Yesterday our first Transgender President of America was elected president. Ashley Marano is a transgender woman that made history last night as she completely wrecked her opponent, Rick Parley, in the polls winning 405 electoral votes. Over the past 100 years, our nation has completely flipped from a country filled with racism, hate, and inequality, to a democracy full of true freedom. We have truly become a country where people don’t have to be afraid to be themselves.
Just under a century ago, the 45th president of the United States, Donald Trump, was passing laws that kept people out of our country, and was openly against LGBT rights. Comparing our country to what it was then, it doesn’t even look like the same universe.
Barbara Smith reporting here with an immigrant from Mexico who just recently gained her citizenship here in America. Below is an interview about her thoughts on the new presidency:
How do you feel about having a transgender woman as our president? It fills me with joy to see that the people of our nation are brave enough to elect this woman president. Not only was she the most brilliant candidate, but having her lead our country sends a message to every other nation in the world. I believe that this will help our world become a better place and bring us close together.
Are you glad about getting your citizenship? I’m so happy about finally gaining my citizenship here. I’ve been living here for a while and the government has been so helpful and guiding with the process. A few decades ago, it would have been almost impossible for a woman like me to even get a visa to visit here, and look how times have changed!
Do you think this country is far from having a latino or president of color?
Seeing how welcoming everyone has been here, I don’t think we’re far from it. It feels great to have such a sense of openness from everyone around you. To me, having a transgender president tells me that the citizens here are just as accepting of a latina woman as they would be to a transgender woman.
In other news relating to our newest president, a barbie doll attributed to her was released this morning. “The Marano Doll” was already reached record sales. The purpose of creating the doll was to teach all boys and girls that they can be whatever they aspire to be, and to help them be theirselves. We hope to see a spreading of acceptance through this doll.
For this workshop we were assigned to create a guide on a mathematic topic we weren't familiar with. I chose Geometric Proofs as my topic to research on because I haven't done any Geometry since Freshman year and I thought this would be a good chance to refresh myself. It was a bit difficult getting this compelted with the time allotted, because we had two Mondays off of school where we didn't get to meet. But, I was able to finish with some out of class time. This is was a great workshop overall, and it really helped me touch on the topic of Geometry. I hope that I get to do something like this again soon. Enjoy my guide!
For the second unit of my STEAM course Systems & Models, Group, our class focused on the different ways groups functions and techniques used to improve groups. We created and learned about multiple team building exercises, which we used in class to better relationships between our class. Additionally, we also learned about how Psychologists use the scientific method in their studies. For our AP, we were asked to conduct an experiment and observe and log data from a specific group. I enjoyed being able to choose what I wanted to do during the experimental part of the project. I thought that researching for my project was the best part, because it gave me a lot of insight on what to focus on during my experiment. Even though the AP did take a lot of work, we were given enough class time to complete it. This was my favorite unit so far in this course, and I’m glad I was given the chance to do this AP with it.
For Unit 1 of my humanities course, Equality, our class researched and explored the historical background of race, gender, and class to help us create a better understanding of the current context of these issues. Throughout the unit, we individually researched each topic and learned about significant events in progressive timelines. For our action project, we were assigned to “ recount a historical event through research and the use of marginalized voices.” I created a textbook page that follows the timeline of events leading and proceeding 9/11. My textbook is titled “The Twin Towers.” Reading my project should give you a better understanding of the reasons 9/11 occurred, and how it’s affected our nation today. During this unit, I gained a clear understanding of the ways different minorities are treated and the inequalities they have. Enjoy!
Chapter 2: Nine-Eleven
In this chapter, we’ll learn about one of the most violent attacks on America to date: nine-eleven. Keep in mind that there may be topics discussed that some people may be sensitive to; however, I urge you to continue reading even if it may be painful. This content is meant to educate and open your eyes to new ideas.
On the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 members of a terrorist group named al-Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and used them to attack multiple targets across the East Coast of the United States. The planned attacks killed just under 3,000 people, making it the biggest and most effective attack on the United States in history. Al-Qaeda is a very small, violent group who practice Muslim religion and consider the freedom that U.S. citizens have to be evil and don’t want America to spread this to other countries. Under their leader, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda has executed terrorist attacks all around the world; however, the attacks on 9/11 were the most destructive by far.
