Lexi – Teach Them Right

My Experience In The Iron Temple

Published on March 28, 2018March 28, 2018 by Lexi1 Comment

A two and a half years ago I decided I wanted to workout with my Dad at the gym. Not because I liked to workout, but because I wanted bigger biceps and I wanted to lose some body fat. I would occasionally go to the gym with him, but he would work me so hard it didn’t make working out fun. When we moved out to Arizona, my family and I were writing our goals for the next year, and I decided I wanted to get in shape.

I have made great improvements since the first day I walked into the gym, which my Dad calls the Iron Temple. When I went to the gym the first day, I went in with specific goals, but after a year my goals changed and I focused more on my muscle growth then my body fat. I now like to flex my biceps and calfs to see the muscles pop out. My best improvement by far is the Leg Press, I have gone from 90 lbs to 360 lbs. The pain has now become tolerable, and sometimes I welcome it. My Dad has helped a lot in making me not quit because there are days where I just don’t feel like moving. Mayoclinic.org says that exercising can improve your mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep, and if you join a group or go with friends can be fun and social. About two years ago my mom and I went to two group workouts with some friends. I liked one class and my mom liked the other so we were usually split. Most of the time in the middle of the class I would want to rest or quit but I felt an obligation to keep going and being the youngest in the class, I didn’t want the older people to see me give up. So being in a group can really help with your motivation.

When most people think of working out they think of a very painful and time-consuming activity, but it doesn’t have to be. If you like keeping track of your improvements then you can keep track of the amount of weight you use. If you like getting rewards you can set goals for yourself. Like everytime you workout you can have some chocolate milk or a piece of candy. Working out doesn’t have to be boring, just find ways to make it fun and comfortable for you.

-Lexi

5 dream jobs that pay a good amount of money

Published on November 3, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

Becoming an engineer, doctor, or lawyer can sound like a boring, and in the case of a doctor, disgusting job. Throughout my childhood, I have changed my mind a lot on the famous question asked to kids…what do you want to be when you grow up? The first thing I remember I wanted to be was a fireman. Because when I was little my mom took me and my siblings to the fire station on a field trip. After that, I wanted to be a doctor, but I grew out of that quickly because I can’t handle seeing people throw up.

The last thing I wanted to be for a couple of years was a veterinarian because I love animals. But after thinking about it for a while I realized that becoming a veterinarian can be just as disgusting as a doctor. Now that I’m 16, in college, and people are starting to ask me what career I want to go into in just a few years. So I ‘m on a quest to find I job that will fit my personality or talent (which is another thing I need to figure out), so I looked up the top five dream jobs that pay a good amount of money.

5. Hollywood Stunt Person

This job has fun written all over it if you like to get hurt. A Hollywood stuntman takes all of the explosions, punches, and risks while pretending to be a famous actor/actress. Stuntman work is not steady work because you need to find movie after movie to work in.
A stuntman gets paid as much as $100k for doing their stunts
Must attend a stunt training school.

4. Power Line Helicopter Pilot

If you like heights and technology then this job is perfect for you. They fly next to power lines to inspect them by cameras attached to the helicopter.
They get paid around $101k
Must get a helicopter pilot license with 2000 hours of flying.

3. Race Engineer

Race Engineers talk to the driver and tells him or her what they can do to achieve maximum performance in a race.
They can get paid around $134k
They need A-levels in math and Physics with a university degree and proven experience.

2. Ethical Hacker (a.k.a Computer Hacker)

They are hired by governments and security firms to help design ways to keep hackers out of their systems.
They can get paid around $140k
Hold a relevant qualification and meet the additional requirements of The Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) check scheme.

1. Unexploded Ordnance Technician

Mitigate the threat of an unexploded object
They get paid around $150k
Professional Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) qualifications are needed to increase in rank

None of these jobs interest me so I will have to keep looking, but I learned some pretty interesting things when I did research for this blog post. I learned that ice cream tasters can get paid as much as $60k to taste ice cream and that you can get paid $32k to dress up as a Disney character. So there are a lot of fun and crazy jobs that sound really easy and you can get paid pretty well “working”.

College Girl

Published on August 26, 2017 by Lexi2 Comments

Hi everyone, I haven’t posted a blog post in awhile, and in this blog post I’ll explain why. Things have been busy since I posted my last blog post, My Views on Starting College. I have now put my plan into action and went through with what I said in my last post. I did so well during the summer that I decided to do another semester.

At my college there are two summer semesters, I took two classes in the first semester and one in the second. To start my college experience I took Sociology 101 and Pre-algebra in the first semester, then I took Introductory Algebra in the second semester. I passed all of these classes with an A grade. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to enter college with no experience in school. Since I started in the summer, when there aren’t many students on campus, I didn’t have a classroom full of people. All my summer classes were what they call ITV classes, which are basically Skype calls where your professor and most of your other classmates are on a screen. This made it much easier to give I presentation in my sociology class. It was also easier than I thought to talk to people. At first, I was nervous to meet people on a daily basis, and I stressed over the little things like can you switch seats on the second day of class or is there an assigned seating code I don’t know about? But there was nothing to worry about, I was just freaking out about being with other people.

I also got to see all the people that left the class in the beginning or middle of the semester. There was one guy in my sociology class that was supposed to give a presentation on the second day of class, he ended up not showing up ever again. Then I just watched all the other students drop like flies. Seeing them leave gave me the courage to keep going when I wanted to cry because I procrastinated on an essay. I also made some companions in math class, which is honestly part of the reason I wanted to start college.

