Final 20% Project

     Overall, my 20% was pretty successful. I had originally planned on presenting my idea to the school and really pushing to create the program, but I have decided it will be best to do so my senior year when I can dedicate more time to the rocket and be able to support my information and my idea. I was able to accomplish the goals I set for myself, and I definitely will be continuing my project into next year to pursue my vision.

May 9, 2014: 20% Project

     As I had been hoping, I have made much more progress on my 20% Porject. I have began to put a PowerPoint together, and I have it about halfway done. From here, I plan on creating a logo design, implementation time, and maybe even a Tshirt design. I also plan on sitting down with the commander of the legion and get feedback on my program or any extra ideas.

May 2, 2014: 20% Project

     This semester, I have not made near as much progress as I should have. After changing my project topic, there was a two week period in which I made an impressive amount of progress and gathered a large amount of information I need for my project. Unfortunately, life got in the way. Between work, school, homework, and extracurricular activities, the only time I have had to work on my project is on Fridays in free enterprise, and even then sometimes I would work on other homework I felt was more important or played Clash of Clans to raise my trophies. Luckily, I have enough information that I think I can complete my project in time. Either way, this project won't truly be put into action until next year, but I am confident that I can have my proposal finished and ready by the end of the school year.
     I will assess my success based on the final outcome when I present my project. If I have all of my information organized, can answer all questions asked, can justify my statements/ reasoning, and persuade people to join my organization, I will consider my project a success.

Ashton Kutcher's Speech

     After watching Ashton Kutcher's speech I have a somewhat shifted outlook on my life. This hasn't been a life changing experience by any means and I don't agree with everything he said, but I do agree with his claim about "building a life" versus living one.
     If everybody lived the way we were raised to we would still be living by candle light in leaky cabins. The world of technology wouldn't eve exist. We got where we are today because of innovation and people who didn't want to live the way they were taught or wanted to find a better way to accomplish a task. So in a way, Ashton is right in saying we need to build our own life for us and others to live in, because we as people are supposed to be innovative and find new ways to do things.

Clash of Clans: Top Two

     I feel that the two most important people in the clan are the wizards (programmer) and the archers (laborer). The wizards are important because they don't take up much housing in a barrack, they do a lot of damage, and they have certain abilities that other characters may not have such as shooting over fences. This is similar to a programmer because they aren't a very big deal in the work force, but they have a lot of benefits to a company and obtain useful skills that other workers don't. The archers re important because they are quick (and cheap)  to train, don't take up much room, and together can get a lot done. This is similar to laborers in the workforce because a laborer is usually on the lower end of the pay scale, but over all they do the most work in a company and are one of the most useful workers.

20% Project: April 11, 2014

     Unfortunately between work, school, and other activities I have not had much time to work on my 20% project. This week on my days off I was up trying to catch up in my school work. I will try to get done what I can next week and pick up my pace, but I will be out of town for three days and will have company at my house for a week so I will try my best.

Two Stock Purchases

     The first stock I purchased was General Electric (75 shares, $26.02 ach). General Electric is a company with a very wide range of products (from hospital equipment to engines used in the military). In the past year, General Electric reached a high of just over $28 and then dropped to $24. Since then it has been on a slow but steady incline. The same goes for the 5 year view. General Electric has made a slow but steady incline, and it is not at its highest point. Tis does not guarantee that it will not fall, but I am willing to take the risk. Another benefit from buying this stock is that it has an approximately 3% dividend (about $0.88). If General Electric continues at this incline I predict it will go up $2 in the next few weeks.
   The second stock I purchased was AeroVironment Incorporated (5 shares, $38.82 each). AeroVironment is a company that engages in unmanned aircraft systems, tactile missiles, and efficient energy systems for various companies including the government. I believe this is a great stock to invest in because it is one foot ahead of technology and I believe they will be in business and even potentially grow at time goes on. At the time I purchased this stock, I had not learned about the emotional swaying and patterns they follow, one of the, being that when they are at the highest they have ever been, it is likely they will drop. Since I have bought these shares the price has been making a steep decline and if I see no changes in the next week I am going to sell my shares.

