elarousy week 6: superpowers

 Being out of things to write about, having superpowers would be very appreciated. And if I had to choose, it would probably be teleporting. Because I would get to travel anywhere in the world at any given time. I’d go to several places in different parts of the world before the day’s end without breaking a sweat.  The thought of this alone just makes me want it even more. It’s silly I know. But, can’t a girl dream?

Travelling is one of the best things I like doing and being able to do that without any restrictions would be amazing! I’d get to meet alot of new people and have so many connections. I would try to raise awareness of problems that are going on in the world and try to help fix them.and it would be, no doubt, very benificial if I ever find myself in a dangerous situation.I would never be late to anything ever again.which would help me in my job as well .I’ll definitly use it to my advantage.just thinking of the fact that I could have breakfast in france and then take a walk in the streets of italy and come back home in time for dinner is so awesome.I mean. Who wouldn’t want that? I just don’t get why not that many superheroes have that power or maybe I just don’t know any but it would be a cool superpower it has many advantages. I don’t see any  disadvantages.

Albarracin Week 6- History of Humor

 The complicated consciousness of the human mind has developed or more accurately, adapted over the long period of time mankind has been around for.  Beliefs, instincts, morals, and even humor are constantly changing and adapting based off of environmental changes.  Humor is one of the greatest experiences that nearly all humans can experience often.  Humor is so much more than a good laugh, it represents our morals and illustrates current events and effects of past events. With each generation of humans, comes a new generation of humor, thus humor also represents change, change in human behaviour and social norms, changes in perspective, and even changes in morality. 

Humans have progressed, although some would say regressed, with their style of humor for thousands of years.  Each generation picks up a new take on humor and drops off older styles of humor.  From the birthplace of comedy in Ancient Rome, to medieval jesters, to Shakespearean satirical plays, and stand up starting in the 19 century, humor has stuck with the human race through thick and thin.  Humor had an even bigger shift when the age of film and advanced communicative technology began to unfold.  Stand up shows could be heard over the radio, obscene physical comedy could be viewed via film, humor had never been so accessible before in history.

Around the 30’s to the late 80’s, comedy took a shift from being satirical and fictional, to making light of real world situations and experiences.  This shift used troubling life stories and everyday human challenges as a way to make humor more relatable and thus more wide spread.  This technique is used to this day.  Even with this new technique being used, the type of humor being shared was also changing.  Humans adapt to what is socially acceptable and what is crude.  Some comedians used this to their advantage, often making light of what society views as crude to activate latent human desire to laugh at dark subjects.  

Millennials experienced the raw power of the internet and the effects it had over experiencing humor.  So much information and material were at their fingertips, it was up to the user to decide what material to access.  Using modern technology, programs, applications, and websites all dedicated to humor were created.  Millennials were the pioneers of modern internet humor.  Using this new platform, the newest generation would create a style of humor of their own.  Gen Z seems to have the most confusing tule of humor.  So many opinions, so many different backgrounds, so many different styles are all pushed into all kinds of forums, websites, and social media pages as possible.  Crude and ironic humor is the staple of Gen Z’s humor.  Example, memes.  Brief history lesson, memes were originally short little comics in magazines, made to give a small laugh.  Now, it’s one of the biggest sources of humor on the internet, arguably the world. With so much access to the world around them, it is difficult to know what the new movement of humor will be, what trends will change the landscape once more.. 

 

First Meme

 

Meme in the early 2000’s

Memes now

Tayi Week 6 - Switched Up Dogs

Pet owners all can relate with memories of all the dumb things you and your pets do together whether it was funny, dangerous, or scary. Cherishable memories like these are why every pet owner becomes one. In my situation, I made one of the funniest memories with my dog the first time we met. The situation is funny only because no one in my family believes it's actually true.

I spent about 12 years of my life convincing my parents to get a dog. With the help of my brother, we were able to somehow convince my parents to adopt a dog. He is a purebred Maltese that doesn't shed (which is one of the main reasons why my parents said yes). 

We then went on the two-hour drive to finally meet him. When we entered the breeder's house, there were six identical puppies the size of your palm. It was a super hard decision but my mom picked one that was supposedly “chubbier than the rest” (she wanted the fattest one). To me, they all looked identical. Literally none of them were chubbier than each other. Either way, we picked up the puppy and played around with him. After about like five minutes my parents set him on the floor with the other puppies.

As they were doing the paperwork, I thought of the very obvious situation of the puppies getting mixed up, so I watched that puppy like a hawk and made sure that we would not walk out with the wrong one. And of course, my parents finished up and picked up the wrong dog. “That's not the one you picked mom, it's this one.” My brother intervened, “are you stupid? She's the one who picked it. It's obviously the one in her hand.” I explained to everyone that it was clearly the one I was keeping track of, but me being the younger sibling, everyone thought I was being dumb and my brother was right. 

