla Memorial Society of New York Website." Tesla Memorial Society of New York. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.teslasociety.com/exhibition.htm>.

This source has a lot of good information on the power plant at Niagara falls the T and W made. It shows all the parts of the plant how the work and how things were arranged to have it completed. Also, a couple good primary sources such as letters that may help. This will really help with my first article.

"Nikola Tesla." Welcome to Phils Website. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.phils.com.au/tesla.htm>.

More background/history of T. Has some parts on the Niagara falls generators I can use. Which was the partnership with Westinghouse and J. P. Morgan. But as soon as people knew what he really wanted to do, jp decided they wanted out. T wanted to transmit free electricity, and if they were doing that jp wouldn’t get any profit. Of course this was never realised but the idea alone caused it.

Klein, Andrew R. "Rural Electrification Act (1936) - ENotes.com." ENotes - Literature Study Guides, Lesson Plans, and More. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.enotes.com/rural-electrification-act-1936-reference/rural-electrification-act-1936>.

REA was a great thing for farmers and other people living in rural areas. At the time this act was first made only 10% of the rural pop. had electricity but more over this act helped to get out of the great depression. In 1950 almost 90% of the rural pop. had electricity and telephone lines were then added to the act. Today it’s know as the RUS and still helps and provides electricity at a low cost to farmers.

BURNS, JOSH. "Edison vs Tesla: The War of Currents." Overcome Everything! — Business as Unusual. Overcome Everything Inc. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://overcomeeverything.com/2924/edison-tesla-war-currents/>.

Info on the strong rivalry between the two men. Explains the differences between the two types but I already have that. The good stuff is where it talks about all the conflicts between them. How they clashed with the different inventions they had or came up with. Plus, the people they did it with. What is also interesting is the world fair part but I don’t think I’ll be able to use it.

Parkinson, Dave, and Tracy Lamourie. "THE HISTORY OF THE ELECTRIC CHAIR." The Canadian Coalition Against The Death Penalty. Canadian Coalition Against the Death Penalty, 29 Dec. 2010. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.ccadp.org/electricchair.htm>.

Specific history timeline on the electric chair with some articles (that I didn’t know until later, sadly). The timeline is very good and provides key points and dates in the evolution of the electric chair. I only saw the timeline while writing the article so that’s all I used. But it basically shows Edison’s involvement in the electric chair and how it progressed.


PRIMARY:

"Nikola Tesla's Acceptance Speech on Receiving the Edison Medal." Nikola Tesla Information Resource | Books and Online Files. AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL ENGINEERS, 18 May 1917. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.tfcbooks.com/tesla/1917-05-08.htm>.

This is where Tesla is receiving the Edison medal (kind of ironic) for his working with electricity and other devices. The president of board is introducing him and naming all of the achievements. Then Tesla gives a speech while accepting it. I’ll use this to highlight some parts of the niagara plant as well as future things for different articles.

Tesla, Nikola. "My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla." Lucidcafé Interactive Café and Information Resource. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.lucidcafe.com/library/96jul/teslaautobio.html>.

This book is a book the Tesla himself wrote about many aspects of his life. Some parts are his inventions and other are how he grew up. It’s not that long but there are a lot of things I could use in here (didn’t read the whole thing yet). He does talk about the Electric Plant at Niagara and his dreams of being built as a young person.

Edison, Thomas A. "Electrocuting an Elephant." Wikipedia.com. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Topsy.ogg>.

This video shows the smear campaign that Edison used against Tesla to make people favor DC current. Edison insisted that AC current was hazardous to living things so he just electrocuted animals to prove his point. In this video he electrocuted an elephant name topsy. I can use this video to show the propaganda in the “current wars” between Tesla and Edison. Plus could be used to show how Edison felt about Tesla’s work.

"Rural Electrification Act of 1936 - Title I." U.S. Department of Agriculture. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.usda.gov/rus/regs/info/100-1/title_i.htm>.

This is the Rural electrification Act of 1936. Helped America as a whole become one giant electric network. This helped to connect the power lines into all different cities that were previously not. It also got the rural people acoustomed to the new technology that was spreading across the nation and the world.

"Bad Elephant Killed." RailwayBridge.co.uk. The Commercial Advisor, 5 Jan. 1903. Web. 15 Jan. 2012. <http://www.railwaybridge.co.uk/topsy.html>.

Thee article about Topsy getting killed. Explained what happened that day and what she did to deserve it. It was a bit short but very good to have the actual article. It explains how she died and what they used/fed her to ultimately kill her.

<Franklin D. Roosevelt:"Executive Order 7037 Establishing the Rural Electrification Administration.," May 11, 1935.Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley,The American Presidency Project> http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15057#axzz1jT1eIbLw

Again a good primary source depicting the exact order issued by the president. He talks about the REA (administration one) creation. What it will do and how it will be done.
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Reflecíon

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Thursday, March 8, 2012 at 1:28 pm
​Describe the Q3BM: what was the assignment?  What did your group decide to do and why?

We choose to make an audio podcast because we thought we could put more in with the little time we had with other projects. We did a better job making an audio than if we were to make a video with the same time.

