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Nature Writing and Health

chung — Fri, 28 May 2010 11:10:36 -0600

The Kissena Corridor Park Garden across from my school, East-West School of International Studies, is located in Queens, New York. It is commonly known as the Korean Gardens. Recently in English, we've been studying about the garden to find connection between diabetes, obesity and gardening. At first, I thought gardening had nothing to do with diabetes or obesity. When I saw Ann Cooper's thoughts about school lunches on TED (I believe it stand for Technology Entertainment Design.), I started to think there is a connection between diabetes, obesity and gardening. I know that many people feel that school lunches are very unhealthy. After doing this study, I strongly agree with them. For example, I heard that the chances of kids getting diabetes are very high.

About the garden my class working on, basically each students had to choose their own plot from the garden and observe and write. The plot I chose is in southeast of the Korean Garden. I choose it because it had many separate sections with different plants and vegetables. It is a well organize plot, because it had wooden fences, very organized and look comfortable. Unlike some plots I saw, they have different kind of plants all in one huge plot and some trash in the plot. The size of the plot is probably 1/2 of a classroom I think.

The soil in the plot is pretty gentle, no sign of any movement, so I think not many insects would appear. There are seven sections in the plot. The first section are vegetables plant at the outer side, surrounded by the plot. It's similar to a castle where the wall surrounds the insides. The second section also has vegetables plants at the left side of the plot. I don't really know what these plants are called since my gardener hasn't been there when I've been there, and most of the gardeners in here do not speak English. The third section is not finished yet, but there are three small sections. One is green plants, one is red plants and another one is empty. Section four, five, and six are basically the same, same plants, same size, but different progress. Four is half-way done, five is complete, and six is empty. Section seven is an interesting section, because it had black cloth covering the ground and soil. I wonder what is under it.

One thing that I know for sure about connection between diabetes, obesity, and gardening is that in some way, they are all health related. There are many ways people can garden or farm, and if they put things that are bad such as herbicide or DDT on the plants and vegetable, we can get sick by eating those vegetables. Sometimes, it can cause serious diseases. As Ann Cooper says,"The children born in the year 2000 could be the first generation in our country's history to die at a younger age than their parents." I begin to think how serious it could be about school lunches. We should start to change the way we eat and inform people about bad foods.

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

Living in an Unfamiliar World

anaylor — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 18:38:11 -0600

I read an article in the Salt Lake Tribune about refugees that are being brought over from third world, and war- accustomed countries to Utah and are thrown into “slum,” and unfamiliarity. The article was written about a mother and her eight children from Burundi who were put in a house with growing mold, flooding toilets and much more. The mother works for the DI sorting old clothing and gets paid $5.25 an hour and comes home to horrible conditions and many times no food. The case workers say that many families store the fish in cupboards and flush trash down the toilets. When one of the younger boys was asked what he wanted to do when he is older he said, “go back to Africa.” It disapoints me that they came from a country of war and poverty to a land of freedom and have to live in somewhat of the same conditions and still want to go back.

Mold was growing in the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom and the bedrooms, health records show. Several windows were broken. The bathroom floor was destroyed. "A mom with no dad and all these kids there, trying to make everything work," Sharp said. "That's kind of not the American dream, is it?"

Thousands of Utah refugees are living in stark poverty, many bewildered by the smallest tasks of modern life.

In America humans are given unalienable right and the right to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." That means that not only do we have such wonderful freedoms, but it is the governments job to make sure that those rights are followed and that the citizens of the United States are protected. After I read this article I was absolutely disgusted. Don't get me wrong, I think that it is wonderful that we are bringing people to America to prosper as free citizen, but we can't just leave them hanging in an unfamiliar world, not knowing about how to use a refrigerator or how to go grocery shopping.

Refugees are universally grateful to be safe from the wars and violence they have fled. Yet for many, life in America is not the "second heaven" they expected.

Also what kind of "American Dream" is it to work at a job all day making $5.25 an hour and coming home to a broken down house often time there being no food in the fridge? If we are going to be bring families into our country and trying to show them how wonderful it is, they shouldn't be saying that they want to go back to a country filled with war. I understand that we are going through an economic crisis right now, but the government needs to stay there for it people and protect their well-being.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

How Does Music Change A Mood?

alyssabird14 — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 13:20:34 -0600

As I was running out of topics to discuss over Youth Voices, I started to acknowledge the fact that I was in somewhat of a weird mood. I wasn't happy, but I wasn't sad. At first I blamed the weather, but that was pointless being as I love rain and clouds. So then I turned my thoughts to what kind of music I was listening to. It was Breaking Benjamin's new album, Dear Agony.This is an incredible album, and it gets better the more I listen to it, but the music and lyrics are somewhat dark. They even have a song titled "Hopeless." So then I started to wonder if it was music that affected my mood. And of course it is. On a warm summer day, I will play something like Collective Soul, and I will feel completely happy. When I need motivation for something, I'll listen to songs such as "Push It" by Rick Ross or "Obsessed" by Mariah Carey. Anything with a really loud beat and a mediocre tempo. And think about a really suspenseful movie, would the moments be as suspenseful without the creepy violin music? So how does music affects emotions?

According to the Psychology Press Music is a complex acoustic and temporal structure that induces a large variety of emotional responses in listeners.
The nature of emotions created by music has been a matter of much debate. Preliminary practical investigations have demonstrated that basic emotions, such as happiness, anger, fear, and sadness, can be recognized in and created by musical stimuli in humans.
Associated Content

Although this quote does not fully explain why music affects us, it begins to. The author of This is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obession, Daniel Levitin says:

Music activates the same parts of the brain and causes the same neurochemical cocktail as a lot of other pleasurable activities like orgasms or eating chocolate -- or if you're a gambler winning a bet or using drugs if you're a drug user. Serotonin and dopamine are both involved.
Wired

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter found in the brain that regulates movement, emotion, motivation, and the feeling of pleasure. It's connected to the reward system of the brain. Serotonin is another neurotransmitter in the brain that includes mood and behavior, physical coordination, appetite, body temperature, and sleep. So it makes sense that music gets those neurotransmitters to work and either change or keep our mood the way they are. Another theory I read was that certain types of music bring back memories that trigger emotions, which sound like a really good theory. Personally I never gave too much thought to this, I just figured it was the minor and major scales used in a song that affected moods.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

The Parable of the Potatoes

samwatson — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 20:21:28 -0700

Not so long ago, in a distant land called Idaho, there lived a farmer named Ben Dover. Ben was a farmer by profession. A potato farmer, to be exact. Because he lived in Idaho, potato farming for him was very easy and it was a very good source of income, as well as food for him and his family. Ben Dover loved his job. He loved getting up at the crack of dawn every morning to go to work in the potato fields with his associate potato farmers to farm potatoes. He loved plowing the earth and sowing potato seeds and watching them grow over the course of the season. And, most importantly of all, he loved to eat the potatoes that he kept for himself instead of selling them to make potato related commodities.

However, Ben Dover had a problem. Every year, he did not produce enough potatoes for selling and for his own eating. If he produced enough potatoes to make the amount of money he needed to keep his farm running and to pay taxes, he would not have enough potatoes for himself. Over the years, Ben had learned to cut back on his own potato consumption in order to make enough money to support his family and his farm. Even though he was happy, he always wished that he had more potatoes to eat. Every night, he dreamt about having an entire house made out of potatoes. The potato-house was filled with potato chips, potato latkes, baked potatoes, French fried potatoes, funeral potatoes, tater tots, mashed potatoes, and any other kind of potato derived food you could think of.

One summer, Ben Dover and his wife, Eileen Dover, and his son, Skip Dover, went on a vacation to the country of Canada. Ben and his family were having a great time. They were having fun hiking, river rafting, and mountain biking. Despite having fun, Ben Dover felt like he was missing some element of his life. He missed his beloved potato farming.

One night, while in Canada, Ben and his wife and son went into a Canadian restaurant. While Ben was dining on a meal of French fries and baked potatoes, he couldn’t help but over hear two men talking at a table near to his. They were talking about their own potato farm, in northern Idaho. “What a coincidence!” Ben thought. Abandoning his table, he went over to the two men and started to talk to them about potato farming. He learned that the two men were co-owners in the largest potato farm in the world. After talking to them for many moons, Ben Dover asked them what the secret was to their success. The two men told Ben Dover that if he wanted his potatoes to really grow well and be plentiful, then all he had to do was to mix in Wendy’s Baconator hamburgers with the soil. Due to their high fat content, the men explained, as well as strange chemicals, they provided the potatoes with the nutrients that potatoes needed to make them grow like crazy. Ben Dover could barely contain his excitement. He and his family boarded the next airplane back to Idaho.

