We decided to convert the Wizard of Oz into a Michael Bay film. In order to do so we changed a lot of camera angles, props, and effects. The types of movies that Bay usually makes is a world away from the classic tale of The Wizard of Oz. Michael Bay is known for his intense action films. In order to incorporate this intensity, we chose to have more camera movement and angles in this conversion. Being made in the late 30’s, the Wizard of Oz simply didn’t have access to the same tech that modern day directors do, making it  a very stationary film. We included more panning to stimulate movement in the film. An abundance of movement in camera work is key in a Michael Bay film, as he focuses a lot on how he can stimulate the feeling of action even if things are stationary. We included many more cuts, whip pans, and zooms even in dialogue heavy scenes in order to keep the viewer attached to the screen, as Bay also does. And, there is no Michael Bay film without a shaky close up and excess explosions during a scene. We took Dorothy’s reaction to the Wicked Witch of the West’s entrance and threats more fearful and dramatized to create this effect.

A major technique Bay is known for is the classic Bay shot. This shot has the camera spinning around the character as the character only moves vertically and often locks their eyes in one direction. The camera also spins upwards, showing the detailed backgrounds and making the character smaller. This is in every Michael Bay film and we felt it was absolutely necessary to include it. This kind of shot is really complex, as an abundance of technology is needed in order to make this shot seamless. This shot is what inspired us to change The Wizard of Oz into a Bay film, as we felt that the incorporating the Bay shot when Dorothy first lands in Oz could really showcase how alone and lost she felt in this empty city. We also made the backgrounds in Munchkinland more detailed in our drawings during this Michael Bay shot.  However, we changed the colorful towers and twisty staircases into more of a hut and village set up to create a different tone for the film. We thought it would be too cheerful if we kept the setting exactly the same, and wouldn’t really convey the same feeling as the rest of Bay’s movies.

And of course, what is a Michael Bay film without excessive explosives. This is a man known for creating movies with such high explosives budgets, which we immediately knew needed to happen. Instead of Glinda descending into a colorful, cheery Munchkinland as a bubble, she blows up in a desolate and eerie city. Dorothy, instead of being the cute basket swinging girl from Kansas, is now a gun slinging badass, determined to get her and her dog back home where they belong.

Annotated Bibliography

“2016 Energy Benchmarking Report.” PECO, 2016,

http://www.phillybuildingbenchmarking.com/

This source is an annual report about energy consumption in Philadelphia in the year 2016. It especially breaks down the consumption of the percentage of school usage in the city. This report also shows how energy consumption in the city has changed over four years. This report is reliable since it is coming directly from PECO’s website; a major provider of electricity in the city. I plan to use this source as a way to show how my data can connect to our larger community, Philadelphia. I plan to include this data directly in my end report when comparing the city average to our average as a school.

Desjardins, Jeff. “What Uses the Most Energy in Your Home?” Visual Capitalist, 14 Nov.

2016, https://www.visualcapitalist.com/what-uses-the-most-energy-home/

This site shows an infographic of what appliances use the most electricity in an average household. I need this because I need to know the primary appliances I need to focus a lot of my analysis on when I collect the data in the school. This source shows me that heating and lighting are the things I may want to focus on when approving the amount of energy we use at SLA. This source is kind of reliable as the publisher of the site has done other infographics that have been referred to, but I am a little weary because it is data on a household and not a larger building or school.

“Electricity and the Environment.” Electricity and the Environment - Energy Explained, Your

Guide To Understanding Energy - Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=electricity_environment

This source explains the importance of lower one’s energy usage for the environment. I really want to include this source in my report to explain why my Capstone is important and relevant. The source even does talk about greenhouse gas emissions, so I need to make sure I reference the specific part about electricity consumption in my report. I do want to reference where our electricity is from and how it affects the Earth as well, which this source completely covers. I find this source very reliable because it is published from the United States of America’s government and from its energy department.

“Estimating Appliance and Home Electronic Energy Use.” Department of Energy,

https://energy.gov/energysaver/estimating-appliance-and-home-electronic-energy-use    

This source is a calculator like website which can help someone determine how much an appliance is costing them on their electricity bill. It is especially useful because the price calculator includes wattage of you appliance and price per state. I plan to use this to calculate how much our school would be spending if we had to pay these fees out of pocket. I would then use it to determine the solutions I want to implement and see the savings we gain. This source is reliable because it is sponsored by the U.S.’s department of energy in the government.

“Estimating Electricity Usage.” Calculate Your Energy Consumption | SaveOnEnergy.Com®,

SaveOnEnergy.com, https://www.saveonenergy.com/energy-consumption/

This site is a step by step guide on figuring out how much electricity different appliances actually use. It also provides a small section of different estimates of different appliances’ usage. The site even goes a step further and helps someone convert the rates they found into kilowatts per hour and then a month estimate. I plan to use this source to help me understand the data I will be collecting. Then I can use this guide to figure out some hypotheses on some of the appliances’ electricity and then later, cost. This source is reliable because the domain it is on is also a company that professionally deals with electricity conservation.

Guidelines for Writing Reports in Engineering. Monash University,

https://www.monash.edu/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/567156/guidelines-writing-reports.pdf

This article is a lesson showing how someone should write a professional engineering report. This source explains the key parts of the report, as well as a more detailed breakdown of what structure it needs to have and what things need to be included in the report. It even provides examples of every section, which is very helpful. I would use this source mainly in the fourth quarter when I distribute this report I will write with my data and findings. I find this source really reliable because it’s written to especially teach university students by mature engineers with a degree.

