Mrs. Ho's AP Lang - 10

       Now this is a question that has been debated for well, as long as I've been around. Some citys such as Jacksonville, Illinois and Rayne, Louisiana both prevent kids older than 13 from trick-or treating. Now some view this policy as protective, thinking that it is a way to keep communities safer, and the holiday more innocent. But I don't agree with this, teens are kids too and should be treated as such, I am15 turning 16 in December and I still trick or treat and plan on doing so until I go to college at a minimum. Trick or treating is a time to gather with friends, watch scary movies, and express yourself without fear of societal repercussions . Its a time for people to be themselves, something that everyone of all ages has some need to do. All around the country people are feeling shamed for trick or treating if they're a teenager, and I don't believe that's right. Some parents keep their teens home in order to keep them from doing mischievous  thi...

 Different people have different preferences in terms of the media they consume. Many people use mediums like art or books as escapism, usually because they are unhappy with their lives. Other people may consume content like novels or listen to a musical for personal enjoyment or out of boredom. One thing that is usually the case for people who consume a variety of media is that they come across many different genres; one such genre is tragedy. Or, if someone doesn't  like  tragic tales as a focus, they will still encounter them as a backdrop or plot device in most narratives. A tragedy is defined as " a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a main character ." Media encompassing tragedies have been around since Ancient Greece's infamous plays, continuing to exist even with horrible things happening throughout history. Why? One explanation is that people get a certain type of abreactive reaction to seeing ba...

                      Busch Gardens is not the most well-known theme park in the country; many more people think of Universal or Disney World when thinking of the top American amusement parks. However, people should begin to consider Busch gardens among the best, and even put it up there with Six Flags and even the two giants in Orlando, Florida. First of all, Busch Gardens has a much wider variety of exciting roller coasters than nearly any other park. Rides like Sheikra, Kumba, and Montu incorporate suspenseful stops, many loops, and a multitude of spins and turns. The number of rides does not affect the quality of each ride. Just by experiencing each, it is easy to tell that clearly architects and builders spent their important, valuable time constructing masterpieces, as each ride is just as exciting while incorporating different elements than the others. Busch Gardens not only features rides with plenty of twists, turns, and lo...

     Although many people say that not eating breakfast is a dishonor to yourself, in my opinion, the necessity of breakfast depends on the individual. The people that are for breakfast typically recommend smaller, more frequent meals throughout the day. Their reasoning for this is that eating whenever you are hungry can keep your energy levels stable. They also say that this can keep your cholesterol levels stable since you aren't consuming that much food at once, which would make it easier for your body to digest.          However, the opposing side of the breakfast debate thinks you should have a few large meals. They think that doing this will keep you satiated throughout the day without the need for energy boosts. In one study , they found that people who consume larger, less frequent meals are typically less hungry on average compared to someone who eats many small meals throughout the day, even if they were consuming the same numb...

Last week, I had my first cross country meet. It was very exciting since I had worked hard for it and being able to do it was rewarding. There were so many exciting parts about the meet and I am so glad that I did it. One of my favorite parts was seeing the companionship between all the runners and the viewers. Passing by all the parents and hearing their chants was truly a great experience and it made me keep going no matter how tired I was. As well, so many strangers would chant for me even though they were rooting for others. For example, many runners from the race before mine had stayed to watch my race. It was so motivational to hear them say things like "you got this" or "keep pushing" because they were also runners who knew how you felt in that moment. Furthermore, there was an instance in which one of the girls from my race had to stop and walk. What made this a really sweet moment was that another girl slowed down her pace to ask if the girl who stopped was...

      Last week on Wednesday the 25th, our school asked everyone to wear pink to show support for those going through or having been through breast cancer. Many people wore pink, but some people even wore a pink ribbon on their clothes since it's the symbol of breast cancer awareness. This got me thinking about all the other colored ribbons I've seen people wear and their meanings. I always knew about awareness ribbons, but I wanted to learn more about their history and all the different meanings each color has.     An awareness ribbon is essentially a colored ribbon that is folded in a loop and brings awareness to a lot of different disabilities, health issues, and other struggles people have.  There are many different colors that each represent a countless amount of things such as pink for breast cancer, birth parents, and nursing mothers. I won't name all the meanings of every color, but the most common are blue for child abuse, pink for breast cancer, ...

