Sports Exploration

1. Choose a sport to research: (Football, Basketball, Baseball, Volleyball, Soccer, Golf, Tennis, etc.)
Tennis

2. Identify your favorite team or athlete for your sport. Search the Internet and find a picture of mascot or photo of the athlete. Save the image to your student folder. 
Serena Williams

Make a new folder called “Sports Exploration” in your student folder to save all of your files for this project. (10 points)

3. Find the most recent rankings for one team or athlete. Include a list of the top 5 teams or athletes for your sport.
Women's Singles:

1. Serena Williams
2. Simona Halep
3. Marina Sharapova
4. Petra Kvitova
5. Caroline Wozniacki

Base your rankings from an official ranking for your sport (like Hollinger Power Rankings). Not your opinion. (20 points)
Women's Tennis Rankings
Summary:

1. Wins, losses (5 points)
Won every match this year except one against Simona Halep.

2. Did the team make playoffs? If there are no playoffs, name the major tournaments that your team or athlete competed in? (10 points)
FED Cup Playoffs, Miami, Indian Wells, Australian Open.

3. Who won the top prize or top tournament for your sport last year? (5 points)
Serena Williams.

5. List three important rules for your sport. (10 points)

• You have to get at least 4 points to win a game. 
• You have to play at least 6 games to win a set. 
• First point is worth 15 game points, second point is worth 15 game points, third is worth 10 game points, fourth is game over (unless tied). 

6. List three examples of jargon for your sport and explain what they mean in words non-sport followers could understand. (10 points)

1. Love - meaning the match is 0 to 0. 
2. Deuce - the match is 40 to 40.
3. Game point - when a player needs only one point to win.

7. What is an example of sports cliché associated with your sport or athlete? What is another way you could say it without using a cliché? (10 points)
Cliché: Tennis players grunt when hitting the ball.
Tennis players are vocal while playing because of how hard they're working.

8. Name an athlete who is a legend for setting records for your sport.
Serena Williams.

• birth place
Saginaw, Michigan.

• school attended
Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale.

• teams played for
N/A. Has played with her sister Venus, though.

• records set
6 Grand Slam titles, Simultaneous holder of Olympic gold & and all four majors in doubles. Several more. 

Current Events Quiz 4/28

1. What is happening in Baltimore right now? What event sparked the problems? Page A1 "Baltimore explodes…"
There are riots and protests happening in Baltimore, sparked by the death of a man who died due to the treatment he was given in police custody.

2. What are some Bastrop citizens worried about with operation Jade Hills 15? Page A1 "Meeting does little to…."
Bastrop citizens are fearful of a possible military presence in Texas and the confiscation of their guns.

3. How many iPhone 6, 6+ and other models were sold in the first three months of the year? (read carefully.....) Page B5 "Big iPhone sales drive…"
61 million.

4. What is Girlstart? Page D1 "Girlstart keeps growing"
It's a non-profit organization to get girls in 4th to 8th grade involved in STEM programs. 

5. Kim Kardashian...whatever...blah blah blah...Why is this woman still in the news? Okay, seriously, what do you think about Bruce Jenner? Do you really care? Does it really matter? Page D2 "Kardashian…"
I think that the news of Jenner's transition could be an important opportunity for people who aren't particularly aware of the struggles of the transgender community to become educated on such things—that is, as long as the media outlets reporting on the story are responsible and respectful of the issues at hand. 
It's less up to Jenner and the Kardashians for people to be educated properly and more up to the journalists who cover the story. The way they portray Jenner's transition could make or break how thousands of people think about the trans community, which is why it worries me. Mainstream media doesn't have the best track record when it comes to treating trans people with respect in how they refer to them (see: Leelah Alcorn, Chelsea Manning, etc.).


