Zach

Nice job. I liked the points you discussed regarding charities. || 2 pts. || **Completed** || Nice job. This is a very sensitive issue. || 2 pts. || **Completed** || Please include a paragraph of how you are currently using Google Reader or evaluate it for flaws. || 2 pts. || **Completed** revise I also use Delicious to view public bookmarks from a couple authors I follow. || 2 pts. || **Completed** || Any suggestions for my blog? what can I do to improve? || 3 pts. || In Progress || Thank you for speaking to the 8th graders. They need to hear students discussing important issues at school. || 1 pt. || **Completed** || We need to go again. || 2 pts. || **Completed** || Very cool! Good job. || 2 pts. || **Completed** || Good job. || 3 pts. || **Completed** ||
 * __Assignment__ || __Worth__ || __Progress__ ||
 * Reaction paper on the documentary: [|The Corporation]
 * Reaction paper on the: [|Sarah Palin] [|Pro Life] rally
 * Reaction paper on the book: [|Freakonomics] || 2 pts. || In progress ||
 * Use [|Google Reader] to manage information
 * revised ||
 * Use [|Delicious] as a social bookmarking tool
 * Manage a [|niche blog]
 * Speak to 8th graders: 2 days
 * Geocaching
 * Utilize GPS in a school project
 * 21st century novel
 * I hope you have been challenged so far and I look forward to your remaining projects. I will send you an email with your current grade. ||  ||   ||
 * **Total Points:** || 16 pts. ||  ||
 * **Total Points:** || 16 pts. ||  ||

Reaction to attending: Pro-Life rally with [|Sarah Palin] New Aspects of a Hot Topic in the Political World By: Zach Sawicki

Attending a political event is something that has always captured my interest. Receiving the opportunity to attend such an event was one thing that I did not want to turn down. It seems that media portrays sides of issues with a very strong bias, and I was hoping to see the factual side of things. Not being sure of whether I was pro-life or pro-choice, I had high hopes as to be enlightened with the adverse argument of what I had originally believed. After arriving at the Aladdin Shrine Center in Columbus, I noticed that most people there seemed to be well-dressed. I instantly felt some discomfort due to the fact that I was only wearing a sweater and blue jeans. My brief issue disappeared as I began wandering around the center, and taking in new sights that I had not previously been accustomed to. The actual room that held the event was rather large, and was supposedly going to be seating four thousand attendants. The main speakers of the night were Chris Spielman, and Sarah Palin. Not knowing much about Chris Spielman other than his wife’s recent death, I was more excited to listen to Sarah speak. The rally opened with an introduction from the president of Ohio Right to Life. He was then concluded by the national anthem. I took notice to the fact that politically affiliated people take the national anthem very seriously. Chris Spielman’s story was rather touching. He explained through his words how emotionally scarring it was to lose his life long companion. He explained how him and his wife had battled cancer over the years. After recently getting pregnant, his wife was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. They had to make the decision of aborting their baby, or saving the mother’s life. Having a religious background, and a strong belief in the equality of all humanity, they firmly decided to birth the baby. A year or so later, Stefanie passed away. I think that most people with emotion would feel remorse for Chris and his family. After Chris’s heart-felt story, Sarah Palin made a grand entrance. I can’t describe the feeling of seeing such an important figure right in front of your eyes, with no media influence. Sarah talked about her pregnancy, and deciding to keep her child who is now healthy, despite a professional opinion who thought otherwise. The topic grew seemingly deep when she told about the sheer horror of abortion clinics. She explained the importance of choosing life over abortion, and in the end, won me over with her strong points. I can now say that I am pro-life. Attending a political rally is one thing that I would highly recommend to anyone. It’s such an eye-opening experience. I feel that coming from a rural area plays a major factor in being semi-ignorant towards real world issues. I not only made my newfound personal choice of the right to life, but I learned that there is more to the world than the current “bubble” we seem to live in. Anyone who gets the chance, go out, and seek a new adventure.

=Use [|Google Reader] to manage information:=

media type="youtube" key="VSPZ2Uu_X3Y" height="340" width="560" I have now incorporated Google Reader into my Gmail account, and am subscribed to multiple feeds. The video above simplifies the process of using Google reader, and explains RSS feeds. One feed that I have subscribed to is the Current Events blog. Whenever Mr. Gallwitz posts a new article, it instantly shows up on my google account, and I don't have to check the actual website everyday. Or, I can read the articles from my google reader, contemplate on them, and then resond later in the day. Essesntially it speeds up the process of reading online articles. When I first set up my google reader, I was confused on how to use it. Once figuring it out, it did become quite easy, and helpful. There are some features to it that I have not yet explored. Overall, I highly recommend using it. ( I use it every day)



Reaction to the documentary: __The Corporation__ “Is it ethical? I don’t know.” By: Zach Sawicki