  Yael Fishman 10/30/23 Ms. Ho Hanukkah is The Best Jewish Holiday      There are many Jewish holidays, and they're all significant. However, which one is the best? The answer is quite simple; it's Hanukkah. Hanukkah is a happy holiday where Jewish people from all around the world celebrate and pay tribute to the rededication of the Second Temple. You light candles during Hanukkah for each day of the festival. Hanukkah is the best Jewish holiday because it brings together families, has fun traditions and has delicious food. Hanukkah is celebrated for eight days, and during this period, families come together and even go to the extent of flying across the globe to unite. Spending time with your family is priceless; therefore, Hanukkah gives you a great opportunity to spend time with your loved ones for a wonderful celebration. Fun traditions are one of the main qualities of Hanukkah. Lighting the menorah, gift-giving, playing dreidel, gelt, blessing, and other traditi...

  Let me preface this with a warning, there’s a lot of blood mentioned in this post. Anyway, about two weeks ago, I was preparing to go to school, when I suddenly got a nosebleed. It was a massive one, which even my parents said had a ridiculous amount of blood. Blood was in my mouth, and I went to the ER. Turns out nothing serious happened, but I had just popped a blood vessel in my nose. After telling the doctor what had happened in the last week, he claimed that the blood vessel most likely popped due to extreme mental stress. I decided to look into how that happens. Originally, my search started with few helpful results. I had to alter my search several times in order to get any relevant results, as most of the time when blood vessels pop in relation to stress, it occurs at the heart. However, after searching long enough, I managed to find a search that yielded the wanted results, that being “blood vessels pop in nose due to mental stress.”  With it, I found two articles t...

          Hawaii is one of my favorite places to travel and as I was growing up it was an annual trip my family would partake in. Hawaii is an amazing, extremely beautiful, and tropical place. The weather is fantastic  and the oceans are perfect.....except when there are sharks nearby. It is a perfect place to travel as a family and especially with younger kids. There are a ton of activities and you will never get bored.             Hawaii is composed of six major islands; Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Hawaii, Molokai, and Lanai. Each island has a unique charm and has different perks. There is a ton of natural Beauty all over all of these islands, such as volcanoes, bays, canyons, reefs, and coasts. Hawaii is also extremely culturally and resource rich. My favorite island is Maui and I love going surfing, snorkeling, hiking, driving in jeeps up the volcanoes, and eating a nice ice cold shaved ice by the pool.    ...

 There are many love languages in the world, each varying from person to person. The most famous five are  physical touch , words of affirmation , gift-giving , acts of service , and quality time . Well, what if I introduced one that book lovers seem to be paying more attention to these days; have you ever heard of cannibalism ? Taboo in the real world, as well as in most fictional ones, many authors still use cannibalism as a metaphor for undying love, as well as usually twisted or unhealthy relationships (people are being eaten , after all). Cannibalism has penetrated art and cultures worldwide for centuries. Originating from the word Caribales , the Spanish word that Christopher Columbus describe the West Indies tribe as when he heard of their unusual practices (the eating people part). Now, most people do not practice cannibalism as often, usually because victims would die and the sampling of meat from your friend would very quickly turn into a murder case. ***The rest of...

     Houseplants are great for incorporating decorative, lively greenery into your home. However, this is not the extent of their benefits. They do a lot more for you than just looking nice. Houseplants can improve air quality, reduce stress, and decrease depressive moods.      The relationship between how plants and animals improve each other's air quality is  symbiotic . A symbiotic relationship is a mutually beneficial relationship between two different organisms that live in close proximity. Houseplants benefit from humans because they take in the carbon dioxide that we breathe out, and they benefit humans since they replace that air with oxygen, which we breathe in. This means that they depend on us for their air, and we depend on them for ours.  A   NASA study explains that houseplants can also help improve human air quality by removing cancer-causing chemicals from the air. These cancer-causing chemicals include formaldehyde and b...

  Throughout history, the Jewish people have faced the same narrative over and over again, being used as scapegoats for things society cannot understand and being persecuted across centuries and continents. The tension faced by the Jewish people is an unsettling constant. This is found to be true in the cruel edicts of the Roman Empire, the medieval European Persecution, the horrors of the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, and the oppression in Soviet Russia. In the times of the Roman Empire, at least until Antoninus Pius revoked the cruel laws placed upon the Jewish people and Jerusalem. Nevertheless, until he decided to change these unfair and harsh edicts, the rules placed upon them banned the following: keeping the Sabbath, the study of the Torah, and the act of circumcision. To many people, both now and then, it looked like Hadrian wanted to destroy the Jewish people. Along with the bans, as mentioned above, the Jewish people residing in Roman-occupied territory were also required to...