When Ben got home, he headed straight to Wendy’s. There, he bought hundreds of Baconator hamburgers. Once he got home with the burgers, he and his workers went straight to work, mixing in the burgers with the soil. They spent all day and all night evenly distributing the burgers around the potato field. After that, they waited. A week passed, and then another and the potato plants had still not started to grow. Then, one morning, as Ben Dover stepped out of his house and looked out over his potato field, he saw that the plants had begun to grow. After that, the potato plants grew like crazy. The Baconator trick seemed to be working. That year, Ben Dover produced more potatoes than he ever had. He produced so many, in fact, that he had to tear down his old barns and fashion new ones to hold the surplus of potatoes. Ben made more money that year from selling potatoes than he ever had in his life before. He had all the potatoes he could eat. Soon, his potato business grew to be the most powerful business in the world. Ben Dover was so successful that he didn’t even have to work anymore. He just hired people to do everything for him. Life seemed good.

Being as successful as he was, Ben had not even thought about anything besides potatoes. One year, unexpectedly, Wendy’s stopped serving Baconator hamburgers. Ben’s entire business went bankrupt and Ben lost all of his money and the I.R.S. came and reclaimed all of his possessions. He foreclosed on his house and he and his family ran away to live in Canada as illegal aliens so they wouldn’t have to pay taxes. The moral of the story: Do not find happiness in material possessions, but rather towards God.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

My Father

TMcQueen — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:55:13 -0600

My whole life I wanted success. It’s all I dream of. I always ask myself what does my future hold? Every time I think about it, I get scared and start to panic because I crave for success so bad. All I know through my motivation and determination, I can’t fail. I have so many people that are looking forward to seeing my future and the great things that will be accomplished, especially my number one fan, my father Douglas Fann. My father is the best thing that ever happened to me. Without him pushing and motivating me, I probably would not be writing this essay right now. My father is my personal super hero. The reason I say this is because I have been through a whole lot in my short 18 years of living.

When I was younger, around the age of 6 my brother Mark and I were stripped from our parents due to their drug abuse and inability to take care of us. We were then placed in foster care, the worst place to be. Even though people considered it’s the best place to be for protection. I have moved from home to home where I was abused and mistreated, and with that came insecurity, low esteem, and a lot of anger. After a few months in the system I heard my mom passed away, which broke my heart. I started to lose myself and thought life was soon to be over for me. I went crazy. I stopped doing my school work, mistreated teachers, got suspended about every week, and receive phone calls everyday. Then the family of my dreams came to my rescue.

My foster mom was the sweetest lady I have ever met, and her son, Doug, was the most generous man ever. They gave me and my brother everything we wanted and needed. It was amazing, a dream came true. The first day we got to the house, they took my brother and I to this fine diner. After eating, Doug took us shopping and bought both of us two pair of sneakers. During the second year living with Doug, he and his family took my brother and I to Florida, so we can go to the place where every kid longs for, Disney World. I started to think, this is the life. Everytime Doug and his family took us out to dinner or took us on vacations, out of state, they never called us their foster kids, they always said these are my boys.

At this point, I knew I found my family. Yet for some reason I still felt isolated in the world. Doug always took school seriously, although I use to get phone calls home all the time, Doug still bought me everything I wanted as an incentive to do better in school. He used to beg me to do better at times, but it still didn't work. Then one parent teacher's night, Doug came up to see my teachers and he heard all the negative things about my behavior in school, and he started to tear. After that my whole world turned. That was the worst sight ever. I think I was more hurt than he was. Doug wanted me to be somebody, something positive, and the route I was taking, he knew I wouldn't make it to the destination. Doug was too much of a great person to let down. He obviously cared about me A LOT, as if I was his own blood.

About a year later, working on myself and finding who I was, I did change and I became the most mature kid every adult knew. Since I was so behind in my school work. Doug would take every Saturday, time out his busy schedule to help me catch up with my English and math. I stayed dedicated. I stopped mistreating teachers and my grades increased higher than I ever expected. I was given many academic and achievement awards. I thank God everyday for my father Doug. I have been living with him for 9 years now and got adopted on September 24, 2009, which was one of the greatest days of my life.

With my father's support and encouragement. I made great choices for myself while I was in high school. I chose to attend a school that requires uniform so I can gain discipline. I studied Japanese for four years, so that I can ready my future for better opportunities. I joined student government for four years and became school vice president and later president in my freshman year to gain leadership abilities. Student government was a great experience for me it was a lot of work, but it also was a lot of fun. I held conferences with the principal addressing students issues, created school events, and gave speeches to the school body with updates from my conferences with the principals.I have always believed in giving back to the community. For community service I completed more hours than required. I helped at the Self Help Center where senior citizens learn technology and learn how to use hand held electronics and computers. I also visited seniors at the senior to keep them company because their family is no longer available. In addition, I have contributed to my school community by creating large murals to be displayed at school events. I am a artist. I always get awards every year for best artist. I am also a drummer. I play with a gospel band at Union United Methodist Church.

I have been playing the drums for about eight years now, thanks to my mom. I only had one job in my life. I worked for summer youth at Roy Wilkins park when I was 14. I never could get a job when I was in high school because I always kept myself busy with the school to see how I could help. In my Junior year I had wonderful opportunity to visit Japan, due to my grades and loving and willing father paying the finances. I did a 10 day home stay. I stayed six days in Nagoya and four days in Tokyo. Visiting Japan really opened my eyes, It was great to see what was on the outside of the United States borders. Japan is the cleanest and most peaceful place I had ever been. The atmosphere was amazing, everybody was calm and helping. I have been to a lot of great places in the U.S, but visiting Japan was the greatest experience in my life. I think I succeed in accomplishing the things I wanted to do before I turned 18, now I would love to see what the future holds for me.

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

Know How To Save Your CA$H

jlee2 — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:18:01 -0700

Managing money has been a problem for me for as long as I can remember. My allowances were always limited, and there were so many things I had to have. Even when I had a job and made some extra money, there were even more things I had to buy. So I've been interested in saving/managing money as well as controlling my spendings. I've recently quit my job, and the same problem seems to be arising again; I have little control of how much money I spend every day.

So what's the underlying problem for most people when it comes to managing money? First thing is even though they know they want to start saving, most people are reluctant to start immediately. They think it makes them look too frugal to chase after a few dollars.

"This is not about living a miserable life. It is about how to spend and shop sensibly. It is about cutting out waste. It is about looking after the pennies to look after the pounds."
http://freeshipping.org/blog/10-ways-to-save-money-every-day

There are certain things that we must buy, and other stuff that we just want. The important thing is to know how to shop wisely when purchsing the necessary stuff. Look in the mail again to see if anything is on sale at a nearby grocery or drug store. Look for coupons and use them wisely. Most people tend to ignore the little savings but after a certain amount of time you'll congratulate yourself on how much money you have already saved.

Another method I found pretty helpful is tracking the daily expenses. At the end of the day, I collect all the receipts I received during the day and write down how much I spent on what item. Most of the time I realize that I have spent more than I needed to, distinguish which items were necessary (a quick lunch at McDonald's or a friend's birthday gift) and which was unnecessary (that $5 cup of sundae, or an extra pair of socks I found cute).

"Tracking where you have spent your money may not qualify as an interesting way to spend time, but it is important nonetheless. It will provide you an unambiguous picture of your cash flows; this will put you in better control of your finances. More importantly, it will provide you an insight into your spending habits"
http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2008/jan/25perfin.htm

I understand this is NOT a fun process but it is a healthy habit since tracking your expenses gives you an overview of where you have spent your money. At one point I had trouble keeping track of my money and ended up in debt. This method is especially helpful because you can't overlook how much money you spend daily and how much you have left.

Most people know that they want to save some extra cash for themselves, but they are either reluctant to get into action right away or don't know where to start. Realize that the more money you save on little things, the bigger your reward will be. A reward might be something that you know you've wanted for a long time whether it's a new makeup or a cute pair of boots. Know when to spend and when to save.

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

2010 Haiti Earthquake

MNoguchi — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 07:07:26 -0700

Recently in English class, we have been studying about the earthquake in Haiti. At first, I thought that it was just a simple natural disaster in a country. When I saw the "Democracy Now" video about Haiti, I started to think that there was more to it then just the natural disaster. I know that many people feel that there is nothing we can do, and that America shouldn't help out. After doing this study, I believe that there is a lot that America did that caused this disaster to go overboard. For example, I read an article talking about how America caused Haiti to become this financially crippled.