What did you learn from doing this project?  


I gained more practice with ser and estar. Plus using relationship vocabulary I learned more haw to describe situations. I thought the practice was the most helpful.

How do you feel about your final product?


I feel confident. We worked hard on our script to meet the necessary requirements and make it interesting a bit. the editing was good and I know we including everything and more.

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


I would devote more time to the script, because if we did then we could have finished a bit earlier and moved on.




​https://www.scienceleadership.org/blog/El_Juego_de_Amor--_Allen-Chelsea-Jessica-Vinny-Grupo_de_Peru 
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Vincent's 2fer

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 3 - Pahomov on Friday, March 2, 2012 at 10:57 am
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Benchmark 2, NHD

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Friday, January 20, 2012 at 10:44 pm
Evolution Of Electricity

By Vinny
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Reflexión

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Friday, January 20, 2012 at 3:14 pm
​
  • Mi grupo y yo hicimos un PSA sobre recicle y como el efecto en la media ambiente. 
  • Por crear el PSA, la cosa más importante que aprendí fue es importante a a tener un limpio medio ambiente.
  • Me gusta el PSA de mi group porque facil a trabajar con.
  • Si pudiera hacer el proyecto otra vez, yo cambiaría la minutos, tal vez la video es corto y resumido más.
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Revolving Door - Dre, Annisa and Vinny

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Friday, December 16, 2011 at 3:18 pm
DSCN0564
DSCN0564
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Lazziness

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 3 - Pahomov on Friday, December 2, 2011 at 9:32 am
Vacations are quite necessary to life. Normally I'm not one for taking a break at all but they do and need to happen. 

I guess you would say I'm not one for stopping, but when I do I can't stop stoping. For instance, during the school year I'm the student who does all/most of the work, no breaks and continues to critique and revise. Almost constantly working and if I'm done that I'll go make something, or practice guitar. Which it's not technically school work but it still feels sorta like work. Sometimes it doesn't but thats a whole different story. 

Anyway, during the school year I constantly do things to keep me busy. But when summer comes I'm either the same or flat out wear the same pj's for three days person. Which is a pretty stark divide but it's difficult to get out of that routine. This summer wasn't so much the case there have been others. This summer we took a rode trip into Canada to see Niagara Falls and Toronto. 

To me vacations combine work and laziness. You sleep in a bed that's not yours, wake up extra late and feel like a guest where you're at. Wake up, open your rooms blinds and you see a giant waterfall. Pretty relaxing. But you can also explore a new place you were you never had the chance to. Seeing a lake so big you couldn't see the shore of the other side. Experiencing a city that's very clean compared to Philadelphia, not to degrade Philadelphia at all. 

The most important thing is when you are on the road back and walk through your front door. A different outlook is present on about your couch, the rug and even a ceiling fan. Getting out of your surroundings helps develop a new feeling about home and the different things I took for granted. It showed me a smidgen of appreciation for things I use everyday. Sometimes that's just it.


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Trader Joe's - Vinny

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 at 9:00 am
traderjoes vinny
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South Philly

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Friday, November 4, 2011 at 11:59 pm
A project by Vinny and Catherine Nardone


Exhibit_Catherine_and_Vinny_History_bm1
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Irlanda y Italia : Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 at 7:03 pm
This project was to write a song in response to the following question, "De donde vengo yo?", which means "Where did I come from?". We had to answer it in our own unique way, providing 2 verses and a chorus.  In this project I re-learned some parts of spanish, learned some new phrases and words.  I thought of it as remembering and using spanish while talking about our past.  I proud of the uniqueness though it is a bit odd, having two totally different types of music in the same song.  If I were to do this again I would make it longer, include more lyrics and record it better. 

Lleno cancion


Refrán


Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.


Verso I


Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

Ellos fue barco a través de Atlantic  .

Antes de embarco,

Ellos juntaba todos cosas

Y continuar de viaje.   

Estas son las personas,

 que son mi historia



Refrán


Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.



Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.


Verso II


Mi antepasado come de Italia,

Ellos trajeron su comida, cultura, y  las memorias.

Desde Italia ellos come,

Ellos trajeron los familia de todos cosas y vida.

Ellos cociando la pasta cada domingo. 

La tradition quedo en toda la familia.


Refrán


Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.

Spanish Song - Fire -Unit One
5 Comments

Cancion by Vinny

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Thursday, September 22, 2011 at 3:03 pm
​Refrán

Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,
y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.
Verso I
Mi antepasaso come de Irlanda,
Ellos fue barco los cruzo de Atlantic.
Antes de embarco,
Ellos junataba todos cosas
Y continuar de viaje.   
Refrán
Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,
Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.


Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,
Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.
Verso II
Mi antepasaso come de Italia,
Ellos trajeron los comida de cultura, y  las memorias.
Mi antepasaso come de Italia,
Ellos trajeron los familia de todos cosas y vida.
Refrán
Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,
Y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.

