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Showing posts with label Essay. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Essay. Show all posts

Monday, May 16, 2016

UNFAIR


The second unit in my Policy class was called Execute, and we learned about the purpose and powers the executive branch has and how those powers have been executed throughout history. The second Action Project asked us to pick a war and take a position on whether the U.S. involvement in that war was justified or not. What I struggled with was timing with this project. I felt like this essay was really rushed, and required a lot of research. I struggled with the research; it was hard finding certain information about World War II, but I pushed myself not to give up. What I am most proud of is my writing and how I’m developing as a writer. Overall, I enjoyed writing this essay because it pushed me a lot. I just wish I had more time to complete it. I found out more information about World War II that was really interesting to learn about. Hope you guys enjoy! 


Rosenthal, Joe. Flag raising on Iwo Jima. 1945. Web. May 2016. 
World War II took place across the globe with most of the combat occurring in Europe, East Asia, islands in the Pacific Ocean, Madagascar, and the Aleutian Islands. Countries such as Poland, China, Russia, and Germany were the main countries that suffered the most during this war. World War II began September 1, 1939 with the rise of Adolf Hitler and his followers in Germany. Adolf Hitler had two main goals, which was the forcible acquisition of Lebensraum, for the German people, the second was the Final Solution . The United States did not join the war, however, until after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The immediate causes of World War II for America were Japan’s attacks and more calls for this country to help end the holocaust. The underlying causes were defeating the dictatorship of Hitler, his growing empire, and the power of Nazism (the U.S. is pro-democracy) The U.S., finally helped intervene in the holocaust. The first concentration camp the U.S. freed was on April 4, 1945 but was slow to act; it took the U.S. years to help Jews and other victims. Hitler had taken over large parts of Europe and was advancing, had even bombed England! The U.S. had to act to protect itself and allies from his onward march and the U.S. joined WWII on December 7, 1941 after President Franklin Roosevelt persuaded Congress that the nation needed to fight. President Roosevelt worked hard to prepare Americans for the conflict. In November 1939, he persuaded Congress to repeal the arms and trade provisions of the Neutrality Law so that arms could be sold to France and Britain, U.S. allies After the fall of France to the Nazis in the spring of June 1940, President Roosevelt pushed for a major military buildup and began providing aid in the form of Lend-Lease to Britain. America, he declared, became "the great arsenal of democracy" by helping his allies fight back against Hitler.

One major tactic during World War II was technology and advanced military weapons. America began to produce hundreds of thousands of tanks, airplanes, and ships for itself and its allies to have Allied success. The U.S. was dominating the skies with planes like the P-51 Mustang fighter and the Boeing B-29 Superfortress. At the same time, the Nazis were experimenting with jet aircraft, while the Japanese were working on intercontinental bombers. Many policies were made during this war, President Roosevelt proposed the Good Neighbor Policy, and it went through. The Good Neighbor policy was the foreign policy of the administration of United States towards Latin America. The policy's main principle, was motivated by economics. By 1933, the world was in the depths of the worst economic depression in history, known as the Great Depression. The Good Neighbor Policy allowed the U.S. to revise trade relations with major Latin American nations. The Good Neighbor Policy would not only help the U.S. replace its Axis-Power economic trade with that of the largest and wealthiest Latin American countries like Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico, but it would also bring those countries into a military alliance with the United States. This policy did not have consequences during this war but later on in other wars it did. World War II was definitely a unfair war, millions of innocent lives were taken. The U.S. could've acted quicker, but it took years because of equipment issues. I hope America has learned from all War mistakes and realizes that war isn't the answer. 



Citations: 

Franklin D. Roosevelt: Domestic Affairs. millercenter.orgWilliam E. Leuchtenburg. Web. 14 May, 2016. 

WWII Military tactics. www.quora.com. N.P.2014. Web. 12 May, 2016. 

World War II. history.com. N.P. N.D. Web 11 May, 2016. 

Sunday, February 23, 2014

Slowly dying!


The purpose of this Action Project was to find the carbon footprint that I create with my lifestyle. I also had to find three actions to reduce the carbon that I put in the atmosphere, and in order to show this information, I created a diagram that shows all of the actions I will take. This also relates to one of the Field Experiences that we went on during this term. We went to the Robert W. Galvin Center for Electricity Innovation, and we learned how they power their whole community with renewable energy. They talked about how renewable energy is going to be big in a few years. I think that is eye-opening that one part of Chicago is already taking steps to try to save our Planet. Just as the Galvin Center is trying to take steps to save our Planet, I am sharing my action plan below, so that even individual people can make a difference. The challenging part of this Action Project was getting my carbon information. What I found most interesting was how much carbon I actually put into the atmosphere. I was surprised by the information, because I produce a lot of carbon, so imagine how much the whole world produces. What I am most proud of is how my essay came out because I think I have good information for people to go off of.

