The Handy Hoe, A Great Invention For Everyone

In the Junior class, Design and Engineering we learned to compare tools and to calculate the surface area and how to add vectors. We talked about simple machines like wedges and what they do to help people during the day. During this class we visited Home Depot.They showed us how to use each tool and what they are called. We discussed empathy, reading about a woman that dressed up as a senior citizen to see how it feels and their daily struggles. Empathy which is when you put yourself in the same shoes to understand how they feel.We are using this as our inspiration for this action project. We also had to interview a gardener for our project to learn about what could make the tools better they used. For this action project we are supposed to pick a tool we saw in Home Depot and innovate it to be easier to use for senior citizens.

TH ,The Handy Hoe,(2016) 

For my interview, I interviewed my neighbor. I learned that my neighbor started gardening as a little girl. I also learned that she liked hand tools because she could get better in the ground more. Lastly, I learned about how to pot plant.“I struggle to use tools, especially ones where I have to bend to use them if I could sit down and use it that would be way better”

TH,Vectors,(2016)

I learned that hoes are used for different reasons for gardening,like moving things or spreading dirt to making room for a plant.I learned that there are different types of tools for different uses and that each one is made from a different material. Lastly, I learned there really aren't any that would be good for a senior citizen other than the fact that it has a grip.
 
Our new tool is named The Handy Hoe, it moves things and lift things. The purpose is to make sure that it is not as straining on the back as a normal tool would be, but the tool is mostly used to lift things.There are joints  that bend and a grip that is rubber. The grip is better for holding the tool. The heads change so that people don’t have to buy more tools .The Handy Hoe is a wedge ,It separates dirt from the ground or rocks in a planter box. Compared to other tools ours is better because we have an arm that can bend which, other hoe's at Home Depot did not. another reason is because the material is better there is less chance of getting a splinter and it is not as heavy to carry. Lastly, there are changeable heads so as mentioned before you don't have to buy more tools.

TH. Surface and Volume. (2016)

AL ,Handy Hoe Cartoon, (2016)

Citations 

Mrs.Robinson(9,18,2016)In Person Interview

                                                        

Rising Above

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest soul, the massive characters are seared with scars"Khalil Gibran (Criminal Minds)

In the Junior, class called Rhetoric we learned about what makes up rhetoric ( audience speaker and message).We visited the history museum seeing the exhibits The lives of objects. We learned about the effect of Rhetoric on others , another thing that we learned was the techniques that make rhetoric more effective. Lastly, we learned how does rhetoric influence.For this action project, we had to make a speech for a candidate, they have to answer my question which is Why is the murder rate rising in Chicago

                    
                                            AL Rhetoric Speech from AL on Vimeo.

In Chicago, the murder rate has been rising a lot lately due to the rate of gun violence, because a large percent of gangs in the Chicago area.This topic has been on the news more frequently in these past three years involving gangs killing little kids with parent having gang ties.Tyshawn lee a nine-year-old boy was led into an alley and murdered by two gangs members that his father was assumed to have gang ties with,a child playing ball with his friends shot for something he knew nothing about. A woman who was 49 years old an innocent bystander was and killed in a gang crossfire trying to buy coffee from Starbucks. We can't even get a latte without being killed in the crossfire.

In May of last year, it was 46 murders and 318 shootings to 66 murders in may this year and 397 shootings. This is just some of the statistics of the rate rising. in the article 10 shootings a day: Complex causes of Chicago's spiking violence in the Chicago tribune stating that,” through June Chicago has had more homicides than the two largest cities combined” mostly being in the Englewood and Harrison neighborhoods are one-fourth of the homicides in Chicago related to gang disputes. I think that this should not be something that as 16-year-old girl that i should be worrying about, I should be worried about turning in my homework and dating instead every day I see new murder victims due to gangs. I am ashamed of where I was born , this is my home I have lived her since I was in the fourth grade, to become a youthful young women worried about my brother being killed by the police or shot in the crossfire of gangs getting home from work.

We as citizens of Chicago, should better try to have our kids have activities after school to keep them from joining gangs or being victimized by one. We as citizens should help out community to get out city back to way it used to be. We as citizens should not be ashamed to say where we are from to other in different cities , we should not be afraid to say if we live in Englewood or Harrison it shouldn't matter where we are from inside we are all the same. We As citizen need to love each other and be supportive not kill little boys that barely have even lived. Loving where we from to should be like loving our parents that house and clothes us. Kids being able to go play ball with no worries is like , minorities not having to deal with discrimination for wanting a good job to support their families.

Sources:
Https://www.facebook.com/wgnnews. "Chicago Murder Rate Jumps in May 2016 Compared to May 2015." WGNTV. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.

Sweeney, Annie, and Jeremy Gorner. "10 Shootings a Day: Complex Causes of Chicago's Spiking Violence." Chicagotribune.com. N.p., 2016. Web. 26 Sept. 2016.

Nathan-francis. "Tyshawn Lee: 9-Year-Old Chicago Boy Executed By Gang Members Because Of His Father's Gang Ties." The Inquisitr News. N.p., 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.

Fessenden, Ford, and Haeyoun Park. "Chicago’s Murder Problem." The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 27 Sept. 2016