  • What are you especially proud of?
    I'm proud of the uniqueness try to put two different types of music together(even though it probably won't work).
  • What do you anticipate having to change before recording your song?
    I probably will change some of the lyrics to make it work with the music. 
  • What did you talk about in your song?  Why did you choose to talk about those things in talking about where you come from?
    When I first thought about the question I thought of my ancestors and how they might have come over. Also, I think explaining my heritage will help in explaining me.
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El Refrain

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 3 - Gierke on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 9:38 am
​El Refrain

-Mi antepasado come de Irlanda,

y Italia  y eso es la cuento de mi.


This is supposed to communicate that I’m both Italian and Irish. The rest of the song will explain everything else. I’m happy that it makes sense, because a lot of times I write it doesn’t make sense. I might want to make it longer but I wan the bulk of the story to be the verses. It wasn’t too difficult, the only hard part was to find the words I wanted ot use.

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American Photo

Posted by Vincent Russell in American History - Herman on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 4:53 pm
Picture of the fire house right near my house.

DSCN0495
DSCN0495
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Humanities - Final Portfolio

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 2 - Block on Saturday, June 11, 2011 at 8:43 pm
​ Knowledge is interchangeable.   That is the main, perhaps the most valuable thing, I learned in History and English class this sophomore year.  In the beginning of the year English and History class were separated.  Towards the middle it seemed as though they interlocked and fit into each other.  But it all started with the descriptive essay from English.

 

We were asked to write Descriptive Essay about something that happened in our life. I chose to write about the summer earlier that year. “Out in the 90-degree weather and a storm we were up on the roof trying to prevent the resistant leaks”.  As I realize now this first assignment in English was really the backing of the whole year. I had to learn to be more descriptive and creative at the same time. It was a bit challenging at first because I did not write like this before. As time went on and the projects called for more and more I started writing better and better.

 

Oddly enough the project that I surpassed my standard for writing was the Monologue Project for History.  For this project we had to pick a human rights struggle. I had to do a lot of research to understand and convey the topic clearly.  I had chosen drug trafficking because of the different reasons to do it and how some people don’t really have a choice. “I know she needs the money but its drug money!”(Scene-1). The daughter had kidney disease and the family needed fast money to pay for her medical bills.  This project forced me to be very original, descriptive and creative.   Though, we had a little help from Kate from Young Playwrights. She helped most of the class and I our plays.   Even still it really pushed my ability and raised the bar for realistic fiction writing that will come in the future.

 

            The Sweatshop trial that we as a class did in middle of the year was probably the most enjoyable activity for history.  The class split up into groups to take positions on the real world problem sweatshops. Each group was questioned on the amount of control that they had on the situation and why it was still going on. “U.S. Consumers - If you wanted these “sweat shops” to end, you would have to stop buying into these companies”. As well as, each group had to present opening and closing statements on their position.  Finally, as a class we voted to see which group we thought had the most guilt. My group was the Poor Country Ruling Elite.  We had to research a ton of statistics, information and articles to fathom our position and perspective on the issue.  This assignment taught me about perspective because we had to really see from a group of people’s point of view on a hard issue.

 

The most interesting piece of work this year was the Night Artwork for English class.  After we finished the book Night, which is about life in a concentration camp, we were asked to make some sort of art to go with another issue of the book. There were no limits so I created a video of key things in the book. I tried to be creative as I could in designing the video, what items to put where and what type of music should be playing.  An important thing I learned was how to incorporate skills such as perspective and creativity into one project.  This also showed me a new medium in which to express the many forms of English.    

Overall this year has been very enjoyable and memorable. I learned many new things and polished others that we rough. I hopefully will remember the experiences or the hard earned skills. English and History class in sophomore year was a wonderful opportunity. 


Portfolio  Wordle
Portfolio Wordle
Tags: English, History
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Spanish Story Q4 BM Vinny

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 2 - Gierke on Friday, June 10, 2011 at 2:49 pm
​​​​​​I feel as though I worked hard on this project, making the pictures and putting it all together.  The process was good and I had all the check points done on time.  

If I was to do this again I would change the format and add more baby pictures and ones from today. Also, I would Add more description in the whole thing. 

Cover

Story
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Bittersweet

Posted by Vincent Russell in World History - Block on Friday, April 8, 2011 at 10:06 pm

Characters

 

Eduardo - Farmer, Husband to Eva.

Carmen - Daughter of Eva and Eduardo.  

Martin Baines - Drug dealer.

Eva - Wife of Eduardo.

Federal agent - Has a way with words

Ben Walsh - Reporter in U.S.

 

ACT 1 SCENE 1

 

EVA

 

 

(Three men come near the house, two with guns and one with a suit)

(Wife is outside watering plants)

 

Oh, these Dahlias are beautiful this time of year.  When spring showers bring may flowers.  Hopefully that will happen with the crop this year.  Hopefully...  It just wouldn’t grow last year.

(Sigh)

Whats- Whats that over there?  I never saw that car before.  They’re getting out.  Why are they getting out?  They have no business here. Or with us, for that matter.  Oh no, they have guns!

(Eva goes inside to the screen door)

Who are those men out there?