Created by JV 2014*
Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment , which cause adverse change. Pollution can be released into the atmosphere by breathing, gas being given off from livestock, burning fossil fuels, volcanoes, and fracking. Most of these pollutants are man-made, and the only way to stop it is for us to change the way we live.

Carbon dioxide is one pollutant that is warming the Earth’s atmosphere and dramatically changing our climate. My individual information will provide some reasons why this is happening. According to the “Footprint Calculator,” I release about 22.1 tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. High levels of carbon are affected by the food I eat, shelter, mobility, and goods. My lifestyle is being supported by 23 global acres of Earth’s productive area, and if everyone lived like me, we would need 5.2 Planet Earth’s to provide enough resources.

My lifestyle is equal to the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as 4.2 passenger vehicles, while my carbon dioxide is equal to 2,248 gallons of gasoline consumed. That is a lot of vehicles and gasoline for one person, so can you imagine the world living like me? We would not have an Earth to live on!

In order to reduce my carbon footprint, I will have to change my lifestyle so that I can produce less carbon annually. I pledge to:

  • Reduce the amount of animal products I currently eat by half. I frequently eat beef, chicken, and dairy. Livestock such as these release the greenhouse gas methane into the air. By reducing the amount or animal products I eat by half, I will reduce the number of Planet Earth’s by 0.4! ( from 5.2 planets to 4.8). This will reduce my CO2 emissions from 22.1 tons to 21.4 tons. 
  • Purchase products that use less packaging or made out of 100% post-consumer recycled content material. As waste decomposes, it produces methane, which increases global warming. By reducing waste and recycling, I will reduce the number of Planets Earth’s by 0.7! (From 4.8 to 4.5 planets). Recycling will reduce my CO2 emissions from 21.4 tons to 18.6 tons!
  • Switch to solar panels for electricity in my home. By switching to solar panels that give pure energy from the sun, I will help to combat greenhouse gas emissions and global warming and reduce fossil fuels. I will reduce number of Planets Earth's by 0.2! (From 4.5 to 3.9 planets). Using solar panels will reduce my CO2 emissions from 18.6 tons to 16.4 tons!

Even if I follow with all of the actions listed above, I cannot eliminate my carbon emissions completely. Another way I could offset carbon from my lifestyle is to invest in an emissions reduction project that will capture and store greenhouse gases, preventing their release into the atmosphere. To eliminate carbon that I produce, I would have to plant 514 trees and here is why: Scientists have found that 1 urban tree will remove 0.039 metric tons of carbon from the atmosphere. As mentioned previously, I produce 20.1 metric tons of carbon annually. If we use the conversion formula, we find that it takes 514 trees planted to remove 20.1 metric tons of carbon.

20.1 metric tons (1 tree/0.039 metric tons) = 20.1/0.039 = about 514 trees.

By taking these actions listed above, I would reduce my carbon footprint from 5.2 to 3.9 planets. In terms of carbon, it would decrease from 22.1 tons to 16.4 tons. That is 4.7 tons less carbon in the atmosphere. I would make the world a cleaner place if I follow through with my three actions. I would need to plant 514 trees to remove these emissions. All of these actions will be challenging, but I am willing to try, because we need to reduce our carbon ppm from 400 to 350. If we don't, future generations will not be able to survive in such a polluted climate.


Work cited:

“Air pollution.” National Geographic. 1996-2014. Web. 16 Feb. 2014

“Clean Energy: Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator.” U.S Environmental Protection Agency. n.d. Web. 14 Feb. 2014.

“Footprint Calculator.” Global Footprint Network. Sept. 2011. Web . 14 Feb. 2014.

Thursday, February 20, 2014

Till I see you again.


The purpose of this Action Project for my Humanities class, Who am I? was to find a important dream and analyze it for its meaning. My dream was about my grandfather and how he is sending me a message. The most challenging part about this Action Project was writing about my grandfather. What I am most proud of is my dream catcher, it means a lot to me and I love how it came out. 

