Teila Allmond Public Feed

Quarter 4 Benchmark and Reflection

Posted by Teila Allmond in Globalization - Laufenberg on
At first I had no clue how to approach this project and I didn't think that it would be much of a problem to figure it out. I slowly went about finding my topics and then after that establishing which pictures I would find but while doing this realized that a few of the pictures were hard to find in Philadelphia. After I figured this out I had to redo all of what I had done and find a different topic that would match what I was doing more. While redoing one of my topics I chose a different organization which was Nestle. I found out that the company was started in Switzerland and I knew how much of an impact it made in my life. I drink Nestle Quick everyday and I know I'm probably not the only one. There are many aspects of globalization in the U.S. alone but I was surprised to realize how prominent it is in Philadelphia. I've grown up in an area rich with diversity and globalization and never realized it. I believe there are other areas in the United States that have a little more that is related to the actual globalization of certain topics but my project presented ways in which it was apparent.

Q3 Benchmark: South Africa and Egypt

Posted by Teila Allmond in Globalization - Laufenberg on
My benchmark focused on South Africa and Egypt's status and capability of collapsing according to the "5-point Framework" mentioned in Jared Diamond's Collapse. To do this, I focused on looking up the individual status of their economy and environment mainly, and noted if there were any problems that risked escalating and affecting other topics mentioned in the 5-point Framework.

Three Branches of Government Quarter 2 Benchmark

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on


Click here for my list of laws, cases and offices.

At first I had no idea how to go about searching for 12 laws, cases and offices. I started by searching for specific lists of laws and such, but realized that the interfaces with lists weren't organized enough to throughly search for information. Then I moved to thinking about my life and the things I encounter everyday and moving from there. I thought about the things in my life that are positive and what exactly in the government ensures that those rights and ways of happiness are present in my life. This process as a whole was quite simple, but time consuming in a way that I didn't anticipate but through it I realized that as I get older more laws will most begin to affect my life. Most laws don't affect me because I am not yet independent from my mother and laws that involve things such as marriage and housing don't affect me directly. Overall, this has been an interesting process of figuring out how and why the I'm regulated to stay away from certain things and when these regulations were inherited to our country, state and/or city.


How To Apply For A Liquor License

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on

My partner, Marshall Johnston, and I decided to focus on the difficult process of obtaining a liquor license for a restaurant. This process is full of many instances where exceptions occur. There are many options that require people to have different forms depending on their personal preferences. There are options to be applying for a new establishment to use a liquor license or to keep the establishment that the liquor license is already permitted to be used for. It is necessary to buy an already exsisting license from a buisness willing to sell it. This is because the amount of available licenses depend on the population in Pennsylvania. Also, a license can't be sold to anyone outside of the specific county because that is how it's organized according to population. After a license to be sold is found, the buyer can apply for it and bargain a price for what it will be sold. Along with this there are fees for not only the license but the application fees also.

The forms to be filled out aren't simple at all. They ask for a few means of "background checks", like a "criminal report check" and a "tax certification statement". They also ask for every aspect that will be associated with the selling of the liquor such as the areas that will occupy liquor and the amount of space of each of these room. They ask for the information of the employees that will be responsible for the liquor and how long they've been a citizen

I would change the amount of unnecessary paperwork or make it more straight forward. There are many different variables that make it necessary to have different types of paperwork which is one thing that makes it unbearably confusing. I think it's this confusing because of the fact that everyone wants to be able to sell liquor and there are many more restaurants in Philadelphia alone than there are liquor licenses here. 

I thought it was interesting to investigate this process because I often see places around where I live obtaining liquor licenses and wonder why they didn't get one when they first opened. Now I know why and understand why liquor stores aren't open on Sundays. This is because there's a separate license to sell liquor on Sundays.

http://www.lucidchart.com/documents/view/4d0b9f2c-e4c0-4e5c-86f4-02020af90ae1

SEPTA Reliability & Affordability Blog #4

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on

By: Teila Allmond

The goal is to develop awareness about the fact that SEPTA is not only reliable but doesn't live up to the expectations for the price that we pay. Recently prices have been raised but along with that, so has the pay of the workers. I would also like to discuss what possible techniques to reduce the price to ride SEPTA, with my representative. First, i sent an email to Joe Sestak explaining my point.