(Looking outside)

The ones outside! With the guns.  One guy has a suit.  Yes…  The other two- don’t you see?  The other two have dress shirts.  No, they’re, they’re, just looking around at our field.  I don’t know why.  Maybe the cro- No, but there mad at something.  Will you let me finish a sentence?  I said maybe the crop.  Why are they mad?  See you don’t listen to me I told you.  Look Ed, they’re picking up the soil.  I’m not sure.  No he’s on the phone screaming about something in Espanola. I can’t make it out.  Probably the field.  They’re coming toward the house

(Motioning to Ed)

Go see what they want, before they destroy our property.  Please, honey.  Do it for me.  Be careful.  No, no, don’t take the gun; we don’t want them to know we have one.  Wait let me go lock Carmen’s door.

(Locked the door)

(Walking to the front of the room)

All right, come on Ed make them go away, use that silver tongue of yours.  Talk them away.  That’s it.  You’re doing a good job.  Oh, no…  They just flashed their guns.  No, don’t bring them inside, what are you doing?!

(Sigh)

(Ed walks in with the traffickers)

(Waiting for Ed to come, whispering to him)

Why did you let them inside?  Huh?  I know but you could at least... never mind.  So, what did you find out?  You’re not sure what they want?  All right, let’s see.  Don’t make them mad. They might kill us.

(Talking to the traffickers)

So, uhhh.

(Clears throat)

Good afternoon. Can I get you guys anything to drink?  Want some lemonade, or... cold tea?  Oh, I know! How about some Orange juice?

(Walking to the kitchen)

No? Not thirsty right now?

(Walking back)

Okay, then.  So, uhh, what brings you gentlemen here?  I would be better if I sat down?  Okay, sure. Fine, what’s this about?

(Pause)

(Looks to Ed shocked)

You want, what? Or else? ...No, no, no ,no. You don’t understand.  We already planted our seeds.  You're too late.  What’s your name?  Mr. Diaz.  Huh?  You people come into my house wanting our property... and labor?  For nothing?  You’re out of your damn minds!  Who do you think we are? Morons?  There isn’t any way you’re getting our land! No way. No, you're so lucky I don’t reach for your throat now... Don’t call me a bitch!  I’ll rip your head off.

(Whispering to Ed)

Tell them no, make them go away.  Before I hurt them.  Come on, you know this is ridiculous?  Right?

(Talking to traffickers sternly)

Can we talk for a second? ...Alone?

(Ed and Eva go off to the side)

Ed, listen, we can't do this.  No, it's too late in the season anyway to do this.  We will get the money another way; we will get the money another way.

(Rubbing the tears from her face)

Their criminals!  Crooks!  Thieves!  Cowards!  Don’t patronize me! They are going to make us do all the work so- and what if the drug police come, huh?  What the hell do we do then?  No please don’t do this, what about- Yes, what about Carmen.

(Hand motion)

I know she needs the money but its drug money!  We can’t raise her in this mess, we just can’t.  She has a good life ahead of her in spite of her illness.

(Rubbing her face)

No, Ed she's only seven she can't handle this kind of thing.  You should have never let them in.  All right I’m sorry but we can’t do this.  There are other ways.  There are!  I know it.  I just can’t think of them yet but they’ll find us.  They’ll find us...  Just, just tell them we’ll think about it okay?  Tell them 3 days.  That should be enough time to get a plan going.  We’ll think of something.  No, not tomorrow.  Okay fine...  Promise me.

(Carmen some how unlocked her door comes up to Eva)

(Talking to Carmen, kneeling)

Wait.  No, no honey go back to sleep.  Don’t worry about them honey you need your rest.  Okay?  Don’t ask questions honey.  Just go back to sleep. Okay?  Okay.

(Carmen goes back to her room)

(Staring down the traffickers, talking to them)

If you ever touch her... I’ll kill you myself.

(She walks to Carmen’s room)

(The men walk out the house)

 

 

 

 

 

Act 1 Scene 2

 

EDUARDO

 

 

(Slowly paced)

(Out in the field planting more seeds)

Great, just goddamn great.  One more thing this year and I’ll…  My head will burst!  First the bad harvest.  Those tomatoes just went bad for some reason- I used the best fertilizer.  The best seeds.  And fresh water from the stream.  I, I did everything right, I don’t know went wrong.  What happened?  They were fine until... Until august when I started using the pesticide.  How stupid could I have been?  I should have known.  Goddammit.  Then Carmen…  Going for a routine check up and then bam.  She’s horribly sick and we didn’t even know it.  Or at least I didn’t.  I thought it was just the flu-I mean she had a fever and threw up.  A cough.  Those are classic flu symptoms.  Right? I guess not...  So, we went to the doctors and come to find out its kidney disease.  What the hell kind of sickness is that for a 7 year old child?  Fist off, how does it even happen that young?  I mean that’s something older people get.  Like me.  Why not me?  Why her?  Why her this young?  It should have been me!  I’m the old person in the house.  Why not?  Why the hell not?  Plus, the damn treatment for her is too much.  I can’t… I can’t afford it. Two days a week at Hospital Regional.  The only reason I can get her some treatment is because of the hospital and whatever insurance she has.  I don’t even know what she has.  They can only do it for so long, soon they’ll need money.  I barley have enough money to feed us.  Not with the crop last year.  Now there’s a way to help her but it’s with Criminals!  Damn it!  I can’t do a deal with criminals.  They came into my home threatening my family.  Then Eva went berserk...  If I don’t do this deal and they come by again.  That will be the end of them.  No, more problems.  But if I get over powered.  They’ll kill me or…  At the very least they’ll kill Carmen or Eva.  Or even worse take them!  I can’t live without them…  No, no, no, they are not going to die or be taken advantage of, Ill make sure of it.  I can’t think about the what ifs...  Next time they come I won’t be alone though.  I guarantee it.  I’ll-

(Pause)

Ill some how get the police to know about this

But how?

