"After all of the stories..."

Source: jimbenton.com


I saw this photo and just thought how true it is. I think a lot of us underestimate the impact that average people have on the health of the earth.

What has been going on lately?

Recently, there have some pretty crazy and horrifying stories in the news. It seems that all of a sudden there's been an eruption of gruesome and appalling stuff going on, and I don't know what to think. It's like episodes of Criminal Minds are becoming reality or something.

It started a while ago, when the man in Miami was eating off another's face, snarling at police, and continuing even after being shot at four times. When I first heard this, I thought there was no way that it could be true. This was also the first time I had heard about the 'bath salts' drug that seems to have erupted in the media lately. I don't understand why this drug wasn't made illegal as soon as its impact and side effects were discovered.

Next, there was the Maryland man who killed his room mate, and ate his heart and parts of his brain after dismembering  him. He then stored his head and hands in his basement. This was the second gruesome cannibal related incident within a week in the United States.

Then, I heard about the man from New Jersey who called the police to say he was threatening to hurt himself. Once they arrived, he stabbed himself more than 50 times all over his body and then threw his intestines at the police.

Of course then there was the man in Montreal who dismembered another (while filming it all) in order  to send pieces of him to Parliament. To make matters even creepier he then performed sexual acts with the dismembered body after the fact. He then fled the country and was arrested in Berlin on Monday.

So after reading about all this, I've been wondering what brought on this onslaught of killing and gore? Why all of a sudden have these incidents been happening? I'm not sure, but it is frightening to think about the potential that humans have to harm one another when they aren't in a right state of mind.

My Open Assignment

Make your own Prezi!

Hey, check out my Prezi on the history of abortions and women's rights in Canada!

http://prezi.com/qelakeli1tu5/the-history-of-abortions-and-womens-reproductive-rights-in-canada/

Ann Liebau- Midwife

Midwifery is not for me, and this is just because of a few main reasons. First of all, the on-call system would be a really difficult lifestyle. I can't imagine working a twenty-four hour shift first of all, and second of all, I think that would be very stressful. Not knowing when and where your next job would be, and having to make lots of emergency plans to take care of kids/ family/ appointments, etc. would be incredibly hectic! Another reason this job is not for me is the fact that I'm not too good with blood and whatnot; plus I have an incredibly weak gag reflex, so that's not good! On the flip side, it would be beautiful to bring new life into the world. The pay sounded good, too!

Amy Beamer- Human Resources

I didn't think that I was going to be interested at all in Amy's job, but she proved me wrong! It sounded like there were many different aspects involved with working in human resources, which I like. She talked about running interviews and giving advice about who she thought was best for the job, as well as acting as "a parent," "police," and "therapist" in the workplace. I like that it is more of a broad job, rather than just focusing on one small thing. Something else that I like about this job is that involves a lot of working with people, which is always interesting. I don't think the hours of an HR worker would be too bad either! Working in human resources is a job I had never considered before.

Sidney McLean- Crown Attorney

To be honest, I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this career. Sidney left me with mixed feelings about the idea of being a lawyer. I definitely think it would be an interesting career, and some of the cases would be fascinating especially in criminal law. She said it was a satisfying career many times, and I'm sure it would be! It would be incredibly rewarding to be the lawyer that makes a hard criminal spend time in jail.

Something I don't think I would enjoy about being a lawyer would be dealing with cases that were particularly gruesome. I would be too emotional to handle some of the cases, I'm sure. I guess there are other strands of law, like civil, but those don't interest me. Also, it would be really difficult to speak on the spot if something went different than expected in the courtroom. I feel like I would be caught off guard too easily, and wouldn't be able to do a good job convincing the jury or judge.

I'll have to keep thinking about this career, because I don't know exactly how I feel about it just yet.

Scott Wahl- RIM

When Scott came in to talk about his job at RIM, he started off by giving us a ton of information about different jobs within the company. To be honest, I got kind of lost, and couldn't tell what was actually his job. By the sounds of it though, a career in his field is not of interest to me. He worked long hours each day, and the company's busiest season is in the summer. That doesn't sound too appealing to me. Although it would be cool to be working with people who produce some of the latest and greatest technology in the world, technology isn't something that particularly interests me. Sure, he got a lot of perks in his job, but I still don't think this is the job for me!

