Keeping an Eye on People

In unit 3 of Rhetoric, my class looked at the start of colonies in the new world called America. We looked at the conflicts that started from, the French and British and the conflicts made from the Sons of Liberty and what they stood for. For the action project, we had to find a social issue, and create an artwork that would be a great way to represent it using any kind of medium. The purpose was to inspire people from all over the world to unite (like some of the early American colonists). I chose to make an artistic statement about the issue of domestic violence because I wanted to learn more about the topic. The art medium I chose was a drawing with just a pencil and a piece of paper for the reason that drawing is so simple, but also can be complex in the way you make it. Please enjoy the drawing and what it holds.

NVA "Keeping an Eye on People" (2015) GCE Labs School

What is domestic violence? It is when the person you trust most starts abusing you or a loved one, in the place where you should feel most safe. This issue is very well known to many people, but also not as well known as it should be. What I mean by that is, people know about it - either they have experienced it or they have heard about it. So why is it that so many people aren’t doing something about it? And, why have we actually gotten used to the fact that it happens? Most of the time, people don’t want to interfere because they think it’s none of their business, but should we actually let this happen? I say no - just because it might not be our business, I don’t think that we should continue to stand by and let this keep happening.

In 2 out of 3 female homicide cases, the woman was killed as a result of domestic violence (Safe Horizon: General facts). The only way this can stop growing is when we decide to act on the inside of what is actually happening. But domestic violence isn’t only bad to the person being hit; children who witness these events happening are also changed in some way mentally, and may be victims of abuse as well. Maybe they are experiencing domestic violence first hand, and they repeat the cycle with other people when they grow up. These young victims are seeing bullying happening first hand and they don’t know what they should do, 3 million children see domestic violence every year in their homes (Safe Horizon: Effects on Children). We shouldn’t let that happen at all. But why? Why care? Say you saw someone getting hit on the street by someone, would you help or walk away? Or say you saw your child getting bullied, would you do something?

I think of domestic violence as bullying and it makes it just so much worse when it is coming from someone you love. 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence in her lifetime. I am saying for that to stop now and make that number 0 in 4 women, or even men, who do actually get the other side of the bullying (Safe Horizon: Occurrence of Violence).

The reason I chose to sound off on the topic of domestic violence isn’t because I have experienced it or because I needed to talk about something I have experienced. I felt like it was very important to me to pick an issues that I don’t experience with, just so I have more knowledge on it, and have a larger standpoint on the subject. I also feel like then I might have the power to help people or just teach people about domestic violence, as I am doing with my art. I just feel it is important to learn about more issues that don’t fully apply to you, so you can have an understanding and connect more to these issues.

The medium I chose was a drawing because of saying, “A picture carries a thousand words.” , Well I believe a drawing carries a million words because the more emotion a drawing can have more an emotional impact. I also chose to draw, just for the fact that it is the easiest art form for me and i feel that I can clearly get my ideas across in this artistic form.

I drew person’s eye up close because eyes are the window to the soul and domestic violence victims are not only physically hurt, but also spiritually. I drew a tear to show the sadness that is carried when this violence is happening to them. In the eye, you see a reflection of a fist facing towards the victim. To show the realness of how it is for people that experience the abuse they get. Next, on the fist of the person you see the word saying “STOP”because I want this abuse to stop and so does everyone who gets physically and spiritually abused by a loved one. Lastly, I didn’t add any color to my drawing just because I feel like the colors would actually take away from the emotions that I want to represent, such as truth and sadness. I like that this amazing drawing with so much emotion and truth, can really just be made with a pencil and some strong feeling to get a message across.

I would want my artwork to be displayed everywhere - mainly on the internet so it can travel faster, but anywhere where it could make a difference would be great.

References:

"Domestic Violence: Statistics & Facts." Safe Horizon. Web. 20 Oct. 2015.

Under My Wing!