(Pause)

There has to be some police in Iquitos.  I’ll tell them what happened and next time they come they’ll be here and imprison them-

(Sigh)

Yeah

(Nods head)

(Shakes head)

No.  No, I’ll make the deal.  She needs the money.  For that um.  Um.  What’s it called?  ...Dialysis.  Yeah that’s it.  I can get her that and some new clothes.  It’ll make her happy...  I’ll make her happy.  These seeds better grow more than just plants.  They better grow hope because... This is the only thing we have left.

 

 

Act 1 Scene 3

 

CARMEN

 

 

(Sitting on her bed)

I’m so confused.  What’s is going on around here? ...I’m sooo scared.  I showed him everything that was wrong with me.  And mommy told him everything thing else I missed.  I think it started a week or two ago.  When I threw up...  I can’t remember...  But the doctor told me bad news.

(Crying)

It made me really sad. And- and papa was crying about it, because he didn’t.  He didn’t have enough money yet to get me better.

(Stops crying)

I hope I do get better.  I donn wanna be sick forever.  I have to go to this place, two times a week.  And they take out bad stuff in my blood, I forget what the machine is called but

I dunno how but it makes me better.  I’ll get better.  I know it.  I can’t stand Mommy and Daddy sad like that it hurts my heart.  But then yesterday.  I heard noises in the living room.  So I came out of my room to see what it was.  And there were three men on the couch.  And Papa.  And Mommy.  Were whispering, about something.  I donn know. I couldn’t hear them too good.  But, It seemed bad.  Then they all noticed me and made me go back to bed.  It wasn’t fair; I wanted to know what was happening.  I deserved to.  I mean I was awake and plus, I don’t want to be in bed all day, It hurts after a while...  I wanna go out into the fields and play, like daddy and me used to do. We would play hide and seek from dawn till sunset.  But no....  My ankles are all puffy and I can’t walk too good.  I almost fell when I tried to get up.  So, the doctor said to get rest and come every Tuesday and Saturday.  I gotta sleep he said.  That’s fine I guess, I’m always tired anyway.

(Goes back to sleep)

 

Carmen

Act 1 Scene 4

 

DRUG DEALER

 

(Ring, Ring)

Yo man wassup?  It’s me Martin.  What?  Yeah you know me. Remember the thing on Wednesday and I told you about the thing?  Yeah you got me.  Nah, I got the stuff.  Mhm.  You come and get it.  Yeah ill be there.  Go to the spot we went to before.  Nah, don’t you remember?  The one right behind Publix.  You know.  To the right of Acme, behind Publix.  Nah.  Yeah that one.  Nah don't worry about the policia.  So what if they are around the corner, dey stupid man.  Nah, nah it’ll be cool.  I know man and plus this stuff is extra strong.  When did I start doing this?  Recently man.  Ever since I got out of small time stuff.  Goin with the big guys.  What?  Nah, I don’t do no robberies any more.  That’s some old small stuff. Think bigger.  I know people way down south.  Yeah, so, where’d you here that.  Around?  Oh, okay.

(Waiting for the guy to come)

(Walking up to the guy)

Yo, man how you doin?  Yeah, boss man is getting a new setup in Peru.  Yeah but this stuff is extra strong once you take it, woooo you’re off.  Yeah, yeah. Nah don’t worry they’re going off somewhere else.  What the sirens getting louder? Oh shit.  Book it.  RUNNN!

(Trying to run away)

Hide it man hide it!  Did you set me up?!  Did you set me up?!  I knew it man.  I knew it...

 

Act 1 Scene 5

 

FBI AGENT

 

 

(In an interrogation room with the drug dealer that was in the previous monologue)

(FBI agent walks in slams a folder on the table and sits leaning back)

(Felon is standing)

Sit down

(Pause)

Do you know why your here?  Uhh Martin Baines.  What?  You don’t know?  You didn’t do anything? Ha-ha, Alright.  So the 6 kilos of cocaine, in your vehicle. You know the car that you own... 88’ olds mobile... license plate number B36 MLK, isn’t yours?  You know the Cocaine in the glove compartment.  You do know its illegal right?  I mean I hope ya do.  Uhuh right...  Oh I see some planted it there right?  You want me to believe your story right?  Not going to happen.  Lets look at your record down here in scorching Miami shall we?

