Outside reading post 4

                                    
                                        Book: Gangs

The end is near, I have about 20 pages left in this book. I have really enjoyed it, this issue is a lot bigger then I thought! Day by day many are being killed in gang related shootings, its just not fair. Gangs take place in city's,  farm towns and even in jail... law enforcement officials have not found a way to contain it. I think this is crazy, there needs to be a plan implemented. This is a game and cops need to come down hard on these people. Its not fair that people have to be afraid of walking down there street at night. We must not let gangs rule the world. In court rooms gang leaders on trial will send other member to videotape witnesses and later kill the person who came clean or snitched. Something must be done. I cant wait to finish the book, its really good.

Outside Reading Post 3

Life Swap:

Book: Gangs

If I told you that tomorrow you would wake up in someone else shoes. The shoes of a poor black child living on the south side of Chicago involved in gang activity  This boy has 8 brothers and sisters and a single mother who works three jobs and is never home. The south side does not have a lot of places that will hire kids so young. You need to make money to support your family and want to be in something where people have your back, this is where the gang comes in. Children will trade in the life of doing thing the legal way and go sell drugs in a gang. This is a huge issue, we have kids all around truing to gangs feeling like there is no other way. The book takes readers through the journey of a kids initiation into a gang, its very interesting and sad at the same time. We are lucky to not have this issue here.

Outside Reading Post #2

Book: Gangs

Over the past weeks I have embarked on finishing the book Gangs... so far I am hooked. I find this topic very interesting, it shows that the criminal justice system does not know how to handle gangs. In areas with high gang population new plans implemented, what we are doing is not working. Each day a child joins a gang should be a day gone wrong. According to the book most join the gang or "family" because they have no place to go with a sense of brotherhood. Scientifically kids like the feeling of someone having your back in situations and when both your parents work and are never home the gang becomes a second family. Many origination like, cease fire and "the interrupters" are working to solve this problem but it is law enforcement job to do this. Do we think that the police are doing a sufficient job? Every day kids and adults are being killed in drive bye shootings and gang retaliation... is this problem being taken seriously? 

Issues SR. project

Today was a great day, I finished the filming of the issues simulation lab and got started on the poster. As I go farther into my topic of homelessness it becomes more of an issue. There is no solution, people dig themselves so far deep into a hole there is no way to get out. That's the problem... it a huge issue that no one is talking about. New laws need to be made and services implemented to help these people down on their luck. Ill keep you updated. Come check out my lab at the Marketplace of Ideas, May 15th at Deerfeild high school.  

Issues project post 2

You haven't eaten in 2 days, you have 56 cents in your pocket, the cloths on your back and a shopping cart filled with empty cans and bottles. How would you dig yourself out of the hole? Think....

Senior Project Entry 1

Today in class I took on the task to do some more research and compose my publicity campaign. Homelessness is a huge issue, Walk down a street in any metropolitan area and I can guarantee you, you'll at least run into 3 homeless people. These are our war veterans who cant find jobs, ex-criminals who cant get back on their feet and LGBT community members that been kicked out of the house. There are dangerous shelters but no good solution. In the past the assisted living complexes or the projects have been buildings full of sex, and drug trafficking its a huge problem. Through out my journey with this topic im determined to fine a more viable solution to fix these problems. 

Homelessness is an epidemic; there are 21 homeless people for every 10,000 in the general public. That’s over 12 million in the entire world...

Gangs- Outside Reading 1

Book: Gangs
Author: Linda M. Schmidt

I'm not going to lie, this is a lengthy book. Last semester I touched on the issues of childhood obesity and how the schools are not helping the epidemic, so this semester I picked a book that deals with another large issue effecting kids as well. Gangs. Whether you live in the city, suburbs or rural America all of you have most likely know people that partake in gangs. From the first 50 pages my book it talks about the issue of children in gangs, how it taking over america. In Chicago we hear of countless drive by shooting that kill. Gangs Kill. Just recently a 6 month old baby's life was taken due to a drive by shooting of a rival gang, they had the wrong person. Schmidt talks about the system of how they enter the gang and how its very family oriented. For example if you dad was in the gang growing up, sold drugs and most likely ended up being locked you would have a 78% better chance of following in his footsteps. Its an old system that fuels on hate. Everywhere law makers and police are trying to implement plans to stop the gang violence but they have yet to come up with a sufficient plan. "Its not seen as breaking the system, it what their friends do, its as normal to most as an extracurricular activity"-gangs. Its a huge issue, people in these gangs don't see what they are doing and how wrong it is. Something must be done, I cant wait to read more on this controversial topic! Thoughts?? 

