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Editorial: SLA Students Want Change

June 4, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

In Philadelphia, there are over 200 school district schools that serve over 140,000 students. Within each student lies an opinion. Philadelphia is the 5th largest city in the United States, while holding a population total over 1,500,000. I know throwing these statistics at you is unorthodox, but to make a point, it needed to be done. At Science Leadership Academy (SLA) we take in a lot of information each day. The atmosphere becomes intoxicating to always hear and feel the same position constantly. SLA students live in a double edged sword environment. The liberal bubble that students have is wonderful and it keeps debates and conflicts to minimum. You and I know that this is not the real world. Students at SLA have their own opinions to share and their own attitude.

This editorial was created to simply state what SLA’s students concerns and issues that pertain to all Philadelphia students.

Education

The towering issue is education. It is not a quick overnight fix. It also didn’t happen overnight. Funding for all parts of education is and will be an issue for an extensive period of time. Students at SLA concerned with education are drawn from the lack of funding the school district provides for Philadelphia students. It becomes embarrassing to attend a school in which you know they can’t even afford a full staff. These are just a few issues SLA students have with education funding. The list is endless.

Police Brutality

There is nothing people don’t already know about this advancing issue. The streets of Philly are emerging into a battlefield. Philadelphia students are trapped in the middle of this raging battle of unnecessary violence. The biggest concern that SLA students have for Philadelphia students are our city’s stop and frisk laws.

Teen Violence

Teen violence is an issue that the SLA student body does not take lightly. Teen violence in Philadelphia has been taking a major leap in the last 20 years. For students enrolled in inner city schools it is a massive wave of trauma. Flash mobs and the infamous “knock -out-challenges” were issues that needed to be changed immediately. SLA students still want to address this issue and let it be known to the officials of the city.

Solutions to our issues are very complicated but the SLA community has come up with ideas that help us manage miscommunication that students have about how the school district and state work together. We all need to take a stand on what we think is the right movement. In order for us to be more educated about the political issues in Philly is to immerse yourself in information.If the government doesn’t defend the interests of children, who will?

I am not a second rate citizen or why I’m tired of having to fight be treated like a human being over an idea

June 4, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

By Sean Morris

Staff Writer

Soon the Supreme Court will make its historic ruling as to whether or not gay marriage should be legal in all 50 states. A few weeks ago, in response to this, a group of anti gay marriage advocates, one of thousands, protested against this mostly citing religion and an erosion of family values.

Here’s the thing: I don’t care what your religion says: but you do not get to decide my rights based on it. And I am tired of people using it as an excuse.

First of all, this country is based upon religious freedom and secular government. I mean I could believe in the great wookie monster if I damn well please, but should I get to write laws based off what he says? No. Its because not everyone will believe as the lawmakers do, so they can’t write laws based off of it, ergo they should not push down gay rights because of it, especially as there’s even evidence to show that marriage came before Christianity.

I remember when current Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio said: “Because today we’ve reached the point in our society where if you do not support same-sex marriage, you are labeled a homophobe and a hater.” Well what else do you call it Marc? You don’t think I’m entitled to the same rights as everyone else? you’re getting defensive about being called a “hater”, but you are one.

Some people might like to have civil unions instead, which I pretty consider the equivalent to the “colored” water fountains- a separate but “equal” policy. And another wanna- be President Rick Santorum has said that if the Supreme Court decides in favor federal marriage equality, then he will actively fight it. And they aren’t the only ones- I think every GOP candidate for the presidency thus far, and any newcomers, will be against gay marriage, and probably gay rights overall. These people all have a chance to become leader of the free world and they don’t even respect the freedom of people.

These candidates are a part of the larger war against the LGBT community by usage of religion, and I am damn tired of it. Religion does not have precedence over the rights of human beings. If you took a child and you raised him in different households of different religions, he’ll likely practice what he’s taught, but if he is gay then he’ll never stop being gay. People are born gay, but they aren’t born with a religious identity. However using their religious identity people have killed others- sometimes even their own children- and used the excuse of religion. Now some people might say that these people don’t represent the current group of Christians as a whole. However, that argument quickly becomes the “not all men” or “not all cops” defense, which just does not hold up. When a group of people have messed up a system and perverted it this much, the only way it will get better is with a massive system change. Therefore, a person’s identity that exists at birth and cannot change needs to be protected over belief systems that CAN change. Human rights are important enough to do so.

I think the protection of discrimination due to religious beliefs needs to come to end. It’s been used to keep the status quo of racism, slavery, women as second- class citizens and so much more.When we allow a single religion to influence the law, then how are we different than many of the governments we are fighting in other parts of the world? All people, with all their unique and individual loves, emotions, and stories deserve the protection and rights of their government.

Tesla Attempts to Win the Future with New Battery

June 4, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Ella Donesky
Staff Writer

In May 2015, Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, the leading global energy conservation manufacturer, announced the release of their latest fantastical invention: “Powerwall.”