It didn't really matter but I was too invested in the argument and I did not want my parents to regret this because they would not give us another chance to get a dog. At this point, I was low-key yelling at everyone. “How are you not able to tell that it isn't the dog you picked? You literally said you wanted this one because it's chubbier!” There wasn't actually a difference between their sizes but it was to prove a point she just picked one up at random. My mom then told me that the one she was holding was chubbier. 

I lost my mind at this point. It irked me so much that I knew I was right and everyone thought I was being stupid. She just picks one and calls it chubby. In the end, we ended up picking the one they thought was the right one. I’m glad it happened because I couldn't ask for a better dog, but it's always funny to look back on the day when we switched up dogs.

Henchy Week 6 - Trying to Find a Work Life Balance

     In the last several months, it seems that I have bitten off a little more than I can chew in everyday life.  After signing up to work 20-25 hours a week, I found my schedule became exponentially busier.  Furthermore, as soccer begins again with a tournament this weekend, I am realizing how much I truly have committed to.  Most of my days consist of going to school (or just sitting at my desk on Zooms) and then, as soon as my school day is over, going to work for 5/6 hours per night, and coming home to study, do homework, shower, and go to bed.

    This repetitive schedule, while at first was reasonable, is becoming too busy with soccer.  Add in a soccer practice twice a week and games on the weekend, and most nights I have committed to more than I can do.  This has already led, and I suspect it will only get worse, to having no free time to do any of the activities I enjoy such as skiing, lifting, chess, etc.

    Another impact this has had is sleep.  The last week or so, I have only been able to sleep four to five hours a night in order to be ready for the next day.  This has definitely made it harder to get out of bed in the morning, and I can feel the tiredness throughout the whole day.  Additionally, I have never had coffee my whole life, just to try to avoid the addiction.  It does seem to be getting more and more attractive by the day, though.

    Now, I am not writing my blog post about this because I want your sympathy - in fact, I am sure many of you are probably much busier than I am.  I chose to write my blog about this to ask for advice from the people who are in the same situation as me.  What have you changed in order to create free time for yourself?  How did you manage sleep?  Those are the kinds of questions I have if anyone has useful answers.

    As a quick reflection, it is funny looking back on Freshmen year when I thought I was super busy because it was my first year in high school.  Now, I wish I had that schedule.  However, I am sure that two years in the future me will look back at present me and say the same thing, so who knows?

    Whatever the next few crazy months will bring will definitely be interesting with the world beginning to re-open.  I am sure many people will find themselves becoming as busy as ever, especially as summer approaches.

Busy Planner

Karve Week 6- Dance Competitions

I spent all of last Saturday at a dress rehearsal for dance. We had to do our hair and the top half of our make up, because of our masks. We also had to wear our costumes. Normally, we practice at our dance studio, but this was a special occasion, and we practiced at the Scottish-Rite Cathedral in Allentown. The first dance I had was my hardest one, Jazz. We began by warming up all together, and then going on the stage. On the stage, we spaced the routine. This means that we walked through our dance as our teacher told us where exactly on the stage we need to be. This year, we have a competition at this place, so it was nice to be able to space out routines on the same stage we will be competing on in just a few short weeks. This particular stage is not very wide, meaning that there isn't a lot of space from left to right, so we were a little smushed on stage. After spacing, we ran the dance and then gathered towards the front of the stage. This is when our teachers would critique on what we could do better. Then using those critiques, we ran the dance again. Luckily, we only had to run it twice; in past years we would have to do our dances three times. Anyways, we repeated the processes with our Contemporary dance and our Ballet dance. We had a few short breaks in between, but those were typically spent changing costumes and fixing our hair. When all of that was over, we had an hour break, and then our Mock Competition. In a Mock Competition, you basically do your dances ONCE on stage, and are judged by about 8 teachers who give you feedback that you will get in class the next week. It is only for solos, duets, and trios. Sometimes, I find this more nerve racking than an actual competition, because I am being judged by people that I actually know. My solo was one of the first numbers of the competition, and despite my long day, I performed the best I ever had. After my solo, I had a short break. I changed into my next costume, and then did one of the younger girls' hair for her. Then I practiced my next and final number, my trio. We had not had practice in a really long time because of snow, COVID, injuries, etc., so it was nice that we had the time to review the dance beforehand. After practicing, we watched some of the other numbers together, and eventually went on stage. After everyone dances, they do a little award ceremony where the teachers hand out a few special awards for some of the dances that stood out to them. I typically get one for my solo, by this year I got one for the trio! Being on stage after almost a year, felt really nice and somewhat nostalgic. I'm now really excited for actual competitions