Bully Weekly Blog Post

All across america bullying is a huge problem, whether it takes place at school, in the house or online its happening. Recently in my Issues in America class we watched the film Bully, a touching sad documentary that take the viewer through the life of a child who has been bullied or is subjected to being picked on.  It shows that bullying happens due to race, lack of social skills, metal or physical disability and a bunch of other things. Its an issue and we are letting it happen day by day, for example I personally think a lot of this happens on the school buss. A typical school buss holds 72 students (two to each seat) with one staff member or adult on board whom would be the driver. The buss drivers main goal is to escort kids safely to and from school not to make sure that kids are behaving and no one is getting picked on. This is leaving a big gap, their are kids in with close proximity with one another with no supervision  Bullying is not secretive, it not and unknown problem. Schools say they are trying to stop it so.... why dont they put a staff member on the buss to prevent it. When I was younger and went to camp their was always a buss driver and 2-4 counselor on the buss keeping the kids engaged and making sure no one was being picked on. I know this is a big problem and I am not impressed on how the schools in my area are handling it. People are all different thats what makes the world so great, those who are a little different do not deserve to be picked on!

Henry J. Dobs

"We are experienced by our mistakes and motivated by our failures to achieve greatness"

Boston Weekly Post

News Update: 
Monday afternoon two explosives went off at the Boston marathon, 3 died and 180 were injured. Two brothers were responsible for the incident, the first that was killed by FBI personal in a shootout and the other who is still on the run. Currently the Mayor of Boston has the city and suburbs locked down. The 19 year old on the run is also responsible for the killing of a police officer at MIT. Their names are currently undisclosed.



Reaction:

Wow, we all need to go home and hug our family members and loved ones. In the world there are many people, people with different opinions and backgrounds. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion that's whats so great about the states, when those people act on the rational opinions .. that is when justice needs to be served. Monday when president Obama addressed the nation he said that they had picked the wrong city to mess with, he could not have been more correct. I grew up in Long Island NY, I have traveled to Boston many times and am confident in saying that that state is very strong. In class we are touching on the issue of admissions race bias, when something like this happens it makes you think "do I really care". These are real people who died and real people whom many of will never walk again. Its been quite the journey this week. After each incident like this it makes us think how strong America really is. Their are thousands of people out there searching for the man and they all have one thing on their mind... justice. We learn from experiences like these and I can assure you nothing like this will hopefully happen again. We are nation built buy the people for the people and we will protect our people. Ill keep you posted one the matter. Please comment and let me know your thoughts are so far.

Admissions Weekly Post

What would your school look like if you had the ability to choose who got in....????? 

This week in issues the class has been put in the shoes of an admissions office employee. It has been a very interesting experience. The class was broken into groups and given 8 students, with diverse backgrounds and scores. We were asked to put the kids in order from "most admissible" to "least admissible". This was a very interesting process, some gave kids a better chance due to past experience or ethnicity. So I ask myself the question... is that fair? If there were two kids with the same scores that did the same things and were equally involved but one was African and the other white, would the African kid have a better chance? Should race even play into admitting a student? I have many questions and will update this post along the unit as my views change. I am excited to dig deeper. 

Recent Deaths on North Shore

"As we have seen on a first hand basis this week, life is a gift. Spend time with those who make you happy and live life to the fullest. Every day is a new start, a book where you have the ability to alter the ending. Make sound choices and stay strong"-Henry J.Dobs

-My Condolences to anyone who has lost a loved one this week. 

Issues Blog Post
In-Class Post
Brad Martin

After taking the test the results did show a bit of hidden bias, it stated that I had a slight preference towards European Americans then African Americans. I had no idea, I was very shocked it pulled that up. So I thought about it and I think the only reason it came up with that response is due to the number of "missed pictures" I had. This was a simple mistake and does not me I prefer one over the other rather that I was not paying that close of attention to each picture. One question I have about the results is how they can come to such a conclusion with such a short test. I don't think a short test like this can determine a racial preference. I think its a complex process that takes time and a personal connection...!  This test still does not change my views on the movie "I sit where I want", I think that kids should have a racially diverse group of friends and everyone should be accepting to different races and backgrounds. It not just to have a segregated school this day in age. Students should reach out of there comfort zones and try to make friends with others who are different from them, its beneficial in the long run. Overall I really enjoyed the movie  I thought it shared the truth about schools even where there is a mixed population. Often times in my school people complain that there is no diversity... if there was do you think we would embrace it? Meaning extend our already close friend groups to include people diff rent from yourself? I personally don't think so.