Lanzisera, Steven, et al. Methods for Detailed Energy Data Collection of Miscellaneous and

Electronic Loads in a Commercial Office Building. U.S. Department of Energy, Apr. 2013,

https://eta.lbl.gov/sites/all/files/publications/methods_for_detailed_energy_data_collection.pdf  

This source runs through a longer official report on an energy use analysis in a larger building environment. This is especially useful as our school building is a larger building than just the average household. This report even walks through their data collection process using different technology. This source is also useful as a way to see how a longer report might look like to a degree. I would use this source as a model on how to approach my larger data collection process in February through April. I find this source very reliable because it is produced from a professional laboratory.

Meier, A, and HP Siderius . “Should the next standby power target be 0-Watt?”

Escholarship.org, 2017, https://escholarship.org/uc/item/566951pn

This source is another longer report on power consumption. However, this report talks specifically about the concept of standby power consumption. So, lights that are left on when they do not need to be, devices plugged in when they are fully charged or not in use, and other examples. This source is very useful to me as SLA uses a lot of standby power consumption and this source can help me think of a potential avenue to take (the standzero option). I find this source to be reliable as it is sponsored from the U.S. government and is produced from a professional laboratory.

Safar Hatami, and Massoud Pedram. Minimizing the Electricity Bill of Cooperative Users under

a Quasi-Dynamic Pricing Model. University of Southern California, 2010,

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/5918/097ada30b8f50400c8a9abd5aba88bea8065.pdf

This source breaks down how to save money in a more mathematically based concept, using a quasi-dynamic pricing equation to complete the goal. The source helpfully breaks down time based pricing and runs through this scenario of an alternative environmentally friendly way of using electricity. This source is useful to me in running through on how to implement data collection (various sensors) and different cost optimization for saving energy. However, I am a little weary about the mathematics involved, but I plan to work through it and see how much I can include in my report. This source is reliable because it was produced in the University of Southern California from an electrical engineer.

Sexton, Joe. “Calculate How Many BTUs are Needed to Heat Home.” Inch Calculator,

Construction Calculators, https://www.inchcalculator.com/calculate-many-btus-needed-heat-home/

This source is a calculator like site where someone can determine how many BTUs it is necessary to heat and cool a room from their thermostat. This source also includes a climate zone option because the heating is also determined by the area in which people live. This site also provides explanations on what BTUs are and more information on thermostats and furnaces. I am going to use this source to determine how much energy we need to heat up a room for my data collection process. I have a source for this because our furnace may be hard to access in the building. This website is reliable to a degree, but it is sponsored by Amazon and other companies. It also includes links where the website’s data calculations are based on.

Introduction:

The goals of this paper were to investigate how war impacts and leaves an imprint on people in communities. I also go into how these impacts can be beneficial to the people or how the system can advance or deteriorate because of these changes. My process was overall productive and I was able to use my time wisely and efficiently. When reviewing my final product, I was overall satisfied with the paper and how my goals were accomplished.

Essay:

While war and violence may seem like an easy thing to define and understand, it actually is a lot more complex than what first meets the eye. War and violence is not only a physical being in the moment, but it also has a mental effect during and after the circumstances. One of these mental effects is how war has affected the home country (or countries) during and after the bloody battles. War always imprints on the societies that were involved for better or for worse.

One effect that Karl Marlantes points out is that our mentality as a people changes towards the government after a war. To provide more context, Marlantes wrote about the specific aftereffects of the Vietnam War. He writes “We have switched from naïveté to cynicism. One could argue that they are opposites, but I think not. With naïveté you risk disillusionment, which is what happened to me and many of my generation. Cynicism, however, stops you before you start. It alienates us from ‘the government,’ a phrase that today connotes bureaucratic quagmire. It threatens democracy, because it destroys the power of the people to even want to make change.” This quote not only shows how the people have evolved their views on the government and war, but how it has improved. This can also show how people learn from immediate history and how this imprint from war causes changes throughout history.

Another way war has affected the mass afterwards was the opinion of the public of war efforts. Karl Marlantes also writes “For many people, it eroded the notion, once nearly universal, that part of being an American was serving your country.” It can be seen here that people further experience that cynicism Marlantes refers to earlier. War doesn’t actually solve a lot of issues. The people learn this concept because of their desire to change the ideals of war and violent conflict. The idea of what it means to be an American in relation to war has led to numerous debates and differing opinions.

Furthering this notion of being American and not wanting to serve, there are in fact a lot of different instances where some do not have a choice to be called back into the military. This also causes a lot of issues of dividing the people and the nation. Rita Nakashima Brock writes “Forcing people to stay in service means the military abrogated their contracts and made the question of whether or not they volunteered moot.” This means that there is no choice involved when the military always has the option to reenlist a person back into active service. Even if a person has grown and took things out of war and are against it (no matter if they volunteered the first time or not), they can be forced back into it, disregarding their morals and beliefs in the present. So sometimes even when a people have evolved opinions based on past events, the system doesn’t have to follow those opinions in the same time or even ever.

In conclusion, war leaves an after effect on the communities involved that can impact how that community grows in the future. Sometimes people can become more aware of the violence happening around them. And sometimes the system refuses to change because it it more “beneficial” to them.

Works Cited:

Marlantes, Karl. "Vietnam: The War That Killed Trust." The New York Times. The New

York Times, 07 Jan. 2017. Web. 13 Mar. 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/opinion/sunday/vietnam-the-war-that-killed-trust.html >.  

