16 Is The New 18

Every four years the American public prepares for the always entertaining and important presidential election. The country comes together to decide by majority vote the person believed best suited to lead the most powerful country in the world. However, not everyone is included in this all important decision. The twenty-sixth amendment requires each citizen be a legal adult, age eighteen, to vote in any election whether it be presidential, congressional, or just district. The amendment does not take into consideration how the newly elected leaders will affect teenagers who had zero input in electing them. Because they are directly impacted from actions of the American government, the voting age in the United States should be decreased for those teens to have a say.

In the United States, the youth is eligible to partake in various adult activities. By sixteen teenagers can drive, work, pay taxes. At seventeen one can even enlist in the military and be transported overseas to fight in volatile battle in defense of the country. Despite all of this, teenagers are still considered too young to vote. The twenty-sixth amendment was ratified thus lowering the minimum voting age in the U.S from twenty-one to eighteen. This was primarily due to two major ideas. The first uttered by former president Franklin D. Roosevelt that “Old enough to fight, old enough to vote.” This meaning that since men could be drafted into the military at age eighteen, they were able to handle such responsibility as voting. Roosevelt’s slogan became popular during the youth voting movement.

The second idea being that by lowering the voting age, there would a greater voter turnout. This would allow more representation and opinions in elections. Richard Nixon once stated at a White House ceremony, “The reason I believe that your generation, the 11 million new voters, will do so much for America at home is that you will infuse into this nation some idealism, some courage, some stamina, some high moral purpose, that this country always needs.” This idea lead congress to pass the amendment. Voter turnout amongst the youth has proven vital in the presidential election. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, young voters (age 18 to 24) were the only group to show a statistically significant increase in turnout in 2008, despite an overall increase of some 5 million voters. In fact, The 2008 presidential election of Barack Obama saw a voter turnout of some 49 percent of 18- to 24 year-olds, the second highest in history. This clearly shows the vital impact young voters can have on elections as well as there need to vote. History has shown that while growing maturity and responsibility teenagers in these sixteen to seventeen range are old enough to vote.

When new leaders are chosen, they are given the great responsibility of implementing ideas that are meant to better the country and every citizen in it. Different politicians have different agendas, and it’s up to the public to decide which agenda will be most effective not just for the individual person, but for the majority of the public. The youth are directly impacted by these decisions that they aren’t apart of. Anything that policy makers implement will affect the youth who had zero opportunity to effectively voice their opinion and have adequate say. Even though many youth have opinions on policies and what should be done to fix not only the major issues within the country, but also the daily problems are legally quieted by the constitution.

This way of voting is not a true and complete representation as a large portion of the country does not have legal say. Other countries have implemented laws that allow for those sixteen and above to vote in different elections. For example, In Scotland, where 16- and 17-year-olds were eligible to vote in the independence referendum in 2014, an impressive three-quarters of those who registered turned out on the day, compared with 54% of 18- to 24-year-olds. In 2007 Austria became the only rich country where 16-year-olds could vote in all elections. If this is being allowed in other countries with consistently great turnouts, that more reason for the United States to decrease the voting age. Not only is it allowing representation for a wider range of people, it also connects to the previous point that voter turnout would increase significantly.

The United States has built its entire political system on the idea of democracy and fair say all. Every citizen has the right to one vote in any electoral vote in selecting who the new county, state, and national leaders will be. However, a large portion of people with valid opinions are being neglected their input. Teenagers, specifically sixteen and seventeen are knowledgeable enough and will be impacted just as much as legal adults. Because of this it only makes sense that they should be legally allowed to vote. If America wants to pride itself on democracy, then it must truly value and accept the input from all of those willing and eligible to give it.


Work Cited:

"Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age." Top Ten Reasons to Lower the Voting Age. National Youth Rights Association, 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.


History.com Staff. "The 26th Amendment." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 01 May 2017.


Why this is my best 2fer

I consider the 2fer to be my best or a good 2fer to end the year with because it reflects a cause that I firmly support, and allows me to inject a lot of opinions. Whereas some of my past 2fers have been on things that I found online or topics that I found interesting. This 2fer centers on an idea that I think should become a reality. I got to learn more information concerning why the voting age in the United States is eighteen, but also more information to support my claims that it should be lowered. I enjoyed writing this 2fer the most because it allowed my actual voice to come through so that it wasn’t just another essay. This 2fer is my best it was written well, had a unique topic that I cared about, and the most effort was put into it.


Finstas for the Soul

If anyone is more pressured by the media, it’s teens. They live their whole lives online. The solution is a fake instagram account. A Finstagram, Finsta, account is an instagram account primarily used by teens that showcases the true ups and downs they are enduring in their daily lives with less care about what they post and what it looks like. This is in comparison to a real instagram, Rinsta, account, where lives are also showcased but the account focuses on the outward attractiveness and less interaction with others about their daily lives . Finsta accounts help relieve teenagers of stress.

For starters, Finstas are, for the most part obscene and unfiltered. The finsta community is a great place for people to release their emotions at 100%. According to The Odyssey Online, one of the top 15 reasons users create a Finsta is to rant or rave about life events. If a teen is having a bad day or maybe a teacher or classmate upset them, they can make a Finsta post to let off some steam and perhaps find other followers who relate. Tiffany S. from Connecticut says, “I think Finstas are to vent about what I'm stressed about and to share what I find funny with my friends. And because it's a Finsta, I don't really have to worry about what other people think. I can say kind of whatever I want without worrying if people will judge me because, for me, only my really close friends follow my Finsta.” By allowing teens to vent about their issues, Finstas can help alleviate stress.

Along with being good stress relievers, Finstas are also good for discarding the popularity contest. On a Rinsta account, standards and priorities are held such as  likes, followers, and a feed. A lot of the time when posting a photo on Instagram, the main things that go into consideration are, “how many likes will it get,” or “does this go with my feed?” This factor can also contribute to stress in a teen’s life. The aspiration for popularity is especially strong in the teenage years. That being said, on a Finsta account, followers and likes and a feed are almost irrelevant. The majority of finsta followers are close friends that the user can develop a bond with and can tell them what’s going on in their personal lives.

Lastly, a Finsta is private. The majority of Finsta users keep their accounts private so that they can choose who can and cannot follow them. So when a user goes to rant about that person they don’t like, or rave about an interaction with their crush, the user doesn’t have to worry about them seeing a post about them or a hater commenting negative things. Also, this is a way to keep out of a parental or relative’s watchful eye. For the people who have parents and family members that like to use social media, a Finsta can be private, keeping any nosy parents or guardians out of their business. This also relieves stress to not have to worry about someone being or you about all your actions all the time.

Obviously, Finstas are highly beneficial to teens regarding all aspects of life including stress relief and their social lives. It can be seen by the followers that there are things going on in someone’s life on a more personal level that allows them to connect. Also, it’s can provide shelter from the perfection and standards of family and parents or even peers. Teenagers create finsta accounts to relieve stress.


Why this is my best possible 2fer

This is my best possible 2fer. It’s my best possible 2fer because I combined all the criticism and comments from my peer reviews edited my essay accordingly. I also edited my essay based on the techniques I learned during class. Knowing this was the last 2fer I would produce in this class, I made sure that I put the most thought into it. My topic was something that I knew a lot about, and that I as confident in writing about that I also knew met the requirements of a good working thesis. That’s why this is my best possible 2fer.

Sources and Citations:

Harnish, Amelia, Best of Instagram • Entertainment News • Health • Health Trends • How To Deal With Stress • News • Reclaim Your Domain • Tech, and Illustrated By Ariel Davis. "We Need To Talk About This Unhealthy Social Media Behavior." Who Am I Social Media Identity Crisis Instagram Stress. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://www.refinery29.com/2017/03/146733/identity-crisis-causes-social-media-fake-world>.

