Ted Talk Reflection

What I Knew (And didn’t know about my topic when I started out). 

Like I stated in the presentation, I really witnessed the disease through my grandmother when I was very young. Even being young, I knew something was very off about her and looking back on it, I have always wished that I could talk to her, but her condition progressed too far for me to do that. I didn’t know that Alzheimer’s afflicted so many people, especially the elderly. Seeing the figure that ten percent of people over 65 have it really opened my eyes to how widespread the disease really was. I also didn’t know that there were seven stages of Alzheimer’s and that the identification of this was crucial for the treatment of patients suffering from the disease. Honestly, I never thought there would be research that was so close to permanently ending the disease altogether.

Why I Selected This Topic 

I feel like I’ve said this too much, but the inspiration for the topic stemmed from my interactions with my grandmother. I don’t think I would know really anything about the disease without this and it gave me more motivation throughout the research and presentation process. It gave me a genuine interest in digging more for any new research and advancements that could potentially end Alzheimer’s for good. I also thought that if I was able to provide concrete evidence of a cure, then it would turn people’s interest.

What I Learned-Research 

Even though trying to dig through scholarly articles and trying to understand the diction of a person who has years of experience on the topic was frustrating, but finding the evidence that Alzheimer’s can eventually be cured made the experience worth it. I found most of my information from these scholarly articles, and they would usually refer to other articles at the bottom of their work, which was very helpful. My favorite source was the National Institute on Aging, and they gave a very great definition of Alzheimer’s- “Alzheimer’s disease is an irreversible, progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks”. I learned that the disease was very widespread and killed around 262,000 people in 2017. I also learned that it was the sixth leading cause of death in America, and if something isn’t done, there could be countless more. I was diligent, but like many things my work ethic could have been a bit better by starting earlier.

What I Learned-Presentations

From watching the video, the first thing I notice immediately is that one side of my collar is sticking up, which seems minor but it is very visually unappealing. Also, I noticed that I was shifting a lot at the beginning, but I corrected this as the presentation progressed. I stumbled over a few phrases, but generally I thought that I was coherent and concise with my speech. I rehearsed my speech in front of my parents a few times over the week leading up to the talk and then just rambled on in the car or any other space possible to get more comfortable with my topic. I thought my presentation went well, but there are a few aspects that I would go back and change to make it even better. The main thing I need to work on in future presentations is my posture, because I cannot be shifting around all the time while trying to deliver a speech.

What the Audience Learned

I presented a fresh new idea by informing the audience of potential treatment for Alzheimer’s, as well as a call to action to look out for other people and potential symptoms of the disease. I felt like I was fairly successful in doing this. My last slide really hit these points hard, and I think that it struck a cord with the audience and made them more aware of the importance of an early diagnosis. I could have done better with selling the fact that the cure for a disease was close, but overall I felt that I did a good job.

Advice for Future Students

The most important thing future students can do is to get ahead on the process and use the time Mr. Davidson gives in class wisely. Be rigorous in the research process, the more information a person has on anything, the better. Also, I felt that it was crucial to me to practice my speech a couple times before, which also means that the speech has to be done on the date it should be done. Pick a topic that you are interested in, because the audience can tell your enthusiasm over the topic through your delivery, which will probably be monotone and bland. Make it grip the audience and start with a hook to get them interested. Do not underestimate the importance of visuals and the timing of it through the PowerPoint clicker, as well as transitions and other effects. In general, just be invested in the topic and don’t completely blow off this Ted Talk, because it is still a final project.

Vera Dietz Analysis

Griffin Neary

Mr. Davidson 

Period 5

12-12-19

AMDG

Vera Dietz Analysis

          The novel Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King tells the story of a high school senior struggling to get over the recent death of her best friend, Charlie Kahn. Vera works at Pagoda Pizza and has a new boyfriend James, but her problems do not go away. Throughout the novel she battles with alcohol addiction and the guilt of speaking up about what she knows concerning Charlie’s death. Through her memories, readers get a closer look into her friendship with Charlie since they were both four years old, as these memories slowly piece together what happened between the two that caused their falling out. The plot unravels Vera’s insecurities and rough family history, as she tries to become invisible to the rest of the school with her family secrets. King’s work captures the struggles of a teenage girl and her fight to overcome the death of both her best friend and a boy she deeply loved.

