my last ap of junior year.

 The end of the year has arrived and so has the course Policy. We've spent the class learning about government and the three branches that make up the American federal government. The second unit has been a combination of Executive and Judicial branches. We met with the consulting firm Deloitte to learn about their role in politics, and our class visited the federal courthouse to learn about the judicial system.

    World War 2 was a war that exposed the nations involved for their flaws and strengths, ultimately becoming a test, while also being a fight for survival. The countries involved in the war  were; Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Estonia, france, Greece, germany, India, italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, USS, Yugoslavia. 

-Blitzkrieg which was lightening war that used rapid attacks with arms, tanks and aircraft with the goal to “overwhelm” the enemy. This was mainly used by the Germans early on in the war to gain territory. 

-poison gasses were used in Nazi concentration camps to kill millions civilians (Holocaust) and by the Japanese army in Asia. -Nerve agents are stockpiled by the Nazis, but chemical weapons are not used on European battlefields. -bombs were used for targets and cities by Japanese. (Pearl Harbor,

-Nuclear weapons-Atomic Bombs (Nagasaki, Hiroshima)

Immediate Causes	Underlying Causes
-Germans gaining territory; Nazi Party getting stronger and invading Poland in 1939;  They wanted to gain control with the Nazi Party and Hitler.  -Japan trying to expand in Asia; bombing Pearl Harbor -Pearl Harbor Attack-attack on naval base which pushed US into the war	-Treaty of Versailles-Germany had to pay a lot of money for WWI -The Great Depression and Stock Market Crash (1929)

 World War II was a just war as it was necessary to defend democracy and the United States was justified into entering the war as a matter of self-defense.

    FDR was the president at the time. He had a major role in getting the US involved in the war. Initially, FDR had a position of being neutral but after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he changed to feeling the need to defend America Initially when World War II started in 1939, FDR kept a position of neutrality. He did not want the US involved in the conflict. However, after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the public opinion played a part in swaying FDR into entering the war.  During his fireside chats, he would give the American people hope. One of the other reasons that he was concerned over the democracy was the Nazi party gaining control of Europe especially moving closer to Britain. He realized that something had to be done so during one of his Fireside Chats, he announce that America would be the “arsenal of democracy” though the Lend-Lease program. This basically was a program where the United States could provide any arsenal to Britain or any other country that the US felt was “vital to US security”. 

    As the war began, America’s position was to remain neutral. So, Congress responded with passing the Neutrality Acts. These Acts prevented the US from being brought into another war. The Acts stopped war sales of weapons to countries that were against the Allies as well as preventing citizen travel on ships owned by countries not aligned with the US.  Also, the US started a “cash and carry” policy. It was inclined to help the British with defense against the Axis powers but for other nations, they would have the opportunity to buy arms from the US as long as the country itself set up the transportation. This maintained the US neutrality. However, after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, President Roosevelt asked Congress to declare war. So, Congress declared war the next day on Japan and then on Germany and Italy as they were allies of Japan. The Lend/Lease Act and Cash and Carry Policy helped the Allied countries receives arms and supplies from the US.

    FDR proposed this policy to make sure that resources were given out efficiently as well as coordinating the making of war materials in the US. The idea here was to establish the US as an industrial base and make it a war leader. The WPB had the power to prioritize and get resources needed like materials, equipment and labor to help the efforts of the war. It also regulating the goods purchased by it citizens so that there was enough resources for the military through rationing. The idea here was to prevent any shortages of materials and supplies to help the war and make sure the armed forces had everything they needed. This helped to boost the American economy after struggling through the Depression to becoming a war material making machine. 

    In looking at the US engagement in the war, analyzing the key war-time policy and applying a SCOTUS interpretation of the Constitiution, World War II was a just war. The United States’s initial position of neutrality was won where it helped its Allied alliances with weapon supplies and materials. However that changed after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. At this point, America’s democracy felt threatened so the US had no choice but to enter the war to protect any threats posed to not only America but its Allies. The day after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress declared war on Japan with only a single vote against entering the war, having an almost unanimous decision. It is the fundamental right as upheld by the Constitution that gives Congress the power to declare war and for the President to direct the military. Likewise, they were just in case of Korematsu when he refrused to enter an interment camp. The Supreme Court ruling was based on what was happening in the country at the time after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was justified to move into protection as the military thought it was appropirate to do so given what happened. So, while Korematsu might have felt his American rights were being violated based on race, the goverment was acting on the war time policy and was just in doing so.