Sheveland, Hannah. "Opinion: Instagram should inspire creativity not stress." The Seabury Tides. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://seaburytides.org/2537/opinion/opinion-instagram-should-inspire-creativity-not-stress/>.

Migdol, Erin. "The Dark Side of Instagram Popularity That Nobody Talks About ." Mic. Mic Network Inc., 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://mic.com/articles/130396/having-a-ton-of-instagram-followers-can-make-you-absolutely-miserable#.hpEGN64k1>.

"8 College Students on 'Secret' Instagrams." Fresh U. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.freshu.io/stacy-andryshak/8-college-students-and-secret-instagrams>.

"15 Reasons Why Finstas Make The World A Better Place." Odyssey. N.p., 08 Jan. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/12-reasons-why-finstas-make-the-world-better-place>.

Kazemi, Alex. "What ‘Finsta’ Accounts Are and Why Their Owners Will Live to Regret Them." Observer. N.p., 20 Mar. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017. <http://observer.com/2017/03/finsta-accounts-why-their-owners-will-regret-them-fame-fake-instagram-hollywood/>.


Harman, Justine. "The Crazy Way Teens Are Hiding Their Imperfections Online: Finstagram." ELLE. N.p., 06 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <http://www.elle.com/culture/tech/a29243/finstagram/>.

Patterson, Daniel. "The Dark World Of Teenage 'Finsta' Users On Instagram." The

Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 05 Oct. 2016. Web. 01 May 2017.

Degree vs. Diploma

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are a few names that come to mind when speaking about success stories of people who have prospered without a college degree. But, not everyone can be the lucky few. College degrees are extremely helpful in developing a career in today’s industry versus only earning a high school diploma. There are more benefits than just the above average annual salary once you have a degree. Below the surface, lifestyle is greatly impacted by attending college. Earning a college degree will help further one’s career which can lead them to a more successful life.

The payoff from earning a college degree is apparent through the amount earned in your bank account. Four years of a college degree earns someone a bachelor’s degree, which is the usual degree one earns as a college undergrad. A report from the US Department of Labor Statistics in 2013 depicted the average wages of people who have a bachelor’s degree in comparison to people who only have a high school degree. In the 2000’s, the bachelor’s degree line stayed between $45k and $55k. The high school diploma line in the 2000’s stayed between $30k and $35k. Paychecks determine a great amount in one’s life. Many life decisions revolve around what a bank account allows. Diet, activities, and clothes are all determined by how much money one earns. The more money earned, more is available to spend or save. The degree average salary is not asCompared to a high school diploma, one can lead a better, more successful life.

In 2013, the College Board released statistics about college graduates lives involving happiness, health, socialness, and personal development. With a bachelor’s degree or higher, 51% of people were satisfied with their job, while people who only earned high school diplomas were 41% satisfied. 68% of bachelor’s degree graduates exercise at least once a week, but only 40% for high school graduates. Only 8% of bachelor’s degree graduates were smokers and 25% of high school graduates smoke. Once someone graduates college, their overall life is impacted, not just their paycheck. Studying a specific career of choice will give someone a better chance of maintaining a job they enjoy. Five out of seven days a week are spent at the workplace, so it is important that their job is enjoyable. Health and fitness impacts happiness. One is more likely to afford a monthly gym membership with a higher salary. When one’s health and happiness is thriving, that means their life will end up successfully compared than no college degree.

College isn’t only working through a path to earn a degree. College is a way to meet new people and network through them. Networking is to interact with other people to exchange information and develop contacts, especially to further one's career. John Bennett, director of the Master of Science and executive coaching and assistant professor of behavioral science at Queens University of Charlotte says, “Research tells us that between 60-80% of jobs are found through personal relationships.” Universities are full of different people with unique backgrounds. Everyone shares the same common ground of the student life, so everyone is willing to help another. A major problem today is finding a job after graduating college; networking allows this process to become easier. Networking allows room for new colleagues as well as friends. The faster a job is earned, the easier life becomes. A steady paycheck ensures more benefits to life at a faster rate. Attending college and earning the degree helps with success further in life.

Attending university has a lot to offer on a closer inspection. Some deem college as unnecessary, while not assessing the full benefits. A high school diploma does not compare to a college degree. According to statistics, people are much more healthy, happy, and successful when having earned a degree. Lifestyle, happiness, income is indirectly impacted by completing college. Earning a college degree compared to a high school diploma ensures a better chance of a better career which brings a successful life.



Why this is my best 2fer:

I believe this is my best 2fer because I have made steady argument regarding my thesis. I feel quite strongly about this thesis so it was easy for me to explain it and argue my position. I made sure to check over my draft several times to ensure that I had the best analysis. It was quite easy for me to repeat myself and over explain, but I corrected some sentences and checked that everything flowed easily with a thoughtful explanation.


Works Cited

"College May Not Pay Off for Everyone   Liberty Street Economics." Liberty Street Economics. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

"Unemployment rates and earnings by educational attainment." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Pfeffer, Jennifer. "Rasmussen College." Rasmussen College - Regionally Accredited College Online and on Campus. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Driscoll, Emily. "It's all About Who You Know: Networking to Get a Job." Fox Business. Fox Business, 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

The Evils of "Health"

Food plays a vital role in every single person on Earth's life. It is the one constant among all people, and thus is often being examined. In a world with so many options of what to eat, people are afraid they could be eating the wrong thing. Worried that their food could be bad for them, the environment, farmers, or animals people turn to dietary recommendations. One of the biggest healthy eating “ideologies” is the one of vegetarianism, and the smaller, but growing, sect of veganism. Vegetarianism dictates one should eat no meat, veganism though dictates that one should eat no animal products at all. These two dietary plans differ in their severity towards restricting the intake of animal products, but not in the reasons to follow these restrictions; which often involve appeals that focus on the environment, health and animal rights. While often coming from a good place, the diets of vegans and vegetarians actually turn them into hypocritical people who live under a dictatorial and destructive ideology.


Saving the environment is one of the greatest appeals that persons opposed to the consumption of animal products have in their arsenals. This appeal consists a string of “facts” meant to shame meat eaters into ceasing to consume meat, such as “a staggering 51 percent or more of global greenhouse-gas emissions are caused by animal agriculture” (PETA) The IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) instead says that this number is 14.5%, and could be reduced by 30% while sustaining the current meat supply. (The Guardian) The difference in these studies is simple, the one that claims 51% adds numerous things to CO2 emissions that are erroneous, like the claim that ⅓ of animal  emissions can be from animals breathing. This is an outrageous difference, yet even organizations such as the PETA, a major proponent at the forefront of the argument for the vegan or vegetarian diets, use faulty statistics. Data so incorrect that to proclaim it as fact is to not understand it or to willfully spread disinformation. In reality, vegan and vegetarian diets don’t actually really reduce a carbon footprint at all. Since to sustain such a diet a variety of foods is necessary to avoid malnutrition, foods that must be flown in from across the world. In the end, the footprint balances out to those who eat meat anyway. (CNN) Plus there is not only the effect on the globe, but on the long term good for humanity. If the United States became vegan it could support 735 million people, while if the restrictions were to be made less extreme and the U.S. was to be vegetarian it could support 807 million people. In fact, it was found in the same study that diets consisting of 20-40% meat were actually significantly more sustainable than any diet that was meat free. (NOVA)