One thing that I know for sure about the Haiti earthquake is that there is much to learn and think about from this event. Now I've studied my share of Global and Earth Science and I can say that one, there has to be a cause for a country to become as weak as Haiti was, and two, earthquakes are one of the most dangerous natural disasters anyone can face. It is unpredictable, and there is nothing anyone could have done about it, specially in a poor country like Haiti.

I did some research on the Haiti earthquake. I came across this one article called "Haiti: a long descent to hell" by John Henley. This article provided a lot of information and opinions on the country of Haiti. The article talked about all the past horrific treatment the country of Haiti has been receiving before this earthquake happened. "In Haiti, the last five centuries have combined to produce a people so poor, an infrastructure so nonexi stent and a state so hopelessly ineffectual that whatever natural disaster chooses to strike next, its impact on the population will be magnified many, many times over. Every single factor that international experts look for when trying to measure a nation's vulnerability to natural disasters is, in Haiti, at the very top of the scale. Countries, when it comes to dealing with disaster, do not get worse." This quote made me think about how unfair it was for Haiti to have to go through every sort of disaster.

I looked at another source; an article called "Haiti's History of Misery." This article explained the history of Haiti in a slide show format. It was very easy for me to understand; a picture is worth a thousand words, and looking at the images let me understand the devastation that Haiti has been through in their history.

All of this makes me think about how unfair this world can be. Why must a country like Haiti, which has already been through enough for one country to take, be mistreated by nature like this?

Image: "Haiti Earthquake," Uploaded on January 14, 2010 by United Nations Development Programme

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

will I be able to travel around the world

Manisham — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 06:49:01 -0600

Will I be able to travel around the world?

I always thought of traveling around the world,one of my dream was to go to Paris. I always wanted to go to Paris Every year I go somewhere for vacation,but I want to go to more exiting places. Well,this summer I had went to Europe it was so much fun! I really enjoyed it! The problem is that beautiful gorgeous looking places and popular too.Its so much expense. I Think I'll try to travel the whole world hopefully.I think right after I finish college and ready to live my own life. I think in order to travel around, you have to try to get a good job,a really good job that you can get really paid well. The reason I want to travel around the world is because I want to experience how does that state or country
do there there kind of procedure, especially how it looks.I even like traveling myself.what I like about traveling is to see beautiful places,and this might sound weired, but I like to carry around the suitcases and,also packing them.I don't want to travel the whole world. I just want to travel to places I dream and always wanted to go to.I want to go to Paris,Guyana,England,Ireland,Italy..etc. The biggest thing is that when you travel around different countries or state you get to learn about them, and have lots of memories. when you travel it might want to give you an idea that when you grow up that place can be your destination you want to stay at.

Athletes and Crime

bfery — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:03:04 -0600

Athletes are continuing to evolve with every passing season. Some transform their game forever, while others change their lives forever and it's not always for the best. This past off season twenty football players at the University of Oregon have been arrested with criminal allegations. The arrests either had drug, assault, or burglary charges involved.

I bring up the Oregon football team because they are the most recent example of poor off the field decisions by athletes. The freshman running back at Oregon, LaMichael James, was charged with assault because he choked his girlfriend and received a three game suspension. Come on. He choked someone and can't play three games. With that degree of punishment it's practically like the incident never happened. What can you really learn from a three game suspension?

Young people that make mistakes, especially athletes, need to be held more accountable for their actions. By not punishing them they only solidify the feeling of entitlement they already have. In most athletic cases, the punishment does not fit the crime.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Kentucky Fried Cruelty

adeleg — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:10:31 -0600

If you have not already heard, Kentucky Fried Chicken (A.K.A KFC) is being scrutinized for its treatment of their chickens in the slaughter houses. People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is bring KFC's extreme faults to the public's attention. KFC treats their animals so terrible it’s unbelievable so many people still support their torture. For Example, KFC slaughters about one billion chickens a year alone waiting to die in jam packed sheds with the stench of Ammonia intoxicating the air. In this disgusting environment, chickens often suffer from broken bones that never get fixed because they are bread to be larger than nature in tented. Have you ever heard the term "running around like a chicken with its head cut off"? Well, in KFC slaughter houses chickens have their throats slit and are thrown in a tank of scolding hot water to remove bacteria and feathers, often while the chicken is still conscious. With such a negative environment, even the slaughter house workers are abusive. In KFC's primary supplier slaughter house in West Virginia it is documents that workers ripped live chicken's heads off, spit at them, and even spray painted their faces. Shockingly, this was discovered two years after KFC reassured PETA that animal welfare was an important concern. To try to convince customers that everything was fair and healthy in their slaughter houses, KFC created an Animal Welfare Advisory Council. Disappointingly, all five members resigned in frustration and dismay.

KFC hides behind its Animal Welfare Advisory Council, even though five members of the council have resigned in frustration. One of them, Adele Douglass, told the Chicago Tribune that KFC “never had any meetings. They never asked any advice, and then they touted to the press that they had this animal-welfare advisory committee. I felt like I was being used.”

Kentucky Fried Cruelty :: Why KFC?

PETA is asking KFC to eliminate the worst abuses that chickens suffer on the factory farms and in the slaughterhouses of its suppliers, including live scalding, lifelong crippling, and painful debeaking. KFC tortures chickens in ways that would result in felony cruelty-to-animals charges if cats or dogs were the victims, but KFC still refuses to make any changes.

PETA2 // Take Charge // Kentucky Fried Cruelty

They (chickens) are social, intelligent, and, according to Chris Evans, who studies animal behavior and communication at Macquarie University in Australia, have cognitive abilities "beyond the capacity of small children."

About PETAs Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign - by Heather Moore - Helium

In attempts to try and resolve this issue, PETA has proposed practical solutions to KFC. For example, PETA would like KFC to re-adopt its Animal Welfare Advisory Council but with PETA members to make sure that nothing is hidden from the public. Also, PETA would like KFC to use the "Animal Care Standards" program which would lower the Ammonia in the air, bigger sheds, and making sure that chickens are physically and mental stimulated. Switching to controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK) could prevent workers from abusing chickens. Using more mechanical machines would also reduce the number of battered chickens from frustrated workers. PETA would like KFC to stop using hormones and other chemicals to make chickens grow bigger and faster. Finally, PETA would like KFC to determine a set of ethical rules that are apparent, for slaughter houses to abide by consistently. If KFC follows all of these reformations it could be a health and ethical restaurant.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Inspiration

FrankieB — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 08:55:05 -0700

INSPIRED BY A PERSON

Something I have become interested in learning more about are shadows and reflection. I started to become interested in Michael Kenna because he takes pictures all around the world of landscapes and architecture and he incorperates shadows and reflections into his work. So far I have learned that he lives in Seattle, Washington, is an Irish-Catholic born in England.

The source of this information is Michael Kenna's gallery website. The information that I've been reading is quite interesting.

This topic of black and white and travel relates to me and my interests because I love to take black and white photos and I also love to travel and take pictures during my travels. One thing that surprised me was that he doesn't like to photograph people only landscapes. One thing that I wonder about this person's work and life is why he chose to photograph his travels and the landscapes not people. I was also wondering why he likes to photograph in black and white.

Michael Kenna was involved with many gallery showings.

Being that I didn't have a lot of background information on Michael Kenna, I chose to do some more research. As I searched for another source of information about this person, This website provided quite a bit of information and many opinions on the photography of travels.

"Over the years he has traveled throughout almost the entire country constantly taking photographs.". This statement didn't really surprise me all that much, but it did make me feel more intrigued by his work. I think that you make the most memories on your travels and I for one take tons of pictures while traveling. I was interested to hear that Michael Kenna did so as well.

In the article, ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS by Tim Baskerville, there was a statement that made me nod my head in agreement with the writer. It was: "I do feel that most of my photographs hint at, speak of, certainly invite human presence, even though there is no specific illustration. I find that the absence of people in my photographs helps to suggest a certain atmosphere of anticipation. I often allude to a theater stage set. We are waiting for the actors to come out. There is anticipation of events about to happen, or perhaps events have already happened and we are reconstructing scenes in our imagination. There is a surrealistic quality to function-less structures standing in space. The actors are in the wings and an audience waits. It is the waiting and what happens in that interval of time that interests me." This is true because in Michael Kenna's photographs there is a certain emptiness but this emptiness leaves you with a feeling of anticipation. The emptiness is eventually to be filled by an animal or a person but such addition is left for you to interpret. I agree with his comparison of this emptiness to that on a stage while the audience awaits the actors.

Now that I have done this research, it makes me think more about my own work Ladies Knitting. All of this makes me want to focus on landscape more and maybe add in small people and animals but focus more on the background.

