The Spanish-American War

Hello bloggers! In this unit "Execute" we learned about the executive branch of federal and government in which is responsible for carrying out and/or executing the laws. We also learned the purpose and the powers of the executive branch, and how those powers are executed throughout history. For this second action project the class was given the choice to pick a war, researching it and deciding whether the war was unjust or just in your opinion. The war I chose for this action project was The Spanish-American War. The most challenging thing about this project was to find a war that I felt comfortable researching and learning more about. What I am most proud of is learning about the The Spanish-American War and knowing the history behind it and how it effects everything today.
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The Spanish American War, U.S. forces took place in 1898 in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Guam. The war was fought between Spain and the United States of America. This war happened because a lot of people wanted Cuba to become an independent country but they refused and on along with that the Americans wanted a colonial empire for their country which lead to war between Spain and the United States of America. The Spanish-American war involved the Caribbean islands such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and Philippines because Spain lost the sea war in which they had to give up its colonies of Cuba, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and part of Guam. All of these colonies, except for Cuba, would become U.S. colonies at the end of the war. Although the main issue was Cuban independence.

The Spanish-American War went on from April 25, 1898 – August 12, 1898 (3 months, 2 weeks and 4 days). The ten-week war was fought in both the Caribbean and the Pacific. The United States of America joined because Americans wanted a colonial empire for their country. They wanted to take control of other lands and that’s when they decided to fight against Spain. One of the unique features of this war was that this was a U.S. occupation during the larger, ongoing. American troops were soon in route to Spain’s other important Caribbean possession, Puerto Rico, and landed on the island’s southern coast on July 25th. The invasion was in keeping with the U.S. strategy to intensify pressure on Spain’s possessions until Madrid sued for peace. Spain began to realize they couldn’t anymore but to ask the Americans for peace terms. By then, U.S. ground forces had swept across southern and central Puerto Rico, where inhabitants received them warmly.

This war was fought because Cuba wanted to become an independent country but the Americans wanted a colonial empire for themselves. The Cubans were wary of the United States' intentions, the overwhelming support from the American public provided the Cubans with some peace of mind, because they believed that the United States was committed to helping them achieve their independence.

 Immediate Causes:

•  Cuba’s Independence 
• The Unites States wanted control over land and more territory.

 Underlying Causes:

•  Demands by Cuban patriots for independence.

 Overall, I think that this was unjust because the United States of America really didn't have to control any land or territory. They were already big enough, it was just unnecessary to have a war over colonizing other peoples countries and land.

Citations:

"Puerto Rico Invaded." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"Spanish–American War." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"The Spanish-American War, 1898." Milestones: 1866–1898. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

"Where Did The Spanish American War Take Place." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, n.d. Web. 16 May 2016.

Sexual Equality In Sports

For this action project, In Policy I was assigned to write a letter discussing about a topic that I am most concerned about and write it to someone that will read this letter and make a change. I decided to choose Gender Equality on sports because I experience a lot of this when I play sports that mainly have only males. What I learned in this unit was about the three branches of government. I am most proud of choosing this topic and being able to express myself the way I want to and being able to let someone know what I think and what should be done and changed. The most challenging thing was researching and finding both sides of the stories.

April 25, 2015
The Honorable Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW,
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President:

What is it like to be a female who views herself as both a student and an athlete in the U.S.? Let me tell you, although their are plenty of sports to choose from, depending on the school you attend, there are still a lot of challenges and restrictions.I am asking you to craft a bill that will make all school sports (from elementary through college) on the same level of equity. Although, I do know the disadvantages that it takes upon females and males playing together in a sport. I know that it can be tough and frustrating for some males playing with females because some sports can be very aggressive and violent, in which some males wouldn’t like to hurt or play with a female because the sport is too aggressive.

As I was researching, Debates.org came up when I asked about “coed sports in high school”. The debate is whether “sports should be co-ed?” Yes or no. 63% voted yes and for 37% for no. This all depends on how females would feel in being a “male” sport, even having the privilege to play and experience. Boy and girls might be more comfortable with playing in the same sport. Boys tend to be afraid of hurting the female in the game. As a female I have experienced a lot of personal issues playing in a all male sports, like American Football. I love football and I like playing it but I have had issues where I got judged because I am a female and because I might just seem weak to them and not good enough.

I understand that this is a hard decision because males would prefer to play with their own gender because it might work best in their opinion. Despite the fact that males would prefer to play with the same gender I still think that Title IX plays a huge part in the United States. Us women have the right to participate and be in all types of activities no matter what gender, age and color you are. Women may get discouraged because on average they perform poorly in comparison with men; and that female sports are different from male sports. It is argued that all of these arguments are flawed. This decision will be up to all the females if they want to join a sport that they know mainly males play and that it might be aggressive.

Iphones Vs. Android

Hi I am JR and for this 3rd action project in my Argument class, I was assigned to choose an argument in which will have a antithesis to it. The argument I chose for this third action project was Iphones vs. Android. I chose this argument because I actually own both phones and I also leave one aside while I use the one I really like. The most challenging thing about this action project was finding facts about both phones and getting all the information in the right places. What I learned in the Argument class was basically the study of arguments, reform and structure. I learned to handle arguments differently than how I used to handle arguments but now I know I have to come to synthesis whenever an argument comes up. What I am most proud of is getting this action project done on time and being able to learn about both phones and how both are so different than what people think they are both the same. Enjoy!