This term has challenged me to think about policy, a concept I have never previously pondered. I wondered what I could get out of this course, however i gained a lot of information. 

Works Cited

bull, dr. Stephen. (2008). WordPress.com. https://armymenwargaming.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/wwii-infantry-tactics.pdf. https://armymenwargaming.files.wordpress.com/2018/05/wwii-infantry-tactics.pdf

fdr, caft. (2023). World War II facts. FDR Presidential Library & Museum. https://www.fdrlibrary.org/wwii-facts

imw, .org. (2022). The German “Lightning War” strategy of the Second World War. Imperial War Museums. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/the-german-lightning-war-strategy-of-the-second-world-war 

Inferring Infrastructural Ideas

In this unit, we are talking about flow. In the broader umbrella of urban planning, flow can pertain to a lot of different subjects, such as work space flow, traffic flow, and efficiency in environmental renewability. Some examples in the real world are Whitney design firm, where we visited and discussed their work and how they make a workspace “work”, and even got to see an office space in construction. We also talked with Itay Porat, who talked to us about the environmental standpoint and gave us examples like landfill parks to show that there is progress being made. So, we have been tasked with redesigning a small area of a city or place to make it “flow” better.

The property I have decided to redesign is in Australia. This is someone's house, who awfully designed the property. There appears to be a house behind a house, but to access the second house, you must drive past the first one, open a gate, then drive in the property. Imagine the amount of carbon emissions that could be saved if this house was just one house that multiple people lived in! However, this is an incredible defense mechanism against home intruders, having a sacrificial house to be robbed before yours, as well as fortification against enemies from the front, like old cities used to. This space needs to be redesigned into a better defending unit, and a less carbon emitting, more eco friendly environment.

NO,BEVOP,2023
NO,BEVOP,2023

This is the property id be repurposing for the public. My plan is to create a community space for nature observation and park management.
Changes being made:

Tearing down the current property using eminent domain


Replace the driveway with foundation


Create one large community area


Add windows to sides


Add solar

Math Stuff

Total area: 10,588.93 ft² (983.74 m²)

Total distance: 458.89 ft (139.87 m)
170x62ft^2
1:50, =3.4ftx1.4ft= 3.6x1.6ft/10/4= total scale
Volume of Total Structure = 37.52×18.20×11.50 = 7852.936 inches3

Tree Volume= 1.79×1.79×6 = 19.2246 inches3

tree area = 3.2inches ^2

Fairfield park (The area id be redesigning): “Excellent spot on the Yarra to bring friends or family from overseas. The amphitheater is worth the drive alone but the real highlight is the historic boathouse.” 

-ET3121, ausii (2023) One of the best spots in Melbourne - Review of Fairfield Park, Fairfield, Australia, Tripadvisor. Available at: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2019293-d13477760-r710365336-Fairfield_Park-Fairfield_Yarra_Greater_Melbourne_Victoria.html (Accessed: 08 June 2023).

Fortress of Suomenlinna, Finland
This one just reminds me of what my design looks like. it inspired it as well, long and narrow to fit the property.

Due to its long form, it gives me a general idea of what could replace the current property.
Masada, Israel

It is super duper old but still worked, plus it gives me better ideas for a building that might have people congregate to it. 




-newcob, tim (2021) The world’s 30 most impressive fortresses, Popular Mechanics. Available at: https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/g2441/the-worlds-20-most-impressive-fortresses/?slide=6 (Accessed: 08 June 2023).

My design for a parks building relates to SDG target 11.3, "By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries", by making the community area more assessable to the public, and over all a better place to be. my model is extreme but gives the general concept while being scaled down. 

lettergeslation

In this ap, we were tasked with writing a letter to our individual rep, addressing pending legislation we feel strongly about. We had an FE guest come in to talk about environmental justice, and legislation around the issues they deal with. This gave us a better understanding of what exactly it was like to fight for something we are passionate about, and what the steps are to passing Your legislation. I chose to focus on a bill regulating dyslexia screening in school systems, as there is a lack of recourses for students who may be struggling academically due to dyslexia.

The Letter

State Rep Ann Williams

1726 West Belmont Avenue

Chicago, IL 60657

Phone: (773) 880-9082

Fax: (773) 880-9083



Dear State Representative Williams:


How would it feel to be in school and not be able to read? As a high school student, one might think dyslexia is not an important issue but I can assure you that it is. Many students are falling through the cracks in schools and there is no good reason. This is particularly true for those students that have dyslexia. There are plenty of resources available to understand dyslexia and how to treat it once its identified. The problem is the schools do not want to take the time to properly train. I am sure this resonates with you especially with your proposed legislation that you are fighting to obtain. Every child has the right to an education where they receive appropriate services based on their need which is why proper training and screenings need to be included in schools so children with dyslexia receive correct interventions.