Two of the four hijacked airplanes hit 2 identical skyscrapers known as the twin towers. Shortly after the collision, the buildings collapsed entirely, killing everyone inside. Thousands of people died at the World Trade Center that day. A third plane flew into the Pentagon in Arlington, where the U.S.
military is headquartered, which killed nearly 200 people. The fourth plane crashed in rural Pennsylvania after passengers onboard fought the hijackers. 44 people aboard the flight were all killed.
The single event of 9/11 changed the country tremendously. Not only was there a massive impact on americans, but muslim americans as well. Muslims have been subjected to an extremely intrusive interrogation process. Scholars estimate that 200,000 to 500,000 Muslims have been affected by this process. In addition to that, over 18,000 Muslims have been deported from the United States. A recent study also showed that Muslim American professionals suffered a 10 percent wage reduction since 9/11. After reviewing studies and multiple articles on this, I decided to have a talk with my friend Saarah. Saarah Bhaiji is a close friend of mine who has lived her entire life in America. In middle school, she said she was “judged constantly for being a practicing Muslim.” People criticized her based on the headscarf she wore to school everyday. “When Osama Bin Laden died, people said, ‘I’m sorry your dad died,’” Bhaiji said. “There was horrible stuff that I had to go through in middle school and that’s what made me so strong.” Bhaiji said she isn’t looking to change the world, she just wants to be treated like an equal in her home town.
After hearing all of this, I was shocked I hadn’t noticed this type of discrimination in our society before, and I’m glad I got to research the events that led up to it. Right now, I only see our nation going downhill. With the recent travel ban on Muslims, it’s clear that we’re moving in the opposite direction of equality. I always viewed nine-eleven as a historical event that had a terrible effect on Americans, but I never even remotely thought about how it affected the treatment of Muslims in our country. I’m also really pleased that I was able to learn about the hardships my friend went through, and talk with her about her experience in our changing country.
Racial Profiling Vocabulary
Below you can study the different terms used with the racism and discrimination against all races. It's important to know the language and vocabulary associated.
American Muslims share their experiences one week after 9/11
Below is a video filmed one week after 9/11, of American-Muslims sharing their experiences being a part of society after the attack. I think it'll be interesting to hear their voices on the subject. Hopefully this video will shed some light on your opinion of the importance of discrimination.
Timeline of the events of 9/11
This timeline should help you get more insight on the specific times of the events during the morning of 9/11. Take a look at how quickly the nation changed, and the times apart that these events took place.
Works Cited:
Slorfha Follow. "9/11 PowerPoint." Share and Discover Knowledge on LinkedIn SlideShare. N.p., 21 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
"Information for 9/11 Family Members." National September 11 Memorial & Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Feb. 2017.
For this Unit, Individual, our class learned about psychological, intellectual, and emotional tests that help us think about ourselves and evaluate the different ways we think. I really enjoyed learning about the depths of the psychological parts of ourselves and others. The tests our class took helped us analyze our personalities and understand things about ourselves that we never would've looked in to otherwise. I really enjoyed the equal amount of math, science, and art that went into this project and unit overall. For our action project, my class was assigned to interview an artist we know and create a piece that represented ourselves. I thought it was really interesting that we got the chance to create an art piece for a STEAM course, and that it incorporated a good amount of fun throughout the project. This has been one of my favorite APs so far in all my courses, and I think that I did a decent job of presenting my personality in my art piece.
SC. Piece of Me. 2017.
“Piece of Me” is a drawing that represents the part of myself that I see true. Creating this piece I felt free and relaxed. Before starting, I envisioned the look of the piece in my head. At first, I wanted to create a painting on a big canvas. However, as I thought some more, I realized that it might look better plain and simple, like me. I used just my pencil, and a colored pencil to create this piece. It was originally drawn on a 8 ½ by 11 piece of construction paper, however, I decided to tear some of the edges off. The sides being ripped represent how I can sometimes be torn away from the outside world, and stay inside my own realm. In the beginning, I only drew dots to create an outline to connect after I’m done. As I went on to connect the dots, I thought about what other ways I could show my unique personality through the piece. Having not originally planned, I colored in the hand to symbolize the isolation I enjoy having in my everyday life.