For unit 2 of Design and Engineering, we learned about Newton’s First Law of Motion, Inertia, looked at more Trigonometry and did Calculus. For the action project we, with a partner, received a persona and what they needed out of a bike. We then had to create an actual 3D model of a bike that would fit what they needed for their biking experience. I had a person named Andres and because of the problems his grandmother wanted him to avoid, my partner and I made a bike below that fits his needs. What I liked about this project was making the bike and getting to know how far I could go with making it. What I didn’t like was that there were times when my partner and I didn’t see eye to eye, but we were able to overcome those problems. Please enjoy our design.

Before making these bikes, we did some research on bikes and how they worked. One thing I learned was that gears are actually more important than a lot of people may think. They actually really help the bike do certain tasks. Something else I learned was that different materials for the frame can change how the bike will perform. A lot of road bikes have a carbon fiber frame, and hybrid/ mountain bikes will have a stainless steel frame. The carbon fiber is very light, making it easier for the rider on a street to go fast, whereas a hybrid/mountain bike rider will need the steel frame for a more durable ride. For an interview I completed, a biker said, “I would actually like my frame, because it fits my riding, where I will be all over the place.”

The person I have, as I said before, is Andres. His grandmother wants to get him a bike that will be safe and comfortable for him to ride, and it also has to be good against harsh weather. His route includes having to go through the park and cutting into alleys and rocky roads to get to school and back. The normal part of the bike is that it is a mountain bike, with wheels made for all grounds and stainless steel to protect from rust. But what makes it different from other bikes? It’s very different from many other bikes, because it has gloves that make it easier to grip the bars. It has an umbrella that you can take on and off when it’s raining or snowing. It has a molded seat to fit your body comfortably. The gloves and seat make it more comfortable for the user, mainly so the body isn’t so stressed. The umbrella is for the harsh weather to come, and the wheels are thick to make riding on all grounds easier; it also has shock absorbers like a mountain bike, for Chicago potholes. The we decided it will be called The Wing, because it is like the expression, “you are under my wing.” because for the fact that every parents want to take care of their kid, so you now have a bike that does the same.

NVA. "Wing Sketch/" (2015). GCE Labs School

Now to talk about the bike mathematically, we have a wheel that is theoretically 28 inches tall to get over land easier, making the circumference about 88 inches. His commute takes him 26 min, when riding about 7 mph or 3.13 meters per second, because the route that Andres takes is 3.2 miles, using Lincoln Park, and alleys. On that journey his wheels rotate about 2304 times. Now the wheel used in the model is 1 inches compared to the theoretically 28 inches. Now to make it a faster ride my partner and I chose to have the biggest cog in front and the smallest in back to have Andres go faster. The bike will have multiple gears, but we'll range the gear ratio, since the biggest front gear has 53 teeth and the smallest back gear has 13 teeth which makes it a 1:4 gear ratio. Then the smallest front gear is 35 teeth, and the largest back one has 26, which gives you a 26:35 ratio.

Now when talking about bikes, physics play a huge role such as energy and the different types, like Potential and Kinetic. For this bike and the rider, potential energy will be shown when Andres is on top a small hill because there is more gravity pulling down. He will have the most kinetic when riding in the alleys, because he is going straight and releasing his energy.

We did have to think of certain things though, like how the umbrella would be aerodynamic and how it could fit the rider. We just made it more pointy at the front, so the wind goes over it instead of through. Another concern was how the gloves would work, and we thought of making them more like mittens so people could have more hand space and warmth. We also wanted to make it where Andres could ride without them, and he could just hold onto the mittens for a comfortable grip when riding.

NVA. "Wing 3D Without person." (2015) GCE Labs school

NVA. "Wing with 3D With Peron." (2015) GCE Labs School

Genova Here We Come (Part 2)!

For Italian, I had to make another project on Genova with the same info, but the difference is you can here me speak about myself in Italian. I also take about Genova in Italian, even though it's the same info from my last post about Genova. I really liked this because it tested my skills on speaking Italian, even when some words are just hard to pronounce, also for me learning a new language is very hard. I do see the importance in learning a new language though, so taking Italian was very fun to do.
           