The rights of children are failing when it comes to those with dyslexia. The Science of Reading has become the forefront of education. Research shows that some schools still use methods of reading instruction based on “cueing” instead of, or alongside, “phonics instruction”. (Really Great Reading). The National Reading Panel (NRP) report in 2000 identified these five elements that are key to reading success: Comprehension, Fluency, Vocabulary, Phonics and Phonemic Awareness. These components are what is needed to address the reading issues in classrooms that are affecting children in schools. As a student, I can remember kids struggling in school to learn how to read. While I did not have the issue, it makes me sad that today, with all of the research and technology, schools in the Chicago area are not leading the way in terms of reading scores.


As you have proposed, your current legislation addresses dyslexia and how it is screened in school. It is asking that there are dyslexia specialists employed at schools to help identify those students at risk and if a student is determined to have dyslexia the school district must administer a screening and if found that the student has dyslexia, a structured literacy approach must be implemented. This is a critical step in helping to prevent those students from falling through the cracks and growing up in a school system that cannot support them. Those that oppose might say this is not needed and there are plenty of programs there to help students read. However, current statistics show that “over 26% of Chicago Public Schools 11 graders were at grade level in reading” (Illinois Policy). 26% is abominable to be reading at grade level as a junior in high school. That means that 74% of the remaining students are below grade level. As a junior in high school, I find this atrocious and unbelievable.


Dyslexia is a reading disorder that affects many students. Schools should do a better job of supporting those students with dyslexia and trying to prevent any further difficulties with correct reading programs. If schools had these programs, then maybe kids would not grow up with having reading disabilities not addressed in school. With the proper training, teachers could reach kids when they are learning to read so they do not grow up in a system where they leave high school and enter the world as a non-reader. It is not right. We have to keep fighting.


Sincerely,

Nathan Overmier

Works Cited:

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicago-public-schools-hit-record-graduation-rate-as-math-reading-scores-drop/#:~:text=During%20that%20school%20year%2C%20over,at%20or%20above%20grade%20level.

https://www.readingrockets.org/article/findings-national-reading-panel

https://www.reallygreatreading.com/what-is-the-science-of-reading-and-phonics

Saving With Circuits

This unit was about circuits, the types of circuits, ohms, volts, and over all power. Electricity was a common topic, while we discussed the functions, aspects, and properties of energy. This project was challenging us to bring that into the physical world, by making a functional circuit with 5 resistors, with one main switch and one parallel switch. We used snap circuits to demonstrate our functional creations. We talked with Dan Mikovits, Kyle Cepeda, and Tyler Brooks to better understand the process of wiring a building. This project relates to SDG 7.2, By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.

My partner and I have made a slideshow to explain our project.

I came up with this design by thinking about the most basic parallel circuit, and how I could use that to my advantage. I used it as a base for my circuit, which helped the process greatly. I had to rearrange some things to make the circuit parallel, but in the end it all worked out. This ap was somewhat difficult to manage, but in the end came together nicely.

Burn Your Bridges

Intro

In this unit of urban planning, called load, we took a look at bridges, and the different mathematical concepts and triangles that are used. We were told to create truss bridges, however the type of truss bridge was left up to us to decide. We were given limited materials, just as one of our FE guests, Mark Bennett, an urban planner for Chicago, would have to use. We had 75 popsicle sticks and glue, and it had to support 10 lbs. The bridge also had to span 18 inches at least. Anything else was completely up to the maker. We made a bailee bridge, commonly used in the world wars.

                NO, SIDEWAYS SKETCH, 2023
I'm not sure what happened to this picture, but it shows what forces are acting on the bridge as it supports weight.

Math Stuff

This is the 3d rendition of the bridge, its to about 1:4 scale. Its about 20 inches long, and 2.5 inches wide. We are using equilateral triangles for the main structure of our build, our sides are supported by obtuse triangles. We ended up using 70 popsicle sticks to make our bridge. Without glue being accounted for the bridge weighs 79.75 grams, or 0.07975kg. 2 6/8ths of an inch by 4 1/4ths inch triangle roughly comes out to 72.5 degrees. Its potential energy would be 1/2xmV^2, = 0.7083J, if dropped at about 90cm. Its kinetic energy is J. 

