Restricted Mode VS. the People

HEY, YOU!

I made a video talking about YouTube's restricted mode and how it's limiting LGBT+ content! You should definitely watch it - it's right below. Just click on the thumbnail and cozy up under a blanket. It's like reading an opinionated article minus the reading... aren't you stoked?! (Yes, yes you are.)

Here's my major source, in case you want to read up on the topic: https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/19/youtube-lgbt-restricted-mode/ (but watching my video is much more fun.)

Thanks!

- Fri

Life In the Upper School, and What That Does to the Rest of My Existence

I'm a middle schooler in an upper school class.  How does that work?  I'm going to tell you.
Be forewarned:  I may sound self-important as I write.  Know that this is purely a product of chance (perhaps not, seeing that I do have math talent) and that I do not mean to sound arrogant (but then again, this is the difference between trying and doing).  Anyway, here goes.

I guess it all starts in sixth grade, when I took an upper school math class (Algebra II, to be exact) for the first time.  That was when I officially became part of the Upper School community- in math, at least.  Have you ever moved?  You're in one comfortable place, and then you pack up and you have to settle down elsewhere, or at least try.  It's hard just to move to a new part of the city, let alone moving to a new country (otherwise known as immigration).  But this is kind of the same thing.  If you're in one classroom situation, and you move to another, how is that going to work out?  But it did, in my case, and I successfully became a cross-dimensional explorer (by which I mean a cross-division student).

And yes, this is just last year, so what about now?  Well, new teacher, new students, and a new class.  Precalc is less fun than Algebra II, although that may have something to do with both the teacher and the subject.  Additionally, I've only been through half of the year.  Maybe something great will reveal itself after I get past trigonometry.

The Art Of Ballet

         Ballet is an art form. Men and women have been doing traditional ballet pieces since the 15th century, and is still a huge part of today's dance world. Ballet is thought to be the core of all dance, hip hop, jazz, and tap all originated from it. And a huge part of ballet is pointe.

         Pointe shoes are the pink satin shoes you see female dancers wearing. They allow you to go up on the tip of your big toe to give the appearance that you're floating. The end of the shoe is called the box, it is made of cardboard and cloth hardened by glue, it is completely flat on the end so that you can stand straight up.

Pointe was invented in 1832 when a dancer wore leather ballet slipper with reinforced sides so that she could go up on her toes for just a few seconds. Now two hour long ballets will be done completely on pointe. As you can imagine it is very painful, so to ease some pressure dancers will but wool and gel toe pads in to prevent blisters. But some girls who go on pointe to young can end up damaging their feet permanently.

Now even men are starting to wear pointe shoes. They have been around for 200 years and are part of an extremely traditional art form. Ballet will always be around.

          

Lax

Lacrosse was first played as early as the 12th century. It was was codified in 1869. The objective is to score a goal into the other team's goal. The goalie is the last line of defense. Defense’s job is to stop the other team of gaining possession of the ball or letting them score. Lacrosse was first played mainly by Iroquois people. Then a lot more in the east coast. Especially Maryland. I am happy to say this, lacrosse is currently the fastest growing sport in the United States. Lacrosse was started and first played by Native Americans. Their games were national events and several people played in them.

This is New York lizards goalie, Drew Adams.

I enjoy playing lacrosse because I forget about all the bad things. I always feel calm and excited while on the field. I am also a goalie. Now that I have gotten a lot better and trained a lot more it is so much more fun. I play rec for Lincoln Lacrosse, the youth team of Lincoln High school district. I play club team for a team called 3D. Lacrosse means so much to me. I put every single day into working on getting better. I hope that one day that I could play division 1 lacrosse at a great school. During a regular practice i am usually pretty excited because i get to be with all my friends doing what i like. In a game I have to be mentally prepared for anything and patient and not give up because being a goalie it can be real easy to lose all hope.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2cNcRGsvPt0 - D1 lacrosse championship goalie saves

