AOW – Joseph Kony

 This article, “Joseph Kony On The Move As Manhunt Steps Up” by Louis Charbonneau, UN Envoy Says   by  talks about how the Kony 2012 campaign really helped impact the people all around the world. I  was very happy to hear that they have finally started to track Kony down, in the big Uganda. The UN  could tell that Kony was nervous himself, because he was moving every other day when he moved after  one to two months. However, I can’t believe the campaign started to really impact people after 10~20  years. K0ny started his own military exactly 31 years ago. But, the UN just started to help find Kony  and let out their own military to find any one related to Kony’s military.

I just can’t believe Kony did this kind of thing and just ran away, hiding himself. If I were Kony, I would  have been embarrassed and I would have turned myself in to the police. How could he even think of  running away? I know he took hundreds of lives away from children and the children’s family. I just  can’t even imagine a human being doing that. Even though he was greedy for power, and he wanted to  make his own army, he didn’t have to go that far. I think he was just crazy over power. If he just apologized or turned himself in, he wouldn’t have been remembered as an abominable person.  However, he does have fault, and it’s his responsibility to make sure the children get their freedom and  rights back.

I think this article just made me more passionate toward child labor. This can be also called child labor. Because he is taking children away from their family, forcing them to be in part of his army. I am pretty sure that they will be living under unfair conditions. I really wonder how scared the children would have been without their parents, without protection, and without knowing the future. I think the children really brought sympathy toward us. They really made us worry and wonder about their emotions toward Kony and their lives. They would have to live the rest of their lives worrying and always in fear. I wish these kind of situations never happen again in any countries.

AOW – Child Labor in Philippines

This article is about child labor that is happening in the Philippines. This 14-years old boy, Dante, works in the fields of sugar canes and pulls weeds. The surprising fact is that he only gets $3.50 for a seven-hour work day. And of course, the reason he works is for his parents and survival. Another boy is 13 years old, Alvic, who dropped out of school when he was in the first grade. His reason of working was similar to Dante. His family didn’t have enough money to eat. However, the companies that use child labor, are blaming their parents for begging the companies to use their sons and daughters.

First, I don’t understand why they use children instead of adults. There are a lot of men out there, who are unemployed, looking for jobs. What are they doing with those people? Those people should be used instead. They would work much faster and they would be much more stronger than children. Also, those adults have given up their life, and are waiting for their death. I’m not saying I prefer adults because they will die soon. I’m just saying, it’s better than using children who would have to  regret all their life and being jealous of people living a fair life. If we stop child labor right now, we would also have a better economy later on in our future. Because right now, the more child labor we have, the less intelligent people we would have to lead the world. Then, we would just have to live as an undeveloped world.

As I said in the summary, the companies are trying to blame the parents. They say, ”The parents beg us to include their children to work.” If the parents really say these things to the companies, then it is the parent’s fault. But, why can’t the workers say no to the parents? Why can’t they persuade the parents? Lead them to a better choice. Some people would say those parents don’t even have the right to keep their children. I disagree. How hard would they have been, they would try to make their children work? They could have been thinking the wrong idea. Maybe they were just too tired of their living, they were out of their minds. If I were one of the workers that are working in a company where parents come and begs, I would never accept them. I would just say, “Get out of my office.” However, the companies didn’t do that. They accepted the children, and make them work.

After reading this article, it completely changed my thought. Before, I was greedy, like all people. Always wanted more and more, couldn’t be satisfied with what I had. I always wanted to eat what I wanted to eat, I always wanted to buy what I wanted to buy. Also, before, in the dinner table, when my mom said to eat everything that was on my plate, I ignored her. She would make a speech about children who die by poverty and how some children die by thirst. Sometimes, I would listen to her, but because she says that everyday, I wasn’t even a least interested. However, not anymore. Now I think to myself. Do I really want to buy this or is it just me being greedy? Is this something I really want to it, or is it something I am just greedy about. After all these thinking, I just walk by, or I really make a right choice and eat it, or buy it.

