Current Event #9

The six-story rubber duck created by a famous Dutch artist is afloat in Hong Kong's Victoria Harbor. The large inflatable is meant to symbolize unity. The artist says that the rubber duck symbolizes unity because the world is one big bath tub.  Also, he said, "the Rubber Duck knows no frontiers, it doesn’t discriminate people and doesn’t have a political connotation.The friendly, floating Rubber Duck has healing properties"

The boats in the harbor might have to a little more navigating but it's worth it. The boring city atmosphere now has something worth looking at. The inflatable's size makes the boats around it look tiny. 

I think the rubber duck is very cool and I like how it isn't a political or economic motivated thing. The fact that it's just there for the sake of being there is great and more countries should do this, too. 

Source 1
Source 2

Kenny Gram #9

End of the year tie-dying! 

P.O.W. #9

Assignments W/E 05.17.13

1) T.A.T.
2) P.O.W. #9
3) Kenny Gram #9
4) Current Event #9

P.O.W. #8

Only because the Flyers don't have a mascot.

Kenny Gram #8

Current Event #8

GOOGLE SELF-DRIVING CARS! Telsa, an electric car company,  has been reportedly talking to Google about developing the Google car technology. The car would be similar to an airplane's autopilot. Telsa's founder later tweeted that they are no way near a partnership with Google. He also said that before the Google car they will be developing electric trucks. Google's car technology consists of cameras, wheel sensors, laser range finders, and radar to avoid traffic and other obstacles while driving.

In years to come we could all be sitting in self-driving cars. Like any other new technology the price will be tremendous but maybe worth it to some. The roads will be technoligically advanced but safety has to be the main priority.

I think the world is developing technology extremely quickly but I am not sure if we need all of it. People are being left in the technological dust.  My dad can barely work his smart phone let alone Google glasses, self-driving computer cars, and laser this that and the other.
Source

Weekly Assignments 05.10.13

1) T.A.T.
2) Photo of the Week #8
3) Kenny Gram #8
4) Current Event #8

P.O.W #7

Spirituality

Kenny Gram #7

KENNY + RAIN = should've stayed home

Current Event #7

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Wearable technology is the up-and-coming trend. Google Glass is the next innovation that will soon become available to more and more people. Google Glass is a computer in the form of wearable glasses. The glasses are activated by a head tip or a touch to the side. Google Glass glasses have the ability to take pictures, check your email, and upload everything to your Google cloud. They have an attachable visor to transform them into sunglasses when you're outside. Right now they are not available for people who still need their regular glasses.

Wearable technology is the future according to the main innovators. People one day will be walking down the street and in public places talking to their glasses to take pictures.

I think technology is great but sometimes it's simpler to do things on your own. Simple tasks might be cooler with technology but sometimes it's more complicated than is necessary.

Source

Assignments W/E 5.03.13

1) T.A.T
2) Photo of the Week #7
3) Kenny Gram #7
4) Current Event #7

Kenny Gram #6

Kenny Runners

P.O.W. #6

Squares can keep you busy.

Current Event #6

Associated Press's tweet was hacked causing the nation to panic. The fake tweet said, "BREAKING: Two Explosions in the White House and barack Obama is injured"The Syrian Electronic Army has claimed responsibility but there is no specific individual yet. The tweet was sent out at 1:07 p.m. and caused the Dow Jones average to fall 150 points in a matter of two minutes. The losses were regained shortly after the Associated Press announced they had been hacked.

People are on edge after the past week's traumatic events. President Obama being targeted and damage to the White House would throw the country into chaos. The AP twitter account has almost 2 million followers so the fake information reached tons of people in seconds.

I think big name social media accounts should be extra protected because of their responsibility to report accurate information to the general public. People in America today are still recovering from last week's disastrous events and if the fake tweet were to be true it would be another rough week.
Source

Weekly Assignments W/E 4.26.13

1) T.A.T.
2) POW #6
3) Kenny Gram #6
4) Current Event #6

POW #5

  

Kenny Gram #5

ILLEGAL! The rules do not care about how cute it is and neither do I!!!

Current Event #5

Can people actually get sick from technology? Those with the self-prescribed wireless sickness are called "Wifi-Refugees." Electromagnetic hypersensitivity (EHS) calls for complete isolation from wireless technology and that is why Greenbank, Virginia, has seen an influx in residents. The US Radio Quiet Zone bans all radio signals and technology year round. 