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

http://filacrosse.com/origin/

Death by Guillotine

Anacharsis Cloots was beheaded on March 24, 1794. Ten years before his death, Anacharsis Cloots had left France to travel through Europe, and returned to France five years later, just after the French Revolution had started. He quickly became an ardent democrat and leader of 34 individuals, his own "embassy of the human race". He then attended the National Assembly and declared to the whole world that they follow the democratic ideals of the revolution. He then titled himself "Orator of Mankind" and adopted the name Anacharsis, then declared himself "the personal enemy of Jesus Christ". He soon became a Naturalized French Citizen and was elected to go to the National Convention. There, he advocated that the French liberate the rest of Europe. The Convention backed his idea, and soon, France was at war with most of Europe. At the National Convention, Cloots also voted in favor of the Capital Punishment for King Louis XVI, saying that he was justifying the human race. After King Louis XVI was executed, the Jacobins took control of the government in June, 1793. Cloots identified himself with the right-hand man of the Jacobins', under the rule of Jacques Hébert. In December, the Jacobin Leader had Cloots expelled from the Jacobin Club for Cloots' support in the Hébertist dechristianizers, who attempted to destroy the church's power and all catholic institutions. When the Committee of Public Safety, under Robespierre's direction, levelled accusations of treason at the Hébertists, they also accused Cloots of treason. Although his innocence was a manifest, he was condemned, and soon guillotined on March 24, 1794. He followed Vincent, Momoro, Rosin, and the rest of the Hébertist leadership, in front of the largest crowd ever assembled for a public execution. 

So, why was Anacharsis Cloots such an interesting man? And why did I choose to pick him? Well, I was wondering what to write about, so I looked at a list of people who were part of the French Revolution. I found the name Anacharsis Cloots and thought that it was an uncommon name. I started doing research on him, and realized that he was an interesting man. I thought that during the revolution, he really spoke for the people, and tried diplomacy before resulting to violence, which is a thing that not many people during the French Revolution would have been able to accomplish. Anacharsis Cloots was also nicknamed "speaker of mankind","citizen of humanity"and"personal enemy of God."

Here's a link for a really cool website that explains guillotines and brings up interesting points!

http://www.history.com/topics/french-revolution/videos/coroners-report-guillotine





Sources:
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jean-Baptiste-du-Val-de-Grace-baron-de-Cloots
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anacharsis_Cloots

Alexander Hamilton: From Immigrant to Broadway Play

Alexander Hamilton, one of the founding fathers of our country has gained mass media popularity since the release of the Broadway musical Hamilton in spring of 2016. Hamilton is known for being a founder of our nation's financial system, the Federalist Party, the United States Coast Guard, and The New York Post newspaper.

Alexander Hamilton was born on 11 January 1755 or 1757 (the exact year is unknown) in Charlestown, the capital of the island Nieves, located in the Leeward Islands. Hamilton's father, James A. Hamilton, abandoned his wife, Rachel Buck Faucette, and his two children, James Jr. (Alexander's older brother by two years), and Alexander himself. Shortly after the disappearance of his father, Alexander and his mother got influenza, which unfortunately killed Rachel. Alexander and James Jr. were sent to live with their thirty-two year-old divorced cousin, Peter Lytton, living alongside his African-American mistress, Ledja. However, this tale doesn't have a happy ending. One day, Alexander and James Jr. returned home to find their cousin in bed, soaked in his own blood. He had committed suicide. After the death of Lytton, Alexander and James Jr. went their separate ways. James Jr. decided to apprentice an aging Christiansted carpenter named Thomas McNobeny, whereas Alexander clerked for the mercantile house of Beekman and Cruger, the New York traders who had supplied his mother with provisions for her shop. Soon after receiving his job, Alexander was taken to the home of Thomas Stevens on King Street. Stevens was a well respected merchant who lived with his wife, Ann, and his five children. Of the five children, Hamilton shared a bond like no other with Edward, who was born just a year before Alexander. Both were extremely quick and clever, fluent in French, knowledgeable about classical history, disgusted with slavery, and mesmerized with medicine. Not only were their personalities similar, but so were their resemblance. Some say it was even uncanny. Most also were in disbelief when the boys told people that they were in fact, not related.

Young Hamilton

Hamilton worked closely with Aaron Burr, the second vice president of the United States (under Thomas Jefferson's rule), and Hamilton soon became the Secretary of the Treasurer, which is responsible for direct oversight over the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and Fort Knox. They are also a key liaison with the Federal Reserve. In addition, the Treasurer serves as a senior advisor to the Secretary in the areas of community development and public engagement. In honor of everything he did for our country's financial system, he became the face of the ten dollar bill. Coincidentally, in the soundtrack, the song Alexander Hamilton has a lyric that says "The ten-dollar founding father without a father..."

