Muckraking Project

For the Muckraking project, me and my partner CJ have chosen the topic in Economic impacts being caused by Apple in the Bay Area. We thought it was a good topic to talk about because its one of the bigger things that's happening in the Bay Area and it would seem like there would be a lot of information provided on the internet. Also, me and my partner could have added other big corporate companies like Google or Facebook, but it the information provided for each company would be overlapping. I have found all the necessary sources needed for this project and CJ will help in getting the interviews part done by emailing people aware of our situation, from our topic. Me and CJ have learned to develop a website on Weebly and how to organize it in a way that could bring interest to the people about the Bay Area's economy changes. We are still developing our website that will have six tabs: Intro, Apple's History, Impact #1, Impact#2, Interviews, and finally the About section (where there will be information a little on me and CJ, but it will have a bibliography for sources used, and other stuff we are still considering.)

Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie grew up in a family in which education was very important. Carnegie educated himself at a local library and taught himself how to decipher morse code by ear. He came to the US with his family at the age of 13. He got a job at the Pennsylvania Railroad and worked as the assistant and telegrapher for Thomas Scott. His experiences with Thomas Scott taught him about the railroad industry and business. Carnegie started his own business, known as Carnegie Steel Company. His strategies helped him become one of them most powerful men who improve the economy. Because he was an avid reader, he donated five million dollars to the New York Public Library. Growing up in a family with education having great importance, he established Carnegie-Mellon University.

The Vanderbilts

At the age of 16, Cornelius Vanderbilt borrow a hundred dollars to buy his first small ferry boat. He started his own passenger ferry business and ferried people and goods between Staten Island and Manhattan. Vanderbilt was a hard working and skilled sailor. He didn’t want his business to decline so he got a job operating a steamboat for a man. Later, he started his own steamboat business. He had very affordable rates and was very good at stealing customers. His competitors saw him as a threat and paid him to leave the Hudson River. As time went on, rail travel was growing, so Vanderbilt decided to buy railroads in New york. He became a millionaire with the business he made. Vanderbilt was so rich, in fact, when he died, he had more money than the government. He donated some of the money to the university. His son later double his fortune in six years. Vanderbilt popularized steel rails and led other like Rockefeller and Carnegie to do the same as him, allowing the economy to grow.

The Progressive President: Woodrow Wilson

Wilson initially not progressive because he believed that the president should lead the government and make sure the government followed the will of the people. His time as governor made him progressive when he fought the city bosses and political machines. During his time in office as president, he was in fact progressive because of the social and political changes in society. Wilson was an idealist because of his education and limited experience. Although he was an intelligent man, the public thought of him as cold and distant. Wilson wanted to reduce the tariffs that hurt American businesses and consumers, so he went to the Congress and they agreed to design the Underwood Tariff Bill to reduce import fees. The bill introduced graduated income taxes. In addition, he created the Federal Reserve Act. This act created the Federal Reserve Board which supervised the reserve districts. It also created the Federal Reserve Notes, paper currency that allowed the government to adjust the flow of money. Wilson was the last of the progressive presidents who mostly got the US involved in a European war.

The Muckraking Project

Muckraking Project:

For the Muckraking Project, me and my group chose to do rent stabilization because it is a topic that was recently brought up in lots of City Council meetings held at Downtown Mountain View. The rent is affecting people in many different ways. For one, it is causing people to move far away to different cities that are much more cheaper. Through this, lots of friendships are being terminated. Several people are also getting evicted from their homes because Google is buying buildings and converting them into buildings with high technology. Although we are in the process of receiving an email back from someone from the City Council, I believe that this will be an interesting and well detailed topic.

Scopes Simulation

Over a two day spam, we did a Scopes Simulation which was really interesting and it was a great way to learn some new vocabulary. I was a jury member and my job was to record notes, keep score, and make a final decision on who won the trial. 

SCOPES SIMULATION:

• Intelligent design → life is too complex because there is some sort of intelligent design that says so (there is no clear evidence to back this up)
• There is an extent where Natural Selection causes Evolution
• Natural Selection could not have caused Intelligent Design
• Many people believe that God created us however many people believe that evolution created us -- not God
• We are unsure if God created us
• Something has to start from something else which means that Evolution must have been involved
• We all start as humans and evolve from there
• Louis Walport → Developmental Biologist
• Intelligent Design is an advancement in the human species
• Science has a lot to do with the answer
• Life is created from specific acts such as religion
• The Establishment Clause: The government cannot establish a textbook that promoted a certain religion (PROBLEMATIC)
• Theory of the Flying Spaghetti Monster and the Pink Unicorn: The Spaghetti Monster acts like the GOD that changes things
• All religious beliefs should be taught in school
• Point of the school is to teach students about things in an unbiased way
• Irreducible Complexity and Specify Complexity: Nature cannot be described or explained as a religion → nobody knows who the higher power is 
• Theory of Evolution - Organisms evolve overtime to what they are now and continue to further grow

FINAL PARAGRAPH

I believe that TEAM 1 (Sana, Chiara, Tara, CJ, and Leila) who favored Intelligent Design won the trial because they made really good and strong arguments explaining why Intelligent Design would not interfere with kids and their learning process. For example, they mentioned that the point of the school was to teach students about things in an unbiased way. This means that if Intelligent Design were to be taught in school, it would not enforce a certain religion upon any student. They could not force students to believe in a certain religion because that is not up to them. The defense team called their witnesses up but it seemed that their witnesses were unclear of what they were talking about alongside the fact that the attorney had lots of questions that were quite confusing. They also mentioned that ¨natural selection could not have caused intelligent design¨ which meant that the evolution of species could not have had anything to do with ¨the theory that life, or the universe.¨

The 1920s

Before going on Thanksgiving break, we learned quite a few things about the 1920s. During the 1920s in America, the skyscraper represented ascendancy. It was also considered the modern age of New York. In the 1920s, many people owned boats and obtained access to luxurious cars. This era was an era where technology slowly began to make its appearance. Some technologies that began to affect the majority of the people were electricity, auto-motives, and the radio. America was electrified in the 1920s which meant that every single place/home had some sort of electricity. Women finally had a new found freedom and independence. They also obtained the right to vote which was HUGE back then. The Ku Klux Klan terrified all of their victims and seized seven political states. They were considered a very dangerous Klan. Charles Lindbergh was considered an American hero because he was the first to fly over the Atlantic Ocean. He was also represented a mastery of modern technology and individualism. Lastly, there was a very popular song called ¨Blue Skies¨ which meant that everything would be alright and people had absolutely nothing to worry about. Overall, the 1920s was a very significant era that would impact/shape upcoming years.