AOW – BP Oil Spill

This week, we read an article called “BP Oil Spill Aftermath: Eyeless Shrimp, Clawless Crabs and Fish with Oozing Sores.” This article was written by Casey Chan. It was about how the BP Oil Spill impacted the generations of shrimps, crabs, and other seafood that was living under that water for 3 years. For example, there was shrimps found that was eyeless or crabs that didn’t have the appropriate number of claws. However, the governments is refusing comment on what was happening right now in the Gulf. They are saying to their citizens that the seafood are safe to eat now. The people trusts their saying and are eating the seafood that the markets sell. Even a fisherman says that they have been pulling up oil in their nets. The scientists right now are continuously investigating about it.

First, I want to say I was very upset about what was happening. The oil spill was an accident, so we can’t blame the people that spilled it. However, it was humans that were trying to transfer oil, and we are the ones who destroyed the seafood. They didn’t do anything wrong. We are the problems. We are making them suffer. They can’t even stand up for their rights. Where are the animal rights? Don’t you think they are equally important as human rights? At least we can fight for ourselves and stand up for what we believe and what we do. But they can’t. They can’t do anything, just receive what we give them and what we do to them. I think this is a huge problem that we need to think about. Even people who like seafood should help solve this problem. The seafood are ‘extincting’ in our world. Few years later, we might not have fish or living things inside our water. Who knows?

I think this article made me reflect on myself. This article made me think how I treated the environment. As I discovered more and more animals extincting, the trees that are being cut, the glaciers melting down and much more, I just feel guilty. Even though I don’t know it, maybe I have done something or I am doing something that would harm the environment. I can’t say I didn’t do anything to myself because I am sure that I did something that would have harmed the environment. Then I start to think is there something that I can change easily? And the answer was yes. I can if I am just passionate about it and I have the confident to prevent environmental issues. People do say even though it’s one person that starts, it ends with hundreds of people. However, it wasn’t that easy. It has become too much of a habit to buy things and use plastic bags, to throw trash, to throw away paper that isn’t fully used. It has become too much of a habit that you do it without even noticing. But, if people give me a hand or a solution that I can help out with, I would be glad to!

Free Write 4

Pink and beautiful flowers

Dancing with the wind

The branches are gently

Following the rhythm

The mountain raising his neck

To see this beautiful scenery

The clouds have come to see

The sun has come to see

However, the time has come

People passing by

Stepping on the flowers

Spitting on the ground

Kicking and punching the tree

The beautiful flowers ripped and crumbled on the ground

Crying with the wind.

The gardener would come and would say…

“The sun gives you warmth

The wind gives you coolness

The rain gives you water

What more do you guys need?

We need people’s smiles

We need people’s warmth

We need people’s respect

If we received these warmth, respects and smiles

We would’ve been already as big as a tree

AOW – Girls Are Given Away to Settle Family Feuds

This week, the article, In South Sudan, Girls Are Given Away to Settle Family Feuds, by Tom Rhodes, was about families having to send girls away from their family to pay back their crime. For example, if a man killed someone and he had a little sister, he had to give away his little sister to the family who lost their child. This is an tradition in South Sudan that its still processing. In this article, it talked about Aita. It was a girl that was sent away to another family when she was 8. Her brother killed a man over cattle dispute. She even tried killing herself, because she couldn’t handle the suffer. She was raped by the men of the family that she was sent over, had to marry the family’s men. I think this is a unnecessary tradition.

First, I was very surprised. All kinds of emotions were going all over my head. First, I was very sorry for the girls. I understand how they feel about this tradition. I am also a girl and so I can know what they would feel, which makes me more sorry and more upset. I just can’t understand why people follow that. Are they saying that it’s fair for the girl to just be sent away because of a crime that her family has committed that isn’t even her fault? If I were one of the people living in South Sudan, I would be fighting to break this tradition. I would be screaming and rebelling against the people that follow the that tradition. We can call South Sudan, sexist. Why can’t it be a boy that is sent to the other family? The boys are physically and mentally strong enough to handle those harmful things better than girls. The girls would just be suffering and would also be mentally hurt. I don’t think this is a great way of handling crimes.

