In our English class we were given a project call Passion,Information Change : You and the world. In this project we become people called the agents of change . We  focus on an issue in the world we would like to change and than we go out into the world and try to change it   in the best we know possible .  The issue I am focusing on is “The difference between Snitching and Speaking out “. My project is called  “Unchain the voice”. When you hear this , the first thing that might come to your mind is bullying, speaking up  and out . Well it is, some of the way. Not totally though .   It is more about how to define the terms for ourselves and use them in positive instead of negative ways .  Snitching is a negative term that only in riches criminals. “ - Robert Watson  Speaking out  is a term that brings justice  to others and even yourself .  I choose this topic because  people have  bent the definition so many times that I believe people have forgotten the true meanings.  We need to be educated about it and be ready for when the time comes to identify it .    Identify it may be easy once you practice it but acting on it is going to be the difficult part.

 The issue we face   is all over the world . We see it in schools and on the street and in jails and prisons the most . Snitching is to keep from justice happening . For example , you see one  your best friend push a kid to the floor but you say nothing . You chain your voice up because that is your best friend . Why don’t you say anything ? Why don’t you get help? What are you afraid of?  I can explain , the consequences that follow up with the voice that is unchained. You lose respect but why ?  This is why I want to educate young people about the issue before it gets to out of control .  Keeping a secret for a friend ,,,, to witnessing or hearing something that can cause harm to yourself or someone else is wrong. It is time to unchain the voices .  We unchain by finding one key at a time .

Fig 1: This is our  voices when we   speak out to help others or ourselves . This is when  we use our voices for the right cause. We don’t just free the voice but our own selves from restraint . We speak out . We do not snitch  . Snitch is only a negative term that empowers those who do not have the power to bring justice on themselves .

fig 2 : symbolizes the rhyme. Snitches get stiches . A lot of people probably thought it was a stupid rhyme to probably keep you  quiet from telling the truth .  The rhyme did have some truth to it though . Much truth probably  . The consequences of bringing someone to justice may not always be  always sometimes physical  depends on your situation and your surroundings . The consequences in high  school or a lower school may be that you get left out , labeled a snitch , and you might lose friends. So why do it ? What if you don’t do it . Consequences will come in all types and forms but only leaders can  handle the pressure of speaking out not snitching speaking out .  So will you lead or will you follow for someone else to suffer the consequence of you saying nothing at all.

figure 3: We spoke about all the things before .  Breaking the chain and the consequences for it  but just think about your reward. Just reach out your hands up and say I can use my voice. You have to believe before you can actually do it .  You will earn a good reputation for being accountable .  Speak out and finally be free.

At this point I wonder about people responses and what they think about snitching and speaking out. I wonder if this issue even crossed their mind or did they even think this was an issue at all . I wonder if people will agree and try to stop or fight against what I am saying because of past experiences,  I want to know if an unchained voice to them is better chained.

http://www.stopbullying.gov/what-is-bullying/

http://www.snitching.org/p/ini.html

In our English class we are doing a project that is called You and the World. Basically this project is when the students in our ninth grade English class were we research deeper into societal issues of today, and look more into what we can do to help the problem or get closer to ending it.

What my You and the World project is about is Teen Stress. I chose this topic to research in one because, I didn't a lot of other topics in mind. But more importantly two, because this is a problem that I face myself and see a lot of other teenagers around me struggle with as well and I see this a big problem in our society the is overlooked a lot of times, and can be hard for people to deal with.

The reason I am interested in this project because I think that some of the studies show some really crazy things that you would have never thought of. We all know that adults always have a lot on their plates to deal with ranging from bills and things to even taking care of their own child. But could you think through all of that your child has a higher stress level than the adult. Now you may be thinking well they are an adult they know how to deal with that better, but it is still a valid problem, and teenagers should be able to get the help earlier in their lives so they will be able to deal with it.

This image is showing actually displayed a mostly accurate portrayal of a lot of the things that can cause teen stress.

You see a good amount of these things do not really actually involve the teen but is more of a mental thing. Like the fitting in, or the expectations. These are things that can be problematic for some, but it just takes someone to be there for them and help them out when they are feeling a little down. Like the fitting in, I don’t think people should worry about fitting in with everyone else and maybe just get more of quality friends than quantity of friends. And expectations can be a really hard one for people because I have to deal with this problem all the time in my life, and it happens when people know how well you can do and push you to always do that 120% amount of work that they know you can, and that is very stressful on people. Because we start to feel like if we don’t meet the expectations that we aren't doing good enough. I think that people should be able to work as much as what is comfortable with them and be able to push themselves sometimes, which is different from always having someone do it for you.

