Kawashima v. Holder: SCOTUS Case

Zayd Alsardary
American Government
Kawashima v. Holder: SCOTUS Case

Main Issue: Whether a person can be deported for filing a false statement on a corporate tax return under a statute that allows the government to deport anyone convicted of an aggravated felony involving fraud and deceit.



Overview of case:

Akio and Fusako Kawashima, the petitioners in the case, are residents of the United States and have been since 1984. In 1997, it was found out that Mr. Kawashima, with help from his wife, filed a false corporate tax return that understated their income and therefore basically cheated the government of owed tax revenue – and this violated Section 7206 of the tax code.

A provision in immigration law allows the government to deport anyone who has been convicted of an "aggravated felony", which is defined toward anything along the lines of murder and drug trafficking, but as time went on, an offense that was added is any offense that deals with fraud and deceit in which the victim loses more than $10,000 in the crime which is described in section 7201 of title 26.

Because the Kawashimas were convicted of filing a false return (a violation of Section 7206 of the tax code), rather tax evasion (a violation of Section 7201), they were not subject to deportation. Despite that, the government still put down deportation proceedings against them on the belief that the Kawashimas filing a false tax return is a form of “fraud or deceit”. ---> (There is no dispute that the crime resulted in a loss of more than $10,000 to the government.)


Main Question: Whether Congress meant for the broader fraud subsection to encompass tax violations which is specifically for tax evasion.

The Kawashimas are arguing that by only addressing tax violations in the second subsection (the revenue loss to the government exceeds $10,000) but basing that to tax evasion, Congress showed that they were trying to leave out other kinds of tax violations in the meaning of "aggravated felony". In turn, the government is agruing that tax evasion counts as fraud and deceit, which then falls into the first subsection (involves fraud or deceit in which the loss to the victim or victims exceeds $10,000). Basically it is trying to be decided whether tax evasion is fraud and deceit based on what is said in section 7201 of title 26.  The question in the case is whether filing a false tax return counts as an “aggravated felony”.

The case is to take place on November 7, 2011.


Predictions: I believe that the Kawashimas will be in favor a bit because the meaning of aggravated felony will be put down many times, especially since it is not clear when talking about it. I kind of do believe that filing a false tax return is fraud and especially deceit since you are purposely trying to mislead someone, but then the question that comes to play is the intentions. I am actually interested to know what the outcome will be.

Nmanton BM reflection

Link to my part:

https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/reform-our-electoral-college/our-adverts-nick


LINK TO COMPLETE PROJECT:

https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/reform-our-electoral-college/



How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project

Our group made the decision on changing the Electoral College, by deciding that it was one of the most controversial issues in our voting system. We realized that we had the widest variety of things that we could change, and there was much more appeal to american citizens.



11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 

I believe that the role of an individual in creating change, would be to speak up, and be a voice that people will listen to, someone who can say what the people want to hear and putting action to it as well. To sustain change, would be just as difficult to cause the change. To sustain change you would need to adapt to the change that is made, and be able to convince others that this is the way it's supposed to be.



How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy, evolved during this unit?

Before this unit, I never kept up with politics and my understanding of the electoral college and our democracy. But since this unit has started, I felt I have learned a lot about both subjects and I didn't realize how complicated the world we live in, is.



How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

We decided that the best way to market our campaign was through posters. We thought that people would take a strong poster seriously, because I know if I see a poster that makes me feel I have more of a say and to be more of a citizen in our country.

One Person One Vote. Benchmark Q1. Martha Robles

Link To The Whole Project


​https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/politicalparticipationushistory/
My Part- Public Service Announcement


http://www.schooltube.com/video/7d578cb4a4664d1caeaa/One%20Person%20One%20Vote



    • How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?

      We had a lot of different opinions but the one that we agreed most on is the Electoral College Vote. We decided to focus on this aspect because this to us is one of the most interesting ones. Its a major part of the voting process but even then people dont know much about it. This is why we decided that this aspect of voting should be no longer used. 

    • 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 

      Change begins in us. Once we realize that age is nothing but a number when it comes to change is when we will realize that we can go out there and create change at a bigger scale. Not only are we able to do this in our communities but we are also able to do it in our city,state,country. There are so many opportunities available we just have to go out looking for them

    • How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?

      During this unit I learned a lot about the voting process. I think this educated all of us, on the process of voting as well as the importance of it. Now that I know more about voting I will go out and vote once I am old enough.

    • How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

      We made a PSA and a campaign AD's as the visual supplements. I believe the PSA really showed why the electoral college vote shouldn't be used anymore. Out of the 15 people we interviewed total only 1 was able to supply us with an accurate definition of it. So this aspect was very well thought out by all of us. Once it came to the editing I think I did well at including as much of the recordings we did.  We had 2 different AD's. I think both of them did a good job at showing what should be done and why, this being a key components of an AD. 

Kashif Ahmad Food BM

Ingredients:

2 cups Basmati Rice

3/4 kg Chicken Pieces

1/2 cup Milk

1 cup Yogurt (curd)

3 sliced onion

1 teaspoon Ginger Paste

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Paste

1 teaspoon Green Chilli Paste

1/2 cup Tomato Puree

2 teaspoin Red Chilli Powder 

1 teaspoon Turmeric Powder 

1 teaspoon Roasted cumin powder 

2 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder (seasoning)

1/2 teaspoon Green Cardamom Powder 

Saffron a pinch

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder 

2 tablespoon Green Coriander Leaves 

Salt to taste 

7 tablespoon Oil

 Recipe: 

Mix tomato puree, yogurt, ginger garlic paste, green chilli paste, red chilli powder, turmeric powder, roasted cumin powder, garam masala (seasoning), coriander powder and salt. Stir well.

soak the chicken with this mixture and keep aside for 3-4 hours.

