Spooky Stories

For Fall Term, I decided to take the Podcasting workshop. I joined because I never really listened to them before, so I was interested in learning more about them, and eventually, making my own. Over the course of a couple months, we lead up to making our own Episodes, of whatever topic we wanted. I chose to read spooky stories from the book Ghosts of the White City because I was inspired by true crime podcasts that my friends listen to. I read a chapter that was about two brothers, in the 1800s, who owned a funeral parlor and who were conducting secret experiments in their basement. They would keep bodies, typically who had not been claimed by family, and the main goal of the experiments was to find a new way to preserve them, by turning them to stone. Below, you will be able to listen to my trailer for the Episode 1: The After Death Experiments.

GCE Lab School · Ghosts of the Windy City Podcast Trailer

Influential voices

This is the last AP of our Fall term Humanities class, Journalism. In this unit, we focused on the significance of people's voices, specifically those who have been influential in the past century. We also learned key terms that make up the characteristics of someone's voice, such as, pitch, rhythm, timbre, tempo, and volume. Then, we watched a series of videos by Ira Glass, a known radio personality, where he described common mistakes of beginner podcasters or radio show hosts, ways to tell a story and engage the audience, and he also critiqued one of his first shows. We also sampled writing our own transcripts from a popular podcast of choice, in preparation for this AP. For the project, our goal was to choose a voice that we personally felt inspired by, in the last century, and create a podcast talking about their impact on two other people. I decided to feature Freddie Mercury's voice in my podcast because his and Queen's (the band he was in) music has been a big part of my household growing up. For my interviews, my teacher gave me the cool idea to interview someone who was alive during his time (my other teacher) and someone who was a part of my generation (my brother). I think the audience of my podcast could be anywhere from people alive during his time to my generations' age because of how his relevance and impact are still prevalent. Below, you will see an image of Freddie's iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985 (which I talk about), and my podcast describing his importance. Enjoy!

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury. Firstpost. 1985

Transcript

MM- Today we'll be talking about Freddie Mercury. I'd say he's probably one of the most influential voices of the 20th century. He was born in 1946 and then died in 1991, unfortunately, due to AIDS. But he he was one of the most incredible singers of his time and changed so much with his band, Queen, just with the music industry as a whole, creating individualism, I think, and changing the way the standard and not fitting in a box. They did their own thing and people loved it. And they're still very influential today.

MM- I think they're still very relevant, especially to my generation. So I interviewed two people about their thoughts. One person was alive during the time that Freddie was and then the other is my younger brother, so kind of trying to get perspectives on the two divides in generation. So today I'm going to ask you some questions about Freddie Mercury.

ACL- Wonderful.

MM- So you lived when he was an artist. Well, when he was still alive. And do you remember the first time you heard about him or, like, listened to his music?

ACL- I don't remember the first time off the top of my head, but I'm imagining was probably on MTV. I grew up and MTV was a big social phenomenon, cultural phenomenon. So definitely, I would imagine I heard his songs or Queen songs on MTV. I probably saw some of their music videos.

MM- Because they were very different from a lot of artists that had been singing before. Do you remember feeling some sort of impact or, like, how did it impact you? How different they were from other people?

ACL- Yeah, that's a tough one, because full disclosure, I wasn't alive for a lot of their career. I was born in 85, so I was still very young, maybe in some of their biggest days. But I think even with some of their music videos, there's, like cross dressing and things and some of their songs maybe give you hints that they're kind of going beyond. So obviously, they're extremely talented. But even their performance at that big festival, I can't remember the name, but you probably know what I'm talking about.

ACL- The famous one that was in that movie as well. I could tell that they were kind of a little bit different. And Freddie Mercury, as a front man, is a little bit different. There's definitely a big sort of cultural phenomenon of like Freddie Mercury and what he represented and what he went up against and everything he did, like in the face of all this scrutiny and things. So I think over the years has become more apparent, at least for me of my early age, I was just like, this is great music, that's all that matters.

ACL- But I think as I got older, as I was performing music and cover bands and playing it with friends at different shows and venues and things, it became pretty clear that no, this is bigger than just the music. This is about what it represents, what they're fighting for, kind of that sense of their role models for a lot of people. And I think a lot of people look to Freddie and the rest of the band for, like, inspiration, especially when they're going through rough times, which I think is pretty awesome.

MM- Yeah.

MM- Thank you so much.

ACL- You're very welcome.

MM- Hello.

OM- Hello.

MM- So I'm here to interview you about Freddie Mercury, because I know you are a big fan of Queen, and you went through a little what's that song? Another one bites the dust phase where you would play that all the time. Yeah. My first question is, since you were not alive during the time of Queen and Freddie Mercury's influence, how do you feel like it is influencing you now being part of almost two generations later?

OM- I feel like I'm a part of the culture, if that makes sense, because a lot of the songs I listen to are of that generation, and it's interesting to hear the music and to see how it still is relative. Like, some of the songs are like, about inequality and stuff and how that's still around and others are about peace and things like that and people can still relate to it.

MM- Yeah.

OM- It's like something people can still relate to, and it's interesting to look back and you're like, oh, this song must have been made recently because the events are somewhat the same. And you see, they're made in, like, the 60s or 70s or whatever. I don't know. I just think that's interesting. And then Freddie, I just love his music. He's a really good singer, and my friend showed me the music, and I don't know, I liked it. Yeah.

MM- I definitely think Freddie's voice is a unique voice that I feel like hasn't been replicated since his time. And he did things that a lot of other singers couldn't do and opened up. I think the music industry to being what it is today with a lot of, like, I don't know, just more free spirit and individualism. And, like, not fitting a box.

OM- I do believe they actually created their own genre of music, too, which is very interesting.

MM- Yeah.

MM- Well, thank you for coming here today.

OM- Short and sweet, right. 

MM- Ow.