Congressman Joe Sestak,

            My classmate and I are working on lobbying the affordability and reliability of our local means of transportation, SETPA. We are both high school students that attend Science Leadership Academy in Central Philadelphia therefore we ride SEPTA quite often. Besides this, we are also traveling to sports games our friend’s houses so we’ve experienced almost every aspect of SEPTA whether bus, trolley, train or el. This requires us to rely heavily on the idea that SEPTA will work consistently and be a means by which we can travel effectively and at the same time not destroy our pockets since our budgets are quite low. It would be wonderful if you could give us feedback on this topic. Thank You Sir.

Teila Allmond and Aimee Leong,

Science Leadership Academy, Philadelphia.

We haven't received a response yet.

Reducing the Price of SEPTA - Blog #3

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on

By: Teila Allmond

Vincent J. Hughes

Party: Democrat

Education: Temple University

- Holds the “third highest ranking position as Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.”

- His “constituent services” page promises “help with State agencies”

Other Representatives:

Joe Sestak:
“I believe that it is essential for public transportation to be reliable and affordable for all Americans.”
Raymond LaHood:
Secretary of Transportation for the United States
The only problems with this idea lie with why the strikes came about in the first place. There is a need for income in SEPTA workers and part of the cut for the budget could come from their salary. We are reaching a point in SEPTA’s history where they vehicles need servicing. SEPTA has just put into affect the use of some of the new cars that they’re ordered. “The three cars are the first of 120 ordered by SEPTA, at a cost of $274 million...” and are a reflection of the need for replacement for the “73 railcars built in the 1960s”. This necessary use of spending hurts the budget of not only the transportation of Philadelphia, but Philadelphia’s budget deficit in general. It is a ripple affect that will hurt how we travel along with how we function in other areas of our daily lives.
Along with the fact that workers would possibly receive budget cuts, it is almost impossible to even touch their income because of their contract.
In one blog, it is pointed out that SEPTA targets who they want to target. In 2007, it was debated apon for what price to raise. They decided on raising the transfer rate instead of the rate of tokens. This would target people who unfortunately have to travel quite far for what they need such as”...poor school kids and moms taking their kids across town to church!” Therefore, SEPTA could be a problem when it comes to talking about their reliability and rates. They wouldn’t want to incriminate themselves or make it harder on the people they want to protect.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many people doing anything about this problem, possibly because of the budget crisis in Philadelphia. However, this doesn’t mean that it isn’t still an important issue. This only means that someone needs to commence the idea of having a more reliable and affordable SEPTA.

Please Refer to Original Blog:

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1S5ns3GhzuXyHv1HFQPbNccabeCE-RgxgczN4EHSsTwo

Why is homosexuality around even though it doesn't help with reproduction?

Posted by Teila Allmond in Science and Society - Best on

Natural selection is a way of helping a species to become stronger by survival of the fittest. The theory of “survival of the fittest” describes what happens when a mutation in a species causes them to have certain traits that make it easier for them to feed or grow stronger. When thinking of homosexuality, a question could be where is natural selection in this section of life.

Homosexuality is present in humans and even apes, birds, reptiles and fish. It doesn’t quite help these species to grow stronger as far as reproduction goes but its usually used as a way of relieving the sexual stress that it caused by natural hormones. It is said, “sex is important but very inconvenient”. This is true in more traditional species that take the time out to have breeding seasons where the males are separated from the females. During this time, male hormones aren’t reduced but instead are present to the point where “male guppies will court each other for weeks while confined in a one-sex group”. Basically, homosexuality isn’t a way of helping reproduction, but at the same time doesn’t stop it. “Homosexuality doesn’t prevent reproduction: Homosexuals reproduce and would therefore be able to pass on a genetic propensity for homosexuality or ‘gay genes’”, but at the same time, even if they didn’t reproduce, it is not definite that there is a gene for homosexuality. In fact, scientists say that “No. There is no evidence that shows that homosexuality is simply ‘genetic.’” It is more possible that homosexuality is spontaneous and therefore will never become an extinct trait.