Heat oil in a pan. Fry the onions until golden brown.

Add the soaked chicken and cook for 10 minutes.

Add 4 cups of water to the rice. Mix saffron in milk and add to it.

Add cardamom powder. Add the chicken pieces.

Pressure cook the rice. Mix gently.

decorate with green coriander leaves and serve hot.

 

25% of the meal is processed and 75% is whole food. 

Health/nutrition:  

Calories- 520 Per serving

Total Fat- 12g

Saturated Fat- 3.5g

Cholesterol- 40mg

Sodium- 1240mg

Sugar- 13.g

Protein- 23.0

Since my meal is high in protein, it will help the bones become more stronger and healthier. Its also not that high in fats so the people that's eating it doesn't have to worry about getting fat. It takes about 24-72 hours for the food to digest. It takes about 6-8 hours after you eat for the food to pass through your stomach. 

 

Environmental:  

Chicken- Delaware/United States

Seasoning- Pakistan

Vegetable oil- United States

Salt- United States

Sugar- United States 

Onions- Texas/United States

Rice- Pakistan

The rice and seasoning traveled the farthest. Approximately 8250 miles. The rice and onion was organically grown. Then chicken is processed. Since the chicken is processed, it went through couple of stages of machinery before it reached the store for sales.   

 •Political/economic: This meal cost about 25-30 dollars depending on how many people you want to serve with. Even though it might be a little expensive then fast food, it's fresh and home made unlike fast food its not old and not touched by multiple people. The company that deals with the rice made money, the chicken factory, people that processed the salt, sugar, and onions and also the seasoning.  The meat and rice factory is involved. 

Social: Growing rice here in the city is hard but if a person were to grow rice rather then buying the ones at the supermarket then it would be more organic because it would be more natural. Also taking care of chicken is hard because they need a place to live, eat and run around. But if someone were to make chicken biryani with rice that was grown at home and chicken that was slaughter at home, that chicken biryani would be more fresh and healthier because it won't be as processed as the one I made.  


Personal Reflection: 


This unit has taught me a alot. It has changed the way I look at certain things. For instance it changed the way I feel about some food. This unit has made me realised the way certain animals are treated before they are slaughter and we put them in our stomach. Also it helped me with eating healthy since we talked about organic foods and non organic foods. Not only we talked about food industry but we also talked about fracking. I learned how fracking is actually done and how the gas is relased from underground.  This unit gave me the idea of how different people feels about certain things. For instance when we had to write about fracking from different point of views. This helped me understand the other people thoughts about fracking. 

Food Slide:
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Screen Shot 2011-11-13 at 1.19.46 AM

Q1 Benchmark Reflection - Winston Wright

Here is our project


Here is my individual work


Somethings that we knew were important to our project is the appeal of our audience. We knew that since our over all goal was trying to change the 26th amendment,  we would need to have material that catered to the younger people of America. Therefore in our papers, and our visual ads, we tried to use things that would both appeal to the younger and older portion of youth. I wrote the position paper, Ryan wrote the rebuttal, Paige created the Print Ad, and Jakobi made the video. I can say that each individual role really showed in our project, in a positive way. In some way each individually assigned aspect of the project correlated with one another, and I think that shows the impact we all had on each other's work. My understanding  of the election process in this country, and overall democracy, has recessed. You can write about something you might not necessarily care about, but when you start to actually reflect on that topic you get a better appreciation for it. In this case I am talking about youth voting. In this time in america, it is imperative that everyone be heard, everyone, including the youth. Again, I think that our group took a simple enough approach that anyone/everyone in our demographic could understand what we were trying to convey. Although most of the thoughts of the individuals being interviewed in our PSA were about the same, there was one conflicting idea. One person stated that they wouldn't feel sure enough that they knew what they were doing to vote. They simply thought that they weren't experienced enough as a citizen to make a conscious decision about something that needed to be changed. Overall I would say that we certainly appealed in a smooth convincing way, without using any material that would be to difficult for anyone to understand.

Lobbying Post #2 : Curtis Jones

cJonesLG
cJonesLG

​    I live in philadelphia county's  4th district and I am represented by Councilman Curtis Jones.Councilman Jones graduated from Overbook high school then attending the University of Pennsylvania's Fels School of Government and Boston University. Councilman Jones has been apart of the city government for the past seven mayoral administrations. He serves on many different committees and councils in philadelphia and is very keen on it's the preservation. Promoting community development and educational stability.
    When concerning education in philadelphia Coucilman Jones voted in favor of not cutting the philadephia school districts budget. Saying "As I have stated from the very beginning of this school budget crisis, we will either pay now with the proper investment in public education or we will pay later by funding prisons and parole officers." As said before Jones is very adamant about philadelphia's youth, community development, and education. It does not seem as thought college students and the recent increase in tuition cost around the state are a major concern for Jones at the moment.
    As far as commonalities between Coucilman Jones and myself go, there are some. For example , we have both attended schools within the philadelphia school district and lived in some of the same areas and we both want Philadelphia to thrive. Now Jones is the representative for my current location within philadelphia.

Links:
http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/CurtisJonesJr.html
http://www.curtisjonesjr.com/
google PDF

Voting Rights - Brianna Perrin

Q: Why did you come out and vote today?

A: Because I feel as though my vote will make a difference. Even though the electoral vote is changing and the government is changing, my opinion matters in every decision that they make.

Q: What do you know about electoral votes?
A: I know it's something like depending on the population in a certain area it depends on how many representatives represent them in the decision for Democrat or Republican.

Q:Do you know why they vote on Tuesday?