Our own Chapter

This is the last AP of our Fall term STEAM class, Econ. In this unit, we dove into the fundamentals of economics, and especially the concepts of a Circular Economy. The main basis for our coursework was the book Doughnut Economics, by 21st-century economist, Kate Raworth. The book is essentially about the economic Doughnut model, which, "...balances between essential human needs and planetary boundaries". The book outlines, "7 Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist," each implemented into their own chapter. We also visited Plant Chicago, which helped us understand the Circular Economy, using Aquaponics. In preparation for this project, we were assigned groups and we each read, summarized, and presented our own chapters. So, after understanding how the book is structured and the substance in the chapter we read, our goal for this project was to create the beginnings of an 8th chapter. I chose to build off of Chapter 3 in the book, which was called "Nature human Nature". Below, you will see my summary and commentary for the beginning of my 8th chapter, "Change your Behavior". Enjoy!

Change your Behavior 

Chapter 8 model. Noun project. 2021

    Have you ever stopped to really think about your behavior throughout the day? All of the choices you made, conversations you had, and actions you performed? Or in this case, environmentally, all of the trash you passed on the street that you paid no mind to, every wrapper, cup, utensil, straw, or disposable item you used, that you carelessly discarded? There are many ways that we need to change our behaviors, in order to support our environment for the future. In Chapter 3, there was mention of an economic model that needs to change, now we need to use economics to change the environment. We need to spar away from our own self-interest and start to act in the interest of other people, or at least create a balance between the two. We also need to change the way we consume, produce, dispose of, problem-solve, and much of our current capitalistic system. Instead of an “every man for himself” ideal, we need to adopt an “everyone helps everyone” mindset. Much of what we have now, are short-term fixes, but we need to support long-term ideas. There are so many systems that are already in place that run on using, reusing, and recycling energy, resources, food, clothes, etc. it is just about taking what we already have and putting it on a bigger scale.

    In Chapter 3, we talked about our current economic model, Homo economicus. It included how the model affects us, and how it will affect us in the future, if we do not change our actions. Kate Raworth said, “There are, most likely, going to be more than 10 billion of us by 2100. If we head towards that future continuing to imagine, conduct, and justify ourselves as Homo economicus- solitary, calculating, competing, and insatiable- then we stand little chance of meeting the human rights of all within the means of our living planet”. This introduces us to how we need to change our ‘norm’ for our environment. One person that we can seek inspiration from is Gary Becker. He started the work, changing what we thought about economic decisions from investment-based incentives to self-interested behavior. Now, we can take it one step further, and start to incorporate acting in the interest of others, instead of just ourselves, which you can see in the model above. In order to do this, new incentives, appeals, and resources need to be implemented. To start with some of these appeals, there are many statistics about waste. According to SDG 12 (Responsible consumption and production), there is an average of 7.3 kilograms of electronic waste per capita, but only 1.7 is recycled. Additionally, in the United States alone, there are over 108 billion pounds of food waste, 17million tons of textile and clothing waste, and 292.4 million tons of other solid waste produced each year.

Sources 

EPA, Environmental Protection Agency, https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/national-overview-facts-and-figures-materials#:~:text=The%20total%20generation%20of%20municipal,25%20million%20tons%20were%20composted. 

“Gary Becker's Concept of Human Capital.” The Economist, The Economist Newspaper, https://www.economist.com/schools-brief/2017/08/05/gary-beckers-concept-of-human-capital. 

“Goal 12 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs.” United Nations, United Nations, https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12 

Raworth, Kate. “Nurture Human Nature.” Doughnut Economics: Seven Ways to Think Like a 21st-Century Economist, Random House Business Books, London, 2018.

The Meaning behind Life

This is the second AP for our Humanities class, Journalism. This unit was all about photography and how photos can have more meaning behind them than just the image. We learned about how to take photos, key terms like aperture, shutter speed, and the Rule of Thirds, and how to analyze the images. For this AP, we used what we learned to interview someone of our choice, asking them their definition of the meaning of life. We then captured an image that we thought might best show the meaning behind our interview. Below, you will see who I interviewed, the photo I captured, and their definition. Enjoy! 

The Meaning behind Life

What is the meaning of life? It is a concept that is very hard to define and many people spend their whole life seeking an answer. However, nobody will ever be able to give a true definition because it is purely subjective and individual to each person and their experiences. So, on this quest to attempt to define the meaning of life, I asked myself what would be the best way to figure it out, and so I decided to interview my mom. I thought that someone who had gone through as many experiences as her, and someone who is a mother - who has given life - might know the meaning of life. 

My mom is the most important woman in my life. She has influenced me immensely throughout my years, and I have so much more to learn from her still. She was born on December 25, 1971, and she had me 32 years later. Ever since then, we have never been separated and we have had a very close relationship. 

I always admired my mother ever since I was young. Especially when my siblings were born, I thought it was the most spectacular thing - how one person could grow a baby and then give life. And through observing that gift of life, it then always made me wonder, what was the meaning? 

I sat down with my mom, already knowing I had questions. Three main questions came to mind at that moment, but I know that just 3 questions will never be the full amount that I have. 

We started by talking about how life is a special thing that many take for granted. She pointed out how there is so much to be thankful for and so much privilege in just simply being healthy. After talking for a couple of minutes, I decided to lead with my question of what the meaning of life is, and ask supporting questions after. 

She pondered for a moment, trying to formulate her answer. As she was thinking, she was looking down at the floor for a minute, so I knew she had her answer when she slowly looked up at me. Simply, she stated,  "Everybody has a purpose and that purpose is why you were put on this earth, so the meaning of life is to fulfill that purpose". I thought this was interesting because I do believe everyone has a purpose but just like the question of the meaning of life, I don't think anyone can truly define their purpose either. So, I liked the correlation between the question and the answer's theme. 

I know my mom has always been perceptive and has had good intuiion her whole life. She had talked to me before about having 'visions' or premonitions about her future and present times going on in her life, so when I inquired about any specific moments she might remember being the cause of her definition, her answer didn't surprise me. She explained that when she was 5 years old, she had a vision about her life and that her calling would be to help people. She then recalled that everything she did from then on, she was always happiest when she was making a difference in people's lives and helping them reach their full potential.  