Still, there are people that will continue to adopt and continue on with their heterosexual capabilities despite their actions or feelings. Those male guppies still went on to have children after they were put back into their normal society, and this is the same across all of the species that adapt homosexual traits.

Citations:

Hunter, Preston. "Homosexuality: A Paradox of Evolution." Adherents.com. N.p., 1994. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.adherents.com/misc/paradoxEvolution.html>.

"Is There a "Gay Gene"?." NARTH: National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. N.p., 09 Feb 2008. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.narth.com/docs/istheregene.html>.

H.R. 1256: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on

This bill was passed on June 22, 2009 and this video describes the process of the steps it took for it to be passed.

Citations:

"H.R. 1256--111th Congress: Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act." GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation). 2009. November 16, 2010 http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-1256

Rebecca, Snowden. "Tobacco Regulation Bill Becomes Law." American Cancer Society. American Cancer Society, Inc, June 22, 2009. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.cancer.org/cancer/news/tobacco-regulation-bill-becomes-law>.

Jorn, Charisse. "Examiner.Com." President Obama signs the Family Smoking Prevention & Tobacco Control Act. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov 2010. <http://www.examiner.com/us-headlines-in-national/president-obama-signs-the-family-smoking-prevention-tobacco-control-act>.

Pictures:

http://www.smallcountycoalition.com/Important_Links.html

http://all247news.com/house-finally-passes-stand-alone-unemployment-bill/1080/

http://www.ohchr.org/EN/UDHR/Pages/126485DraftCommitteeBOR.aspx

http://channel6newsonline.com/2010/11/republicans-take-control-of-the-house/

http://www.londonderrynh.net/?cat=13

http://www.answers.com/topic/congress-of-the-united-states

http://s211.photobucket.com/albums/bb150/TOTO-LERO/gifs/?action=view&current=2yuf311.gif&mediafilter=images

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/w/henry_a_waxman/index.html

Teila's 2010 Election Day Interview

Posted by Teila Allmond in American Government - Laufenberg on
​Today I traveled to the poles around 3pm with my mother. When I got there a fellow neighbor was there and I decided to interview him because he seemed to be the easiest candidate to have time to sit with.

Questions:
1. What motivated you to come out and vote?
I'm one of the committee people and I'm a pole watcher, plus I think it's an important duty as a citizen. Democracy functions with voters. Without voters where's no democracy.

2. Do you know why we vote on Tuesday?
I learned in school but I forgot.
(After I started telling him the story he began to remember)

3. Are you always sure of who you are going to vote for when you walk into the booth or are you still deliberating?
I'm always sure. I'm a very political person

4. Did you learn about voting in school? If yes, did that impact your willingness to vote today?
In my civics classes, yes. I became more political the older I became. I grew up in the 60s so protesting and things like that were big. My grandfather took me to the March on Washington so listening to Martin Luther King speak and Mahalia Jackson sing was a moving experience. So childhood things moved me to be more political as well as things that happened when i was older.

5. What would you like to see changed in our political system?
I would like to see lobbyists eliminated from governmental processes. I'd also like to see voting to be a more flexible entity. Still keep Tuesday as the voting day. I'd like to see technology used in a safe and secure way in the voting process so people with disabilties could get out and vote. Anything that's necessary to get voters out. Maybe be able to have a way for people to tell if they'll be out of the country on voting day and provide a process for that.
Screen shot 2010-11-02 at 9.28.19 PM
Screen shot 2010-11-02 at 9.28.19 PM
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