Thesis:

When it comes to the ongoing Iphone vs. Android debate, I argue because it’s something hard to choose against, they’re both good phones but depending on which android phone it is. Some Android phones do work perfectly fine and they are as good as Iphones. I am an Iphone user who once had an android phone and I think I made the best choice switching to Apple. The reason why I believe this, is because Apple Iphones:

• Are better looking 
• Iphones get the best apps first 
• Iphone 5s and up have a fingerprint sensor
• Are better organizing tools 

Now, there is plenty of evidence supporting my argument. Android phones are regular phones; they still work but the majority of Americans tend to buy Apple Iphones the most. Iphones have better phone quality, camera quality and giving functionality. This debate really divides people who are committed to their Iphones or Androids, and it can get very intense. In fact, as I was researching I found a website where they were talking about two roommates in Oklahoma almost stabbed each other to death while having this same debate. People get so heated over team Apple or team Android, it’s crazy. I would highly recommend to anybody to get an Iphone because they are better to connect with other phones and the internet, have a fast working network, and their software updates itself and also the new updates arrive quicker than Android software. Apple makes these phones for a very good reason, which is money. Android phones are terrible. Their phone quality poor; the apps are available later than Iphone apps; the camera quality is skimpy and not clear; and most of all, the emojis are ridiculously horrible.

The following quotations that support my thesis are:

- (Android) "They ruin the phones’ potential with unnecessary features and apps that lower the devices’ battery life, uglify their home screens, and make everything you want to do extra annoying".
- "With the way the Android system is evolving by leaps and bounds and finally combining it with decent hardware it’s hard to imagine that they won’t hit a price point with their phones. Where consumers begin to say “eh, I really don’t need to pay more for an iPhone do I?”
- For Android users, "affordability is the biggest reason it is the No. 1 most purchased system in the world".

Antithesis:

My opposition, however, would argue Androids are better than Iphones because all your information is linked into google accounts, which is convenient and great. The reason why I say that it is great is because you can download music - up to 20GB - and it is saved to your google account, which means if you switch to another android phone you won’t lose your music because you can simply connect your google account to the new phone and have all your music back. Charging an android phone is the best part about having them, because they charge very quickly. Some of these phones tend to have bigger screens and a wider body style than the regular iphones. Android phones are better because if you get your phone stolen, you can get the phone back or either buy a new android phone and sign in into your google account. When you sign in to your google account you will recover all your personal stuff like, including photos, music and apps you recently downloaded onto your old phone.


Synthesis:

Where can these two divided sides come together on the seemingly eternal iPhone vs. Android debate? Overall, both phones work the same and are designed, in general, to provide the same functions. The major differences are the style, price and how organized is set up. Both phone companies have the same purpose and goals, which is to provide high quality cellular and smart phone services and products. Additionally, both companies Apple and Google want to satisfy the desires of their customers (new and old). An idea for synthesizing this disagreement so that everyone can enjoy the best of both worlds, is for each company to use the competition to create their own better products. Perhaps, this kind of competitive collaboration could even lead to new products developed by both brands working together. This could truly give customers all of what they're looking for in a phone, not just what each has to offer separately. How cool would an AndrApple or AppDroid phone be?

Citations:
- "Why People Pick Team Apple versus Team Android." CNBC. N.p., 19 Jan. 2015. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
- Roche, Cullen. "Here's Why Android Is Better Than My Old IPhone."Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 01 Dec. 2011. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.
- Manjoo, Farhad. "I Tried Android. Now Give Me Back My IPhone!" N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Mar. 2016.

Unfair Attendance & Work

For this course Argument the unit we studied was “1857”. I was assigned to choose an amendment from the GCE code of conduct book. The amendment I chose was Field Experience. In this class, we learned about the constitution, amendments and our rights. What I am most proud of is choosing an amendment that I really feel strongly about and like. The most challenging thing about this assignment was choosing a rule and branching off of it. The purpose of this action project is to develop your own amendment using the GCE code of conduct explaining your change to the rule in which it’s

I would like to introduce an amendment to improve the GCE Code of Conduct’s section, “Field Experience”. Currently the rule for students who miss FE’s is:

Tardies:

• If a student is tardy for an FE (and missed the FE), student will: 
• be marked absent for the respective course (morning or afternoon FE) 

Remain on GCE Lab School premises and are encouraged to work on a FE make-up plan that is of equal or better value in order to receive partial credits for the FE. Student must submit lesson plan to teacher via email. Be dismissed at the end of the school day in the case of an afternoon FE and will be required to stay if s/he misses the morning FE. 

Absences: same rule mentioned above applies.

As a formal argument this FE rule is written as:

P1: GCE believes that FE’s are very important to the courses that every student takes. 

P2: FE’s are part of every student’s academic experience and occur each week. 

P3: Every student that is absent or tardy on a FE day are marked absent to the respective course and FE itself.

C: Students who missed school or are tardy for an FE should be required to complete make-up work rather than being marked “absent”.

There are two reasons why this amendment is unjust: 1) students’ attendance records are penalized for the absence, and 2) students’ academics are penalized because they can only receive partial credit for the FE deliverable.