(Reaches for a folder and opens it, crosses his leg)

Lets see.  Grand theft auto in 06, on NW 45th lane.  A break in, in 07.  Same street.  And now this, 6 kilos of cocaine...  Behind Publix.  Not even a block away.  Now tell me, see, I don’t understand how you could go from grand theft auto to 6 kilos of cocaine?  Oh, you were set up, I see...  Okay, listen. Cut the crap

(Unfolds his leg, sits up straight)

We are not interested in you.  We are interested in your new boss, Jorge Diaz.  He’s known for forcing people into his business.  We know about his operations in Peru, and your relation with him.  He is setting up a new workshop for making Cocaine from plants grown there.  He is also needed for questioning here for the cynical murders and beatings of his wife and three young kids.  Madison at age 4...  Franklin at age 3...  Stephanie at age 7...  And, Esmeralda, his wife at 28... Nearly beaten to death. Still in the hospital... You never heard of him before?  Why did he kill his family?  Because they threatened to go to the FBI.  The only difference between you and them is you are already in custody.  You won’t get hurt.  You’re still not talking?  All right, when you have a revelation about if you want to talk or not knock on the window and maybe, just maybe I’ll talk to you.  If other people die because of you, lets just say you’re getting more than 10 years in prison, with accessory to murder

(Gets up)

(Starts walking away)

What’s that?  Oh, it is yours?  Well, didn’t you say it wasn’t?  You do know him?  I’m terrible confused.  Inform me!  Now!  On everything.  Names.  Numbers.  Even what they eat for breakfast.  I want know every damn little detail that you know about them.  Or else you’re going to get a minimum of 10 years in prison.  And believe me when I say minimum. 

 

Act 1 Scene 6

 

Reporter

 

 

Good evening, I’m Ben Walsh.

Justice is in the air tonight, here in downtown Miami.

FBI agents report that they have Jorge Diaz in custody today.

He was responsible for three cold-blooded murders of his children and the vicious beating of his wife just two weeks ago.

The lead the FBI agents got a tip from an informant, which proved to be the only thing standing in their way.  A drug dealer in the area, Martin Baines, was arrested today on drug charges, which proved to be the missing link to solve the case.  He told the FBI where Jorge was located, hiding out in the Peruvian city Iquitos. Jorge was extradited today on 3 accounts of first-degree murder and an attempted murder charge.  Officials escorted him off the plane in chains and handcuffs earlier this evening and will charge him later this week.

 

Miami news Mbz

Back to you, Bob.

(Pushes on his in-ear head phone)

What’s that?

Yes, the wife is still in serious condition but doctors say she is going to be all right.

Thank you, Bob.

Catch you later.

 

Act 1 Scene 7

 

CARMEN

 

 

(Overlapping a little with the monologue above)

Mommy, Mommy!  Guess what mommy!  Remember when Daddy went into town?  Well he got a newspaper and I started to read it and I saw that Jorge Diaz got arrested!  What do you mean what does it mean?  It means that those mean people won’t ever come again.  Well the other day I woke up and heard you yelling.  And you said Mr. Diaz and some other stuff.  But that’s him mommy. Look!

(Shows her the paper)

See, isn’t that him?  I knew it was him!  Now we are going be fine right mommy?  Okay mommy I believe you.  What?  What is dad going to grow now?  Not tomatoes again right?  Cocoa?  Oh, is that used to make chocolate?  Oh, yummy.

Okay, mommy. Go and water the plants.

(Walks to another part of the stage)

Daddy, Daddy guess what!

Look!  Here!  Yeah, that’s really him.  

(Carmen hugs Eduardo)

Oh, wait before you go.  What did you plant today?  I asked you but you never told me.  Cocoa?  You mean chocolate?  We’re growing chocolate?  Yay! Daddy, can we make chocolate when it’s ready?  What else? You’re the best.  Mommy, Mommy, guess what?

 

Carmen
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Is the U.S. a helping hand? by Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in World History - Block on Wednesday, March 30, 2011 at 11:27 am
​ Is the U.S. a helping hand?

 Does the U.S. actually help when it says its helping? Or do they do what ever they can to help? Let me explain. In the recent news the revolution in Libya has received some help from the United States and the United Nations.  Lately, they bombed government factories and government hangers hoping to stop Qadaffi’s reign of terror.  They hoped to give the rebels an edge on the government forces since they are barley making any headway. Many think this is going way to far to try to help the people of Libya.  Many more think this is exactly what is needed to stop him.  Is the U.S. helping the people Libya? Or are they helping their suffering?

 

The U.S. in particular has been in question of whether or not its actually helping when it says its “helping”.  Foreign Aid’s objective is to benefit countries by volunteering goods and services.  According to globalissues.org, in 1970 “the world’s richest countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid, annually”.  Many of the countries in this agreement do not meet with this criterion.  As of 2009 the U.S. has been giving 0.2% of their gross income. Although, this does not meet the requirements the U.S is ahead 15 million dollars on other countries. 

 

In January 2010 a devastating 7M earthquake hit Haiti. Of course being the kind country that we are we sent 10,000 troops in the next few days following the earthquake.  Our Military leaders were too interested in securing the island to send groups like the Red Cross overseas first.  According to Slate, a news website, “Aid flights from Mexico Russia and France were refused to land” on the 18th of January.  It took convincing from the U.N. to let airdropped aid reach Haitian soil.  Lt. General of the U.S. southern command told Associated Press “It is calm at this time”.  If it was calm couldn’t the forces be more directed toward giving aid to people?