Eat healthy. The ideology of dietary restrictions consistently insists that their diets can be tied to numerous health benefits. The PETA says “all our dietary needs, even as infants and children, are best supplied by a meatless diet.This statement is not altogether false, but this system of eating is not altogether as safe as it would suggest. Such as a case in Georgia where two parents received life sentences after starving their baby to death on a “vegan diet”, (Daily Mail) or another case in Italy where a 14 month old baby was found to be malnourished and weighing the same as a baby that was 3 months old after being fed a vegan diet. (Washington Post) These two cases are examples of issues with veganism, that the diet itself is naturally lacking several nutrients extremely important to human development normally found in meat. Italy is in the process of passing a law that would institute a four year penalty on parents who enforce a vegan diet on their kids, after three other such cases involving malnourished children under vegan diets. (BBC) It is often easy to tie a host of health benefits to a vegetarian diet, as a study in Austria found that they have lower BMI’s. (Medical University of Graz) The PETA spouts numerous facts claiming those who eat vegan or vegetarian diets are less likely to have heart attacks or cancer. This forgets to factor in that people who follow these diets are also less likely to smoke, consume tobacco, and are wealthier something the study from Austria did do. Vegetarians were found to suffer more from anxiety or depression, chronic diseases and a 50% increase in heart attacks and cancer. This is then portrayed as the “healthy” diet.


Animal rights rest on the crux of vegan or vegetarian arguments. People don’t want to hurt animals, and they see the industry that creates animal products as being abusive. If someone has a guilty conscience about eating meat then they can become vegetarian, or even go vegan. What can’t be done though is guilt those who would like to eat meat into following a diet that is less sustainable, needs supplements to make up for lost vitamins, has the same carbon footprint as eating meat, and can hurt one’s children. The sort of behavior by organizations like the PETA and the vegans and vegetarians who support it is akin to a cult, they ignore facts and dogmatically push their arguments. They ignore that their diets meant to be champions of healthy and the ecosystem go against everything they claim to believe in, and instead insist on lying about the subject. It pushes veganism and vegetarianism on people, dietary restrictions than can actually force people to sacrifice something that can be a large part of their lives and happiness, meat eating. For now though, the structure that pushes veganism and vegetarianism is harsh and hypocritical, often having to use downright lies or bad science to support their ideas. Vegans and vegetarians use propaganda, and they share company in history with fellow infamous vegetarian Adolf Hitler who too used system wide deceit and denial of reality to push his ideology.


Why this is my best possible 2fer: 

For me 2fers were at first just assignments, but the longer I did them they became easier and I decided that I did my best work when I was having fun. My first 2fer was about human attention span, it was an interesting enough topic but I just couldn't really get interested. What I was writing about was too factual and too easily agreeable. As time has gone on, I have tried to make my 2fers more outrageous and to prove ideas that can be difficult to approach or prove. I decided to make this 2fer the climax of that, to prove a point that had little to no evidence in actuality to back it up and to prove it with a relation of events and data. This is my best possible 2fer because I made it fun and made a claim that seemed ludicrous relevant and believable by the end of the paper. 


Works Cited:

  1. "Going Vegan Isn’t the Most Sustainable Option for Humanity." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 16 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/earth/going-vegan-isnt-actually-th/

  1. "Italy proposal to jail vegans who impose diet on children." BBC News. BBC, 10 Aug. 2016. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37034619

  1. Thompson, Paul. "Vegan couple will serve life sentences for starving baby to death on a diet of soy milk and apple juice." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2036671/Vegan-couple-serve-life-sentences-starving-baby-death-extreme-diet.html

  1. "Factory Farming: Misery for Animals." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/

  1. "Disadvantages of Being a Vegetarian." HealthGuidance.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/11183/1/Disadvantages-of-Being-a-Vegetarian.html

  1. Martindale, Wayne. "Is a vegetarian diet better for the planet?" CNN. Cable News Network, 06 Feb. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/06/health/vegetarian-diet-conversation/

  1. Dye, Lee. "Researcher: Vegetarian Diet Kills Animals Too." ABC News. ABC News Network, 01 May 1970. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97836&page=1

  1. "Meat and the Environment." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/meat-environment/

  1. Bryce, Emma. "Do the UN's new numbers for livestock emissions kill the argument for vegetarianism?" The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 27 Sept. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/world-on-a-plate/2013/sep/27/environment-food-ipcc-emissions-greenhouse-gas-livestock-vegetarian-meat

  1. "Vegan Diets: Healthy and Humane." PETA. PETA, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/vegan-diets-healthy-humane/

  1. Buckert, Nathalie T., Johanna Muckenhuber, Franziska Großscha¨dl, E´va Ra´ Sky, and Wolfgang Freidl. "Nutrition and Health – The Association between Eating Behavior and Various Health Parameters: A Matched Sample Study." Journals. Medical University of Graz, 7 Feb. 2014. Web.

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0088278&type=printable

Negative Space Cut Out

Cut-out SM
Cut-out SM

Negative space is the space around and between objects in an image. That space is used to emphasize the object of the image! In my cut out I found negative space by looking at the opposites. I knew that if parts of the one side of the owl were present, I would have to take that presence away on the other side.


For artist, it is very important to see negative space. Artist can utilize negative space to their benefit and create many wonderful pieces. They can use negative space to make the main object of their piece to stand out and become more unique! So negative space can definitely enhance a drawing because of that utilization of space!


Sister City Exchange with Frankfurt, Germany!

IMG_6075
IMG_6075
Ten SLA students are back home after a successful weeklong exchange in Frankfurt, Germany.

The new program was organized with the Sister Cities office of Philadelphia and government officials in Frankfurt. Students were paired with high schoolers at Gymnasium Riedberg, a bilingual high school with a focus on science and technology. They stayed with families, attended school, and participated in special programming put together for the visit.

The exchange was specifically designed to create intercultural understanding of the two cities, with programs to explore stereotypes of each nation and an interdisciplinary project where students explored the relationship between cities and personal memories. The participating students also were received by Frankfurt's deputy mayor at a formal reception at city hall, pictured above. 

The ten students from Gymnasium Riedberg will round out the exchange by visiting Philadelphia in the fall. SLA students are hard at work planning the program and preparing for their guests!

An Experience Or An Excuse

There are many experiences from birth to a teenager that a person will go through that will build themselves as they will get older. These experiences are a guidance to a variety of roads that will give a certain path and it’s up to that individual to make the decision that’s best for them and their future. One of the trials that the youth are impacted by regularly is, “peer pressure”. Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group, usually the influence being negative. This is claimed to happen to many teenagers as they become accessible to more freedom from their parents and they begin to crave a larger desire to be around their peers. Teenagers are curious and sometimes this curiosity leads to them trying negative actions such as; smoking, drinking, and even having sex when not ready with their peers of course as they decide to go through these experiences together. For teenagers that have a more positive mindset, doing such things are often claimed to have happened because of peer pressure since people who are associated with them expect them to not fall for these types of mistakes. However, this brings the counterargument that peer pressure is just an excuse for a teenager to make a mistake and receive sympathy for their wrong choices. Which brings up the question, is peer pressure a real thing or can it be resisted and labeled as an excuse? The answer to this question is it can be resisted and mistakes by one should be owned up too.