Next, with my own work, I hope to explore landscapes. I hope to accomplish a better understanding of perspective.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York, NY, USA

Standardized Testing Woes

laurenschultz — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 22:23:16 -0600

Is standardized testing really the best way to gauge how well qualified someone is to enter college? Maybe in a perfect world. I won't lie, waking up early on Saturday mornings and being forced to remember geometry that I learned two years ago are two things that I don't really find particularly enjoyable. It seems slightly unfair that such a high emphasis is placed on one test score that reflects your test taking efforts on ONE day. I know that many of the subjects that appear on the SAT and ACT are things that college bound students should be able to master. But, as I mentioned it is difficult to recall math subjects that were learned months and even years ago. And I know that my reading coherence at 8 AM Saturday morning is probably not fantastic, same can be said for my essay writing. SAT/ACT prep books and courses are easy enough to obtain and enroll in, but its difficult to devote that much time to standardized test studying when regular school work and activities quickly fill up schedules.

What does the SAT measure?

The SAT is a scam. It has been around for 50 years. It has never measured anything. And it continues to measure nothing. And the whole game is that everybody who does well on it, is so delighted by their good fortune that they don't want to attack it. And they are the people in charge. Because of course, the way you get to be in charge is by having high test scores. So it's this terrific kind of rolling scam that every so often, somebody sort of looks and says--well, you know, does it measure intelligence? No. Does it predict college grades? No. Does it tell you how much you learned in high school? No. Does it predict life happiness or life success in any measure? No. It's measuring nothing. It is a test of very basic math and very basic reading skill. Nothing that a high school kid should be taking.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/sats/interviews/katzman.html

The quote above is from John Katzman, President(at the time of the interview) and founder of the Princeton Review, in a PBS interview. Maybe its just me, but when the president of a company which makes SAT prep material says that the "SAT is a scam", there may be something wrong.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Paul the Octopus

826la — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:24:13 -0600

At Oberhasen, Germany, there is a octopus called Paul. He lives in an aquarium. He has made eight straight World Cup predictions. There are two boxes with a flag on each one of the two teams playing against each other. He always picks the right box of who will win. This year for the World Cup Finals, he picked Spain. There were some death threats made by the people of Germany. If he picks the wrong one, he’s in a sushi shop in Germany, chopped up in a tasty roll, waiting for a customer to come. He will retire today (July 12, 2010) and was rewarded with a replica of the World Cup trophy with three mussels on it. At first he ignored the mussels, but later he got one and showed it to World TV. He has predicted before for the Germany Euro games in 2008. He only got two wrong for that, and he got all eight right for the World Cup. He is like a soccer oracle. He is like a fortune teller. If this guy is eaten, the next person will have powers I think.

World Cup 2010

Opponent

Stage

Date

Prediction

Result

Outcome

Australia

group stage

13 June

Germany[33]

4–0

Correct

Serbia

group stage

18 June

Serbia[33]

0–1

Correct

Ghana

group stage

23 June

Germany[33]

1–0

Correct

England

round of 16

27 June

Germany[34]

4–1

Correct

Argentina

quarter-finals

3 July

Germany[27]

4–0

Correct

Germany

semi-finals

7 July

Spain[35]

0–1

Correct

Uruguay

3rd place play-off

10 July

Germany[36]

3–2

Correct

[edit]

Results not involving Germany

Teams

Tournament

Stage

Date

Prediction

Result

Outcome

Netherlands vs. Spain

World Cup 2010

final

11 July

Spain[37]

0–1

Correct

Chart from Wikipedia

Google's Do-It-Yourself App Creation Software

mbrownstone — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:55:59 -0600

— Kim-ITGS wrote:

"The article “Google’s Do-It-Yourself App Creation Software” (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/12/technology/12google.html?_r=1&ref=technology ) caught my interest because it shows how much technology has truly grown in the past few decades. Before, something like the cell phone in the 1950’s seemed unfathomable. But now, many teenagers and adults own such. Not only are they able to communicate with their peers and family instantly, but they will soon be able to create applications that fit their needs. It’s awesome that Google is creating such a program because it allows their users to make something personal whereas, on the other hand, Apple users would have to download or buy the applications made by others for their own phone. I think that this new program will lead to many positive results, as people will let their creative minds develop and create useful and entertaining applications for their phone to better their lives. Users don’t have to rely on downloading someone’s application that isn’t satisfactory to their needs. Instead of waiting for a specific application to come out, they can simply create their own which fits their personal needs. With such an advanced phone along with potential applications being developed, the world will be able to stay more connected. I think it’s amazing how far we’ve gotten in the development of our technology and using it to better our social and work lives. I think that eventually, the cell phone will become one of the most powerful, convenient, and useful devices out there, possibly replacing desktop computers and other older devices." --ORIGINAL POST

Technology

For those Facebook Left Behind

mbrownstone — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 10:48:37 -0600

— Kim-ITGS wrote:

"As simple as the title “For those Facebook Left Behind” may seem, I could not infer what the contents of the article would be. Soon I realized that the author was explaining the pros and cons of new sites designed to inform users through the personal experiences of others. There were also some explanations of terminology related to these sites such as “tweet” and “mayor”. Common, well known sites such as Facebook and Twitter were mentioned. The popularity of these websites has grown so great and was promoted so much through its worldwide usage that it has rarely ever occurred to me that there are people who have not heard of them.
This article reminded me of the many times that the gap between generations revealed itself. There were times when my grandparents and even parents became frustrated with technology and had a willingness or unwillingness to learn about them. With the world moving on, new words have been invented alongside the technology. Some embrace the new technology along with its words while others do not.
Those who disapprove of using such words do so because they may seem informal. This led me to remember the book, 1984 by George Orwell. As technology increased in the setting of the book, restrictions were placed in order to limit human thoughts and therefore resistance against the government. The government began to rewrite the dictionary so that there would only be a few words which made it harder for individuals to express themselves while using their technological power to surveillance citizens and ensure their control over its people. As technology changes, so does the culture, both of which should be embraced as long as it does not bring harm." --ORIGINAL POST

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Lord of the Flies-Connection

charlotteg — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:01:43 -0600

I can sorta connect to Piggy. I mean he was teased a lot on how he was overweight. In elementary school, I was a little over the average. So people(other students) (no names) made fun of me. Calling me fat and all that. I mean, people calling other people fatty and piggy really mean. So all of you out there who are bullies, listen up and stop it. AND, ask your self if you would like other people doing that to you!

The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, NYC, USA

Something To Be Missed

michaelhanover — Sun, 16 May 2010 20:00:32 -0600

My bed, all my things, my home, my car, and my parents are what I will miss when I move out in August. But there is something else that I understood as I got home yesterday afternoon, another thing I will most definitely miss. I walked up to the front door, unlocked it, walked in, and was greeted by a puppy that is always happy to see me.

He's a small dog-- about ten pounds and not much more than a foot or two tall standing straight up. Lenny is a typical weiner dog, his body is long, complete with a pointy brown muzzle and a tail on the other side. His legs are short and stubby, with soft, chubby paws and black untrimmed claws. His coat is a reddish brown, with streaks of black and white that you can only see if you look really close. His eyes are simply weiner dog eyes; they are round, relatively big, dark circles that seem to plunge all the way to the back of his head. His ears flop loosely around his neck and are found, on occasion, inside out over the top of his head.

Pets are important in a number of ways. In addition to being a living presence, they also provide a comfort and solace in times of stress. You can tell your pet your troubles and they don't talk back or tell others what you told them.

--ezine articles

He's the best little brother I could ask for. Everyday, as I come to the door, he shakes and cries out with excitement. When I see him shuffle to the door, I wonder how it's possible to have such a loyal friend. He's never sick of me, always happy to see me, and he never holds a grudge. I've always been a believer in the importance of pets. Maybe it comes from my parents. My dad kicked a group of mormon missionaries out of the house when they told him he wouldn't see his dog in heaven. Mom always has two or three cats in the house. For whatever reason, I know leaving my pets will be a troublesome experience as I go to college. It is said that dogs are man's best friend. I know it is a disgusting cliche, but it is absolutely true. Arguable the most important qualities in a friend are loyalty, reliability, and honesty. Dogs don't know how to lie, and they are always there for you when you need them. Of all the things to leave behind this fall, we should all consider our pets and cherish every remaining moment we have with them. I know that those of us who rely on them now will feel that something is missing when they walk in their dorm to be greeted by a boring "hello" from their roommate.