          The novel crafts a very relatable tale to teenagers who struggle with many of the same things that Vera struggles with. This can be seen with the relationship with her dad, where they argue through much of the book. Her dad, Ken, is very worried about her family history of alcoholism and how it could be passed down to Vera, who evidently has a problem with drinking. “I’ve warned Vera about the drinking genes, but she acts like it’s funny. She jokes about stripper genes too, but she’s too young to understand the situation Cindy Sindy was in when she was born and I was drunk” (King 127). This aside from Ken shows that Vera is also a high school student trying to show her dad her side of thinking, but like many in the same position the kids struggle to understand their parents’ reasoning and the fact that they have been through the same experiences as their kids. By looking at Ken’s thoughts, we see that despite the fights, he is trying to do what is best for Vera, which is a phenomenon that many parents experience with their kids. Also, the book describes a loss of friendship as people change over high school, which is highlighted by Charlie and Vera’s dramatic falling out. The constant secrets that each one held for each other got out to the rest of the school, and Vera experienced constant verbal abuse from classmates. This kind of behavior is seen in all schools and it illustrates how people act toward someone else in order to boost themselves up. I believe that this novel was so successful because much of the stuff Vera experiences happens to teenagers everywhere.

         Vera also brings up the issue that adults often ignore things and let them fly under the radar instead of helping. The main example King uses is through Bill Corso, the star quarterback who barely knows how to read. Vera explains that it is sad that teachers and adults allowed all of this to slide just because he was athletic, and that he would be heading off to college not knowing how to read properly. Another example is Ken Dietz ignoring the fact that Charlie’s dad constantly beats Charlie’s mom. This is exemplified as Ken remarks, “It’s just not as easy as reporting it. There’s just so little we can do. The guy’s a jerk, and if we get involved, it’ll only make him worse” (King 109). Ken believes that doing nothing is the best course of action, which enrages Vera because she knows that there is something that they can do to intervene and stop it. Vera is not the type of person to let things happen and begs her dad to take action. The novel is trying to explain that adults have a false sense of maturity and tend to stay out of issues that need to be brought to the light. The plot challenges adults and their system of keeping out of other people’s business, but that they do it to a detriment.

          A.S. King’s novel Please Ignore Vera Dietz is a work that I would definitely recommend, especially to teenagers who are fans of reading. The story is not only relatable, but it combines elements of friendship, internal struggles, and love. It also is able to expand on real life issues that young adults and people in general face, and many times these issues are kept on the inside. The novel brings these to light, and like Vera learns towards the end of the novel, her issues and herself cannot be ignored. This book has countless lessons that can be learned from it and holds a clash against morals that is examined closely. Overall, the book is extremely well written and possesses the qualities of being a must read in the eyes of many.

Dark Matter Analysis

Griffin Neary

Mr. Davidson

Period 5

11-13-19

Dark Matter Book Review

          The novel Dark Matter written by Blake Crouch is a tale of perseverance through a turbulent and confusing scientific for Jason Dessen. Jason, a professor at a small college is slightly haunted by the fact that he did not fulfill his potential of being a world renowned scientist. These doubts are put to bed by his loving family, including his wife Daniela and his son Charlie. While on his way back from a party celebrating his former colleague’s winning of the Pavia Prize, he is abruptly kidnapped and wakes up in a world that is not his. With the help of a woman named Amanda Lucas, they try to navigate their way through many different realities and worlds that include other versions of Jason, Amanda, Daniela, and other people they know and love to try and get Jason back to the life that he has come to know and love.

          A theme of destiny plays a huge role, especially towards the end of the novel with the fate of all the Jasons. There is always a constant clash between the ethics of interacting with alternate realities as if it were one’s own reality. Jason 2 is the biggest example of this, because no matter how much he loves Daniela, that is not his world and it will always belong to the Jason he stole it from. As for the other Jasons, it is no secret that they love Daniela just as much as the Jason narrating the story, but it is fate that Daniela ended up with the Jason that was able to outthink the others and get them to safety, and Daniela believes this as well. This is seen when Daniel convinces Jason, “Of all the versions of Jason, it was you who pulled that crazy stunt at the diner, which landed you in jail, which brought us safely together” (Crouch 443). She’s basically saying that they are meant to be together and there is a reason she ended up with the Jason who got her safely back to their old lives. There are literally countless other scenarios that the original Jason could have lived out, but the choices he made from resisting Amanda to begging on the street shaped him into the person who would persevere for his family while still being in a stable mind frame to be that father and husband that they had. Although the lottery for Daniela and Charlie did not go through, Jason experienced winning a lottery of his own by being that only Jason out of an infinite number of Jasons to end up with his wife and son.