Kickstarter Video

     After watching three kickstarter videos and listening to the passion and reasoning behind their motives, I have decided I am close to where I want to be for this project. I have the information, the passion, and the reasoning. All that is left is for me to put it all together and try and spread my passion to others in my community. To accomplish this I will need my information a PowerPoint, make Tshirts, present to the commander of the American Legion, and then my school.

21 vs. Investing

     There are multiple similarities between 21 and investing in stocks. The main similarity I have found is that they are both controlled by emotion. In playing 21, the first thing you have to do is decide how much you are willing to bet (or risk). The higher you bet, the higher chance of a bigger return you have. The lower you bet, the lower the risk and chance of big return you have.  Another way the two are controlled by emotion is how "lucky" you are feeling. If you are doing very well in 21 and you decide to bet a high number assuming you will get a high return, you risk losing that much money. The same with stocks, which is why it is so important to research a company you invest in and make sure you understand how the system works.

20% Project: March 28, 2014

     This month I have accomplished the tasks that I set for myself. I have found the needed statistics about homeless veterans and programs (including the American Legion) that assist them. My grandmother (secretary of the Legion) talked to the commander and he is very excited about my program. My grandmother also provided me with information about the community work and programs the Legion provides. I also sat down with my guidance counselor and as soon as I get all of my information together in an orderly fashion she suggested making a meeting the the school principal.
     Next month I am hoping to put my PowerPoint and proposal together to present to the American Legion commander and the school principal. If all goes well, I will begin working towards a presentation to the entire school about my program.

Stock Trading Simulation

     When I arrived at Kapptie's room yesterday, the door was locked and no one really knew what was going on. Kapptie came around the corner and said we had to grab as much as we could. With that, he opened the door to a dark room and everyone basically went crazy and dove on the floor to grab all of the candy and paper money they could.
     Once it was all taken and everyone had there piles, a video of a stock exchange came on and Mr. Kapptie started writing "stock prices" on the board for all of the different candies (Dum-Dums, Tootsie Rolls, Mr. Goodbars, etc.) Every two minutes he would make an announcement and change the stock prices. For example, he announced that Dum-Dums and Tootsie Rolls merged together and the stock prices were equal for each of them. Every announcement would cause an uproar in the classroom.
     I personally didn't grab very much candy and I didn't trade or make very much, but almost everyone was swarming around the room trying to sell there Tootsie Rolls that went down ten dollars or buy a Krackle Bar that was up to 50. Between everyone running around making trades and selling "stocks" and the distracting video playing on the wall, the room was chaos.
     By the end of the day, people who had started with $500 worth of money and candy had over $4,000. I think that this simulation was a great way to give us an idea of what it is like inside of the New York Stock Exchange.

3 Skills I Will Need as an Adult

     Three skills I think I will definitely need to find a sufficient job when I am an adult are speaking skills, an innovative mindset, and the logic of a robot. I will need speaking skills so that I am capable of communicating with others in a productive way they can understand. If I can develop a charismatic character and with persuasive reasoning, I will be able to achieve many goals that I set for myself, because I will be able to easily communicate my ideas.
     I will need an innovative mindset as an adult so that I can keep up with the evolving world. New ideas come from questioning why things are the way they are and finding different ways to improve them. If I can learn to question everything and try and find shortcuts instead of taking the normal route, I will be well n my way to success.
     The last skill I will need is the logic of the robot. A robot is more or less a program, and they all have a specific purpose. If I can learn to look at the "black and white" of a problem, I will be able to brainstorm many more solutions than first looking at the plausibility and possibility of my idea. As long as I can get ideas to solve a problem, realistic or unrealistic, I can slowly but surely create a solution.

