Assignment 3 - Jackson Leach

Jackson Leach

I believe firmly that there are different levels of good and evil that every person develops throughout their life. A person is not inherently good or evil, but is molded by their upbringing and the world around them. There are different levels on the spectrum that all people fall into, whether it is rigidly good or slightly evil. For example, a strict, law abiding citizen who follows every aspect of the written law literally is good, but also a citizen who promotes lawful conduct but doesn't strictly abide by the written law are different, but both good. Views that each person holds are purely based upon their parents views. For example, in Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien, the main henchmen of the villains in the story, the orcs, are believed by Gandalf, one of the characters, to be more controlled slaves of the main villain rather than inherently evil. This means that they are corrupt more because of the world around them rather than their own given personalities, and occupy a level of evil in between the purest forms of good or bad.

Assignment 8- Connor Haney

Fears- Losing someone close, asking stupid questions, drowning
Annoyances- people who walk slow in the hallway, loud people, people talking with their mouth full, gum smacking, people who chew with their mouth open, uninteresting people.
Accomplishments: A on physics test, winning a state championship
Confusions: physics, calc, french
Sorrows: temper, athleticism
Dreams: Athletic Trainer, Strength Coach
Idiosyncrasies: nerd; Im in the academy
Risks: Bungee Jumping
Beloved Possessions: Now- phone, dog, bed. Then- My stuffed animals
Problems: procrastination, organization

Dreams. Over the last few years and the latter part of my life thus far, I have been dreaming of being an athletic trainer. Ever since I was a little boy, I knew I wanted to have a job in the athletic side of occupation. My love for sports was overwhelming, and I knew I couldn't be a pro sports player, so the easier way would be either the athletic training or coaching side. Once I had chosen the side of athletic training, I decided to delve into the subject more and do some research. The more research I did, the more and more I ended up wanting the job. The fact that you may have the ability to work in pro/collegiate, top-of-the-line facilities with professional athletes has always fascinated me, and now that I get closer and closer to college, the more it is starting to become a reality (and the more excited I have become).

Assignment 7 Sabrina Lozada

On September 16th, 1620 The Mayflower departed England, and this 66 day voyage was something that has quite a bit of significance. This ship carried about 100 people that would eventually establish the 1st permanent European colonization in New England. This would permanently alter the New World and its inhabitants. For starters, this ship created the Mayflower Compact, the first governing document. This also established the colony as a more religious colony since aboard were the Pilgrims. This was both good and bad. For the Natives, it was bad because eventually the settlement would have conflicts with the natives that would cost many of them their lives. For the Europeans it was good because they were claiming more land in the new world which would yield them profit in their eyes. This made the New world begin to flourish on a global scale. The departure of the Mayflower would lead to many major events that would eventually bring us to where we are today.

Caden Reynolds- Assignment 7

The date I chose was September 17, 1787. On this date, a constitutional convention was held in Philadelphia, and it resulted in delegates from twelve states voting unanimously to approve the proposed U.S constitution. This was a very important day in history as it laid the foundation for U.S government for years to come. For a nation that had just begun about 150 years before, they created something so useful and effective that we still use it today. Their intricate process of forming this constitution forms a system of checks and balances on the U.S government to prevent a tyrannical government from forming. The three branches, the executive, legislative, and judicial are given checks on them that prevent that one branch from becoming too powerful. For example, the legislative branch is given the power to pass laws, but the executive branch is given the power to either agree with that law or veto it. There are many more than ultimately make these branches balanced. I very much appreciate this event because I believe that America has the best style of government in the world, and it all started with that one constitution.

Assignment 7- Ben Lambert

On October 1, 1908, Henry Ford introduced the first car (Model T). This would prove to be one of the most significant advances in history. It was the first car that was available to a large portion of the population, and the first one that would commonly roam the roads. This was a good event in my opinion. Cars have been one of the most innovative yet convenient inventions of the last few hundred years. They have made transportation incredibly easier and more efficient. They have allowed for more urbanization of areas and allowed more professions to expand. Also, the bus came after this and provided the easy transportation of large amounts of people in cities. I definitely appreciate this event. Without cars, everyday tasks would be more difficult. I wouldn't be able to attend Henry Clay because I live 6 miles away. I wouldn't be able to hang out with my friends that live outside my neighborhood, which almost compromises my whole friend group. Cars have made all of this possible.