It is true that most teens or a person at any age desires to be accepted. For teens, this pressure comes into play a lot throughout the school year. It’s important for teens to be accepted into a group that likes them for themselves. Without this happening, one can become depressed and feel abandoned in school as they feel like they are not wanted by the ‘cool kids’ or feel as they aren’t good enough to be involved in a group of entertaining friends. This is where teens tend to do whatever they possibly can to fill that emptiness inside from not feeling wanted by their peers which leads to decisions being made without thought. This is where the pressure supposedly lives, the decision making of the teen. However, the youth at some point in their young lifetime are educated on the difference of being a follower and a leader. Also, how doing drugs and other negative actions similar are bad and can lead down a path of destruction. It’s up to that person the teenager to listen and understand how doing things like drugs, drinking, and even dares that can put their life at risk, is something they should work to stay away from. Putting the blame of their actions on another is weak and in reality can be a downfall because if they continue to make mistakes at a higher scale, judges in courtrooms will not take in “peer pressure” being an excuse for committing a crime. Parents stressed this a lot to their children, how it’s easy to mess up or slip up. As long as the parent is pressuring this on their teen, the peers shouldn’t be an issue or at least not enough to not receive necessary consequences for one’s negative actions. Living and learning does not involve making excuses and allowing a teenager to rely on the fact that another teen making the same mistake makes their actions less unacceptable. In a CNN survey, it stated that 17% of high schoolers are caught drinking, smoking, during the school day with peers. Also, in another CNN survey, 75% of high schoolers say that they are encouraged to party with marijuana or alcohol when they see images of their peers doing so. Reflecting upon the second survey of the two, it can be reasonably assumed that the high schoolers will not be surprised to see smokes and drinks at the party. In fact, in most scenarios it’s highly spoken about before going to the party, “who’s bringing what and who’s doing what?” Essentially, this makes it the teenager fault of being aware of their surroundings and allowing themselves to be persuaded into doing something illegal or something their not suppose to be doing.

When it comes to the idea of peer pressure it’s mostly looked upon as all negative but that’s not always true. There is a such thing as positive peer pressure. This is a peer that will help one do something they should be doing. Encouraging one to do right and keep up the good work. For example, positive peer pressure can consists of consistent completion of homework, exercising, and more. In a teen’s perspective there is a better chance of getting this type of encouragement from parents or guardians. Parenting can definitely impact a teenager’s decision making when it comes to situations involving themselves and their peers. The parents must be the people they want their children to become which will display how the teenagers should behave in a way that is in their best interest. In reality, teenager don’t want to take responsibility for things they do which is why they blame the people nearest to them which is their peers. If one tell their peer to jump off a bridge, most teens have an absolute NO in this case. So when one tell a peer to smoke with them, the teen will either not smoke or smoke based on what values and lines they have set in their mind, not on what their friends are telling them is “cool” or not.

If teenagers stop to think about it, they would realize that peer pressure is an excuse for them to make mistakes and they it’s important to be a leader by understanding they are in control of their actions and making the best choices for their future. However, if one does decide to be a follower and make negative choices, be prepared to own up and face the consequences instead of placing the blame on a peer.

Throughout the year, I have wrote many 2Fers that touched on many different topics. However, out of all I strongly believe this 2Fer was the best. Because I touched on a topic that impacts almost every human person at some point in their life whether as a teen or even as an adult, I felt this 2Fer was way more powerful than the others. With this being said, also in this 2Fer I was able to correct many of my mistakes I made in previous 2Fers to make this written wise a lot improved! In conclusion, I can say my ups and downs in my previous 2Fers contributed to this 2Fer in my opinion being my strongest of all.



Works Cited:

2fer #7: Bees Misunderstanding

Many people don’t care about how bees are becoming extinct. They believe that they are just nuisance and that life would be better without them. Although this may be the case, people don’t think about the good things bees can provides for us. This is most likely because of how many people misunderstand how important bees are in the society and doesn’t realize that without them, humans wouldn’t be able to live long.

For those who may not know, bees are flying insects that collect pollen and nectar. There are about 20,000 species of them in which somes that stings and some that does not. As well as some bees who makes honey and some who does not. They are able to see every color, but the color red, have great sense of smell to get their way to the flowers they pollinate. The facts about bees are not really known because they are mostly known for what they are bad for.

Many people do not appreciate bees. From a blog Arizona exterminating co, it states how bees are known for being loud, having painful stings, destroying properties, being annoying and cause allergic reaction to others. There is always a time where someone experience the fear of getting sting or getting annoyed by the loud buzzing sounds continuously. Their stings are painful but they don’t always sting unless they think they are in danger, but some bees dies after they sting someone because they’re unable to take their barbed stinger back out. This includes their abdomen, digestive tract, nerves and muscle which kills the bees. This gives us some reason why many people may dislike bees because no one want their property destroyed and be annoyed to death by the sounds it makes. It’s possible that they dislike them and misunderstand what they dislike.  Besides these facts about how someone may misunderstand bees, bees are very essential for society.

Bees provides us with enough food. In BBC, it states how bees pollinate about 70 different types of crops that includes vegetables and fruit such as apple, mangos, peaches, grapes, etc. Some food for animals that are also consume by others. Bees provides us with honey and wax. In fact they make about 6,000 tonnes of honey as well as give the economy 400 millions dollars. Without bees, humans would not have enough of resources to feed themselves for a long time. Bees are disappearing globally and the cause is what humans don’t know they are doing.

Bees are dying rapidly from pesticides that people puts up to keep bees away from. This kills the bees. They are also dying from parasites, disease and habitat loss. Some people don’t realize how important the process of pollination is. Pollination is when one transfer pollen grains from the anter to the stigma which are used to grow fruits and vegetables. Bees are very important part of pollination and without them, a huge part of fruits and vegetable would be lost. This would cause problems for the economy and would limit the life on earth due to the lack of food. It has been estimated that without bees, the life of humanity would only be able to live 4 years.

From this, it can be seen that bees are very essential for life. But due to people misunderstanding how annoying they are to what they actually provides for us. If more people understand how bees plays a big part in our society and don’t use as much pesticide, it would save a large portions of the bees. This would also prevent them from going extinct. But due to the many factor of how bees are known as unneeded and just bad over how they are very essential part to society is hurting bees without people even knowing. Although bees can be annoying it doesn’t mean that they are not important. If more people realized all the good things bees provides for a person instead of all the bad things, bees won’t be as close to being extinct, life would be longer and not be limited to only 4 years.


Why this is my best possible 2fer?

I believe this is my best possible 2fer because I always have problem with writing the thesis since it would not be debatable enough which would result in a lower 2fer grade. I feel like this thesis is actually debatable and not just a statement or a fact. I also have enough evidence to back up the information with numbers instead of just stating opinions. I didn't argue it but I prove it since I know that a 2fer prove not argue with opinions. Therefore, that is why I believe that this is my best possible 2fer.

Sources:


"Pest World For Kids."Bees - Facts About Bees - Types of Bees - PestWorldforKids.org. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/bees/>.


Museum, Canada Agriculture and Food. "What is a Bee?"What is a Bee? | Bees A Honey of an Idea. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.bees.techno-science.ca/english/bees/what-is-a-bee/default.php>.  



"BBC iWonder - Would we starve without bees?"BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zg4dwmn>.



Jamwal, Akshayl Singh. "How long would humans survive without bees? Answer Request."How long would humans survive without bees? Answer Request. Quora, 19 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <https://www.quora.com/How-long-would-humans-survive-without-bees>.


2fer #7 - The Dreamers

Seyni Ndaw

2fer #7


In the movie The Dreamers, an American boy named Matthew has traveled abroad to study cinema in Paris. There, he meets two siblings named Isabelle and Theo. Although all three get along, their dynamics shift between them as pairs and inevitably causes tension overtime. As the movie progresses, the viewer observes how Matthew’s position in the trio develops until a point where he is cast out due to his inability to fully fit in. Despite the growing romance between Isabelle and Matthew, she still chooses Theo over him in the end, showing that she was willing to sacrifice a new kind of love (romantic) for one she already knew (platonic). Through this, the viewer can see how the fear of the unknown conflicts with the notion of love at first sight, and people will often choose what they know because it offers security and stability.   

