Taming Of Shrews? Ancient History!

In this course called Drama, we looked at 16th century literature, focusing on gender roles. In this unit we read Shakespeare's; The Taming of the Shrew, where we had to identify who the shrew was, and why. We also focused on gender roles during that time. During the 16th century, and even today, females were looked down upon. Some major roles they played was to stay at home, obey their husbands, and look beautiful. Women who spoke out about this were to be called a shrew, a women who is sharp tongued and aggressive. 

When completing The taming of the shrew, our task was to write a sonnet about any major character from the story. This sonnet was addressing the character, and what they did. I chose to write my sonnet addressing Kate, the shrew in the beginning of the story; only to change later on. I think that gender roles play an important part of everyday life. In my opinion, women are equal to men and men are equal to women. I feel that women should not be looked down upon to only be the submissive in the relationship. I also think men do not serve a higher purpose because, women in today's world preform, predominately male jobs. This is why I chose to write my sonnet about Kate, to address why she stopped being a shrew. Down below is my sonnet about Kate!

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My, my what happened to you? Kate, you were a young shrew. Renowned and sharp tongued

you would not take crap from anyone but now you're under the gun

Petruchio has casted a spell on you wouldn't you agree? Oh but you wouldn't know any better

he’s just mean old tamer!

“If I be waspish, best beware my sting”. It was you who said this, was it not?

Now you are looking all distraught.

I’m a fie because of you. Maybe next time you will  keep your word.

you are only a bondmaid to him. He only wanted your money, haven't you heard?

"Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper"- oh cut the crap, we all know this is just an act, I mutter.

In a jarring manner, Kate wake up, I know you’re in there! We can’t all bare to see you like this.

If “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper” then why’d he walk out on single mothers?

If “Thy husband is thy lord, thy life, thy keeper” then where did he come from? A miss.

There are be so many girls like you Kate, now they have to hide for heavens sake!

Dont be a swine, and choose wisely or they will surely hate.

The Ebola Virus: An Epidemic

For the last unit in my Disease class, my classmates and I focused on epidemics and pandemics. We learned about different epidemics and pandemics through out history, and compared it to today's world, seeing how it could be stooped or even spread. For our final action project we looked at epidemics from the past o present and wrote an essay regarding how it spread, started, and the end result. We also calculated some specifics for our disease, detailed in my project below. Overall this project turned out successful, in spite of some difficult obstacles, I overcame them all. Enjoy my project below!

Ebola, or the hemorrhagic fever is an infectious disease that causes internal bleeding, high fevers, and even death. The Ebola virus has been around for a long time. In the Congo, back in 1976, a nun got infected with the disease, calling it ‘’the Marburg Virus”. Not knowing what exactly this disease was, scientist treated it as a common virus. After seeing blood samples under a microscope scientists saw what looked like a worm. Fast forward to 2014, countries such as: Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia are now infected with this disease. The disease is caused by, bush meat. Bush meat or wild meat is non-domesticated animals that are being hunted in often tropical or jungle like areas.

Countries currently effected  

Another cause of this disease is poor sanitation systems located in each area. Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia all lack poor sanitation systems.  The people of these countries have no where to dispose their waste therefore they put it in rivers and, streams. People then use these rivers and streams to clean their household items, which causes them to become ill. The common symptoms for this disease are; Diarrhea, Nausea/Vomiting, stomach pain, chest pain/bleeding from the eyes,nose, and bruising, chills/weakness joint, and muscle aches. Ebola is an epidemic, therefore people with Ebola have a high R Nought. An R Nought is a basic reproduction number for any disease or outbreak. The R Nought for Ebola is, 1.5 to 2.5 meaning, For every one person who has Ebola, 1.5 to 2.5 people get infected. This R Nought is high therefore it is classified as an epidemic.

Ebola has started to spread because, villagers do not have access to clean meats. These people have to kill undomesticated animals in order to survive which is not their fault in my opinion. Theses people also do not have clean sanitation facility access. Sierra leones sanitation access percentage is a constant 13 percent, from 2004 to 20014. This means that out of all the population of Sierra Leone only 13 percent have access to clean sanitation facilities. This number is below average for access to sanitation facilities . These factors have affected the people of, not only Sierra Leone, but Guinea and Liberia. By having poor sanitation it highers the risk of people getting sick.