Judge Memorial Catholic High School, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Where's Adeline Now?

madisons — Mon, 17 May 2010 06:52:32 -0600

   Photography is something that I began to love this year. I have always been interested in taking pictures but I wasn't really sure what I was doing. Now, however, I know that photography isn't just pictures of things, it is an art form. One of my favorite photographers, Ansel Adams, said, "A photograph is usually looked at - seldom looked into." I agree with this statement so much, it blows my mind. I have always taken notice in the smaller details in life. To capture the beauty that is seldom felt in the world is my goal. I want someone to be able to feel my photographs. I want them to feel what the picture is - not just see it. Why? I don't care if a million people see my pictures, if the photos don't evoke emotion in any of those people then I don't want that. Even if my photography evokes emotion in one person, if my photos have inspired just one person, then I will feel accomplished.
   One of my favorite things to do in photography is to take macro shots. This means that I use a setting on my camera that enables me to focus on something very close up. I love doing this because I like showing the details in the smaller things in life. For example, I was sitting with my family in a restaurant and was messing around with a new camera and took a macro shot of my fork. I captured so much detail in that one little fork that I hadn’t seen before. There were a million little scratches on the fork. It’s things like that that inspire me.
   Something else that I enjoy with photography is that nothing is permanent. In working with Photoshop I have been able to morph photos, fix flaws, and add things that were not there before. I enjoy surreal photos; my pictures “Hold on to Love” and “Stuck in a Bottle Pop” are two examples of digital collages that I like. Though I really love adjusting photos, I think my original pieces are my favorite, the ones straight out of the camera—real.
   I really like capturing pictures of all the places I go, and I really like traveling. This leads me to the question: Would I work well as a photojournalist? I’m still growing up and am always thinking about what I want to do in life. I really want to make an impact. I want to have made a difference in the world. Will my pictures be able to make an impact? I would like to think that my photos and I will. I wont know for sure until I try, so I am always trying to get my pictures out there, I like showing people my work. I have had several people say they’re good, and I had a few people actually be affected by them. I know that I made an impact in a few people’s lives and I am going to keep going.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York, NY, USA

teen relationships

jwil9557 — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 09:03:03 -0600

Big struggles teenagers have these days are relationships. Kids think that it is a need but really there is no need to date through high school. The idea of dating is so people can find someone they want to spend the rest of their life with. Dating through high school is just a distraction and unfortunately a lot of kids today are dating. Very rarely will kids meet in high school, start dating, and get married. I don’t think we should date through high school because a lot of them lead to sex and could result in a pregnancy.

After reading the article “Statistics on Teenage Relationships” I found great evidence to not date through high school. It stated that 89% of teens are dating and 40% of those teens have been in a relationship where they have been abused in any way. It later went on talking about how teen pregnancies have declined since the nineties but the United States still has the highest teen birth rate in any industrialized nation. If teens still chose to have relationships they should make sure that they are responsible about it and make sure that there is no abuse from either side. After reading that article I was glad to know that my parents are keeping me from that until out of high school.

The article mainly targeted the disadvantages of relationships. Although teenagers may become lonely they don’t have to rely on having relationships which could cause depression if misused. Teenagers will get too attached to one certain person and then the opposite side won’t feel the same and break the other person’s heart. Some teens take their depression to a permanent level and commit suicide. Although some good comes out of them I think that teens should remain dateless throughout high school.

Jobs

jcox4611 — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:09:41 -0600

Should 16 be the age to get a job? What I know is that you have to be sixteen to be able job as well as a U.S Citizen.Personally, I think that the age should be 17 to get a job.I believe this should be the age because people are more train and educated to work.

To find out more information about this subject, I did an internet search. I found a website called www.ezinearticles.com and found an article on the subject. In this article, the writer talks about the legal ages in which you are allowed to work. The article says,” once you hit 13 you are legally allowed to work a job (with limitations). The limitations of what jobs you can do & how long you can work for change as you get older.”

How I feel is that 13 should not be the age because you are still young.And even though there are lininations I still think the age is to young because most 13 year olds are not fully mature yet.Personally I think that the age should be 17 because you don’t have to focus to much on school .Most 17 year old are just finishinq high school or graduating soon and they are more mature.

SHOULD WE DUCK N COVER WHEN N EARTHQUAKE HAPPENS OR SHOULD WE DIP N RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

rgon8686 — Thu, 13 May 2010 14:48:48 -0600

SHOULD WE DUCK N COVER WHEN N EARTHQUAKE HAPPENS OR SHOULD WE DIP N RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think that if there’s an earthquake, you should have the chance to run and get out of the building I would run instead of getting down to cover. Both choices are dangerous., especially since a building might fall on you while you are running. The question I have is what should we do to be safe in the event of an earthquake?

I read an article on the internet on a site called www.fema.gov. The article is about earthquake safety. One thing that the writer tells us to do is “

DROP to the ground; take COVER by getting under a sturdy table or other piece of furniture; and HOLD ON until the shaking stops. If there isn’t a table or desk near you, cover your face and head with your arms and crouch in an inside corner of the building.

Why are people SOOOOO into Justin Bieber?

stelaz — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:08:38 -0600

The 15 year old singer Justin Bieber has been one of the most popular artist since his career started off with the song "One Time" Why? Whats so great about his singing and his looks? Why are people so in love with this teen artist? Personally i just dont see what is so great about him. Hes no different than the other artists but why are girls obsseded with only HIM AND THIS FREAKEN LOOKS?! He is 15 and claims to "love a girl" does he even know what love is? Has he ever heard himself sing?

The only reason girls mostly im not saying that guy dont like his music but the real reason girls love his songs so much is because of his "cuteness"

What do you guys think?

- No offence to any of Justin B. fans

The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, NYC, USA

Fresh wind reminds me of my grandmother

oarvelo — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 11:04:59 -0600

Kissena Corridor Park is located on Queens, New York. The park itself is 100 acres and there are many sections like biking and a number of soccer fields, tennis courts, baseball fields event a community garden.

These are some of my writings that did I in the garden.

The fresh scent and wind make me feel like I am flying around the sky and I don't want to stop. For reason I feel calm and energized that is halt to describe.

As the wind moves and flows it brings the sense of nature, and it's fulfilling.
The rose stretching with all they have to get out, dancing gently with the wind
The dense green that it can see looks like all the green and effect of the universe was used.
The combination of plants are a handful of memories
I can see my grandmother as I was a little boy. She used to have most of the plants I can see where the people are walking around like lost souls

The wind is flowing and the planes are roaring as the flowers dance the bird song. The roses have reached their point of beauty, and with their beautiful, cool, and silky feel, for calling the butterflies.

East-West School of International Studies, Flushing, NY, USA

nypd

kevin123 — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 13:16:28 -0600

Something that I have been interested in learning more about has been The NYPD i remember when watching law n order and i saw a episode when a girl got kidnapped for a week and the NYPD found her. Ever since then i always wanted to be a cop. Lately, I know that many people feel that the NYPD aren't good and alot of people hate them, but at the end of the day they get the job done. They're designed to protect and serve us. People even say that all the NYPD do is stop and beat black people but that's not true. Not all police officers are bad. In fact, most of them are good.

One thing that I know for sure about the NYPD is that they help people who need help. For example, on Sept 11 when the towers were falling. NYPD officers rushed up to the burning towers to save people. Unfortunately, a lot of officers lost their lives that day.

The NYPD is very important to us because we would have nobody to call on if it wasn't for them. I know that there are are 3 ranks in the NYPD Lieutenant, Sargent, and CAPTAIN i also know that cops starting pay has raisen. NYPD officers start of making 40 to 100 thousand a year including over time. I also know that the quickest way to become a detective in the NYPD is by joing the Narc unit the Narc unit are regular plain cloths officers who go out and arrest drug dealers who are dealing illegal drugs.

Being that I didn't have a lot of background information on the NYPD, I chose to do some research on the topic. As I searched for blogs and news articles on Google, I came across this one article called "Officers go undercover in terror fight". This article provided a lot of information and opinions on the NYPD. Some people felt that NYPD did a good job in insuring that the bomb didn't go off.My article talks about getting more police officers to patrol the streets and to make sure that it is safe and that another bomb attempt doesn't happen again. This makes me feel safe that the NYPD are putting more officers out on the street to patrol because i feel alot safer when i leave my house now.I will always know that there are police officers watching and looking out for my safety.

In another articleriot forces NYPD to cancel Drake concert. There was this one statement that made me shake my head in disagreement, which was,"the fans out of line." I feel that these fans had a right to get mad but i also think the NYPD had a right to stop it. These fans were getting out of line by throwing chairs and food and if wasn't for the NYPD somebody could of even got hurt.