As far as attendance, the current rule is unfair because students are being punished for being tardy or absent for an FE by being marked absent (unexcused), even if s/he were tardy. Students are aware that they can not go on there own on a FE unless permission is given by a teacher to the students. Students that do come and miss the FE are to stay and do make-up work. I think that this is totally an unfair rule for marking students come late and missing an FE. I understand that there’s make-up work that can be done but some FE’s are require attendance that can’t be reproduced (ex: Gravity Tank, Threshold Acoustics) places like those are hard to make-up work. The make-up work depends on the type of FE it is because there can be places like a guitar centers and a bike shops that is public and easy to access to. The Code of Conduct explains that students are given an “FE make-up plan that is equal or better value in order to receive partial credits for the FE”. I think that we should get partial credit only when students miss an FE that is not reproducible. However, if students are able to make-up the FE experience entirely on their own, they should be allowed to earn full credit on the deliverable. I find that being absent for an FE and receiving a zero on your FE deliverable is way too far out of the line.

I also understand that all students that are going to be missing an FE or are going to be late should contact for the make-up work that should be given to them in case they don’t show up to school.

The revision I propose to the current rule is that student who do attend the FE on their own time and complete the deliverable, should be able to receive full credit; they already are being marked absent so they shouldn’t be punished twice. My amendment to this section of the Code of Conduct as a formal argument is recorded below:

P1: Students will sometimes miss FE’s. 

P2: Students will get marked absent if they are tardy.

P3: Students will get marked off for their deliverable, for missing the FE.

As I was asking one of my peers about what were her thoughts on Field Experiences in GCE being unfair or fair based on the student Code of Conduct she said, “I have ran into this problem before, when I was around 5 minutes late and possibly couldn’t complete the FE on my own. I agree with you, there should be a finer line of what can be make up work and for the work someone did prior to the FE to be accredited”. I strongly agree that we can make up the FE deliverable if the FE is attend-able on your own time and earn full credit for their deliverable.

The Declaration Of Athletic Sex Discrimination

For this unit, "1776" is based on arguing for independence. This course is called Argument and for this action project I was assigned to choose a topic that I would like to issue as a course in GCE. The topic I chose was on Sports Ed, obviously cause I love sports and I also love playing them too. I am most proud of learning from this topic and learning more about Title nine that I have never in my life heard of until I continued to go deeper into this topic. The most challenging is to really understand the Title nine, it seems so serious. The purpose of this action project is to think about topics or issues that will be courses that can be taken in the future at GCE and learn more about.
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I declare an independent study focused on exposing girls to traditionally male dominated sports. This is necessary because a lot of teenage girls are being discriminated in male sports, more in high school, programs and colleges. This is also necessary because Title nine defends all women from being rejected from any events in schools, programs and activities. We shouldn’t be denied to participate, no matter what. The course would be on an “Sports Ed”. It will be teaching students about different sports and about sex discrimination on girl and male sports. This course will be issued on the first term of sophomore year to get the students started in sports and how to treat their teammates in games. Playing fair should be the number one rule mentioned in the class, it’s a difficult task to take in hand and honestly people forget to play fair. This will be a steam & a humanities course. Women have the right to participate in any activities, programs that receive federal financial assistance. Title nine, gives us the protection on each principle mentioned above. “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

Sex discrimination is the argument to this upcoming independent study. This should be pursued because sex discrimination is awful and it should be learned and discussed to young teens so that as they grow older they know how to be respectful to others in sports and teach others to be nice. I think this should also be talked in high school for future purposes like, any sports or any sports after high school. The premises that support my argument is: (1) No co-ed football in some colleges or in any public open programs. (2) High school women athletes are higher than college women athletes. (3) Football not being a girl sport. (4) Males sports for just males.

My desired outcomes are for people to understand that sex discrimination is horrifically wrong and that it should stop because we as women have the defense against anybody or anything trying to reject us from any events we might want to be apart of or anything with the federal financial assistance. Students who are interested in sports and learning more about Title nine and making a change. This will be a great course for student with high interest in sports. I am an athletic girl and I love playing sports and being active. Whenever I play, I get discriminated a lot on my gender because I'm "supposedly" not good or I'm weak, because I'm a girl. I chose this argument because it's something I've been through and it's something hard to face alone, especially when you want to achieve in something you love doing and engaged in a lot and also being apart of a team and show people that even if you're a girl or women you're not weak and you're capable of doing what a man can do and be as strong as a man too. This argument began because it's a big issue in our age and generation. I've experienced it, seen it and also done it too. I am not going to lie, I sometimes do discriminate other girls for not being so athletic as me or for not putting the same effort. I know what I've done and I try to stop and make better decisions and show other girls that they're not alone and they can also be athletic like me. The structure of my argument is no matter what gender you are, you're capable to achieve, succeed and be better than anyone else. As long as put in your time, effort and commitment, then your good. If you practice you'll become more better and you'll be less seen as weak or not good as for others. For example, when I play catch or play a football game with guys. I get the look like "She can't throw", "Let me move on up, cause she might not throw as far", "She's a girl", "She doesn't know anything about Football". WRONG! Yes, I'm a girl but because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't be good at something like a man can. It's sad to know that others put you down without even speaking, but as soon as I throw the ball I make them run and look at me like "Dang, how you do that?", "How you know how to throw?", "who taught you?" I get all these questions and compliments right after and it's okay but you still discriminated me because of my gender and that's why I want it to stop and change the way women are looked at in sports in our generation.

Here is a video that will help you understand more about Equality, sports and Title Nine. Enjoy!