Risk Factors for Ebola(AMK 2015)

Many candidates for the Ebola vaccine have been developed, but they have not been approved for humans. According to the FDA (Food and Drug administration), drug Testers around the world have been testing drugs on non-primates, only to find out it does not work. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson (FDA) have been researching since the outbreak became a worldwide issue. Since this outbreak was unexpected, many people were not prepared for it. The FDA has yet to come up with a vaccine, saying they will announce the best one in August of 2015. The aid for these countries were family members because some did  could not afford medical care. Therefore, people must  care for their family members in risk of getting themselves sick. Since these countries now have help with preventing this disease, they are being taught the proper sanitation ways. Also other countries are now testing everyone who enters for Ebola so others won't get infected with the disease. People of Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia must be provided with the right tools in order to survive. I believe that providing these countries with another food option rather than bush meat will go a long way to prevent this deadly disease from occurring again. I also think more sanitation facilities should be a common thing throughout these countries. Lastly I think that they should have classes on what is proper sanitation, and how to prevent getting something such as the Ebola virus.



Citations:

June–October 2014." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14 Nov. 2014. Web. 17 Mar. 2015.

"2014 Ebola Outbreak in West Africa - Case Counts." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 10 Feb. 2015. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

"Ebola: The Worldwide Epidemic." SQ Online. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 25 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015.

The Absolutely True Diary Of A Part Time Indian

AMK

Forbidden Books

3/18/15          

 Our final action project for my class, Forbidden Books consisted of, writing an essay based on a censored or banned book chosen by our teacher. In unit three we talked about, diversity. First we defined diversity, then we used this understanding of diversity to write the essay for our book. The book I chose was, The Absolutely True Diary Of  a Part Time Indian . This books challenges diversity from the perspective of a teenager. I thought that this book was very interesting, and even funny. The author shows racial differences through comedy which, causes controversy. This essay was somewhat challenging because I had to show most levels of intolerance throughout this book. Overall I think it was a very interesting action project, enjoy!

Sleepwalking Disability

For our Disease course we decided to look more into mental disorders.The purpose of this project was to stimulate someone who does not have a mental disorder and put them in a person who does have a mental disorders shoes. For my project I decided to choose sleepwalking. Sleepwalking is a behavioral disorder where people perform activities such as walking around the house or even leaving their home while still sleeping. Sleepwalking is commonly found in kids rather than adults. Scientifically, sleepwalking is a behavior disorder that originates during deep sleep and results in walking or performing other complex behaviors while asleep, it is also  more likely to occur if a person is sleep deprived. Because a sleepwalker typically remains in deep sleep throughout the episode, he or she may be difficult to awaken and will probably not remember the sleepwalking incident. I decided to do this project on sleepwalking because, although it is a disorder people tend to brush it off as a phase, sleepwalking can also go into account of sleep terrors, or even harming someone all while unconscious.

A person who sleepwalks often has no memory of doing it, but Antonio Zarda, a blogger says that, ''There is a significant proportion of sleepwalkers who remember there sleepwalking, and say they have reasonable explanations for it''. Some cases of sleepwalking can be mild such as going to the kitchen and washing their hands to the other extreme such as actually committing a crime like murder. Some people don’t understand how severe sleepwalking can be because they haven't experienced it themselves. For someone who doesn't have sleepwalking disorder, or does not understand what it and feels like, I created a simulation just to get an idea of what it feels like. I think I would have to take things easily and show some empathy with sleepwalkers because they themselves are not aware of what they do therefore we cannot blame them. I know not to wake a sleepwalker because they can panic. Sleepwalking cases are almost not that  severe but you should always take precaution with a person who has it. Down below are my fliers, as well as my agenda!

Why? (GQ)	What does it feel like to sleepwalking ?	Time
How?	How will I guide my classmates to experience these feelings? At the end of this lesson, students will have: Role-played with a person simulating characteristics of sleepwalking Reflected on how they felt by drawing or writing a brief explanation Identified actions they can take to support a loved one, co-worker, or other person living with sleepwalking disorder	5
What? Agenda & Content	How will I guide my classmates to experience these feelings? Intro: I will first blindfold my classmates, and ask them to put in earplugs next I will spin them around a few times to feel out of place. Then I will ask them to go to a certain spot in the room where they have to get an object and accomplish it without looking although most sleepwalkers sleepwalk with their eyes open I want them to feel somewhat out of place to experience what it is like Simulation - Which criteria for this disorder needs to be highlighted? Confusion mumbled speech wandering Debrief Do’s and Don’ts -Don’t try and help guide or help the sleepwalker, we want them to feel out of place and confused.	5
Closure	Reflection (Writing) How might you respond differently to someone living with the disorder you studied? What will you do differently when you see sleepwalking occurring in others? How did it make you feel to lose two of your five senses?	3
Materials	Blindfolds Earbuds Paper Pens

_LINKS_____

http://www.behavioralconnections.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=doc&id=589

http://girightshotline.org/en/military-knowledge-base/topic/other-designated-physical-and-mental-conditions-discharge

http://www.sleepmanagement.md/sleepdisorders/sleepwalking.aspx

Citations:

1."Sleep Disorder Symptoms - Sleepwalking Disorder - Sleep Disorders." Sleep Disorder Symptoms - .Sleepwalking Disorder - Sleep Disorders. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

2."GI Rights Hotline." Atom. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

3.