Judith Koeller- Math Lecturer

Judith Koeller sounded like she was passionate about her job as a math lecturer at UW, which is always a good thing! When she spoke about being a lecturer however, that does not sound like a career that would be particularly interesting to me. I like math, and am a good math student, but I can't see myself wanting to lead hour long lectures to a hundred or so university students in the future. Standing up and talking about math, and teaching math at a podium in a lecture hall doesn't appeal to me. If I were going to teach math, I can picture myself at a highschool or elementary school, where it would be a more interactive job. Who knows though, maybe I will change my mind when I'm older.

Melissa Durrell- TV News Journalist

I thought Melissa Durrell was really attention grabbing when she spoke to us about her career as a TV news journalist. She told really engaging stories that held my attention, like what inspired her to become a reporter in the first place. She made it sound like a very exciting career, that required on-the-spot thinking. When she spoke about being on the scene of event, having no pre-thought out script of what questions to ask, and then having to interview someone sounded very exciting. I'd never really thought about the idea of being a TV news journalist before, but having Melissa come in to speak to our class changed that. It definitely sounds like an exciting career path, that would lead to many different opportunities. The idea of travelling to cover news stories interests me as well.  The one thing that would be difficult about this career would be having to to think up interviews on the spot, knowing that you were live on the air.

V for Vendetta

One memorable quotation from the movie V for Vendetta  is "The people should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."

I agree with what V is saying here. He makes a good point, because a society should not have to live in fear of the government, as is the case with the characters in this movie. Since they have a totalitarian government where police have no limits and control almost every aspect of public life, people were terrified. This is shown in the opening scene of the film, where Evey is out after curfew and V saves her from rape at the hands of the police.

 V proves the second part of this quote throughout the movie, because he makes the government afraid of him and his power. It is apparent that V believes "governments should be afraid of their people." He is an anarchist revolutionary, who stands against the government. The government is afraid of V because he evaded and outsmarted police easily, killed many people, and blew up the Bailey courtrooms. The government was afraid of V also because of the number of people that were joining his side, and rebelling against the government.

This quotation is relatable to parts of the world today. There are still some countries that have totalitarian governments, that make people afraid. For example, the government in North Korea can be related to this.

See more about V for Vendetta here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434409/

Which Party Would Get My Vote?

If I were old enough to vote, I would vote for the NDP. In class, when we were discussing the general opinions of the right and left wing parties, I found myself agreeing with the left wing ideas, generally. For example, I agree with their opinions on keeping abortion legal, encouraging immigration, avoiding a rich/poor gap in society, leaving religion separate from politics, and keeping same-sex marriage legal.

Also, the NDP's view in the environmental category is something I think would be really beneficial. The handout in class shows they want a tougher Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and Polluter Pay Act, as well as a home retrofit plan to reduce energy consumption and cut home heating bills. I think the Polluter Pay Act would be really successful. If people were actually fined for polluting, it would have a drastic effect on the way we live our lives.

There are many things I agree with on the NDP platform, and in general we share most of the same views. That is why if I could vote, it would be for them!

Gay Activist Beaten to Death

Read article here first: http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/TopStories/20120417/halifax-gay-activist-death-120417/#ixzz1sswfRa5z

Raymond Taavel in 2008

In summary, Raymond Taavel, who was a gay activist, was beaten to death outside a bar in Halifax earlier this month. There were many witnesses at the scene, and 32-year-old Andre Noel Denny is facing charges of second degree murder. 


Denny was uttering homophobic slurs, and killed Raymond Taavel because he had an issue with his sexuality. This tragic event has caused most of the gay community in Halifax to be scared for their lives. People should not have to live in fear of being killed simply because of their sexuality. That is a horrific thought, and I really believed that we had come so much farther than this in terms of accepting everyone for who they are.

Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in the United States

Laws regarding same-sex partnerships in the United States

  Same-sex marriage¹

  Unions granting rights similar to marriage^1,2

  Legislation granting limited/enumerated rights¹

  Same-sex marriages performed elsewhere recognized¹

  No specific prohibition or recognition of same-sex marriages or unions

  Statute bans same-sex marriage

  Constitution bans same-sex marriage²

  Constitution bans same-sex marriage and some or all other kinds of same-sex unions

***See the full Wikipedia article here***

I think this situation is especially horrendous because it took place in Canada, a country that is generally seen as an accepting nation. We are a country that allows same-sex marriage. The fact that this tragedy happened here is appalling to me, and I think it is the exact opposite of "everyone deserving equal rights." 


