Chapter 1 Of My Life

In unit of my new class endurance we looked at different things people in the past had to endure both mentally and physically, and how it got them to be the amazing people they are known to be. We even did some endurance challenges of our own; the first one we did was sitting for 10 minutes without moving or sitting, something a lot of us were not able to do. The second one was holding a chunk of ice for 1 minute, two times; some people didn’t make it the first time and everyone did second time. Lastly, we had to do a boot camp training exercise with a teacher of Karate. As for the action project, we had to imagine ourselves 50 years in the future, for me that would be the age of 68. In this age I am writing an autobiography about myself and the mission I have for myself when I was a kid turning into an adult. I had to talk about the many things I had endured and how they got me here. I enjoyed doing this because I have such a strong mission to be in the film industry, and this only helped fuel the passion. There wasn’t anything I struggled with, I would’ve liked to have tried this not in essay form possibly. Below is the first chapter I have created my future book, hope you enjoy!  

                                                                                               

Chapter One:

Understanding

p3MediaWorks"On Set" 2016.

I was born in Bulgaria and adopted when I was the age of one by a Greek family in Chicago. I was raised in the northwest side of Chicago, having a more privileged life than others, but it would take longer time to realise that. Growing up I would always make sure that I was good student, always messing around with friends on the weekends. When I was growing up a lot of people would want to go partying, where my friends and I would just drink pop, and play video games till the sun came up. Then as soon as the week started, I would jump into my school work, pushing through all the stuff I needed.

Then sooner than I could see, high school hit me. I was a very poor test taker and because of that I would make sure in the classroom I was doing amazing. I was going to go to school called Notre Dame, having to be part of their special ed program. This was something my parents and I weren’t happy about, but I was determined to prove them wrong and make my way up to an A in my classes. Then a funny little thing happened, I was found on the waiting list of a school named GCE Lab School, a small school still starting out. I visited this school and saw that this place was for me, classes where every student had a say, not just in the classroom, but the entire school the students would have freedom. In the school, there were two classes and instead of tests, it was mainly projects. This was a big mental challenge for me at first and something I struggled to adjust to, but after I did everyone saw that I was growing as a person. The school taught me so much about myself and the city I lived in.

Outside of school, I was doing various activities such as teaching myself to learn to ride a skateboard, taking martial arts, and learning more about my Greek language. I was always pushing myself to learn new things to help my body and my mind. My freshman year was when I when I had big physical challenge of breaking my arm for the second time, and after that I always to take care of it and make sure it wouldn’t break again. If it did break again, I would have to do special programs to make sure it was taken care of. I would take care of it by doing yoga and sports, this making me more careful with my body. In my years of high school I kept changing my idea of what I wanted to do with my life, when I would go to college and work. At first, it was an architect because my that was dad did, and I liked art and math which architecture catered to. Then in my sophomore year and junior year, I wanted to work for the CIA because I was training with martial arts, and I wanted to use those moves to some good use. After finding out what I would really have to do to get into the CIA, I decided it was something I wasn’t interested in. Late into my junior year, I wanted to do art more, and I was more into films. That is when I found my passion and what I knew what I could do: become a director.

To become a director I knew I had to go to a school, that would have great classes for that. I started applying to a lot of art schools with film programs, because I also wanted to study various art styles. I applied all over, but knew I wanted to stay close to home, the place I wanted to into the most was Pratt in New York, because for one it was a great art school, and to study film in New York was my idea of amazing and the perfect school. I had a list of all my school from which one I wanted to go to the most and the least:

1. Pratt Institute
2. Rhode School of Design
3. Art Institute of Chicago
4. Columbia College
5. Savannah School of Art and Design.

To prepare I was making my own films each one better than the other. I was even taking classes at a small art school called Marwen to get more knowledge, doing animation and GIF making classes. Everything I was doing would be to prepare myself for film school.

One of the biggest road bumps I never saw coming was making an art portfolio. I didn’t rush to make one, but was smart and found old things I have done that I have done as a projects and found out those would work, plus my films I made, making the art portfolio I knew I could put together.

Now let’s jump forward a little, to my time in college studying film at Columbia College, and yes it wasn’t very high up on my list, but after looking at their film set, I knew this was the perfect place. My first year was very difficult having to adjust back to normal school tendencies; I hated having to take normal core classes such as English, math, science, history. But, I knew that if I could do great in those classes and pushed through I would be able to get to the filming.

Once I was filming I was loving it, getting to work with so many people that all had the same passion as me! Having such a great place to work on my ideas and learn more, to study all the things I ever dreamed for. There have been a lot of times where I will argue with the people I am working with because one of us wanted the film to a certain way. We would always come to some agreement, not really happy but able to still make it amazing. I would learn to make so many films, some being a noir style, some being animation, POV, anything you can think of! I was trying everything.  I needed to fuel my need to learn and grow, because I was determined to work my butt off to show what I was made for!

I got the second chance of life by being adopted, and I was going to show that it was worth it! When I was 18, my friend and I were talking at Starbucks and he was said that, “A strength you show is powering through extremely difficult situations that could make or break a young adult.” I took that in such a positive way that I knew that I could do this and that I could be the film director I decided to be in my junior year of high school. My journey through all these parts of my life reminds me of Frank Worsley the captain of The Endurance, because on his journey he a lot of challenges, but each one only made him stronger and fight harder. All of my challenges lead to the best moment ever, the film I am most proud of.