Discrimination On Women

The topic that I chose was Discrimination on women/girls, this is for everyone to know and hear. These are most of the topics that came to mind about discrimination on women and girls.

- Color

- Gender (sexuality, sports)

- Personality

- Style

- (Judgmental)

"George Allen Football." N.p., 12 Dec. 2014. Web

I know I made more than one topic but the one that stands out the most to me is, Gender and more related to sports. I am an athletic girl and I love playing sports and being active. Whenever I play, I get discriminated a lot on my gender because I'm "supposedly" not good or I'm weak, because I'm a girl. I chose this argument because it's something I've been through and it's something hard to face alone, especially when you want to achieve in something you love doing and engaged in a lot and also being apart of a team and show people that even if you're a girl or women you're not weak and you're capable of doing what a man can do and be as strong as a man too.

This argument began because it's a big issue in our age and generation. I've experienced it, seen it and also done it too. I am not going to lie, I sometimes do discriminate other girls for not being so athletic as me or for not putting the same effort. I know what I've done and I try to stop and make myself better and show other girls that they're not alone and they can also be athletic like me. I want students and people to look up to me for being a girl and facing reality and that it's possible. I want to change the stereotyping and the discrimination on women and girls. I just find it very uncultured, uneducated of students and people and the most important the blunt expressions and sayings that are heard and given to these students/people.

The structure of my argument is no matter what gender you are, you're capable to achieve, succeed and be better than anyone else. As long as put in your time, effort and commitment, then your good. If you practice you'll become more better and you'll be less seen as weak or not good as for others. For example, when I play catch or play a football game with guys. I get the look like "She can't throw", "Let me move on up, cause she might not throw as far", "She's a girl", "She doesn't know anything about Football". WRONG! Yes, I'm a girl but because I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't be good at something like a man can. It's sad to know that others put you down without even speaking, but as soon as I throw the ball I make them run and look at me like "Dang, how you do that?", "How you know how to throw?", "who taught you?" I get all these questions and compliments right after and it's okay but you still discriminated me because of my gender and that's why I want it to stop and change the way women are looked at in sports in our generation.

Literacy Pieces

For this elective term "Book Bound" I worked on assignments that introduce the history of literacy and what literacy is really about. The assignments I chose were the literary journal which was worked on as a group, we all shared a story and a drawing about a topic we all liked. The storyboard is a website, where you create your own story. I created a story about reading in a school that means reading is important and it's as big as education. The literary poster that I made is to show what a high school report is and the grades of the classes here at GCE, which they're false. The slide show of the book we chose for the canon is explaining what the book is about and what are the great things about it. The most challenging thing was putting everything together. What I am most proud of is completing my assignments and using them for this Action Project.

The Literacy Journal

The literacy journal was created by a group of students which I was in. The purpose of this journal was to give out our opinions and old memories about old TV shows. What I did was choose a lot of my favorite old TV shows that were taken away and describe what I really missed about them and why I want them back. The most challenging thing was creating a poem of one of my old time favorite TV shows that stopped running.

The slideshow canon was to pick a favorite book and describe it. The point of this slideshow was to give the audience to say yes to your book to be put in the library in the new space. The book that I chose was The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part-Time Indian. The reason why I chose this book was because I read it multiple times and because it as a humorous background story to the book. I like that it's relevant to a lot of teenagers and give advice about school and culture. The book is based off of poverty, alcoholism, violence, despair and lightened with lots of humor.




The Literary Poster

The literary poster I made was to show the percentage of reading in each class. The classes represented are GCE classes but not the actual percentages. I chose to do this guiding question because I think that the world struggles with a lot of economical and education problems. "Does reading increase your salary?" It's a question that will be unanswered because there's plenty of different answers that don't add up to why or how. To me I think that it does because without having the ability to read and write will not get you no where, therefore it's harder for the person who is illiterate to do things than a person who s literate and does know how to do things.

JR. (2016). Reading Percentages

The Storyboard

The storyboard that I created was to show the different scenes that happen in real life in school. I think that reading does increase your salary if you put your mind and effort to it. I included the school scenes because it fits perfect with what my topic is about and what I am trying to explain. I chose this topic because it's something that should be brought up in middle school so students can keep in mind that reading is really important for you and your life goals. There's six story board pieces explaining how and what a student goes through and what really is said in class.


Made with Storyboard That

The Simple Bike

In the second unit of Design & Engineering I learned about different types of bikes and how they are used differently by everyone. I also learned about the different ways they work and how they are designed. What I am most proud of is learning how bikes are properly used and how they should be used to be as safe as possible. I learned that bikes are also good for our health, that it’s good to ride your bike at least 20 minutes a day to prevent you from getting diseases and all these types of health issues. The purpose of this assignment is to redesign a bike for someone specifically chosen for my partner and I to create a better bike for her lifestyle. The most challenging thing was building the bike the way we sketched it and thought it should be.

The bike that my partner and I created for our given person was simple. We got a young 15 year old girl named Malia that lives in the Logan Square area. She rides her bike to school and back on the 606 trail. Her commute there is 5 miles and on her way home from school she stops at the grocery store. My partner and I decided to build her bike simple and not so heavy. Since she will be carrying groceries on her handles, we thought we could add a basket that is attachable and removable. The handles are removable and can be used as a lock so that way she doesn’t have to worry about digging in her bag for her lock and locking her bike. We created a comfortable heating seat that will support her back and also in the winter keep her warm.