A: Truthfully no. And honesty it's a waste, time off from work that I don't need.

Q:Do you think it's important that young people vote?

A: I do believe that young people should vote. But I don't think they should vote until they are in their 20's. They are just beginning to vote and don't know how to works and their vote might not even count until a more important and memorable election.

Q:How long have you been voting?

A: For 10 > years

Q: How far do you live from the polls?

A: I live just around the corner

Q: Do you think it's hard for other people to come and vote?

A: Yes I do. Like I said earlier it cuts time out of work.

Q: Have you voted everywhere?

A: No I have not.

Q: If voting were online, would you consider it voting every year?

A: No, because I'm not into technology since I'm older. But yes because it would be more convenient to other people.

Q: Do you have any comments for people who aren't voting?

A: Just go out and vote. It might be hard but in the end your point will get across and your voice will be heard.


(Interviewed 5 people with similar responses. Some were one worded answers due to rushed time while others were more elaborate)

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Q1 Benchmark Reflection - Brianna Perrin

https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/cast-your-vote/

People in jail who are serving prison sentences should not be give the right to vote in elections. Prisoners should lose their rights to vote when they have committed crimes and are serving prison sentences. We believe that voting is a given right. When elections are coming up it is optional to go to the election polls and choose whether or not you want to vote. Even though it is highly recommended it is optional. Since it is an option and a right to choose what we want to do, prisoners have that option and right revoked from them for disrupted and assaulting the rights and laws in the Amendments and Constitution. When they break the law they are proving to themselves, the law, and the people that they are not productive members in their society. And when they aren’t productive members in their society, what contribution will they do when they are determining mayors in our cities to picking the new leader of our country.

In the beginning of the process there was only two people who were present, so we just decided to bounce off an idea that involved family members of friends. So it was personal but also something that we had a strong opinion about.

The role of the individual in creating and sustaining change is learning the background before making the change to determine whether the change is drastic or minor. 

My understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit is that not everything is far when it comes to government. What might be right for one person could be totally wrong or doesn't work for another person.

How I best relay a message to a national audience in my marketing campaign is by making  it aware to people across the nation. So my group decided to make a twitter page talking about these issues and giving an insight to a more major issue.

Ybrownlee Benchmark Reflection

How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?

I wasn't there for the decisions, Though i was there when we put out ideas for the project. The benchmark was one of those ideas.

11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 

To show a vast majority why you want this change and to keep going about to gain this change and eventually if you have fought hard enough your wishes may be granted


How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?

It has showed me that there is a lot more to voting than could have imagined. And also like all things in this life that we have now have be fought hard for, not everyone got it easy at all points. But us as US citizens take it for granted. People that aren't from american no more about american than the average citizen after they have applied to become an american citizen. When i become legal i will try to always vote when ever possible.


How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

We decided to relay the message by getting to the peoples lackadaisical sides. By a pointing out that all you need to do to vote is mail it in and decide in the comfort of your own home. Since when you are in the ballot are you are unable to relax and choose. And also it may be out of your way a schedule.


Q1: Figure and Clear Object Drawing


Honestly, I create the pieces I do because they are assigned to me. Although, my goals are not assigned, I’ve set my own. My goals and aspirations for this class are to just enhance my drawing and creating skills. I would like to be able to draw more precisely and with more accuracy than I do now. Another goal is to change my view of art. I see it as a class but I don’t equate it to my other classes, which isn’t fair. I know Ms. Hull takes Art seriously as my teacher and I should do the same as a student. I want to turn in all my assignments on time and treat art like a main course. Art was never my favorite subject but I know that if I indulge myself into the class and the work, it could be something I’d enjoy.

            Before I make any decisions when I’m working I consult the Art teacher or the assistant teacher. Since they are experienced they know how to manipulate my ideas to make them better and greater than the ideas I originally had. Many of the times the art teacher gives us the material to use but there are many ways to use one single material/tool. Since I’m a beginner many of the techniques are taught then assigned to us so we can practice and perfect them. Many of my own techniques are simple. In the end, I’m just doing as best as I can to make a replica on paper of what I’m seeing in real life.

            My latest piece of work was the clear object drawing. If you look at my first figure drawing and compare it to the clear object drawing you can see that effort put into them is completely different. During the first drawing I was worried about how I didn’t like art but in the second one I didn’t care about that, I just drew the object to the best of my ability. I’m proud of my second piece because it was the second real piece of art I’ve constructed. I also love it because of the tool we used which was charcoal. I enjoyed constructing this so much because when working with charcoal I’m reminded that in the beginning things may look thick, dark, and unable to be erased but with a gentle brush over it, it can change into something much more pleasant.  

 

Full body drawing
Full body drawing
Clear drawing
Clear drawing

Curfew Act

http://www.slideshare.net/QyidirHarris/curfew-act-10132983

I made the decision of telling the story of the curfew act in Philly, was because i was directly affected by it. Being a kids who spends most his time in Center City Philadelphia having to go home at 10 really made me upset, knowing that I have to suffer for things i had no part of. I choose keynote for most of my presentations because out of all the other ways of presentation I am most comfortable with KeyNote. Having to find a way to put the information I had together was one thing that was hard for me. If i would have to do this project again i would probably use a Prezi because Prezi is one of the best way to present info like this, but I don't know how to use it. The process was harder because finding the actual  bill was hard so at first i was telling the history without seeing the bill.

Food BenchMark

2 cans (10 3/4 ounces each) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 cup milk

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 cups cooked cut green beans

2 2/3 cups French's® French Fried Onions

 

 

1.     Steam your green beans for 5mins.

2.     Put beans in oven pan stir in soap.

3.     Add French Onions to the top

4.     Bake to onions are golden brown

 

The dish that I made at home we eat only on holidays or special event. This dish is not  original to my family but has become a family tradition. About five years ago as a family we all noticed that our traditional holiday was not a slight chance of being healthy. So for a change we all had to look up a dish to add to the traditional turkey. The green bean casserole was the dish that everybody had the most doubts, the only dish that stuck around. 

