Equal Lives Kareem, Ollie, Tyas, Felix, Payton, Mariam
Table of Contents Don’t Stop Pursuing Your Dreams, By: Mariam Syed Michelle Cross a disabled 16 year old is determined to be good at sports and is a top runner. The Secret Life Of Veterinarians, By: Payton Martin Veterinarians are being mistreated, what will you do to help?
Safety is Key, By: Kareem Hammam afety should not be put to the side and, safety should be accessible to everybody. S What The Disabled Can Do, By: Felix Yu Disabled people are being ignored, and this staining the world.
There
is More Than the Eye Meets, By Tyas Prakoso
How blind people should be included in jobs and activities
Racism in a Jiffy, By: Ollie Taheri All about racism towards different races, and how to prevent it.
Don’t stop Pursuing your dreams
Ethan was 3 when he found out that half of his body was paralyzed. He now struggles to do his daily chores and needs help. Now close your eyes and really put yourself in Ethan’s shoes, you need to be in a wheelchair all the time, and even an effortless chore like getting a glass of water is a really tough thing to do. Now you go outside to the store with a helper and everyone looks at you twice. Would it really matter how different you are from mothers? Now it’s your choice if you choose to care how people look towards you. Ethan still keeps on going and achieving his little dreams. People look at you differently and yet, hurt your feelings. If I were in Ethan’s shoes I wouldn’t want to be treated differently. I personally wouldn’t want to be looked the second time. And if you don’t want it to happen to you, then why would you do it to someone else? There are 74.6 million people in the US that have disabilities and go through somewhat the same like Ethan does. Everyone should be treated equally because we are all human. People with disabilities have goals and dreams in life. Michelle Cross an active 16 year old is determined to be good at sports and is a top runner. But she was born with some thing called cerebral palsy which makes it hard to use the right side of her body. She is also not capable of using her right arm which makes it hard for her to balance. However she does not give up her passion of sports. Michelle really inspires me to use my time wisely to be active in life. I really think that Michelle inspires other kids as well. Michelle should keep on pursuing her dreams and keep her hopes of never failing in life. In June 2016, Michelle participated in the state meet which allows people with disabilities to race. She ran three times and won all of the medals. This makes me realize that if it was easier for Michelle to use the right side of her body then Michelle would have made more use of it. However some people who don’t have to worry about being disabled don’t use their time wisely in being active. Michelle’s mom also says ”When Michelle falls, she just gets back up and keeps going.” I think that Michelle is doing the right thing of never giving up her dreams. Everyone has dreams and even people with disabilities. Achieve your goals in life and never give up. Obstacles make it hard for you to make it through but always seek your dreams. When you stop following your dreams life pulls you down. Opportunities only knock on your door once. If everyone starts to think about seeking their dreams the world would be much more educated and happy. We need your help to make this world a better place. You can help by doing something as easy as just thinking about how
to focus on your dreams or to make it even better stay focused in pursuing your dreams and really make use of your life or if that’s too much to ask from you, well just respect people with disabilities.