During this unit, our class was assigned to find and take multiple different personality tests; this helped me understand a lot more about myself, and eventually helped me connect myself to my piece. One of our first tests, Myers Briggs, measures different psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. There are 16 different results that the Myers Briggs test can give; all have unique personality types. After I took the test, I learned that I am an ISTJ, which is also known as a logistician. The first letter, I, stands for introverted, and it’s probably what I agree with most about the test. My results show that, I’m mostly secluded and an individual, which is what I tried my best to reflect in my drawing. “People with the ISTJ personality type often prefer to work alone, or at least have their authority clearly established by hierarchy, where they can set and achieve their goals without debate or worry over other’s reliability.” My results for this test had the biggest impact in the fashion I decided to create my drawing in. Another psychological test assigned to us that helped me create my drawing was the Enneagram. The test has nine different personality results. After taking an online version of the Enneagram test, I discovered that I am a five with a sixth wing. Fives are known as investigators, because they tend to withdraw themselves and are more observant. In most cases, they “feel comfortable and at home in the realm of thought. They are generally intelligent, well read and thoughtful and they frequently become experts in the areas that capture their interest.” The approach that I took for my piece was that I wanted to show my inner self through the different dimensions of the drawing. I tried representing my personal traits and qualities in an abstract form. Both of these tests were crucial in figuring out what characteristics I want represented in my drawing, and now I have a lot understanding and awareness of myself.
Aside from psychological tests, our class was also assigned to study different experiments and case studies that showed aspects of other people’s behavior. The first test we studied was called the marshmallow test. It’s a fairly simple experiment that requires the participant(s) to sit in front of a marshmallow for a relatively long period of time without eating it. If they can resist and successfully control themselves from eating the marshmallow, they will be rewarded with two instead of just one. In class, our teacher gave us a similar version with candy bars instead of marshmallows, and although I was hungry, I easily passed the test. The result of this tells me that I’m able to be patient, and have a tolerant mindset when needed. A second experiment that helped me create my drawing was the Stanford Prison Experiment. In this experiment, a simulated prison was created with students from Stanford participating as prisoners or guards. This experiment helped me show the many different emotions that I have.
One psychologist that I did some research on before drawing my piece was Erik Erikson. Erikson was famous for helping create the foundation of knowledge around human development and the stages the mind go through throughout one’s lifespan. His research really interested me in how they brain works, and the stage of life that I’m currently going through; I tried to reflect this in my piece. Another well known psychologist that I was assigned to do research on was named Jean Piaget. Piaget’s research mostly consisted of child’s intellectual development and understanding what was unknown about genetic psychology. Piaget developed many different theories about the human brain, and the processes that it went through. I wanted to reflect in my piece that I’m going through the stage of adolescence, which is mainly focused around being oneself. For this project, I interviewed a graphic designer and artist, Ellen Senrich. During the interview, we talked about what makes an artist great, and the thought process she goes through when creating her art. I asked what she thinks makes a great artist, and she responded with: “I’d say you have to passionate and open-minded. You really have to want to do a good job and care about your designs. Making your work not a chore, because it’s supposed to be something that you enjoy doing.” It was interesting hearing what Senrich had to say about art and designing, and the interview helped me realize a few different aspects of creating art that helped me create my piece.
My thought process for creating my piece was pretty simple: I sat down and thought about what I think best represents me. I took a deep breath and started drawing some simple sketches, I didn’t particularly want my face, as most self portraits do, but I wanted to create a part of me and in an abstract way. My first draft was just a few straight lines drawn on a plain piece of printer paper. I liked the idea that I had in my head, though. When I showed my revised draft to a friend of mine, he recommended I add some color. I agreed that having just black and white seemed too gloomy, so I colored it in completely. The color I chose to fill in my hand was navy; dark blue is my favorite color, and I wanted it to represent my individuality in my piece. After adding color, I showed my revisions to my interviewee and good family friend, Ellen Senrich. She said it was a great drawing, but needed some type of trademark to give it a signature. I decided to tear off the sides of the paper to give it a sort of “edgy” feel (no pun intended). Overall, my piece is meant to be a visual representation of my life and story.