The fact that someone was be brutally beaten and murdered in this country just because of being openly gay is sickening and truly horrifying to me. I can't picture that happening  
 in Canada, it seems more like something that  you'd hear about in some of the States. That might be stereotypical, but that's just how I see it.


Raymond Taavel's death has been mourned heavily by activists in Halifax. The street he was murdered on was hung with flags and other tributes to his death.

What I Think of FFP

There are definitely aspects of this course that I really like, and other parts that I'm not too fond of.

In particular, I like the choice available in the projects that we are doing. For example, the fact that we got to choose our own lit circle book was much better than having just any book forced upon us. I also appreciate choosing the projects that we are interested in doing, and then being marked on more of an individual scale. In the History of Democracy project, for example, I liked that we got to choose the assignment as long as it showed our understanding on the topic. The individual projects that we have coming up seem really interesting, too. I'm looking forward to them.

Some things that I find aren't working too well are the loose deadlines. It could be a good thing because it would allow me to work away at small pieces of a project over a long time. In a perfect world, that's exactly what I would be doing; I would spread the workload out evenly over a long period of time. In reality though, I often find myself putting the work for this course on the backburner because I know it has more lenient deadlines. I find that due dates make me more productive, because I know that there is a specific goal I must work to finish in a set amount of time. I wish there were a few more concrete deadlines in this course.

Another thing is that the online collaboration with other FFP students seems disorganized to me. When this course was first described to me, it sounded like we were going to be collaborating and sharing with all the other students often. This hasn't worked out too well, in my opinion. Recieving submissions from other schools for the magazine was pretty disorganized, and one school was late.That very first TED talk with the twitter feed was also unsuccessful, and that's why I'm wondering what the upcoming book clubs are going to turn out like. In the future, I don't think working with other FFP schools should be a part of this course, unless all the kinks can be worked out.

One thing I do appreciate in this course though, is that the subject matter is much more interesting and useful than what I have heard is taught in other careers and civics classes. I think learning about activism, and having guest speakers for careers into the class is a great idea. This is much more valuable teaching than career aptitude tests and personality tests are.

I also appreciate the focus on media in this course, because it seems like many industries are becoming more and more tech- savvy. I feel like I'm learning a lot of useful skills.

Having no exams is also a bonus!

What About an Architect?

My grade eight class had to do a project about a career that interested us from the top ten list of jobs on a career aptitude test. One of mine was architect, so I decided to do my project on that. The job actually seemed really interesting to me. It combines aspects of math, art, and science, all of which interest me.

Being an architect would also be a really satisfying job, I think. Being able to walk around and point out parts of buildings that you could say, "I designed that" would be pretty cool. I took the grade eleven art course first semester, and part of the course was art history. We spent some time talking about classic Roman and Greek elements of design, and I found that fascinating. I've always thought that certain parts of architecture, especially on historic buildings, were incredibly beautiful.

I'm going to keep architecture in the back of my mind as a career path, because I think it could potentially end up leading somewhere. I think I recall from my grade eight project, that they don't pay too badly either, which is always a good thing!

Historic Montreal architecture

Olivia and Duke Orsino- Cruel or Just Honest?

In Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, Duke Orsino just can't seem to take the hint that the love of his life isn't interested in him. No matter what sweet gesture he does for Olivia, she pays him no attention. He dotes on her constantly, and it made it seem like Olivia was getting really annoyed with having to constantly put up with Orsino. She clearly wanted nothing to do with him (or any other guy,  for that matter).

This is why she makes the excuse that she is going to mourn the loss of her brother for seven years, and won't allow herself to see any other men during that time. I think this was actually a really clever move on her part. By saying she doesn't want to see any men, they will hopefully all back off, and she will be able to wait for the right guy to come along. Her plan doesn't work out too well though, because the men still fawn over her endlessly.

I think what Olivia did wasn't being cruel at all, she was just being honest about her feelings. She really did want nothing to do with Orsino or any of the other men after her. Why should she feel like she must do something in return for them when she has no feelings towards them? It's not like Olivia was being intentionally mean toward any of the men, she just knew that they weren't the ones for her. She shouldn't have to be pressured into doing anything, if she doesn't even really like the guy!

Mandatory French In High School?

Now knowing the entire background about why we must take French courses in high school, it makes me believe even more strongly that a French credit should be compulsory. French heritage and culture is a big part of what makes Canada so unique. French language is a very important part of our country's history. By learning the language, we are honouring the diverse culture that exists in Canada.