We then went on to talk about living life without consequences and the difference between what it feels like to not live in fear. One of the biggest things she taught me was that, in her words, "when it is your time, it's your time". In that instance, she is talking about death but I also think it can apply to other situations of taking risks that aren't as dangerous. She doesn't mean to be reckless and do dangerous things, but she meant it to be more of a lesson to live freely and without holding back. This has helped me throughout my life, and especially more recently. I have not been as afraid as I used to be. 

This lead to my final question, which was, "What is the best thing about your life currently"? I tried not to smile as I looked at her, because I knew the answer. She gave me a small smile back as she spoke the words, "my children". She had wanted kids all her life, and she explained how someone had once told her that one of the best ways to make a difference in the world, was doing a good job at raising her kids. She has always tried to show us the best versions of ourselves, and allow us to grow into our own, as we slowly become adults. Heartfeltedly, she menitoned how now that we're starting to grow up, she loves every moment of seeing who we've turned into and how much of what that person said, was true. 

MEM. KT and Kids. 2021

The image I chose to take of my mom was her holding pictures of my siblings and I, when we were younger. I decided to have her holding pictures instead of taking the picture with us because I wouldn't be able to be in it, and I thought it said more to see her 'holding' us and showing us in a physical photograph. I used the Rule of Thirds by having her directly in the center of the image and by the photographs being almost symmetrically to the side, framing her. I took the photo with a medium shutter speed because she wasn't moving and a larger aperture to make her the focus and to blur the background. 

Future Endeavors

 

MEM. Introduction. 2021

          

Completing this Action Project was a very surreal process for me. I had thought about college before but never as seriously as this. In the past, it had always been a few years away, so when I thought about it, I could usually dismiss it when I got overwhelmed. However, since it is my reality next year, I couldn't do that this time. I started to get a little stressed realizing how much living on my own and paying for school would cost. My mind would immediately go to, "This is next year, how am I going to do this? I can't pay for all of this". My main concern was paying back student loans and making sure I made enough in my profession, so as I started to complete my calculations, things calmed down a bit when I realized that it was possible. I am glad I have some plan for my future with my decision to go with UIC over UChicago, and I am excited to see where my future leads me! Thank you for reading!

Neighborhood Investigations

This is the first AP of our Senior year Humanities class, Journalism. In this unit, we learned all about Investigative Journalism, and what it takes to be a Journalist, as well as, a responsible reader. Some of the main topics we discussed were critical thinking, fact-checking, the risks of being a Journalist, facts vs. opinions, and news literacy - being able to interpret the news and know the difference between credible news sources, and noncredible ones. We also learned about the Inverted Pyramid and Good News Values, which essentially lay out the basics for writing a good investigative article. The Inverted Pyramid outlines that a good article has, 1st - A "lead", which is the most important information and usually includes 1-2 paragraphs and a hook, 2nd - "The Body", which is the crucial information and it includes the argument, controversy, story, issue, background (evidence, details, logic, etc), and quotes, and 3rd - "The Tail", which is the extra information and it includes interesting and related topics to create context. Additionally, Good News Values is news that includes accuracy, independence, impartiality, humanity, and accountability. 

For this AP, we chose a topic that we deemed relevant in our neighborhood and conducted investigations to support that topic, by interviewing people that would be affected by it. Below, you will see my project, which focuses on my neighborhood, Edgewater, and how its differences before vs. after college students move in, are viewed by local residents, either negatively or positively. Enjoy!

How do College Students affect Neighborhood Residents?

Edgewater is a northern Chicago neighborhood, and it sits in between downtown, and Evanston. There are nice parks, shops, and a lot of little activities to do. It typically tends to be rather quiet, except for the heavy noise of Sheridan traffic, but the overall environment is peaceful, especially due to the number of kids and schools in the area. Occasionally, areas around the train will have a little more disruption, but for the most part, nothing seems too bothersome. Edgewater is also home to Loyola University Chicago. 

It’s September, the glory of summer has nearly passed, as well as the surrounding peace and quiet in this neighborhood. All of the college students have settled in their dorms and apartments, and have begun living their college life. The average undergrad student population at Loyola in 2020, was close to 12,000 students, according to usnews.com. Additionally, 80% of those students live in one of the many housing structures that the campus provides. The rest either live in nearby apartments or commute. So, due to this influx of students, there tends to be a disruption in the neighborhood of Edgewater, every time September rolls around.

The rest of this article focuses on identifying the effects (negative or positive) that incoming Loyola students have on the neighborhood each year, and how local residents feel about it. So, based on what we know about how many students join each year, two interviews were conducted, talking to residents of the area about their experience, every September. 

The main subject was a woman with the initials of K.T. The primary quote that was received from her, was a response to whether or not she felt that the influx of students affects the neighborhood. She stated, "Yes, I believe that they do affect the neighborhood. In some ways positively, from the perspective that they increase and support the local economy, but there is also a negative impact, because they cause more pollution, partying, and some other issues as well." She then went on to explain how every weekend, there are multiple parties, throughout the neighborhood and in her apartment building, which becomes a noise disturbance. Additionally, she mentioned how there is constantly trash in front of their dorms and in the local parks, as well as around her building. She mentioned that a fix for that might be to work with the University to create local trash-cleanup days, where the whole neighborhood participates, including the students. 

Though she seemed to mainly point out their negative impacts, she did also mention how a majority of the students do bring, "a fun and young perspective that uplifts the neighborhood". She consented to her full interview being recorded and included in this article, so you can listen to it below, as well as a second person's interview, with the initials of C.G.M. 

Morgan · K.T.

2021. K.T. recorded interview. MEM

Morgan · C.G.M

2021. C.G.M. recorded interview. MEM

A majority of C.G.M's answers were similar to K.T.'s, however, he generally seemed to have a more positive perspective on the students' presence in the neighborhood. One statement he made was, "...They create more activity and energy - there are more people walking around and going to restaurants." He also mentioned how they boost the local economy every year, which Loyola University actually encourages. Many students participated in conducting a study of how much money going into local vs. chain businesses, affects local neighborhoods and jobs. The study concluded that, "$1 million spent at chain restaurants produces about $600,000 in additional local economic activity and supports 10 jobs. Spending $1 million at local restaurants, meanwhile, generates over $900,000 in added local economic activity and supports 15 jobs." He concluded that they do disrupt the silence in the neighborhood, but in a positive way, as opposed to in a negative way, "when you get past the trash and constant noise". 