**********Comments*********

Weekly Post #30

                                Food Deserts

                              Weekly Blog Post

                                Bradley Martin

Ever since I was enrolled in my first day of school I have been hand packed a lunch every day. My family has always eaten healthy and finding healthy items has never been a problem. Two days ago I watched a news excerpt on food deserts... the formal definition of a food desert is a district with little or no access to foods needed to maintain a healthy diet but often served by plenty of fast food. This article really struck me. To have an area where people can’t even get fresh fruits and vegetables is a huge issue. Many people in this area take things we have access to for granted. One particular story really stood out to me, there was a 9 year old boy who had never even seen a red pepper before. WHAT!! What is going on with our society something needs to be done, fast. Research shows that a lack of vegetable and fruit servings can lead to decreased brain growth through childhood. Something needs to be done, this is a problem in the city we call home. I did some more research and found out one company is taking a stand. Wallgreens drug corp. is implementing fresh fruits and vegetables in all their stores that are in "food desert" districts, this is a step in the right direction. This should help people gain access to them. I am a firm believer in a healthy diet and I think the government should make it possible to provide essentials for healthy life. They can’t state a crises and not do anything about it.

Slackers Weekly Post #29

Brad Martin
Weekly Blog Post
Issues In America

Welcome to March. The moth that Seniors all around the world commit to colleges and get ready to part with there high school journey. For myself it has been quite an interesting four years. I have pushed myself harder then I ever thought possible and am very happy of the person I am today. Regardless, us Seniors only have 3 months left... this is the time slacking off kicks in. Teachers around the country hate this time of year its the time that everyone starts to give up. " You see a downtrend in attendance as well as overall classroom success in the last months of school for seniors, for years this has been a problem with no viable solution"        -Kurt Bigum (department chair). This is a problem, students don't think that schools cant revoke admission due to lack of performance,  they slack and its not good. Clearly this is the time to exit high school  gracefully and on top. How can you stop trying when next year for most of us the hardest years have yet to come. For my followers tell me why this is such a problem? Give me some insight because I am confused on why people think this is okay?

Weekly Blog Post #28

Campus Hazing

Brad Martin

Issues In America

Tradition:  an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior.

Over the course of American History colleges and Greek life all around the world have been taking plart in hazing. Whether its binge drinking or laying in a kiddy pool filled with vomit it should not be allowed. Today in class our instructor gave the class an article about hazing at the elite ivy league school Dartmouth. At this school the Greek system is huge. Countless incidents involving hazing has lead to the loss of life and right now something needs to be done. Hazing should not even be allowed, college kids can have safe fun without the potential loss of life. There is no reason kids should be forced to be locked in a cage while fellow brothers vomit on them. How is that humane? How can an informed college allow this? This is sick. There should be a new law passed making all hazing illegal  this is a big growing problem in the U.S. Especially kids who are at our nation’s top colleges who think they can get away with anything. It stops here! To all my followers what are your thoughts on the issue? Have you ever been hazed? Are you involved or do you have plans of involvement in Greek life?

Weekly Blog Post #27

The Pope Steps Down:

 Brad Martin

 Issues in America

"I took this step [resignation] in full awareness of its gravity and novelty but with profound serenity of spirit" -Pope Benedict

It is official as of today Pope Benedict will be the first alive non pope in all of history. For weeks people in the Catholic Church have been talking about this step and the rumors prove to be true. After years of great conservative service to the Catholic Church the Pope will soon step down. Now the current problem is who will take his place? There are many questions but not any answers. There has been talk of a new pope from Canada but a decision needs to be made soon. With a new leader of the leading religion questions come about how the norms of the church will change. With Pope Benedict he took a very conservative view on the religion and did not change much... will the new Pope do the same? What role will the resigned Pope play in electing a new one? Benedict is fully aware of his steps and claims he has made a sound decision. "There were also moments when there were stormy waters and headwinds… as if God was sleeping. But I always knew that God was in that boat and I always knew that the boat of the Church is not mine, is not ours, but is his and he will not let it sink ... I never felt alone." Change is the only constant, with a new Pope a fresh perspective will be brought to the religion, I look forward to seeing the changes.