Since I have already done a good deal of research on my topic, I am starting to ponder upon many different ideas that we could do to help teens deal with stress that they have so that maybe we can bring the level down from a 5.8/10 to the average of 3.9/10. Whether it be from something as large making everyone teen instantly nice to each other and make everyone get along. To something like spreading awareness enough so that it reaches out to the genuinely nice people who might take time out of their own day to help a teen or anyone for that matter not feel as stressed or depressed.

Annotated Bibliography

Gun Violence. Something that could affect you, your family, and community. I hear a lot about fatal shootings on the news, from people, and social media. I could have lost my cousin because he was a victim of gun violence. He was shot four times, and I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to see him again. This is something that goes through the minds of millions of people throughout the world each day when they learn that a loved one is a victim of gun violence. But what are we going to do about it? Are we going to just sit around and let this happen to young men and women? There are so many reasons why this is happening. You can find these reasons in your own backyard. We may think if this does not happen to us or are family we are fine. But maybe the neighborhood you live in isn’t.  How do you know if you are safe or not? Is Philly a safe place to be? Is your neighborhood a safe place ? Or even better, are you mindful of your surroundings and what’s going on in the environment you live in? Are there ways of preventing this from happening in the city of Philadelphia? Come along with me on my journey to learn more about this topic on my “You and The World’ project to make Philadelphia and your neighborhood a safer and happier place to be.

At the close of 2014, Philadelphia was ranked #4 overall in number of gun murders with 729 people being killed throughout the United States. This is out of more than 35,000 cities and towns in the US that Philadelphia was listed fourth.  Above please see the statistics as it relates to gun shooting victims in the months of January through September in 2014.  The graph below shows the number of shooting victims by for each day in the month of August of 2014.

http://guncrisis.org/category/statistics/

The statistics help to paint the picture of how severe this problem in our city.There was some hope for Philadelphians in January of 2015 when Tom Wolf was installed as the Governor of Pennsylvania.  Prior to being elected, Governor Wolf was endorsed by CeasefirePA, the leading gun control group in Pennsylvania.  Governor Wolf has taken a strong stance on gun issues in the state of Pennsylvania which will have a direct impact on Philadelphia.  Here are some of the changes that would possibly take place based on Governor Wolf’s stance:

• Governor Wolf supports expanding gun background checks to include the private sale of both rifles and shotguns.

• Governor Wolf supports background checks for the purchase of ammunition. This would mean that anytime you needed ammunition, you’d have to have a background check.

• Governor Wolf is also open to providing support for bills requiring businesses to have a license to sell or transfer ammunition.

• Governor Wolf is considered requiring all firearms, not just handguns and pistols, to have locking devices on them.

• Governor Wolf opposes national reciprocity, which means those people who are hoping to be able to cross state lines and still have their permit to carry concealed valid, are probably not going to see it during his term.

These are just a few of the stances that Governor Wolf has proposed to take as it relates to gun issues in Pennsylvania.  These stances would not only affect those that legally carry firearms but also the suppliers.  This brings hope for our city and our communities.  I am hopeful that better control through regulations and stricter background checks, we can begin to seek to remedy this problem in our city, hopefully save some lives, and be known as we should be “Philadelphia- The City of Brotherly Love.  

Throughout learning and gathering further information on my topic, I hope to educate you on gun issues in Philadelphia, and what to be aware of in your neighborhood. I am ready and looking forward to helping to make a difference in Philadelphia for you and to be in a healthier and safer place as we should be.

To read my bibliography click here: )!

I am doing my project on the philadelphia Police department and their handlings of complaints made by the public. The issue that I wish to address and make more aware to people is that The Philadelphia Police Department, is an organization that oversees one of the largest cities in the U.S, yet thousands upon thousands of complaints ranging from stealing to shooting unarmed people. These complaints, when they are made are filed with the Police Advisory Commission. However, Internal Affairs is how the PPD chooses to investigate these claims. But they rarely ever release these documents to the public, despite the freedom of information that still holds in our society today.