In one podcast, NYPD Gang Division, there was this one statement that made me nod my head in agreement and that is the great job these Police Officers are doing in insuring us that the streets are safer by locking up criminals who are selling drugs and killing for no reason. I feel much safe with them off the streets than these young men in the streets wasting there lives and killing innocent people for fun." I feel that this is true because kids shouldn't be on the streets selling drugs and killing. I think they should be in school getting their education and being something positive in life.

All of this makes me think that the NYPD is the best job in the world there’s nothing better than saving an innocent life and insuring the safety for those the men and women living in New York City.

East Brooklyn Community High School, Canarsie, NYC, USA

Cutting yourself

ValerieD — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 16:40:07 -0700

Well first of, I am against people who cut themselves. I see no point of doing it what so ever. I mean life has ups and downs. You have to deal with it. Life isnt supposed to be perfect and dandy. You are supposed to pass through bad grades, break-ups, embaressment, deaths, etc. Just because you break the point of your pencil, you are going to cut yourself? NO! just get up and go sharpen it. Im NOT saying that people who do cut there selves, do it for the tiniest reasons but when you fall, you get up and act like nothing happpened or just laugh it off. Same with life. If someone very close dies, you have to let it pass by. You may cry and it may seem like the world is ending, but people come and go. And that doesnt go only to when you are moving to a new school. I mean I stopped a girl from cutting herself before it was too late. She had already started to cut herself. I stopped her because I cared for her. I also did it because mean while cutting yyourself you could reach a point where you cut a vien and guess what? You just died. Your viens on your wrist are very delicate. You can also lose so much blood that you can even stop breathing and die. Im against cutting and Ive never tried it, niether will I ever try to. What are your opinons on this?

The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, NYC, USA

Field Day 2010

samanthasa — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 07:16:14 -0600

Yesterday was TYWLS of Astoria field day. This was one of the best days ever. We didnt have to wear our uniform :D and we got to participate in fun activities, hang with friends, and best of all EAT!!!!! yes i know out of everything the eating part was my favorite because after all the running around i got really hungry mostly everyone was ready to eat at 10:30 and we were supposed to eat at 12:30.

The PIE THROWING CONTEST:

Well, let me just say that this was one of the funniest things ever. And to be honest i was happy to see some of the teachers get hit in the face with pie a.k.a Tim and Greg, and Ruthie why because i dont know i talk to them alot so then they always are like no you wont be able to hit me. And it turns out they did HAHAHAHA :D

LOOKING FOWARD TO NEXT YEAR

Connections between Islam and Terrorism?

BenBrzowski — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:04:03 -0600

The world today is more dangerous than it has ever been. Violence and crime occur more frequently now than ever before, and terrorism in particular is on the rise. This has a great deal to do with one of my questions from earlier this week: Why was it the Middle East (or the radical forms of the Islamic religion, specifically) that became the spawning grounds of the most powerful and influential terrorist groups on earth? Why didnt radical Christians or Buddhists become the main force of terror? What in the Muslim religion produced this cultural phenomenon? Perhaps it has something to do with their religious texts?

"THE APOSTLE RECEIVES THE ORDER TO FIGHT

            The apostle had not been given permission to fight or allowed to shed blood before the second Aqaba [a place where a pledge was made between Muhammad and his followers from Medina]. He had simply been ordered to call men to God and to endure insult and forgive the ignorant. The Quraysh [a leading group of Meccans] had persecuted his followers, seducing some from their religion and exiling others from their country. They had to choose whether to give up their religion, be maltreated at home, or to flee the country, some to Abyssinia, others to Medina.

            When Quraysh became insolent towards God and rejected His gracious purpose, accused His prophet of lying, and ill treated and exiled those who served Him and proclaimed His unity, believed in His prophet and held fast to His religion, He gave permission to His apostle to fight and to protect himself against those who wronged them and treated them badly......[a]

            The meaning is "I have allowed them to fight only because they have been unjustly treated while their sole offense against men has been that they worship God. When they are in the ascendant they will establish prayer, pay the poor-tax, enjoin kindness, and forbid iniquity, i.e., the prophet and his companions all of them." Then God sent down to him: "Fight them so that there be no more seduction," [b] i.e. until no believer is seduced from his religion. "And the religion is God's,", i.e. Until God alone is worshipped.

1) in Mecca, where Muhammad was weak, he attacked no one. He only preached his religion and insulted the Meccan's religions. But it was just prior to his leaving for Medina, where he had a limited amount of armed men to support him, that he received this "revelation" and began to use violence to further his desires. Islamic history shows that as Muslims grew in power their forms of violence changed from criminal terrorism to outright warfare.

2) At the end of the quote, it says that Muslims are to fight those who do not worship Allah.

- Muhammad, Islam, and Terrorism by Silas

Do vampires, witches, werewolves, demons, and wizards exist??

14mehtan — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 10:56:06 -0700

Photo by cordeman

This is a picture of Edward Cullen or Twilight's cutest guy. He's a vampire and he tries to conceal his identity with a human. My question is do vampires, witches, werewolves, demons and wizards exist and since Edward is a vampire he has great relevance towards my question. Many people I know say that people like Edward, vampires and etc. exist because they seem very real. Humans in real life are pale with red eyes, cold breath, and do try to save others. We can blame the weird things that happen to us on witches, vampires, werewolves, demons and wizards like Edward Cullen.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

The Vampire Diaries The Awakening

FatimaI — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:56:48 -0700

I recently read a book called The Vampire Diaries, The Awakening which is the first book of the series. And I think it's awesome, like I loooove it. This first book introduces the reader to Elena Gilbert, a popular and beautiful high school student in Fell's Church, Virginia, (a fictional town possibly named after the actual city of Falls Church, Virginia) and her friends Bonnie, Meredith, and Matt, along with Caroline, Elena's old friend who now is her competition.The book is mostly told from Elena's point of view. As their senior year begins, Elena pursues the mysterious new guy in town, Stefan Salvatore. Stefan's resistance is met with Elena's determination, and she eventually discovers his secret: that Stefan is a centuries-old vampire. As Elena and Stefan fall in love, strange attacks begin to happen in the town while a dark and seductive stranger appears to Elena. He is eventually revealed to be Stefan's older brother, Damon. In Renaissance Italy, the brothers both fell in love with a young vampire named Katherine. Katherine choose them both as lovers and exchanged blood with them. Fueled with rage, the brothers killed each other but woke up as vampires. The Awakening ends with Elena seeking out Damon whom she believes to be the prime suspect for Stefan's disappearance after the townspeople begin to suspect Stefan as the one behind the recent murder of the school's social studies teacher and the other strange attacks.

The Young Women's Leadership School of Astoria, NYC, USA

kevin bigby

kevin123 — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 08:17:01 -0600

Something that I have been interested in learning more about has been the Coast Guard. I remember when watching "The Guardian" and ever since then I have been in love with the Coast Guard. The movie was about rescue swimmers. In the Coast Guard, rescue swimmers come when big disasters happen. One example was Hurricane Katrina when all the people who got stuck count help themselves.

One thing that I know for sure about the Coast Guard is that they help people who can’t help them self’s in the water. They helped the people in Haiti when the earthquake hit. I think its a good thing that the Coast Guard helped them because that's their job, to save people, and that's why I want to join the Coast Guard.

When I get to the Coast Guard I would like to enter a program called BTM, Boarding Team Member. Being that I didn't have a lot of background information on Coast Guard I chose to do some research on the topic? As I searched for blogs and news articles on Google, I came across this one article called "U.S. Coast Guard Boarding Team Member Course (BTM) — Federal Law Enforcement Training Center." The article talks about the procedures of the Coast Guard and the requirements to get in. This article provided a lot of information on becoming a Boarding Team Member. The article said that the Coast Guard would teach me about hostage situations. I think it is cool that they teach them that because that is something I would like to learn.

In another article I read called "Coast Guard Law Enforcement Training: "Get down”, Barbara L. Patton explains about BTM, the Coast Guard boarding crew that goes out, fights crime, and prevents drug dealers under Maritime Security. One quote that made me nod my head in agreement was, "they always fall back on what they have been trained to do in worst-case scenarios. Students are trained in using several self-defense measures, including hand-to-hand combat if necessary. Students are given an array of items, such as a striking baton, handcuffs, and fake guns to use during the scenarios. I can connect this to the NYPD because when I get to the Coast Guard and learn it I can use what I learned in my future career as a Police Officer.