The film I am most proud that I made when I was a senior was an action film that incorporated animation in it, I called it Surfer. It is a style that has been done before but not very common anymore, and at the time I knew it would be amazing… and it was! The film was about a man that discovers and he can enter any TV show he wants and make his life just like the show. This was something that took me months to make from all the design aspects, but my professors loved it and so did everyone I knew! I was able to bring another style to life. Not only did this film get my myself an A but it was able to get my name around in Hollywood and the filming community. Soon more people wanted it to be shown all around. This lead for so much success, and I learned something important: Understanding the things you endured as a young person are what got me where I am today, is the most important thing ever.

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

In my advisory class, Math Camp, we had to pick a math subject that we were interesting in learning more about. Then work on it for the entire class practicing the subject and getting good at it. We only met once a week on Mondays, we would give ourselves homework, or just use our class time to work on it. My subject is Card Counting, which is very popular when playing Blackjack aka 21. The point of the game is to get 21 in your hand to win, in casinos you are playing against whoever is at your table, and mainly the dealer. Card Counting is used to win the game, or have a better chance at winning, usually used to make sure you know what to bet when playing at casinos. This is related to math because in order to count the cards you need to be able to add and subtract very fast, it is very important to be able to remember things and adapt very quickly that is happening in the game. It is something that uses a lot of very simple math, but in such a fast pace that it can help you win a lot of money when you come out a casino. Hope you enjoy learning Card Counting and hopefully get good at yourself!

                                                                                                     

Now first thing you need to know to be good at Blackjack in general is basic strategy:

Blackjack Institute. "Basic Strategy." 2002

This chart shows you what you should and shouldn’t do when playing. This is an easy way to keep yourself ahead of the game. Now for counting cards it is very simple. Whenever a card is played you make sure you know how that affects the count. So I will tell what card does what.

• 2 through 6 = +1
• 7 through 9 = 0
• 10 through Ace = -1

Now that you know that when the deck is being played you just add or subtract numbers now. Say a 6, 5, 4, 7, ace, and 10 are played, the count would then be +1. This is because the 6, 5, and 4 made the count +3, but because the Ace and 10 were played it was dropped to +1. The count is very helpful in that it can tell you what to bet, and if you should go high or low. The main thing you should always know is that 10 has the most cards in a deck; you have the 10, Jack, Queen, and King. That is 16 cards out of 52 cards. Meaning they are the most likely to be played. You have always have to remember what is being played so you can also change your moves, because if a lot of 10 cards have been played then the chances of you getting another 10 are very low.

Lastly there is a thing called True Count, this is basically when you are playing a game with more than one deck. The way this works is, say your count currently in a game is +3, and there are 2 decks being played the true count would be +1.5. You divide the count by the amount of decks that are being played. This isn’t the easiest thing to do though because all casinos use a different amount of decks, and they have shuffle machines that can change everything in an instant. There is even a machine that keeping the true count is impossible because you can’t focus on how many decks are being played when it is constantly shuffling the cards.

Number One Protagonist

In the course System and Models, we learned about different personality tests and how they can be used in certain situations to help people understand you more, but also to help you understand yourself more. Next to that, we went over imaginary numbers and they can dispel the theory of not being able to square root a negative number. For the action project, we took multiple personality tests such as the Myers Briggs, Enneagram, DISC, and the TKI. Each of these show what kind of person you are in different ways. We then had to make a self portrait of ourselves and write an artist statement how two of these tests relate to our self portrait. The self portrait could have been anything visual, so I decided to do an actual self portrait of myself but add some details to make it relate more the personality tests I wanted to use. What I like about this project was being able to freely create anything and show how it really does represent us, even if it looks nothing like us. Something I struggled with was coming up with a way to do my self portrait, and how I wanted to do it, mainly because it was so free. I hope you like my drawing and like hearing more about me!

NVA. “Looking at Power” 2017. Chicago

“Looking at Power”
Pencil/Markers
H 10 ½ “ x W 8”


Taking the Myers Briggs personality test and the Enneagram test, I learned more about myself in that I do take on a leader type of image. For the Myer Briggs personality test, I belong to the ENFJ community of people. Some famous people that fall under this category of the different 16 possibilities are Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela. To go into more detail the, ENFJ are known for being, “natural-born leaders, full of passion and charisma. Forming around two percent of the population, they are oftentimes our politicians, our coaches and our teachers, reaching out and inspiring others to achieve and to do good in the world. With a natural confidence that begets influence, ENFJs take a great deal of pride and joy in guiding others to work together to improve themselves and their community (ENFJ Personality “The Protagonist”, 2011).” I really agree with this because I really like helping others with a passion, it makes me feel good. They do say that this category does not back down from talking out, which I don’t agree with for myself because I do tend to stay quiet, but I am speaking out more, because of my school. In the image I show this by the angle I drew myself, where I am looking up, as a leader would. I am stepping up and becoming the leader I know I can be in this world. For the Enneagram test, I fall under the One category, which has traits of a Four and Seven. To go into more detail: “Ones are conscientious and ethical, with a strong sense of right and wrong. They are teachers, crusaders, and advocates for change: always striving to improve things, but afraid of making a mistake. Well-organized, orderly, and fastidious, they try to maintain high standards, but can slip into being critical and perfectionistic. They typically have problems with resentment and impatience. At their Best: wise, discerning, realistic, and noble. Can be morally heroic (“The Preformer Enneagram Type One” 2016).” I find that statement interesting because I have heard people say that about me, but I don’t really think of making mistakes; I actually like them, because I can learn and grow. Besides that, I really agree with most others things. They both strongly relate to each other, but the Myers Briggs is a bigger picture of how I am and the Enneagram goes into a little more detail of why I am like that. To symbolize that into the drawing, I used words and colored them to pop more - a way of going into more detail to explain my morals and personality type. Work, because I work hard, and push others to do the same. Create, because I like to create new things to make something better or solve a solution. Lead, because I am good at pulling people together and getting them to do what is necessary. Imagine, because I have a lot of big ideas of what I want to do in the world. Lastly, Future, because relating to Imagine, I have great plans for the Future, and I like to have a plan built for what will happen.