All in all, based on the interviews, it is safe to say that Loyola students have neither just a negative or positive impact on the neighborhood, but rather, a combination. While it is agreed that they contribute to the disturbances, such as lingering trash issues and partying, they do help to stabilize the local businesses, which in turn, creates more job opportunities. 

Sources:

"Loyola University Chicago" General Information, https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/loyola-university-chicago-1710 

“Student Life.” Housing - Student Life, https://www.loyola.edu/department/student-life/housing-process#:~:text=Housing%20Process,-Living%20at%20Loyola&text=Loyola%20is%20a%20residential%20campus,years%20of%20their%20Loyola%20experience.

“Buy Local.” Loyola University Chicago, https://www.luc.edu/celts/resources/anchormission/buylocal/.

Surround Sound in the Park

 The Week of August 30th-September 3rd is GCE orientation, and one of the fun things we have been able to do, is go to the Pritzker Pavilion (in Millenium Park), for an FE. There, we listened to two pieces of music that were a part of the Sonic Pavilion Festival. It was an interesting expereience because it was much different than a more typical form of listning to music. For example, this soundscape sounded and felt as though all of the pieces, instraments, sounds, etc. were physically surrounding all around you. It reminded me of surround sound, except that it was outside, in a park. This contrasts to listening to music through headphones, where instead, it feels like the sound is being distributed directily into your ear. 

The purpose of this FE was to gain perspective on different forms and spaces of learning and how broad the definition of a classroom can be. Part of our Internal Investigation, which we did before leaving for the FE, was the class looking at different images of classrooms from ancient times to now. We then observed the similarites and differences that they held to today, as well as noticible aspectes that caught our eye. After discussing our thoughts and observations, we each drew our own versions of an 'ideal' classroom and what we would personally add to them. This was setting us up for the park expereince, where we would later think about how a traditional classroom compares to an outside expereince, and why those are important. Now having been to the FE, I can say that learning expereicnes that are outside of our typical classroom and school environment are very important because it helps us to obsorb the information so much more because it is something we are not used to. 

Additionally, we all did individual research about the Festival aswell as looked into some questions we had about the music. The questions I had were, who was the creator of the Festival?, how was the distance between each speaker calculated?, and where did the inspiration for the soundscape come from?. Since there was not a lot of time to research and not a lot of information on the festival, only bits of my questions could be answered. The creator of the Festival is Stephan Moore, 

-What did you learn from it?
-What did you connect with? Why?
-What did you uncover in your independent investigation?
-What did you learn from your peers?
-What are you still curious about?
-As we wrap up our "external investigation", where do we go from here?

Is this War Just?

This is the last AP of Junior year, in our Policy class. In the last unit (1), we focused on the Legislative branch In this unit (2), we learned about those who execute the law, within the Executive branch. We were going to have a 3rd unit, which would have focused on the Judicial branch, but due to certain circumstances, we did not get to it. We primarily dug into identifying the members of the President's cabinet and the role they play, as well as influential Executive Orders, signed by former Presidents. Some of these EO's included ones that, through executive power, led us into war (undeclared by Congress), with other countries. The two specific wars we looked at were the Korean War and the Vietnam War. We learned terminology from the conflicts, the propaganda, and attempted justification of such conflicts, and touched upon the U.S.'s involvement in the era of 'fighting against Communism'. For this project, we were challenged to pick a conflict that was the result of a Presidential EO and decide if it was/is just or unjust, according to the U.S. constitution. The project is written in the form of an Essay and, through research, builds context and support for the argument that the war is either just or unjust. Below, you will see the war I chose, and my essay determining its legal position. Enjoy!

2014. "The War on Terror". waronterror.blog

Is this War Just?

The President of the U.S. has the ability to sign an Executive Order, which exempts the contents of that order, from immediate Congressional approval. This can either be a blessing or a curse, especially looking at the recent precedent surrounding war policy and Presidential power. In recent years, it has become the norm for Presidents to surpass Congressional approval and I believe that there is a need for the restoration of checks and balances, surrounding the current Executive Power. One war that was the result of a Presidential order, is The War on Terrorism. It is currently an ongoing war in Afghanistan, that has unnecessarily prolonged, for 19 years. The main countries involved in the war are the U.S., the United Kingdom, France, and Russia. Though the legality of this war is being judged based on the U.S. constitution, and our involvement, this war started as a just war. The intentions were defined by President Bush, and the nation, of fighting terrorism after the 9/11 attacks and improving National/International security. However, as this war continued on, its intentions became more and more unclear and there was no longer a clear motive to continue fighting, therefore becoming morally unjust. Despite the destruction that has come out of this period, it is arguable that there was still good that was created. Examples of the benefits include the revolution of drone technology, more efficient GPS tracking, the strengthening of Federal databases for international identification, and more global communication about terrorist watchlists and counterterrorism attempts. 

The beginning of this war was a direct response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and it was signed by President Bush when he was just 234 days into his 1st term. During this time, there was an immediate rush and need across the nation for unity and a strategic solution to seek justice for the tragedy. Wasting no time, the deployment of American troops into Afghanistan was just days after the planes hit. Within 7 days of the attack, Congress authorized President Bush to, according to the Atlantic, "use all necessary and appropriate force against those nations, organizations, or persons he determined that planned, authorized, committed, or aided the terrorist attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, or groups that harbored such organizations or persons, in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States by such nations, organizations or persons." This was not a Congressional declaration of war but it supported President Bush's counterterrorism efforts, which in turn, led Bush to sign Executive Order 13224, on September 23, 2001. This allowed the U.S. to cut off terrorist groups financially, if not physically. The order gave the “U.S. Government a powerful tool to impede terrorist funding and is part of our national commitment to lead the international effort to bring a halt to the evil of terrorist activity.” In other words, it provided the U.S. with the means to disrupt any financial support networks for terrorist groups or organizations. 