Assignment 8- Colton Warner

Fears- Being buried alive, Being a sad old person, getting stabbed by a random person and feeling the knife/shovel exit my abdomen (it'd be more okay if I knew the person)

Annoyances- Chewing with mouth open, those 12 kids during every test that sniffle and cough

Accomplishments- I'm good at Bingo and have won Christmas baskets etc.

Confusions- How to solve world problems

Sorrows- I can't think of many sorrows other than extremely cringey things I have said in the past and still cringe about.

Dreams- Owning a bunch of b and b's that I can run and live at. Exploring the planet.

Idiosyncrasies- nipples (I hope not many people read that)

Risks- skiing, hiking

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then- Now, this asian pillow I have that is a million times better than tempur-pedic, then- scar on hand of fondue tongue wizard battle gone wrong

Problems- dreading things more than I should,  Not being able to figure out a recurring dream from my childhood

Risks- The last time I went skiing was almost a year ago, and it still scares me. I thought I was a big shot skier and decided I'd go one ski down a steep slope at a quick speed. I turned well enjoying myself so I tried to put my ski back on the slope. I placed it at the wrong angle and the tip dug into the snow- I flipped off the slope and ran into one of the only exposed rock faces off the trail. The next 40 seconds comprised of the most inhuman shrieks of pain I have ever made. everyone around me started laughing because of the ridiculous animal mating/death calls that my throat was producing. I thought I was dying and the patrol would have to get my cold lifeless flesh. I remember the sounds as if it was yesterday and I think I might do it again when I forget about my past experience.

Assignment 7- Connor Haney

The date I have chosen is September 17.

On September 19th, 1920, The National Football League was organized as the American Professional Football Association. This took place in Canton, Ohio. This was definitely a good thing as it provided entertainment to the masses in the U.S.A. This definitely has affected me in a positive way through keeping me not bored on Sundays, Mondays, and Thursdays. As a nation, it provided the U.S.A. with a new source of entertainment that would eventually become a huge tradition in American society. As an individual, I most definitely appreciate the formation of the eventual NFL as it gives me a source of recreation through both watching the games and playing Fantasy Football.

Assignment 7- Usha Adhikari

Oct. 3
On this day he asked me what day it is, "it's October 3rd". - Mean Girls

On October 3rd of 1946, 22 Nazi leaders were found guilty of war crimes at Nuremberg.

This was a good thing, hell this was great thing. In the sense that it put bad men who committed horrible crimes behind bars. But this also opens up the idea of Obedience. Just how far will someone go? In a study known as the milligram Experiment, subjects were told to 'shock' others using a box in the room. The box was labels with different amounts of shock, and the people were asked to go all the way up to the switch labeled as deadly. The subjects could not see the people they were "supposedly" shocking but they were able to "hear" them. Through this experiment, Milgram found that subjects would go all the way up to deadly 70% of the time, because they did not think they were the ones who would have to reap the consequences. Is this the same for Nazi leaders, did they abide to Hitler simply because they didn't think they would have to face the consequences or is it because they believed in his morals?  Either way, these people still committed horrible crimes.

Assignment 6- Ben Lambert

1. If you had to switch lives with anyone in the world, who would it be?
2. If you could be the best in the world at anything, what would it be?
3. If you were forced to choose one place to stay for the rest of your life, where would you choose?

2. I think I would probably choose soccer. Soccer is a sport that I have recently gotten into, and I am a big fan. Playing soccer is one of my favorite activities and I wish I had started as a kid. Being the best soccer player in the world would be my choice for various reasons. First: pay. Cristiano Ronaldo (most famous player in the world) recently gained the title of the highest paid athlete in the world. His earnings per year total over $80,000,000. Plus, you get to retire when you are around 40. This gives you years and years to travel and take up any new hobbies you want. The second reason is fame; Ronaldo is undoubtedly one of the most famous people in the world. It may not seem like it to us since the sport is not as popular in the states. Being the best player in the world and being from the US would grow the sport here as well. The final reason is that there is nothing better than getting paid to do what you love. Getting 80 million dollars a year to play a fun sport sounds fine to me.