Rita Nakashima Brock. "Just War Theory: Are We Protecting the Moral Conscience of

Soldiers?" The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 14 Oct. 2010. Web. 14 Mar. 2017.<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rita-nakashima-brock-ph-d/in-gates-afghanistan-what_b_758090.html>.

The goals of this paper was to bring up the issue of pre-chosen identities based on the values and standards we as a people created and implicated in society. Reflecting on my final product, I think my goals were met, however next time I have a stronger sense on how to achieve those even more. I believe my process was good when working on this essay and that my main idea was interesting to explore and write about.

Essay:

Identity is how we as a species have changed throughout life and tried to individualize ourselves. However, what if our identities are pre-chosen for us based on the standards of the old society we created? In the dominant American society, we can see patterns of identifying based on socialism throughout the entirety of our history as a nation and as a people. All people want to do is to fit into boxes and limit themselves based on what is more desirable in certain communities.

America has had the system of classes for as long as people can remember. High class, low class, middle class, these are just everyday terms Americans discuss frequently. However, the classes might not be as clear cut as they seem. Patricia Cohen points out, “The feeling of comparative deprivation and the ultrarich separating themselves from the rest of society helps explain why only 1 percent of Americans accept the rich or upper-income label. Even most people earning over $250,000 — the top 5 percent of wage earners — identify as middle class. There’s always someone wealthier around.” (Cohen). This ties into the feeling of wanting to identify with someone else or a larger group of people. In the United States it seems like people don’t want to be shamed for having a certain amount of money so the majority more or less puts themselves in the middle. This idea of wanting to fit in can not only be seen within the classes of America, but as a species, humans do it all the time. Everyone tries to fit in because they are scared of not fitting that standard society places.

Not only do we notice the behavior of trying to fit into society’s view of having the most popular or desirable identity in America’s political system, but it also makes itself known in American literature. Flowers for Algernon, a popular book written by Daniel Keyes, explores identity in terms of being intelligent and how that self proclamation affects the community and other people. One quote states, “Miss Kinnian says maybe they can make me smart. I want to be smart.” (Keyes, 1) As seen here, Charlie (the main character) believes being “smart” is the best thing to be. This point of view can also be taken out of the book and into real life as well. It is drilled in every student’s head that they need good grades to get into college, that students have to go. And the idea that “smartness” can be measured by a number is also a way society has pushed us to identify as. And once again, people usually like to be near the middle of that spectrum of between a genius or being stupid.

Trying to change your identity on the surface is also another way people want to fit into a larger group or system. In another book, Openly Straight by Bill Konigsberg, the idea of changing your outward label was a major decision the main character, Rafe, decided to pursue. He was not satisfied with being labeled as different and wanted to fit in in the “normal” crowd. This idea is immortalized in the following quote, “I was thinking about how snakes shed their skin every year, and how awesome it would be if people did that too. In lots of ways, that’s what I was trying to do.” (Konigsberg, 11) Trying to change people’s views on your own identity can show that you are in fact, trying to transform yourself, no matter how small, to fit in with the popular option.

Throughout American culture, the idea of fitting into a system which is deemed more likeable and/or popular fuels how people identify today. This idea has increased drastically in the current generation due to the rapid and ever changing social media fads and trends. What is considered acceptable or not in terms of identity has always been based on the society standards we created as a people. And in reality, just having society to blame for this constriction of self is untrue. We have always been constricting ourselves.

Works Cited:

• Cohen, Patricia. "Middle Class, but Feeling Economically Insecure." The New York Times. The New York Times, 10 Apr. 2015. Web. 18 Jan. 2017. <https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/11/business/economy/middle-class-but-feeling-economically-insecure.html>.

• Keyes, Daniel. Flowers for Algernon. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1966. Print.

• Konigsberg, Bill. Openly Straight. New York, NY: Arthur A. Levine, 2013. Print.

Introduction:

This writing helped me progress as a writer. My goal for this essay was to explore the ideas that society controls what is "literate" based on tests and how that affects how people perceive you. Society has this system where it gives people a number, how society only sees people as a value on a scale of being literate and nonliterate. I am proud of my analysis, in my last essay I really wanted to improve my analysis and I think I improved it greatly. Something I can improve is my word choice to make it seem more vivid and can grapple the reader's attention more.

Essay:

“Everyone, please break up into your reading groups and work on your projects. Group five, please meet me in the back for our biweekly meeting.”

Biweekly means every two weeks. I was one of three people who knew what biweekly meant in third grade, before the teacher taught it. The other two people were of course, in the same reading group as I was. Reading group five was really the group that couldn’t be placed anywhere else. We were more “advanced” than the other kids our grade.

Just because I took a test and my scores were different from those of my peers meant that people treated me differently, expected different results from me. Society wants to put a number on you, in order to be intelligent, you have a higher value on that scale of what society deems “literate”. Ever since I was placed in reading group five, people have always expected me to be someone else.

“Who wants to play kickball?!” It was a warm spring day and the elementary kid who proclaimed was the tallest kid in our grade, the most popular individual.

“I’ll play?” I squeaked out, wanting to fit in because surely, if the popular guy does it, then everyone wants to do it.

“Don’t you want to… I dunno, read a book or something?”

I was struck silent, why did people think I didn’t want to have fun? I can have fun! Why is reading not fun and why can’t I choose to do something else right now? Questions swirled in the tight confines in the small elementary school head of mine and I turned away briskly from the popular kid I just wanted to be like moments ago.

I didn’t play kickball that spring afternoon, instead I went to my other “intellectuals” from reading group five and sat at the benches. The three of us didn’t know what to say to each other. So we sat and watched the game that we all wanted to join in silence.