A couple of other tests that I took were the TKI, which shows how you are in conflicting situations, I got the Accommodator, which basically means, “the complete opposite of competing. When accommodating, the individual neglects his own concerns to satisfy the concerns of the other person; there is an element of self-sacrifice in this mode. Accommodating might take the form of selfless generosity or charity, obeying another person's order when you would prefer not to, or yielding to another's point of view (“An Overview of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)” 2009).” I agree with this a lot because I do tend to do this, just so I don’t have to fight anymore. I do feel in some cases this works with being a leader, because you need to know to work with people, and that might mean breaking up a fight so you can focus on what is important. Another test was the DISC, this measures what kind of person you are in a group. The personality I got in mine was Steadiness meaning, “is known for being steady, stable, and predictable. They are even-tempered, friendly, sympathetic with others, and very generous with loved ones. The S is understanding and listens well. Preferring close, personal relationships, the S is very opened with loved ones, but can also be possessive at times and hold them close (“Personality Types of DISC: S Personality Style (Steady)” 2017).” I agree with this a lot really because I am like this in many ways, in a group this works well for someone that is willing to put in the work with some guidance. I find that this can have some leadership qualities because they can put the forward, depending on the person they can pull people together. These two tests I believe are more detail of my two others being the Myers Briggs and Enneagram, they are represented but in a different way.

To create this image, I used pencil to have a outline of what I wanted and slowly made it more crisp and not as messy. Then I went over it in Sharpie and for the details used a thin point Sharpie. Same with the letters, and I planned out the colors actually. My thought process of doing so was really what it is important and what color really connects with the word; also depending on which one connect with the tests the most. That is why LEAD is all in capital letters and in red, because I want the viewer to see that first with myself. And then the other words are the thing keeping it up, like support, going into what it takes to lead.

The Independent Artist

For my independent study, I worked on beefing up my art portfolio for various colleges. I spent a lot of time working on essays and making different films that I could add to my art portfolio. I plan to go for a film major and I decided I needed to have more film work in my art portfolio. This independent study allowed to me see if film was something that I could get into and it also allowed me to explore different styles of film like animation and noir. The biggest project that I completed was a Noir film which you can watch below.

                                                                                                                

I submitted applications to the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), Pratt Institute, Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), and Savannah School of Art and Design (SCAD). Each college requires two essays, one talking about personal aspirations and another talking about why I as an artist is a good candidate for their school. In addition to the essays, each of the colleges asked for something different to be included in my portfolio. For instance, Pratt asked for a film treatment and RISD asked for a separate art project following their guidelines. So, I needed more time to work and explore my art and be able to follow my own schedule. This is why I decided to have an independent study. I worked on a lot in the month I had to myself. I was able to work on my essays and really focus on what I needed before a certain deadline for SAIC.

Then I got to work on various films. I worked on different animations, as well as creating a movie about someone doing something so bad they needed to lose their identity. In that short film, Lost & Gone, I want the audience to interpret what it is that he did that he would need to lose his identity. I created new film where for a week I planned out the script and was always writing down ideas for how it look very good, this way I got to see more of the planning behind films. I knew I wanted to create a Noir film, so I started by looking up the elements a Noir film, other than the fact that they are usually in black and white. I got a few people I knew to be the actors. Following a storyboard and a script, I recorded the actors. Then I took the footage to post-production, where I edited a short film to tell the story I set out to tell. I am very proud on how it came out and I wish I had more time for this independent study. But I will still be creating films. In fact, I already have another idea ready. I want to keep growing as a filmmaker and artist and that’s what I plan to do.

SMART Investing

In Unit 2 of my class Economics, we learned about investing, and different types of things to invest in, such as bonds, mutual funds, and stocks. Then for the math side of things we focused a lot on matrices and how to add them, multiply, scalar multiply, find the determinant, find the inverse; also to solve a system of equations using the methods I listed before. For an FE we went to Northwestern Mutual to meet the owner and see what it is like to deal with investing and financial planning as a job. We also talked to former director E.D. to see his philosophy on investing and talk about the best time to start investing and saving money, now. Leading me to the action project we had to make a financial portfolio, by thinking of three SMART goals, and one would be for 1 year, one for 5 years, and one for 25 years. We were then given $49,128.87 to invest into companies we would want to invest in that we could use to get money for those three goals. I decided to invest in Disney, Nike, and General Electric, I will explain why down below in the post. Something that was difficult about this was definitely thinking of the goals, just because it is very hard to think of where your life will be in 1, 5, and 25 years. What I did like about this is that I can apply to my actually life, maybe not with the same amount money given to me, but it helps me think about my future more. I think for this if I did have that money I would definitely invest the same way because I think my 25 year goal will will be set, and I care more about that time, than I do in 1 or 5 years. Down below is my portfolio, hope you enjoy reading about my plans for the future!