Assignment 8 - Naylan James

Fears: Cockroaches, kidnapping.

Annoyances: People rubbing their hands together, people lying in EVERY story they tell

Accomplishments: 2008 Crossroads basketball champion.

Confusions: Why everyone is forced to go to school

Sorrows: Going to school 

Dreams: Getting drafted to the NBA. Going D1. Hooping for $$

Idiosyncrasies: Play a lot of FIFA 

Risks: Want to jump out of a plane 

Beloved Possessions, Now and Then: Then, all of my stuffed animals. Now, my baby doggy 

Problems: Didn't try enough 9th and 10th grade, have to get good grades now to bring my GPA up for a scholarship 

Confusions: I have never understood why we force people to go to school when they have absolutely no interest in going. If someone is going to grow up and go be a coal miner or truck driver, let them. It angers me that people who have no interest in attempting to better their education are put around people who do want to do well in school, ultimately creating distractions that take the teacher's attention away from those who actually have a possibility of becoming educationally successful. I don't believe not being smart should take your educational opportunity away, I just think people who don't try should not be forced to go. This would free up so much room in high schools and would allow those people to go to some sort of professional school, like metal working, carpentry, or any other sort of hands-on profession that doesn't require a typical high-school education.

Assignment 6 Sabrina Lozada

1.) If you had the ability to live in any book/book series /TV show/movie, where would you live?
2.) Many people say that they wish that they could go back in time and change something they deeply regretted. If you had the ability to would you? Why or why not?
3.) If you could live in anytime period, when and where would you live and why?
If I was given the option to live in any book series, I would live in the Harry Potter series. This is probably one of my favorite series. I would totally be a pure blood. I would more than likely get sorted into Slytherin (according to the pottermore quiz). I just think that this would be a fascinating world to live in. You would have the ability to do magic, although the one downside is the fact that Voldemort would complicate things a bit, but aside from that it is all good. There are so many thing that are offered in the world J.K. Rowling created such as quidditch which is something that is not offered elsewhere. It is full of characters that would just love to meet. This is a series, in my opinion, that stands from others as an option because it would have a tolerable environment where today's accommodations exist (such as advanced technology and medicine so I wont die from the plague) and shares some modern beliefs.

Assignment 1- Caroline Couch

My name is Caroline Couch which I hope that most of you know by now considering we've been on the same classes together all throughout high school. I'm from Lexington, Kentucky but when I was 2 we moved to Endicott, New York for about 2 years then moved back here to the Sam neighborhood. I have a person goal of advancing out if regionals for soccer and an academic goal of doing well in all of my classes and not failing physics. The most meaningful moment of my summer vacation was when I got to spend 2 weeks of my summer with my cousins in Charlotte North Carolina. my aunt runs a global non profit organization and I got to help her for a few days run the company. If I could have a superpower it would most definitely be to fly, I find it the coolest thing to be able go where you want with no restrictions, you can do that with a car but you have traffic laws and roads you have to follow. What geeks me out is my dog, she is that cutest thing in the world oh and her name is Derby.

Anakin Reese Conn- Assignment 5

Being as upfront as possible, I don't watch television because the advertisement breaks are getting longer, and airtime is getting shorter.  Quality is spiraling down, everything has become either unfunny or blatantly scripted, and shows are being replaced, killed, and rerun left and right.  However, there are television shows and movies that I enjoy, so I either record them or find another method of watching them, like Hulu and Netflix.  Some examples of these shows and movies are Rick and Morty, Kingsman: The Secret Service, any movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the Aliens franchise.  Since so many of the benefits I receive from television are recorded movies, I practically don't watch television in real time.

Television may not be entertaining to me, but it must be for others, and I can't say that I'm against watching television, as it's no better than the activities I waste my time participating in, but that doesn't make watching television any less of time wasting activity.  Watching too much television can be dangerous, but I think that constantly carrying diet coke nuclear reactor fuel rods in your pocket will kill you faster than binge watching. 