What I learned from existing bikes is that they all have their ways of functioning whether it’s a more comfortable seat, better grippable handles, nice smooth wheels, low or high frames and how fast or slow the bike rides. The person whom I interviewed, Pedro Illas said “Bikes are better for the environment, and are easier to commute around the city.” This made me want to create a more simpler bike to keep Malia from struggling when she has lots of weight on her bike while riding and also when locking her bike while she shops. The reason to believe is that, the bike is perfectly made just for Malia and her commute to school and back. We added some small things to her bike which were the basket for the groceries, comfortable seat and supporter in the back, the chain guard and fender above the wheel, and the handle lock so she can lock the bike at school and won’t have to carry anything extra. We tried to keep the bike simple and with not so much stuff that will take up her time to ride her bike.

These are the added parts to Malia’s Bike:

-The seat is comfortable and also supports your back, you can also insert heat pads during the winter time while she rides to school. This will make her back less cold and will support her as well.

-The fender will block everything from coming up and ruining her clothes. The fender also has pockets that you can add a bottle or books for school. I added a chain guard also by the pedals just in case grease gets on her pants.

-The basket in the front of the bike which is removable, foldable and stretchy.

-The handle bars are removable also and can be used to lock your bike.


JR & VG (2015). "The Convenience Bike"

The kinetic energy is when Malia is riding her bike to school on the 606 trail. The potential energy is when Malia will be going down the ramp of the 606 trail she will have lots of force. The diameter of the bikes wheel is 28 inches, The circumference is 87.92 inches, how I found this was that I plugged in 3.14 which is pi and times it by the diameter which is 28 inches, my answer is 87.92 inches. The average speed to school is 5 miles = 26,400. On her way to school her bike wheel rotate 3,603.27. The scale that was used for the bike is in inches and the wheel is 2 inches diameter wheels. The driver gears 12, 16 teeth. Driver gears 24,36, 48 teeth. All ratios 2:1, 3:1, 4:1, 3:2, 9:4.


JR & VG (2015). "Malia riding her bike"

Boogie's Ladder

For this course "Rhetoric" we were assigned to choose a celebrity and annotate a song or speech they have done or said. I chose "Boogie" because he's still in the process of being famous, I thought I might just shout him out in my Prezi. The most thing that I am proud of is learning about Boogie and his background and how he grew up to be a great rapper. The most challenging thing about this action project was trying to annotate the lyrics to his song further, it's a really sad and deep song I like it. I recommend you listen to the song! and look at my Prezi.

Flamin' Hot Cheetos En La Isla

In this course, Rhetoric, I was to choose a topic of what will be to write a speech about what I considered important. I chose to speak about my favorite chips, Flamin' Hot Cheetos being and the need for these tasty snacks to be sold in Puerto Rico. The purpose of this project is to know about your topic, apply rhetorical techniques to your speech, and convince the audience. The most challenging thing about this action project was conducting my research in order to boost my logos, but mainly finding the bad things Flamin' Hot Cheetos do to young kids. On the good side, my research makes me want to change the way I eat sometimes (they're so addictive!). What I am most proud of is producing an action project about my favorite chips and a place I love to be sold in Puerto Rico, which is where my blood comes from. I chose to speak about Flamin' Hot Cheetos because they’re one of the most purchased snacks in Chicago. These (not-so-healthy) chips are very addictive and have a unique taste- different. This is why I would like to have Flamin' Hot Cheetos sold in Puerto Rico, since all the stores sell currently are cheese Cheetos.

                       

Flamin' Hot Cheetos En La Isla by JR from GCE Lab School on Vimeo.

Flamin' Hot Cheetos were introduced to the U.S in 1992 being some of the most tastiest, most addictive and mouth-watering chips. Right now, they are the top selling chips in the U.S. These chips are everywhere in the states, which with virtually every teen consuming them multiple times a week. Flamin' Hot Cheetos are my favorite because they're spicy enough without burning up your whole mouth and throat, salty and enjoyable. I had just assumed these chips were sold everywhere in the world, until I went to Puerto Rico.

The first time I went to this beautiful island, Puerto Rico was in 2014 with the mindset of it being pretty similar to parts of Chicago. Puerto Rico is extremely different from the states however, it’s very hot, humid and overly GREEN--nothing like the city. Nobody had told me about hot chips not being sold in Puerto Rico before my first trip there. I naturally, brought a bag on with me to snack on during my flight there, which I ate immediately on that first day being there. I went to the store on the island to restock my chips. Little did I know at the time, but I was looking in vain for Flamin' Hot Cheetos, browsing the snack aisle confident that I was going to be eating some hot chips in Puerto Rico. As, I looked around the snack section all I saw were Lay's, Doritos and other typical Puerto Rican chips. The only flavors they had for Cheetos was cheese. I'm not a big fan. I even asked one of the workers, but she just looked highly confused by my request for the spicy chips. The one thing that I had in my mind all that day was those chips, and them not to exist in Puerto Rico literally broke my heart into tiny little pieces. I desired those chips so much, it made me want to go back home. I stayed in Puerto Rico for a whole month without them, making myself eat other, different chips to kick off the need from my body.