Zhang Week 6 - Figure Skating

Figure Skating has been my sport for as long as I can remember. I've tried a bunch of other sports like gymnastics, ballet, and swimming—but they didn't last for very long. I think what really made me love and want to skate everyday was that it gave me confidence from the very beginning. As a little kid, I wasn't very graceful, and my movements were awkward. But despite this, I was able to express myself fully on the ice, and that made me feel really good. Skating consists of jumps, spins, and footwork. Each of these categories make up a skater's program, and skaters train everyday to perfect each element to look effortless on ice. Out of the three categories, I like jumping the most. It's generally the most difficult (although this does differ depending on the individual), because it requires a lot of strength both physically and mentally. There are single, double, triple, and even quadruple jumps, each relative to the number of rotations in the air. As the number of revolutions increase, so does the difficulty. Even though it means I fall countless times while training, I love attempting new jumps over and over again, because I always feel elated when I fly through the air, especially when my technique is perfect. My second favorite thing in skating is spinning. I remember watching Yulia Lipnitskaya in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, and becoming obsessed with her spins. Before her, spins were generally more old-fashioned and bland, so they weren't very exciting. But, Yulia's spins required a lot of flexibility and speed. So, everyday when I practiced, I would try to recreate Yulia's spins. It took some time to figure out how to center myself in each spin, but after a few months, I was able to spin just like her, and I was extremely proud of this. Those spins are still my favorite, and I combine them with other spins to create more difficult combinations. Skating is a huge part of my life, and it's something I will continue doing during college, and later on in the future too. Recently, I haven't been able to keep a consistent schedule with skating because there's just been so much going on with school. I think skating really helps me calm down, and relieve my stress, but it also takes a lot of time, so sometimes that ends up undoing the stress relief when I'm especially busy. When I have more time, I will try to go skating as much as possible, because it makes me feel happy and free.

Harclerode Week 6- Metal Mouth No More!

     The day finally arrived. If any of you remember, my week 2 blog was written in a state of pain as I had just gotten my braces adjusted for the last time. Well I am here to update you: the braces are off! Finally, after two years and five months, my mouth is full of metal no more. Monday afternoon, at 2 pm, the braces came off at last. I had been a little worried that it wasn't going to happen though. I had heard stories of people going to their final appointment only to be told that they were not, in fact, getting their braces off. So, I went in a little nervous. But then, once I got in the chair I was being asked about retainers. I was a bit confused at first, but then I realized that meant that what I was hoping for would come to pass.

    Taking the brackets off was quite easy; they all just popped off very easily. The metal bands on my back teeth were a different story. As the orthodontist pulled at them, it felt as though she was pulling out my teeth. It was painful, but it also ended up being quick as well. After this, the glue had to be scraped off. All kinds of tools were stuck in my mouth as the glue was being removed. Finally, an hour and a half later, it was all off, my new x-rays were taken, and my retainers were made. I couldn't believe it. I could not stop feeling my newly-smooth teeth with my tongue. I still can't, and it's been three days. It just feels so bizarre! I'm able to feel my teeth which I haven't felt in almost two and a half years, and I can eat things that I could not before. It's so nice to have my annoying braces off.

    Now, the only thing I have to deal with is my retainers. For the first three days, I had to wear them for 24 hours a day. It was kind of annoying at first: they were a little painful and I had a lisp every time I would talk. But now, I only have to wear them for 12 hours a day, which is better than the the whole day I guess.

    I can't believe it's been almost two and a half years since I got my braces on. It was 2018 and I was 14! That just seems crazy to me. I feel like I've grown so much since then. Now, I'm braces-less and enjoying it immensely!

Kane Week 6- EPC Championship

     
Today we had our EPC cheer championship. We've been waiting for our first competition for months now. With so many obstacles and challenges, our season has been a bit bumpy, but we overcame these in the end. To begin, I arrived at the trainer's at around 2:50 to get my wrist taped before our competition. After this, we warmed up in the gym and got everything together to go to Easton High School. We boarded the bus and headed to the school. It was different than most comps because there was a limited amount of teams allowed in the gym at a time. We also couldn't have any parents or spectators attend the competition, so they view via zoom. We went into their gym, warmed up again, stretched, and got ready to perform. The anticipation to get on the mat built as we stood on the bleachers. We waited to walk down, talked as a team, and stepped on the mat. We put our all out there tonight, and that's what matters most. Immediately after we performed, we got on the bus and joined the live stream to watch the other teams. We paid close attention to their faults and tried to compare them to ours. We arrived back at the gym where we ate dinner and watched the remainder of the competition. We really got to bond as a team and experience this whole thing together. At 7, the coaches joined a zoom to hear the results, without us knowing what to expect, we were called up to the main gym while a basketball game was occuring. We sat down in the bleachers and watched a bit of the game. During the time out though, we got an announcement... WE WON THE EPC CHAMPIONSHIP. We went crazy and headed out to the lobby to celebrate. We had a team talk and then headed home. We were the second cheer team in Nazareth to win the EPC gold. It was truly an amazing night that I will never forget:)