                                                                                  

First I want to talk about my philosophy when it comes to investing, now I have never invested before, but after studying it for so long and talking to professionals I came to this conclusion. I want to make investments where I can make some kind of profit, and have it be something I believe in. What I mean by that is doing a good thing for a nice cause, and getting some kind of reward for that. When it comes to my risk tolerance, I took a test, and I have a 27 score, which basically means that I have a moderate one, where I am not too risky with my choices in investing.

As I said for my investments I have a 1 year, 5 year, and 25 year goal, and here they are:

1. 1-year goal: Summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria ($2700)
2. 5-year goal: Move into my own apartment ($25,000)
3. 25-year goal: Have my own house, with car and start college fund for kids ($320,000)

You might be wondering what kind of companies I value. Well, ones that are innovative and think outside the box. While also trying to appeal to citizens and not just themselves, almost as something that wants or has long term values/plans. Now for my own person values just as NVA. I value doing good in the world, by helping people out, doing my part in something, making sure everyone is okay. Being creative, and not just sticking to what certain people have to do, thinking away from them so I can think of something better. To always be happy, and smiling, and knowing that certain things happen for a reason and you need to learn to live with it and face your fears.

These are the share prices for the three companies I am investing in:
$93.05: Disney
$51.16: Nike
$28.92: General Electric

Two Companies I like the most are Disney and Nike, so I will tell you a little about their companies.

Nike:

They value their customers and want to make sure every athlete is taken care of so they can perform at their best. P/E ratio of 23.32. Dividend yield of 0.85%. They have been around for a long time, and sponsor many famous athletes, also because they sell so many different products they are always making money. This company really focuses on my values, and they are a company that takes care of people, and they think outside of the box a little, in making sure someone can perform the best. Now below is what they stock looks like for Nike in one year. Now it may seem that is dropping, but it actually leveling it out, because Nike has a lot of bursts. Also during the that it was high was basketball season, so that when it starts again the stocks will go up.

Disney: 

They work to entertain people, and make sure kids, teens, and adults are all happy from their products. They are always expanding, and trying to see how they can make certain things better. They have a P/E ratio of 17.84. They have a dividend yield of 1.53%. Also because they are always expanding and have been around for so long they are well protected in the market. Again, this one looks like it is dropping, but they just haven’t come out with any big movies yet. At the left,down below, it is very high, and well they had just done the Star Wars movie, and there are a lot more to come, and even Marvel movies. So this is perfect because I will get to hit those high points, as the same for Nike.

Time horizons are huge, because they can really tell you how much money you might invest in one thing versus another. Knowing that here is how I invested in my 1,5, and 25 year time horizon:

- For year one of my invest to take a summer trip to Greece and Bulgaria, I want to invest in General Electric and Nike. I would invest a total of 1,281.28, meaning 50/50, so 640.64 towards each company. This would give me 12 shares for Nike and 22 for General Electric.

- For 5 years of my investment to have my own apartment. I want to invest in General Electric and Disney. I would invest a total of 1,951.56 and again 50/50, so 975.78 towards both companies. This would give me 10 shares for Disney and 33 for General Electric. \

- For 25 years of my invest to have my own house, car, and college fund started. I want to invest in Disney and Nike. I would invest a total of 45,896.08 and again 50/50, so 22,948.04 towards Disney and Nike. This would give me 448 shares for Nike and 246 shares for Disney.

You might be wondering how I thought that through, well I shall tell you. At first I knew I needed to have the most amount of money towards the 25 year goal. I also knew for the first goal that I didn’t need a lot of money back from my investments. So what I did was add the two share prices from each one and multiply it by 2, and keep doing that until I came along a number I thought was fair.

Let's look at Return on Investment (ROI) to make sure I get a good percentage of money back. Nike as an ROI of 23% and General Electric as an ROI of 3.19%. So to find out the ROI of year one I will do 0.50 (50%) times 0.23 (23%) and add that to 0.5 times 0.0319 which is 0.1309. Now we can say that my ROI for year one will be 13%. Disney has an ROI of 12.5%, so with that we can find the 5 year. 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.0319 which is about 7.8%. But I am not done there I would turn that 7.8% into 1.078 because 0.078 is the decimal of 7.8% but we add that 1 for the next year. Next we do (1.078) to the fifth power which equals 145.6% for my ROI in 5 years. For my 25 year, we do the exact same thing we did in the 1 year and 5 year, just different numbers. So, 0.5 times 0.125 plus 0.5 times 0.23 which is 17.7%. Lastly we do (1.177) to the 25th power which is 5880% for my ROI in 25 years. Now I can use that to find out how much I will have in those time horizons.