Jamming to Importance!

In unit 2 of my Rhetoric, we learned about new rhetorical devices, such as hypophora and meiosis. We also looked at the The discovery of America, Christopher Columbus, and the Doctrine of Discovery. Also we looked at the voices that weren't shown a lot during that time, mainly the Natives Americans and what new people took from them. For the action project we had to create a Prezi, where we would take a speech or song that someone made and annotate it and talk about the appeals involved in and the devices in the text. I chose Holiday by Green Day, the song, and I liked it because a song from them is going to be heard by a lot of people, and I like that they made it about such an important topic. Please enjoy!


       

Genova Here we Come!

For my Italian class, we have learned how to speak and the language, we also learned about the different cities that make up Italy; such as Rome, Venice, and Milan. Leading me to this fun project, each student had to pick from a hat and on the paper they took out was a city and we had to create a presentation, showing the main features of the city. My city was Genoa, or in Italian Genova. Please enjoy, it might give you an idea for your next vacation!

           

The New Cutting Edge C.O.O.L Lopper

For my new class Design and Engineering, we learned about simple machines, such as inclined planes, pulleys, wedges, and levers. We also learned about some physics that would apply to these machines as well as Geometry and Trigonometry. An FE we went on is we went to Home Depot and looked at gardening tools and how they are used and the kind of simple machine concepts behind them. Also we went to a place called Gravitytank, where we saw how people study and do research on how to design a new product to sell. Both of these help lead me to the action project, where we had to interview a gardener about the tools they use. Then when we went to Home Depot, we, with a partner, chose a tool and did research on it. Lastly we had to create a design to make this tool easier for elderly people to use or younger people, really anyone who isn’t the average adult size. My partner and I chose to do the lopper, a tool used to cut branches off trees or bushes. I’m proud of the design we came up with, however one challenge we encountered was really trying to make a good design that made sense, and could actually help a person, in every possible scenario. Please enjoy what we came up with!

What is empathy? This is when someone can put themselves in someone else’s shoes and really feel what it is like to be them. As I said before we had to interview a gardener, and what I learned from the person I interviewed was that they like to use the tools as a starter and then just use their hands. They said, “I find tools today are too expensive and just get in the way of the task they are made to do.”

When looking at the lopper we learned that it has long handles to make the use of leverage higher. It uses a bumper so when cutting you don’t smash your fingers, and  it has a cutting capacity of 1.5 inches. From this we have created The C.O.O.L Lopper: the C stands for contractible, the O’s are the wheels that are on our tool, and L is for leverage. It is a lopper that is connected to a step button to cut, and it has handles for mobility and wheels on the bottom (Three: one in front and two in back). This way it is easier to move and swizzle. The handles have gel added to it, also the tool has a bar with holes and a metal bar that will click into it so it stays at that height (like a crutch); this will help to cut at different heights. Also the tool has the regular handles like from the original model so that you can direct where you want the cutter to cut. But why is this so great? Well it is easier to store away, because it can contract and become smaller, it is easier for elderly people to use because it is less stress on their back, and it is easier to control when in use.

NVA/JR "COOL Lopper" (2015)

The physics that goes into this, is force and work, because the user will need to use a certain amount of force to get the lopper to cut. Now we have put some simple machine concepts into this design as well. We put a pulley system in it, because we wanted the tool to always be closed out of safety reasons. To open it to cut it, we have two pulleys that connect to the handles of the tool and they are connected to the stepper, so that when you push down the lopper opens, and when you let go the lopper closes. The ropes being used will allow the pulleys to create a sling shot effect, making it cut the branch you need to cut. Also a wedge is added, that being the blade to cut the branch in general, otherwise it is useless.

NVA/JR "COOL Lopper, Physics" (2015)

We obviously had to think of some scenarios so it wouldn’t be too big, instead being comfortable. Now as I said we are thinking of an elderly person or someone who isn’t the average adult size, so to design our new tool I had to put myself in their shoes by, thinking of strength, when this would be used, and how it would just be better in the end. We also had to take into consideration the other styles of loppers and how they helps people, that being bent handles, or a gear to make the blade longer. These are the competition and so we had to take those concepts and make them better for our tool and the user. The main challenge of doing that was coming up with enough scenarios, where these concepts would need to be applied.