 

During this unit I learned so much about the life and process of fracking and animals. Going into this unit I had no understanding with what was going on with animals before they reached my dinner plate. This unit showed me what animals go through and how unhealthy that they can be.

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Screen Shot 2011-10-27 at 12.11.17 PM

Quarter 1 reflections music

This quarter I made a collection of songs on piano.To do this I spent half the quarter teaching myself the piano,after that I begin to  cover different songs to help pick out the opening to the piece. Although I did record guitar for the songs as well in the end I thought the piano could stand by itself in this case.Doing this kind of project was very difficult and used up a lot of time,since I am a beginner at the piano.Also I used some studio time I had just to get it right,and add a great sound to it all.Overall I enjoyed the project I would like to do it again picking harder song to cover,and begin creating more of my own pieces to put in the song.  

De'Lesha Jackson Food BM

Ingrediants 

2lbs Sweet Italian Sausage

2 cans of crushed Basil Tomato Sauce

3 Tomatos 

Boxed Spaghetti

2 Onions

3 Slices of Bacon

3 Bay Leaves

1 cup of sugar

2 cups of ketchup

chili powder

dry oregeno

cumin

dry parsley

dry basil 

roasted garlic

Seasoning salt

salt and pepper

olive oil

The first thing you do when cooking spaghetti is to create your sauce. Create this by pouring 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and then slicing your 3 pieces of bacon and start to cook that. While that is cooking you cut the sausage into pieces the size that you want them to be. After the bacon is crispy but not burnt you take it out and put the sausages into the pot.  While the sausages are cooking you want to chop up the 2 onions into small pieces and cut the garlic so you can roast it. When the sausages are done take them out and put the garlic and onions into the pot and let them start to brown. 

Open the cans of tomato sauce and pour them one by one into the pot. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces and then put them into the pot. Make sure the pot is on a low flame keep stirring everything so that it doesn't stick and you get the flavors in everything. Add the bay leaves, cup of sugar, 1 1/2 cup of ketchup, chili powder, cumin, dry oregano parsley and basil; add to your liking. Add the salt and pepper, bacon bits and sausages back into the sauce. Get another pot fill it with water and wait for it to boil. When it boils add enough salt to the water (the water should taste like ocean water) and then add the noodles. (the amount depends on how much sauce you are making but normally you use a half of box). When then noodles are soft enough drain them with a strainer and then add them into the sauce, make sure you stir and then eat.


Food Rule Slide



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Analysis

Spaghetti isn't a totally nutrition meal but it is a meal. But then again I think it's the way you make it, because of the way I make mine then might not be that nutritious. I would say that half of the ingredients are whole foods and the other half are processed. I don't really know how much my meal cost but I would say that it had to be no more than $50. I didn't have to travel far because I live near the grocery store it is about 5 block away from my house. Some of the spices were freshly grown (basil, bay leaves, etc.) I think there are some health issues that come along with eating this everyday, you could get fat because there is oil and other fatty substances in the ingredients. But I think over all it is a good meal for a family who doesn't have the highest income and for people who just want to feed many.



Self-Reflection

In this unit I have learned a lot about the food industry and how horrible it actually is. I have also learned of the importance of "fracking" and how it can help and/or harm our area.  I have looked at and examined the food industry as a whole. Taking apart the different groups and jobs, I have an idea of how the industries manage to conceal the truth; or tell the truth,  just not the whole truth. It was interesting to see everything unfold and it actually had an effect on my emotions. I was angry at the industries and they made me not want to eat their food. However, learning about all of this made me realize that I not only can't but don't want to stop buying the industries creations. My role as a consumer does not allow me to stop.  I think that is the biggest problem with our food system. They don't want us to stop so they create higher prices for the healthier food and continue to give us unhealthy food for what we can afford. I want to help change this but the thing is I can't exactly think of ideas to actually put in action. 


Defense of Marriage Act

​Click here for access to my Prezi about the Defense of Marriage Act.

  • I chose DOMA, because I feel like it was a big topic that would have a lot of resources about it. I chose a Prezi, because they always look good, before you even polish the project it looks better than other forms. I had to overcome the challenges of researching a bill that was passed before the internet was a common thing. I really couldn't find much, besides that Clinton said he would legalize gay-marriage than passed this instead. It was easier than I imagined, because I assumed this would be impossible to find anything pre-2000. 

Dia Johnson Food BM

IMG_4044



Gravlox-


Recipe:

2 1/2 pounds fresh salmon, center cut


1/2-cup salt


1/4 cup granulated sugar


20 coarsely crushed white peppercorns

About 2 ounces chopped fresh dill

Steps:

  1. Clean salmon; cut in fillets. Do not remove skin.
  2. Wipe fish dry with paper towel; do not rinse.
  3. Rub fish with salt mixed with sugar.
  4. Sprinkle part of salt mixture and some dill in a deep enamel or stainless steel baking dish.
  5. Place 1 piece salmon, skin side down, in dish and sprinkle generously with dill, crushed peppercorn and salt mixture.
  6. Cover with second piece of salmon, skin side up.
  7. Sprinkle with remaining salt mixture.
  8. Cover with aluminum foil and a lightweight, such as a chopping board.
  9. Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 days.
  10. Turn salmon every day.
  11. Keep for 1 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
  12. To serve, cut in slices free from the skin. 
  13. Garnish with lettuce, dill and lemon wedges. It may also be served with the sauce.
  14. Sauce -
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  15. 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  16. 1-tablespoon sugar

  17. 1/3-teaspoon salt

  18. 1 pinch white pepper

  19. 2/3 tablespoon prepared mustard

  20. 2/3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  21. Shake or beat all ingredients together except dill.
  22. Add dill or serve it from a separate bowl.