Many people feel like they're sick from the use of technology but they're not. People aren't sick from signals and radio waves because even when people aren't using technology radio waves are traveling through space. People definitely need to limit their technology use. Too many kids are glued to screens and games from a young age. 

I think Radio Free Zones are a fantastic idea because they are a perfect excuse to put the phone down. There was a study on 60 Minutes where they took five young women and took away their phones, laptops, and anything else along those lines. For a week they had to live their everyday lives without it. For example, one of the girls went to dinner and they had her friend purposefully come an hour late so that  she was forced to get up and mingle with complete strangers. 

Source

Assignments w/e 4.19.13

1) T.A.T
2) P.O.W. #5
3) Kenny Gram #5
4) Current Event #5

Current Event #4

Bullying is a national problem in schools. A Jacksonville teen has been banned from all Duval county schools because she is classified as a "serial bullier." Paris Cannon is only fourteen but has spent time in juvenile detention for her behavior. She beat her former friend and threw her head into a stone wall.

Nationwide stories are told of bullying and the traumatic effects. Bullying needs to stop. The judge is 100% correct with this ban. He has promised to keep schools safe and is helping to make kids that are bullied see that there is help.

Personally, I think more kids should see this article. Many kids that are bullied feel like no one sees it. Nothing is worse than feeling like you are the problem not the bullier because it seems like everyone likes them.
Source  

Kenny Gram #4

"RAM CLEAR" said Mrs. Williams a million times this year!

Assignments W/E 04.12.13

1) T.A.T.
2) Photo of the Week #4
3) Kenny Gram #4
4) Current Event #4
5) Stop Motion

Kenny Gram #3

When this dies...your life at Kenny becomes solely about the hunt for four Triple A batteries.

Photo of the Week #3

Springtime! Camo Easter eggs for everyone!

Stop Motion

Current Events #3

Strange sightings in the Amazon provide pictures that you wouldn't believe.Explorers found spiders that make their webs look like giant spiders, caterpillars that make fuzzy cocoons, and moths that make baskets and nets.   When they shot the picture of the fuzzy cocoon the explorer, Cremer, said, "We found Donald Trump's wig in the Peruvian Amazon." The vast majority of strange animals always lends an opportunity to shoot amazing pictures, most of which end up in National Geographic. 

If anything these pictures raise awareness to the delicate life forms we have in our world. We can't destroy their home just like they will never destroy ours. Every time someone explores deeper into the Amazon it seems like they find a new species. Maybe these pictures will change one person's habits and help out the Amazon.

I think these pictures are fantastic. An opportunity to go into the Amazon and observe everything that calls it home would be a once in a lifetime event. 

 Source  

Weekly Assignments W/ 3.27.13

1) T.A.T
2) Photo of the Week #3
3) Kenny Gram #3
4) Current Events #3
5) Stop Motion Work
6) Kenny Gram Submissions

Kenny Gram #2

It's March and we're still wearing fleeces...NOT COOL, WEATHER, NOT COOL. 

Photo of the Week #2

The theme for this week was to make a portrait using indirect light. We all set up the lights and had to use the reflector to get the perfect balance of light on Kathleen.

Current Events #2

Notre Dame is causing a stir with everyone across the basketball world. Adidas has teamed up with the college and released new uniforms for both the girls and boys teams. They will be worn for the upcoming playoffs. The problem is...they're ugly AND distracting. Fortunately, both teams will be able to easily distinguish between who is on the opposing team.

March Madness is the time for dedicated fans to join in and make brackets to see who can predict the outcome of the playoffs. Also, the bandwagoners come out in full force. Some bandwagon fans pick and switch favorites based on the success of a team, but there's a few( mainly girls) who pick based on uniform.

I think Notre Dame's uniforms are awful, but who am I to judge considering I own five pairs of ridiculous looking basketball shoes myself.

UGLY Uniform Gallery

Source

Weekly Assignments w/e 3-22-13

1) T.A.T with Mr. Yocum
2) Photo of the Week 2 (Theme: Portrait using indirect light)
3) Kenny Gram 2
4) Current Events 2
5) Stop Motion Preview

Kenny Gram #1

The artistic side of Kenny life. 