I feel like Flamin' Hot Cheetos should be sold in Puerto Rico because they're the most awesome snacks ever. They're sensationally good and spicy with a hint of salt and very crunchy. They're not so expensive either; they'll be bought quickly and could spread fast around Puerto Rico, depending on the types of taste that people favor. Some might not buy them at first because they’re already used to eating cheese-flavored chips. Flamin' Hot Cheetos might be very spicy but hey, once you eat and taste Hot Cheetos there's no going back. I'm confident, though, because of their delicious taste, these chips will win over the people of Puerto Rico over time. And for those who argue that this snack isn't healthy, my advice is to eat them in moderation. But at least have the chance to enjoy them sometimes!

Censorship In BURMA

For the second unit of my Forbidden Books class I was to choose a country and look for something that was censored during that time period. As, I researched I chose the time period where their were a lot of censorship involved. Which made it very easy for me, because I didn't have to go through the whole time of censorship in Burma. What I am most proud of is learning about the country itself, knowing the struggles that the Burmese people had between the 1900-1939. I liked this project because I got to know more about censorship and what important things to the Burmese people were censored at the time. What is interesting is that it's still the top country of censorship.

What Is freedom?

For my first action project for this course called politics I was assigned to choose a question, interview some friends and family members, and ask for their opinions. My question that I asked was "What Is Freedom?" I chose this question because I thought that It would be very interesting to hear what people's responses were. My topic seemed easy at first, but then it got a little hard trying to write the script. What I learned in this unit was about Socrates and how he lived trying to find someone wiser than he. I learned about his Socratic Method which was the method that Socrates was using for the students he was teaching. It was individual discussions between two people and asking questions. He wanted them to think critically, come up with ideas, and ask questions to the public. The reason why people thought it was bad, was teaching his students about his Socratic Method and teaching them to go out and ask question was uncomfortable for some people. So his students eventually did what his Socratic Method was about and those student’s parents didn't like the fact that their kids were asking them questions and going out to the public and asking people questions. As I interviewed people, I learned that there's more to just freedom than just being free. I heard a lot of responses that were all very great. There  were ones that stood out to me a lot, I liked that everyone had their own definition of freedom.

JR, EGB.  What is freedom video. 2014

Here is my script of the video

Characters:

Haley:Elizabeth (Character 1)
Jordan:Jamilet (Character 2)
Filmed: 2/10/15
Topic: Freedom


Haley: Hey Jordan, how are you?

Jordan: Hey Haley, I am fine how are you?

Haley: That is great Jordan! I am super good.

Jordan: Oh Cool! You seem excited about something. What is it, Haley? Come on, tell me!

Haley: Well, they made a student council group at our school. Which means we will have more freedom. Are you joining? I am.

Jordan: I do not know, do you think that joining will give us more freedom? What is freedom anyway?

Haley: Freedom is to be free, you can do whatever you want. Just join, it will be fun, trust me.

Jordan: Everybody knows that freedom is to be free and have the ability to do whatever you want, but I do not think that joining the group will give you more freedom. Do you think that the students will really be free Haley?

Haley: Yes, Jordan, because the students will not be controlled by a higher power. We will all share our thoughts and we will be able to voice our opinions without negative consequences.

Jordan: Okay, but you can do that independently without being in student council. Do you not have that ability already?

Haley: You are right! But joining will make me feel good and content.

Jordan: Hmm.. Well, if you feel good and content does that make you free?

Haley: Not just feeling good, but the ability to create your own contentedness and goodness, that is freedom.

Jordan: So having the right to create your own contentedness and goodness, that is freedom?

Haley: Well, if they join, they will probably be able to feel the same way. Not only will we have freedom, but we will not be overpowered, we will be able to do what we believe is right. We can do whatever we want without any judgement.

Jordan: Yes! But, do you not have that ability already? Yes, freedom gives you plenty of opportunities but it does not mean you have to join a group to receive more freedom.

Haley: You do have a point, maybe I do not need to...

Jordan: Yes!

Haley: Thank you for helping think through that, Jordan. Now I see I can exercise freedom in more ways than student council.

Jordan: You are welcome Haley! I am glad you understand what freedom is. Bye!

Haley: Bye Jordan!

Stand by Me

For this class Ollywood I was assigned to choose a movie that would best suit me and would be able to watch. I chose "Stand by Me" by Rob Reiner. I was recommended by my teacher and so I watched it thinking probably it was going to be boring but at the end I really like it and now it's one of my favorite movies of all times. I think that this movie was great. I am really proud that I got to see this movie because it was fun to watch especially a movie from the 80's.

Hey, my name is J.R and I’d like to talk to you about a really great movie titled Stand by Me directed by Rob Reiner” This movie was released on August 8, 1986, The Main characters are Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman. Stand by Me is now one of my favorite top movies that I’ll always recommend to other people. I liked this movie very much because it used some cool film techniques and some of the kids lives were a mess because of their parents really stood out throughout the whole movie. They really expressed a lot of their emotions and that’s one thing that I really liked because it made me feel what they were going through.

This movie is about four young kids that go on an adventure trying to find a missing dead body. As, they go on their adventure they go through some challenges and also become more mature. These kids try to find a missing teenage boy that got hit by a train. When they` found out about the missing boy they thought that if they found him they probably will become hero’s and have their faces on tv and the newspapers. The boys really want to do something different and special with their lives, and some just want to get away from their terrible families.