Aaron Ben-Zeev writes an article called, “Is Love at First Sight Possible?”. He writes, “The first argument implies that romantic love consists not merely of attraction to external appearance, which is the basis of sexual desire, but also of knowing the agent's character traits, such as kindness, honesty, wisdom and a sense of humor. Such knowledge cannot be present at first sight, as it requires familiarity and common history.” In other words, love at first sight is rooted in sexual attraction and not what many people believe ‘love’ to be, which presents itself to be a deeper connection than just sex. Real love requires having an understanding of a person’s traits and what makes them who they are. This is an idea that is explored throughout the movie. In the beginning of the movie, Matthew finds himself at a protest/demonstration and he is surrounded by ‘film buffs’. He spots Isabelle, and when the two make eye contact she asks him to remove her cigarette since she has chained herself to a gate. Later in the movie, Matthew admits he was attracted to her from the moment he saw her. He says, “When I saw you and Theo at the Cinemathque, you looked so cool, so sophisticated- like a movie star.” to which Isabelle responds, “I was. I was acting, Matthew.” This interaction supports how love at first sight is a rather superficial notion- the whole reason Matthew found himself attracted to Isabelle was based in fable and a dissociation from reality. Not only is this relevant to Matthew and Isabelle’s relationship, but the trio’s dynamic in general. Isabelle and Theo’s shared love for cinema causes them to be rather removed from reality, which makes it increasingly difficult for Matthew to fit in with them.

In this scene, Isabelle and Theo propose beating a world record with Matthew. The record is based off a film in which three friends run through Louvre in 9 minutes and 45 seconds. Matthew expresses concern that he could be deported if they are caught. Isabelle says, “Matthew, this is a test. Are you going to pass it or fail it?” This is the first time in the movie that Matthew’s commitment to the group is tested. This further emphasizes how Theo and Isabelle base their standards off cinema rather than real life and make it hard for people who aren’t them to understand them. They end up beating the record by 17 seconds, at which point Isabelle and Theo chant, “We accept him, one of us! We accept him, one of us!” which, too, is based off a film.

The trio goes on like this for a while, giving each other difficult tasks to complete even if it makes them uncomfortable. One of the tasks includes Isabelle and Matthew having sex at Theo’s command. Although the two were consenting and had interest in each other, it was deliberate for Isabelle’s virginity to be lost as Theo orchestrated. The siblings have a control over each other that toes the line of platonic and romantic, which inevitably makes Matthew uncomfortable and confused. Matthew makes several attempts to convince Isabella to invest in their new love, confessing to her a number of times. Despite her having feelings for him, Isabelle cannot let go of Theo.

In one scene, when all three are sharing a bubble bath, Matthew tells Isabelle he loves her. She says, “I love you too, Matthew,” and he responds, “Yeah, but I really love you.” Isabelle goes, “I really, really love you too. We both do. Don’t we, Theo?” Theo agrees, but with little emotion in his voice. It is at this point where Matthew expresses his frustrations with the two for the first time. He doesn’t want them to say they love him just because the other did, or group their love for him together. He wants them to be able to say they love him as individuals and mean it. The two laugh at him and think he is being dramatic. Isabelle rebuttals his point and says, “There’s no such thing as love, only proofs of love. Are you ready to give us proof of your love?” Matthew readily agrees and they all get out of the tub. Theo and Isabelle try to shave his pubic hair, and at this point he reaches his breaking point. He calls them crazy, and Isabelle exclaims, “It’s just a game!” Matthew calls them out for their childish ways and trying to drag him into it. He continues and tells them they will never grow if they keep clinging to each other the way they do. His outburst temporarily upsets them but otherwise has no lasting impact. Theo and Isabelle have created a codependent life for themselves that traces back to childhood habits they have yet to let go of. Essentially, they are in a bubble. It’s impossible to place something inside a bubble that isn’t already there without popping it. Deep down Matthew knows this, but he continues to try. It isn’t until the end of the movie where he realizes there is truly no hope.

In the last sequence, the three of them wake up to a protest happening in the middle of the night. Theo finds a group of his school friends as they are distributing glass bottles with explosive chemicals. Matthew tries to stop him, causing Theo to grow increasingly angry. Matthew tries to get Isabelle to stay with him, but she sadly shakes her head and goes with Theo. Matthew looks at the two longingly as he realizes he cannot continue to be close with them; they can never love him the same way they love each other. Matthew slowly walks back into the crowd of protesters, turning his back on Isabelle and Theo forever.

Although The Dreamers may only seem important to those who enjoy foreign films, it should in fact interest anyone inquiring the truth about love. Throughout the movie, the viewer is anticipating Isabelle to finally realize her relationship with her brother is unhealthy and commit to Matthew. However, it is Matthew that ends up alone. The end of the movie shows that love at first sight holds little to no substance, and that love with familiarity and security is often the first choice.

I believe this is my best 2fer because I was able to keep focus throughout the essay and these are probably the best transitions I've written between paragraphs all year. My main idea was love at first sight vs. love with familiarity and security, and I was able to focus on this idea and use supporting evidence from the movie. I also did my best not to have my essay turn into a detailed plot explanation, and I think I did a good job with that.


Works CIted


Ben-Zeév, Aaron. "Is Love at First Sight Possible?" Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 17 Nov. 2013. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

The Dreamers. Dir. Bernardo Bertolucci. Perf. Eva Green and Michael Pitt and Louis Garrel. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

Good Spirits

Death is no new thing, it’s been around since the dawn of animals themselves, and to no person death is avoidable. Death also always come with preconceived notions of sadness and regret, where even in funerals people dress in colours that represent sadness. However, Death itself shouldn’t be feared. Death shouldn’t be feared during life, but looked forward to at a certain time when the afterlife is more appealing.

In multiple religious texts, it represents the afterlife in a positive tone. For example, in the Bible when they talk of the afterlife, “ For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” They talk of the afterlife in a positive tone, saying that the wages of sin, or depending on what happens  during people's’ lifetimes; depends on whether people come over into the afterlife in a positive tone.  For any religious Christian or Catholic, living an eternal life next to Jesus Christ would be the epitome of happiness. He would grant any person, regardless of the amount of sin that you have made in your life.  You’re still granted eternal happiness and life during the afterlife.

Continuing with the use of religious texts, the Bible has tons of quotes about death. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” The beginning, ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you’, talks of giving love before death, and saying that love isn’t just given but can also be received. In the second half of the quote, it says, ‘not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let your heart not be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ It says that you should give love to other people before you pass, and not give love to the world.


The afterlife isn’t just something that is used in Catholicism or in the Bible. It’s also used in every religion, with Islam not being an exception. In the Quran, in the chapter Sura, 2:82, “ "But those who have faith and work righteousness, they are companions of the Garden: Therein shall they abide (For ever).” In this quote, it talks of those who have lived a good life, or a life without breaking any sacred rules; are granted life among the Garden for eternity. They’re granted a life after their own life that they worked through, and have the option of living among their gods. Similar to the two bible quotes, the quote from the Quran promises a life that is better than that of the one you had before.


Religious texts and various mother forms of media have portrayed death in both positive and negative matters; but death should be viewed as a positive thing when reaching a certain age. Dying young is a tragic thing, however. . Death shouldn’t be feared during life, but looked forward to at a certain time when the afterlife is more appealing.


"The Rewards of Paradise." Muslims' Belief in Life after Death: Paradise. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

"100 Comforting Bible Verses About Death Of A Loved One." South Africa News | Read Latest SA News on BuzzSouthAfrica.com. N.p., 03 Jan. 2017. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

"BBC - GCSE Bitesize: Islam and Death." BBC News. BBC, n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2017.