After reading this article, I again realized how cruel our world was. If I was one the girls living in South Sudan, I would not be existing right now. I would already have given up my life to this cruel world. How can people sacrifice their children to another family? They already know how the girl will be treated from the other family. Also, how can a member of the family commit a crime when they know a girl from their family will be taken away. Yes, it’s true we never when a crime will happen. But, can’t they just be careful and not try to involve in any fight or a bad situation? For example, the cow dispute. Yes, the cow was disputed by another man from another family. You would get mad, and you can feel you want to kill that person. However, if you think of one girl from your family taken away, can’t you just calm down and let it go? There’s nothing good to kill that person. If he did, and in real life he did, a girl would be taken away, the family would be upset, you would feel very guilty. Nothing positive. Just because of your stupid emotion, let’s not lose a family member? I think people in South Sudan should really think before doing it by action. When I see it, nothing’s changing by this tradition. The tradition is just breaking parent’s hearts.

Declaration of Independence Reflection

Last week in our Humanities class, we wrote the Declaration of Independence for ourselves. We read a student’s example and also Henry Patrick’s speech. At first, I didn’t know how to write it and what to write. Everybody’s hands were moving extremely fast, and everybody was enjoying it. I was the only one that was sitting down continuously reading the student’s example. However, Mrs. Richert started a discussion during class about ideas that we can write about. Then, everybody raised their hands and started to say with passion about what they are having complaints for. That’s when my light bulb started to shine!

Even though I had enough ideas, I was worried about my voice throughout the story. First, I wrote students and teachers, but I thought it would not be as much passionate as my own independence. That’s why I decided to change my voice perspective by using “I and me” instead of “we” toward the teachers. After I edited my writing toward me, I was almost satisfied. That’s how I overcame with my weakness and made it a strength!

I am satisfied with my writing! But, if I had a chance to write it all over again, I think I would write it differently. First, I would change the perspectives to my parents and me. I think by writing it this way, the readers can connect to my writing even better, and even our age will love to read my writing. Also, I would use better word choice. Right now, my word choice is not as professional like a real declaration. So, I would try to use professional words that will enhance my writing. Even though I can make my writing better, I am satisfied with what I have and I really enjoyed writing my Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence

Declaration of Independence
When in the Course of student events, it becomes necessary for me to cut ties with my teachers and school rules and to become independent, I must explain why I deserve to be more independent to the rest of the world. This requires me, Na Young Kim, to write my own Declaration of Independence for the rest of the world to see and understand why I should become independent from the teachers and from the school rules.
I hold these truths to be obvious, that I am created equal and given my own rights of life, liberty, and to be happy. To obtain these rights, the teachers should enable me to do as they wish. However, when the teachers begin a long train of mistreatment against me that shows they only want to control every aspect of my lives, it is the duty and the rights for me to get rid of the control of the teachers and establish my independence.
Until now, I have been very patient with the teachers, but with such a long history of mistreatment and unfairness by the teachers toward me, it is now the time for the rest of the world to find out what has been going on.
- I can’t go outside of the campus to eat my lunch, even though they don’t have enough food for all of us.
- The teachers don’t let me out of class in the right time, even though the clock says it’s time to head for the next class.
- The locker is too small compared to the textbooks and notebooks I have.
-Tests are all crammed the week of break.
- The teachers don’t let me listen to music during class, because they think it would disturb the class.

After all of these mistreatments, I have explained how we felt to our teachers, and I even wrote a letter to the head of school when I was in Elementary school. Yet, my complaints was fallen on deaf ears, and I have been ignored. I even appealed to my friends, and my parents, but my appeals have been ignored and I must now annouce that I am seperating myself from schools to now become independent. I, therefore, the representatives of the student body, present these facts to the rest of the world. In the name of myself, and the permission of myself, I solemnly write and declare that I ought to be free and independent. And I pledge my life, and honor!