Artificial intelligence is a rapidly developing technology. It is supposed to be the next great invention in Humankind's history; it already is and will likely become even more revolutionary and impactful than it currently is. While all of this is true, if AI use in the Music Industry is not limited, it will be a great unprecedented disaster for all. AI takes the creativity out of music. The ability to access AI allows artists in any genre to have programs write lyrics for them. A large part of the enjoyment of music for many people comes from the personality or the current emotion of an artist being instilled into their writing through meaningful lyrics. This entire portion of music would be affected greatly, because programs can churn out unoriginal lyrics now. Additionally, AI and robots can become adept at a task, but undoubtedly cannot replicate human emotion or the outside of the box thinking that the human mind is capable of. If AI is utilized to write lyrics or music, the...

     Most people know the action-packed, light-hearted cartoon Adventure Time  whether you watched it as a kid or are watching it now. On the surface, it may seem like a cute animation with some sweet messages in a few episodes, but what if this kid's show is sweeter than you'd think? Too sweet. In the land of Ooo, all the citizens, except Finn, are made of candy with even their buildings constructed of entirely candy. So this had me curious as to whether or not the Candy People ate candy or not. The answer is yes, Princess Bubblegum, the ruler of the Candy People, has been seen eating candy and ice cream despite being made of entirely bubblegum. In my opinion, this is quite morbid to think about and raises the question: are the Candy People cannibals for eating candy? *This will contain spoilers for Adventure Time season 7 and above (with one small part of the first episode in the series)     First off, what is classified as cannibalism ? There are multip...

Everyone has used both at some point but which is better, paper towels or dryers? I personally believe that hand towels are way better. They do not make any loud noises and instead they actually dry your hands. As well, you do not have to wait an eternity for your hands to be somewhat dryer. However, this is just my opinion.  The facts are that paper towels are actually a lot more sanitary and hygienic then electric dryers. Hand dryers spread bacteria when they blow out the air. On the other hand, paper towels are only touched by one person so they are much more sanitary. As well, hand dryers can actually be bad for your hands. The air can cause irritation in the skin. This would mean excessively dry, rough, or red skin. Many times, this leads people to stop washing their hands as often which makes hand dryers even worse for stopping diseases. There are, however, a few disadvantages to paper towels. Paper towels are less environmentally friendly then hand dryers. While electric dry...

Was Palestine Ever a Nation? The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has existed for approximately 76 years. Pro-Palestinians claim that Palestine was a nation until it was wrongfully invaded by Israelis. There's a lot of misinformation regarding this foreign conflict that may distort someone's perception of what really is going on. To better understand the conflict, learning the history of Israel and Palestine is crucial. In 930 BC, the kingdom of Judah was established. Judah was a part of the twelve tribes of Israel and was home to the Jewish people. During this time, there was no "Palestine". This was a Semitic land with primarily ancient Jewish people. Palestine is a derived term from the Philistines, who were the Aegean people, not Palestinians, because frankly, there is no such thing as a Palestinian people. This is a common misinterpretation because it has never been recorded that Palestine was ever a nation in all of history. Nevertheless, the Aegean people settled a...

   It is my favorite time of year, basketball season at school. I love basketball, it has been one of my favorites sports ever since I was a little kid. I have played on a bunch of recreational teams, school teams, club teams, travel teams, and more. The excitement mixed with the strategy and teamwork is exhilarating to be a part of. It doesn't matter if you're a coach, a player, a fan, or a ref, everyone loves watching these thrilling games. Additionally, I am one of the most competitive people you will ever meet, so it is even more fun getting to compete against other teams and giving it my all out on the court.      Nothing tops the energy of your friends in the stands while playing with your friends on the court. Not only is basketball enjoyable and exciting, but it teaches sportsmanship and working as a team. I've learned how to win gracefully and lose with dignity......even though winning is much more fun. Also, since basketball is a game of team...

       Art can, and is by many, be considered a form of self-expression. There are many styles of art, ranging from pencil sketching to oil painting to graphic design tees or even making video games! However, there are a couple of ways to create those; digitally or traditionally (though some people combine the two).      Digital art is usually used to create graphic designs and animations. Utilizing resources like paid painting apps like Procreate (drawing and animation) or free ones like Flipaclip (animation), one can use their features to assist in creating art regardless of their skill level. Digital art also provides a much bigger variety of what someone can create because of access to the internet, a feature that traditional art does not have. On the other hand, while digital art is a cool medium, it is all on a screen, and though people can print art nowadays, there is something special about creating art on a canvas or sculpting a figure out of ...

