My research has taught me a lot about the government. In my research, I learned about the top secret surveillance programs that are conducted by the NSA. Ever since the attack on 9/11 the government has allowed for phone calls and our internet activity to be intercepted and collected. I think I did very well on my project because I was able to present my project in a manner that allowed me to get my point across. In my next presentation, I should continue to have prior knowledge on my topic so I’m able to talk without having to stare at the screen. Next time, I will slow down on my speaking and avoid using “um” to better my presentation. This topic has continued to further my interests on the activities of the government. As American Citizens, it’s our right to be well informed of these activities and they shouldn’t be kept from us.
5. Life and Death of a Serial Killer https://www.smore.com/p6t3e-life-and-death-of-a-serial-killer This is an interesting documentary that details the actions and confessions of a serial killer. After realizing her situation on death row, Aileen Wuornos details her life and the motives behind her murders. It is not the most important documentary for teens to watch but I would recommend it for those who like to watch films about solving mysteries and murders.
4. Super Size Me https://www.smore.com/36pgk Super Size Me is a documentary about the effects of fast food. A man named Morgan Spurlock conducts an experiment in where he consumes McDonald’s for 30 days and the effects are absolutely shocking. I would recommend this documentary to anyone. Everyone eats fast food and no one ever seems to even think about the effects it can have on your body.
3. Food Inc. https://www.smore.com/tqrev-food-inc This documentary details the behind the scenes activities of the food industry which may shock many people. This documentary exposes the corrupt practices of the food industry and shows what we actually put into our bodies. This is an important documentary for teens to watch. Especially at this point of their lives, they should really evaluate what they put into their bodies and their health should be one of their top priorities.
2. The Hunting Ground https://www.smore.com/gbdq9 This documentary details how some colleges purposely let rape go unpunished and includes real life accounts of rape victims in colleges. Unless their stories become public, colleges will continue to neglect them to protect their favored students. This is an incredibly important for female teens who are entering college. They have to know the real risks of college and what they can do to protect themselves.
Undefeated https://www.smore.com/n23mx This documentary focuses on the journey of a high school football team to win their playoff game with the help of their coach Bill Courtney. Undefeated showcases the high points and low points the team went through to get their first playoff win. This is an important documentary for teens, especially those who are involved in sports. Undefeated shows what many student athletes go through mentally and physically and how they overcome their struggles.
The man standing in the middle is Sir Robert Bryson “Bobby” Hall II, otherwise known as Logic. During 2017, he used his huge following to advocate for suicide awareness. In the song 1-800-273-8255, which is also the suicide hotline number, talks about suicide and depression. Suicide is not a topic that is talked about very often in today’s society. 1-800-273-8255 became a social movement that carried a nice tune and an important message for people who have gone through suicide or are dealing with it. In the picture above, he is performing his hit song at the Grammy’s. After he finishes his performance, he delivered a very moving speech. During his speech, he talks about the importance of women in society and the acceptance of all people regardless of how they carry themselves or what group they belong to. After his speech, he received a standing ovation that was carried throughout the entire Staples Center. Logic played a huge part in the community this year. During 2017, he opened up about being biracial and discussed many social issues through his new album “Everybody” which was released during May. It’s rare to see someone with so much influence use their platform for the greater good.
My social issue argues whether net neutrality rules are needed. With the appointment of FCC chairman, Ajit Pai, he made it one of his first priority to repeal net neutrality. He argues that it discourages internet service providers (ISP) from expanding its services to impoverished parts of the country. Most people disagree with the Title II regulation net neutrality is built upon because it limits financing opportunities for smaller ISPs. I believe net neutrality rules should remain enforced. Net neutrality rules have been successful so far, so why take them away? Net neutrality has created countless opportunities for businesses to grow and expand their markets. Everyone is treated fairly and competition between creators is equal. With this, growth and innovation will continue to prosper. Internet access has reached such a high level in the past couple years that these net neutrality rules are greatly needed. Net neutrality limits the influence ISPs can have over what is provided in their services. They are not able to censor content they simply don’t like or hurts their company financially a.k.a streaming services such as Netflix. If net neutrality is repealed it will negatively influence new businesses. ISPs will be able to charge for fast lanes leaving businesses who can’t afford it in the dust. With its pros, there are some cons to net neutrality. Many argue that while net neutrality rules exist, they aren’t heavily enforced. Like everyone else, children can access any type of information online. Net neutrality doesn’t censor potentially dangerous and offensive material which leaves children in a vulnerable state.