There have been multiple years, administrations, and orders that continued in various iterations from September 2001, until now. The War on Terrorism no longer has the motive that it initially started with, and many have reason to believe that the original intent that was shared with the public, wasn't really the intent at all. According to the article, OIL SECRETS BEHIND U.S. WAR ON AFGHANISTAN, "the U.S.'s primary interest in the Afghan war might be oil, not terrorism; the U.S. president, they claim, had obstructed the investigation into the Taliban's activities." The U.S., especially during a time when we are engaged in such conflicts, has a tendency to mislead the public about America's military progress. Much like during the Vietnam War, with the publication of the Pentagon Papers, there were also Afghanistan Papers that came out in 2019, again, hiding evidence that showed that the 'war' had proven to be unwinnable, among other misleadings. Due to this information coming out, along with Bush's alleged obstruction of an investigation on the Taliban, this war then becomes unjust, not only morally, but legally too. President Bush sending troops into the Middle East was just the beginning of the endless conflict and a precedent that was further set by President Obama. The consequence unofficially strengthened Executive Power, wherein they don’t require as much Congressional support, to put through EO's that deploy troops and engage in international conflicts. Another consequence of this war was the decline in Muslim support towards the U.S. and the devastating amount of discrimination that occurred towards those who follow Islam, in America. 

In conclusion, The War on Terror was an unjust war because from its beginning to the current day, the war's intentions have been overshadowed by ulterior motives that are unlawful, based on personal agenda, and should not have been authorized to continue this long under the guise of 'seeking justice'. An anonymous senior member of the White House, interviewed by the Washington Post said, “'We went to Afghanistan to deliver justice to those who attacked us on September 11th. . . . We believe we achieved that objective some years ago,' the senior official said, and now judge the threat to the United States 'to be at a level that we can address it without a persistent military footprint.'” This further proves that the longevity of the war was unjust, as well. America's attempt to disband al-Qaeda also ended up effectively scattering their network even further, making it hard to counteract, instead of eliminating their organizations. Additionally, it appeared for many years that there would be no end, until President Biden announced in April, that all American troops will be safely transported out of Afghanistan, in September 2021. Though this is a triumph that the troops are finally coming home, the damage of an unjust war will have far lasting impacts we have yet to witness. 

Works Cited: 

“Confidential Documents Reveal U.S. Officials Failed to Tell the Truth about the War in Afghanistan.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 9 Dec. 2019, www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/investigations/afghanistan-papers/afghanistan-war-confidential-documents/.  

“Executive Order 13224 - United States Department of State.” U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of State, 27 May 2021, www.state.gov/executive-order-13224/. 

Franke-Ruta, Garance. “All the Previous Declarations of War.” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 1 Sept. 2013, www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/08/all-the-previous-declarations-of-war/279246/. 

Shashikumar, V.K. “OIL SECRETS BEHIND U.S. WAR ON AFGHANISTAN.” Peace Research, vol. 33, no. 2, 2001, pp. 102–104. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/23608077. Accessed 12 June 2021.

Missy Ryan, Karen DeYoung. “Biden Will Withdraw All U.S. Forces from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, 2021.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 14 Apr. 2021, www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/biden-us-troop-withdrawal-afghanistan/2021/04/13/918c3cae-9beb-11eb-8a83-3bc1fa69c2e8_story.html.

A parking lot re-imagined

This is the last AP for our Junior year, in our Urban Planning class. As we wrapped up the year, and the term, we learned about the history/development of cities and the beginning fundamentals of Urban Planning. We also watched three videos, that separately taught us about living locally, the issues and the disconnect between modern urbanism and suburbia, retrofitting, and environmental justice. We also learned about parks, city budgeting, and transit, which all make up Urban Planning. We had an architect come in to talk to us, as well as, 3 architect students who assisted us with the beginning building stages of this project. For this project, we were challenged with finding a space, either in our neighborhood, city, country, or anywhere else in the world, that we wanted to redesign. After we chose an area and sketched out ideas for redesigning it, we transformed it into a 3D model. Below you will see the area I chose, my building process, and my final model! Enjoy!

Overall, I really enjoyed this term and getting the opportunity to do this project. I especially enjoyed the building aspect of it. This class taught me about how much goes into Urban Planning, and it gave me insight into how planners make proposals for redesigns, as well. I am proud of my model, even though I wish I added more cutouts of vegetables and flowers, instead of just painting them. I think that is the only thing I would have done differently. Thank you for reading my project!

A letter to our Legislator

This is the 1st Action Project for our Humanities class, Policy. In this unit, we really dug into all three branches of government, but specifically the Legislative branch. We focused on specific policies (rules, laws, bills, pending legislation, etc) and learned about the influence and power that our legislators have. We also learned about the individuals and their roles, in different levels of federal and state government. Once we learned the fundamentals of each branch, we began focusing on WW1, WW2, and a little bit of the Vietnam War. For this project, we were challenged to identify a piece of legislation that is currently pending, and it could either be State, City, or Federal. Once we did that, we had to identify someone who represented us, in either the form of our Alderman, our Mayor, our Governor, one of our State Representatives, or one of our State Senators that could vote in favor, or against our chosen legislation. I looked on multiple government websites and finally found something I was interested in, The Environmental Justice For All Act. Tammy Duckworth was already a cosponsor of the legislation, so I decided to write to her. Below, you will see an introduction to the Act and my letter. Enjoy!

Background: 

The Environmental Justice For All Act is legislation that is embedded with the principle that everyone has the right to pure and clean air, healthy water, and a stable environment for living. It is fueled by the belief that federal policy is capable and should use that capability to achieve, “environmental justice, health equity, and climate justice for all underserved communities.” It was originally introduced and is being led by Chair Raúl M. Grijalva and Rep. A. Donald McEachin, and it has not yet passed the House. I will be writing my letter to Senator Tammy Duckworth. Since she is a sponsor of the bill, below, I wrote a letter in support of her sponsorship, rather than using an argument to persuade her to support the bill. 