The title of my podcast is "Recon, Always Ready" by the Pentagon Channel. In the podcast, I disagreed with the Executive Officer Christopher Calhoun, who said that the Coast Guard training was 5 weeks. I think that’s not enough time to teach these young men all they need to know. I think their training should be at least a year. Another thing from the podcast that I disagree with is the instructor teaching them math. Don’t think that school is necessary for these men. I think after boot camp they should send these men to do their jobs.

After reading these articles about the Coast Guard my opinion on it is that it's hard and you have to be willing to do it, but in the long run it's worth it. There's nothing better than saving a life. After reading these articles it still made we want to join the United States Coast Guard.

East Brooklyn Community High School, Canarsie, NYC, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: Nicholas

12Niculescun — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 17:04:58 -0600

Proposal #3(a bit small don’t know how to explain scratch Title- football pong edition Audience-My birthday party recipient Game type-Scratch Tools to create game-using the game program scratch Game space-Games are sctach are created on a x and y plane, and it seems to go on forever, but I will make it a small rectangle Componts-there will be 2 sprites one you control and one where they’re will be some AI, that will do what I program it to do Goal-get 10 points before the AI Core mechanics- the ability that you will need is to predict the what the AI will do and react accordingly, in other words you will need quick reflexes to succed in this game Rules- 1.you cannot go pass the rectange 2. you are not able to move forward just left or right How do the game elements satisfy the design spec- the game itself is created on scratch, and is \ relativly easy to grasp, the game itself will not create any violence, it may take a while but the game can be finished by the 11th. The game itself is easy.

line-height:normal;background:white"> "Arial","sans-serif";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";color:black">For one I thought it would be very interesting to challenge myself using scratch. The game is the best representation of soccer(a sport which my friend likes). Also the game itself is very easy to comprehend, and play which is one of the many design specifications that we have for the project

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Reflection on a year of Digital Photography.

ArmenS — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:51:07 -0600

How do you contribute to the Youth Voices community?

I have contributed to the Youth Voices community in several ways. I have made various posts relating to my work as I have progressed throughout the year. I put thought into my posts that I hope others enjoy to read. I have also left various other posts such as "What's Up?" posts dealing with ideas I have at the moment. I have also commented on my fellow photographers' work, telling them how I feel about their work and what their work has inspired in me.

What is easy for you to do here?

I find it easy to make posts due to the simple yet effective post-editing tools. They make formatting smooth and nice to look at, and make it easy to make a post whenever you'd like.

What is hard, but worth the struggle?

I think it is hard to add photos and copy and paste bodies of text into a post. To do this, you must take a lot of steps and do a lot of re-formatting. It is worth the effort because in the end your post looks pleasing to the eye.

What do you wish you could do, but can't?

One thing I wish you could do in Youth Voices is have a section dedicated to uploading types of work such as photographs, besides written work. It is possible, but there should be a dedicated section for things such as photos.

How am I Doing?

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: (Rubayeth Mian)

12mianr — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:11:27 -0600

This is the completion of Level 4.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: (Rubayeth Mian)

12mianr — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:09:25 -0600

This is the completion of Level 3.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: (Rubayeth Mian)

12mianr — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:08:31 -0600

This is completion of Level 2. Both before and after.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: (Rubayeth Mian)

12mianr — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:06:18 -0600

This the final game of Level 1.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

End of the year

alih — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:51:40 -0600

This year I learned a lot of new things. I think that by sharing the new things i learned and my different opionons I really contributed well into the youth voices community. A lot of techniques that we learned to use this year were easy but there were also quite a few that were difficult to pick up on right away. The few that were difficult to learn at first were worth learning though becuase they helped me to edit my peice to be the best that it could be and cause new reactions to people by looking at it. I wish I could edit a piece so greatly that someone will look at it and say "ohmygod".

How am I Doing?

My Year in Digi Photo

shanek — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:03:45 -0600

This class has been truly a blast. I love all the things we have learned and I definitely feel I have learned a good amount of things about Photography and Photoshop. I have learned so many interesting things about the way photography has come to be and all the different skills involved in photography. At first, I always thought photography was simply taking a picture, now I know all of the different traits of a photo that bring it to be what it is. This is what I have come to learn and feel is most important from what I have gathered from this great class.

Digital Photography

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: Mohammed

12afsharm — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 00:28:42 -0600

Title of Game:

“Imposing Human Conviction during WWII: Concentration Camps”

Audience:

Joel Lubi – Birthday Present

The game is about how to survive during the concentration camps of WWII based on the actual map of Auschwitz as well as the logical method of survival during that time. It is a game that 2-4 people can play. Appropriate age group is sixteen years or older, with at least some knowledge of the events of the Holocaust and WWII.

Type of Game:

This game will be a board game.

Tools and Materials Used:

I will be creating this game from hands-on tools such as a square piece of cardboard/paper that is fairly big; about as big as a Risk ™ board. I will be using paper made avatars and/or from a different material, making it seems realistic. The use of scissors and tape and all other materials is, obviously, inevitable and won’t be mentioned.

Game Space:

The game space will be the actual game board, which will be Auschwitz “re-modified” to resemble a 2-dimensional zone. All historic aspects of the camp will be executed accurately within the game.

Components:

There will be the game avatars and dice in order for the gaming motion to take place. Also, there will be additional assistance in aiding the players from escaping the camp (specific board blocks that allow for the players that land on them to reach the “exit zone”)

Goal:

The goal of the game will be to escape Auschwitz and become free.

Core Mechanics:

The behavioral aspects of the game are that there will be no cancelling of the rules and the goal. It must be possible to reach the “exit zone” and executing the game, yet at the same time competing with more than one “in-mate”. Also, there are facets such as the round ups and guard posts in which the player must pay close attention to.

Rules:

The rules of the game are to escape from the camp through the fastest way possible. You must avoid Nazi detection as well as be able to not alert the guards based off of a plan in making the ultimate escape possible.

Game elements and how they satisfy the Design Spec:

These elements establish a basis for what the game will look like. They are both historic and educational yet at the same time, fun and interesting to play. They aim to educate the player(s) by showing them the horrors of WWII and what will be if human compassion is lost over greed and corruption of power. Therefore it educates and entertains at the same time.

I have chosen this design for my project because it is both educational as well as entertaining. It will be a historic type of game in which the events that occurred in WWII will be brought to a game, in which the player will have to escape from the horrors of Auschwitz. WWII was brutal and grotesque, yet the many games that have been made with regards to its time period have always been very entertaining and fairly educational; this game will have a substantial amounts of both.

Technology

The Best of Free Image Editing Online

susanettenheim — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 06:58:55 -0600

This discussion is a gathering place for all information about editing images using free online software.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York, NY, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: Joel

12lubinitskyj — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 20:36:14 -0600

Design 1:

The title is 'Clean Up After Yourself'. The game will be a single player game for my brother Greg. It will be a computer game designed using scratch. The game space will be a cutaway of my house. The components will include an avatar (Greg), various items placed around the house, and a timer. The goal is to pick up everything left around the house in a specific amount of time. The core mechanics are navigating the house (i.e. going up stairs, through corridors, etc.), retrieving objects, and bringing them back to a specific location. The rules of the game are that the player must follow the laws of gravity and is unable to pass through walls or other boundaries (including the edges of the game screen). These game elements will come together to satisfy the design specification by being a simple game with a clear objective while focusing on recipients laziness as a defining characteristic.

Design 2:

The title is 'Clean Up After Yourself'. The game will be a four player game for my brother Greg. It will be a board game. The game space will be a two dimensional grid depicting various characteristics of my house. The components will include the game pieces, dice, and cards. The goal of the game is to bring back more items to their respective locations than the other players. The core mechanics will include finding the fastest path the each specific item, navigating through the grid, and retrieving the various items. The rules of the game are that players can only move how ever many spaces the dice role shows, can’t go outside of the board, and can’t move when it is not their turn. These game elements will come together to satisfy the design specification by making an accessible game that also emphasizes on the laziness of the recipient as a characteristic.