Do you think the battle for net neutrality should continue? Does it really help internet consumers or are they just unnecessary and troublesome for the government?
My Play-Doh creation is Jeremy Lin’s jersey. Jeremy Lin has been an underdog his entire life. After being named to the first-team all state and winning a state division 2 title, he wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school. Lin had a very successful college career in sports and academics. After posting amazing statistics throughout his college basketball career at Harvard, he was not selected by a single team in the draft. He was eventually signed by the warriors but received little to no playing time. He was constantly brought on and waived by numerous teams before he landed a spot on the New York Knicks. The Knicks considered releasing Jeremy Lin before his contract became guaranteed on February 10th. To Lin, it had seemed all too familiar. When he finally got the opportunity to play on February 4th, he made the most of it and stunned the whole world. Playing against the Brooklyn Nets and an All-Star guard in Deron Williams, Lin posted 25 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists. Jeremy Lin started for the Knicks the next game and continued to post great numbers until the end of the season. Jeremy Lin’s underdog story really shows how you can achieve anything if you put your mind to it. He spent countless hours during the offseason perfecting his game day in and day out until he finally succeeded. He was able to overcome all odds despite the many failures he had experienced during his career. I love this story and use it as motivation in my every day life and for the moments I want to give up on something. I look back and learn to accept the failures and to conquer them.
Abortion is a highly controversial topic discussed in America. Many people argue the decision of an abortion is entirely up to the parent a.k.a pro-choice or if abortion should just be illegal a.k.a pro-life. There are many circumstances to take into consideration when determining why someone is a supporter of pro-choice or pro-life such as where you live or what your financial situation is. In Illinois, 36% of the population is pro-life and 64% is pro-choice. Pro-life supporters note they are pro-life with the exception of rape. People who are pro-choice argue that the government has no right to ban it and that with additional resources such as sex ed and social services will decrease the chance to opt for an abortion. For people who receive an annual income of $25K or less, 38% are pro-life and 62% are pro-choice. It is predictable that the majority of the people in this category are pro-choice because of their financial situation. If a parent has less money they will not be able to take care of their children or themselves which would lead them to opt for an abortion. If a parent is in a more stable financial situation they would obviously be able to take care of their children and themselves because they can afford to. For Republicans, 68% are pro-life and 32% are pro-choice. As you can see, the majority of Republicans are pro-life. Many Republicans argue that it is just morally wrong and is considered murder. They also want to create and push services that help people avoid the situation of getting an abortion such as sex education and birth control.
The beloved actor took on the role of a good Samaritan on Monday morning. Harrison Ford is known for his roles in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchise. At around 10:55 am, a 63 year old woman was involved in a car accident in Santa Paula. Ford having heard the crash, went towards the crash site to check it out. Accompanied by his friend, he helped the driver out of the car until the police arrived. Luckily, the woman escaped with only minor injuries. I believe this article remains neutral throughout the story. The article had a very positive tone to it when talking about Ford’s heroic deed. In today’s society you don’t really hear about many stories like this in the news. It’s good to see stories like this because it kind of gives you a sense of faith in humanity. How would you react if you were put into a situation similar to this. Would you act immediately or would you just ignore it?
My family doesn’t really celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way as most families do. Usually what will happen is, my parents will cook enough for us to eat. After all, it is just me and parents that live together. The rest of our family resides in either Vietnam or California. Occasionally, I will also visit my friends house for Thanksgiving. Last year, I went black Friday shopping with one of my friends and we had a good time. Although we don’t celebrate as most families do, our Thanksgiving is celebrated in the sense that we are thankful for each other and we acknowledge that we are blessed everyday. We don’t need a big meal to show all that. I remember one year we did celebrate Thanksgiving the traditional way. Safe to say, we hated it. The turkey was expensive and not to mention very dry. We just need each other and that is all that really matters at the end of the day.