          Crouch also illustrates the greatest and worst of people as Jason is faced with versions of himself trying to kill him. Throughout his ordeals and hardships in the box, Jason comes to realize that there other versions of him who took paths that were much worse than his, which proves that people’s behaviors are directly affected by their circumstances. Jason is first introduced to this fact when he first sees another version of himself who is physically marred and walks aimlessly throughout the Box, which hinders the original Jason’s psychiatric state. Another could be the scar faced Jason who holds a conversation with the original, but letting him know afterward that he will kill the original Jason without hesitation. “But if it comes down to you and me, I won’t let you stop me from being with Daniela and Charlie. I won’t like it, but I’ll kill you if it comes to that” (Crouch 377). This unnerving statement by the scar faced Jason shows that the collective love the Jasons have for their old life will drive them to pursue dire and lethal solutions. Jason 1 realizes that all of these people were the same person as him up until a couple of days ago, which proves that the only thing separating him from the other Jasons is the situations that they encountered over their journey through the Box. This aspect of Crouch’s writing makes the story much more interesting and also makes an ending that is suspenseful while not confusing the audience.

          Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter is a thrilling and intriguing novel that I would recommend from casual science fiction fans to hardcore fans. Prior to reading this, I was not excited about it because I am not a fan of science fiction and thought I might have a hard time following along. However, the development of the plot was easy to follow and had a very interesting build up throughout the novel. The twist of Jason seeing more versions of himself at the end of the novel shows a conflict between protecting his own interests versus the interests of his other counterparts. This novel is both thrilling in a scientific and social aspect and is a book that I would rate highly as a book to read.

This I Believe: Belly Backs

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This I Believe: Belly-Backs

I believe in the power of giving and receiving belly backs. You all are probably wondering what this is. One day, I was petting my dog and I really thought that I could do better scratching areas that he couldn’t reach. To do this, I rubbed his back and his belly/chest area at the same time. The result was perfect. My dog could not get enough of it and always acknowledges that my method of giving belly backs is the best. The more I thought about this, the more I thought about applying it to actual human beings. This came before a hockey game sophomore year with my friend Henry Mansky, where I decided to give him a signature belly back. He was fired up.

That game, we played really well, especially Henry, so he urged me to keep that going. Before every game, I would occasionally give belly backs to a few kids, who I assume liked it. This act is not just for a specific pregame or to rile someone up. I genuinely believe that it has a calming effect on the person receiving it and the person giving it. I was glad to see that many of my friends picked this up and gave it right back to me. It doesn’t have to be in a sports setting but it can be in any type of location that the person sees fit. I just think it’s funny that a way of petting for my dog has turned into gesture of fraternity, love, and acceptance.

To extend off of this, the most important thing we can do as fellow human beings is letting people know they are loved in some way. This can be in the form of a high five, hug, or maybe even take a page out of my playbook and give a belly back. The gesture may seem small, but you never know what is going on with that person, so treat them with the respect that you would want to receive. I believe in unconditional love. I believe in acceptance of everyone. I believe in belly backs. 