The home battery, available this summer, provides a sustainable alternative source of energy, which you can use to power your home electrical appliances. The battery can be used to power your Tesla Motors Electric Car. The energy for the battery is supplied through Solar Panels which can be attached to the roof of your home.

The Powerwall is offered in an assortment of colors and can be stacked on top of each other. A single battery is approximately 51 inches in height, 34 inches in width, 7 inches in depth and weighs 220 pounds.

Musk delivered a keynote speech (powered by the Tesla battery, of course) where he presented the battery and further pressed the ever-growing need to switch to clean energy sources. He opened by saying, “What I’m going to talk about tonight is a fundamental transformation of how the world works, how energy is delivered across the Earth.”

Musk then began the presentation by projecting an image of the current state of global warming, followed by a graph of the Keeling Curve, which demonstrates the trend of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere.

The impact of both images is a visual representation of what the world could look like if we continue to release harmful chemicals into our atmosphere. Musk listed the existing ways of conserving energy: Coal, Natural Gas, Nuclear, Hydro, Wind and Solar.

An impactful and lasting solution, however, is not in any one of these methods, except in the Tesla Battery. And according to Musk, this solution exists in two parts:
first,get rid of carbon as a source of power; then, show people how easy it can be to do that.

An image of a blue square on the map of the United States, (occupying a very small portion of Texas) which represents that amount of land needed to power the whole country, communicated this message in the clearest and most powerful way.

Musk then zoomed in on the blue square, revealing an even smaller red pixel, which represents the amount of batteries needed to eliminate carbon as a source of energy

Musk addressed the inadequacy of existing batteries and described them as “expensive, unreliable, stinky, and ugly.” The Tesla battery is exceptionally powerful and relatively compact.

In order to make all transport, electricity and all heating renewable, we need 2 billion powerpacks releasing 200,000 gwh. Musk pointed out that currently, we have 2 billion cars and trucks on the road. The importance of that statement is to provide a comparison figure that people can relate to, suggesting that if we can do that, we can transition the world.

Aside from providing a cleaner source of energy, there are other benefits to purchasing the Tesla Battery. Firstly, it can be used as a backup energy source in the case of a power outage. It is also a solution for people who live in remote parts of the world, who don’t have electricity, or for whom it is too expensive. The battery works “off the grid.”

The fundamental question Elon Musk posed in the presentation was, in his words, “What do we need to transition the world to sustainable energy?” And the point he pressed in the presentation was that is was incredibly easy to do so.

According to the energy.gov, the average American spends $3,052 annually on energy. The Powerwall costs $3,500, (plus the cost of the panels and installation) and that’s a one-time purchase.

I believe that this solution is entirely feasible. With the Powerwall, sustainable energy sources become more accessible to people, and based on what they spend on electricity in a year, most would save money within a few years–specially if it’s permanent and if the government got involved to make the battery cheaper.

Musk also went beyond that, offering to share technology with other companies so the price of the battery goes down and everyone can participate in the transition to sustainable energy.

My only criticism of the presentation is that it leaves a lot of questions unanswered. The battery is one part of the package, but Musk didn’t make clear where the cables are coming from, how to install the battery, who will install the system, whether the solar panels are also Tesla, and so on.

Musk finished the presentation with this statement, “No incremental CO2, that’s the future we need to have, and the path that I’ve talked about, solar panels, that’s the only path I know that can do this. And I think it’s something we must do, and we can do and we will do.”

Watch the full presentation here: http://www.theverge.com/2015/5/1/8527543/elon-musk-tesla-battery-feels

Diversity In Superhero Films

June 4, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

by Staff Writer: Calamity Jung-Allen

Recently, superhero movies have been ruling the theaters. Thor made over $181 million, The Incredible Hulk $312 million, Iron Man $318 million, and Captain America $176 million. In fact, The Avengers broke box office records making $623 million so far, and close to $206 million in its opening weekend.

Because of all this success, superheroes are in the spotlight, and when something is in the spotlight, a lot of heads turn to look. But how do those superheroes compare to the audiences that watch them? And what cultural norms are they enforcing?

Take the 1978 Superman as an example. When Superman announces that he stands for the American way, the implication that this statement will appease mainly American audiences is a dangerous one, because it goes along with the assumption that America’s face is that of a straight, white, cis, able-bodied man.

So many people (children more often than not) look to superhero movies as inspirations for how they should act to be good citizens (I’m looking at you, Captain America), but whether purposefully or not, the movies also set a standard for how to look. What about people other than Superman?

Women (and I’m talking the least persecuted section of women: white, cis, and fit)

One role that has run rampant in superhero films for a very long time is the love interest. These female characters were most often static and had further identity outside of their relationship with the male hero. One such example is Lois Lane in Superman, who, though a subjectively exciting character, spends her entire time kissing or being saved by Clark Kent. The same happens to Mary Jane Watson in Superman, Rachel in The Dark Knight, and Jane Foster in Thor.