The funny thing about how society perceives being “literate”, is that the middle ground is so difficult for people to reach. Especially when one is growing up and being told that females aren’t supposed to be this smart. You are either too dense or too intelligent. As a little girl in third grade, I felt out of place simply because an exam told me I had a 5th grade reading level.

I didn’t want to be the person everyone called “the smart blond” or “the girl who is two reading levels ahead of everyone else.” When I was at this age of insecurity, I had to be like everyone else. I needed to be average, someone people knew by name.

The harsh reality of undergoing that change is different. Around fourth grade I stopped reading like I did years before. When I had spare time I did something else, something that regular kids did. I played video games, went to the park, watched cartoons, and put all my books down. And all of these things were great at the time, but slowly and slowly I wasn’t as advanced in the literature section in my exams.

After a while however, I wasn’t satisfied with the new person I became. I missed my books and the worlds I created based on ink on paper. My reading and writing grades did not push me as much. I became miserable in this shell of normality. I learned new things definitely, and found other small hobbies, but I played right into society’s hands and changed myself not because I really wanted it, but because I thought I needed to.

Mike Rose explains my point that learning that being “normal” isn’t as accomplished as people make it out to be. In I Just Want to Be Average Rose flushes this out with, “That woke me up. Average? Who wants to be average?” I discovered that throughout life, people and society are going to treat you differently no matter what you do. And this idea of what’s “normal” can be applied to almost everything, such that a higher reading level isn’t always sought after and a lower reading level is treated as not as smart.

People will expect different things based on how the education system says you fit or mold into their system. In my case, I was expected to be a lonely book smart girl who exceeds in school, however I am much more than that. People are always much more than the confines that society puts around them.

In the long run, from my experiences in reading group five, I can say I’ve definitely learned a lot more than sentence structure and context clues.

Zoë Chernowski

Silver Stream

On the Flip Side

There are always two sides to the same coin, which means that there are always contrasting views in society. One of these strong contrasting views is savagery versus civilized behavior and what they are. One might argue that certain things are savage, such as specific aspects of a religion, while another would view them as civil. However, in truth no one person can decide for the commonwealth what is wrong or right. The definition of "savage" is truly relative to everybody else in the society.

In the beginning of William Golding’s Lord of the Flies, a group of schoolboys are stranded on an island. Two of the more popular boys, Ralph and Jack, decide to have a vote and see who should be leader. Ralph wins and the boys gather together and Jack and Ralph agree to form one large group. However, later in the book there were many arguments, and different values prompted Jack to break off from the large group with his group of hunters. Jack and his tribe eventually steals another boy, Piggy’s, glasses to start fires. Ralph and his group is outraged, for if Jack’s tribe wanted fire, they could’ve just asked. Ralph’s group decide to go and confront Jack and his tribe at Castle Rock, Jack’s tribe’s home base. “‘Which is better - to be a pack of painted Indians like you are, or to be sensible like Ralph is?’ The great clamor rose among the savages. Piggy shouted again. ‘Which is better - to have rules and agree, or to hunt a kill?’” (180) Here Piggy asks the questions to Jack’s tribe to try to convince them they are being savage. However this is only Piggy’s viewpoint of the situation. To Piggy, rules and a signal fire is the most important thing they should have on the island. Piggy is trying to make it sound universal; that agreements are better than hunting. His thinking of yelling at the boys and making his statement universal is obviously flawed because he’s trying to push his ideals onto people who don’t believe the same. Also consider the argument that all of the children on this island are high class European boys. Their idea of savagery is different from everyone else’s who isn’t a high class European boy, because they are exposed to a certain environment. If savagery is truly defined in all of society, then why were these conflicts of savagery versus being civil created and still exist today?

Connections can be between Lord of the Flies and the real world also. World War II, perhaps one of the most famous wars in world history is one of many examples. One case in point is in the book Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II by Keith Lowe. It explains how Europe was ‘savage’ after World War II based on the author’s research and inferences as a British Historian."As Keith Lowe makes painfully plain, Europe in the months and years after the end of World War II was as much a cauldron of hate, murder and despair as it had been during the reign of Nazi Germany." Lowe likes to argue how Europe was still considered 'savage' even when things were supposed to be 'civil' because the war ended. This is again, another British perspective on the events that followed, and naturally views would be different if someone was not British. Lowe describes a moral collapse of the people, but who is he to judge whether or not other people’s morals ‘collapsed’? Much like Piggy in Lord of the Flies, Lowe is projecting this idea that certain people are savage because they are acting differently than him. The fact that people might be bitter about a war recently lost suddenly makes the losers savages and the people moving on and not reflecting on the recent past, civil. The same values of having these so called ‘rules and order’ make people have this great image of being civil. However, the question must be asked, who makes the rules and does this reflect on the image of being civilized?

Now, back to the points presented in Lord of the Flies. The large group of boys have an assembly to discuss the events and the fear of the beast. However unknowingly to the boys, there is no ‘beast’ and it is nothing more than a dead fighter pilot. However they are all overshadowed with their fear and what to do. In the middle of this fearful debate Ralph and Jack start to question his authority in this time of supposed danger. “‘He’s like Piggy. He says things like Piggy. He isn't a proper chief.’” (126) Here Jack criticizes Ralph, his leadership, and how he’s a coward. Jack exclaims later on that Ralph even said the hunters were useless, but he never retrieved meat for the large group. So what can be seen here is the clear differences in the boy's’ values; Jack values survival on the island and hunting for food, although to Ralph and Piggy, this seems savage because his values are different from their personal ones. Because of these conflicting values and how savagery is relative, these boys tend to clash against each other. Jack is seen as bloodthirsty by the boy’s whose priority is to get rescued, meanwhile Ralph and Piggy seem weak and powerless to the boy’s whose priority is to hunt and survive. This in turn causes the group to crumble and weaken because no one is willing to put everything into other’s perspectives.