NO, ROUGHLY THE TRIANGLE DESCRIBED, 2023

History

WP, BAILEY ITALY, 2023

This bridge was made in Italy in 1943, similar to the one that inspired mine, which was built by the 237 company, being the first recorded bailey bridge of  WWII. The image below shows my bridge supporting 25 lbs. This was all we had time to measure, and the bridge would have held more weight given proper time for testing. Another pro of our bridge is the fact that its incredibly easy to make, deconstruct, and transport. This applies to SDG 11, in making sustainable living for everyone. 

NO, BRIDGE, 2023

pedia, wiki. (2023, March 25). Bailey Bridge. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 24, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bailey_bridge

 

solving a solution

        This term I enrolled in a course called A Nations Argument. In this class, we learned about the times leading up to the Civil War, including the conflict between free and slave states, Charles Sumner and his being attacked by Preston Brooks, and more of the contradictions leading to the war. Other topics of discussion in this course include the vital documents that helped create this country and how their arguments were presented, have changed over time, and the importance of rights. We have also discussed how the problems seen in the Civil war connected them to the present and other papers about the USA. We have connected this to the present, where we have to challenge a part of our school. We also met with Andy Clarno, where we discussed our current course topics and relevant events happening around us, and listened to a yale lecture by David Blight on the historical aspects of our topic.

          NO, conflict, 2023

    "The mediator acts as a participant and witnes to the process, so must step back in order to allow the group to reach true, autonomous consensus. The mediator asks questions and intervenes in lulls or during particularly heated interactions, all while allowing the discussion to flow naturally and the group to steer its direction."

    The fact that the students are forced by a third party to resolve said disagreement. And the mention of other students as well.


P1. Students will get into arguments.
P2. Peace happens through discussion.

P3. Arguments need peace.

P4. Students need help achieving peace  

C. Students need a peace circle.


    Forcing students who may not want to be in a peace circle might not work where instead, one can offer a cool-down period and if that person so chooses, they can then elect to be in a peace circle. The forcing of two parties to make amends instead of naturally dissolving the conflict may prove to be futile and lead to future incidence. 


P1. Students get into conflict.

P2. Conflict requires an agreed-upon resolution for a fair conclusion.

P3. Students need agreed-upon resolution.

C. Students need a natural solution.


Co-Signer: FK

    Students need resolutions that make sense to them and are not forced, which is how lions belong in the free and should not be caged in. If students were given a choice of conflict resolution, some may not want to participate in a peace circle. Many times, people need to cool down and process what has happened. The choice should be given to students and only then will real progress be made. This is not skirting the issue of conflict but not all people are comfortable with peace circles. Perhaps giving a choice of peace circle, written apology, or verbal explanation not face to face might offer a more collaborative approach to conflict resolution to all. If GCE is coming up with global citizens, they need to be able to adapt to conflict. The amendment that relates the most is Amendment 1. This amendment talks about how no person can be forced to give "the right answer". This falls in line with the argument of not having a forced peace circle and allowing the individual to choose how to resolve the conflict through multiple choices. This amendment demonstrates true citizenship because it allows each person to be free and choose how they want to resolve and express themselves. If one is put through a system that works for one type of argument and doesn't for others, nothing I'd bring resolved. 


    I spoke with my friend about the question “is a peace circle a good solution for student conflict?” Quote: “unnatural resolution is regressive.” Speaker: DB

    1.No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation

law, cornell. “Fifth Amendment.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, 2023, https://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/fifth_amendment.

    2. Peacemaking circles bring together individuals who want to engage in conflict resolution, healing, support, decision-making, or other activities when honest communication, relationship development, and community building are desired outcomes. Circles can be appropriate in business, family, judicial, social service, and other settings. They offer an alternative to other meeting processes that often rely on hierarchy, win-lose positioning, and victim/rescuer approaches to relationships and problem-solving. Circles bring people together in a way that creates trust, respect, intimacy, goodwill, belonging, generosity, mutuality, and reciprocity. The process is never about "changing others", but rather is an inhttps://www.rjssi.org/peace-making-circlesvitation to change oneself and one’s relationship with the community.


3. The three pillars of restorative justice are harm & needs, obligations, and engagement.

Justice center, Hartford. “What Is Restorative Justice?” Hartford Community Restorative Justice Center, 2023, https://hartfordjusticecenter.org/what-is-restorative-justice/#:~:text=The%20three%20pillars%20of%20restorative,needs%2C%20obligations%2C%20and%20engagement.