In some scenes of the movie there were a lot of fade out (dissolve) editing cuts used, more in the parts where the boys were talking/walking together on the train tracks and well because the movie is one long flashback. So, it makes good sense that the film editors would use fade outs to capture these past moments. Another editing cut used effectively was the Eyeline Match used when the group of boys all started on their adventure and one of them mentions “Food” and none brought food so they start giving their money to Gordie to count. The editing here shows that Gordie is really the unofficial leader of the group by focusing our eyes on what he is doing as he collects all of the money as the one in charge. In addition, camera techniques including long shots and mid-shots of the train tracks were used in the scene when the boys debated whether they should risk taking the train tracks and getting killed by the train and jumping off but it was 100 ft. These camera techniques, along with the editing made me feel like I was part of the group.

Besides editing and camera angles, the soundtrack of “Stand by Me” included songs weren’t really that familiar to me because the story takes place during the late 1950s. The song that really stood out to me was “Lollipop” by: The Chordettes, which is played in the scene when the boys were walking in pairs singing lollipop and making the “POP” sound. The song actually matches the action in this scene, which is interesting because the soundtrack is part of the story, not just playing over it like in most other movies. Another powerful part of the soundtrack is the flute played in Ben King’s “Stand by Me” song which is played in the early part of the film and played again in a different beat at the end of the movie. which is “stand by me by: Ben King” This song is also the title of the film, which makes me think that the theme of is really important in the movie.

Some sound effects that really brought certain scenes to life and made the boys’ journey more realistic were crumbling rocks, barfing and gunshots.

The film focuses on the friendship of these boys, and since it is told as a flashback by the main character, Gordie, it seems to show the difference between childhood and manhood. There were many scenes that showed parts where it was childhood to manhood like when all four of them went together to find this missing dead body. Chris manning up in front of his brother when both his brother’s gang meet where they find the missing dead body.

I’d recommend this film because it shows a lot of friendship between these kids and shows lots of bravery and confidence in going on to an adventure to find a dead missing body together. The best part is that each one of them has each others back no matter what.

Thank you for reading!

The AJ & JR Show: There Will Be Blood Critique

In my elective course, Ollywood we focus on the components that makes a film come together. The second Action Project is a video critique about the 2007 drama film, There Will Be Blood. The purpose of this project was to give a general explanation of the plot, characters, framing, lighting, and also our personal experience of the movie in a video format with a partner. I'm proud of being with a peer, and to accomplish this assignment in this time frame we had. The most challenging part for my partner and I was the filming of the video, we had faced a lot of camera and tech issues while filming. Overall I would do it again with my partner! Below you can locate the rest of our project. I hope you enjoy it as my partner and I enjoyed making it.

Filming Info 

Movie Title: There Will Be Blood
Genre: Drama
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Release Date: December 26, 2007
Main Characters: Daniel Plainview By: Daniel Day-Lewis and Eli Sunday By: Paul Dano
Number of awards: 55

AJ and JR Show: There Will be Blood

        

Slideshow seen in the video above:

        

Thank you for your view! Click here for link to There Will be Blood movie trailer!

The Beast of the Southern Wild

For my class Ollywood I was assigned to choose between five films to watch and write about the production design- the sets,costumes, and props of the film as well as identify the protagonist, antagonist, and other plot elements. I chose to critique the film  Beasts of the Southern Wild. I really liked the movie because it showed the positive things a child can do. I think that is very interesting that the movie was directed by someone who got inspired of the Hurricane Katrina.

Beasts of the Southern Wild is a film directed by Benh Zeitlin. The movie was filmed in Louisiana and released in the year of 2012. Young Hushpuppy lives with her father Wink in a little community on water with a small group of neighbors. Hushpuppy is only six years old and is curious about her mother who is missing, but is maybe alive somewhere. Wink is the only thing she has right now, but he’s extremely sick and is an alcoholic Hushpuppy is the protagonist of the film, and one of the quotes that best represents her character is when HUshpuppy says, “The whole universe depends on things fitting together just right.” I liked this quote because for her to be six and actually speaking this is pretty impressive; she seems to know a lot like an adult. The antagonists of the movie are the aurochs and the storm.It clearly has the residents on edge, as one. The little boy warned the others“ The storm is coming, the storm is coming, the storm is coming.”

Hushpuppy wants to find her mother and spend more time with her father, Wink. She tries to understand why her father acts the way he acts and what’s wrong with him. She questions herself about why her father doesn’t seem to want to be with her and pushes her away. She tries to understand him and talk to him but he’s always busy drinking and barely has time. She wants her father to stay healthy and be there with her. But, there’s a problem that happens. The storm get overly aggressive and floods the town, affecting a lot of the people in their own households. This storm infected most of the animals, leaving the people in the town to starve.  Hushpuppy’s desire is to leave on an adventure to find her mother. She wants to find out if her mother is still somewhere alive. She carries the hope with her even when her father tells her that she’s dead.  Meanwhile, the antagonists - the aurochs and the storm -  lead to the destruction of people, houses and constantly threaten the other characters and take over of Bathtub make Bathtub as their environment the entire community of the Bathtub.