Well, how does this relate to the example of World War II? Just like how Jack and Ralph had different views, the opposing countries in the war also had this. There is the other viewpoint on how World War II was 'civil' and actually created a lot of opportunities and sparked a national movement for minorities. This is greatly debated, just like the boys and the view of hunting is savage; the war was savage. However, to prevent the collapse of two different views, put the ‘civil’ parts of the war into light. History, Art, and Archives: United States House of Representatives published information about Black Americans in Congress. A lot of the information given was actually about World War II and how it sparked such a great change in the United States. "It brought economic opportunities and opened new avenues for participation in American society… Wartime experiences also mobilized black political activism." These so called civilized events were all created due to World War II. These events could be represented by the values of the boys in Lord of the Flies; specifically Jack. While the War might seem savage (such as Jack), it actually had a lot of civilized behavior associated to it and not all of the outcomes are considered bad.

So as a whole, savagery and being civilized is relative to what people believe and people’s morals. Ultimately, not just one group of people can consider something concretely bad or good. In order to get the whole picture, one must be willing to look at it in many different perspectives, do not become separated by ignorance like the boys in Lord of the Flies. There’s always three sides to a story after all; yours, mine, and the truth’s.

Works Cited:

Golding, William. Lord of the Flies. New York: Penguin Group, 2003.

Yardley, Jonathan. "“Savage Continent: Europe in the Aftermath of World War II” by Keith

Lowe." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 July 2012. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinion/savage-continent-europe-in-the-aftermath-of-world-war-ii-by-keith-lowe/2012/07/07/gJQAihmBUW_story.html>.

"The Second World War | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives." The Second

World War. U.S. Government Printing Office, 2008. Web. 05 Apr. 2016. <http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/BAIC/Historical-Essays/Keeping-the-Faith/Second-World-War/>.

(Main character is scruffy and sitting down behind what appears to be a city background / backdrop that is dimly lit)

(Softly while jingling a cup) Spare any change? Change. Please Ma’am, anything you could spare?

(Sighs and puts down cup) How did this become my life? Sitting on the streets and begging for scraps.

I remember when I was a baseball player. Man, I even had the best swing of my league.

(Looks remorsefully at his still calloused palms) Still have proof too. The callous never really faded.

I could've been a national player if not for people’s ridiculous opinions.

When my teammates found out, they were uncomfortable around me. Before I knew it, I was shunned. The guys would turn away from me in the locker room, some even refused to change with me there. They treated me as if I was an alien based on my preference.

I never asked to be like this. Were they uncomfortable with my sexual status or just me? What did I ever do wrong?

I was harassed for things I had no control over. (Mockingly) “I guess he bats for the other team. Ironic he picked this sport.”

I finally acknowledged my sexuality, but I guess not everyone could. I was looked down on, thought of as ‘weird’ or ‘disgusting.’ I was viewed as different, incomprehensible, some people just couldn’t understand and so I had to become a victim.

What makes me the most upset is that I tried really hard. I wanted a career in athletics, it was what I loved doing. I practiced to points of exhaustion sometimes to make sure I was fully connecting with the ball, that my stamina was good, or just catching exercises. I could’ve been so good, successful even. If only I was the modern society’s view of ‘normal.’

I was kicked out. Fired. Terminated. My coach gave me the spiel of how my personal life got in the way of my fellow team members’ productivity and how the teamwork shifted to a place that wasn’t up to par with the competition. How I was responsible, how it was my fault.

I understand that some people won’t just magically accept me for who I am. I’m not asking people to embrace the fact that I’m attracted to the same sex. I’m just asking for people to see beyond who I am attracted to. Who I love doesn’t affect my morals, my personality, or my foundations as a person. I am human!

Baseball ended there. I tried to transfer, but no one would take me. But, I realized, this could be good. I could make a clean slate, be who I am. Unfortunately, finances didn’t allow me this privilege. Money eventually ran short and I’m no good at other jobs. I tried moving a couple times and long story short, rent is a lot of money. Life is hard, and I do miss the past ‘normal’ me, but I would never want to go back.

(Reaches out and picks up cup again) After all, I rather be myself with nothing, than be a fraud with everything.

(Holds out cup) Spare any change? Change. Please Ma’am, anything you could spare?

“What did you say?”

“Thingy? Just put the thingy over there!” I felt my face heat up. Oh gosh, what was the word? What was it called?!

“Haha, that’s ridiculous, it’s called a wrench.”

“I knew that…kindof.” I bow my head. I should’ve known that… If I just had more time.

Everyone is different in the ways they convey themselves. Speech, writing, even little sayings, not one person uses words the same way. However, some people have trouble thinking of words all together, and one of those people is me.

Words in writing and advanced speech is a slippery slope and often take a while to fully grasp. Know that ‘it’s on the tip of my tongue feeling’? Imagine it happening twice as much and you’ll get more of an idea of people like me who find it difficult to convey what they truly think through words.

Over the years you learn and begin to grasp words more easily, they now appear instead of you having to heave them out of the murky water of your mind. Writing becomes more fun as you see all your work in one solid form. Those muddy thoughts can become clearer with just a little more concentration and more time. Writing is easier now, so much so, however, speaking the words you want to say doesn’t always work the way you want it to.