 Nutritional Information:

Calories: 121

Total Fat: 6.2g

Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 1356mg

Total carbs: 2.9g

 Analysis:

I chose the Gravlox as a meal because it is healthy and simple. Aside from its simplicity it is also an interesting dish that not many I am sure have heard of. According to the reviews, the dish seems to be a favorite of many people. The food itself is natural; there is an absence of any processed factors. The fish you can get from a market and the other ingredients are just seasonings, and sauces. With such simple ingredients, there is obviously a lack of many health concerns. The only issue that our bodies will face is the amount of sodium in the dish. To some the saltiness is obnoxiously present but aside from enjoyment our bodies have to worry about the rising of our blood pressure. The kidney is put to work to recalculate and regulate the processing of sodium that is already present in our body. With the addition of the sodium from this dish, we are at risk of increasing the pressure of our blood but it isn’t expected that people will eat this dish regularly. Compared to processed food/ fast foods, this is definitely the better choice. It is simple, economically pleasing and healthy. Fish markets I do not believe create problems in the food industry when it comes to affecting the economy. As for this dish I believe it is of the few that are smart and easy.

REFLECTION:

This food chapter has opened my eyes to the true colors of the food industry. I have been made aware of the many harsh methods the workers use to slaughter the animals brutally. Aside from animal abuse I have learned that the larger industry feeds off of the popularity of organic advertisement. It is a way in which the industry attracts its customers to buy more of their products. The down side of this method is that the organic foods are not truly organic. Being truly organic results in the food product having the USDA seal, which implies that the product is at least 95% organic. The dark side of this is that the organic we think of is not the reality; it also has chemical additives, which are not labeled out in the open. A way to solve this clouded understanding of the food industry is by making more individuals aware of the false advertisement. We can also share our interest in true organic foods. If we make more people interested in the real organic foods we can help mend the wound of the farmers market industries.  Overall the world is a corrupt place and the food industry does not fall short of the stick. 

FOOD RULE SLIDE:

Screen Shot 2011-11-11 at 8.10.21 PM
Screen Shot 2011-11-11 at 8.10.21 PM

Dia Johnson Food BM

IMG_4044
 

Gravlox-


Recipe:

2 1/2 pounds fresh salmon, center cut


1/2-cup salt


1/4 cup granulated sugar


20 coarsely crushed white peppercorns

About 2 ounces chopped fresh dill

Steps:

  1. Clean salmon; cut in fillets. Do not remove skin.
  2. Wipe fish dry with paper towel; do not rinse.
  3. Rub fish with salt mixed with sugar.
  4. Sprinkle part of salt mixture and some dill in a deep enamel or stainless steel baking dish.
  5. Place 1 piece salmon, skin side down, in dish and sprinkle generously with dill, crushed peppercorn and salt mixture.
  6. Cover with second piece of salmon, skin side up.
  7. Sprinkle with remaining salt mixture.
  8. Cover with aluminum foil and a lightweight, such as a chopping board.
  9. Refrigerate for at least 1 to 2 days.
  10. Turn salmon every day.
  11. Keep for 1 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.
  12. To serve, cut in slices free from the skin. 
  13. Garnish with lettuce, dill and lemon wedges. It may also be served with the sauce.
  14. Sauce -
3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  15. 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

  16. 1-tablespoon sugar

  17. 1/3-teaspoon salt

  18. 1 pinch white pepper

  19. 2/3 tablespoon prepared mustard

  20. 2/3 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  21. Shake or beat all ingredients together except dill.
  22. Add dill or serve it from a separate bowl.

 Nutritional Information:

Calories: 121

Total Fat: 6.2g

Cholesterol: 33mg

Sodium: 1356mg

Total carbs: 2.9g

 Analysis:

I chose the Gravlox as a meal because it is healthy and simple. Aside from its simplicity it is also an interesting dish that not many I am sure have heard of. According to the reviews, the dish seems to be a favorite of many people. The food itself is natural; there is an absence of any processed factors. The fish you can get from a market and the other ingredients are just seasonings, and sauces. With such simple ingredients, there is obviously a lack of many health concerns. The only issue that our bodies will face is the amount of sodium in the dish. To some the saltiness is obnoxiously present but aside from enjoyment our bodies have to worry about the rising of our blood pressure. The kidney is put to work to recalculate and regulate the processing of sodium that is already present in our body. With the addition of the sodium from this dish, we are at risk of increasing the pressure of our blood but it isn’t expected that people will eat this dish regularly. Compared to processed food/ fast foods, this is definitely the better choice. It is simple, economically pleasing and healthy. Fish markets I do not believe create problems in the food industry when it comes to affecting the economy. As for this dish I believe it is of the few that are smart and easy.

REFLECTION:

This food chapter has opened my eyes to the true colors of the food industry. I have been made aware of the many harsh methods the workers use to slaughter the animals brutally. Aside from animal abuse I have learned that the larger industry feeds off of the popularity of organic advertisement. It is a way in which the industry attracts its customers to buy more of their products. The down side of this method is that the organic foods are not truly organic. Being truly organic results in the food product having the USDA seal, which implies that the product is at least 95% organic. The dark side of this is that the organic we think of is not the reality; it also has chemical additives, which are not labeled out in the open. A way to solve this clouded understanding of the food industry is by making more individuals aware of the false advertisement. We can also share our interest in true organic foods. If we make more people interested in the real organic foods we can help mend the wound of the farmers market industries.  Overall the world is a corrupt place and the food industry does not fall short of the stick. 