Blog Post #26

Weekly Blog Post:

Brad Martin

Russia "Dash-Cam"



Just two days ago I was watching ABC news when a story appeared on these things called dash cams in the cars of Russians. This is not a new concept in Russia but it got me thinking why we don't use them in America. The primary use for dash-cams are to figure out who is at fault in an accident. They also aid in finding "crooked" police and catch crazy accidents. For example last week when the meteor went over Russia, thousands of Dash-cams cough the footage, the cameras are just great ideas. This blogs primary purpose is to touch on the issues in america... the fact that Americans have not adopted this technology is an issue. These cameras would make drivers more conscious of there choices on the road and could even stop accidents from occurring.  How many times have you been in an accident and the "fault" has been arguable? That would no longer happen with the dash-cam. One of the biggest perks is the illumination of finding the "runner" in a hit and run accident. The camera would pick up the plates of the car that made impact and the search would therefore be easy. Its like forcing people to walk around under a big spotlight with a camera in front of them, I guarantee you if we did that it would lead to less murder, rape and robbery. Dash-cams are great ideas, its now time for america to implement them. I know I would feel a lot safer if I knew there was a camera that could record everything. Its not like this technological equipment doesn't exist.. public and school buses use them and even some taxis. Its time to implement them in residential cars and make the world a safer place with less confusion. Comments??

Weekly Blog Post#25

Bradley Martin
Issues
Weekly Post
                                 Gay Marriage Passed By Senate

          Its official! The marriage fairness act passed 34-21 in the IL senate. Now citizens must wait for the house of Representatives to vote. This will make it 100% legal in the state of Illinois to marry a man or a woman. Just yesterday Mayor Emanuel tweeted a poem " Roses are Red violets are blue you can marry a woman and even a dude"(official Tweet 2203). This is big news in this state, if the marriage act is passed by the house it would make many happy and make IL a more desirable place to live! Also attracting more and more LBGT people to our great state. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton stated the the house should vote yes on the matter and that IL is becoming less second world with the new prospected act. This will make many happy in our great state. Thousands could soon be able to be legally bound with there lovers. To all my followers.... what are your thoughts? Do you think the House should vote yes or no? Any general feedback wanted*******

LOOK AT THIS GREAT LINK!!!!!! http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8993262

Weekly Bog Post # 24

Weekly Blog Post

Issues In America

UPDATE:

For the past week in class students have been given the opportunity to study sexual harassment in public and workplace. This week a mock-trial assignment was given where each student makes up a legal team in order to defend a sexual harassment case. So far this has been a very beneficial process .. it allows for students to get experience being an attorney as well as following a case and presenting points publicly. The process has shown me that sexual harassment is a huge problem. No matter how small or large the incident may be it happens on a daily basis. I have personally experienced this in the workplace and its not a comfortable thing to confront HR about, but it needs to be done. In my groups assigned case we are defending a woman who has been made uncomfortable in the work place by her co-worker making crude comments towards her as well as posting pictures that made the plaintiff uneasy about attending work. Even though many people would describe the woman as "sensitive" she was still being harassed and no one was taking charge. I am very excited to prosecute this case and hopefully serve up justice. The moral is that no one should be made uncomfortable at all led alone sexually harassed in the workplace and these incidents must be reported to higher authority.

Blog Post #23 R-A-P-E

Weekly Blog Post:
Brad Martin
Issues

According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey --there is an average of 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault each year. A rape occurs every 2 minutes in the United States. This is a rising problem all across America and something needs to be done. The problem starts at our city's college campuses. Each student should become informed on the issue if they are in an area with a high rape rate. Woman should be given rape whistles and informed about the dangers of walking alone or being alone at a party.  With simple precautionary steps we can make a safer environment for others. Every time a human is raped it makes them question there self-worth. This event is preventable, even after the rape emotional repercussions can haunt a rape victim for a very long time. This is a very sensitive issue, many people have vast thoughts and I urge you to share them with me. Please comment!!! With some simple fixes rape could no longer be a problem in America.

Weekly Blog Post #22 Final's

Finals.....
Bradley Martin
Weekly Blog Post

What a week, with high school students all around the country preparing for their finals its adding a lot of stress. Is putting that much stress on individual healthy for the learning experience? I have done some research and found out that it is not. It adds stress and due to lack of time students often cram for exams. It leads to inclined use of un-prescribed prescription attention medication that students get from their friends.....  It’s just not healthy. Personally I often find myself reaching intolerable levels of stress around this time. I don’t think its possible for the human brain to retain a whole year’s worth of material all for one test. Now we need to take into consideration that these tests are in EVERY SUBJECT. Students with busy schedules could be studying for up to 7 exams. Something needs to be done on an administrative level. Finals should not even exist; teachers should continue giving unit quizzes and tests at the end of each unit. Finals don’t raise grades and at my school each exam is worth 20% of the students overall semester grade. 20% on one test!!!!! Something needs to be done. **** Reaching out to the teachers who subscribe… what are your thoughts?