The Secret Life of Veterans By: Payton Martin As Jeff Miller, a politician from Florida once
said, “The willingness of America’s veterans to sacrifice for our country has earned them our lasting gratitude.” but what if I told you that wasn’t true? 39,471 veterans are homeless in just the U.S alone. Some of the same people who are on the streets have also fought for our country. They are mistreated, and abused. Even more surprising is that some of these veterans are being deported, even after their work for the country. I don’t agree with how these people are being treated, because they have put everything they have in their country, yet are treated without gratitude. Veterans are often overlooked for their kindness and sacrifice. These people have risked their lives and much more for their country, don’t you think they deserve some courtesy? Veterans should be treated with more respect, as they have protected our country. Homeless Veterans Many people know that there are veterans with some problems out there, but not many realise how severe these problems can be. There are 21.8 million veterans just in the United States. These people have fought for our country and should be treated with respect. Little do most people know, around 39,471 veterans are homeless on any given night.This isn’t fair because these people have risked their lives for their country, and they wind up homeless. It’s surprising because people who have made such a contribution to their country should be cared for. You may think that not alot of homeless people are veterans, but you would be surprised. Around 11% of homeless adults are veterans, and 20% of males without shelter are veterans. Over 50% are in principal cities, and 51% of homeless veterans have disabilities, mostly due to war. In my opinion, to force these veterans out onto the street is a cruel and inhuman act. I believe that trouper should be treated with more respect, and should be taken care of. Deported Veterans Another reason veterans need to be more cherished is that they are being deported. What if I told you that some of those people who are getting kicked out of the country are veterans? According to Los Angeles Times “Advocates for immigrants say there may be thousands of deported veterans now scattered across the globe.” This is inhuman because the veterans have fought for their country, and
most of them have lived most of their lives in that country. Another reason that this surprised me was because they fought for their country, and didn’t hear a word from the government then, but no as soon as the wars is over those warriors have to go. An article in P.R.I states “Army veteran Mario Martinez spent six years of his life fighting for the United States. Now, he's fighting for the right to keep living here.” This is appalling because I find that if you fight for your life and country, you have a right to live there. I just can’t comprehend why the government would be that manipulative. Veterans should be treated with respect and protected. Disrespected Veterans My last piece of evidence for this is that Veterans, such as vietnam veterans, are not respected enough. An article from StarTribune states “A 1967 Bucks County Courier Times article reporting that two sailors were spat on outside a high school football game by a gang of about 10 young men. One of the sailors was stabbed.” This statement is inhuman because those people did not want to kill, but instead wanted to save. The soldiers didn’t chose to use agent orange, instead they were ordered. This is appalling because no one should commit these acts to anyone, nevermind citizens who fought for their life and what the country thought was right. Another thing StarTribune states is “My car (with a military base sticker) was "egged." I bought a wig to hide my military haircut.” This was shocking because if you fought for your country and survived, you should be proud to be alive. Yet, people are making you feel so bad, that you are ashamed to fight for your country? I just can’t grasp the fact that someone would be so mean. People really should treat veterans with more respect. Conclusion Veterans are often mistreated, deported, and many homeless. They are “spat on” and abused. Veterans have risked their lives to defend their country and are often mistreated. We need stop this chain. Help veterans with some basic things. If you see someone that needs help, rush over to help them. Raise awareness that some of the same people who fought for your country are now in need. We’ll fight a minnie war of our own, and we’ll win it. Help veterans out, after all, it’s the least we can do. Photos https://www.google.com/search?q=Veterans&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFzI22-d bZAhXHpY8KHRVkA0kQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=900#imgrc=uaDMmYmQdCmJgM https://www.google.com/search?q=Veterans&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiFzI22-d bZAhXHpY8KHRVkA0kQ_AUICigB&biw=1440&bih=900#imgrc=Ci9batUSJEChFM:
Safety is Key By: Kareem Hammam Marcus Twilio Ceo said, “The safety of people should be the highest law.” Marcus Twilio Ceo, was a Roman politician and had a deep feeling of safety and human rights. This saying is very important because, most people do not have rights to safety. Being unsafe should not be tolerated anywhere on earth. Safety should be a mandatory basic right for everybody.
Safety on The Streets The streets of the world should be safe for all people and kids should not be afraid to walk on them. The FWA safety department states that, “Speeding cars, children darting into traffic, and streets without sidewalks place youth at risk on America's roads.” If the problem is that there are no sidewalks and speeding cars then that should be the government’s responsibility to contribute to the change in safety on the streets. Also, the World Resource Institute states that, “More than 1.25 million people are killed on roads each year, the majority in developing countries, making traffic fatalities the tenth leading cause of death worldwide.” It is unbelievable that traffic could kill so many people. This evidence shows that safety should not be put to the side, especially on public streets. If nothing changes this number (1.25 million) could increase jerasticly.
Safety of The Law Enforcement Even the people who keep us safe must be the safest out of all of us. As the POSA (Police Officers Safety Association) states that, “Our mission is to increase the safety and effectiveness of law enforcement officers”. This piece of evidence proves that some people do care about our safety but, this other article states that, “Nearly every day, we see news stories of another police officer somewhere in the United States who is hurt or killed.” This demonstrates that nearly everyday we see police officers being shot or killed and we just stare at this piece of news. In my opinion, police officers should be armed with better weapons and should be more skilled. Police officers deserve more because, they put their lives in front of ours for our own safety and wellbeing. They should be the safest out of everybody since they risk their safety for ours.
