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​As soon as I stepped out of the plane I noticed something different, people are speaking a different language it was neither Arabic nor French; it was English. It was so amazing to me because I usually only hear people talk English when I am watching an American movie. My eyes were widely opened as I was walking around and seeing different things and surrounded by different people. I felt like I was in a dream on a whole other planet and I took it all in. However, when I got in the car to go to the house I noticed that there were pictures of models with nothing but a bra and panties. I kind of closed my eyes I didn’t know what to say because I did not see that in Morocco. Oh, I am sorry I forgot to talk about myself; my name is Maryam and I am from Morocco. Now, as I was saying when we got to the house we ordered food and my whole family spoke English and I became upset because I felt left out; I used to get mad because I didn’t understand what they were saying. We came on July 2008 and that summer I just wanted to go out and have fun but I had to sit in the house and  listen to audio all day and read English books with pictures on them and I felt dumb and I would become frustrated and would pack my clothes and say that I wanted to go back to where I came from because it felt like I couldn’t do it or that I couldn’t make it .
my video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZ2EWcVOLnQ&feature=plcp&context=C3f3075dUDOEgsToPDskISoykW6Sc4U4pCa50W3Hwd

My product is a print advertisement for Laughter. Laughter is something that is in need in the world today, we have wars, poverty, homelessness, and other depressing things. This advertisement it so remind people to laugh, be happy, and appreciate the little things in life. 

The intended audience is well, everyone. There is no set age, race, or class that this is aim towards, it is for everyone.  The advertisement aims to include most demographics, including age, race, and gender. 

The inspiration of this ad came from usual medicine ads. Most ads for medicine include lots of people liked their new medication but the side effects of the ads usually are worse then the illness they are trying to cure. For example some allergy ads have the side effect of a stroke...thats just not right. That is why the ads has a humorous warning label, to make fun of usual medicine ads, and perhaps make people laugh. 

This ad is also effective because of the quote used at the top of the ad. "I love to laugh, loud and long, and clear" That quote is from Mary Poppins, almost every person knows that line and reminds them of a simpler time and a movie that most kids love.

If this ad could be redone I think the pictures would focus more of the people's faces and but more laughter centric, or perhaps have humorous pictures of animals or toys, to simply funny things. 

For this assignment we had to sketch artwork that was two dimensional. First i choose picture offline and sketched it onto a piece of poster board. Then I wanted to use paint but decided to use charcoal because I wanted to see how it would look. I know it isn't very good because I am still learning to sketch and this is my second time using charcoal but for a beginner its pretty good.

1) unas 

2) el 

3) un

4) el

5) un

6) un

7) Unos

8) aviones 

9) una

10) un

11) la

12) el

13) unos

14) el

15) una 

16) la 

17) un

18) una 

1) vuestro 

2) mis

3) mi

4) tus

5) mi

6) tu

7) Mi

8)tus 

9) mis 

10) mi

11) Nuestros 

12) mis

13) nuestro

14) mi

15) tus 

16) tu

17) mis 

18) to

1) muchos

2) muy

3) mucho

4) mucho

5) muchos 

6) muy 

7) mucho

8) muy

9) muy

10) muy

11) muy

12) mucha

13) mucho 

14) mucho 

Overall, I have been proud of the work I have done with learning about the rules and regulations of election campaigns. In my first blog post, I unfortunately did not dig down deep enough into the rules. This is understandable since the laws are constantly making small, specific changes with new Supreme Court cases and legislation. Also, public opinion is constantly changing. Luckily, through my work on my first quarter benchmark surrounding the Federal Election Campaign Act, I was able to get a better grasp on the information. I'm certain that there is still more for me to understand. There are numerous cases to look at and court decisions to examine to really understand the history of election campaign regulation and its current situation. Knowing that there was one big case (Citizens United vs FEC) just two years ago tells me that there is more to pay attention to. And what about the Occupy Protests? Surely, the citizens of America are just getting more and more dissatisfied with how the government is running. 