White Week 6, You Must Watch NGE

 White Week 6, You Must Watch Neon Genesis Evangelion

https://evangelion.fandom.com/wiki/Berserk_Mode

    I, like all cool people, was sitting on a couch over the weekend debating what show to watch next I was going to watch Elfen Lied but I didn't feel like starting something new.  So naturally, I put myself on a rollercoaster again with Neon Genesis Evangelion.  To be frank this show lies as my 3rd favorite show of all time with cowboy bebop and Violet Evergarden as my favorites.  I probably won't ever talk about Violet Evergarden but hey If you are supposedly a ''though'' and ''hard'' individual that show will make you cry for weeks. But this isn't about CB or VE but rather the mind CLAPP of Evangelion. If you cant watch Anime, Old TV, or read subtitles I promptly recommend that you shouldn't watch this. Otherwise, Lemme entice you into selectively wasting your time like the cool kids (AKA ME - IM VERY COOOL) by way of a couch. 

some vox article 'thanks' usesteastly

    So first is the premise, I think that for a casual viewer the premise of the show may be confusing but in short, it's about YOU and what it's like to struggle to be YOU. There is definitely coming of age, or discovery of self themes, but the show is focused on the struggles of being a person.  Now back to the casual viewer this stuff is layered under a story of the world ending and humanity on its last legs and a plethora of religious or nonreligious symbolism.  I think that if self-reflection stories are your thing (they are certainly my thing) then without a doubt you will be glued to the screen watching this show. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neon_Genesis_Evangelion

    Alright so if you're into the premise of the show or not (idk watch it), the show has more to offer than just underlying themes.  The show follows as I've stated humanity on the brink of destruction after the second impact which, in short, was a massive catastrophe that left the world scouring for safety.  On top of this humanity faces an invasion of sorts of creatures known as angels which at first seem to be after the destruction of humanity.  To combat this humanity deploys Eva's (basically like giant robots controlled by people) after the failure of all modern weapons.  These pilot's goal is to save the world as them not winning results in humanity's extinction. I don't want to go too into the pilots or the Evas because they reveal a lot about the story and that's simply not very cool. 

useast again WOOOOOOOOOOO

    

    Overall the show, characters, etc, are all great and I think in some way you can feel the characters' desires, etc.  There's a lot of stuff for varying tastes and I assure you when you finish the show and two movies your jaw is going to be hanging. And I think with all the subtle nods to religion including things such as the Kabballah and dead sea scrolls.  I didn't want to mention the character's names or much about the show because it's incredibly jam-packed with information that I think you lose if you see too much before going in. I'm a bit of a chimp that didn't pick up on half the stuff the show literally threw at my face but I think that the way it had me watching videos, and reading is great because lore and stuff like that, means it's good. SO if YOU want to watch a mind trip of a show I'd say go watch NGE because it's great and also a foundation for a lot of Anime so for me it's like the, Pulp Fiction or Great Gatsby of Anime so that's why I was like you must watch it.  So go be a couch potato because that's what the cool people do and learn what it's like being a person. 

(note the show as far as I know is only on Netflix as well as the movie WO is, NGE 1-26, ED (TRUE)2, and TEOE). 

(also I didn't mention it but the intro bussin I unironically dance to this like get off the couch and break my ankles to this and some of the songs are also great.)

Rosynek Week 6 - Better Weather

    Although we recently had snow earlier this week, the weather has been increasingly pleasant and shows that Spring is indeed coming. It has also been appealing that it stays light out past 4:30 PM and the sun does not start going down until later now. 

    It has been proven that winter weather affects moods of humans. Most people experience decline in energy and motivation, as well as changes in sleeping patterns and moods. It is more apparent in the Northern Hemisphere where seasonal changes are obvious. It's important in the winter for people to get outside and spend time in the sunlight rather than under artificial lights inside. 

    I know, from my personal experience, that I get more irritated, fatigued and less motivated in the winter. It's cold, it's always windy, it's always cloudy. I prefer warm weather and being able to wear shorts and soak up the sun. Having more vitamin D has been scientifically proven to ward off depression and make us happier.

    I'm hoping that this warmer weather stays consistent and that we continue to have less rainy and snowy days. Not only does it make me want to spend more time outside, work productively for my two jobs, but it also creates a better mindset towards school. 

    As much as I don't enjoy winter, I have to admit that the snow is really pretty when it first is falling and right afterwards. Even if I like the snow, I can't wait for Spring and Summer. I'm eagerly waiting for shorts and t-shirt weather and being able to be outside and get tan. 

Blackham Week 6 - Skiing

    I bought a student season pass at Blue Mountain this year and have been skiing a bunch of times over the past few months. Sometimes I go up with my brother, sometimes with a friend, sometimes with my whole family, and sometimes even alone. While I love going with friends and family, this was the first year I went skiing alone. I was a little worried at first because I thought it would be kind of boring not to have anyone to talk to in line or on the lift. In truth, I LOVED it! I was listening to music under my helmet and could just take time for myself to enjoy the cool air and the beautiful snow around. I also got to talk to some interesting people on the lift which was fun! 