Safety of Homes Everybody knows the saying “Home sweet home” But is your home, “Home safe Home?” An article by Safeguard The World states that, “Nearly 66% of burglaries are home break-ins.” This piece of evidence shows that our homes are not as safe as we think they are. This site also shows that, “Without security cameras equipped you are 300% more likely to be broken into.” So basically, without security cameras we are targets for burglars. Both Pieces of evidence shows that, this is not only risking you losing your wallet, If the robber is armed with a knife or gun than you are not only going to get hurt. You might risk death from lack of safety on modern day houses.
What Can I Do? The safety of all beings on earth should be one of the greatest rules made, and should not be put to the side. Make safety a full time job not a part time job. We all are responsible for our safety and the safety of our communities. If you see a child younger than you walking on the streets all alone and is about to cross the street, lend a helping hand to that child. Try your best to make sure that that human being goes home safe and sound. If you live in a compound or a neighborhood encourage people to make their homes safer. It can be as simple as adding a ​fence. If you can make these changes maybe we
can change people’s idea that, safety is something to worry about tomorrow.
Â
What The Disabled Can Do By Felix Yu
The great Ludwig van Beethoven was one of history’s most famous musicians. He composed Ode to Joy, the legendary 5th symphony, with it’s well known ba-ba-ba-bum. And yet, Beethoven was deaf well before he was forty years old and still managed to do such awe-inspiring things. And yet when he composed, he could not hear his own music, and with his music, the deaf composer became one of the most famous people in the world, and he is associated with the word deaf. Though he is probably the most famous person with disabilities, and he is not the only one. People who have amputated body parts are often seen as heavily disabled, and generally seen as helpless. This is not the case. According to Newsela, “Last Saturday, 18-year-old Hasaan Hawthorne beat each wrestler he competed against at a high school wrestling tournament in Huntsville, Alabama. On the mat, Hawthorne moved so quickly that his uniform was a blur of yellow and green. With a broad back and huge arms, Hawthorne pinned one opponent after another,” this may seem like he is just an ordinary wrestling prodigy. But then, the article states this; “After the tournament, he stood atop the winner's podium. Hawthorne had a perfect 37-0 record, a state title and two stumps where his legs once had been.” Here, we see an exceptional example of where a person with disabilities not only does as well as his normal counterparts, but outperforms them. People who have disabilities can not just succeed at sports. Shah Bibi Tarakhail was a seven year old girl in Afghanistan when a bomb blew of her left arm. Only a few weeks after getting a prosthetic arm attached, she began to paint. Her abstract art is quite amazing, and considering she is only seven years old, and has a prosthetic arm, she seems to be a prodigy. Newsela states; “The doctors and therapists knew the little girl from Afghanistan was missing her arm. And they knew the artificial one they gave her would change her life.What they didn't know was that within weeks of strapping on her new limb, she would be using it to pick up a brush. With it, 7-year-old Shah Bibi Tarakhail began carving out a new life — of abstract painting.” This is a great example of someone who does great things, and isn’t affected by her disabilities. People with disabilities aren’t that different from us. They have goals, feelings, and hopes. It is not far that we think that they are helpless. We need to change the mindset that these people need special care. We also need to spread the fact that these people exist. Many governments believe that these people don’t exist in order to make their world seem better. The idea is that these countries don’t provide funding to help them because they think that it isn’t their problem, and are often against them. This isn’t making the world any better. In fact, these beliefs make it worse. We need to accept the fact that these people are just like us, and that they are not freaks or mishaps. Only then can the world be truly equal.