Disclosure is one specific subject that requires further investigation. Yes, the public has the right to know who is funding the presidential candidates and their ads. But, when do we get to know this. How much time do we have to examine these facts before it's time to elect someone to office? Is there even enough time to connect all the kinks in the chains that connect different government officials and corporate heads? I can't exactly speak out to government officials before I have a better idea of the current situation. Once I do a little bit more research, I can catch up on what I missed with the last assignment: contact. In my 2nd blog post I named the senators and representatives that have taken an active role in solving the problems in election campaign regulation. So, first up, I need to show my support. There is online petition I can sign, so I might as well go ahead and sign it. Next, I need to reach out to my local officials and speak out about my frustrations. 

I know that my best strategy to continue is to write personal letters to the government officials while at the same time increasing awareness with the public. Most people see the campaign ads on television, but most people don't understand who is behind them and how they ended up on TV. How would people feel if they knew just how many little strings corporations can to pull so they can dangle their favorite candidates in front of us for voting? I wasn't happy about it. As I mentioned in my posts, public trust in government is a huge thing. Officials know it. If they see that people are just angry, which they are, and that they are starting to lose even more faith in the government, they will be compelled to make a change. So, I can just start with my school. Just talk to students about it. With the current Republican primaries and the upcoming presidential election, this will definitely be a relevant discussion to have - especially with all the newly-18 and eligible voters in our school. Meanwhile, I can also reach out to my community through my parent's friends and connections. This is what I have in front of me in terms of my lobbying topic. 

http://59331910.nhd.weebly.com/

​Franklin MancebO
HOPE YU ENJOY https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/New%20Project%20-%20Medium.m4v?w=60b0227c

1st Amendment (Right to Assemble)

We can come together and act as a collective voice. We bring awareness from a grass-root level to what we think the issues are and how to solve them. Our unity can convince the government and officials to reform policies and have the interest of the people in mind.

http://scienceleadership.org/blog/Right_TO_Assemble

I liked the fact that I was able to go over the things I already do in my city. We were given the ability to create a video that took the form of anything we wanted it to be, which is one of the easiest ways to express yourself and your opinion. Specifically to me, I embody my opinion so personally, I feel like what ever I have to say actually holds some weight to it.

It's always interesting knowing that even after you assemble as a people, there's the possibility that your collective voice might not make an actual difference. There are many times that is the case, which makes me think of the best ways to come together with people and bring people to together. An example of this is Occupy Wall Street, which didn't seem to do much but make a lot of noise, but that's not to say it was pointless.

I could have improved my project by going deeper into the work I do and try to get done in my city. People would then get a serious feel for how deeply the right to assemble actually is to me.

Normally I do all the project myself if I'm working with a group, but this time I didn't because my computer was down. My partner and I added a member to the group after we were already established, my group and I were late, and the communication seemed good, but everyone had their own agenda, which shows of course in the overall work. What did work was the fact that the project came together, and for all the issues we had as a group, it isn't terrible.

If I had to do things over again, I might have worked by myself or took lead more. I normally do, but this time I decided not to be "that guy" which didn't work to my favor too well.

This project reenforced my knowledge that with the right to assemble, there most be movement there after. Without it, a collective voice speaks loudly, but doesn't make progress.

For this assignment Ms. Hull wanted us to edit 5 photos. For this project Ms. Hull showed us how to use photoshop. I happy she did because I HAD NO IDEA HOW TO USE IT! Now i am sorta good at it.I played around with the effects for awhile because I liked using different lighting to make it a whole new picture. For my pictures I either changed the lighting or cropped it. Or added more tones for it. It was very fun to do. Now photoshop is simple to use.

        This project required me to take a topic and ask students about it. I asked the upperclassman at Science Leadership Academy the questions that I should ask the freshman at Science Leadership Academy. Once I found out what questions I wanted to ask, I asked 6 different freshmen for all four of the videos and one senior for one of the videos. I filmed this video in the same space so that the background in this video is constant. Also, the videos have the same overall flow. Below is a list of the questions I used with a link to the post that contains the videos.

 

Questions:

 

1.     How do you think women should be treated in a relationship?

2.     What would you do if someone hit you/ How do you feel about being hit?

3.     What are your views on sex?

4.     How do you feel about relationships in High school?

 

VIDEOS!!!!