    Over this past season, I’ve improved a lot with all the practice and now feel completely comfortable skiing double blacks. Before this season I would typically stick to blues and blacks, but now my new favorite run is a double black called Razor’s Edge. I first learned to ski when I was around 8 years old. However, we never went consistently and I didn’t improve much until high school. 

    During the snowstorm last Thursday, my dad drove through the snow up to the mountain. My mom didn’t want to come this time because of the cold, and with my sister at college, it was just my dad, me, and my two brothers. The snow was perfect and we had a great time! My brothers are total daredevils when it comes to skiing and are so fun to watch. They were going off jumps, skiing through the trees, and one even started dancing as he skied down. 

    Over the past ski season, I’ve realized why I love skiing so much. I love how freeing it feels! Being able to speed down the mountain at almost 40 mph brings a huge adrenaline rush! After a long day, you can forget all the stress and worries and just enjoy yourself.

Moore Week 6 - Looking Forward to a Better Summer

    

With all the snow we’ve been getting lately, I’m really starting to look forward to the warm weather of summer more and more. I like winter most of the time, but this is just too much dirty snow and slush for me. 

I think I’m looking forward to summer more this year for two reasons: one being that I’m, of course, tired of the snow, and the second is that I’m hoping that the summer of 2021 will be more normal than last summer. Last summer felt really boring because there wasn’t much to do because of the COVID-19 cases. All of my field hockey games, practices, and tournaments were canceled so I couldn’t do any of that. Plus my family and I didn’t get to go on a vacation out of state like we normally would. 

Normally we try to take a family vacation to some sort of small beach town over the summer, but last year we couldn’t because of the pandemic. Recently, we just rented a beach house in the Outer Banks of North Carolina for the end of June. I’m really looking forward to just getting to go to the beach for a whole week because I honestly haven’t been in a long time. The town is pretty small too and the beaches aren’t very crowded, so it’s a fairly safe place to go for a vacation as well. 

This year has been so crazy with school and all of 2020 was so stressful, so I’m really excited to be able to just go on a small vacation like my family used to. I’m also hoping that we’re going to have field hockey tournaments, camps, and practices over the summer because it will be my last year being able to play. In the end, I’m just looking forward to a more normal summer to end this school year and start my senior year off on the right foot

Link

Allen Week #6: The "Sharf" of Nottingham

    In my previous blogs, I have talked a lot about my childhood, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my greatest (or worst) actions of my career. I used to be a huge fan of the old Disney movies, the ones that described (loosely in most cases) classic stories such as Cinderella, Aladdin, Alice In Wonderland, and by far my favorite, Robin Hood. This cinematic masterpiece was my favorite after seeing it once when I was three years old. It was the first movie that I had seen with a true bad guy, the Sheriff of Nottingham. My small mind at the time was fascinated with the dynamic of a simple good-evil relationship. I developed a hatred of the Sheriff, but I still had an admiration and deep respect for the character. This was truly shown when I had yet another adventure in my preschool the day after I had first seen this cinematic masterpiece.

    I had yet again been assigned to “the kitchen” which, if you haven’t read the previous blog that I reference to, was a station in my preschool that I hated with a burning passion. I became sick and tired of the kitchen and decided to start a rebellion among my other classmates. I found great resistance among my peers (probably because they didn’t care in the slightest), so I was forced to take matters into my own hands. I acquired a plastic log for a sword and went on a rampage telling anyone who had the misfortune to cross my path that I was the “Sharf” of Nottingham (I couldn’t pronounce the word “sheriff”) and waving my plastic log in their faces. My rebellion was quickly quashed when my teachers noticed, and I was stripped of my weapon and my pride.

The "Sharf's" Sword

Level week 6 - The french tongue

     Growing up my parents only spoke to me in French. I can now say I am incredibly thankful. Both of my parents were born and raised in France. After having my first two siblings in France my family moved to Canada where they had their first child. I came four years after when my family moved to the Lehigh Valley. Growing up speaking French at home and being taught English at school was pretty difficult for me. 

    I remember growing up in math class I would always count to myself in French and then get confused when the teacher would say the numbers in English. It took some time to get used to but I eventually got the hang of it. As I grew up my vocabulary expanded in both languages and I felt more comfortable. I was proud of being able to speak two languages at my age because most of the students and friends I had around me only spoke English. 

    It made me feel so unique. I kind of labeled myself as the French girl in a way. I told everyone that I could speak French. Whenever we had to say a fun fact about ourselves in school that was always my go-to. However, there was a downfall to this because I was used to only speaking French with my family I became shy whenever someone asked me to say something in French. My mind would go blank and I would completely forget how to speak. 