Photography JV PEACE 2014*
The center of my dream catcher symbolizes peace and love. I want my life to be full of happiness and my bliss is anything that I love doing. When I am asleep my unconscious sends me messages in the form of dreams. I want these dreams to lead my life in the right direction. In the middle of my dream catcher is a heart to symbolize my love for my family. The colors of my dream catcher is mainly light neutral colors. I chose colors like that because they make me feel calm and safe. I wanted the center of my dream catcher look like a star because I really like how that design looks. The star has six points and I put 6 beads in the middle. The points of the star and the beads symbolize the number of people in my family. The six feathers represent my family that I want each member of my family to be safe.

Photography JV PEACE 2014*

I attached a 6” dream catcher on the bottom of the 8” one to symbolize my grandfather because I feel like he is still with us, and he watching over my family. For his dream catcher I put 15 beads representing his children and grandchildren. To symbolize negative elements I tied knots in my dream catcher, I did that to show struggles that I have in my life. I want my dream catcher to filter anything that may repress my desires.  
                                                                                                            
                                                                      Photography JV PEACE 2014*

The dream that I had that inspired me to make my dream catcher was about my grandfather. He had passed away and that same night I had a dream about him. He was wearing all white and told me not to be sad anymore, for my family not to worry that he is fine and he is okay now. He said to be happy and that we will all see him again soon. 

If I could go back to the dream, then I would ask my grandfather some questions. I would ask him why did he only reach out to me? I would ask him if he was okay. And If I ever had this dream again, then I would want it to last longer. I would want to talk to my grandfather and tell him I love him. What I learned about dreams during this project, is that people can have similar dreams. My boyfriend and I both had dream about a relative that we care about that had passed away. I also learned that dreams can send you messages, that you don’t even realize. I think that that is really interesting because dreams can tell you your future or what will happen.

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Who Are You?


The purpose of this action project in the Humanities class Who am I? was to come up with a guiding question that can guide my life. My Guiding Question is Who are you? I came up with this question because I think a lot of people think about this in their lives. What was most challenging was coming up with a guiding question because I didn't want mine to be too confusing. What I am most proud of is how my essay came out. I think it is really interesting. I will like to grow as a writer, that is why I chose to write an essay rather than doing a slide show. I hope my guiding question inspires you to find out who the people in your life are.



                        David Brooks. Who You Are then What You Do28 May 2012. Internet: SWiVELtime.com. 10 Feb 2014.

Who are you? On the Truman show, Truman Burbank was a real life reality TV star not knowing who he was. Truman became suspicious of his perceived reality and embarked on a quest to discover the truth about his life . Truman’s wife did not love Truman because she was an actor, she was just a part of the play. While, one of the actresses on the show, Sylvia, who really did care about Truman was kicked out of Truman’s world (The Truman Show) for attempting to tell him the truth about his reality. She made Truman think about his life. What if the people that come in and out of your life are like Sylvia? What if they were kicked off the show because they were trying to tell you that your life was fake? Who are the people in your everyday life? Do you think the people in your life care about you? Or are they all actors? Are you part of the Truman show?


I want you to think about the people in your life. Do you ever have scruple about the idea of people being real to you? Perception allows you to see the people around you in different ways, how do you know if people are lying? How do you know what people really want from you? How do you know if someone is sincere? A psychiatrist can help a person with paranoia, and offer that person medication and weekly meetings to help them understand the people in their life. A social worker can help people overcome trauma or past experiences and help them perceive the world in a different way. They can also tell you to meditate. Which is to calm your body and mind, to be at peace with yourself. 


WHO ARE YOU? Do you doubt who you are? What do the people in your life want from you? What do they expect? Do the people in your life truly love you do they care about your feelings? Do they care if anything will happen to you? This question is important to me because I think I know the people in my life. Or are they all lying to me? What risks will you take to find out? I would examine people around me at all times. I know many people around the world have the same question. This goes for all humanity because we need to know the people around us. We do not know when people are lying or if they are telling the truth. The people in your life can be like Truman’s wife they can just act like they love you or care about you. Is someone watching your life? Are you on the other side of the TV? Is every single person in your life true to you? Have you ever taken any risks to find out? Have you ever look around you to find out who you are?