This 2fer is my “best 2fer”, because I followed my own constructive criticisms I had in the self reflective 2fer. I had written that I don’t really explain the research or the quotes that well, and basically repeat the same argument over and over with poor analysis. In this 2fer, I used quotes from religious sources like the Bible and the Quran, and while the analysis wasn’t the best, I still tried the best I could to analyse the quotes.  

Abortion Rights

Abortion is an extremely controversial issue and can cause strong arguments for either side. Those who oppose abortion believe that pregnant women are playing god and are committing murder. The people who agree with abortion believe that pregnant women have the right to choose if she wants to have the baby or not. Women have the undeniable right to decide the fate of their unborn child. However, laws have made it harder for women to enact these rights because of personal beliefs.

Pregnancy is a huge moment in a woman’s life. She is creating another life, which brings her as well as the family a lot of joy. However, a large percentage of pregnant women are not able to take care of their future child. This causes other options being discussed and abortion is considered greatly as a primary option. Guttmacher, a center in research states, “75% of abortion patients in 2014 were poor or low-income. Twenty-six percent of patients had incomes of 100–199% of the federal poverty level, and 49% had incomes of less than 100% of the federal poverty level ($15,730 for a family of two).” ¾ of the women getting abortions are not able to support themselves let alone another life. This shows that there is a valid reason for pregnant women to have abortions.

There are many laws that restrict groups of people. Laws can be unfair and even times contradicting. The government has decided to have a say in the medical rights of specifically pregnant women. In 2007 there was a first ever law that banned abortions. This allowed politicians to interfere with the health decisions of women and families. The abortion ban criminalizes abortion that is in the second trimester of pregnancy. This ban restricts women the right to their own health decisions. No one should be able to tell someone what they can and cannot do with their own health. A lot of times abortions are recommended from doctors due to the safety to the carrier. There are many complications that can occur during a pregnancy that can lead to having an abortion. Since 1976 there has been a Hyde Amendment. “The Hyde Amendment has blocked federal Medicaid funding for abortion services (since 1994, there have been  three extremely narrow exceptions: when continuing the pregnancy will endanger the woman’s life, or when the pregnancy results from rape or incest). This means Medicaid cannot cover abortion even when a woman’s health is at risk and her doctor recommends she get an abortion.” (plannedparenthoodaction.org). This is an unfair Amendment. Every pregnant woman should be able to get the help coverage they need no matter what for an abortion procedure. As stated before most women who become pregnant are not able to financially take care of their child, which means there is no way they would have the money to pay for a very expensive procedure. This law was not created for the benefit of pregnant women, but to satisfy biased opinions from lawmakers. This shows how much rights can be violated and stripped away from contradicting laws.

Pregnant women should have the right to make decisions about their health as well as their unborn children. Unfortunately laws make it extremely hard for women to have abortions due to their biased opinions about the situation. Not wanting pregnant women to play God by aborting their unborn children, the government has decided to play oppressor in retaliation.



Works Cited


Parenthood, Planned. "Hyde Amendment." Planned Parenthood Action Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/hyde-amendment>.


Parenthood, Planned. "Federal and State Bans and Restrictions on Abortion." Planned Parenthood Action Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.plannedparenthoodaction.org/issues/abortion/federal-and-state-bans-and-restrictions-abortion>.


"Induced Abortion in the United States." Guttmacher Institute. N.p., 17 Jan. 2017. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <https://www.guttmacher.org/fact-sheet/induced-abortion-united-states#fn0>.


"Possible Physical Side Effects After Abortion." American Pregnancy Association. N.p., 02 Sept. 2016. Web. 27 Apr. 2017. <http://americanpregnancy.org/unplanned-pregnancy/abortion-side-effects/>.



This was my best 2fer yet because I took my faults into consideration when writing essays, and tried to make sure they were not implemented into this essay. Also I was more interested in this topic compared to the others.




The Truth Behind K-Pop

Paul-Ann Whyte

Pahomov

Air

May 1, 2017

The Truth Behind K-Pop


When people think of K-Pop, many would imagine PSY. PSY was an internet sensation for his release of his song “Gangnam Style”. He introduced K-Pop to those who had never heard it before. The downside to how PSY introduced K-Pop to new audiences, is that now people believe that K-Pop is all about horny flashy men who sing catchy choruses and dance. This belief is false because there are different styles of K-Pop. Even though people believe that K-pop consists only of young women and men who are willing to flaunt their bodies for popularity, the songs that are more on the cuter side get more attention.










In 2015, VIXX, a Korean pop group, released their single ‘Chained Up.’ Known for their songs creating a story, ‘Chained Up’ tells the story of the members being ‘chained’ to a girl. This story is extremely sexual with the use of collars and ropes and involves themes of bondage and BDSM. A screenshot from the music video is shown above on the left. This screenshot shows a collar on one of the member’s neck. Another song that was released in 2015 was ‘Just Right’ by GOT7. Like VIXX, GOT7’s songs are known for creating a story. However, unlike ‘Chained Up’, ‘Just Right’ is a happier more lighthearted song about the members telling a girl that she doesn’t have to change and how the girl is perfect enough. A screenshot from the music video is shown above on the right. This screenshot show the members of the group dancing and just generally being happy.  ‘Chained Up’ has around 16 million views on their main YouTube channel music video. It was released November 2015 However, ‘Just Right’ has around 110 million views. Many may argue that it is because VIXX and GOT7 debuted in different times. However, that only proves the argument of tid essay. GOT7 debuted in 2014 yet VIXX debuted in 2012. Even though VIXX is an older group that was famous, their more sexual song lost to GOT7 simply because it was sexual.












Going back a year in 2014, another Korean pop group, named Girl’s Day released their song “Something.” This song is about a woman catching her partner cheating. She feels “something” is wrong and now addresses him about it. However, the dance to this song does not reflect this story at all. The dance is filled with sexual moves and suggestive themes. In the screenshot above, the members of the group are dressed in crop tops and very short short shorts and are doing very suggestive dances. This song had 24 million views for the music video and 10 million for their dance music video. Another song that was released in 2014 was Happiness by Red Velvet. This song was about just being happy and nothing could bring them down. This dance was very happy and full of energy. In the screenshot on the right it shows the group’s final pose for the music video. This music video had 51 million views. Although many may believe that K-Pop is all about the sexual songs, the data says otherwise. The cuter songs have more popularity


Work Cited

SMTOWN. "Red Velvet 레드벨벳_행복(Happiness)_Music Video." YouTube. YouTube, 03 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFgv8bKfxEs>.
Jypentertainment. "GOT7 "Just Right(딱 좋아)" M/V." YouTube. YouTube, 12 July 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrdk3IGcau8>.
RealVIXX. "빅스(VIXX) - 사슬 (Chained Up) Official M/V." YouTube. YouTube, 09 Nov. 2015. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqzBrI76e4g>.
LOENENT. "[MV] GIRL'S DAY(걸스데이) _ Something (Dance Ver.)." YouTube. YouTube, 16 Jan. 2014. Web. 01 May 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVO5xTAbxm8>.


I believe that this is my best 2Fer ever because I finally chose something I was interested in. I can't say that I did not enjoy all the other 2Fers I did but I do believe I enjoyed this the most. For this 2Fer, I took my time and did a lot more research than what I normally do. This was also more fun because I knew somethings already and just had to piece them together. This might be my best 2Fer yet but that does not mean it's as far as I can go. I can always do better but with my skills right now, this is the best I could do.