    That also took some time to get used to. I had to build up my self-confidence so that I was able to do certain things. Now that I look back, I am extremely grateful that my parents took the time and effort to make sure that all of us are fluent in French. It allowed us to be close to our family members and it opens so many paths for us. Especially career-wise, because we are all able to work worldwide since we all speak English and French. The French background allowed us to pick up pretty easily in Spanish when all 4 kids took it in high school. 

    I want my children to be able to have the same opportunity that my parents gave me. I want them to be able to speak to their grandparents in their native language. Learning languages is a privilege that some people forget that we have. 

Vaughn Week 6 - Cash Bail

     The cash bail system has long been said to disproportionately discriminate against Black and Latino communities. It has also been discussed in conversations for many years regarding criminal justice reform. Cash bail is essentially money paid to a court to guarantee that the person will show up to their trial, and they also get released from prison. This seems like a positive thing, but it has its downsides. When defendants don't pay bail they will have to stay in jail even when they aren't even convicted of a crime. 3 in 5 prisoners have not been convicted of a crime, this means that there are 500,000 people in jails, even though they are innocent. 

Some may say that cash bail “criminalizes poverty” as it detains people for possibly months as they are awaiting trial, simply because they can't afford bail. A couple weeks in jail also has much more of a negative effect on these people's lives. The Arnold Foundation and other researchers held a study and found that “When held 2–3 days, low-risk defendants are almost 40% more likely to commit new crimes before trial than equivalent defendants held no more than 24 hours”, and keep in mind, many of these people aren't even being accused of violent crimes or anything else that would make them a threat to society. The reason for this is because during the time these people are detained, they can also lose their job, miss out on paying bills, and much more. 

The governor of Illinois, Gov. J.B Pritzker, recognized this issue and signed a bill making Illinois the first state to eliminate cash bail. This bill also included many other measures to improve the criminal justice system statewide. In a statement, Gov. J.B Pritzker said, “This legislation marks a substantial step toward dismantling the systemic racism that plagues our communities, our state, and our nation and brings us closer to true safety, true fairness, and true justice.” After the bill was passed, many people wondered what the alternative would be for the cash bail system. Judges will now be presented with evidence to determine the level of risk releasing a defendant would bring to the community and whether the defendant can be trusted to return to court.

In conclusion, I found this very interesting as I wasn't always aware of the harm caused by the cash bail system. I think it's cool to see positive changes being made all across the country, and I hope other states follow in the footsteps of Illinois. 

Gov. J.B Pritzker

Ellis week 6 - The Sports I've Played

    Over the years, I have had the opportunities to play five different sports. I had a great appreciation for all of them, but they also had their downsides that ultimately led to me quitting. The sports I played were soccer, gymnastics, softball, cross country, and tennis (which I am playing now).     

    I feel like soccer is such a staple sport that almost everyone signs up for as a little kid. It was fun because I like to run and I had some friends on the team, but I would always get trampled over. The only memories I have from those seasons were these 5 year old boys stepping on me with their cleats and then I would cry in the middle of the field. My mom would bribe me with m&ms if I made it through a game without shedding a tear haha. Needless to say, it wasn’t a forever sport and I quit after 1 season. 

    Gymnastics was definitely more my style and I truthfully loved every aspect of it. I met a lot of girls and the teacher was so sweet. I remember perfecting each trick and being so excited that I was finally able to do something as simple as a back bend or handstand. With that being said, I can barely do a forward roll now. I really lost all ability to do those tricks shortly after quitting which is pretty upsetting considering how hard I worked.  

    The reason I left gymnastics, though, was because I was so in love with softball. I played about 5 seasons and loved every minute of it. My best friend was on the team with me, the fields were right next to my house, and I was just really happy with how I played. However, the one year when I went to sign up for the following season, they tried to push me up a level that I wasn’t comfortable with. This resulted in me leaving the sport, which looking back is one of my biggest regrets. I think I would’ve stayed with it all the way through high school. 

    Finally, I ran cross country in both 7th and 8th grade, and it was pretty enjoyable. I have run nine 5ks over the years, so I was happy to have a sport that was solely what I love doing. I personally didn’t like the competitive aspect of it though, so it wasn’t as fun as I had expected. This didn’t matter in the end, however, because I ended up getting tendinitis in my knee due to the excessive running. This led to me not running as much anymore because it swells up easily and it is painful to put a lot of pressure on. Overall though, I am glad I got to play that sport along with all of the other ones. 

Febbo Week 6 - Ready for SUMMER!

     I feel like I'm not alone when I say that I couldn't be more ready for summer. This winter has been one of the worst ones I feel like we have gotten in a while. With all the snow we have been getting, I haven't had a full day of school in what feels like forever. A couple snow days are nice, but not as much when you only go into school twice a week.

    I feel with the lack of time we have been in school this semester, so far, I have been having to teach myself most to all lessons for my classes. That can get hard and tiring when I am at home, where I am easily distracted. It also makes it easier for me to went until the last minute to do my schoolwork, which is a bad routine that I don't want to get myself into.