Outside Reading Post #5

Book: Stuffed

Bradley Martin

I have finally successfully completed the book "stuffed". This journey has truly showed me what an issue food habits in America are. If I were to ask the "average Joe" on the street some of the issues this country faces I can assure you obesity and food consumption would not be on that list. Most think of the great recession, large deficit and the crashed housing market. No one thinks about the people.... the actual living organisms that occupy the space. This book has won many awards and now I know why, its because it takes an issue close to home and really goes into depth on it. After completing the story I can’t tell you how much observation I’ve done at my school. The truth of the matter is it’s a huge problem. One person can’t fix it.... it needs to be fixed and there in no apparent solution. There are too many cons like providing schools with proper funding that the tax payers don’t have… as well as where the food would come from. In the end something needs to be done and I’m not sure what that step needs to be. It’s sad but it’s the harsh fact of being an American.

Outside Reading Post #4

Book: Stuffed
Bradley Martin

In china Children are taught from a young age eating habits as well as food moderation technique (culture.org)..... America needs to adapt those norms. I am nearing the end of my journey with this book and I have learned so much. The book is separated into three major topics, the first topic being how large school cafeteria companies are just in it for the money. The next transition was about how children and their eating habits, and lastly touching on the issues of family food habits. This is a fantastic book. I recommend it for anyone who wants to learn more on what’s leading the obesity crisis in America. If we start by educating America from their youth the system will work itself out. By putting classes in our schools that teach healthy eating as well as programs in our companies to get adults healthy again America will prevail.

  

Weekly Blog Post #21 SnApChAt

     Snapchat being Used for Sexting.......
                Weekly Blog Post
                  Bradley Martin

In the last hour I have just discovered an article on CNN that really provoked me to compose a blog post on the topic. The topic was on the popular application on the I-Phone and android market called snapchat. This application allows users to send pictures and videos to others will a durational timer.... after the specified seconds are up (ranging 1-10) the recipient will lose the picture forever. This has hit the market hard, currently being the number 7 downloaded app. The newspaper claims that many are using the fun application for sexting otherwise known as sending explicit photos through social media or Cellular mobile device. This is crazy, sexting is 100% illegal and if you’re under 18 it’s considered child pornography. I use this application like many others for it intended purpose of sending PG pictures to you friends. Sexting has been a problem for a long time and I just don’t understand. Culture icons like Oprah and Doctor Phill have asked support groups who take part in sexting the very interesting question of.....WHY? Followers for more information on the application check it out at the app store. Comments??

Oustide Reading post #3

Book: Stuffed
Outside Reading Post #3

This has been a very crazy week with my book. I have been reading every night and its really changing a lot of my perspectives. One follower asked me “what economically challenged areas should do to give kids healthy options" and I have really given this question a lot of thought. This is a problem too; in inner-city schools where the school does not have enough funding to even provide books, how can they afford healthful foods? It’s a problem and I can’t currently pose a solution. The government should give schools a separate "health foods" grant in order to have the funds necessary to support with students healthy options. This problem stems bigger then Deerfield or even Illinois.... it effects every school. In the book it touches up on the fact that every child is different, they pick up eating habits from their family. It has to start with educating students on what living and eating a healthy lifestyle is. That’s what the education system is lacking. The author of the book grew up on a farm, his whole childhood he was used to eating farm to table and was shocked when he says how the outside world eats. It’s time to take a stand, to talk to your family, friends and children and educate them on what being healthy is. As always to all my loyal followers.... what are your thoughts?

Outside Reading Post 2

Outside Reading Book: Stuffed

Brad Martin


After cracking deeper into this provocative book I have really taken a greater interest. At this point I am officially half way done with the book and the story has really progressed. At this time the main issue the book is targeting is food in public schools. This topic has come up before but now the author is taking a deeper stand on it. For example something that really shocked me was when the book gave readers a look at a typical 7 graders lunch in a public school where the food is pre-prepared. It was unthinkable the amount of sugar, carbs and total calories such a small body is eating in one meal. It’s a huge problem; these kids are not eating salads or even any vegetables.... rather chicken nuggets with fries and two chocolate chip cookies. This is not the way to improve the health of our youth. I did some extra looking around at my school. Kids just are not getting it... if you look in the cafe line you see educated children (in a wealthy area) just eating very unhealthy food. This book has really sparked my interest and I’m excited to read more, keep your eyes out for more posts about the book. To all my loyal followers I urge you to buy this book; it will forever change the way you look at America food.