Learning a second language is always useful, even if it is just the bare bones of the language. By learning a second language, it can lead to many different jobs. For example, it's really helpful to have a second language if you want to be a flight attendant, or have any sort of government job, or be a teacher.

Learning French also opens many doors in the way of travel. There are cities in Canada where French is spoken, but there are also many countries around the world that have French as an official language. Knowing the language makes travel much easier.

Our country was colonized by France and French culture is still a big part of many people's lives today, so having a compulsory French credit honours our heritage and diverse culture. Not to mention that it is a very useful language in many ways.

There is nothing to lose from learning French, and everything to gain!

Trayvon Martin Shooting

George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin

Just over one month ago, a seventeen year old African American teen named Trayvon Martin was shot by a community watchman in his gated community in Sanford, Florida. The watchman said he shot out of self defence, but Trayvon was completely unarmed and did not make any threats or advances toward him. There are 911 and police phone calls that were recorded from the incident, and they prove that the watchmen had no reason to be suspicious of Trayvon, let alone brutally kill him.

Many think that the watchman, George Zimmerman, acted because of racial prejudices. If that is the case, I find this event sickening. Just because the wachman saw a black teenager on the streets gives him absolutely no reason to be suspicious.

Marchers seeking justice for Trayon

There have been some pieces of information brought to the surface to try to defend the watchman's case. They were trying to prove that Trayvon Martin was a delinquent, and could have been seen as a threat in the community. One of the main pieces of evidence they brought up was that Trayvon had been suspended from school for having drug paraphenilia, and experimenting with marijuana. I think that is ridiculous that they could use that against him. Just because someone had experimented with drugs before does not make them a bad person, or threatening in any way.

I am on Trayvon's family's side in this matter. It is completely unfair and discriminatory, and just downright awful that George Zimmerman could do such a thing. This issue needs to be brought to justice.

Carrie Snyder- Author

It was great having Carrie Snyder come in to our class to read from her novel. I love when I get the chance to hear an author read because then it allows me to hear the way they actually wrote and some of the neat background behind the story.

To me, it was really interesting hearing about her family's personal experience in Nicaragua. Their living conditions, where they went to school, and some of the other little stories she spoke of, like snooping into the office, I thought were intriguing.

I had never really considered being a writer as a career option before, and having Carrie come in to talk about her line of work was very interesting, but I don't think a writing career would be for me. She spoke about how long this one novel took her to write, and it was close to 6 and a half years. For me, I know I would lose interest in a project if it took that long. The process of writing and rewriting and editing and everything else I find pretty tedious, so being an author probably isn't in my future.

She joked about her income too, saying, "yeah you can live off it... not very well, but you could live off it!" Having put almost seven years of work into something, I don't know how rewarding that would be in the end. I'm sure some people love it, being an author, I just don't think I would.

Bicycles on the Sidewalk

Bicycles should not be allowed on the sidewalk, if the cyclist is an adult. The road is where an adult cyclist should be, because they are considered a vehicle. Being someone who walks places a large majority of places, I'm often freaked out when a bike whizzes up from behind me on the sidewalk, with no bell or any indication that they're coming.
The road is where bikes are meant to be. I have nothing against them, I think they are a wonderful and more environmentally friendly alternative to driving cars. But they need to be on the road.
On my hour walk home from school, I pass by a group of about four or five guys on bikes who take up the whole sidewalk on their bikes. I am the one moving out of the way for them. It wouldn't be a problem if they were on the road to begin with. It is especially a problem with elderly people, who I see moving off of the sidewalk for the sake of these cyclists.
In a way though, I find myself sympathizing with the cyclists of Waterloo because we are in desperate need of more bike lanes that actually lead places instead of being dead ends. If there were more useful bike lanes, I'm sure more cyclists would take to the road.

Are We Good or Evil?

People are generally good. I think we are born with good hearts and know what is right and what is wrong. Even if people seem "evil", that is just one side of them, and there would surely be another side that is good.

From a young age, children are taught the difference between right and wrong and know what acceptable behaviour is. I think what we are taught as children sticks with us through the rest of our lives, and therefore we are generally good people. For the most part we are kind, caring people, who do the right thing. There definitely are people who can be mean, dishonest, and hurtful. We all know they exist, but there are sides of that person you haven't met before. Somewhere on the inside there is a part of them that knows what they are doing is wrong, and is a good person.
In my personal experience, I can hardly even think of a time where someone has been intentionally mean or nasty towards me. I can think of countless times though, where people have been supporting and genuinely cared about me, which means a lot.