This action project was done for my elective course: Ollywood. Throughout this course, we studied what goes into pre-production, production, and post-production when creating a film. We also looked at the different meanings within film. The curriculum involved discussion, critiquing, and analyzing films and movies from different perspectives. My overall experience in the class was extremely helpful. I learned more about the movie-making industry than I ever thought I would. During each unit of production, we learned the entire process that goes into creating that part of the film. We were taught all the roles that were involved in the making of the film, as well as types of camera work and editing. For pre-production, we learned about the people who do all of the preparation for the film, such as location scouts, and then did some activities ourselves. For production, we were assigned to make our own nanomovies, which helped me realize how time-consuming the filming process itself can be. For post-production, we learned all different types of editing techniques. For one of our FEs, we talking with our teacher's father, Ron Mix, who's an oscar winning nominee filmmaker. It was really insightful getting the chance to ask him our questions. On our other FE, our class went to the MorningStar building in Chicago, and got to see all the cameras and equipment they use for their production. This action project, I think, really helped us understand the process of actually going through pre-production, production, and post-production. It certainly helped me gain some insight on what it's like to produce a film, and I thought it was a great way to sum up all the units.
In Unit 2 for my Senior course, Economics: Risking Value, we went over the topic of wealth. Accumulation and distribution were two main points we focused on. We also studied different types of economic markets and systems while investigation the classification systems of wealth in our society. We learned how to add, multiply, and use different types of functions with matrices. For one of our field experiences, we went to see Sara Samuels, a financial advisor. There, we all asked questions about her profession and what it’s like to be in the business. Overall, I thought it was a fun and informative experience. In addition to our FE, we also talked to our former director, who explained to us his philosophy on investing and the right times to invest. I enjoyed the personal connections this unit made to issues I may have to deal with in the future. For our action project, we were asked to create our own investment portfolios that would help us set our own goals when trying to make a profit. Below is my Investment Portfolio, thanks for reading!
First off, I’d like to explain my values for the companies I’ll be investing in. I value companies that drive innovation. I think innovation is what keeps businesses booming and drives our society forward. I’m not really focused on family or environment-friendly companies, but more on the ones who are interested in making money. If they’re making a profit, I’m interested in investing. My values revolve around development, whether this means economically or generally. I believe that if we’re not learning we’re wasting time. It’s important to me to learn about life and gain as much knowledge as possible. I’ve listed my SMART goals for the upcoming years below:
1-year goal: To break even or turn a small profit on my investments, since it takes most people about a year to make a profit.
5-year goal: Pay off any existing debts I have
25-year goal: Have completely paid off my own house and car
After taking the Rutgers University Risk Tolerance Quiz, I learned that I have an average/moderate tolerance for risk. I scored a 27 out of 47, meaning I'm near the middle; I'd say I learn more towards 50/50 risks. For this portfolio, I decided to stay on the safe side when investing in companies. I chose businesses that have been along for a long time and are likely to be making in the future.
Risk Tolerance Quiz. SC. 2016
Taking my time horizon into account, I'll be mostly investing my money into my 25-year plan. The more time the stock has to grow, the more the payout will be as long as the stock market continues to do well. With this, I decided to invest the least money into my 1 and 5-year investments because I'll probably be needing money more often later than within the next few years. Also, I chose the companies I thought would be making the most profit for my 25-year investment.
Apple:
Apple has a high economic moat, meaning there’s a low chance of them have any threatening competition in their industry. They have a P/E ratio of 13.74 and a dividend yield of 2%. Not only does this company demonstrate my values well, but the quality of their materials is outstanding, and a lot of their products have become the social norm to own. The iPhone, for example, has become a trend in the past 10 years, and I think there are many people who wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving the brand. From the graph below, you can see that from the past 5 years Apple’s stock has risen significantly, and I believe it will continue to rise in the future. For me, this will be a long-term investment, because I think that Apple grows and will be around for a long time.
Disney:
While Disney’s main focus is not towards innovation, I do believe that they’re a rapidly growing company, and they sure know how to make money. They are part of the entertainment industry, which is something I think everybody needs and uses. Within the next few years, they plan to release a few new Star Wars movies, which I think will send their stock prices through the roof. Star Wars alone is an industry itself, and the previous release made over 30 billion dollars in revenue. From the graph below, you can see that their stock price has nearly tripled in the past five years. While it does look like it’s decreasing now, I’m sure it will skyrocket once they start releasing these film(s). They have a P/E ratio of 16.84, and a dividend yield of 1.51%. This investment will be short term for me, as I don’t know what they plan to do after the Star Wars franchise ends, and I’d like to stay on the safe side.