AOW – Bully Documentary

I think the MPAA should keep their rating until the producing company blinds out the swear words. First of all, it has the same impact. The purpose of this video is not to introduce swear words to the student. The purpose of this video is to show the perspective of bullies and the perspective of the students that are getting bullied. So, I think the impact will be the same, and it would also be much better for the parents. If the teachers sent out a note to their parents that say they are showing the original copy, some of the parents would disagree. Especially the parents who has a kid that has been bullied before. Why? Because it will only make him remember his moments. The movie will just remind him of those days… Also, the video could be shown to elementary students. There are also kids that don’t know how to swear, or don’t exactly know how they are used, but if they learn swear words by this video, then the message would not be able to be sent to the kids as the producers expected.

“Harvey Weinstein defended the film before the ratings board on Thursday, bringing along Alex Libby (one of the bullied kids in the film) to deliver a personal plea.” After I heard this, it made me kind of disappointed. Some people would think they made the right choice to use a bullied boy to change the MPAA, but I think they made the wrong choice. They didn’t have to go that far. Did they get approve from the kid’s parents? Did the boy really told them that he would do it? It makes me wonder, if the kid really said yes. I think it would have been better if they used their own power to move the MPAA’s mind, it would have been better.

“….Weinstein and company surely knew what they were and made the choice to intentionally flaunt them while they were editing their finished product.” If I were the producers for the movie, I would just find another way and follow the rules. Right now, the movie would be out soon, and there is no way that MPAA would change their mind, unless a ‘miracle’ happens. So, just blind out the swear words and let the movie out in PG-13. Then, the producers can ask the schools if they can show them the original movie IF THEY WANT TO. If they do allow the kids to watch the original movie, they could watch the movie with the swear words. That would be a much better way to spread out the message to all schools rather than trying to change the rating..

3rd Quarter Reflection

Recently, in Algebra 1, we completed our latest unit on inequalities and systems. I have not received my assessment score, but I completed a reflection about my progress so far.  My reflcetion can be found here:

nayoungkim 3rd quarter reflection

Some highlights of my progress thus far are:

- I have made a improvement on my self-monitoring.

- I think I should ask questions more frequently.

AOW – Message to E.T.

Picture by: Mauro

In my opinion, I think we are just WASTING THEIR TIME. I mean didn’t we give up on the research already? It’s true that we did see some UFO, but does that prove that there are aliens/ET civilization in space? It is a cool idea to try and send disc into space, but I don’t think it’s true that a reply has come back. Maybe the disc mistakenly went to a different country.. There is a lot of possibility that we could have made a mistake.

“Do they want to help us, harm us or do something else? This is crucial because in all likelihood the ET civilization will be more advanced than ours and thus able to get what it wants.” Instead of asking and thinking of these questions, I think we already have lots of other problems to solve. Riots, protest, war, conflict, global warming, and technology… Don’t you think we should solve these problems first? It’s just nonsense to try to contact with the ET civilization. Even though the aliens would want to help us, how are they going to help? What do they know about our world? Do they have experience living on Earth? Do they know all the things going on around Earth? Do they know the basic laws? If they come down to Earth to help us, I think there will be no difference than having more human beings like us on Earth. I think they will be no help to us. They could make MORE TROUBLE.

“White House has finally issued a definitive answer on the subject of extra-terrestrial life on earth: E.T. isn’t here, there isn’t a plot to cover them up, and the government has no evidence that aliens have ever taken any particular interest in our piece of galactic real estate.” This is from a yahoo article called ‘It’s Official: There Are No Aliens (From Space) Among Us.’ I wish people would listen to this article and forget about the alien thing. If the aliens really exist and wants to help us, they would come down to Earth somehow, or they would try to contact us. If we continue to do this, there will be no solution to anything. Let’s change our interest into some other problems!

Picture by: Daily Gril