Photo of the Week #1

This rear-view mirror chain has experienced some questiin driving experiences in the three months Ive have it. It deserves a little recognition as my picture of the week :)

Current Events #1

Habemas Papum! We have a pope! As of Wednesday night in Vatican city, Pope Francis has taken over as the head of the Catholic Church. Pope Ameritus Benedict supposedly beat out Jose Bergoglio seven years ago. This time, Pope Francis will be the head of over 1.2 billion Catholics. He chose the name of a humble saint, Francis of Assisi.

He is a very humble person. He rode the public bus to work everyday and refused to live in the Bishop's estate. He is being called the Pope of the Poor for his work with social justice and the poor community. The world is excited to see what his papacy brings to the Church. The Church is such a big influence in world affairs for noN-Catholics as well as catholics.

I look forward to Pope Francis' changes in the Church. Many people want to "modernize" the Church but I would like to see necessary issues cleared up before major reform. I think it is great that the have picked an "outsider" to come into the Vatican because sometimes people too close to the issues aren't able to resolve the best.

Full Story and Video 

Assignments W/E 3.15.13

Photo of the Week #1
Kenny Gram #1
Current Event #1
Fair Use Activity

Fair Use

1.Copyright status is granted to anyone who creates an original idea and presents it as their own.
2.The Motion Picture Association of America uses sniffing dogs to detect pirated DVDs. They use them because they are able to find pirated DVDs, which is illegal. 
3. It is legal to buy a CD or DVD and then resell because you have already paid the rightful company their money for it. The First Sale Doctrine protects this sale. 
4. The purpose of copyright is to protect a creator's original work and to allow them to receive the benefits from their idea. It also promotes  the growth of ingenuity.   
5. Yes, because he hasn't secured the photographer's explicit permission to use his photos and he also hasn't given the photographer credit for his work. 
6. It is legal to share music that someone has the copyright to when you have special permission to do so and when you have, yourself, already bought it. 
7. Fair use is a doctrine that allows limited use of copyrighted material without having to have permission from the copyright holder.
8. Creative Commons licensing allows creators to pick which copyright rights they want to reserve for their use only and which rights they will allow the public to have. It is based upon copyright rules. 
9. It is acceptable to use copyrighted work for teaching, criticism, news, and parodies. 
10. Rental DVDs are allowed to be shared during the rental period because you have paid for the temporary release of the owner's copyrights. 
11. Public Domain is available to the public and is not under copyright regulations. 
12. The US Government's archive is open to the Public Domain but the few items that remain copyrighted can be used after following the specific limitations of that work. 
13. False. The copyright for Night of the Living Dead is part of the Public Domain and may be used freely.
14. Justin's copyright goes into effect as soon as he creates his tangible work. The copyright lasts his life time plus 70 years. If his copyright is infringed upon he can take legal action. 

Picture of the Week #9

This is Mr. Clarke. He died of a brain tumor over a year and a half ago, but this week they dedicated the St. Joseph baseball field in his honor. I took this picture of him awhile ago, but I wanted to share it.  He was a huge Cubs fan but he lost a bet with me and had to wear this Phillies shirt.

Kenny Gram #8

Kenny fans on their way to Lakeland to watch the boys' team take on Tampa in the Final Four. Bus 6 might not have done a Harlem Shake video but we were the most behaved bus out there.

Current Event #9

Pictures
Players to Retire

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1524582-players-who-will-retire-after-the-2013-mlb-season/page/6

Spring training has officially started across the country! This season has not yet begun but some key players already know they won't be returning for another round in 2014. These players have been subject to constant speculation on their ability to play at their age. Some of the retiring players are Raul Ibanez, Todd Helton, Jim Thome, and Jason Giambi.

These players have been popular since the beginning of their career and so many fans will miss them when they retire.  It seems like once a player hits the age of 35 the speculation begins.

I personally don't think it matter show old a player is. They shouldn't be pressured into retiring, but they also shouldn't play until no one wants them around. Jamie Moyer hung around Philly and we loved him...he gave my dad hope that at 50 he had a chance to play baseball, too.

Photo fo the Week #8

The theme of the week is "Black and White." I wanted to use this picture but I probably should have taken a different picture because the vibrant yellow of the sunflowers was really pretty.