Letter: 

Dear Senator Tammy Duckworth, 

I am a high school Junior, and I wanted to write to you, in support of your sponsorship of the Environmental Justice For All Act. I think it is very important that these issues are finally getting recognized, on a federal level. Though, on a smaller scale, these things have been in the works for some time. Due to a continuing pattern of certain party-dominated states not believing in or caring about Climate Change, it is crucial that these policies are passed federally. This is so that it is not left up to the states to create their own environmental policies, which creates further division, nationally. Though I have no experience working in government, being surrounded by environmental policy, or being involved in any major decision past what time I should start my homework, I still feel that I have a basic understanding of the environmental needs of my city and country. I am also supported by the material I have learned this past year, through my school. We focused on the purpose of messages/ideas, and who/what sees those messages and ideas through to fruition. This past month, we have been learning about policy, making laws, and how our government works and connects through each branch. Additionally, I take part in community service around my neighborhood, by cleaning up the abundance of local trash. 

Getting into facts about the current Environment; There has been a continuing issue in this country regarding the lack of environmental responsibility, especially on the federal level. Within that lack of responsibility, states are left to create environmental policies on their own, which oftentimes gets overlooked, as a ‘non-pressing' issue. As a result, those who become most overlooked are the lower-income areas of cities and states. Those low-income areas, in Chicago for example, have some of the most unnecessarily high exposures to pollution (some reaching a level of 10/10) - mainly affecting black and brown communities. These areas also, according to nrdc.org are, “environmental racism hotspots,” and 5% of premature deaths can be attributed to overexposure to these pollutions, as well as severe lung and heart complications. 

The amount of environmental support one gets should not be based on their status, class, or income, but rather, it should be treated as a basic human right. It should be extended to every individual equally and without bias, which is what I admire about this act. I admire your work within Environmental justice and how you take the time to think of and fight for those, who would otherwise, not be thought of. I like that the Environmental Justice For All Act, if passed, will provide justice based on the principles that everyone deserves said justice, no matter their beliefs, race, gender, religion, origin, etc. I find this refreshing and much needed, in a time where there is still much bias in this country. I am sure that many states and Legislators, especially those who don’t believe in Climate Change, will be reluctant to accept or vote on this new act. One being, Senator Ted Cruz, where he states that Global Warming is, "liberal politicians who want government power over the economy, the energy sector and every aspect of our lives." And while this belief may be shared by others, I believe that regardless of the acknowledgment of Climate Change, taking care of the earth and of each other, should not be a second thought, nor should it have any exterior motive. 

In conclusion, I support your sponsorship for this Act, and I admire your hard work regarding this issue and many other issues. Especially, your fighting for Black and brown communities, and providing voices for those who would most likely continue to be ignored. I hope progress is made with the Act and it goes through! Thank you for taking the time to read this! 

Sincerely, 

MM 

Sources:

“Email Tammy.” U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, www.duckworth.senate.gov/help/email-tammy.  

October 29, 2020. “Environmental Justice in Chicago: It's Been One Battle After Another.” NRDC, 18 May 2021, www.nrdc.org/stories/environmental-justice-chicago-its-been-one-battle-after-another. 

“Scientific Evidence Doesn't Support Global Warming, Sen. Ted Cruz Says.” NPR, NPR, 9 Dec. 2015, www.npr.org/2015/12/09/459026242/scientific-evidence-doesn-t-support-global-warming-sen-ted-cruz-says. 

Yeo, Sophie. “A Clever New Map Shows Which Chicago Neighborhoods Are Most at Risk From Pollution.” Pacific Standard, Pacific Standard, 15 Jan. 2019, psmag.com/environment/which-chicago-neighborhoods-are-most-at-risk-from-pollution. 

Circuit Appliances

This is the 2nd Action Project of our Urban Planning class. In this Unit, we learned about electricity, AC and DC, the War of the Currents (Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla), energy, circuits, and how to be environmentally conscious, regarding our energy consumption. We had two FE guests from Farr Associates who came to talk to us about their work and focused a lot on energy consumption and emissions, specifically carbon. They also talked about their work to find efficient solutions on how to reduce the number of carbon emissions needed to halt the damaging effects of Climate Change. Throughout all the work from this unit, I am most proud of my understanding of the material, along with our experiments with building circuits. For this project, we were challenged to research energy-efficient appliances and further create a home/room, including these appliances. We also have a circuit kit with two batteries, two swtiches, and two light bulb holders. Our additional task was to make a parallel circuit with a third resistor (lightbulb) and to figure out how to make it connect. Without actually being able to build a model to scale, we used our circuits to represent each energy-efficient appliance. Below you will see an explanation of my work and my process. Enjoy!

For my house, I am modeling a basement laundry room. In the room, there is a Costway Washer and Dryer, and an Energy Star certified ceiling lightbulb. The light bulbs represent each energy efficient appliance, the main switch turns on the light, and the parallel switch gives power to the Washer and Dryer. I hope you enjoy seeing my process!

 

In conclusion, I had a lot of fun doing this project. The hardest part was probably that the building process took me 4 hours - don't ask me how or why, I'm not sure. I was mainly trying to plan everything, where to connect the wires, and placing furniture. I also had to start over on building my circuit because I was trying to get the third light bulb to stay and the circuit fell apart. I ended up getting it to stay by using a paperclip and a rubber band! Thank you for taking the time to read my project! 

Trus(s)t the process

This is the first Action Project for our Spring Term, STEAM course; Urban Planning. In this unit, we learned about the meaning of Urban Planning, its purpose, Newton’s Laws of Motion, calculations of Velocity, Force, Acceleration, Vectors, Triangles, and how those all connect to Bridges. We also learned about different types and classifications of bridges, ending with our central focus, Truss bridges. Additionally, we were supposed to enjoy an outside adventure, walking along Michigan Ave, and ending where the River bridges connect the two parts of downtown. However, we had to watch virtually, as our teacher filmed the whole experience live because in-person learning was canceled that day. The purpose of this project was to take what we learned during this unit and build one of our own bridges. We were challenged to build them with a limit of 60 popsicle sticks, and at the end, create a bridge durable enough to withstand at least 8.9 pounds, over a 1ft gap. Below, you will see my work and whether or not I succeeded in the challenge. Enjoy!