Have you ever taken the time to understand exactly what a corporation is? Prior to viewing the documentary //The Corporation,// I had no clear-cut idea of what a corporation truly is. I simply viewed it as a big business, and did not understand what goes on behind the scenes. Instantly as the film began, it was obvious that this documentary had an agenda. It was to provoke any possible negative emotion towards every corporation. It did not give any leverage to the positive side of what this big business machine is. So what exactly is a corporation? According to [|dictionary.com], a corporation is “ an association of individuals, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.” So precisely what does this mean? under the 14th amendment, a corporation is basically a legal person, but with no human soul possible to punish. It has the rights to buy and sell property, invest in trade, sue in court, and perform just about any action legal to a citizen of the United States. A major factor is the fact that there is no body to punish. A corporation can destroy land, lives, and cities, and pay a small debt, only to continue their business. In the documentary, the corporation was compared to a DSM-IV. For those of you who don’t know what this is, it is a diagnostic test to determine if someone is a psychopath. Surprisingly enough, the corporation has the majority of characteristics that a psychopath would contain. Examples of this would be: Reckless disregard for the safety of others, deceitfulness, failure to respect law, and failure to maintain relationships. So what exactly does a corporation do to classify it as a monster? They are heartless, money-hungry businesses. A prime example of this would be Nike. Nike has outsourced to third world countries, where children work in sweatshops, only to make about 7 cents per day. This minuscule pay is hardly enough to purchase the necessary amount of food to survive off of. One could argue that it is still helping out others who would normally be starving, but in reality they are taking advantage of hopeless, malnourished minorities, and destroying their country along with it. The rationale behind Nike’s actions, is solely for profit. Why pay Americans 7.50 per day, when they could pay 7 cents per day to individuals who know nothing better? One may ask, what does the government do to punish corporations for their fraudulent activity? The typical discipline is a fine in the couple million dollar range. What is a few million dollars to a money powerhouse?.........absolutely nothing. It seems that the corporation cannot be stopped. What started as a government chartered establishment, is now an independent manipulative thief. Take the time to ponder the thought of if you could survive the modern era without buying into the corporation. It’s sincerely impossible. Surely there has to be some positives to the corporation. It is true that there are, but since the documentary did not expose them, I did my own research. Millions of dollars are donated to charities, hospitals, countries in distress, and education programs. They are giving back to the community in a sense, but there seems to be an ulterior motive. I see it as an act for exposure. A media influence to brainwash you into believing that they are a healthy cause. This all ties back into profit. In final conclusion, I believe that the corporation is not single-handedly a bad thing, but only that it needs to be tamed. In my eyes, the government should put more emphasis on regulating functions of the big businesses. In reality, no corporation is sustainable. We as people need to work towards a common goal where sustainability is a factor. I recommend watching the corporation, as it is completely eye-opening. My only complaint is that it is biased, and shows no fair argument of both sides.

=Use [|Delicious] as a social bookmarking tool= media type="youtube" key="HeBmvDpVbWc" height="344" width="425" After watching this simple tutorial, I now understand what social bookmarking is, and have created my account. I have bookmarked sites such as Facebook, the New York Times, Various running articles, and a few other links that I may need when on a random computer. I also found it convenient that I could use my yahoo account to sign in. It avoids the hassle of timely account-creating.

= = =Speak to 8th graders about the importance of high school=

On two separate days last week, a few high school students (including me) and Mrs. Smith, went to the middle school to talk to the 8th graders about the importance of succeeding in high school, gpa, getting involved with activities, and a few other odds and ends. Bethany, Krystine, and I all talked about flex credits, and partially about 21st Century Scholars. I tied up my part by saying that in a changing world, it is important to be the best you can be to ensure a promising future. I feel like some students actually took in what all of us were trying to say, but others seemed to really not care at all. I did a bit of additional research and found an article by the [|College Board] about why college is important. Take a look at the statistics about average salaries based on level of education.

=[|Geocaching] - April 2nd=

On April 2nd, I went geocaching with Mr. Gallwitz, and three other 21st Century Scholars students. When we arrived, Virgil Shipley took our picture for the Mount Vernon newspaper, which was published in the Monday April 5th paper. There is also a great write up about [|East Knox flex credits] ! Back to geocaching, we navigated our way to three different geocaches. Finding the general areas of the hidden treasures was not difficult, but finding the exact places however, was. There are small clues that direct you to finding it, but other than that, it is all up to your knowledge and problem-solving skills in order to find the geocache. One thing that I really like about the whole idea of all of this, is that you get exercise and you use your knowledge at the same time. It's an all around fun and beneficial experience. I actually plan on going geocaching more....it's addicting!

=Utilize GPS in a school project= I have a [|Garmin Forerunner 305] that I use to train for running. In this case, I was using it prior to track season for training. I Use this instrument every time I run. I record the feedback it gives me on [|my blog] about running. Below, you can see a 1.24 mile run that I went on. Not only does it show my route that I ran, but it displays some statistics from throughout my run. After I run, I synchronize my gps with my computer and view my data. I find this extremely helpful for track season, as I can see the velocity that I'm improving in. media type="custom" key="5798353"

[|A classic novel in 21st century terms.]

In todays world no one wants to waste any of their time. So a solution to that is cutting down the length of the information that we take in. While I was searching the internet one day i found an article challenging people to take a classic novel and in 140 characters or less turn it into a 21st century novel. So here is my take on To Kill A Mocking Bird is 21st century length.

No mocking birds Finches Southern racism Scout finds gifted tree Who’s Boo Court= no justice, death of a black man death of innocence