 

Three weeks ago a 9M earthquake hit Japan followed by a ruinous wall of water that crippled the entire coastline up to 6 miles inward.  Since Japan is an important ally to the U.S., a relief effort was made to help the people of Japan bounce back from this two part natural disaster.  20,000 troops were sent to Japan.  Some of the 20,000 Marines cleared the Sendai airport, the biggest regional city hit by these calamities.  Now airplanes with supplies can land and deliver aid. "But I still have reservations about having U.S. troops in Japan. ... I'm happy today, and I appreciate their help, but it doesn't fundamentally change the way I feel", says Yoko Hiraoka from STL today.  Even though the U.S is making a good effort to get supplies there, their presence holds tensions of conflict.

 

            With all this evidence before us can we make a definitive judgment? The U.S. feels obligated to help other countries even if the ties with them are bad.  The U.S. makes mistakes by over estimating the problems, like what happened in Haiti, and tries to not show them. All in all, this help is great for countries that need support in times of need.  It shows decency to help Japan even though the ties are bad.  Just sometimes the U.S. goes about this wrongly but never the less it is help and it is needed.  Even though it doesn’t seem beneficial it actually is helping a lot, more than we know or think. 

Tags: vrussell, History
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Vincent Russell La rutina dia

Posted by Vincent Russell in Spanish 2 - Gierke on Friday, February 25, 2011 at 3:30 pm

What did you learn from doing this project? (skills, life lessons, words etc) 

 

I learned a lot in this project. Using iMovie helped me get a better feel for the program and to use it to what I needed to do. Also, I now have a better understanding on the spanish actions and words.

 

How do you feel about your final product?

 

I feel as though my project was simple and to the point. It could have been a little more complex or specefic but I'm happy with my final product.

 

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

 

If I was to do this again I would manage my time more and know what I needed to record before I recorded. That was the main issue for me but overall nothing else.

 

Did you enjoy this project? Why or why not?

 

Yes, I enjoyed this project because you had freedom on what you wanted to teach or make a video on. Also, If I ever need to teach someone this or refresh my memory, I have a video on exactly what the actions are in Spanish.

Spanish Project 2-24-11_VR
Tags: vrussell, Spanish - 2, E - Band, jgierke, La Rutina Diaria
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Descriptive Essay Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 2 - Block on Tuesday, December 21, 2010 at 7:56 pm

Descriptive Essay

I walk through the living room, through the archway, look at the painting over the archway I remind myself when I was younger.  The painting is of a teacup, sugar and a spoon, which are really the only things you need for making tea except the tea itself. It reminds me how I would always end my day with a nice cup of it.   Pouring water into a mug and heating it in the microwave, the time around 1:45. Thinking of how the day went while the time passed.  Getting the black tea bag ready and bowl of sugar near by.  I would put too much sugar because I liked it very sweet.  And add little bit of milk to make it slightly less hot and more enjoyable.  Carefully bring it into the living room so I don’t spill it.  Then sitting down and relaxing by watching a good TV show, movie or doing nothing at all while I sipped the nice brew.   As I recap my childhood I can’t help but want to do that now but I’m not that much in the mood. Rest and relaxation are you need on a long day of work but pop-tarts and milk will be fine for now.  Sitting down eating I think of my day.

As my arm tires, I pull the trigger.  I drill into the drywall putting an inch and a quarter screw holding it in place. I put more screws in, so my dad could let go of the big piece. I’m not used to doing this work so I have to take breaks sometimes.  I grab more screws from my belt and finish the 4 by 8 piece of sheetrock. As I wait for my dad to finish putting in his side in, I drink some water.  There are two fans in the room but it’s still very hot. We walk into the hallway and pick up a large piece of sheetrock that was rested on top of wooden blocks. We walked back into the room and I noticed our progress so far.   The ceiling dry walled, and both of the remaining walls were insulated. We lift the piece up, held it in place and both drilled in the screws. Eating my pop-tart, I realize that it is important to know these things just in case something happens.  When I am older I might need these skills and a normal lazy person would rather stay home than work for the whole entire summer.  I’ve learned a lot of things of the summer, mostly skilled labor.  Patching roofs, framing a room and stapling installation.  One that particularly was very hard was patching the roof. 

Out in the 90-degree weather and a storm we were up on the roof trying to prevent the resistant leaks.  We weren’t sure where they were, so we decided to patch over the whole thing. I remember one time when storm clouds were moving in, we had to quickly secure and patch the whole back side of the roof.  We had most of it done when I tried to see how far the storm was but I couldn’t really tell and that’s when I felt the first drop.  Working faster I noticed I was coming down harder.  My dad and I rushed to complete out patchwork.  Having a few more parts to seal shut we scooped out the tar in the bucket and lathered in on. I got more tar on myself than the actual roof.  Trying to work together we put mesh in the seams to help strengthen it.  Doing all the work fairly decent, we deicide it will hold the water. We look at it for a second, and then rush down the ladder.  I enjoyed it very much when I think about.