Now I believe having a diverse lifestyle is important and it is important that you use that kind of thinking in investing. For example, my stock sector is very diverse from entertain (Disney), energy (General Electric) and consumer goods (Nike). Disney is an in entertainment field because of what they sell to people, or give out to society. General Electric is energy because of how it deals with all different types of energy, from renewable to fossil fuels, and seeing how we can make everything better in the world. Nike is retail because it sells clothing mainly and accessories for athletes. My strategy for this was use companies that focused on different products, but had the same values in the end. So they are diverse in way but not in another.


My Assumptions:

- I have made the assumption that even though my 1 year or 5 year goal might not go as planned, I put enough money into my 25 year, because I believe that to be more important. 

- I assume that Nike and Disney, even though it looks like they are going down, will come back from the season for Basketball and other sport to start up again; for Disney they will have new movies coming out, giving them a higher rate.

- I assume that my 25 year goal will work out better than wanted because I put so much money towards it.



References: 
“General Electric Return on Investment.” CSI Market. N.p.,n.d.Web. 27 Oct. 2016
“Investment Risk Tolerance Quiz.” Rutgers. N.p.,n.d. Web. 28 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Return On Investment." CSI Market. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Nike Inc. (NKE) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
"Walt Disney Co. (DIS) | Valuation Ratios." Stock Analysis on Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.
“Walt Disney DIS”. MorningStar. N.p.,n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2016.

Picturing The Meaning of Life

In unit of 1 of my Humanities class Journalism, we learned about the what being a journalist means; we also looked at photo journalism, and how you can tell a story with one photo. For an FE, we went to Wienberg Newton Gallery, and we looked at an exhibit with photos of the spots where someone was shot in Chicago. This was really in impactful to see how one image can old so much meaning behind it. As for our action project, we had to interview someone about the meaning of life, and take a photo of them. This photo could just be them in their natural environment, but I decided to do something different. What I found challenging for this project was thinking of the right picture to take, and showing that the picture has meaning behind it. I am proud of the image that I ended up using because I put a symbolism into it. Below you can learn about the interview I took and see the picture I used. Please enjoy!

                                                                                    

There are so many things happening in our world right now, every few seconds someone dies, someone is born. The planet is changing, we are evolving. But--What is the meaning of it all? Why do we do the things we do, why does the earth move it does? What is the meaning of life? Just ask yourself that.

I asked myself that, and then I went out to interview someone to ask them the same thing. The man I am interviewing is AA, my father. He is 57 right now, he is married, he is works for the City of Chicago as an architect. He has sister and brother, both living life happily. He is very involved in the Greek community, going to church, parades, and any special events. He is always giving a happy vibe to everyone around him. I thought he would be perfect to interview, because he has experienced so much, and still has such a happy face.

I asked him, “What is the meaning of life?” he responded with, “It is to able to leave good thoughts behind so people can continue to do good deeds and be smiling as they do so. I say this because now of days everything, TV, newspapers, and social media are about disasters, murders, it is all bad news with no good thoughts.” I really liked that response because I believe the same thing, there is too much bad in our world.

I followed with a question that, I think, is very important, “How do you represent your meaning of life?” He replied with (speaking in Greek), “Do good and good comes back to you.” Let me explain first why I think that was important question. These days, a lot people will say something or judge someone and not follow what they said. I knew he was going to say that because I always hear him saying that to me. He even says it to others. They will ask why he does certain things, and he is never hesitant to say, “Do good and good will come back to you.” Next I asked if he was taught to believe this because he taught it to me. He answered with, “You aren’t really taught you are mentored that way from everyone, and everything around you.” I connected a lot with this answer, because it is true, the people, the area, that you live around really makes you the person you are; it does this either in a good way or bad way.

Speaking of that, my next question was, “What’s your advice to people that have bad all around them?” He responded with, “Time will tell and everything will work out.” I expected something different, but I was happy with what he said. I say this because a lot of people think where the place they are is where they will be forever. This isn’t true, if you work hard and always keep a positive attitude it can change for you, change for the better. Lastly, I asked him, “Has your definition changed overtime?” He was quick to respond, saying, “My definition has gotten stronger in a positive way. It has changed for the better.” This is an answer that I was surprised to hear, mainly because so much can changed in 57 years; you might define something differently than you did 20 years ago.

NVA. "DO GOOD." 2016. Chicago

Above is the image I have chosen to use for this article. I used this one because I liked the symbolism behind it. The first piece of symbolism is the how the dark the image is, and the background. I did that because he was saying there is so much bad news, bad news you see in: social media, newspapers, and TV. Now, you might be wondering what the sign he is holding is saying. Well, that is Greek, and it translates to “do good” which was his message during the entire interview. I also had the light focusing on that sign, so it shows how much he tries to represent that. In addition, he is only showing half of his face, because it adds to the realness of the situation, how he always tries to do good, that it is normal to him. He just does it, without any expression, he just wants to spread good, positive views.

When it comes to the aperture, shutter speed, and focus, I didn’t really do anything special with those aspects in the use of the camera. I really just played around with the lighting around me to get that darkness, and light look. For me, this pictures makes me use my 5 senses and think of something smooth a crisp, I say this because the image is very simple (smooth), but the meaning is very powerful (crisp).