“Would anyone like to answer why plants grow?” My third grade teacher asked. I looked around the classroom and not a single soul moved. I looked back over to my teacher and she was staring right back at me.

“How about you Zoë!” Her eyes were begging me to say something as I fully understood the material based on my homework grade.

“Um. Well sunlight is, um, what’s the word? Soaked up through the leaves…” I was cut off by a boy sitting two rows in front of me.

“Like a sponge?!”

“Uh, no, well kinda, like the leaf takes it in and stuff happens and…”

“So like food! I never knew plants could eat light!”

“N… no. Plants don’t ‘eat’. They um...” I looked to my teacher with a look that clearly read “Help me!”

“I think what Zoë is trying to say is that plants have special cells that absorb light and turn it into energy.”

“Oooooo!” The whole class understood finally after I caused all the confusion. I was upset at myself for not thinking of the right word, absorb.

Over time I read more and more and vocabulary started to finally stick. I learned of the great book called the thesaurus and would use it whenever I was stuck. However I find myself reverting to my younger behaviors when I can not think of a specific word.

Thingy is my most popular choice. If something makes a noise, like a power tool, I mock the noise.

“Can I use the, um, ‘wer wer’ thingy please?”

Or simply when I am learning a whole new subject, it takes time for me to fully remember the vocabulary.

Now it’s not that I don’t understand what a word means and that’s why I get stuck, no. It’s this infuriating feeling when you know the word, you know the definition, but the word itself is not presenting itself to you.

This often happens a lot when talking about my feelings or emotions.

“How was your day today?”

“Fine.”

“Just fine…?”

“Well, yeah…”

When I am surrounded by people I respect and want to display my skills off, I try to push the mucky forgetfulness away. I use a type a language I consider the ‘proper way’. I try to use a higher vocabulary and try to say what I am thinking or want. If I get stuck I replace the word that I want to say with an easy replacement. And I push through the conversation and never use my childhood words of ‘thingy’ or ‘thingamabob’.

When I am surrounded by friends and family, that tense air drops and I am not as guarded. I make up words as substitutes and not always use the easy synonyms I know. When I get stuck I ask my friends for help, because I am comfortable and not trying to impress them.

Usually when I revert to this old habit I’m called childish or cute, which I have mixed feelings about. Sure my speech might sound childish and I used it since I was young, but I am trying to adapt and speak on things I am not an expert on; I am trying to have grown up conversations. I get really frustrated when someone won’t take me seriously because I am struggling with my sentence structures or word choice.

As James Baldwin states, “It goes without saying, then, that language is also a political instrument means and proof of power.” When it’s hard for me to rediscover new words I’m seen as someone who doesn’t know what they’re talking about. I’m innocent, a child in their eyes, which isn’t true at all. People who view my language habits as below them often think they are the highest, or very powerful individuals. They often use their knowledge of words and put together points and elaborate pieces that sometimes don’t have an interesting or overarching plot. Having a better memory and knowledge of words doesn’t just automatically make your content strong. Now I’m not arguing whether or not how your knowledge of words make you seem more advanced, but it’s how you use them in certain contexts.

Gloria Anzaldúa states “... so, if you want to really hurt me, talk badly about my language.” People assume and people judge, it’s part of human nature. Sometimes it’s really insulting and sometimes it is a small comment. However language seems to be a really prickly subject when it comes to these judgements. For example, I have a hard time conveying myself in words and seem distant or unfeeling sometimes. Just because I don’t know how to convey something doesn’t mean I don’t feel or know about it. How you convey something is really based on who you are. How you access a person also depends on your mood and how you’re feeling. All in all, language isn’t just an organized type of speech shared between groups of people, but it is also how you define and show yourself to other people.

In my first Blog Post, I mentioned Online Predators. In a nutshell Online Predators are people who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet. This needs to be brought up and have more awareness for many reasons. One; most children are not educated or not educated enough about this topic. If we could teach kids how to be safe Online, there would be a lot less of this crime going on. Two; some parents are not educated enough in this field. If more parents knew the signs of a predator, then more of these instances can be avoided or cut off before it goes out of control. And finally; our society is mostly based off of modern technology. This allows Predators to stalk in the depthness that is the internet and can get away scott-free. If we educate and teach more individuals about this issue, more events like these can be stopped. There has been cases where some police units are trying to bring up awareness, however it is not brought up enough on a global scale. So what are some of the signs of an Online Predator? According to the Washington Police there are several tricks Online Predators use including, but not limiting to; chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy. The main way predators lure in their victims is by ‘grooming’. “Grooming is how online predators manipulate children into meeting in real life with their sole goal of having sex with them. Predators will spend weeks, months, and/or possibly years "grooming" their victims before asking them to meet in real life.”

In my second Blog Post, to find out how much our students actually know, I gave out a quick survey regarding Online predators. Most people in fact did not know the first signs which are chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy. Participants stated that the first signs were asking to meet up or pictures. These are when the Predator already has you in their grip. So this means children are being taught what the most noticeable signs are, but not necessarily the first red flags.

For my agent of change I decided to bring my project closer to the SLA community. I wanted to actively show how to stay safe on the internet. I wanted to make a direct impact. My solution to this was to give a presentation about Online Predators and how to stay safe on the internet. So that’s what I did. I created a google presentation and showed some of my classmates and advises what to do Online and what to look out for. The video can be played below.