Kenny Gram #7

Current Event #8

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The movie "Argo" has won an Oscar. Hostages are hoping this movie has influenced people to give them the justice they deserve. Hostages were abused for 444 days in Iranian compounds awaiting someone to save them. The hostages expect compensation from Iran but haven't been able to because of international laws. Congress plans on passing laws to make a $400 million fund. It will be funded by fines paid by violators of US sanctions.
 Back when the US Embassy was taken over by the revolutionary forces, the United States watched in horror and pressured Jimmy Carter to take immediate action. Unfortunately, he was unable to do much because of limitations and uncooperative Iranian militants. The impact has lasted and distrust of such people has not gone away. Hostages now have a opportunity for more interest to be placed into the efforts needed for justice.
Three years ago I had to do an Academic Fair project. I choose the Iranian hostage crisis and spent six months studying the historical event. I find it amazing that after all of the conditions set for the hostages' release that they haven't been compensated by Iranian leaders 32 years later.

Kenny Gram #6

Kenny fans are one of the things that makes this school unique. My "fan club" came out to my game with a sign they made.

Stop Motion Plans

I plan on having a book slightly opened and then a flood of characters running out. At the end the very last character will run out have to rangle up all the others back into the book.

If that plan doesn't work I think I will do something like the Harlem Shake.

Photo of the Week #7

The theme for this week is "I am..." Clearly a rose fits this perfectly because my name is Katie ROSE. Most people call me Katie Rose no matter what because people think it's a two part name like Mary Kate. They must think I don't have a last name. There also is the many ways of saying my name that each person invents. There's the short Katie. Rose. or the KT Rose from the basketball team parents, or the Katie Rooooose.      

Current Event #7

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Photographer George Steinmetz has released a book filled with his pictures called "Desert Air." He contributes to the pictures used by National Geographic. He uses the paraglider that he helped design to get unique views. Once in the air he focuses on capturing images such as animals, African villages, and other scenery. He has crashed 50 times including one hospital stay after crashing into a tree in China.

Steinmetz has inspired many people with his unique pictures. He has shown the beautiful scenery of Africa for more than 30 years. He has also filled the National Geographic magazine.

He has gone the extra mile opposed to the Instagram "photographers." He is extremely talented and uses his gift to inspire and impress other people. I can't wait to see his work when he paraglides over Manhattan and other places that he has yet to receive access to.

Steinmetz's Website 
 Source

Kenny Gram #5

The dreaded PINK SLIP! If I could retake this picture I would make sure the actual pink slip was the main focus of the picture opposed to just Maddie.

Current Event #6

Another Video: http://youtu.be/bR4kizuOKwY

Bailey Leonard became his younger brother's father when their dad died suddenly. Meyers was only six at the time and became inseparable with his brother. The family faced economic troubles that left their house without furniture or electricity at some points. Meyers had never had to go without Bailey until Bailey was sent overseas to fight for our country. Bailey came to surprise Meyers at one of his college practices. The emotional reunion was set up by Bailey, Meyer's girl friend, and the coaching staff.
Many reunions can cause people to tear up. The reunions are for sure amazing but are caused by the unfortunate deployment of our military.
These stories are my favorite because surprises like that don't happen everyday.  I found this video on the SportInspiration page.

Photo of the Week #6

The theme of the week is "LOVE." Valentine's Day was filled with couples giving each other tons of candy, flowers, and gifts. While people were enjoying Valentine's Day out on a date...I baked heart shaped cakes. #SINGLELIFE

Photo of the Week #5

This "Rule of Thirds" picture took me forever and half to get but I eventually understood how the subject needs to be on the crosshairs of the grid.

Kenny Gram #4

This cross is hidden among the bricks that make up the 200 building. Many people will never notice it but the select few now see it every time they walk by.

Current Event #5

The Sochi Olympic Winter Games will cost Russia way more than they originally planned. It will cost up to and maybe more than $50 million. The 2012 Games will be the most expensive in Olympic history. It costs so much because of the fact that Sochi was not well suited or prepared to host the Games. The infrastructure of the city needed to be completely changed in order to meet Olympic needs.  Even the $50 million is not an accurate estimate and the total could reach up to $66.7 billion. Out of the 424 buildings being built only 13 are sports-related. 

This impacts the whole community around Sochi because they have to scrape up money from various sources in order to cover these Olympic costs. All communities need more money these days and spending $50 million on the Games might not be the best way to spend it. 

I think Russia spending $50 million is ridiculous because Russia isn't exactly in an economic surplus. I think the Winter Games should have been held in a more capable city that was already suited for Olympic activities. 

http://rt.com/business/news/sochi-cost-record-history-404/

Kenny Gram #3

POW #3

"BLUE" I tried to find someone with extremely blues eyes but unfortunately the picture didn't showcase the blue.