In the end, I really took away a lot from away this interview, I knew some of this information already. It was still nice to hear him explain it more and go deeper in his meaning of what life, and how he always wants to do good. Now go back to what I asked in the begining on what your meaning of life is. Has it changed? Or has it got stronger?


References:
Personal Interview. AA. 2016.

Just War

In unit 2 of Policy, we focused on the executive branch, such and the powers and different abilities it has. We also looked the Vietnam War, and the different things it did to people and how the executive branch can make policies that are unjust, like war. For an FE we went to the International Veteran’s Art Museum, where we looked different art work representing the Vietnam War. We also got to try on some gear that veterans had to wear while in battle in an exhibit inspired the book we are reading, The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien. For the action project, we had to choose a war and explain if it is just or unjust, and explain our reasoning. I picked the Civil War because this is a war that is a very old war, and show how it had a lot of ripples that lead into the present day. Something I liked about this project was getting to select a war of any kind, even if it wasn’t an actual physical battle. Hope you enjoy reading about whether or not I think the Civil War is just or unjust!

                                                                              

The American Civil War, fought in between the north (Union) and the south (Confederacy), lasted for four years, from April 12th, 1861 through May 9th 1865, not a war that the United States joined but a war that was in the center of the United States, dividing our nation. A war that would push a ripple effect on our society, a ripple that is ongoing. The war was the first where slaves could fight if they had become free. This also was a war that brought our nation together and ended slavery in the United States. But why did this war happen? Mainly it was tensions between the north and south about what was right and wrong, like whether or not slavery should exist. A lot of underlying causes were the Underground Railroad for slaves to use to escape to the north. Also the Dred Scott case of 1857, declaring African Americans not citizens of the United States. The Missouri compromise of 1819, separating free states and slave states. But that was just putting gasoline on the wood, the match to start the flame was on April 10th, 1861 when in Fort Sumter and a firefight broke out between the north and south, marking the start of the Civil War.

Was it good we went to war, or should we have tried to make this civil conflict more peaceful, since this was the war with the most deaths so far? I believe this war was just, and needed to happen because it got people out of the state of treating others as literal property. It ended something that should have never been a to begin with, but was sadly. It gave the line, “All men are created equal” more truth in the Declaration of Independence. This war was a declaration in it’s own way, asserting that slavery is wrong and needs to stop, and our nation has to begin working together again.

The President at the time of the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln, and during his first inaugural speech said that we need to get the south to become part of the Union again, to have the nation working together; this was a month after after the war started. This also had a lot to do with Lincoln’s want and need to end slavery in the United States. Congress played a huge role in this war, in 1861 Congress created the Joint Committee on the Conduct of War. Where a group of people from the south and north would give intel on the war and everything else that was going on that they might need and should know.

During this time two big policies were made, the Conscription Act of 1863, and the Militia Act of 1862. The Conscription Act meant that every man between the ages 20 - 45 must register to be a soldier, even if they were about to become citizens. The Militia Act meant that freed African Americans would work as laborers and soldiers in the war. Both policies were created by Congress, mainly to get more soldiers for the Union. The Conscription Act was hated by many people and resulted in a lot of protesting in New York, whereas the Militia Act had many African Americans ready to sign up and ready to fight, to show their pride. Both these led to the reason why the American Civil War had the most deaths of any war that the United States has been a part of. I say on a legal and logical standpoint that Congress was just for making these policies, because they needed to be made for the Union to have won the war. Plus the acts didn’t go against any policy previously made, in fact it helped one act that was made during the Revolutionary War, saying that all men needed to have a weapon in preparation of war. I say this because it showed how the government need all these acts to secure the victory in the end.

In conclusion, this war was just and needed to happen to make a step to a better society, one where we could work together. President Abraham Lincoln was right to have wanted to free slaves for the greater good, and to bring the south back to the Union. If not, then we might not have won a lot of the wars that we did in the not-so-far future. This might have had the most deaths, and did have ripples both good and bad. But it did lead to the great migration, where many African Americans were able to get good jobs that they could survive well with. Also leading to more change that was for the good. This war needed to happen, and it moved us on.


References:

"Causes Of The Civil War | HistoryNet." HistoryNet. Web. 11 May 2016.

"African Americans In The Civil War | HistoryNet." HistoryNet. Web. 11 May 2016.

"Abraham Lincoln." Council on Foreign Relations. Council on Foreign Relations. Web. 11 May 2016.

"Congress Passes Civil War Conscription Act." History.com. A&E Television Networks. Web. 11 May 2016.

"U.S. Capitol Visitor Center." U.S. Capitol Visitor Center. Web. 11 May 2016.

"The History Engine." History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research. Web. 11 May 2016.

Art or Vandalism?

In unit 3 of A Nation’s Argument we learned about segregation, mainly looking at how each generation of blacks are oppressed in different ways. For a FE we went to the Newberry Library, to explore an exhibit that had articles and pictures of ways each decade changed in the oppression of black people. After this, we looked at the thesis of the arguments made by the government and whites, and the other side’s view, also known as the antithesis. This learning led me to the action project, we had to pick a topic that is controversial so it has two sides to it. Then we have to side with a position on this topic, and then talk about that position and talk about the opposite position. Then create a synthesis to see a middle ground of where they can work together. The topic I chose was graffiti: is it art or vandalism. I argue that graffiti is art, and as such, should not be considered an illegal activity. Something I liked about this project was getting to see the other side because I like to think of all sides and try to find a middle point for everything. Please enjoy reading about why I think graffiti should be seen as an art-form.