When I look back at this year’s summer I feel it wasn’t at all a waste.  Learning trade, spending time with my dad and doing a good job at it was great. Of all things I learned, putting up drywall, spackling, painting, patching tarring and so on, I think just doing something for my summer was worth while. I feel proud of what I learned and the things I failed at. All in all, these things will probably help me later on somehow but for now I enjoy eating my snack. 

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An (in) Formal Essay By Vincent Russell

Posted by Vincent Russell in English 2 - Block on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 11:34 am
(in)Formal essay
By Vincent Russell

People think of formal language as somewhat robotic in a way that everything has to be pronounced correctly, every syllable and every word. Most people don’t like to put forth the effort into something that is not your own way of communicating, your own way of describing the place around you, your own way to explain your morals and values.  A way that is your own in every syllable and word uttered from your mouth. There is most times a middle ground for people to want to communicate in the in the most effective way possible. I use that middle ground a lot. For example, when I type its really formal and structured sentences, like this. But when I speak, the words that make it’s way out is less formal…
     Matt and I were sitting next to each other on the subway. It was pretty quiet.  We had just finished school and around Ellsworth and Federal a man started to talk to people. Over hearing him he said;
    “Hey, escue meh, “, looking concerned “If yo boy was to go out some where, you wanna know right?”
“Yeah, sure.’” Some women said.
    After a minute or two with her he turned around and asked us “You know what I mean?” Matt and I both said “Yeah”. We were kind of nervous since a random guy was talking to us, but we answered him anyway.
“Say this was yo girl right here”, pointing to me, “No homo, but say this was yo girl”.
    I looked confused and offend at Matt and he looked back just confused.
    “Yeah?” we both said.
    “You want to know where she going if she go out somewhere, right? I mean that’s all I’m asking and she go make a big deal of it.” “Yeah that’s normal” I said, “You should want to know.” “Yeah” said Matt.
    “See ya’ll know what I mean. That’s all I want. Thanks, guys. I appreciate it”
    “No problem.” Said Matt. The man got off the next stop. Matt and I were semi-relieved because that was kind of awkward. But we laughed it off.
    “Well, that was weird” I said.
“Yeah, haha, what was that?” said Matt.
    “A guy who needs advice, I guess” I said. Once our stop came we got off causally and walked home.
    Some people such as a random man in the subway tend not to speak so informal on account people might judge them. Not saying I judge people but that’s what I seem to notice. I talk the way I talk because it’s a way to communicate things easier and it’s the way I was brought up. When I’m relaxed I talk slightly different but not by much. But when I’m mad I speak really formal sometimes. I try to hold it back but it doesn’t always work. It gives me a good feeling when I can express myself in a sophisticated manner and actually understand what I say. Most of the time I talk normal. Normal for me is no slang but more of an informal and not so up-tight speech.
    Anytime you’re not at job interview or talking to the president informal speech is most apparent because you’re not trying to impress someone that has power over you. When I’m with my friends I don’t really care how I sound it’s who I am.  
One day about four months ago, Catherine, Ruben, Heather and I were in our B2 band class, Engineering. Mr. VK told us to brainstorm on ideas to pressurize oil. My table group, Ruben, Heather, Catherine and I, conferred with each other.
“Hey, I have an idea.” I said, “ what if we use soda?”
“Like, clear soda?”, suggested Heather.
“Yeah, that’ll work” said Ruben. “But how are we going to get it under pressure?”
“We could use Alka-Seltzer tablets.” I said.
“Oh, hey did you guys know that birds don’t have a digestive system!?” exclaimed Catherine.
“What?!” said Ruben, and I.
“Yeah, they can’t burp because it just goes right through them, so they explode.” said Catherine, explaining her point more.
“Oh, that’s cool…” said Heather.
“Did you know that sharks can explode?” said Ruben.
“What!? Really?” asked Catherine.
“Yeah, they can explode” said Ruben.
“I don’t believe you!” protested Catherine.
“Its true. Ask VK,” said Ruben.
“Yeah, he’s right”, I said.
Motioning for Mr.Vk to come by the table. Mr. VK walked up and asked, ”What’s up?”
“Okay” said Catherine, “So, I have a serious question for you. I’m not stupid,
okay?
“Okay?”, said Mr. VK.
“Do sharks explode?” asked Catherine.
“Um, Yes. Okay, so sharks martyr them selves for the good of the pack that there traveling with.”
“Really? Wow Ruben you were right,” said Catherine.
...Three months later we all were in the same class and Mr. VK came by.
"Hey" he said," You know… It’s great when you are playing a practical joke on someone and then, the time comes when you tell them it’s a joke but you forget…Sharks don’t really explode"
"What!?" screamed Catherine, "No, no, no, no, no. Your lying I saw it on Batman!"
"What? I was lying, Ruben said go along with it".
"NO!!!!”, exclaimed Catherine.
My friend’s all talk in-between informal and formal. The middle ground, that’s easy to convey feelings and it’s formal enough to understand them, a language that is structured “correctly” but has a lot of me in it. That’s all you need sometimes something that is yours and you can own and change it anyway you what because… it yours.
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