  This is an issue because the usual outcomes of these cases. The Police officers are not given any punishment in most cases. Most recent to come to light is the story of Brandon Tate Brown. He was shot in the back of the head by a police officer. In all of these big influential cases police departments have always made the facts of the case public. The Brandon Tate-Brown case was handed out completely the opposite. The way that case was handled is just one of many ways that the Police Department has done the citizens of Philadelphia a great injustice. The way that I intend is to show this is through three steps: Interviews, Outreach and Conveying the message

 First I will interview three different people who all have different roles in the problems with the police department. First I will interview the chair of the Police Advisory Commision, Kelvyn Anderson. He can show the board’s view on the public affairs and handlings of the Police. Second I will interview a police officer. I have decided to talk to the police officer in charge of Public Affairs, John Stanford to see if he can get me in touch with an officer willing to talk to me. Then I will interview an Activist who is voiced in the problems of this particular problem that the PPD seems to have.Then I will do community outreach. All I have to do is take a handful of students and see what knowledge they know of this issue. Then proceed to show them my project and hope that by influencing them in any way that I can show them the problem so that they might become aware of it and try to help improve it.

Brandon Tate-Brown. 26 year old man shot by a police officer. There were no charges made on the man.

Kelvyn Anderson Head of the Police Advisory Commission

Technology is amazing and benefits everyone exponentially. Though, sometimes we depend on it way too much. We use tech for everything. For example, talking to other people from anywhere in the world, transportation, research and mainly entertainment, basically everything we do is based around technology. These days people don’t need to talk face to face they can just text each other or talk on the phone. It’s basically taking over the minds of everyone. This topic interests me because technology is something that is really important in our daily life that people can’t go one day without using any form of technology. There are many negative side effects of abusing the technology we use today that people don’t even realize until they are hurt by it. There are at least twenty five negative effects technology has on human beings. One of the main issues that technology has over everyone is isolation. Isolation is the lack of contact with other people in normal daily living. Such as hanging out with friends, at your job, or any other physical activities that don’t have to deal with technology. 

Studies show that people who are normally isolated by technology are most likely to die prematurely regardless of your health issues. We humans can isolate ourselves in numerous ways, one being listening to music. Music takes a big part in the isolation the minds of the people. Almost everywhere you go no matter where you are you see someone on their cellular device, on a laptop, listening to their music isolating themselves from the real world.

Another major effect that technology has on humans today is the lack of focus and shortening of the intention span. Studies show that today people average intention span can go for about five minutes, but about ten years ago it was twelve. It mainly affects the young more negatively than the elderly. Since teens and children these days have social media like Facebook, Instagram, and twitter they are all caught up in what's going on there that they lose focus on the important things. About 25% of people forget the names of close friends and relatives. About four years ago in the UK 1.6 billion dollars of damage was caused by the lack of concentration. Mostly people forgetting their pots and pans on the stove which causes a fire ruining their entire lives. The over using of technology can be a very dangerous thing. Scientist say that it remodels the way our brains work, but not in a good way.

As we move closer into the future and technology starts to progress, would it get worse from here on out. Thinking about all the horrible possibilities that technology can do to us will it move us forward or take us back. Eventually people won’t even have to leave their house to go to work or go shopping. Online school is now a thing so you don’t even have to leave your own bedroom. Yes, technology makes everything easier and faster but in the long run is it really helping us? Soon enough everything will be digital and technology will destroy the minds of everyone.

Annotated Bibliography

My topic is about Teen Suicide. The reason why I’m interested in this particular topic is because I tried to commit suicide before. Just because I attempted to kill myself, really does not explain why I’m really interested in this topic. I’m interested in this topic because ever since I found myself a reasonable way out, I feel like helping out others who struggle to find that escape. Seeing someone who goes through problems and not have any type of help ticks me off at times. The reason why this is important is because teens around the world have given up their lives without seeing the further future. Approximately 4,600 lives are lost each year. The top three method are 45% firearm, 40% suffocation,and 8% poisoning. Now teen suicide is the eighth-leading cause of death overall in the U.S. and it is the third-leading cause of death for young people between the ages of 15-24 years old.  It is the fourth-leading cause of death for kids between the ages of 10-14 years old. Alright you may think just because it’s in the third/fourth/eighth-leading cause of death shows that it isn’t important, but it is because it may not be the first-leading cause of death but it’s at least in the top ten-leading cause death. Incase you were interested in helping here are some teen suicide warning signs: Disinterest in favorite extracurricular activities, Substance abuse, including the use of alcohol and drugs, Behavioral problems, Sleep changes, Eating changes, Etc. Most of these signs may not appear of out the thin blue, most people will keep it hidden like I did. This is important for you guys to know because for all we know they maybe a person whos thinking about committing suicide and you have a split chance to stop them. It is also important for you guys because just in case the person isn’t your friend you should at least go out try to stop them of thinking about it.Most people will intend to get closer to the person whos thinking about committing suicide, but that may make the person uncomfortable or more liking disturbed. Below you’ll find a picture of a suicide prevention ribbon. They’re two types of ribbon created for suicide prevention awareness. What I hope to learn about continuing doing this topic is hopefully finding out records of how many lives have been taken in the past decade for different categories one for the ages between 10-14, another for 15-24, and compared if the ives have increased or decreased between each group set. I wonder if there are any other type of signs about suicidal people besides the list I read. I also wonder how many suicidal people go out and ask for help instead if staying hidden. I also wonder how many suicidal people got acknowledge after the death. Through this project I hope I get the chance to see the data records of how many suicidal people turn themselves into a mental state hospital or someone helping out and turning in the suicidal person into a mental state hospital or going to therapist.