"Sleep Walking / Talking." Sleep Management. N.p., 20210. Web. 08 Mar. 2015.

Arab Spring

For my second action project for Forbidden Books, my classmates and I dove deep into religion. We looked at at three of the most popular religions Islam,Christianity, and Judaism. We also looked at books that were banned around that time and focused on the reasoning behind that. We had many field experiences to better our knowledge of each religion and its context.For this action project my classmates and I had to pick a specif country and time period about banning of a certain book and what events led up to that. My project is on 2010-2012 Arab Spring movement through out the Middle East and parts of North Africa. The people were getting censored due to the powerful dictators in their countries also prohibiting them from things such as their basic human rights. I think that these people stood up for what they believed and ended up winning! Down below is my project, enjoy!


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Sickle Cell Disease

For my class disease, we looked at diseases and how specific ones effect the body. Our first action  project was to research a specific disease of our choice and write a patient case study helping people who do not know about this disease better their knowledge. I researched  a disease called Sickle Cell Anemia. Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) is a disease of the blood, the body makes cells that are in the the shape of a sickle this red blood cell would look like a crescent. Normal red blood cells look like doughnuts and flow regularly through out the blood stream, they contain protein called hemoglobin which carries oxygen from your lungs to the rest of the body. Where as with the crescent like red blood cell it often gets clogged, they are also stiff and get stuck together this causes them to block blood flow in the blood vessels which can lead to an infection, pain in the limbs, and organ damage. This disease mostly impacts the circulatory system because in order to carry oxygen through out the body you need your red blood cells to help carry the oxygen.

This disease is an inherited disease that lasts for a lifetime. Each parent gives one sickle cell hemoglobin gene to the child which causes the disease. If one parent has the gene the child will most likely  get sickle cell trait. Sickle cell trait isn't as severe as the disease itself but they can often get the same symptoms. Over all I found this project rather interesting because I already know so much about this disease. I enjoyed working on my human body drawing because I had the opportunity to zoom in and really show where the disease happens. Below I have my interview with a friend talking more about this disease and how it effects the body. I also have a patient overview of a sickle cell patient.
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Over View :

AMK(2015)

Adam, an average 18 year old boy who enjoys playing soccer, basketball and hockey. He lives a pretty good life. The only thing that slows Adam down is his sickle cell anemia. Adam is the only child in his family to inherit full sickle cell disease. Adam has had many sickle cell pain episodes through out his childhood which often forces him to go to the hospital and receive treatment although. When Adam was around the age of six he encountered a major stomach ache which caused him to the hospital. Later the doctors found out that Adam had splenetic sequestration which caused by sickled cells being trapped in the spleen since they are stiff and sticky it is often difficult for the passage ways to become clear. This caused Adam to have surgery to remove his overgrown spleen, to prevent infection. Today he is active and plays many sports he must watch his health and stay hydrated.

 If Adam were to suddenly have a sickle cell related episode, his stomach would ache, joints are stiff, and may run a slight  fever. Adam is rushed to the hospital and is hooked with an IV that contains water to keep him hydrated, he is given ibuprofen to lessen the fever and relive his joints. Nurses take blood work to make sure his hemoglobin count is steady and if not he needs a blood transfusion. If his case stays the same the care giver must hospitalize him to make sure he does not get worse. When he gets better Adam can return home, and go on with his daily lifestyle.

Hemoglobin is rich protein inside red blood cells, this caries oxygen through out the body. If a persons hemoglobin were to be low they would need a blood transfusion to raise their hemoglobin count. The hemoglobin could be low because their is deficiency in Iron, Folic acid, and vitamin B-12. This is where the term Anemic comes from (sickle cell anemia). 

Interview: 


AMK: How does this disease happen?

A: It happens when parents have both hemoglobin genes, and the child either has the trait or the actual disease 

AMK: What things can you learn from this disease ?

A: Its a blood disease, and it can't really be transmitted through bodily fluids it cant at all. Kids are born with it 

AMK: When someone gets sickle cell pain what are the symptoms?

A: Usually stomach pain, headaches, body aches, and high fever, its usually pain crises and pain episodes that could send a kid to the hospital so they can receive treatment.  

AMK: How can you prevent getting sick from sickle cell 

A: doing basic things like staying hydrated and also taking antibiotics, just being healthy and clean just washing your hands simple things yo do in everyday life.   

AMK: What ethnicity is this disease most common in?

A:Most common with African Americans, usually its just the history kids who have parents, who have sickle cell disease or the trait, and that's about it. 