           This Project required me to take a photo from the Internet and try to recreate it but keep a certain aspect about it. This picture, the first picture below this post, shows a girl standing in front of birds on a clothesline attached using clothespins. The picture below is a recreation of the picture above. The aspect of the picture that remains the same is that the birds are secured on the clothesline using a Clothespin. Also, my recreation still has a vintage and rustic feel to it. The color of the birds is the true color in this as it is in the picture that I got from the Internet.  However, I did take out the person standing in the picture that I got from the Internet. I wanted the birds to really stand out.

           The remaking of the picture from the internet took a lot of time. First, I dyed clothespins different colors and let it dry over night. Then, I cut square sheets of different color construction paper and made origami swans. Next, I used hemp rope as a Clothesline and tied it to the tree in my front yard. Then, I tied hemp rope around the neck of the origami swans. Then, I attached the swans to the tree using the dyed clothespins.  Overall, this project was a great learning experience.

For my Quarter Two Benchmark in American Government I choose the 14th Amendment; Section One in the Constitution and relate it to my life. Particularly my work life. I am employed at Rolling Thunder Roller Skating Center. There I must conform to the ADA. Meaning that people of disabilities are by law allowed to skate at the skating rink. The 14th Amendment also proves the ADA to be true. The 14th Amendment in a brief sense is an Amendment, giving all of the citizens of the United States equal rights. Therefore hoping for no discrimination amongst people in the United States. 

Citations: 

Special Thanks to Michael Coughlin. 




Reflection: The reason I chose this topic was because I find that people of disabilities surround me and I personally feel like  all people are titled to equal rights and that is stated in the Constitution really clear in the 14th Amendment; Section One. Also the topic was really convenient to relate to my job at Rolling Thunder Skating Rink. Something I liked about this project was the fact that I could relate it to my previous Benchmark for Quarter One. Here is the link. Something that I found to be a challenge for this project was to actually come together and make the final project. I am content with the product but I feel like any and everything can be improved and this project can definitely be improved. However I do feel like the project is up to par academically. The most interesting fact that I have learned doing this project is that the 14th Amendment; Section One, and Americans with Disabilities Act really does affect home base with me. I work at a rolling skating rink that has to abide by these two important pieces of authorized material.  Even when people are blind, in a wheel chair, deaf, etc, it is my duty to accommodate them at my job where I am employed so that they can enjoy their time there. There was no real trouble actually making the project it was just that I know as far as time management went I didn't do so well and by me not doing so I definitely could of came up with a different product.  Something that went well with this project is me creating a piece of work that is relatable. Many people have jobs and have to sign a paper when hired that they're to abide by the ADA. If I had to do the project over, I would take the time I had to actually do it and make more use of it. My time management would definitely be better which would assure me of a better product. I learned that the Constitution really does affect my life and can be presented via video with footage/data from outside sources.  

http://thehistoricalcivilrightsmovement.weebly.com/the-assassination-of-dr-king.html

I was sitting at a table with my friend and said ,

“Yo u hear about that jawn who was rumblin”  

“Naw but who was she rumblin and why?”  

“Man you kno how girls always fightin over the dumbest stuff but i dont really know why she was mixin”

“Oh trizz but yo you heard bout jawn that was bout 2 get jumped”  

“yea thats crazy”

This would be how i would talk to my friend at a public place and this relates to my life because when i go out to public places i have to switch the way i would talk and act if i was with my friends. Also this goes for the same with adults if i am talking to an adult then i won’t talk like I’m talking to my friend and sometimes its hard to switch between these. When I’m outside

walking somewhere relates to my life because i have had problems with people trying to fight or jump me and my friend or friends because we say the wrong thing and it doesn’t have to be directed at them at all.