For my English class passion project, I decided to delve into the world of women’s reproductive freedom. This includes topics like abortion, birth control, and sex education. Reproductive freedom for women is not something that I think should be an issue in this country. It amazes me that our society has twisted into a place where women cannot always control what happens to their bodies. (Maybe I should say twisted back, because twenty years ago, women had full rights to abortion and were not being taught an abstinence-only sex education.) I am interested in this topic because it is one that may very easily affect me as a young woman. I would like to know exactly what we future mothers and partners have access to and what rights we have regarding our own bodies, and I think it is important for my generation to understand these things so we can rise to our full potential and fight for ourselves.

I am pro-choice but anti-abortion. Though the procedure itself is one of the safest ones available, I can completely understand how some consider it “murder.” The idea of killing a growing baby inside a woman’s body is one that we all cringe at, no matter our political tendencies. However, I believe that since birth and motherhood are such unbelievably weighty things, the decision of what to do with an unwanted pregnancy should always be a choice; women everywhere should not have to keep a baby for which they truly believe they could not care. The decision is already such a fiercely personal and difficult one, and to have some politicians waving their fingers at a woman and telling her she will go to Hell if she gets an abortion is beyond maddening. Currently, one in three women around the world has an abortion, though this number may be decreasing since access to abortion clinics is becoming more and more limited. (Also, does Hell really have room for one-third of our planet’s females?)

If the people behind pro-life organizations and campaigns were mostly women, I think this would be a more fair fight (though, realistically, no fight would really exist). However, this is not the case.

The panel for the House Oversight and Government Reform committee hearing on birth control access

This infuriating picture is of a committee overhearing a case about birth control by an all male panel. A panel of people who will never, ever be able to become pregnant; they will never be the victim of rape and then have to live with the occasional consequence of a baby, or become accidentally pregnant at the age of fifteen. Yes, an abortion is ideally a decision made by both parents, not just the woman, but in the end, it is the woman’s body that suffers, and has to bear the child; the man is able to simply walk away, while the woman is not.

The entire cycle by the government is one that is unwinnable. More conservative politicians claim they want no abortions, but then limit access to sex education and decent contraceptives, resulting in more unwanted pregnancies, further resulting in more desire for abortions. Moreover, women who decide not to get an abortion (like the government and these politicians want) end up receiving very little support from their states. Basically, the government is saying, “Don’t get an abortion and keep your baby...what, you want help with that baby since you are single, already have four kids, and are working for under minimum wage? Pfft. No way.”

I would like to learn more about what my generation of young women can do to ensure we have control of what happens to our bodies. I want to know how the government chooses who is in charge of our reproductive freedom laws and how this fight can be made more fair. My knowledge of how the government functions is very minimal, and I’d like to figure out who exactly is behind the choices regarding reproductive freedom.

(Senate Candidate Todd Akin claiming that women can control when they become pregnant - people like this, with such an inaccurate idea of how the female body functions is attempting to make decisions regarding our reproductive freedom and rights)

Annotated Bibliography

North Korea, dangerous enemies of western civilization or oppressed underdogs?

Kim Jong Un, a tyrannical dictator, or just a guy with an ego problem?

What really is North Korea? Why should we be scared of this tiny country on the other side of the world? The answer is; I don't know. I do know that I want to find out more about this potential problem.

This wildcard of a country, it intrigues me. Its mysterious and powerful, or is it? I wonder about why we(America) don't just take a couple missiles and eradicate this nasty spot on the canvas of the world. The answer is simple; they hold strong economic ties. Waging war with North Korea would be waging war with China and Russia also, it would start World War Three and that simply is not an option. No one wants war especially us, as a generally ‘happy’ and peaceful country. But that is only the cover to the book of war with North Korea, within the pages we find a less obvious but almost as dangerous form of war: Cyber-Terrorism.