Meneses, Jaume. “Graffiti als Jardins de les Tres Xemeneies.” 2007. Wikicommons. Web. Mar. 16.2016

Thesis:

Graffiti is something that I have liked, mainly because I can draw letters better than characters. Aside from that, graffiti, something I once thought was vandalism, I see now as art. So why doesn’t everyone else see it that way? Well, that is simply because not many people have gotten to know it like I have. Most people just see a name, a “tag”, an image spray-painted on a wall. They don't see any art within the writing itself. Graffiti has not been seen as art, simply because it is writing more than actually making a piece of art, like drawing a character or landscape. To this point I argue that poetry is an art-form comprised of words, so, is it that the speaking of words that qualifies poetic language as art? Graffiti has a message behind it, which is really that these artists just want to be recognized by everyone and anyone. Whereas many other artists have to work so much harder to get recognized, like going to art shows and trying to sell it. Graffiti is special in the way that:

• You get a rush from doing it.
• Anyone can do it.
• It is the longest art from to have always been popular.

Think about that -- many art-forms die or lose popularity, like fresco, those types of painting were so big. Then they just died off, people found other things, other art-forms that interested them more. Graffiti, however, is becoming “immortal” because it was created in the 1980s, and is still talked about and seen everywhere. Also graffiti does make jobs for people in some ways; the city will hire people to clean the spots where the artists tagged. The person cleaning it can get money for their family or themselves.

Vandalism means: “action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.” When someone is tagging they aren’t putting damage to the surface, they are only adding to what is there, which could be removed easily.

Having stated that, graffiti doesn’t destruct or damage any of the property, but simply adds to it. Calling graffiti vandalism is basically calling it something it couldn’t be. I think that graffiti doesn’t always have to be something put on a wall that is public or private. It can in your notebook, on a canvas, anywhere. I think graffiti has just got a bad rap because many people, who aren’t in the art community maybe, see it as vandalism.

Support for Thesis:

“Graffiti has been used for years and years, from drawing on walls by the cavemen to the claiming of cities by the ancient Romans. It also has given cities a unique flare. Graffiti is a way for people to express themselves and show their imagination and creativity.” - Lloyd, Alexis. "Could Graffiti Ever Be Considered Art?" The Antelope Valley Times. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

“Buildings that are “tagged” have a more personal feel than buildings with plain white walls.  Because of the appreciation for graffiti’s beauty, instead of viewing graffiti as vandalism, many realize the amount of skill necessary to create the street art and appreciate the message it delivers.  Many people admire Keith Haring, a famous graffiti artist from the 80s known for his artwork around New York City.  Haring’s artwork is so widely known that the city has embraced its presence around the city.” - Delavari, Sami. "Graffiti Should Be Recognized as Art, Not Vandalism." Calabasas Courier Online. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

“Graffiti is a form of art for those who can’t afford high end art supplies, or even go to an art class. Many of those doing graffiti art are very talented; they have a knack for the art they put out there. It is very hard to get it perfect so it takes talent. It is a way for them to be noticed; by their art. Sure, there are right and wrong places to be doing graffiti, but graffiti should indeed be considered art.” - Krey, Nicole. "Is Graffiti Art?" On the Prowl. 20 Nov. 2015. Web. 15 Mar. 2016.

Antithesis:

For the other side who see graffiti as vandalism, see graffiti like this because they are taking property that someone owns, and doing whatever they want to it. You don’t want to have this nice house and then your kid writes all over the walls-- no, it looks messy then. People/the city owns these things that these “artists” are tagging, the building then has to be fixed using the owner’s money. “Whether particular viewers find any given piece of graffiti artistically, is irrelevant. Graffiti’s most salient characteristic is that it is a crime.” -  MacDonald, Heather. “Graffiti Is Always Vandalism.” New York Times. Nytimes.com. 2014. Web. Mar. 2016. Also, some graffiti artists think tagging something means they own it, like how a signature at the bottom of a painting means the person made it. Some graffiti artists think that because they do this, they own the building, mailbox, newspaper stand, etc. So upon which they’ve made their artistic mark someone who works hard to build this building and make it their own, is ruined just because an artist writes their name saying it is theirs now.

Francki. “Garage Door Graffiti-Vandalism.” 2010. Wikicommons. Web. Mar. 16th, 2016

Synthesis:

Both sides can agree that graffiti is writing a tag, or handstyle on a surface, whether it be canvas or spray painted on someone's building. Secondly, we can agree that graffiti will be done illegally no matter what, since that is part of the point of doing it. Any city should try to legalize it, in all public areas. Then maybe the rush of doing graffiti illegally is gone. This will tell who is really doing it for the art of graffiti. Which matters, because it should be done for the artist expression, not for the fact that it is just illegal. Or another compromise would to make spots around the city for these artists to tag, so they can still get their name out in the art community. The city should try to speak with Brazil, because the Pandolfo twins, famous graffiti artists, made graffiti legal there and they work to make Brazil a more artistic place. They even work with the government to make graffiti and street art better.

Conspiracytheory74. “Os Gemeos Tag” 2013. Flickr. Web. Mar. 16, 2016.