 

In my life I use many different ways of speaking and i code switch a lot. For example If i am outside with just my friends then i will joke around curse a lot and basically just have a good time and not care about what I’m saying and hardly ever speak proper, but if I’m in public like at a restaurant or something then i will still joke around but not curse because I’m in a public place and if I’m talking to my friends I would use slang but if I’m talking to an adult then i would talk properly. If i am in my neighborhood but I’m walking somewhere i don’t talk a lot because that could attract attention and people would then try and mess with me and my friends or start a fight if i say the wrong thing or if they don’t like the way i talk or the way i sound. If I’m at home and my mom is home i will not curse because then she would probably hit me because I’m not suppose to curse around adults, if I’m at school in a class i wont curse but when I’m in the halls or at lunch i will curse because i would be with my friends. When i talk to adults i talk to all adults with respect because that’s what i was taught to do by my mother and i don’t use slang because I’m suppose to speak proper to adults. This matters because if i talk to a certain person the wrong way i could get hurt or in trouble and i could be looked upon differently then i want to be looked upon and how my family is looked upon.

 

This also relates to code switching because depending on who i am talking to depends on the way i talk . For example if I’m talking to an adult I’m not going to be cursing or yelling or cutting them off or being disrespectful because that would be wrong, I would talk to an adult like this

“hey”

“hi”

“how are you”

“good and yourself”

“Fine thanks for asking”

“have a nice day”

“ok thanks you do the same”  

 

If I’m talking to my friends i will curse and joke around and things in that nature like this.

 

“Sup Fam”

“yo my ni**a wats good”

“YA MOM”

*laughs* “that doesnt make since” *jokingly*

“Yo u did that nut a** homework”

“Naw motherfu***a i was jus gonna copy jawnski’s”

“true that gucci my ni**a”

 

If I’m outside and I’m walking somewhere then i wont be just saying anything i want because if i say the wrong thing it could start trouble and i try to avoid trouble as much as possible. When I code switch i don’t like it because i want to be able to talk to everybody the same way but if i do that it could end me up i trouble. For me code switching is like a good skill to have so then you can know how to talk to different types of people and would be able to accept more people or to be able to withstand people that others might not be able to because of there personality or something. To me the way a person talks could be how there personality is and if you don’t know how to code switch then you might have a hard time accepting other people for who they are and might have trouble in the work world so that’s why i think that being able to code switch is a good skill to have.

 

For example of a reason you need to know how to code switch in my neighborhood one time i was with two of my friends Rondel and Survon and it was a hot summer day and we were walking to our friend Juniors house. When we were walking we walked pass edmonds which is a playground where there is a basketball court at in my neighborhood, and there were 3 boys playing basketball. Then the boys started walking toward us after we were at the end of the block and one of them was yelling "COME HERE" but we didnt know the boys so we kept walking. Then the 3 boys caught up to us on the next block and one of the boys said to Survon

"watsup"

and he said "nothing much chilling" then the other boy said " i dont mean watsup i mean watsup wit a mix". Then Rondel said "we dont want to fight we dont want no problems" then the boy said "i didnt ask you that but wat if i wanted a problem" so we kept walking and they kept following us until we got up to st raymonds which is a school/church in my neighborhood and thats when the boys were next to us so we were trying to get away from them. Then the boy said to Rondel "yo rumble me" and Rondel said "why u wanna rumble u dont kno me and i already said i dont want no problems" then the boy said "i dont like you cuz i dont kno u so rumble me" then Rondel said "why dont u and one of them slap box if you wanna rumble so bad" then the boy said "cuz they like my bros" and the other boy said "WHAT!" to what Rondel had said. then we just kept walking and they left us alone because we were going to west oak lane and the gang BI is in west oak lane and 1-4 is in mt airy and they dont like each other so they didnt want any trouble really. In my neighborhood if you dont know how to code switch then you could end up in trouble because if you are from a different neighborhood then you might talk differently then people in my neighborhood. If your not from my neighborhood and you dont know how we talk then most people are going to want to fight you so code switching is good so that you dont get into trouble in unknown places to you and so you dont get hurt, you could also end up in a scene like me and my friends did.

 

To me the way i speak influences a lot about me like the type of people i hang with and type of music i listen to. In the future i will have to understand how to relate to may different personalities so that i can get and keep a job because if i dont like my boss i will still have to just deal with him or her and the people i work with.