I am curious about how the general public views North Korea, and how much they know (if anything) about the country. With the online release of the film The Interview, (after threats from North Korea to bomb theaters that played the film) my guess is that the only information people gathered from the film was that No rth Korea was a joke and not to be taken seriously. I think people should be more informed about this country, because while small they still hold great potential danger.

After doing some research I isolated a few of the problems North Korea presents to us in the U.S.A. these include but are not limited to: They will not cooperate with our requests, including refusing to cancel their nuclear tests after being demanded too mutiple times. North Korea has also been known to throw propagandic insults at other world leaders, in this article from The Guardian, ¨North Korea called the South Korean president a “crafty prostitute” in thrall to her “pimp” Barack Obama who, in a related editorial, was called a “wicked black monkey”¨.

Not only is this country an annoyance, they seem to be telling their people how ‘evil’ freedom of speech and democracy is.

Overall I have learned that this country, while it certainly holds the potential to be dangerous, I do not think it has been so yet. I am slightly scared of this country, and worry about what the future will hold for this ticking time bomb. Until then we all appear to be safe.

Elias

Have you ever heard someone say a belief and it enables you to respond quickly? Most likely you are responding quickly to the situation because you may have had a similar experience to it before. Stereotypes are generalized beliefs about a particular group or class of people. In my words they are opinionated facts formed from common observations. It seems like all stereotypes are based off opinions referring to a Teen Ink post.

A stereotype has the advantage to judge a certain group or class of people based of off multiple encounters. It has a disadvantage to make people ignore differences between individuals. They allow us to think things about people that may or may not be true; this is called being stereotypical. Most stereotypes tend to reveal a negative impression or message. Positive stereotypes are rare. There is no such thing as a positive stereotype because they are all based judges about a particular group. This is only my opinion. It seems like all issues in the world are formed off of opinions.

I am interested in this topic because it is not a common study. As said in the NY Times stereotypes are issues involving ignorance, racism, and hypocrisy. The main focus here is how stereotypes affect youth. How does one become aware of a stereotype? Do they understand the effects of it? I plan to discover more issues involving this topic. Also, I hope to gather as much information as I can from people willing to share their experiences.

Annotated Bibliography

For my Passion, Information, and change, I have chosen to do my project about labeling women. This topic was my biggest interest, because it seems to be a common issue, and the spotlight put upon it, is not very bright.

Now and days, it seems as if every woman has a name that is not her own, and it’s based off other people’s opinions. Whether sexual or not, calling a female a name can easily make it seem as if that woman is below you in authority wise or just in general. In most cases, the labels are sexual and sometimes do not even fit the person who that label is being put on. For example, calling a female a hoe or a slut, and for all you know that female could be a virgin. A lot of words similar to slut and hoe, have also been commonly used and given to women. Although they all have different meanings, they still revolve around this sexual idea.

Source: Stop Labeling Women: tumblr

For Image above: Why should we have names other than our own, and just be who we want to be?

One word that has developed in many people’s vocabulary is the word ¨thot.¨ The funny thing is that it’s not even a word, it is an acronym. It stands for ¨That hoe over there.¨ Again, giving a female a sexual named based off of her appearance that does not always seem to match, just degrades the person she is. In most cases, people who use these type of terms, do not even know the real definition of them. Women who defend themselves suddenly become feminist, and are labeled sexist.¨Who decided that you can’t be a feminist if you appreciate a man opening a door for you? Who made the call that you aren’t strong and independent if you are in a relationship? Who told us that we can’t be freaked out by spiders and be Wonder Woman at the same time? We can do whatever we want, and it’s time that we stopped trying to define ourselves and each other, and spent more time on simply just being our authentic selves,¨ according to an article from Hello Giggles.

Source: Stop Labeling Women

Image above: Not every label you give a woman has to be sexual, but it still can degrade who they are.¨Women describe being given gender-specific labels with negative connotations when they work hard or perform well – where, they ask, are the male equivalents for phrases such as ‘ball-breaker’, ‘battleaxe’ or ‘harridan’? Meanwhile labels like ‘doll’, ‘baby’ and ‘sweetie’ infantilise women,¨ according to The Independent.

This issue is very significant, because with these labels put on women, it affects how their performance is seen at work. In this case, it prevents women from being in a healthy relationship, get a good job, and even have a good social life. One label or a million, you are not allowing someone to be themselves without having to be put into a certain category.