There is More Than the Eye Meets By Tyas Prakoso One day, a young man and his friend, were applying for the same job, a researcher. They both went to the job interview on the same day, and had they had the same goal, to get this dream job. A few days later, their dream job had called. They both were full of excitement when their phones had rung. They hadn’t been aware that only one of the two would have the chance to follow their dream. The young man’s friend got the job, but the young man was not given the opportunity to work at the company. This happened because they said that it would impossible for a blind man to be a researcher. The only job he could apply for were jobs far below his level such as being a store clerk. Although, he may not be able so see articles for information, he can still use his other senses to help, like reading braille or listening to the text. Either way, the idea of the blind man not being accepted is not fair, because although they have the same career path, the blind man didn’t get accepted.Which is why, blind people should not be limited in jobs and activities because of their disability. When they can accomplish so much more. One way to help blind people get jobs that pay well, is to be open. A lot of job think if you can’t see this, you can’t help us with it, but that isn’t the case. For example, a man named Steve Mahan wasn’t initially going to get paid from google for helping them with a project, but he did. He was helping google with their self driving car. They wanted Mahan to be and feel safe and not worry as if any other person who is worried about the car. Google succeeded with having a safe car and Mahan got extra money for paying huis needs. I feel that this was a good idea because, when you have a blind man, who can’t really his eyes to drive, you need to make him safe because he needs to go places as he can’t see. With him getting an opportunity to help design a car that can drive him around, he also got some extra money for his needs because he was working part-time at Google. Which is why we should think outside the box, and instead of thinking being blind is a disability, think of it as being something that people can use to accomplish more. Another way to have blind people to have the chance to participate in other activities is to treat them like most everyone else. This idea is especially important to Alan Brint. He is a teenager who swims and works hard to race others his age. He might not be able to see, but he can still work as hard as everyone else including waking up early for morning practice. He works the same sets and practices as often as everyone else and this helps him improve to beat his personal best and he feels like every other guy when he is swimming. I think that being treated like everyone else helps Alan because he doesn’t seem like an outsider when he is at practice because he works on the same skills the same way with others and not being doubted by his coaches because he doesn’t have one of his senses, sight. This world is full of all types of people. For some people, (like the blind) it’s hard to be incorporated in the work space and in activities. We can help the ones who struggle by being open, like google did, or just respect them as any other person in the world, like how Alan’s swim team did. If you can’t give them the option to join participate your business or activity (maybe because you don’t have one) try to change your perspective of them. Try not to view them as someone who always needs someone to pick them up every time they fall, but view them that shows them as any other person on planet Earth. A human that may have been through more, but has the same feelings, those feeling shall not be hurt.
Racism in a Jiffy Ollie Taheri 6 Billion people on our earth live respected lives with all sorts of privileges available to us, like well paid jobs and high quality education. What about the others? Racism is often directed towards people from Africa or Latin America. These people who live in America get treated wrongly. Like getting poor education, badly paid jobs and poor public respect. “Hating people because of their colour is wrong, no matter which colour does the hating, it's just plain wrong,” said Muhammad Ali, An american boxer, because he wanted people to be treated equally. Like Ali, I think that racism should be put down to an end; It doesn’t make anywhere better. It also hurts people of different races. Racism towards “Latin Americans” Is offending people, and making the world an unsafe environment. According to the Newsela article “Less attention, fewer protests for Latino police shooting victims.” Latinos have been shot down by the police. The article states, “A Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy shot and killed his <Kris Ramirez> brother, Oscar Jr., along railroad tracks near Paramount High School.” This is terrible. Racism is already bad, shooting foreigners is bad enough. This is showing that the racism is turning worse, this needs to stop. A large portion of racism is directed towards “African American” People. This is hurting people, Especially famous people. According to the Newsela Article “A community can discourage hate speech by showing support.” An “African American” called Adam Jones, he is a star outfielder for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, He was playing in Fenway Park in Boston, This is when he heard it; fans were shouting racist remarks, Red Sox superiors quickly apologized to Jones and promised to confront such fan behavior, and Massachusetts politicians denounced the racism. “We are better than this,” said Boston Mayor Martin Walsh. This is showing that people can be affected in their personal lives by racist remarks. We need your help to stop racism, If you have past racial experience, we are trying to end this, Do your thing by showing people to stop racism. People who get poor education because of their race is terrible. We should allow people to be let into our schools. Having “African American” people in schools makes no difference. If you see an “African American” being bullied you should go over and tell the hater to stop.