Microsoft:
Similar to Apple, Microsoft also strives for innovation, which is probably what attracted me most toward investing. Their CEO, Bill Gates, claims that innovation is what keeps our world moving forward. Recently, Microsoft has shaved their old image and created a more fresh one, which is something that draws my attention, because this shows how devoted they are to change. Microsoft is part of the technology industry, which is no longer a want, rather, it’s becoming a need in today’s society; since Microsoft is in charge of over 90% of the software run on computers today, I think it’s a good idea to invest in them. As you can see from the graph below, Microsoft is at an all-time high in the past five years. To me, it looks like it will continue to rise. The company has a P/E ratio of 28.63, and a dividend yield of 2.61%. This investment will be a mainly long term investment for me since I think the products and software Microsoft will be releasing will take a huge effect on their stock prices.
Portfolio I - One-year investment ($2960.09)
17 shares of Disney @ $93.85 ($1595.45) - 53.9%
12 Apple Shares @ $113.72 ($1364.64) - 46.1%
These two companies have an ROI of 17.79%. Hopefully, this ROI will stay the same, and I'll be able to turn a profit on my investments. This will result in a $503.22 payout.
Portfolio II - Five-year investment ($15,215.06)
39 shares of Disney @ $93.85 ($3660.15) - 24.1%
193 shares of Microsoft @ 59.87 ($11,554.91) - 75.9%
Combined, these two companies have an ROI of 82% (for a five-year investment). By this point, I should have made enough money to pay off any of my debts (student loans, taxes, payments, etc.). This will result in a $12,476.35 payout.
Portfolio III - Twenty-five-year investment ($30,948.50)
270 shares of Microsoft @ 59.87 ($16,164.90) - 52.2%
130 Apple Shares @ $113.72 ($14,783.60) - 47.8%
Together, these two companies have an ROI of 462.5% (for a twenty-five-year investment). At this point, I should have made enough money to reach my goal of owning a car and house. This will result in a $143,136.81 payout.
Total Investment Portfolio Value: $156,116.38
Below I've posted a pie chart of my total investment portfolio, to help better understand the amount invested for each payout:
Portfolio Data. 2016. via MetaChart
I'm happy with the companies that I chose. Overall, I think that my 3 business's stocks will continue to rise and keep a steady ROI. The economic moats of these companies were a big factor I thought of when choosing what stocks to invest in. Protection against a business is extremely important because nowadays it's a cut-throat society; companies can take over others within months. The values of the companies I chose were also a big determinant. I wanted businesses that were focused on innovation, and it was essential to me that they weren't planning on putting out the same product in the future. Something I learned while picking my stocks was a market cap. This is the total value of all the company's stocks. I payed attention to this because I wanted to make sure they were experienced and had a lot of other's investing in them as well. Assumptions:
I assume my twenty-five-year investment will make the most money, therefore I invested the majority of my savings into it.
With the increase in Disney's stocks after the first Star Wars movie release, I assume that they will continue to rise again after the upcoming releases.
The stock market won't crash during the 25 years I'm investing.
Sources:
"Apple Inc." AAPL Stock Performance of Total and Trailing Returns. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2016.
Downie, Ryan. "Buffett's Moat: Is Apple's Competitive Advantage Sustainable? (AAPL)." Investopedia. N.p., 20 June 2016. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Yesterday our first Transgender President of America was elected president. Ashley Marano is a transgender woman that made history last night as she completely wrecked her opponent, Rick Parley, in the polls winning 405 electoral votes. Over the past 100 years, our nation has completely flipped from a country filled with racism, hate, and inequality, to a democracy full of true freedom. We have truly become a country where people don’t have to be afraid to be themselves.
In other news relating to our newest president, a barbie doll attributed to her was released this morning. “The Marano Doll” was already reached record sales. The purpose of creating the doll was to teach all boys and girls that they can be whatever they aspire to be, and to help them be theirselves. We hope to see a spreading of acceptance through this doll.