As a disclaimer, I am not a scientist, but binge watching for 2 days straight is better than spending a full week watching shows.  Watching television doesn't require any effort, it just happens and you watch, so exerting no effort for two days and missing those 2 days is better than getting good sleep and missing 5 days while fully aware.  It's similar to becoming senile as you age.  Would you rather be aware of your mortality, or be happy for your last years before suddenly dying, and not being fully aware of the time you've wasted.

Also advertisements are pathetic now.  They used to be memorable, like the Iguana caveman and Jake from Land-division-Agricultural-establishment, but now it's become a mess of repeating advertisements and unusually edgy car commercials.  I truly miss the abominable Darryl Isaacs  commercials, the 20$ value products, and the Billy Mays commercials.  I regret saying I missed that stuff, but it's better than some of the stuff the television tells me to buy today.

The reason why the Emmy's get so much attention over Nobel Prizes is the same reason why the History channel started up Pawn Stars to compete with Storage Wars, that the Animal Planet channel released the Mermaids: The Body Found: It grabs more attention, and therefore it makes more money.  If How it's Made was as popular as the Game of Thrones, there would be 20 science channels instead of 20 reality show channels.  I do realize that comparing Game of Thrones and How it's Made is moronic, but I used two genres to connect it back to issue involving the Emmy's and Nobel Prizes, as the interest in these two prizes is a divided audience, one larger part enjoys comedians earning more money, while the other smaller part is interested in scientific findings.  The point is that this divide makes sense in our society, as our society has divided interests that put these prizes in different and appropriate audience pools.

Assignment 7 - Naylan James

On October 03, 1995, OJ Simpson was acquitted of the murder of his ex-wife and her friend. This event marks a historic time in judiciary history, falling in line with the decision granted to Casey Anthony. This event shocked the nation, as it was a widely followed trial. Prior to the conclusion of the case, everyone was sure it was going to result in OJ being found guilty. This case created a strong racial gap, as (according to polls in 1995) a large percentage of white people believed OJ was guilty, while an equally large percentage of black people thought OJ was innocent. After a 30 for 30 detailing the events leading up to the trial, during the trial, and after the trial, it was shown that many people who previously thought OJ was innocent now believe him to have actually been guilty. This case not only freed the killer of 2 people, but also destroyed the legacy of one of the best NFL running backs of all time. This event clearly doesn't personally effect me, but after seeing the 30 for 30, it opens my eyes to how ineffective our courts can be, especially with all the unjustified killings by the police, who are being acquitted. Shows like family guy have even gone so far as to create episodes completely based around OJ being acquitted.

Assignment 7- Caroline Couch

The day I chose was October 10th, which was Columbus Day. I have a hard time celebrating this holiday because learning about Colobus and his treatment of the Natives when he "discovered" America was brutal and quite frankly I found it repulsive. He claimed he found the Americas when in fact the Vikings had been there centuries before many times, he also thought that he had found another route to the East Indies but in fact he hit another continent on his way. He treated the Native Americans brutally by enslaving them and cutting off their limbs for not being able to find him enough gold for the day. I have trouble celebrating a holiday for a brutal selfish man. But you can argue that without him the Old World wouldn't have settled or even found our continent for many years, you can say that without him we would not be where we are today, without him history would have changed drastically.

Assignment 6- Usha Adhikari

 Prompt 1- There are so many conspiracy theories in Today's world, from the moon to 9/11 there seems to be a new conspiracy theory every day. What is your favorite conspiracy theory/ do you have one? Do you believe in them? Do you just find them amusing or do you think they have a sense of truth behind them?

Prompt 2- What is your favorite class at Henry Clay? Was it the course load, the way things are graded, purely just the content of the class, Why was/is it your favorite?

Prompt 3- If you were given the opportunity to find out one thing about your future what would you like to know? Why? Would you even want to know? Or would you like for it to remain a mystery?