Ten-Dollar bill

Alexander Hamilton married Elizabeth 'Eliza' Schuyler, and had seven children; John, Eliza, James, William, Alexander Jr., Angelica (named after Schuyler's sister), and Phillip.

Hamilton was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, after a long, bitter history between the two men. Hamilton's  son, Philip Hamilton, was killed in a duel two years before his father's death with George Eacker, a New York lawyer and Freemason.

A portrait of Alexander Hamilton

Lin-Manuel Miranda (writer, director, and lead) as Alexander Hamilton in Hamilton

Currently, his story is being told through the form of a Broadway musical, with tickets at over $1,000 a piece. I would recommend listening to the music, if you haven't already. Alexander Hamilton's story is an inspiring one, teaching you that sometimes the greatest people rise from virtually nothing. 

Complete Hamilton Soundtrack (YouTube Playlist)

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton

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

               https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burr%E2%80%93Hamilton_duel

               https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8KQXy_mAmdfKIuWqiFHe-kFo_OKlNaaB

              

Old Cars Vs New Cars

We all know those super expensive comfy nice cars with those cool sliding doors. We know those cars that can go over a 211 miles per hour. And we know those cars that those mini TV's in the backseat. Yep, we all know those.

But let's go back in time. What do you think cars would look in mid 1900's?. I can tell you this, it will not look anything like those Ferrari, a Lamborghini, or even a nice comfortable Lexis. You would be shocked at the appearance.

First of all the wheels are thin, like a bike. Just think about that. Would you like to drive around with those wheels. I certainly won't. In fact, these cars don't have a roof. What if it rains? Would you like that?. These cars don't even have windows!. With all of this information, imagine this type of car?. Shocking right?. It's fascinating that technology has improved at such a rapid rate. Before, we had appalling cars, but now we have some of the stylish and fascinating cars that have ever set road. And yet, there is still more to come!. What if these cars could fly?. I certainly bet that these new cars in the future would have a much greater capacity to do certain tasks then some of these cars now!.

Troubles of the first car:
Steam powered egine:
The first car was the steam car. This car was powered by a steam engine. "A steam engine is an external combustion engine (ECE) where the fuel is combusted away from the engine, as opposed to an internal combustion engine (ICE) where the fuel is combusted within the engine" One of the greatest technological challenges to the steam car is focused on it's boiler. A boiler is,  is a device used to create steam by applying heat energy to water. The boiler represented a lot of the car's mass making the car very heavy, and it forced the driver to be much more careful when driving the car.

Fuel cell and electric cars:

This invention has been fairly recent. A fuel cell is a device that converts the chemical energy from a fuel into electricity through a chemical reaction of positively charged hydrogen ions with oxygen or another oxidizing agent. As most of you know, a fast paced  problem has occurred recently in the past decade. The temperature of our atmosphere has drastically changed through a process called global warming. These new efficient cars don't produce harmful gases like carbon dioxide. These cars are completely safe. The only byproduct that a hydrogen fuel cell produces is water. Another fairly recent invention also is completely safe for the environment. Electric cars or as most people call them (smart cars). Hopefully we can continue to use more of these types of cars!

Hidden figures:
Ok let me ask you this question. Who fist invented the car?.
Even though most people don't know who invented the first car, if you typed these exact words on to your serach engine, it would immediately come up with Karl Benz.
But wait.
Did Karl invent the car by himself?
Is he just getting all the credit for doing it by himself?
And guess what...
There where some hidden figures (people who help, but don't get credit as much) that helped him.
Some of the hidden figures are....
Leonardo Davinci created models and designs for automobiles. This impacted Karl to further expand on some of his ideas. Even though he might of created the first automobile.
Even though Karl was said to invent the first car, other scientist have created automobile's before Karl that used a combustion engine, and a steam powered engine. This shows that it really wasn't Karl who invented the fist automobile

How this ties into revolutions:
This invention ties into revolutions, because with this new invention it caused movement, more population and much more efficiency.