 

Looking back at my process and my overall conclusion about my bridge, there are many things I would have done differently if I could do it over. I remember thinking, throughout my entire building process, "this will be the stick (that I do or don't add) that will make or break my bridge." This guided where I placed every stick, but looking back, I realized I should have added more. I only used 36 out of the available 60, because I thought that I had already used enough. However, if I were to do it over, I would have added more vertical stick support on the bottom chord/deck of the bridge, and I would have made my top structure longer, with more triangles. This would have distributed the weight more evenly, throughout the entire bridge, instead of it just balancing on the square. Despite the bridge breaking, I learned that there can still be successes from failure, and I feel that I am able to write this reflection in more detail, now that the bridge is broken, than if it wasn't. I also learned the meaning of building something with your own hands, designing something on your own, and that it is, of course, not easy. I feel as though my bridge connects to SDG11 because of the initiative it took for us to build/design them, and if we were actual engineers, they would meet the characteristics of the goal (sustainable, and safe, etc. human settlements). I hope you enjoyed my project!

Amending the Code

This is the last Action Project for the Winter term of our Humanities class, Argument. In the last unit, we focused on the Declaration of Independence and ultimately, made a declaration of our own. For this unit (unit 2), we learned about The U.S. Constitution, and 14 of its amendments. We focused on learning and distinguishing logical fallacies, along with, applying those fallacies to real situations. We had multiple FE guests that all did work for the city of Chicago, in some capacity. Those guests were: Alderman Andre Vasquez (40th ward), Alderman Walter Barnett (27th ward), and Public Defender Connie Jordan. We looked at crucial parts of history (primarily the 1850's), and we studied the amendments to the Constitution around that time. We also learned about important people of the time - The Dred Scott Case and the poems by Phillis Wheatley. For this AP, we looked at highlights from the Chicago Municipal Code and were tasked with finding our own ordinance that we thought was unjust or in need of amending. After some time of research, I finally found the topic that I wanted to amend, even though it wasn't much. I chose the topic of the Limitations of Purchasing Handguns in Chicago, and below, you will see my argument! 

 

 In conclusion, I really enjoyed amending my own ordinance and going through the process of finding a topic. The Municipal Code was very lengthy and already pretty sound, so it was difficult to find a topic, but I am proud of what I did with mine. I hope you enjoyed my project!

An Hour in Time

This is our last AP for our Winter term STEAM class: Light, Sound, and Time. For this unit, we focused on the 3rd topic, Time. First, we did an experiment to grasp our own concept of time, where we spent almost the entire class time (around 40 minutes), without looking at any clocks or forms of telling time. It was very interesting and kind of weird, because we were all so used to constantly checking the time, and we had to go without that. It definitely helped us to focus on what we were discussing and not have the distraction, and the time seemed to pass faster than usual. At the end of the lesson, we each guessed what time we thought it was and the correct answer was around 1:40pm, which was a little bit later than our usual class period. Throughout the unit, we also learned about how time is measured and the Cosmic Calendar, how time can be told using the sun/stars or Longitude/Latitude, the different tools to tell time (sundial, pendulum, sextant, etc), Time Zones, General relativity, and the Twin paradox. We also had an FE guest who talked to us about the Universe and what he studies. For this AP, we researched devices for telling time and we chose one that we wanted to modify and improve. We then made a 2-minute video explaining our product and how it works/its significance. I chose to improve an Hourglass, and below, you will see my video. Enjoy!

In conclusion, I really enjoyed brainstorming ideas to modify an Hourglass. It took some brainstorming because it was a little difficult for me to figure out what to change, but I think I did well on these basic modifications. If I could do anything differently, I would have taken more time to think of more complex ideas for modification. I hope you enjoyed my project!

Diddley Bows and STEAM

This is the second AP of our Light, Sound, and Time class, and we are in unit 2, which is Sound. In this unit, we focused on the components of Sound and we learned in-depth about what it is. We learned about sound waves, the anatomy of the ear and how sound travels to our brains, the Doppler effect, UltraSound and Infrasound, and stringed instruments. For this AP, we made our own stringed instruments, called Diddley Bows (kind of like a single string guitar), and had the opportunity to go in person, again, to build them. We made them because we were talking about stringed instruments, and this is our visual representation of Sound. I am most proud of my Diddley Bow because it was a little difficult to make, but I think it turned out well. Below, you will see my finished product, an explanation of the instrument, a recording of what it sounds like, and calculations, measuring the instrument and its frequency/wavelengths. Enjoy!

The Diddley Bow produces sound by you plucking the string, and the sound waves vibrate from the battery (applying pressure on the string) to the tin can. Then, it moves inside the hole, and echoes throughout the can, coming out the open side of the can, and further being amplified by it. The device demonstrates pitch/frequency because of how you can apply a certain pressure on the string to increase or decrease the pitch. This means that you can change the pitch based on how hard you press or how tight/loose the string is. My Diddley Bow is very low pitch because the string is 54 gauge (.054inches). Its frequency is about D5 603.9Hz. Below, you will see my Diddley Bow, as well as the 4 harmonics.  

2021. Harmonics. MEM

2021. Diddley Bow. MEM

Below, you will see all the calculations for my Diddley Bow, and a sketch of it from the side, demonstrating its most important parts, and showing most of its measurements. 

Calculations: 

String length - 24 inches 

H - Vibrating string Length - 20 inches 

Thickness - .054in thick (54 gauge) 

Wood length - 27 inches 

B1 - Wood to battery height - 1in 

B2 - Wood to string at can height - 2in 

Height of can - 4.5in 

Radius of can - 1.5in 

2021. Diddley Bow Sketch. MEM

Trapezoid- 

Area - ½ (b1+b2)h 

Area - ½ (1+2)*20 

Area - 30 in^2 

Triangle- 

tan(u) = opp/adj = h/(b2-b1) 

Inverse tangent of (length of wood under vibrating string/difference in heights by can and battery) in degrees 

Inverse tangent of (27/1) in degrees = 87.878 degrees 

360 - 90 - 90 - angle U = angle L 

360 - 90 - 90 - 87.878 

Angle L = 92.122 

Cylinder- 

Volume = πr^2h 

Volume = π1.5^2x4.5 

Volume = 31.8 in^3

Here, you will see the Frequency and Wavelength of each Harmonic, as well as a visual representation of each Harmonic, and a recording of what the Diddley Bow sounds like. 