NVA/JR. "COOL Lopper" (2015)

A Good Self Defense Is the Best Offense!

In my new Rhetoric class, we learned about the theory of speech, this containing the difference between content and form. Then we learned about some appeals and devices used in an speech, such as Logos: the stats and real information, Ethos: the credibility of the speaker, and Pathos: the emotions that are shown while speech is given. Then the devices are, simile, metaphor, or allusion. Leading me to the action project, we had to make a speech that includes the three appeals, and some devices, on a topic we are passionate about. The topic that I have chosen is why people should do martial arts, because this is something I do and I am very passionate about it. Some challenges of this project was that at the last minute i switched topics so I had to write a 2 minute speech in a day. What I am proud of is that I actually found a topic that I really care about, because I didn’t like what I had before. Please in enjoy why I think you should do martial arts.

Have you been in a situation where you feel weak, maybe just mentally or physically and you know that you really don’t have a solution in mind? I know that I have, and I could never find a way to feel strong, in anyway. I know that people everywhere come up against this problem. The main solution that I’ve discovered is learning a type of martial art, ranging from boxing to Jiu Jitsu.

Today we have so many problems with everyday life, that leave us feeling vulnerable or weak as individuals, for example :

One: People don’t feel confident all the time. With martial arts you learn to become confident with everything you do. While doing martial arts, and afterwards, you feel new, knowing that you are a better person. And that feeling will always grow, unless you stop. But why stop doing something that can actually benefit you?

Two: You will get respect and you know to give respect more often. In martial arts there will always be someone better or bigger than you. But that just teaches kids and you that it’s good to get respect and give it. This will make us live in a better community of people, where no one is ever trying to be the better person. Today we see people getting in street fights, and for what, what is the point of sending someone to the hospital, or getting sent to the hospital? NOTHING. With martial arts, it will destroy your bad ego and let your good one shine. This all comes back to respect and some self control. If someone is picking on you, or yelling at you, just think, “Oh well, they didn’t have a good day and they aren’t really mad at me.” This applies more to random people. Don’t think that of your parents, or teachers, because you might have a lesson to learn.

Three: It’s a good tool to have if you’re attacked. Many people get mugged and hurt, and have no idea how to defend themselves. Well, with martial arts you have something to defend yourself with. Females and other are more vulnerable to sexual assault, they now will also have a proper way to defend themselves. I know that the Gracie family (Who created Brazilian Jiu Jitsu)  has a program just for women so they can better protect themselves from threatening men.

Four: It gives you a better way to focus and really try hard on what you want to accomplish. Many people today are distracted from everyday entertainment devices, that we will usually not want to work hard. Well with martial arts, since they have a belt system, it gives you something to work hard for. This will teach your mind how to start working harder for things you want done. Not only will it help with everyday tasks, but it will help you focus on you. What I mean by this, is we get very stressed, this will always happen, but with martial arts will help you relieve stress. Either by doing Tai Chi, or just doing boxing and just punching something to get some anger out.

So in the end, martial arts is something you need to do, because the boost of confidence, respect, self defense, and lastly helps our focus. All of these things are something that can really help a person become better and feel new. For people who do it, always remember some things, “We do martial arts so we don’t have to use them.” - Bruce Lee, this is really important to just keep in mind that it’s something for fun and it’s never fun to send someone to the hospital. Also martial arts is a river, it will be calm and happy, and it can be stressful, but keeping it fun and always being adaptable is good thing for life.

References:

Stevens, Eric C. "7 Reasons Why Your Child Should Practice Martial Arts."Breaking Muscle. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.

Ghosh, Sushmita. "10 Reasons to Learn Martial Arts - List Dose." List Dose. 4 Mar. 2014. Web. 22 Sept. 2015.