       The fashion industry has been unequal for many years, especially against women and their role in the fashion world. Not only are they a minority, but they have less power because of it and are treated worse than men. What’s more, is that most men in the industry don’t even realize it. The Glass Runway , a survey done on the fashion industry, states, “In our interviews, 100 percent of women said that gender inequality is a problem in the industry, compared with less than 50 percent of men.” As much as fashion is fueled by women, with them spending three times more than men, it is ruled by men.       A common stereotype about the fashion industry is that women control most of it because they’re thought to be more involved compared to men. However, a survey done by Business of Fashion (BoF) confirms that most of the people who run the major fashion brands are men, with only 14% being run by women. For example, the chief officer of Victoria’s ...

                    College Football is among the highest rated and most watched sports in America, with many people enjoying it much more than professional football. College football stars are the ones who will inevitably go on to become household names in the NFL, making them the true foundation for the sport. So, it is very important to recognize the best of the best; they are the future superstars who millions will watch every sunday.                        One of the most exciting players and most important people in the College Football world is reigning Heisman Quarterback Caleb Williams from USC. Through only seven games, Williams has thrown for twenty-three touchdowns, and only four interceptions. ...

 With the release date of October 20th soon approaching, here’s the rundown of what to expect with the biggest spider man game since Spider-Man ps4 5 years ago.      No for the main villain of a game its no another than Venom returning to the games for the first time since 2014. In this spider-man the main villain is going to be venom. With the last game having a strong emphasis on the psychodynamics of the main villain, people are looking forward to this approach to venom. Speaking of approaches this one is bringing a new one of venom, typically he is an alien from space, but in this game venom looks to be an Oscorp experiment.      Mechanics. This will be the 1st Spider-Man game where you can actively switch between spider men. Meaning you can choose any spider to play as for any mission, and this will be “near instant”. Along with adding more mechanics such as web-gliding and slingshotting, the swinging will also be much more fluid and faster than t...

       When was the last time you went to a movie theater? When was the last time that you streamed a movie? If you are being completely honest, you probably streamed many movies between now and the last time you went to a movie theater. You are not alone. In fact, some say that movie theater attendance has decreased by 50% in the last four years. If you think about this, it is a crazy number that has put a huge toll on movie theaters and its business. So the question arises, should we try to preserve movie theaters or should they die out? I believe that we should continue supporting movie theaters.     Going to the movies is a great experience. You walk in and the smell of popcorn hits your face. You get your tickets and snacks and then you go into the theater. You sit down and relax as the commercials start. You can go with friends and make it into a fun hang out or you can go by yourself and connect with everyone else. While you watch the movie, eve...

     I  personally used to think that water was very inconvenient. One reason that I thought this was because it was so heavy and there was no good way to keep it with you. My backpack is heavy enough as it is without the extra weight of a water bottle. The other option is to hold it as you walk around, but this isn't a great alternative because doing this creates another thing for you to not lose, and putting an air tag on your water bottle feels excessive.      In class, people will have giant bottles of water sitting on their desks, which takes up so much space. Plus, if you happen to be short and have a tall water bottle, you then have to move your head around the cup in order to see the person speaking or writing at the front of the room.       Also, who needs that much water? Ten cups is a suggestion, not a set rule, and wouldn't you feel so lethargic by the third cup?       I also don't understand the peop...

  The Perfect Vacation In Italy Italy is a diverse country with many different attractions. It is the perfect place to travel if you're looking for an adventurous, educational, and relaxing trip. Italy is also for the whole family; there are activities for everyone, regardless of age or interest. From famous historical landmarks to authentic Italian pizza kitchens, I can guarantee that Italy has what you're looking for. Let's plan as if you are taking a trip to Italy and you've never been there before. When visiting Italy, you must visit Rome. You're staying at the Rome Cavalieri, the Waldorf Astoria hotel that's in the center of Rome. This hotel has many amenities, such as a spa, tours of Rome, and much more. Now is the time to visit the breathtaking historical landmarks, including the Colosseum and Pantheon. After the tour, indulge in some authentic pizza; as they say, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"! Alle Carette is one of the most popular pizze...

  A pattern I’ve begun to notice recently is that many of the most popular video games and movies often tend to be remakes of old pieces of media. While the most obvious examples of this would be the remakes of old Disney movies that have been released over the past several years, there are many more examples of this. For example, one of the most popular games this year was the remake of Resident Evil 4, and one of the most anticipated upcoming releases is the remake of Persona 3. So why is this, and what is the interest of playing a game you’ve already played, or watching a movie you’ve already seen? Well, firstly, there’s the appeal to those who never played or watched the previous piece of media. The appeal to this group is obvious, as to them, it’s new content. Even if one already knows the plot and twists of a story, experiencing it first hand can still be entertaining. Even if  you’re already familiar with a piece of media, viewing or playing it’s remake doesn’t complete...