Short Answer: Nepal....what a tragedy. Read the story on page A3 "Nepalese.."
It's always horrifying to hear about this sort of mass carnage. First Haiti, then Japan, and now Nepal. It's hard to comprehend the amount of people who are mourning losses while recovering from injuries of their own, and I hope that there will be a successful international effort to rebuild the buildings that were destroyed. 
I hope that other countries that are in danger of major earthquakes take this as a warning to think ahead and make sure that there is sufficient preparation should such a disaster happen on their own home front. Too many countries, especially developing ones, don't have the funds for precautions that would make buildings resistant to earthquakes, etc. I think that big countries like the US should help these countries out, because we certainly do have the resources. 

Creative Writing Assignment

"The most beautiful smile I ever saw…"

----

The most beautiful smile I ever saw was hardly even a smile at all. It was little more than a slight upturning of her lips and small delicate crinkles at the corners of her tear-filled eyes. Despite how her face had swollen from crying, despite the bruise that was blooming around the cut on her cheek, she was radiant. Perhaps it was the solemn conviction in her glassy eyes, or perhaps it was the light from the window behind her that formed a sort of halo around her, but in that moment I knew that this was a girl who was born to be a martyr.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I forgot she had yet to give me the answer to my question, the answer I knew she would give.

"It's kind of you to offer," she said quietly. "But I can't stay with you. You know that."

I nodded and made a sort of choked hum in the back of my throat to convey my understanding, though I could feel a few of my own tears welling. Why, why, did it have to be her, of all people? Why was it this girl who had allowed herself to have such a duty thrust upon her? She was not, as so many believed, a messiah or a savior. She was a good person, better than most, the best, maybe. But she was hewn of flesh and bone, just as I. 

I frowned at this train of thought. Was that not how all messiahs started out? Flesh and bone?

Perhaps her believers were right in a way. I knew that after she had made a corpse of herself, she would become what they said she was. Flesh and bone can only contain divinity for so long before it’s consumed. Perhaps that explained why the best people burn bright and fast; organic matter can accommodate that sliver of divinity for a length of time that amounts to a cosmic millisecond before it immolates.

Sighing, I smiled wanly at her. “Of course. I understand,” I said, my voice hoarse. “Go, then. Go do what you must do.”

Without another word she nodded and turned away from me, her combat boots leaving sooty footprints in my pristine carpet as she walked to the door. I watched her leave my office, and then turned to my window to watch her exit the building a minute or two later. She strode, without hesitation, down the street and towards the war-zone that was the center of the city. I couldn’t help but feel that I was watching her go to her death sentence. 

Magazine Peer Review

1. What is the name of the magazine and who made it?

Raine Magazine - Violet

2. List two things you liked about the magazine cover

I really loved the photo used for the cover, and the logo/title of the magazine. 

3. Suggest something to the creator to improve the cover

Maybe add a border to the square around the title because the black blends in with the subject's hair. 

4. Why did you pick this cover? Specifically what attracted your eyes.

The title style is really original and the picture is gorgeous.

5. Is there a bar code? 

Yes.

6. Did that make it more "magazine-like"?

Yes.

7. Can you tell if it was a portrait or self-portrait?

Portrait.

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1. What is the name of the magazine and who made it?

The Watch Magazine - Seyi

2. List two things you liked about the magazine cover

The cover photo is really cool; I love the perspective used. I also like how the text avoids covering up the subject.

3. Suggest something to the creator to improve the cover

Find fonts that make the cover look a bit more polished. 

4. Why did you pick this cover? Specifically what attracted your eyes.

The portrait used is interesting.

5. Is there a bar code? 

Yes.

6. Did that make it more "magazine-like"?

Yes.

7. Can you tell if it was a portrait or self-portrait?

Portrait.

----

1. What is the name of the magazine and who made it?

Fetch - Laurel

2. List two things you liked about the magazine cover

I liked how the title stood out because how it was arranged vertically, and there were only a few colors in the photo, which made things lest chaotic.

3. Suggest something to the creator to improve the cover

Make sure the words don't overlap with a part of the photo that will make them a bit difficult to read.

4. Why did you pick this cover? Specifically what attracted your eyes.

The colors were very contrasting, which made it look classy and it stood out.