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Solar Panels


The purpose of this Action Project was to research a type of renewable energy that a home owner can switch to. I picked solar panels, which are a type of radiant energy because solar panels absorb the sun’s rays. I chose to do this type of renewable energy, because I think solar panels use more recent technology, and I love how we are constantly trying to further develop our technology. I like how we can get energy from the sun. To present my findings, I created a video that encourages viewers to switch to renewable energy. What I found most challenging about this Action Project was inserting pictures that match the audio portion of my project. I overcame this challenge by doing research about solar panels to understand them better. I am most proud of my video, because I think viewers will recognize the importance of switching to renewable energy. The video will help spread the word of how to make our planet cleaner and last longer. I also really like how all the pictures came together! 

                                                                                     Created by JV & RD

JV- Man my electricity bill has been going up! I need to make a change. Any suggestions? I just realized that buying light bulbs and wasting energy on light can really effect the earth and my wallet!

RD- Funny that you brought that up, because I just recently lowered my electricity bill. It’s something that I would have never thought I would switch to, but I’m using Solar panels now.

JV- Solar panels, What are those?

RD- Solar panels are designed to absorb the sun's rays, a type of radiant energy. They serve the purpose of transferring the heat energy from the sun to electricity for your home.

JV- I'm sorry I still don’t understand, and how does that benefit my wallet? 

RD- Solar energy is produced by conducting the sun’s radiation, a process that excludes any smoke, gas, and other chemical by-products. It does not need expensive raw materials like coal and oil, and it requires a way lower operational labor than normal power productions.

JV- So your saying if I buy these Solar panels, I will save money and live a healthier and less expensive life?

RD- I sure do! How much are you paying right now, for your electricity?

JV- I am paying $105.20 every month.

RD- Wow! Exactly what I used to pay.

JV- I mean, I’m hearing some good things about these panels, but there has to be at least another downside to them, besides the price right? 

JV- For example, do I get any light in the night?

RD- No. However, if the previous day was full of sunlight, your panels will collect that energy and save it for cloudy days or at night. Other than that, the only problem is that the sun doesn't shine 24/7.

JV- Okay where would I be able to buy these solar panels?

RD- I got mine at Solar panel warehouse, for a pretty good deal! Plus they install them for you, but for a steep price.

JV- What’s the initial cost? And will I break even? If so, when?

RD- You typically use 513 kWh in any given month, which means you are paying $23.78 per kWh for electricity in a single month. This is known as your electric supply charge, and its really high! Basically, at this rate, you are paying $105.20 each month just for electricity.

RD-If you were to install Solar panels, initially, it will cost you $8,000. I know that is a high cost, but if you wait 9 years, you will break even, and your investment will pay itself back in cash. Over 14 years, your annual average utility savings will be anywhere between $1,930 to $3,682!

JV- WOW! I am totally switching, thank you for the information!




Friday, September 20, 2013

My Water Usage vs the UK's Profile by -JV

The purpose of this H20 action project was to find my daily water usage which I learned was 74 gallons .Then I compared my daily water usage to another country's. I picked the UK whose daily water usage is 39 gallons. Then I had to find the closest water source to collect my 74 gallons and see how long it would take to carry my water usage back to my house. I learned that in a lot of countries, people do not have access to water and if they do, it is not clean enough to drink. They also have to walk and carry it miles away from their home. I like finding out my daily water usage.

Photography JV Mi Consumo De Agua 2013.*

The purpose of this H20 action project was to find my daily water usage, which I learned was 74 gallons. Then I compared my daily water usage to that of an average individual in the UK. I found that the average person in the UK uses 39 gallons of water a day- significantly less that what I use! After doing these calculations, I had to find a water source near my school, in order to collect my daily water usage of 74 gallons and see how long it would take me to carry that amount back to school. I learned that in a lot of countries, people do not have access to water, and if they do, it is not clean enough to drink. They also have to walk and carry it x # of miles away from their home. My experience of carrying water taught me that it is heavy and tiring, and I cannot imagine other countries having to carry water like I did. I liked finding out my daily water usage, because it taught me a lot about the need for water conservation. 


After my field experience of carrying my daily water use, I wanted to see how water usage varies globally, so I created a poster comparing my use that of the UK. The first thing that you see on my poster is the title, which says, "My Water Usage" in Spanish. On my poster, you will see two drawings, which visualize my water usage compared to UK's. I used cups to represent the amount of water, where percentages of water I use in different categories "fill" the cups. The cups are divided into hygiene, consumption, cleaning, and other. Category percents are listed, as well as the approach I took to arrive at these percentages. For example, in order to find percent daily use of the total, I took each category and divided by the total use (either 74 gallons for me or 39 gallons for the UK), and multiplied by 100. On the bottom of my chart, you see the difference between my usage of water and the UK's (35 gallons total) . Lastly, you see how long it would take me to carry my daily water usage from the nearest water source (148 hours total).