    I am hoping that, as much as I liked not having to come into school, we don't have any more school days and that we are in school the days we are supposed to come in. Also, I'm ready for that warm weather to come already! I like the colder weather, but I am definitely ready to not have to wear a coat every time

I walk outside.

Voloshen Week 6- City Trips

    It has become somewhat of an annual tradition for my mom and I to take a day trip into a surrounding city such as Philadelphia or New York City. Three years ago we went with my friend and her mom into NYC and two years ago my mom and I went again with my aunt and cousin. We would eat delicious food, visit all of the tourist attractions, and see off-Broadway plays. We even ice-skated in the Rockefeller center! Those trips were so much fun, and though I could never live in a city, I think it's always super cool to experience that fast-paced city life every once in a while. Obviously we weren't able to plan a trip last year, but we have started to plan a trip to Boston when it becomes safer to travel to more densely populated areas. 

    My family traveled to Maine in the summer of 2015 and on our way up we stopped in Boston. Unfortunately, I can't recall very much of it, but I do remember visiting the Boston Aquarium and holding live lobsters which was very cool! That was my first time traveling to the New England region, and ever since that trip I've wanted to go back again. Some of the top colleges on my list are even in new England. Hopefully everything will begin clearing up soon and we can take another trip to Boston. For now, it's nice to have something to look forward to. 

One of the sea turtles at the Boston Aquarium

Vakiener Week 6- Test Taking

     I really do not like taking tests. I am sure that statement is of no surprise to anyone and that most of you agree with my sentiment. It's not that I don't do well on most tests, or that I am unprepared before I take them. I think the big issue that I have with tests is that they stress me out. Actually, let me rephrase that. When there are tests in the future I stress myself out.

    Before high school, I didn't really have to study for a lot of different things because at that point in time it was fairly straightforward. However once I got here I had to learn the ropes on how to study for things very quickly. Sometimes I'm not entirely sure if I still understand how to do it, but it works, at least a little. That being said my main issue for tests is that I psych myself out. Before I take a test my brain automatically goes through all the different scenarios that could happen and tells me that I am going to get the worst possible scenario. From there I start to panic a little and I start to beat up on myself before the test even begins. Sometimes my stress before a test starts affecting my body physically. I have given myself numerous stress headaches. Before a big test, I get knots in my stomach, and sometimes I sweat. Before I took the SAT for the first time I got so scared I threw up.

    This clearly isn't or wasn't the best way to take tests so I tried a whole bunch of things that could help. Sometimes I would listen to music before a test to calm me down. My uncle who teaches art history and is a real health nut suggested meditation. And both of those things worked fine, but I think that the thing that affected me the most was simply having a positive attitude. My brain does typically pick the worst possible outcome but as long as I keep telling myself it's not real it can't hold any power over me. These techniques don't always work. Right now I have a not in my stomach because of the AP Calc test I have to take in a few hours. However, I think that they all help, at least a little.

     If you get stressed or start panicking before you even begin a test what do you do to calm yourself down?

Ernst Week 6- Summer in Winter

         I am currently writing this blog on Wednesday, February 24th and it is 52 degrees out. It feels so warm and it makes me so happy. I am sitting in my room with my windows open, writing this blog, and listening to my Beach Boys record. I know 50 degrees is not really that warm, but compared to the weather and snow we have been having lately, it really feels like summer or even spring. 

        When I went to work this morning at seven (a.m.!), it wasn’t cold, but it definitely wasn’t warm out either. Granted, the sun was barely rising, but I still did not think today would end up being this warm. I work at Wendy’s and I was by the drive-thru window a lot, and it felt so good. I almost took my sweatshirt off, but I was too comfy. On my way home, around 3p.m., I opened my sunroof, put my windows down, and listened to music. It really put me in a good mood.

Since it felt like summer so much, I began thinking about how different summer 2020 was from where I am now, and where I will likely be this summer. Last summer we had only been in quarantine for a little under 6 months and we were basically clueless about what was going on, versus now we have been battling covid-19 for about a year and know so much more than we did before. Also, last year I was hanging out with many different people than the friends I have now, which feels so weird. I started my first job in July, so now I have been there for about 8 months and have progressed so far. Last year I was a sophomore and now I am a junior. Last year I had no idea where I wanted to go for college or what I even wanted to do, but now I am looking at my options. I will be going to college in a year and a half! 

        

        Thinking about the past and how much can change in even less than a year is so crazy and is making me feel grateful for what I have and where I am now. Who knows how different life will be this summer! 

Elarousy week 5 : Covid-19 Vaccine

 

It is odd how when this pandemic started, everyone was so eager fr the vaccine and contemplating why it took such a long time to produce, test, and manufacture once it had been approved. When in reality the medical community worldwide worked tirelessly to develop a vaccine for a new and never-before-seen virus. yet now they refuse to take it because they think it was rushed despite hundreds upon hundreds of clinical trials with an exceedingly minuscule amount of people suffering from the side effects of the vaccine. 