Negative/ Positive space cut out

A. What is negative space (explain this concept to a fourth grader that has never heard of it)

Negative space is the blank space on any canvas. If you draw a boat on the sea you could make the boat the positive space, that is colored in and the negative space could be the sea, which would not be colored in. Or vice Versa.

B. Explain how you found negative space in your cut out?

I found negative space in my cut out by mirroring the positive space. Whenever I cut something out in red I knew it would have to be mirror on the other side in orange. The red represents positive space and Orange represents the negative space. 

C. Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?

When an artist sees in negative space they are seeing other possibilities for their artwork.

D. Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?

Seeing in negative space adds an interesting effect on the drawing, in my opinion it adds perspective, it makes the viewer wonder what else is possible for a drawing. The contrast in the colors used does make the picture pop.


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IMG_20170430_145011

Week 3- Day 2-negative space cut out

Negative space is an area of an object that surrounds the main object of the picture. I found negative space in my cut out by looking at it and there was two different colors; one was light and the other was dark. The dark area was positive space and the light one was negative. So I cutted out the negative space. It helps artist to see in negative space because it is easier for them to see the main subject of the picture and it could be more eye catching to the viewers. I think seeing drawing in negative space does not enhance the drawing because it takes away alot of details in the pictures. 
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20170429_222702-01

Negative Space

Screenshot 2017-04-29 at 1.54.10 PM
Screenshot 2017-04-29 at 1.54.10 PM

Negative space is the area around the image that is the focus of the picture.

In order to find the negative space in my picture, I aligned all of the pieces on one side, and flipped over every other one from the outside, so that the cut out was a mirror image of the side opposite it.

Seeing an image in negative space is an important skill for an artist to have, as it can help to clearly visualize the overall form of the subject matter.

Seeing the negative space present in a drawing or any other type of visual art enhances the viewing experience, as it brings more contrast to the attention of the viewer.


Nostalgia and Self-Deception (2Fer #7)

“Remember the good old days? When things were fun, new, and interesting? Doesn’t everyone wish that they can turn back time, back to when things were better?” There’s a name for this kind of thinking— nostalgia. A blast from the past, something to take you out of the moment and back into the better days. Except, the days aren’t better. They might feel better, but that doesn’t make them actually better. The days now past, the days that have long since ended— they aren’t coming back. No amount of wishing will bring them back. Obsessing over it won’t help. In fact, it will only hurt, because the more one thinks about it, the more one yearns for those old days, the more they romanticize it, make it better than it was. It takes one out of the real world, and it stops them from moving forwards. The simple truth of the matter is that nostalgia, in the long run, is a negative emotion that makes people invest in and yearn for a past that never really happened, and takes them away from their present day life.

The good old days, as one might feel inclined to refer to them as, aren’t really so good after all. It’s almost invariably a fact. Something in the human mind forces them to see the past as better than the present, simply because the harsh now is where they’re living, so those fun times they remember must be preferable. Even when those days never even really happened. Take it from someone who actually experienced this firsthand. In her article criticizing the obsession with nostalgia, Bryony Gordon of The Telegraph writes, “…the segment where Chris Evans met Jeremy Clarkson came on. This was bad, because it made me feel nostalgic for Top Gear - which is odd, given I’ve never really watched it and it hasn’t actually gone away.” It should strike most as odd that someone could become nostalgic for a show that they never even really followed. Yet this happens all the time, to so many people. Someone reminds them of a show that was around when they were younger, and suddenly they enter the nostalgic state of reminiscing and missing, even though they only saw the show once or twice. Not only that, but like with Gordon, they refuse to acknowledge anything that seems like a “replacement.” They fail to look forwards and give new things a chance, because the only thing that they possibly could want is to return to the old version, the “better,” or rather, fantasized version of it.

When nostalgia seriously becomes a problem, however, is when it interferes with the present. This idea of the past always being better makes people believe that they absolutely must return to this better version, and that nothing can get in the way of that. They invest themselves in a glorified version of what’s happened, and refuse to see it as it really was. In an article written on psychology today by Neel Burton, M.D., he states that “If overindulged, nostalgia can give rise to a utopia that never existed and can never exist, but that is pursued at all costs, sapping all life and joy and potential from the present.” Instead of paying any attention to the future, these people try to live in the past. Happiness and success in life can only be found if someone is living in the present, looking forwards to what’s yet to come. Trapping oneself in a cycle of yearning for something that exists no longer will never result in joy or prosperity. It’s comparable to regret, wishing that you could go back in time, except instead of just wishing to change something, they wish to spend all their time there. It’s commonplace to hear talk about how moving on from past mistakes is good, since it’s unhealthy to think so much of them. So it should follow, then, that it would also be just as unhealthy— if not more— to spend so much time thinking about things, wishing to return to them. There will never be a way to return to those days, and the final result of the indulgence in nostalgia can only result in that realization. From that realization, sadness will inevitably come.

At the end of the day, no one can return to things, whether it would be good to or not. Regardless of if the past was so great or not, which it most likely was not, it can’t happen. So instead of spending so much wishing to go back to what they miss, they should let go. See the world for what it is now, and find things that can make them happy today. Not everything great is gone, just like how not everything bad happens in the present day. The past will always seem appealing if things are going poorly; people always miss what they no longer have. No person can ever travel backwards in time for these things. But no matter what, everyone travels forwards in time.


Work Cited:

  • Gordon, Bryony. "Why nostalgia is bad for your health." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 16 June 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2017. <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/

11675360/Why-nostalgia-is-bad-for-your-health.html>.

  • Burton, Neel. "The Meaning of Nostalgia." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 27 Nov. 2014. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.<https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/hide-and-seek/

201411/the-meaning-nostalgia>.


This is my best possible 2Fer, because normally, I have some difficulty explaining why my evidence proves my thesis. I provide the evidence that I find, and give a small amount of framing, however I don't always go in depth enough to portray in what ways this proves my thesis. As such, I focused on giving my evidence context and details, and explaining how this proves my thesis. With this in mind, I feel as though I was able to effectively argue my thesis, in ways that I had not done before.

Negative Space

Negative space could be defined as the space around the object, not the borders of the object itself. In my cut out, we can recognize the negative space as the purple part that is around the bird. Seeing negative space is very helpful for an artist because it allows to make the difference between the object and what’s around. Then, the artist can play with these elements to make a confusion. I also think that negative space enhance drawings because it makes a difference with the “classical drawings” and create the surprise while seeing what’s represented on another angle.

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Negative Space Cut Out

Negative space is the space around or between an image. Negative space can show other shapes that catch the viewer's eye. In my image the negative space is the space between the owl, so in this case it is the purple. It helps an artist to see in negative space because it can show the details of the image more. Seeing in negative space does enhance drawings because it makes the art more appealing to the eye by having viewers seeing more than than the actual image. By having negative space viewers can see shapes and other images beyond the main focus
image1 (7)
image1 (7)

Negative/Positive Space & Blog

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File_002

A. What is negative space (explain this concept to a fourth grader that has never heard of it)

If you draw an airplane, when you color outside the lines, the area you are coloring is known as negative space. when you are able to see the shape of your airplane, with no lines in the middle of the drawing, but coloring all around the outside of your plane.

B. Explain how you found negative space in your cut out?

When cutting the pieces out for my cut out, I just looked for the part of the drawing where the background was colored in and where I could only see an outline of the drawing there were no details on the inside of the drawing.

C. Why does it help an artist to see in negative space?

when an artist is drawing challenging parts to pictures they need to be able to get a general idea of how the shape of their drawing is going to look like, before they add detail. When you use negative space it allows the shape of our drawing to stand out and makes it easier for the artist to see what they are working with.