Daylight Savings

     If I had the authority to choose whether or not daylight savings should be in use, I would definitely use it, but with restrictions: if it is used anywhere in a country, it must be implemented by the entire country, and only countries with definite seasons may use it. I think daylight savings provides benefits that could be useful to countries under such conditions.
     According to WebMD, the brain produces more serotonin and takes in more natural vitamin D during sunny days versus darker days. In this case, daylight savings would be beneficial because it would allow people to wake up at their regular hour and be exposed to more sunlight everyday which could help reduce depression. Not only does daylight savings time help reduce depression, but it is also shown to reduce road accidents.
     The Transport Research Laboratory did a joint study with the University College of London and found that less people would be killed and injured in road accidents if one hour was transferred from the morning to the afternoon. My final reason for implementing daylight savings time is that it is beneficial for families.
     Most families work the daily "9 to 5", and they usually don't have enough time after returning home to do any outdoor activities with their families. If it stays light out for even one more hour, it would give parents and there children time to do outdoor activities such as tennis, swimming, or boating, or simply spend time together in the backyard on the trampoline or having a picnic.
     There are pros and cons to both sides of the daylight savings debate, and there will always be people who disagree with whichever side is taken. Personally, I feel like daylight savings is a great oppurtunity for people to make the most out if their day and maximize productivity without exhausting themselves by staying up too late or cooping themselves up in the house because it is too dark to go outside.

20% Project: March 7, 2014

     I decided to change my project to creating a new program for the American Legion. Because of this decision changes am basically back at square one. Today my goal is to find statistics about veterans and the American Legion to get an idea of what I am up against for this project.

20% Project: February 28, 2014

     Today my partner and I reached a dead end, and we have decided to shift our project idea from suicide prevention to bullying prevention intertwined with suicide awareness. We have decided to make this decision because we do not think that suicide itself is an issue in Powell High School, but bullying definitely is (we see it every day). we plan on emphasizing the consequences of bullying and explaining the connection between bullying andnsuicidal thoughts. So today I am starting over in a way and gathering research about bullying.

20% Project: February 21, 2014

     Today I plan on preparing for interviews. First of all, I need to arrange an interview for the school counselors and the principal. I would like to talk to them about how many truly serious situations they have had with students in terms of them feeling the need to take their own life, feeling bullied, or feeling extremely depressed. To prepare for these interviews, I am going to try and come up with questions I can ask them that won't be directly asking for confidential information, but at least give me an idea on what I have to work with. In these interviews, I plan on discussing the plans for my project and see the probability on the school taking my survey.

20% Project: February 16, 2014

     This week, my goal was to start putting a survey together that the entire school could take. The survey will be anonymous, and it will only be fifteen questions or less. I looked at a suicide survey posted by Survey Monkey, and found a few useful questions that I may want to include on the survey. I am hoping to get the survey finished by Friday. Below are a 5 of the questions that will be on the survey:

1. Are you currently suicidal?
2. Have you ever been suicidal?
3. Out of the 500 students in Powell High School, how many do you think are suicidal?
4. Do you consider yourself popular?
5. Do you think teen suicide is preventable?

     Questions 2 and 3 will have alternate answers (e.g. If you answered yes, please check all reasons that apply to you). All of the questions that will be asked on the survey will have a purpose in my research. While I was searching for questions, I came across a statistic that said Wyoming is one of the states that holds the most "death by suicides", and Park County is ranked 6th in the state. I was extremely surprised when I saw this, and I plan on doing some more research on this and try and find out if it is really true, and if it is, I want to know why Wyoming is has such a heavy number.

Raising The Minimum Wage

     I personally believe that the minimum wage should be raised from $7.25 to $10.10. It will give the states an economic boost, improve small businesses, and potentially increase jobs.
     In 2012, the Census Bureau found that approximately 66% of minimum wage workers are employees of large businesses (businesses with over 100 employees). This includes stores such as Walmart or fast food chains such as McDonalds that can afford higher wages. Also, the Harvard Business Review did a study and found that major retailers can actually benefit for higher sales by investing in their employees. For example, Trader Joe's pays their employees between $40,000 and $60,000 per year which is more than twice that of their competitors, and their sales are three times higher than the average U.S. supermarket.
     The Econonomic Policy Institute found that the Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 will generate $30 billion in economic activity and support the creation of 140,000 jobs.
     Also, The National Federation of Independent Businesses did a study and found that most small business owners suffer from low sales, which can make minimum wage an issue. However, if employees are payed higher amounts, more goods will be bought and this can help boost the economy (especially for these small businesses).

Studies were found on www.raisetheminimumwage.com

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