5. Is there a bar code? 

Yes (a QR code).

6. Did that make it more "magazine-like"?

Somewhat. It was a bit odd for it to be a QR code.

7. Can you tell if it was a portrait or self-portrait?

Self portrait.

Magazine Cover 1

Current Events Quiz 4/14

1. What % of the franchise tax could state business donate to a voucher bill program designed to help students attend private school if they are unhappy with their public school options? Page A1 "Texas Senate…"
Up to 50%. 

2. What are the "two biggest civic challenges" facing Austin, according to mayor Steve Adler? Page A1 "Adler: Austin's success…"
Traffic and housing costs. 

3. What is the political cartoon on Page A9 by Dan Wasserman from the Washington Globe trying to tell is, in your opinion?
The cartoon references the numerous accounts of American police officers shooting unarmed citizens, most, if not all, of whom were black. Many of the murders were caught on tape (and yet very few officers are indicted, not to mention punished). By the graves in "Small Comfort Cemetery" being marked with just the words "There was a video of the shooting," it highlights the fact that despite the fact that there's proof that the victims were innocent, it's a "small comfort" to their loved ones, because they're not coming back.

4. Who won the Master's Golf Tournament over the weekend? Where did he go to college? How old is he? How much money has he made this year? Page C1
Jordan Spieth, the University of Texas, 21, $5 million.


5. What is the number 1 movie in the country this week? Have you seen it? Do you want to go see it? Page D2
Fast and Furious 7, no I haven't seen it, no I don't want to see it. 

Short Answer: Read the story on B1 "Pilot program lets Texas soldiers vote by email"

If this pilot program continues to have the same success it has in the past, it could pave the way for everyone to vote via email. Do you think Americans in 2015 should be voting by email? Do you think there are problems that could arise if people were allowed to vote by email? Are there solutions to those problems? Do you think you might be able to vote via email or online in your lifetime?

No, I don't think that people should be voting by email. Maybe there's potential for electronic voting as a concept, but email can be easily tampered with by people who are experts with things like hacking. I can certainly see candidates having the ballots skewed in their favor, especially as cyber-subterfuge becomes more and more common. There are probably solutions to these problems, but I'd still be wary. I wouldn't doubt it if I'll be able to vote online in my lifetime. 

Portrait

Self Portrait

Favorite Cover

This is my favorite portrait cover out of all of the ones on the website. I love the fuzzy, grainy quality of the photo, and the colors of Nicki's makeup and hair give it a sort of ethereal look that I really like. It’s not a particularly sharp image, in fact it’s a bit blurry and out of focus, but it definitely works here. It’s a very striking and different image that is contrasted by the bold fonts used in the text on the sides and on the cover, which makes it stick out more. It’s a very unusual cover, and it definitely works.

Magazine Tips

1. Make it easy to read and understand at a glance. 
2. Visually stimulating, the image and text pulls a reader in. 
3. Make it appeal to your target audience. 
4. Don't let your text blend into the image. 
5. Stay away from making it too visually busy. 

Best Covers

1. The New York Times Magazine, Jerry Seinfeld - Informal
2. The Fader, Philip Glass - Formal
3. Vanity Fair, Lady Gaga - Formal
4. Harper's Bazaar, Gwyneth Revealed - Formal
5. New York, Nicki Minaj - Formal
6. W Magazine, Kate Moss - Formal
7. The New York Times Magazine, Deuce - Formal
8. Sports Illustrated, Oh Now You Love Us - Environmental
9. Texas Monthly, How to Raise a Texan - Informal
10. MIT Technology Review, You Promised Me Mars Colonies. Instead, I Got Facebook - Formal
11. Bloomberg Businessweek, The Next Four Weeks - Formal
12. TIME, Person of the Year - Formal
13. TIME, Are You Mom Enough? - Informal/Environmental
14. Bloomberg Businessweek, My Life in Private Equity - Environmental
15. New York, Sex - Informal