The director, Zeitlin, was inspired to make the sets of Beasts after the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. That hurricane struck the Bahamas before passing to Southern Florida, then to the Gulf of Mexico and the southeast of Louisiana in late August of 2005. It caused severe destruction and left a lot of people injured, dead, and homeless. Beasts shows the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina through the sets and costumes. For example, the houses in the Bathtub were destroyed, garbage was floating on everywhere on the water, there weren’t enough animals to feed on just everything was a disaster from the beginning of the film . The characters who lived in the Bathtub wore the same clothes again and again -- often they were ripped, worn out, too-big boots and shoes. The outfits that the characters wore actually fitted with their personality it makes people think about who the person is.

Hushpuppy now knows that her father is ill and is soon going to die. The only way to not stay alone is to go on an adventure to find her dead mother. Hushpuppy and her friends, leave the hospital and make her company as she tries to find her mother.The scene that most stood out to me was was the ending of the film. The scene is when Hushpuppy’s father dies and Hushpuppy sets him on fire on the car boat onto the water. It really shows the courage, bravery and strength to actually do what she did. She now has to face the real world, being an orphan, also with the Aurochs taking over is a big deal for her. Not only that she’s an orphan but she also has her fathers neighbors that were his close friends. Hushpuppy now is on her own with no family.

Stolz, Kit. Meet the future, little girl. 2014.

Spider Man The Ultimate Hero

For my Stories course, my class and I were assigned to pick a fictional hero and a non-fiction hero. We are to write a story about the 8 steps of a Hero's Journey and a non-fiction hero. The purpose of this action project analyze the journeys of both characters.

                                                    

Spiderman is a fictional hero, a superhero who appears in comic books that are published by Marvel Comics. I picked this hero because there was an episode of Ultimate Heroes on Netflix that caught my attention. I started to watch it, and I liked it a lot and chose Spiderman as my fictional hero.

For my non-fictional hero, I picked E.B who I met probably 3 years ago as a volunteer at a program called Inner City Impact (ICI). She became the discipline leader of the high school program on Fridays, which then i started to attend. I got very attached to her, we became very good friends. I chose to interview her because she is like a second mother to me.

 Hero's Fictional Journey

Call To Adventure

Spider man is at school one day, when the principal gets kidnapped by four frightful villains. Spider man has to rescue the students and principal and defeat the villains in order to bring back safety.

"spider man off to his adventure"

Mentor

Nick Fury is a secret spy who helps heroes improve their skills of responsibility and safety. He helps train Spider Man to fight villains and combat). Fury trains Spider Man to not be messy and to fight quickly against other villains.

'spider man and the frightful villains"

Threshold

Spiderman gives up after training and thinks that he can be responsible to and train himself to be fast and not messy. The four frightful villains capture Spiderman and Nick Fury’s four trained hero’s.

"Nick Fury telling Spider Man about the training"

Growth

Spiderman and Nick Fury's four heroes all now go to the same school so they can keep an eye on  Spider Man since he didn’t know how to properly and quickly fight against of fighting with villains

Ordeal

Spider man fights with the four frightful villains. He fights with the villains because they try to take him to kill him.

Reward

Spider man goes to Nick Fury for training and his heroes now go to Spider Man's school to protect him.

Atonement

Spider man uses Nick Fury's advice which was to give him a chance to be more quick and responsible while fighting as he trains

Return

Spider man now fights villains fast and not messy and responsible.

Hero's Real Journey

The Call

It is hard to say exactly what other people see in me, but from what others have said before, I believe that I am compassionate and really love deeply those who are in my life. I thrive from being available, loyal, and intentionally invested in the people I come to know. I believe that people and relationships are worth working for, which leads me to be quick to forgive and show grace to others.  I also feel very strongly about my convictions and faith, which is an area that causes some people to respect me.  

Mentor

I hope so! That is my goal at ICI! We desire to be as available as possible and build real relationships with kids, so that if/when a kid is looking for a mentoring relationship, we are available to fill that role! There are some kids that I spend more time with others, the ones I really connect with, and I would say that a few of them would think of me as their mentor! It was a combination of trial & error, and God opening and closing doors. I went to school for Social Work, and it was during grad school that I realized that as much as I loved social work, that there was more that I wanted to do and God opened a door for me to work at ICI.  Even though I wouldn't have expected to be here, I am so glad that I am!

Threshold

This is my first full-time job since graduating, but this environment is different in a lot of ways.  In this environment, I am surrounded by more people through my job that have the same passions and beliefs that I do, which allows me to feel supported and encouraged in the convictions and passions that I have. And Chicago offers way more diversity in people and culture than the areas I lived in before.  I love being able to learn from and be stretched from being in community with people from other cultures!

Atonement

One of the biggest challenges I ever faced was actually moving to Chicago.  I had never been to the city, and I moved here without really having any idea what I was getting myself into! It definitely required a step of faith and had lonely moments, but it was worth it!

Rebirth

Through that year of being in a new place and having to make new friends and reestablish myself, I really got to know myself in a new way.  I had more moments of being on my own, and not depending on others for my happiness.  I also saw that the plans God had for my life were better than what I could pick for myself! And like I said before, being in Chicago has allowed me to learn about other cultures first-hand, and understand my culture better, too.  

Return

It has allowed me to be more comfortable doing things on my own and knowing who I am. Which in turn, allows me to be a more sincere friend and truer to myself. It also allowed me to see that taking risks can sometimes be a good thing! Instead of trying to control every aspect of my life, I can trust that all things happen for a reason and be more open to go with the flow! If I had not been willing to take the risk of moving to Chicago and work for ICI, my life would look so different today! I wouldn't trade this season of my life for anything!