Another one of the most recent developments in the depiction of women in superhero movies is called the fighting sex toy. This trope is perpetuated repeatedly amongst the women shown in movies such as Black Widow in The Avengers, all of the girls in Sucker Punch and Mystique in X-Men. Physically powerful women are reduced to their bodies. Even though they are technically strong, they often use their bodies as sexual weapons more often than that. Black Widow usually cracks villains’ necks between her leather clad legs, Mystique spends the entire movie in a skintight suit made to look like the character is naked, and the women in Sucker Punch have multiple scenes of sexual context and extremely revealing outfits.

Now, don’t get me wrong: ladies fighting bad guys and being comfortable and confident in their bodies is not something I want to discourage. But the persistence of this trend is what makes it ridiculously frustrating for the representation of women. The seduction is overused, and creates the connotation that the only way a female superhero can even exist is if they are conventionally attractive and use their sexual prowess as their main advantage.

People of color

One way that directors will often feign diversity in their casts is by having people of color as consistently secondary characters. You see this among many superhero movies, where almost if not all of the main cast is white, with one person of color in the background. Including characters of color only to play backseat roles only reinforces the idea that people of color are only important as the sidekick or comic relief. White characters are seen as the ideal image, and this limits the dynamic of non-white characters.

The Avengers, being one of the most influential and famous superhero films in recent mainstream media, is one of the best examples of this. Its poor representation reinstates the philosophy that a white, straight male is the default, and everyone who is part of a minority has only one responsibility: to support. This way of thinking makes it easier for the general public to pinpoint a Black Widow movie as a girl movie, or a Miles Morales movie as a black movie. It’s almost as if being part of an underrepresented section of society turns you into an adjective.

Another way that people of color are marginalized in superhero movies is by altering natural characteristics and assimilating them into white culture to make white audiences and critics more comfortable. For instance, Storm in X-Men and Thunder in The Outsider both have straight, flowing hair (grey-white for Storm and blonde for Thunder).

Not only this, but the very color of their skin is often in question. In Guardians of the Galaxy, Zoe Saldana is painted green, Dave Bautista is painted grey and red, and Vin Diesel is a tree. Not only does this take away from the representation of people of color in superhero movies by almost disguising them, but also further promotes Euro-centric beauty standards.

Another problematic role that characters of color are often smashed into is the villain. Often, they are shown as the savage and/or evil caricatures who barely have backstories. It’s important that audiences do not mistake this for adequate inclusion. Though prominent non-white characters is a pro, consistently portraying them as threatening is a definite con. Apparently, people of color are seen as dangerous not only in America, but also in galaxies far far away.

Looking to the future

Recently, there has been a lot of buzz about characters who have usually been portrayed as white people being played in live action movies by actors of color. For instance, the originally white, blond Human Torch and Aquaman are now cast as Micheal B. Jordan and Jason Momoa. Other examples in comic book form include John Stewart as Green Lantern, Miles Morales as Spiderman, and a Pakistani American Mulism as Ms. Marvel. Many people have condemned this trend as disrespectful to the original artists’ visions, but as Azie Dungey says in The Huffington Post, writers in 1961 can’t be expected to write black superheroes when black men couldn’t vote or eat at lunch counters.

If the industry is ever going to follow suit, it’s important we support and encourage movies, concepts, and casting choices that reflect diversity. As movie goers that support such diversity, it’s up to us to help the films that have good representation! So, go on. Buy your tickets! Do your research! And together we may be able to help the superhero film industry finally change its ways.

Youth Pride Preview

June 1, 2015 by lpahomov Leave a Comment

Angelica Owens

Staff Writer

The city of Philadelphia always has a Gay Pride parade and festival in June, but this year they tried something different. After the regular Gay Pride Parade, they will have a Youth Pride parade on July 5th.

Youth pride will be from 11-6pm and will start off at the William Way Center 1315 spruce and the rest will be between 13th and locust.

Youth Pride was planned mostly by a man named Andrew Rannells, along with student, Sean Morris and others. They started Youth pride because regular pride is filled with old, drunk people. To avoid that scene, they made a day where participants 21 years old and younger can celebrate being queer. There isn’t much information given on the events on this day, but there will definitely be a ribbon cutting of the new rainbow crosswalks in the gayborhood so that should be an exciting thing to happen. It is not clear where the tradition of the rainbow crosswalks started but they are over gayborhoods all around the country, including most recently, Key West Florida.

I am really looking forward to going to going to Youth pride because this is the first year we have done this and I think it would be good for just the youth to get together and celebrate being youth in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender community because it’s not easy. We are always getting talked down on from some of the older generations.

Another event I am looking forward to is the rainbow crosswalk. I have always wanted to see something rainbow in our city besides the rainbow signs but actual visibly on the streets such as the sidewalks. I am a huge fan of being prideful about who I am, so I can’t wait to see the new edition to the streets of the gayborhood! It brightens up our city and makes it a way to say that we have pride towards who we are and to show we are happy with ourselves.