Motivated by the numbers I'd seen, I decided to do some specific research on how the UK uses it's daily water of 39 gallons. I found that the UK uses 25 gallons for hygiene, 4 gallons for consumption, 8 gallons for cleaning, and 2 gallons for other. You can see how different my water usage plays out compared to the UK. I also research the UK's water prices, which I found totals $549 a year. That number is higher than the US , which is $523 a year. Perhaps the increased water expense does not allow someone in the UK to purchase and use water as readily as someone in the U.S. Finally, I learned that the UK's water has a funny taste which is caused by high mineral content found in many areas in the UK. Perhaps this is another reason as to why people typically consume less in the UK than where I live.

From this experience, I learned how important it is to save water. One way to help the water shortage is more efficient use of water, by limiting and paying attention to how much water we use in each day. For example, we need to not let the water run for unnecessary reasons. My advice gained from this investigation is to save as much water as you can, and do not take long showers; Reuse water, do not waste water in any way. By cutting back on our water usage, the water supply can really add up.


*All Photography JV (2013) Mi Consumo De Aqua.

Olive's Neighborhood Garden Profile by JV

The purpose of this MDG's action project was to choose an organization that focuses on Millennium Development Goal target 1 which is to Eradicate World Hunger.The topic I chose was to help lower the number of people who suffer from hunger. The organization that helped with this problem was, Olive's Neighborhood Garden who donates their garden-grown food to local food pantries. Olive's Neighborhood Garden works with the Jefferson Park area which is really close to my neighborhood. They have a large staff and are really friendly to their customers. Olive's neighborhood garden has flexible hours so I can volunteer.


BRECKLIN, Andy (2013) Untitled. Olive's Neighborhood Garden.

The topic I picked was Target one the proportion of people who suffer from hunger which is target 1 which is to Eradicate World Hunger.The organization that I chose was Olive’s Neighborhood Garden (Garden for the Hungry).The Garden distributes food grown by neighborhood gardeners to local food pantries. The reason I chose this target was because I think Olive’s Neighborhood Garden knows what they are doing they will help decrease the amount of people in hunger.This Garden addresses to my target by distributing their garden-grown food to people who do not have access to it.To me access  is food which every human being needs in order to survive. The Jefferson Park community also works with the garden. They can donate foods,and clothes to local food pantries too. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden takes care of trying to end hunger. Which would go under the Maslows physiological needs. How many people work at they Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is a staff more than a dozen, plus the community and Facebook helpers. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden opened in May 2008 it is also an award-winning Garden in Jefferson Park. The purpose of the organization is to help people in need for food.

The Garden does grow.Over time they expand more they donate over 215 vegetables and fruits to the local food pantry. I talked to Andy Brecklin who is the leader of Olive's Neighborhood Garden. I asked him a few questions about the organization to get a better idea of it. I ask him why he wanted to work in this kind of environment? Andy said “I grew up in the country so I like growing planting". Another question I asked was,"do you like the community that you work in"? Andy said, “I like this community because they have great delivery. The community really helps us out!” Another question I asked Andy was,"how many staff members do you have"? Andy’s response was “Haha that's funny,we have over a dozen plus the community people who volunteer it’s a whole lot!” Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is really inspiring because they help people in need. They spend their own time helping one another. Olive’s Neighborhood Garden is related to Growing Home because they both donate their garden grown foods to nearby pantries.They both have very small and welcoming staff members.The two organizations are very small but well known.

I learned a lot from this project,I learned that even in the Chicago area there are people without jobs,without food,which is really sad because there are many more in the same situation around the world. I just have to realize all people are not like my family and me. They do not have the basic human needs to survive which is so hard to think about. I think if we all work together as a whole we can help and really make a difference.


BRECKLIN, Andy (2013); Untitled, Olive's Neighborhood Garden

BRECKLIN, Andy (2013); Untitled, Olive's Neighborhood Garden


REFERENCES:

Olive's Neighborhood Garden. (2013) Pictures on Facebook Page. Internet: Facebook.
Pictures used with the permission of Andy Brecklin, garden leader.

Brecklin, Andy. Personal Interview. 16 Sept. 2013.