My favorite Class at Henry Clay is psychology. Not only do I find the subject immensely interesting, the class was easy to follow, easy to study, for and Mrs. Clark was a great teacher. The main reason I liked the class, however, was the rigorous quizzing at the end of the year. These quizzes were hard and accounted for a large portion of our grade. They were right before the AP test and required students to study heavily. These quizzes helped me be fully prepared for the AP test at the end of the year.

Assignment 5- Ben Lambert

In my opinion, yes, television is a good form of entertainment. Whether you are locked in to your favorite show or playing it in the background while doing the dishes, television is a convenient way to keep people entertained. It has a surplus of channels and shows to pick from; one will always be able to find something that interests them. It is, in addition, a way for advertisers to deliver messages. They know that millions of people are tuned in to a channel, so why not put your product out there? Chances are a good amount of people are going to be interested. The price it costs to play your advertisement is a fraction of what you could receive in profits from it. Television is sometimes an inane way to spend leisure time. If you have to watch your show once a week or need to see your team play, it is understandable. But so many people become victims to the addictive power of technology and waste hours of their day watching programs that they aren't even interested in. I can say I have been a victim myself before. So yes, I believe television can be all three: entertaining, used for advertising, and an inane way to spend your time.

Assignment 5 Sabrina Lozada

Personally, I do not watch that much television and I do not watch things like the Emmy awards or Nobel Prizes when I do watch television. I enjoy watching foreign TV shows on Netflix  to learn more about foreign cultures and practice my language skills. If it is not for enrichment purposes and just for fun I will watch horror movies. I find it to be a waste of my time to devote my time to watch reality TV shows focused on obnoxious people. I think that the television can either have useful things or be a complete waste of time. For example, I don't see how a TV show on the Kardashians is going to be beneficial or come to be useful at any point in time. As someone who values their spare time I'd rather do something worth my time. Even as a kid I spent most of my time reading rather than watching TV shows and on that topic, I believe that the quality of shows is most definitely not like it was back then. Today, people will settle for anything and most of the time it is just advertising. The fact that people would rather watch a show devoted to the Kardashians or to the Emmy's shows that today's society is more superficial than before. While I don't watch the Nobel Prizes and things like that, I am still informed through articles.

Assignment 6- Caroline Couch

1. What makes you "Tik" or what makes you work? What makes you get up in the morning?

2. Who is your Mac to your cheese? Who is the Tom to your Jerry? Who is your Troy to your Gabriella? Who do you get along with so well that sometimes you mistake you for them?

3. As a child everyone's dream is to be famous, would you be famous now? Is that still a dream? If you chose to be famous what would it be for?

3. As a child I knew I wasn't able to become a singer because my father told me at a very early age that I was not a good singer and I would likely not become one. After high school musical came on and I fell in love with the movie watching every single movie 100+ times. And after purchasing all of the sound tracks and CDs, my friend and I put on a talent show type with us singing all of the songs with different costumes. My father (the best father in the world may I add) tells us that we would not become the iconic Disney stars that we aspired to be. I really have no preference to be famous now I don't have the confidence for it frankly but if I was given the opportunity it would be cool to be able to sing well, I feel like it is an underrated skill that most take for granted. But think how cool it would be to be able to sing like Adele, if I could sing like her I would be all for being famous. I also feel like wanting to be famous was a stage in a persons life that everyone must go through.

Assignment 7- Colton Warner

On September 19, 1881, President James Garfield died from a shooting a few months earlier. This is embarrassing, but I had no idea that James Garfield was shot and killed as president and his vice president Chester Arthur became president... the more you know kids. I just find it interesting that with typing in a random date, I can find a plethora of information and events that occurred on that day. 

Through all of my subsequent searching, apparently James A. Garfield was actually pretty relevant for a president in the first century of the office (Abraham Lincoln being the most relevant). Who would have guessed?  He had respected views on civil rights and he dealt with the aftermath of freeing slaves. The Washington Post calls him "the best president we never had, or hardly had." In other words, the death of Garfield was a tragedy. With his death did  came several effects on American politics especially in Virginia law. Chester Arthur ended up creating the Civil Service, and Garfield is now remembered in his elaborate memorial in Cleveland.

Overall, this event helped shape American politics and pop culture of the immediate time. It's a really interesting story too.