Doing this project was definitely an adventure. From having no idea what to do, to making a great presentation, to scheduling presentation dates, rescheduling. Overall it was challenging, but still felt like I made a difference, no matter how small. If I could’ve done this again, I would definitely done something a little more big. Maybe a presentation at a middle school or at TFI. If you still want to make a difference, learn the signs, be safe, and tell others. After all one person saved is another gained to spread the word.

La cueva del el dragón está cerca las montañas. La cueva es en el campo. Está lejos del centro comercial y la ciudad.

In my last Blog Post I mainly discussed Online Predators. In a nutshell Online Predators are people who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet. This needs to be brought up and have more awareness for many reasons. One; most children are not educated or not educated enough about this topic. If we could teach kids how to be safe Online, there would be a lot less of this crime going on. Two; some parents are not educated enough in this field. If more parents knew the signs of a predator, then more of these instances can be avoided or cut off before it goes out of control. And finally; our society is mostly based off of modern technology. This allows Predators to stalk in the depthness that is the internet and can get away scott-free. If we educate and teach more individuals about this issue, more events like these can be stopped. There has been cases where some police units are trying to bring up awareness, however it is not brought up enough on a global scale. So what are some of the signs of an Online Predator? According to the Washington Police there are several tricks Online Predators use including, but not limiting to; chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy. The main way predators lure in their victims is by ‘grooming’. “Grooming is how online predators manipulate children into meeting in real life with their sole goal of having sex with them. Predators will spend weeks, months, and/or possibly years "grooming" their victims before asking them to meet in real life.”

To find out how much our students actually know, I gave out a quick survey regarding Online predators. The first question was seeing if students can define the term Online Predators.

These are just a few responses from the survey results.

As seen above, most responses were correct, however there were some questionable ones. “Predators Online.” was one result. So this topic is brought up, but not to the extent people should know about.

The next question was if you actually know the first signs of a predator.

As shown on the graph, many people answered yes. However I asked them for specifics. Most people in fact did not know the first signs which are chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy. Participants stated that the first signs were asking to meet up or pictures. These are when the Predator already has you in their grip. So this means children are being taught what the most noticeable signs are, but not necessarily the first red flags.

We also have to be wary how much time children these days spend on the internet.

Because our generation spends so much time on the internet, we are easier targets. In fact most of the students claimed they were contacted by an outside force on the internet.

Overall I would say my findings are what I expected. Kids know about it, but not enough. Which is why my Agent of Change ideas can bring awareness to this subject and teach the full extent of this issue. I plan on giving a detailed presentation about this subject. I have to still work out the kinks on this plan. I was also thinking on hanging posters in our school and outside to bring awarness.

Online Predators. Most people have heard the term, but what, or really who, are they? In a nutshell Online Predators are people who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet. “Predators have easy and anonymous access to children online where they can conceal their identity and roam without limit. Often, we have an image of sexual predators lurking around school playgrounds or hiding behind bushes scoping out their potential victims, but the reality is that today’s sexual predators search for victims while hiding behind a computer screen, taking advantage of the anonymity the Internet offers.” According to Enough is Enough. Children are targeted, but a large amount of Teens are affected as well. “The majority of victims of Internet-initiated sex crimes were between 13 to 15 years old; 75% were girls and 25% were boys.” Was recorded by the JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT HEALTH. Here is a graph that shows the most popular ways these said predators can reach the children.

"InternetSafety101.org: Statistics." InternetSafety101.org: Statistics. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <http://www.internetsafety101.org/Predatorstatistics.htm>.

This needs to be brought up and have more awareness for many reasons. One; most children are not educated or not educated enough about this topic. If we could teach kids how to be safe Online, there would be a lot less of this crime going on. Two; some parents are not educated enough in this field. If more parents knew the signs of a predator, then more of these instances can be avoided or cut off before it goes out of control. And finally; our society is mostly based off of modern technology. This allows Predators to stalk in the depthness that is the internet and can get away scott-free. If we educate and teach more individuals about this issue, more events like these can be stopped. There has been cases where some police units are trying to bring up awareness, however it is not brought up enough on a global scale. A picture of the Police's Campaign Poster is here:

Flickr. Yahoo!, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2015. <Source>.

So what are some of the signs of an Online Predator? According to the Washington Police there are several tricks Online Predators use including, but not limiting to; chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy. The main way predators lure in their victims is by ‘grooming’. “Grooming is how online predators manipulate children into meeting in real life with their sole goal of having sex with them. Predators will spend weeks, months, and/or possibly years "grooming" their victims before asking them to meet in real life.”

So in conclusion people who commit child sexual abuse that begins or takes place on the Internet are known as Online Predators. They ‘groom’ children into thinking they are trustworthy and take advantage of that to engage in sexual offenses. There are many signs of having contact with a predator such as chatting privately, flattery, intimidation, asking for personal information, and sympathy.

Presentan Gil Rosen. Gil es masculino. Gil tiene café ojos. Gil tiene café el pelo. Él es muy cómico y divertida. Gil tiene catorce años, y cúmpleanos en 19 de Julio. Su casa está en Nordeste Filadelfia. Gil asiste Science Leadership Academy. Gil es en el consultivo de la Señorita Hull y él en el noveno grado. En su tiempo libre, Gil le gusta ir en YouTube, juega videojuegos, y hace la tarea.

La familia de Gil es pequeño, pero algo divertida. Gil es Jewish. Él le gusta su familia. Su mamá nombre es Bonnie. Bonnie es bastante símpatica. Su papá nombre es Howard, y él es muy alto. Howard asistido Temple Universidad. Trabajar en Simon & Schuster. La escuela de su hermana es Julia R. Masterman High School. La trabajar en Camp Ramah en Poconos. Ella tiene café ojos y pelo. Gil tiene uno tío. Su nombre es Steve Blechman. Él es de Californi, pero vivo en Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania. Es director ejecutivo de Recursos Humanos de la Universidad de Princeton.