Art of Racing in the Rain

Griffin Neary
Mr. Davidson
Period 5
10-9-19

Art of Racing in the Rain

        The Art of Racing in the Rain, written by Garth Stein portrays the life of a loyal, loving, and genuine dog and his trial and tribulations. The main character, Enzo, is a dog who was adopted as a puppy by his owner Denny, who he comes to love. After Denny settles to marry Eve and have a daughter named Zoë, Enzo realizes that his role of being by Denny’s side extended to this new family. Although he is a dog, Enzo finds himself a vital piece of the family and loves them the same, if not more. Facing many difficulties, Enzo must keep the family together through misfortune, confusion, and heartbreak.
        Enzo’s narration of the novel and his recount of certain events make the story very unique and interesting. Through the perspective of a dog, the readers can see things in a completely different light. This is exemplified when he senses Eve’s illness long before her diagnosis, and everything leading up to this fateful discovery grows the frustration of Enzo and the audience. “Given a facile tongue, I could have warned them. I could have alerted them to her condition long before they discovered it with their machines, their computers and super-vision scopes that can see inside the human head” (Stein 36-37). His narration also allows readers to dive deep into his opinions, thoughts, and most importantly, readers can see the true unconditional love Enzo has for his family members. One example of this is his growing relationship with Eve throughout the novel. He feels threatened by her at first because he feels she will get in the way of Denny and his relationship together. However, when Eve gives birth to Zoë, Enzo makes a promise with Eve to always protect Zoë. Enzo’s narration of the book is vital to the story and gives a look inside his mind, as opposed to a third person narration where it would simply be a telling of the events.
        The false accusation against Denny and the legal battle that ensues over his daughter put to the test his application of the skills he has a driver to a real life scenario. We get a real look at the injustice being done to Denny when Eve’s parents, the Twins, sue Denny for custody of Zoë. This heated argument really brings the frustration on the audience and leaves them enthralled in the progression of the plot. Denny suffers another injustice when Annika, Eve’s teenage cousin, falsely accuses Denny of rape. This action puts Denny’s custody of Zoë in danger and leaves him nearly broke from all of the legal assistance he needs. The drama and weight of this is shown when Denny confronts Annika about it and spills his heart out to her about how this is impacting him and Zoë. The conclusion of the confrontation comes when Denny states, “Zoë’s my daughter, I love her like your father loves you. Please, Annika, don’t take her away from me” (Stein 284). Denny’s perseverance through these obstacles is something that few people could do, and this all highlights how great the reward was for him by overcoming all of this.
        Overall, the novel The Art of Racing Rain by Garth Stein is a riveting tale of  dog’s commitment and love for his owners. The book’s structure of being told by Enzo is great because it shows the emotional impact that he has on the family and the impact that they have on him. Although it is frustrating to read at times, the drama that this legal battle over Zoë brings a suspenseful build up to the climax. Denny winning this makes it all the more better and shows his true bravery and love for getting full custody of his daughter Zoë. I would recommend this book to anyone, but especially to people who like a story of love and triumph. It is beautifully written and is such a unique book overall, making it an amazing read.

Fantasy/Science Fiction

1. I like fiction novels for the most part, but there are some sub genres of it that I don’t like all that well. Fantasy allows me to go to a completely different place and look at things from a different perspective. I like my life and how it is playing out, but sometimes it is good to get out of it and live another reality. There are so many possibilities for this, and a really good novel can expand your imagination and creativity. Growing up, fantasy was my favorite type of book because I could easily imagine myself in these places and situations. I can attribute a love for reading from an early age because of these enthralling fiction novels.
2. My favorite fantasy book and more so series has to be the Percy Jackson series. I got really deep into these books in the fifth grade and this love for the books continued as I read them throughout middle school. The whole setting and basis of these novels were so exciting to me and took me to a completely different place. I was around the same age Percy Jackson was, and I was able to see myself as the son of some Greek god, and just another camper at Half Blood Hill along with all of these other demigods. I almost became jealous of Percy and I wanted to desperately live the life of a teenage hero who was the son of Poseidon.

Infographic

Reflection
1. I thought that this topic would be interesting because both sides had many different points that could go either way for a great debate. It is also a big point of contention and heated topic in today’s political climate. I picked this side because many people would not think on this side, and I wanted to get a view on why the government acts this way and has this surveillance. I somewhat believe in this, but there are many downsides to this belief and I feel like there are a lot of flaws that could be exploited in an argument.
2. I think it was somewhat difficult to research just one side of the argument. I needed to find websites that were biased towards my position, and there were very few reliable sources that fit that description. It was hard to focus on just the one topic of research and stay consistent with all of it. It was easy to remain biased but is was hard to push through all of the negatives that my infographic could be pointed out from.
3. I felt that if my infographic had a darker color like it does, then it would fit much better with the material I presented. I found pictures of American theme and pictures relating to computers, because I felt like those two directly coincided with my topic. The biggest downside to my infographic is the lack of charts and graphs, because I just could not find any on the Internet that would have been effective and relevant.
4. I think my infographic is somewhat convincing, but it could have been improved in a major way. The first thing would have been actually figuring out how to work technology to post it onto blogger. It also does not help that there are no visuals to accompany my facts, and that the argument in itself did not really have statistics to go with it. I do think that the information I did present was effective and got people’s attention in many ways. It made a clear argument and pointed out reasons for why my side is right.