Most people are anxious and worried about the vaccine despite them not ever having negative experiences with vaccines. nonetheless, there is so much uncertainty toward the covid-19 vaccine and trust in the fact that it is going to be harmful, to the point where it will cause more harm than good. Especially when there isn’t any evidence to support their claims. Besides, the only reason we were able to get a vaccine so soon was because of all the unbelievably high amount of funding and media attention, the people who were involved in the creation and procession of the vaccine, were getting. The reason the vaccine seems to have come out “ too early” isn’t because the science was rushed, but because there were unprecedented numbers of people working 24/7  on this. The trials finished so quickly because of that. Even though normally it would be very hard to fund such trials. but, the size of the subject pools for these studies was astronomical.

There will always be people who react badly to a substance, there are people who are allergic to a huge variety of things such as water or sunlight, that doesn’t automatically make appropriate doses of the substance dangerous for the vast majority of people. 

Apruzzi - Week 5 - Therapy

    Something that bothers me the most in this world is the fact that reaching out for help, otherwise known as therapy, is something that people hold back from doing or are afraid of talking about it. Then again, I am definitely a person who has little to no filter, I find joy in revealing information that could, well, get me into some dilemmas. I say this to simply express that it may just be hard for me to understand the thought processes of non-expressive individuals. Anyways, therapy is an incredible way of venting your problems without feeling like a burden, and nobody should feel ashamed to reach out for it. 

    With some extensive research, I found that fear and judgment are the main causes of why therapy is frowned upon. With fear, many individuals shy away from the possibility of finding out they suffer from mental health or are having abnormal feelings in any way. With judgment, as talked about before, people are embarrassed to reach out for therapy due to society's expected judgment. This is outrageous to me. This is because mental health is not something that is entirely abnormal, actually, most teenagers and well, human beings, suffer from multiple mental health issues. In fact, my friends and I constantly joke about our mental health issues and the number of therapists we've been through. It is completely normal. 

Overall, I feel as though individuals should no longer be afraid to reach out for someone or something to talk to due to their fear of judgment from society. Mental health dilemmas are something completely normal. 

Post Week 5 - Saving Money

     I've never been good at saving money, or being reasonable when I make purchases. Ever since I got a job, I've bought anything I saw that I liked. I blow all my money the second I get it. Because of my bad spending habits I barely ever have money for things I actually need, like food on my work breaks, gas for my car, or car insurance money. I also didn't get to buy myself a car when I got my license. Instead I got the old 2006 Chevy impala that's been passed around the family. I'm thankful I have a car, but it still would've been nicer to be able to have the money to buy myself a newer car. Recently, I've been telling myself I am going to start saving my money and actually get myself together. 

    

    I have a group chat with my friends, where none of us are really the best at spending money. A couple weeks ago we all decided that we needed a way to be better at managing our money. We're all pretty competitive, so we came up with a game for us. Every paycheck we all put 100$ into out savings account. For every 10$ of the money that goes into our savings account, we get one point. 100 dollars is the minimum amount we need to put in. If we fail to do that we get points taken away. We can also put extra money into our savings account for more points. We aren't allowed to take money out of the savings account unless its for an emergency. After 1 year, we all count up our points and whoever had the most points gets 50$ from everyone in our group chat. 

    It sounds silly, but we decided that this was the only way we were gonna be able to save and manage our money, since we are all super competitive. By the time I'm 18 , I hope I have enough money to be able to buy a newer car. I really want a Chevy Equinox I really hope this 'game' we created helps out all of us in the long run. 

Karve Week 5- My Dog

Anyone that knows me probably knows about the love of my life, my dog, Sparky. He is supposed to be a cockapoo, but we don't think he is, as we rescued him from a puppy farm. He's nine years old but still acts like a puppy. He can still learn new tricks. His most recent trick is learning how to push a ball that releases treats. He can also sit, laydown, roll over, shake, stand, and speak. One of my favorite things to do is teach him new tricks. He really has a personality of his own and acts like a human. The best way to describe his personality would be to say that he has nothing going on in his brain but is still full of life and spunk. Although he is perfect in my eyes, my friends enjoy making fun of him, and breaking my heart, but it's all in good fun. They say that he is shaped like a log or a tree stump and is very odd. Most recently, they compared him to the thumb from Spykids. However, I have to say that I slightly see the resemblance. They call him burrito because they claim that is how he is shaped. On top of burrito he has other nicknames. The first nickname he has is "Sparkly," which was given to him by my 6 year old neighbor, who decided that it was a better name. I can't disagree. Another nickname he has is "Spork" or "Sporky." I don't exactly know who gave him that nickname or when, but it's a popular one used by my whole family. His final nickname, and my personal favorite is "Motorspork," which is based off of the song Motorsport by Migos. Motorspork is even the name of his Instagram!