2021. Harmonics. MEM

Frequency - D5 603.9Hz 

Wavelength (w = speed of sound / f) 343/603.9 = 0.5 meters 

2nd harmonic frequency - 603.9x2= 1,207.8Hz 

2nd harmonic wavelength - 0.58/2 = 0.29 meters 

3rd harmonic frequency - 603.9x3= 1,811.7Hz 

3rd harmonic wavelength - 0.58/3 = 0.193 meters 

4th harmonic frequency - 603.9x4= 2,415.6Hz 

4th harmonic wavelength - 0.58/4 = 0.145 meters 

2021. The Diddley Bow. MEM

In conclusion, I really enjoyed this unit and making our instruments. If I could do it all over again, the only thing I would do differently is choose a thinner string. I would do that so it would be easier to tighten, and so I could hear what a thinner string sounded like. This unit, I struggled with the equations and graphing waves but in the end, I think I had a better understanding. I hope you enjoyed my project!

My Declaration

This is the first Action Project for our Winter Term Humanities class, A Nation's Argument. In this unit, we focused on what makes a strong argument and learned what an argument really is. We spent time really breaking down the components of an argument and how to write one. We learned about syllogisms, which include premises and conclusions, as well as, Inductive and Deductive reasoning. We also focused on learning about the Declaration of Independence and how that related to Argument. We broke it down into sections and related each part back to individual indicators and components of Argument. When it came to the AP, we were tasked with making our own Declaration - a Declaration of an Independent Study. We got to choose our own topics and then made an outline supporting why this study was important, and showing how the course would go. We also had the principal of Rogers Park Montessori School, as an FE guest, to talk to us about the school, and the benefits of hands-on learning. Below, you will see my Declaration to study Psychology in High School. Enjoy!

In conclusion, I enjoyed this project because I am passionate about Psychology and would like to study it in the future. If I could do the project over I would change how much detail I put into it. However, I think I overall did pretty well. I am excited for the next unit and what it brings. I hope you liked my project!

Can You See The Light?

This term, our STEAM class is called, "Light, Sound, and Time," and each category is separated into a unit. For unit 1, we focused on learning in-depth about Light and components that relate to it. We learned about light waves - how light travels, how to capture light, different types of waves, and how to calculate them using trigonometry. We learned about color and the electromagnetic spectrum, and even how to make our own cameras! For this AP, we took what we learned about light and got to travel to our new school to make our own cameras, in-person. We had the option of making either a Pinhole camera, a Camera Obscura, or a room-size Camera Obscura. Each was a little different - the pinhole camera allows you to capture an actual image, whereas, the camera obscura acts more like a projector, allowing you to see an image through a lens, but not actually take a photo. Below, you can see my work and the finished product of the camera, along with, the image through the lens, a diagram of the light process, and some calculations. Enjoy! 

In this unit, I think I am most proud of my camera, even though it was pretty basic. It was really cool to physically make something and be able to see how it turned out/apply what we learned. My Camera Obscura captures light by it coming through a small hole (the lens) at an angle, and then hits the surface inside (parchment paper), to then create an upside-down image of the object you are looking at. It also demonstrates reflection, because of how the light goes through the lens, bounces off the parchment paper, and further travels to your eye, through the looking hole, which allows you to see the image on the paper. In my case, I was looking at a lightbulb, and it was really interesting to see how it appeared flipped in the camera. Another thing I found fascinating was how, if you moved your hand upwards in front of the light, it looked like it was going down, and if you moved it down, it looked like it was going up.

This is my Camera Obscura and I made it out of an old shoebox. The additional materials I used were aluminum foil, parchment paper, tape, scissors, and a thumbtack. The first step was cutting a hole on the opposite side of the pre-made hole, and covering it with aluminum foil (this is the lens). Then, I cut a piece of parchment paper and struggled to tape it in the middle of the box, but finally succeeded. After that, I used a thumbtack to poke a tiny hole through the aluminum and, finally, closed my box and went to look at a lightbulb. 

MEM. Camera Obscura. 2021.

Here, is the picture that I observed through my camera. As you can see, the lightbulb is upside down, and that is because the light travels from the top of the object, straight down into the lens, and to the bottom of the parchment paper, thus, making the image appear upside down. You can see this in the diagram below. 

MEM. Lightbulb Image. 2021.

Photopedagogy. Camera Obscura Diagram. 2011.

From the Internal Investigation, the camera most demonstrates the visible science of the Electromagnetic Spectrum, otherwise known as, the 'Visible Spectrum'. This is the part of the EM that we can see - the light we see. The camera uses visible light to create an image on the parchment paper.  

The data for the camera includes: it's dimensions, the height of the lens (h1), the depth of the camera (d1), the height of the light (h2), the camera's volume, a similar triangles diagram, the minimum distance between the light and the camera, and the path of light rays to the camera. 

Camera Dimensions: Length- 12in, Width- 9in, Height- 4.5in

Volume: l*w*h = 12*9*4.5 = 486in^3

Similar Triangles: (h1)- 4in, (h2)- 12, (d1)- 5in, 

Minimum Distance: h2*d1/h1-d1 = 12*5/4-5 = 10in

The pathway of light to the camera can be seen in the image below, in 4 labeled steps. 

MEM. Similar Triangles and LightPath. 2021. 

In conclusion, I really enjoyed making my camera and really taking what I learned, and applying it to something physical, to see how it works. If I could do it differently, I might’ve made a Pinhole camera instead, because you get to actually take a picture with it, but overall, I am happy with my decision. I feel good about ending this unit with a strong understanding of Light, and I am excited to move on to learning about Sound, in unit 2. I hope you enjoyed my project!

Citations:

“Camera Obscura.” PhotoPedagogy, https://www.photopedagogy.com/camera-obscura.html