Questions for graffiti artists:

1. How would a you feel if someone tagged your house?
2. Should graffiti become legalized, so the rush of doing it is lost?

Questions for people who think it is vandalism:

3. Why do many people perceive the graffiti as vandalism, and not actual art?

Question for you:

4. What do you see it as? Why?

Conclusion:

My synthesis is something that has made me wonder now, “what if?”-- what if we could make either of suggestions happen. Would it turn out better, or would these graffiti artists rebel even more than most do I would definitely like this, because I have talked to graffiti artists and some say they don’t want to do it illegally because they don’t want to be arrested. I think this would help them look better, and have this fear for trying to do something that they love. Then again, many like the rush of doing it illegally -- and take away that rush and there could really be a lion. This is such a seemingly minor issue that no one really talks a lot about, and I want people to think about it.

What does the Chorus do?

In unit 3 of my Drama course, we read A Raisin in the Sun to examine the role of the matriarch. We also learned about Greek tragedies and what they have done to superheroes to make them seem more life like. Also we looked at the chorus in a play and song, and how they say the moral in the story. We went to the Cultural Center to look at paintings, and to practice techniques to write a Greek chorus. For this Action Project we picked a character from Raisin in the Sun and to show that characters in the play have their moments of glory and failure just like a Greek tragedy. I picked Walter from the play because he is someone who has a lot of problems with trying to be a hero. The purpose of this was to see how important a chorus is in a play, song, and book. Please enjoy the chorus I made to resemble a Greek tragedy, a Raisin in the Sun.

Why We R Naught Wanting Smallpox to Happen Again!

In unit 3 of my Disease class, we learned about, the different type of epidemic and the levels that one can reach. We also learned about R naughts, which is how many people can get sick/infected from one person. Next, we learned about correlation and causation, correlation is when two events during the same time period have the same rates (one not really causing the other). Causation, is the same thing, but they are caused by one and another. For my action project, we had to pick a disease that has become an epidemic. When we do that, we had to find out what the R naught of it is, where it has happened, and talk about factors that might lead into it. The purpose of this was to see how some epidemics are caused by a lot of different things, and to see how infectious one can be. The disease I chose was smallpox, mainly because I have always been interested in how it was used as biological weapon for war a lot, and wanted to know why they use that one. The only real challenge to this was mainly that, it was hard to find different factors, that would be on a certain website we used to make our graphs, to correlate the correlation and causation factors of a disease.

Smallpox is an infectious disease, where it can be very hard to know when you have it, causing people to spread it around more. It is a disease that comes from the variola virus, and the incubation period can take from 7 to 17 days. In that time it is able to spread to other people, without them knowing until it is too late. The type of symptoms that will be shown are high fever, vomiting, back pains, those are the starting ones. The one where you know you have smallpox is when a rash starts to form on the head, hands, feet, chest, and soon everywhere; after those that have happened, blisters will start to form on the rashes and they will have a clear liquid in them and soon pus will be in them.

The R naught of this disease can range from 5 to 7, meaning from one person, 5 to 7 can get infected from that person. As I said before, it is hard to tell when you have until it’s too late and you have passed it on to others. From that, it should be able to tell how this can lead to big epidemics. The first cited one was from the thirteen colonies when the British would bring the disease to people that have never been exposed to it before, Native Americans. Soon it started to spread all over the world, but in different time periods, not making it a pandemic, another area in which it has spread would be Australia in 1828. From that date it just proves that disease is really dangerous and go anywhere and be anywhere. The area I want to focus on more is when it was in India in 1974 when smallpox, which was the most recent case of a smallpox epidemic, which happened in January and finished in May. In this time it killed 15,000 people in that time. Now both of those are very dense in population, meaning people would be living together in a close environment, and this is one of the biggest factors. Another factor that should be addressed, is the lack of doctors in some areas, now even if there aren’t in some, we need more doctors to help it be contained or prevented.

It is eradicated today and is not seen anymore because there is a vaccine made for it, but even the vaccine can be a problem; this is because if too many people get the vaccine in one area, it can spread faster than the actual virus itself. In 1979, it was declared eradicated, but it is believed that WHO or the CDC have some samples of it just for study, or for biological warfare. Prevention is one of the hardest things to do since it can spread without anyone knowing, so the main prevention to do for people in that area is stay away from anyone that is showing symptoms, and for a city or the whole area I would actually say to get more people interested in being a doctor, so they know ways to help the community. Just as a prevention tip for everyone is always cleaning your hands so that if you are in contact with someone; or with someone with the disease, if needed to go out just wear a mask so people aren’t contaminated with it.

NVA "Smallpox Graph" 2015. Gapminder

The picture above shows how drought, or when water is more available, the disease is more likely to show up in India. This shows, that smallpox could actually appear more when the water is good, meaning people will be drinking water  a lot, and when that happens it is easier for people to possibly drink from an infected person’s drink.

NVA "Areas that have had Smallpox" 2015. Gapminder

References:

“Smallpox” Mayo Clinic. Aug 16, 2014

“Smallpox Vaccine Overview” CDC. Feb 7, 2007

“Smallpox” IDHP. n.d.

“Frequently asked questions and answers on smallpox” WHO. n.d.

“Samantha Farley “1974 Smallpox Epidemic of India” Prezi. 2012