FOOD RULE SLIDE:

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Samantha Beattie: Food BM1

​Healthy Pasta

Serving Size: 12

Ingredients:
- Water
- 2 Boxes Whole Wheat Rotini Noodles (Whole Grain has more taste if preferred)
- 1 Big Pot
- 2 Small pots
- Strainer
- 1 Jar Ragu Light Tomato and Basil Sauce
- 1 Alfredo Cheese Sauce

Making the Rotini:
1. Get a big pot (big enough to fit two boxes)
2. Fill pot ¾ with water. (You don’t have to measure directly, but you will need to fill it at least a full finger from the top to keep from boiling over.)
3. Put pot on stove and heat pot on high.
4. Wait until the water boils rapidly, then pour in the two boxes of rotini. (It should take at least 10-15 minutes to boil rapidly.)
Stir routini at from time to time to keep from sticking.
5. When routini is done, place strainer in the sink. By using oven mitts, pick up the pot carefully and tilt it over the strainer until half the rotini is in the strainer completely drained of water.
6. Cover noodles with sauce.
7. Repeat step 5 for the other half of the noodles and cover this half with the cheese.

Making Ragu & Alfredo Sauce (don’t start this when you start your noodles, because the noodles will take longer than your sauce, it is better to start this when your noodles are becoming soft):
1. Place two pots on the stove, with a low light under them.
2. Pour the Ragu into one pot and the Alfredo sauce into the other.
3. Add ¼ cup of water to the sauce ONLY IF you would prefer your sauce creamy instead of thick.
4. Stir sauce to keep from sticking. 
5. When sauce and cheese starts to boil (the cheese may pop, if the cheese pops.. then lower the light and heat until hot), turn off the light. If noodles are done, you can move to step 6.
6. Pour the sauce onto half of the noodles and the cheese onto the other half.

Recipe Analysis

For this recipe, there was a certain type of Rotini there were two types of Rotini that could be used; whole grain or whole wheat. Whole wheat has 3.5 fiber opposed to 1. Whole grain is very close in the fiber amount and tastes better. Fiber slows the rate that sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream, makes your intestines move faster, cleans your colon, and helps keep bowel movements regular. I would say 30% is processed, because of the alfredo cheese and sauce. The bread and the Rotini are whole foods, because they aren't purified. "its like eating table sugar, that's how your body processes it", was stated in an article when talking about white versus whole grain. The body doesn't digest fiber but types of fiber can be fermented by the bacteria in the colon. Together, all the ingredients costed $7.29 which is very good with the serving size being twelve. Ragu, the sauce comes from Rochester (country).  It is a very simple recipe and is good for the body (e.g. fiber prevents colon cancer). 

Reflection: What I Learned
From this unit, I learned a lot of things. I learned about foods and connections with diseases. I learned about long and short term effects of what we eat, and I learned about processed food (how its made) veruses organic food (is it really better). In this unit we watched a movie about food, called Food Inc. In the movie, there was a chapter called Dollar Menu. In this chapter is what left an impression. Here they talk about how a low income is unable to afford healthy food and be able to buy other things they need. They know that the food is buy is bad for them, but it's what helps them be able to afford other things they need. This isn't something I directly learned, but something that I realized while the chapter was on.  Another thing we looked at in class was the western diet, which was a chapter of In Defense Of Food. What was shown in this was how the change of diet caused better health ( lost weight (avg. 18 lbs), blood pressure dropped, tryglycerides fallen to normal, lower cholestoral). One more thing we looked at was diabetes, which is a result of things we put into our body. If we were to make healthier choices, we would be a lot healthier. If we ate less salts and sugars, obesity and diseases wouldn't be as much of a problem. As myself? No, I woudn't say I am ready to make these changes, because of how our system has adapted to eating poorly. We are used to eating low priced candy as opposed to fruits and vegetables. Our food system has been skewed to eating poor for low prices and growing in obesity and diabetes and other diseases. It would be hard for anyone to make these changes. 

My Food Rule:
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Willard+Johnson_S+S BM

Jacécto ( ja - kay - toe)
This recipe is good with handmade or boxed pasta 
 
Homemade Pasta
If you are going to make homemade pasta, first know that you are gonna get your hands dirty so chill but if you double or triple the batch, it will get exceedingly harder to do correctly. Solution to a needing more food: make a normal batch several times
ingredients: 2-3 people
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups of flour

1. on a hard smooth surface surface place the flour in a mound then dig a well in the center of the flour to make a volcano.
2. crack both eggs and make that your lava
3. with a fork, slightly beat the egg inside the confines of the flour walls and slowly add in the flour form the sides
4. if the egg escapes or if the egg is getting whiter from the flour, its time to dig in with your hands.
5. With both hands combine the flour and egg and when 80% combined switch to kneading with your palms.
6. with only your palms squish the dough together til it becomes smooth and elastic, this will take at least 6-8 minutes so don't become discouraged if it doesn't happen immediately.