Design 3:

The title is ‘Clean Up After Yourself’. The game will be a single player game for my brother Greg. It will be a computer game made using Gamestar Mechanic. The game space will be a two dimensional grid representing various characteristics of my house. The components of the game are the avatar (Greg), obstacles, keys, locked doors, and various items spread throughout the area. The goal of the game is to navigate the area and get all the objects before the time expires. The core mechanics of the game are navigating the area, collecting keys, unlocking doors, and collecting objects. The rules are that the player can’t go outside the edges of the game space, must follow the rules of gravity, and can’t go through walls or locked doors (without the key). These game elements will come together to satisfy the design specification by making a simple game with a clear objective which emphasizes the laziness of the recipient as a characteristic.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: Saida

12khansa — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 10:41:43 -0600

The title of my game would be: Saving for Dubai. Because my cousin really wants to go there, especially to see the Burj al Arab, the game would be about receiving a trip to Dubai, for his birthday basically. So the first alternative would be a game designed on Gamestar Mechanic. The point of the game would be to collect all points throughout the different levels. The points would represent money of course, representing the savings. But then again, an avatar must avoid enemies, signifying my cousin avoiding to spend money, or even going into debt. Again, the goal of the game is to collect all points without approaching enemies what so ever. The game will consist of only a single player, who will interact with the game components by relating to the message being conveyed – which is to save money. A player must only move around without attacking the enemies, not that there would be any weapons available, and once a player approaches an enemy, he/she must start over from the beginning. This game will satisfy the Design Specification because it will be constructed on Gamestar Mechanic, will not contain any offensive, course, or obscene elements, will not allow players to use violence, and will not contain copyrighted images.

I chose this design for my project because I find it rather relevent to my cousin Daniel, who has a desire to travel the world to see all the architecture achievements, but he first wants to visit Dubai. Because I know how to use Gamestar Mechanic, it will be easier for me to work on my project using it. I know rather well how to make the game 'difficult' making it more challenging. This can exemplify the many ways it's difficult for people to save money for their desires.

Technology

Tech 10 Birthday Game Project: Lenny

12herreral — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 19:33:23 -0600

Possible Game #1
Title: Ms. Lambrini's Great Geometry Adventure
Birthday Recipient: Ms. Lambrini
Players- Ages 6 and up; 4 players per game;
Type of Game: Board Game

Tools and Materials:
There will be various types of materials for my board game because I will be making it from scratch instead of online or on a program that makes games. These are some materials that I will be using in order to create and have gamers play my game:
- Big Card Board Paper
- Pawns made out of paper
- Markers
- Scissors
- Ruler
- Index Cards
- Tape

Game Space:
I want my game to have a simple layout like the game Candy Land. Candy Land is a pretty simple game that almost anyone can play but gamers have an extremely fun time playing.
Here is a picture of the game space or layout of Candy Land:

"Candy Land," photo copyrighted by BSmaurer, Uploaded on February 23, 2008

More things about the Game Space of Ms. Lambrini's Great Geometry Adventure’s Game Space:
- Colorful spaces because Ms. Lambrini loves color and is a big fan of the color orange
- Each Spot will have something different to tell the Game players when landing. Each will have something special to do with Ms. Lambrini
- The game spots will go around in a curve creating Ms. Lambrini's lesson plan at BSGE
- The Game spots will lead to the end where it is Ms. Lambrini's birthday
- The final game space will have picture of a big party
- Game spots where they take you back in time in the year and back spaces.

Components:
-Dice
- 4 game pieces that look like Ms. Lambrini
- Cards
- Game Board (Can bend in half)

Goal:
The goal of Ms. Lambrin’s Great Geometry Adventure is for players to get an exciting look at Ms. Lambrini’s brain. Gamers have to go through the board game where every spot leads closer and closer to the date of Ms. Lambrini’s birthday. Players will have to get to the end of the game board for Ms. Lambrini’s birthday. The thing is, once you get there you have to pick three challenge cards and complete them before winning the game while the other players continue playing. Many of the spots before the final one will also have players choose challenge cards that may take them a while, or a short period of time. They may be difficult or they may be easy. All players must continue completing their challenge; if it is their turn and they haven’t completed it their turns are skipped. The final goal is eventually to reach the day of Ms. Lambrini’s so you could be the first Ms. Lambrini to relax and spend your birthday at home and greatly without the stress of BSGE.

Core Mechanics:
-Players roll the dice to get through the game and spaces
- Players use their hands to move through the game with their avatar
- Players use body and intelligence to complete mini challenges.

Rules:
-Players only move the amount the rolled
-Players must complete challenges on cards completely. If they have no completed by the next turn then they will have to have their turn skipped
- Only after 2 skips can games give up challenges but not sooner
-Gamers can ask for help on a challenge from a friend after his turn has been skipped the first time.

The game elements will satisfy the Design Specification because it will do everything that is required for this project. It will meet all the requirements. I also believe that it will satisfy my audience and my Birthday Recipient. It will follow every role and it will meet every constraint. It will also be a birthday game with no killing and no violence.

I chose this because I thought it was the most descriptive game out of the 4 that I had created. I also chose this game because it was the first game that I wanted to make and it was the first idea I thought about when I found out about this project. I think it will be fun trying to design a board game rather than something virtual because I like working with physical material rather that digitally. I also think designing the board itself will be an awesome time and I thought it would fun analyzing a recording my process for this game rather than the other ones I thought of.

Baccalaureate School for Global Education, Queens, NY, USA

Final Discussion

AlexandraB — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:56:46 -0600

I contributed to the youth voices group by adding my own work, and adding more work to the site. This brings out a new artist, but also a way for other photographers to learn things by looking at my work. For me, the easiest thing was writing about my work. I found this easy because it's my own work, and I have my own story to tell about it. The hardest thing was putting my own individuality into a theme of photography I had never done before, which was music photography. This was especially difficult because it's hard to find music photography while taking photos in John Jay Park, or walking along a couple blocks on the Upper East Side. I think that's what makes taking music photography so interesting, because it's a challenge. One thing that I wish I could have done was putting portraits into my portfolio of music photography, but it's definitely something that I will do in the future. Taking a posed photo of someone is so much harder because you can't freeze time, but it's something I want to do.

Eleanor Roosevelt High School, New York, NY, USA

Final Reflection

CarmenM — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:56:23 -0600

I contributed to the Youth Voices community by adding my own touch to the collecction of photos already online. I did this by adding my own style. My special touch includes more subtly striking images that show more than some people might realize at first. When editing my photos I didn't really have trouble, and when writing my reflections on my images I found it easy to get what I was thinking across to my reader. I didn't realy think that I had much if any trouble when I was working on the many aspects of my projects. I wish that I could share my images in a way that more people would be able to understan the picture and the point that I was trying to get across better. However, I wouldn't want to have made it all too obvious to everyone. Overall, I think that I have done pretty well this year in developing my pictures into something that I hadn't imagined before.

See my photo stream at my Flickr page!

How am I Doing?

Feelings on Youth Voices

DanielleRa — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:54:19 -0600

I contribute to the Youth Voices community by giving, sharing, and adding ideas to the site. I share my ideas and thoughts with others on this site and hope to inspire them.
In Youth Voices it is very easy to share my ideas with others on this sight as well as contribute to their ideas and gain inspiration from others here.
It is hard to get my ideas written out, but is very much worth is struggle in the end because I receive feedback on them which allow me to expand, clarify, and build on my ideas.
I wish to make it easier to express my ideas, but it is hard because I am not always sure how I feel. I also wish to filter through all of the posts on Youth Voices to one that exactly interest and relate to me and my ideas.

How am I Doing?

How I'm Doing

HollieP — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:52:14 -0600

I can contribute my work with photography, and my opinion to youth voices. I think it is easiest to do what's up and they are very simple, but full of good information. Reading the discussions is very thought provoking. I enjoy responding to others' work as well. It is more off a struggle to join into big discussions because either no one responds, or i never know a response has been made.

How am I Doing?

Final Reflection

ClaudiaF — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:52:12 -0600

I contribute to the Youth Voices community by sharing my ideas and view of the world through my photography. This job of actually sharing my photos is easy to do on this site. Also, commenting on other pieces of work is an easy thing for me to do on Youth Voices. However, something that is hard yet worth the struggle is the photo discussions that go along with my photos. Even though these discussions are somewhat difficult and do take a lot of effort, in the end they are worth it because they successfully wrap up my ideas expressed in photos. One thing that I wish I could do but can't is to have had even more time to upload and share my photographs. This way, I could have expressed even more of my work to the Youth Voices community.

How am I Doing?

Reflection on the Year

CocoF — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 11:48:25 -0600

On Youth Voices, it's easy to post comments and share your photos, all you have to do is make simple discussion posts. You don't have to worry about people being disrespectful since it's a school website. Sometimes it's hard to leave comments for people that you don't know because you're worried about how you will sound. I sometimes worried when I left comments for people from other schools, but I think it was good and inspiring to see work from all around the US, from other schools in different cities. I think we all contribute to Youth Voices by posting our own discussions, about anything, and also by responding to other people's posts. I don't think there's anything I would want to do here that can't already be done, I think it's a good website and resource for schools to use.

-Coco.

How am I Doing?

DIgital Photography and Youth Voices

JakeS — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 08:57:55 -0600

I have contributed my experiences in photography on youth voices. Check out my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/starrskis/

How am I Doing?