Gil le gusta mucho juega a los videojuegos. Él le gusta Minecraft, Smite, Don’t Touch the Spikes, y Crossy Road. Cj y Gil jugar Minecraft siempre. Gil tiene más 700 dólares en cuenta Bancaria a causa de su bar mitzvah. Él es muy rico. ¡El lo hizo el baile silla! Gil es nuestro amigo. Tenemos la clase de español juntos. Lo vemos los lunes, martes, jueves y viernes.

Somos Aissatou, Zoë, y Gavin. Somos estudiantes de Science Leadership Academy o SLA. Está en centre de Filadelfia. Está cerca de 7 once. Es bastante divertida. Hay 500 estudiantes y 20 profesores. Hay 4 plantas. Tenemos muy inteligentes. Que hacemos muchos proyectos. Ofrecemos fútbol, voleibol, pista y campo, baloncesto, béisbol, club de ajedrez, softbol, y club de debate. Participó en pista y campo porque es interesantes.

Nosotros tenemos inglés, español, historia, bioquímica, matemáticas, tecnología, ingeniería, arte, y teatro en SLA. En esta clase inglés leemos libros y prestar atención. En español, aprendemos y cantamos chévere canciones en español. Es bien divertida. En historia necesito una pluma, un cuaderno, y una computadora. En almuerzo usted comer y descansar. Para tener éxito en bioquímica necesitamos participamos activamente. En matemáticas necesitamos hacemos toda la tarea y trabajamos duro. De conjunto la clases en SLA es muy interesante y chévere.

Los profesores de SLA son muy inteligentes y habladores pero unos son un pocos aburridos. ¡Qué chévere! Nuestras profesoras favoritas son la Srta. Manuel, la Srta. Sessa y la Srta. Giknis porque son interesantes, simpáticas, y divertidas. Nos fascinan sus clases. Los estudiantes de SLA son artísticos, tranquilos, y habladores y unos son bajos (no importa); nuestros estudiantes trabajamos duro!

Intro: ¡Hola! Es los seres queridos en mi vida.

Yo: Me llamo Zoë. Tengo quince años. Soy de Carolina del Norte, pero vivo en Filadelfia. Asisto a SLA, obviamente. Me gusta anime y manga. Me gusta leer y platicar con amigos. Me encanta Death Waltz tremendamente. No me gusta nada ir de compras. Los fines de semana me gusta jugar videojuegos.

Él: Él es mi perro. Su nombre es Ace. Él es súper adorable y muy cómico. Sin embargo él es ruidoso. Él moreno y los ojos cafés.

Ellos: Te presento a mis padres. Son interesantes. Pero son extraños y bobos. Les gusta de viajar y descansar.

Nosotros: Es hermano y yo. Su nombre es Zane. Somos locos y divertidos. Nos gusta Kiss y Classic Rock. Él cumpleaños es el cuatro de julio. Somos bastante íntimo. Somos de descendencia europea. Somos mayormente polacos.

Closing: Gracias por tu atención. ¡Adios!

First off, what is net neutrality? Net neutrality is the principle that all internet service providers should treat data without legal bias. The term was developed by Columbia media law professor Tim Wu. Net neutrality is seen as an important component of an open internet. Policies which favor this outcome allow users of the internet to communicate and conduct business without barriers including interference from a third party. This is how our internet has been working for several years.

Well if this is how it is working, what is important about it? Recently, the concept of treating Internet content equally has been challenged. This erupted when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a proposal that would provide Internet “fast lanes” for larger companies that can afford to pay a higher fee. This means smaller companies cannot afford equal treatment in terms of speeds where the content reaches the consumer. Currently Congress and the FCC are still debating about it.

Why is this important for teens? Well if Net Neutrality is demolished that means certain content might restricted to some individuals. Teens will be limited to what they see and this can prevent them from seeing the whole picture. Information will even be limited for school and education purposes, limiting the students greatly in their studies. The internet should be a privilege and not a product for companies to sell off.

Sources:

• http://guide.sacbee.com/2014/05/19/6105/two-sides-of-the-net.html

• http://nobullying.com/net-neutrality/

• https://star.txstate.edu/node/2142
  

For my new slide I changed mainly the outline of the text’s color. My classmates wanted me to make the text itself seem “lost” as well so I picked a color that blended in with my background image more. At first I thought of blurring the text, but unfortunately chrome does not have a setting for this.

When starting my slide, the first thing I had to do was come up with my idea and how I can convey it easily and efficiently to others. I came up with the idea of ¨Lost¨, based on my life and experiences, and immediately thought of a lonely trail in the woods. I found the picture I wanted to use and sent it to back, so I can write text on it. I used a font that would be unique and can catches the reader's eye, I also made it large to read and remember. I placed the text to the lower left so that the rule of thirds are followed. I also didn't want the text to be near the middle of the page, so I made it slightly below the middle mark. The text color was a difficult situation. No matter what I did the color did not go along with the message I wanted to convey. I finally had the idea that the color should be transparent. It gives the illusion of being lost, perfect for my slide. I made the text outlined in white because it was brighter and more attractive than the black outline.

Sources:

1. http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2008/08/learning-from-the-design-around-you-ikea.html
2. http://www.garrreynolds.com/preso-tips/design/