D. Does seeing in negative space enhance drawings, why or why not?

I think it really depends on what the artist is drawing and how well the artist can draw. Becuase negative space is just the areas around the outside of the drawing. negative space does help with making the inside of your drawing stand out, so that way your drawing looks like an outline of a certain shape. which can mean the more you make the inside pop out, the easier it is to draw details within later. However, I think the bigger aspect on what can enhance your drawing has to do with the amount of detail you put into a picture.

Negative Space Cut Out

Negative space is the space in a picture that surrounds the focal point of the drawing. For example, in my cut out, the house is the focal point. The blue space surrounding the house in the left side is the negative space in the photo. To find negative space in my cut out, I first had to cut out the outline of my house. Once that was done, I had to locate the other positive space within the photo and cut around it.Seeing in negative space helps an artist because it draws the focal point of a drawing out, it makes it really pop in a sense. Seeing in negative space also enhances a drawing because of this.


FullSizeRender (15)
FullSizeRender (15)

Negative Space

FullSizeRender.jpg

Negative space is the space around an image in art. Say if you have a picture of a black dot on the middle of a piece of white paper. The black dot is the positive space and the white space around it is the negative space. In my picture above there is a mixture of positive and negative space. I found the negative space by seeing what makes the image of the tree pop out, the green. Seeing in negative space helps an artist  see the image clearly, negative space emphasizes the positive space.  Negative space can enhance drawings. The contrast between two colors make the image pop out. The negative and positive can create different textures in the piece. Negative space is a unique way to make your art pop!


Negative and positive space cut out

Negative space is when you have a picture that has one main part shaded in or around the picture. Just look at my image, see how the green gives out the shape of the bird. The green is the positive space and the black is the negative space.


I found negative space by tracing out the outline and moving key detailed parts to give it it’s dimensions.


It helps them by giving them the shape of the image so now they can later add detail.


Yes it gives an overview of the image.
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HIV/AIDS: Not a Laughing Matter

Hello, my name is Shyann Davis and I am going to Science Leadership Academy. For my You & The World project I want to speak on the topic of HIV/AIDs. HIV is also known as Human Immunodeficiency Virus and AIDs are known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. They are both transmitted through unprotected sex. This can be through anal and vaginal sex. Having oral sex isn’t very common to give someone HIV/AIDs but it is still strongly recommended to have protection and make sure you are checked to see if you have HIV/AIDs. This is a very serious topic that not many people know about. Some know much, but others know very little. Many people would feel uncomfortable talking about protection, sex, and the risks of unprotected sex, so my goal for this project is to spread awareness of HIV/AIDs   so people can learn some of the risks of having unprotected sex.


What is hiv hands
What is hiv hands
What is HIV and How Can You Test For Prevention

An STD is a sexually transmitted disease that you can get from having unprotected or underprotected sex. HIV/AIDS are different types of STDs. HIV stands for human immunodeficiency virus. Over 1.2 million people that live in the United States have HIV or AIDS but only 156,300 don’t even know they have it. People from ages 13 to 64 are tested for HIV and AIDS only once, during a routine check up. 45,000 people are diagnosed, and 30% of them live with people who are undiagnosed.  If someone is infected, they can get a treatment called “antiretroviral therapy”, or ART for short. This treatment clears away almost 96% of the transmitted HIV. Unfortunately, it doesn’t get rid of the disease completely, but it does slow it downes long enough to stop it from spreading with a combination of pills to eventually stop it from spreading. Knowing what HIV is is important because many people don’t even know what HIV/AIDS are. They thought that if they had sex with a person who had HIV/AIDS that they wouldn’t get it either. Some even thought having oral sex doesn’t give them HIV/AIDS but it can create many problems even if it’s at a very low risk. Making sure everyone is aware of what HIV/AIDS are and how to prevent them from happening, or if they already have them can learn the treatment is very important.

Increased and Decreasing The Risk

Having unprotected sex is one way to increase the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. Another way would be sharing needles with someone. This means after someone has used a needle and you use it after them. This can higher the risk of getting other fattail infections as well. Some ways to decrease the risk would be abstinence. This means waiting a while before going into something. The longer you wait to have sexual intercourse, the less partners you have, and the less likely you will get HIV/AIDS. Other ways you can lower the risk is if you use a condom with lubricants, taking medicine to prevent HIV/AIDS, and simply getting tested to make sure you don’t have it. Knowing how the risk of getting HIV/AIDS can increase and decrease is very important. If someone is sexually active they need to know how to use protection and getting tested. If they don’t know this they have a great risk of passing or receiving HIV/AIDS. They need to know what they can do to prevent them from getting HIV/AIDS.

HIV/AIDS are spread through semen (the male reproductive fluid), breast milk, blood, vaginal and rectal fluids, and pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum). It is also spread by being with someone who has HIV/AIDS, sharing food with someone with HIV/AIDS, deep open mouth kissing, and touching broken skin. It is not spread by water or air, insects, sharing a toilet, touching your “social” kissing your partner, and sharing water fountains.

This is important to know so many people can prevent themselves from getting this. They can stay even safer than they are now. If you have ever had an open wound, someone else had an open wound, and they both touch, there was a chance you could have gotten HIV/AIDS. People need to know this information. Like if someone doesn’t know that oral sex could get you HIV/AIDS because they didn’t know it could be transferred through rectal and vaginal fluids. This is very important.

What Are AIDS

AIDS are known as acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and just like HIV they are a type of STD. It is a late stage of HIV. Just like for HIV, AIDS have no cure but the same treatment as any STD. If someone has AIDS their body is much too weak to be immune to the disease because this STD has already destroyed your immune system.

It is good to know about this because then you can know both about HIV and AIDS and not just one. Knowing about the different side effects of AIDS and what it can do is just as important as knowing the side effects of HIV. These types of STD are very similar, but have very different consequences.

nine and a half
nine and a half

Littering-- Killing us from the inside out

http://pixar.wikia.com/wiki/Earth_(WALL%E2%80%A2E)


Look at this concept of Earth. Try and name Differences between that planet and planet Earth.


This is planet Earth in the movie WALL-E. As you can see, it is showing North America but look at all the trash in the atmosphere and how there's no green anywhere on that planet. You can also notice how there is no polar ice cap in the north of the planet, Because of all the trash and pollution Global Warming took it's course and the ice caps most likely melted. As some of you probably know WALL-E is set in the future, and that future can be set in motion for us as well. Our Earth will look all but the same as WALL-E’s version, all because of us littering. The heaps of trash I see now will soon become the towers trash in our future. The pictures below are too compare the differences between a cartoon and a street in India. It isn’t right that people have to see that in our world. People having to clean YOUR trash. This is showing that if we keep going down the path we’re going down. I t will look the same as WALL-E’s


  


As of right now the earth isn’t where it should be with the trash problem. In india there is really bad places filled with trash and litter. Information about this street is here.


As you can see what this littering is doing to certain people and countries in this world.


How I Try as of Now to Prevent Littering


There is too much litter in the world for one person to clean themselves. So whenever I see someone drop litter onto the ground You’ll always see me pick it up no matter what. And once I pick it up I tell them the same speech I said above about WALL-E. Maybe not word for word but still. My mother always told me to never let go of trash and let it go in the streets. She always said, “Bad people make the world Ugly, there's lots of bad people here, which is why it's so dirty.” I guess when I was younger I saw that as, if I let the trash go I’m a bad person which is true.


What I am Going to do in the Future


For this project I’m gonna see how many people litter in my neighborhood in a park. I will see their age, and gender, and make a conclusion to see which type of people litter the most. Also see what they litter. Is it mainly small pieces of trash or larger things.