With a rolling pin:
roll the dough to desired thickness and cut as evenly as possible
then lay the pieces out (preferably on a drying rack)

with a pasta machine:
follow the instruction from the machine
then lay the pieces out (preferably on a drying rack)

cooking the pasta:
set a pot of salted water out to boil
when water boils dump pasta in
pasta will be done in 2-4 min so do this step after the rest of the meal is done

if doing boxed pasta, follow box instructions
Main Dish
- 1/4 in thick ring of onion ( Minced )
- 2 cloves of garlic ( minced )
- 16 oz / 1 package of mushrooms ( Sliced )
-  1-2 cups Green Beans ( )
-  1 Carrot ( minced/ sliced )
- 1-1 1/2 lb of chicken breast ( slice into small chunks )
- three pinches Dried basil
- two dashes red pepper
- two dashes Black pepper
- three pinches Dried cilantro
- two Fresh Sage
- Fresh Rose mary
- Fresh Oregano
` Fresh mint
- a dash of Ground ginger
- 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese
- two dash Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dark chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
- 3-4 teaspoons Unsweetened chocolate ( powder form )



Jacécto
    1.    Heat a large sauce pan with oil, garlic  and onion over low heat
    2.    Chop up your vegetables if you haven't already
    3.    When oil is hot add mushrooms
    4.    Cook mushrooms until reduced in size and are brown. When mushrooms are slightly browned add green beans and carrots. Cook until carrots and green beans are slightly crisped ( we recommend tasting)  season to taste with seasonings in ingredients list above.
    5.    Take off heat and cover with lid.
    6.    Next put oil in frying pan and put on low heat. Add onions and garlic and chicken juice(if any left over from package)
    7.    brown the onions and garlic then add chicken
    8.    cook chicken til slightly pink inside, remember to stir
    9.    add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer
    10.    add spices again and let simmer another 1-2 minutes
    11.    add the tomato and chicken to vegetables and cook til the entire concoction simmers
    12.    spread the deliciousness over a bed of pasta, top with cheese and eat

Analysis:
Jaceto is about 80% whole foods and the other 20% is the flour used for the homemade pasta because we didn't plant, harvest and grind the flour, the spices were not grown or ground by us. We did not grow the vegetables or raise the chicken for its eggs and meat and we did not make the cheese on our own. The tomato sauce was made by Rita's garden and ground in the blender and all in all this meal is very unprocessed because we made it ourselves without added weird chemicals and we did it with 100% organic food without hormones or pesticides or frozen boxes. Since we did not use boxes and anything that had over five ingredients (coco powder) this was a hard meal to put exact calorie or fat content estimate onto it. This meal was had at least 4 servings of vegetables in it and had a nice tasty serving of meat into it so the body would like it very much but if you ate nothing but this meal, a lot of bad things would happen to you like dying of thirst, getting skinny from no sugar, or losing diabetes so the doctors would be out of work. When we bought the ingredients(veggies+chicken) for this meal, we made sure that everything was from America and the majority of it, from the east coast. Cost wise it was much cheaper than fast food. When we went out to buy this stuff we went out to make this meal for at least 6 people, in total the bill was about $20-25 and when we looked at the menu of a local Chinese store, feeding 6 people would have cost us at least $40-60, which would have been ridiculous. If we were to have had to grow the veggies like the carrots, the tomatoes, and the mushrooms ourselves, this meal would be completely different because at this time of year, some of the veggies are not in season and even if we had a green house, it would have taken us a lot of time to wait for the veggies to grow. Why wait several months when you can get it in 10 minutes? That question is the reason supermarkets and restaurants import food, consumers and demand. Our meal was very good and we worked hard in making it tasty so look at the recipe and enjoy.

Reflection:
This unit was a very informative unit that really excited me to learn more. Because I really like to cook, this was the best unit possible for me to learn about. I learned about my all about my role as a consumer and about how much goes into getting me to be the consumer, like the producing, the managing, and the advertisement about growing/raising food for me to eat. The biggest problems that I find with our food and it's system is the dishonesty that happens to produce the food. I am left in the dark about what really happens to my food and they, the corporations, cover it up so that I may be attracted to buying their product. It's a problem because I can't make the best choice healthy or moral-wise because I do not know what they are doing to make my food. Some changes I could make to my food choices would be to eat a heck of a lot more vegetables, I could buy everything at a local co-op where everything is locally grown, and I could stop buying take-out. I would be willing to do the first two and perhaps cut back on the third and that would make my a lot healthier than I am today.

Markia's reflection
This quarter I learned a lot about the legal system connected to our food production. For instance,  some of the people making the big decisions have previously worked for some of the major food companies. It even seems as if they may still be connected to these companies and are making decisions   I feel that I should know about this information ,being a consumer in this food system. If more people knew about what was happening with our food system there would be some serious changes as to how our food is treated and what is put into it. After watching "Food Inc." I realized that the major changes that need to take place in our food system are how our food is produced and what the product is . The reason being that the big CEO's of most of these companies do not really care what is happening to the food or what is put into it as long as it is profitable and taste good. If we were to monitor more closely what was being put into our food, how it was done, and who was doing it the food produced would most likely be better for us. To make these changes there would most likely have to be more money spent on making more standards for these companies to follow and the American people who eat these foods would have to realize what their food goes through. I personally am willing to make these changes but I am not sure what would have to be cut or changed if this were to happen. Certain situation could make me change my mind depending on what would be changed.
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Lobbying Post #2

​Many people "represent" me within the government since they are suppose to represent everyone and all but getting more detailed, I live within district 10, so one of the people I am represented by is Councilman Brian J. O'Neill. When looking towards what my Councilman, Brian J. O'Neill, felt towards budget cuts towards firefighters and the union I couldn't find anything. So I decided to research how he voted on budget cuts as a whole instead.

 It was said that O'Neill was not a big talker when it came to the voting of different things, he did not talk or argue and mostly sat quietly. He is a republican and being a "minority" within the Philadelphia city council made him not say to much. It was said by Larry Ceisler, a public relations consultant on local issues, that "The only real power he had was on projects or initiatives in his own district." He does great within his own district since the northeast is full of many things like sports, clubs and ect. But I wasn't sure what I was going to find to much about how he felt towards the bigger things that had to do with everyone no his own district. But it is really hard to find out how he feels about certain things since he says "If there's something that doesn't involve my district that I don't feel strongly about, I usually side with the mayor".