AMK: How can the sickness be prevented? 

A:Like I aid before doing simple things like washing your hands, staying hydrated and active and watching what you eat.

AMk:Why do you have to watch what you eat?

A:Because you have to make sure you dont eat the wrong things that can make you sick easily. Also to watch your nutrition  

AMK: What type of medication does one have to use if they have sickle cell?

A: They use, well it depends on what the doctor prescribes like hydroxyurea is usually what most kids with sickle cell have it treats the pain in a way and somewhat controls it.
Citation:

"What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?" - NHLBI, NIH. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 28 Sept. 2012. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.

The Socratic Method

For our Forbidden books course, my classmates and I looked at how people that have political power try to ban books because of it's content. We also focused on a writing called The Apology .This reading is very important to today's world because it talks about Socrates, a wise philosopher who was on trial for ''corrupting the youth''. He would often go to the youth and ask them random questions just to hear their responses. The people of Athens, a city in Greece did not wan't the youth thinking for themselves or starting to ask questions, this would lead to a chaos, this is also why they considered his method peril. This method that Socrates used is called question and answer method. 

Socrates  was also put on trail for not believing in the gods of Greece. Although, a dime-god called him the wisest, he wanted to find out if their was anyone wiser. Socrates often questioned everyday topics and was founded guilty and sentenced to death my Hemlock poison. I believe Socrates was truly the wisest because although he had knowledge he did not flaunt and pretend he was something he is not. A famous quote from Socrates is ''I know that I know nothing''. This quote shows that Socrates is willing to admit that he does not know everything rather than pretend he does. Socrates was executed and did not refuse because he wanted to obey the law and truly stand up for what he believed in.

For our action project we had to use the Socratic questioning and answering method on a topic of our choice. The question and answer method is supposed to get the person who answers to dig deeper to a philosophical level and answer a question.The topic I chose was, What does it mean to be alive? I chose this topic because I felt that it makes you really think therefore you should not give a generic answer. I learned that many people have different definitions of the word 'alive', when you hear all these different answers it actually makes you think about what it really means. When writing the script for my project it was somewhat difficult to stay on track on  of the one topic I had. But I managed to make a well crafted script. Down below is my video on the topic: what does it mean to be alive? Along with the transcribed version.

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Characters

Savannah-character 1 AMK

Adam-character 2 -GN

Filmed-outside

Topic: What does it mean to be alive?

S: Hey Adam! I haven’t seen you in a while. Why do you look so happy?

A: Hey Savannah, I've been feeling depressed for a very long time, and now I finally feel alive!

S: Well, I’m glad you are not depressed anymore, but what do you mean by that statement, that you feel alive?

A: Feeling happy, and having something to look forward to of course!

S: Well what’s the difference between feeling alive and being alive ?

S: So if you're feeling depressed or unconscious are you or are you not dead?

A: Being alive is being alert and responsive. Feeling alive is, like I said before, feeling happy and having something to look forward too.

S: What if a person is in a coma or life support, the machine is keeping them alive, so do you think they are alive or dead? They don’t have any feeling or emotion because their brain can’t function on its own so what state is that person in, in your opinion?

A: Um, I don't know. For all we know they could be looking forward  to waking up from the coma..so they could be alive?

S: And for all we know they are unconscious so they may not feel any emotions.

A: I don't know they possibly can’t feel emotions then. When you're asleep aren't you half dead, or umm unconscious? What is the difference between being alive and being unconscious?

A: I suppose, the person in the coma could be dead but they have a small chance of living do they not? Someone who is asleep is still alive.

S: Yes, but If the machine is keeping them alive they are alive but without it they are dead. Therefore, they are unconscious or unresponsive.The person’s brain cannot function on it’s own, but in actuality they are alive and breathing.

S: When you go to sleep are you alive or dead?

A: Umm, I’m not sure now. I guess i'm alive but unconscious, right?

S: So if you are unconscious can you still feel emotions? Is that your definition of being alive,  being able to feel emotion?

A: I don’t know if we can, when I’m asleep I don’t think I feel my emotions. However, I do think that in order to feel alive you have to feel some sort of emotion.

S: I think the problem is that you have a fixed definition on what it means to be alive. You see Adam, being alive doesn't just mean the change of emotions. The actual definition of being alive is alertness,having a pulse, and not being dead. Also the term ‘alive’ has evolved  throughout history. For example people use the term ‘alive’ to express emotion rather than actually being alive.

A: I think I see your point Savannah. Maybe next time I will think twice before I make such a statement based off of my emotions. Let me restate what I said before, I am glad that I am no longer depressed, and I feel happier than  i’ve felt in months!

S: It’s okay Adam, i'm only here to help and i’m glad that you are happy! Have a nice day, bye!

A: You too, bye!