Image citations:

https://s1.cdn.autoevolution.com/images/news/car-door-types-whats-that-a-butterfly-and-why-does-it-commit-suicide-43632_10.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz78a-MVvzWzBhqcQ_5QO92UGBgVjl0wTga7QVzihgVK8UI7QAkfK5Lln-j5vZ9_xC9sduvlYABaxUaik38VSGfd-R9pS2vowceIHLoT9v9g90XU71MuD9SqFkyXaRVPAOPRVnHE2V7zqe/s1600/most+expensive+luxury+cars+in+the+world1.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX6uK5P-pklliDanjA7Urw414uHE6jywrZzssg2QVjTQFt7ahvtNrqp2PY2NRqoA1DGJ4IKVCyqcOGs1XQFW_7M3CKijKcRBMVNmtTkwwmwlq_fEurSvXpemqCDNh05ZwgZutO7M5Rqq3/s640/first+car+ever+made+2.jpg

Sources:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/transport/engines-equipment/steam1.htm

http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/auto.html

https://www.slideshare.net/robinzon25/internal-combustion-engine-vs-electric-engine

How Beauty Standards Have Changed

      My whole life there has been stereotypes on how people should look, and what is considered "beautiful."As we all know, today in society the standards of beauty are very high. The stereotype is that women must be skinny and pretty, and men must be muscular and strong. But how have these stereotypes came to be, and how have beauty standards have changed over the years?

     Although high beauty standards may have been around for a longer, this began getting serious in the year c.1292 in Ancient Egypt. From c.1292 to 1069 B.C., the body that was considered perfect for women back the was to have narrow and thin shoulders, long legs, a high waist, and a symmetrical face. This went until in Ancient Greece in the year of C.500 to 300 B.C. In this time period the must have body and face was to have a plump body, be full blooded and have pale skin. Back then many countries had different opinions on the perfect women's body. After many years of body image changing to fit the role of the perfect body, it still goes on today with women and men, and even kids.

    Like Women, men also have unrealistic body and facial expectations. Over the years the ideal male body has gone from being tall and thin to muscular and short. Between the years 1930 and 1950 men were supposed to be slinder and toned, although around the late 1800's the look was to be short and plump.

   As you can see there has always been body image stereotypes whether its male or female. This proves that there is no such this as "the perfect body" and the ideal body image right now will probably change in the future. Overall, this is a serious issue in the United States today because of the social media in our generation. People need to worry less about having the perfect body and worry about more important issues, because it may seem that body image is a huge deal, but that is only because of what society makes it. Don't contribute to what society wants you to look like, stand against it.

Astrology: Magic or Myth?

When I ask you when you were born, you can tell me the date and the year, and you might be able to tell me the time. But can you tell me how the planets and stars were aligned when you first popped into the world? Probably not!

A woodcut of the original zodiac signs

Astrology is the study of how the planets affect people and events. The way planets were arranged when you were born can give you insight into your personality and your inner self, much like the moon affects the tides. You've probably heard of zodiac signs like Aries and Pisces, which are determined by the month you were born in. Each sign has its own personality and character type associated with it. For example, Aries people are usually boisterous and fiery while Pisces people are usually spacey and creative. Though astrology hasn't been scientifically proven, many people believe in it and use their astrological charts to gain more insight into themselves.

Looking into the astrological aspects of the night sky

Though people didn't have daily horoscopes in the newspaper a few thousand years ago, people still looked up to the skies to predict future events and to answer their questions. For example, Tycho Brahe said "suspiciendo despicio", which means "by looking up I see downward". In fact, people have been using the stars for thousands of years, and not just for directions. The Babylonians are often credited for birthing astrology, and they valued astrology just as much as they valued scientifically backed astronomy. During the time period between the classical period and the scientific revolution, astrology was used to further mathematical, scientific, and psychological knowledge. When the scientific revolution swung around, however, people began seeing astrology and astronomy as different - astronomy was seen as more scientific, while astrology was seen as more absurd and superstitious. Though great figures in astronomy like Kepler and Galileo saw them as separate studies, they still practiced both equally.

So is astrology real, or is it just one big placebo? As stated above, astrology isn't scientifically supported, but there's an overwhelming amount of anecdotal evidence that points towards the fact that astrology isn't just myth. To find some evidence, you can take a look at your own zodiac sign and see if there are any similarities! Just use this handy chart:

My natal chart

My grandma is very interested in astrology - if asked, she can name all 12 zodiac signs, their traits, and the

planet they're associated with in the blink of an eye. The last time I visited her, she helped me make a natal chart, which is a more in-depth zodiac tool that includes all of the planets and how you're related to them based on your birth month. It seemed very complicated at first, but we dissected it and I found nearly all of the connections to be startlingly true! I've been using my zodiac to make decisions and know myself better for a long time.

So, what do you think? Is astrology actually a magical force, or is it all just one giant coincidence?