I have found little bits from the research I have done. It has said that he believes in cutting city's tax burden on wages and businesses but I also found stuff, mostly about the education part of the budget cuts, and throughout a lot of the voting Mr. O'Neill has been voting in favor of helping out the budget cuts towards education. So by seeing all of these, especially with the education cuts, I would think that he would not be a fan of the budget cuts towards the firefighters and policeman especially if it was effecting his district. Though I don't know what road he would take voting wise since he seems like a very passive person within the city council and the decisions they make.


Helpful Links:

- http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/Speaking-Up.html

- http://www.philly.com/philly/news/breaking/Protestors-storm-Councilman-Brian-ONeills-office.html

- http://www.phila.gov/citycouncil/BrianJONeill.html

Benchmark Reflection

Link to full project: 

​https://sites.google.com/a/scienceleadership.org/weekendvotingact/
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  • How did you group go about making a decision for what to focus on for the project?
  • 11th grade Essential ? - What is the role of the individual in creating and sustaining change? 
  • How has your understanding of the electoral process and whether or not the US is a democracy evolved during this unit?
  • How did you decide to best relay a message to a national audience with your marketing campaign?

    The process of deciding what to focus on was an interesting one. My group just began discussing voter-ship and what we personally thought would affect it. We all had a different viewpoint so it was a bit of a challenge. My group originally wanted to make voting mandatory but two other groups were doing that. We went with "Weekend Voting" instead. 

    The role of the individual in creating change is singular. Most times two people have the same idea, but the role of the individual is the vital one. Being able to think up an idea, develop it, recognize its flaws and attempt to reason why it works better than another is how positive change comes about. Once that process has taken place within one's own mind does the idea lend itself to be shared and worked on with others. 

    Voting and how the US does it has never been something I thought about, honestly. This unit has forced me to think about some of the major flaws in the democratic system and just how they could be fixed. Before, I assumed everyone voted and was surprised to learn that was not the case. 

    For ours it was showing the flexibility of the voting. America's busy, so we used that as the campaigning piece. Have Time to Spend? Vote on the Weekend

Monologue by Jovan Lewis

Homebound

I am cold, tired, hungry, and afraid, I’m struggling to keep my sanity to keep from eating my friend. I spot something called a motel across the road. I walk over and lay under a parked car and rest. I curl up using my tail as a pillow and close my eyes and gently drifted into my dreams of the life I once had.

            It wasn’t always like this. I used to live in a nice house with nice people. They fed me and played with me. I had my own little bed and everything I could have ever wanted. Then one day the people were packing boxes I wondered what was going on. I climbed into a box and saw some of my toys.  I stared playing with them in the box. The little boy watched and giggled at the sight of me playing in the box. Then the woman picked me up out of the box and placed me in a cage. I wondered what was going on. Two men were gathering the boxes and putting them out into the truck. He seemed to fit a lot of those boxes in that little thing I thought to myself. It had words on it and a picture with words I didn’t know. I try to figure it out. Sa-n-ta Ana. I was confused. Oh well I’ll get it eventually. Suddenly the cage lifted up. I saw the boy’s fingers and I playfully tapped them. I was put into the family car in the back. It was like a mix of a pick-up and a SUV. I was put in the trunk.

 After what felt like 5 minutes we started moving. The purr of the engine lulled me to sleep. In the middle of the night I woke up. I had a feeling we were almost there for a majority of the trip I didn’t feel a lot movement of the truck stopping. And there was a lot of stopping now. Suddenly, there were bumps, big ones. My cage bounced around from them. Then one big bump rolled under the truck and sent me flying. The impact opened the cage and I broke out at full speed to catch the truck. It was too fast I couldn’t catch up. I stopped and looked around. Nothing was familiar, or at least not enough. I started walking down the road to a park. I saw all these strange yet vaguely familiar things. Signs that shined in the night and flashed like the orange lights on the front of cars. I got to the park and climbed a tree to the lowest and safest branch, and rested.

Daybreak came and I climbed down the tree. There were people here. I wondered if they knew the people I came with. I wanted to focus on that but I was so hungry. I walked up to a lady feeding birds. She took one look at me and shooed me away. I walked away. I saw a man with an apron that looked like the one the man that I knew wore when he cooked, surely he would have some food. I walked up and saw a little bird and it looked sad. It saw me and watched. I walked up to the man with the apron. He saw me and how hungry I was. He wasn’t like that lady I saw before. Instead of shooing me off, he gave me some food. I don’t know what it was but it tasted really good. He pulled it out of his sandwich. It was brown and thin. I ate but I was still hungry, but the man refused to give me more food. I ran out of the place and crawled under a tree and slept for the rest of the day.

It’s night when I wake up. I walk past the place with the man and the bird but I only saw the man no bird. I looked around for the bird, no luck. I wondered where it went. I wandered the streets until I came to some tracks. I started to cross when I heard something coming towards me with a rumble that shook the track. I looked and saw three lights heading toward me. I knew I had to move. I couldn’t I was frozen in fear by the sight of this monstrous metal thing barreling toward me. Suddenly the little bird from the place chirped loudly and snapped me out of it and I escaped the tracks just in time. I thanked the bird and we walked on together. We got to a place called a motel after what felt like forever, and we rested. I started to get hungry again. I looked around for something to eat, nothing, I then saw the bird. My mouth started to water. I shook my head to get the thought out. I slept under a car in the parking lot. The next day my friend and I walked into a nice neighborhood and lucky for the both of us the first house we went to ended the journey. My family was here and the little bird was given a new home with me. It’s good to be home.