I am now in the Fall semester and I feel like I can do more. So I decided to do a full college load of 14 credits, and continue doing high school at home. Because of this, I made sure to download a lot of inspirational quotes for this semester on my phone. The classes I’m taking in the Fall semester are Interpersonal Communication, Intermediate Algebra, Anatomy and Physiology, and Survey of Jazz/Pop Music. My hope is to get at least two A’s and two B’s.

So this is my update post, I will try to keep people posted on what is going on, but I have a feeling that I will be really busy for the next few months!

-Lexi (a.k.a College Girl)

My Views on Starting College

Published on April 28, 2017April 26, 2017 by Lexi1 Comment

At the start of this year, I had a goal of getting into an Early College program so I can graduate high school early and have a head start on college. I didn’t have many options when looking for such a program in Arizona, especially since we live in a city that is like an island. I narrowed it down to two programs, the Move On When Ready program and a local community college’s First Step program.

The Move On When Ready program focuses on you graduating from high school when you’re ready. After your sophomore year in high school, you can take a test to see if you can graduate from high school. If you pass, you receive the Grand Canyon Diploma that says you have met the requirement for high school. The First Step program is where a high school student can take classes for the summer semester, and still attend high school. In the end, I decided I would do the First Step program. Mostly because going to school always seemed like a fantasy, rather than a reality. I really wanted to get the school experience and find out what my friends say I miss not going to school.

So I started to gather as much information that I could about the program, then I told my parents and they were fine with the idea. The process of getting started wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be overall. I filled out the First Step form, then went to the campus to take my placement test. The placement test was what I was worried about mostly. Even though you cannot fail the placement test, I thought I might get a low enough score that I would not be able to join. I cannot speak of what was on the test, but I did do well. I then met with an advisor and he told me all about college and what classes I should take. So now I’m taking three classes for the summer to start my college adventure in late May.

The Pharaoh during the time of Moses

Published on April 26, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

Most people, including me, have wondered who the pharaoh of Exodus was, but the book does not mention the Pharaoh whose heart was always hardened. Throughout this post, I want to give more insight on this subject.

In the book of Exodus, God sends Moses to free the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt, and the Israelites had to endure 40 years of wandering in the wilderness before they could enter the Promised Land. First, when was the book of Exodus written? Some people think that the book of Exodus was written in 1446 B.C, while others believe that it was written around the year 1260 BC.

The reason that some people believe that the book of Exodus was written in 1260 B.C, is because they argue that in Exodus 1:11 Israel was working on a city called Rameses, and this points to the Exodus occurring during the reign of Rameses II. This could be true because Rameses II built a temple that was carved out of a hill. He became king of Egypt in 1394 BC and ruled for 66 years. He built the city of Pi-Rameses in the swamplands of the Delta. This city became the new capital of Egypt. In Kush, he built two rock cut temples of Abu Simbel. During his reign he had a problem with the Hittites, this state threatened Egypt’s Asian interests. So a battle took place in 1389 BC in Syria. He could possibly be one of the pharaohs that existed at the time of Moses, but the only evidence I found was the city he built.

There is evidence that Thutmose III (1485-1431) was ruling during the time of Moses because his mummy is the only one to predict plagues that spread through the Egyptian and Hittite empires. Plus his first born son, Amenemhet, died before he could take over for his father. Some people think Amenemhet died because of the tenth plague. So his second son, Amenhotep II, took over the throne. It is also said that his stepmother Hatshepsut was the one that found Moses in the river and that Thutmose II, her husband, was the Pharaoh when Moses fled to Midian for killing an Egyptian.

There is no way of knowing for sure of who was ruling during that time because of limited information, plus we do not know for sure whether the dates for Pharaohs are correct. But I hope this helped you get a better understanding of what pharaohs were around during the time of Moses.

What is so wrong with American slavery when the Hebrews had slaves too?

Published on March 29, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

By Big Homie, age: 12

So, first off, what exactly was American slavery? American slavery was the slavery of Africans and their main oppressors were the Europeans who took them by ship (as you can see by this map) from Africa to the United States and Europe.

What is so wrong with American slavery when the Hebrews had slaves too? Well from what the bible tells us, we can only presume that the Hebrews had slaves because in the bible God told Moses laws about slaves. In Exodus 21:1-6 God says to Moses: “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. ²When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. ³If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. ⁵But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever”.

Now let’s compare American slavery and Hebrew slavery. In Exodus 21:2 God says to Moses: ² “When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free…” Well in America when you are a slave, you are a slave either until you die or the master lets you free but even then, you might have go back if someone catches you. In Exodus 21:3-6 God says to Moses: ³ “If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. ⁴If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master’s, and he shall go out alone. ^5” But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ ⁶then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever”. In American slavery, the slaves could marry, but the whole family had to stay slaves.

So, what is wrong with American slavery when the Hebrews had slaves too? What is wrong with American slavery is that the African slaves were treated so bad that were lynched and beaten until they were either almost dead or dead. While the Hebrew slaves were treated nicely had much better clothes, much better living arraignments, and much better lives than slaves in America, which is way American slavery was worse than Hebrew slavery.

The Difference Between American Slavery and African Slavery

Published on March 29, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

In 1538 AD the city of Gao had a population of 100,000 people. According to Leo Africanus, a Moorish visitor, the city was unwalled. Its houses were ugly but some such as the royal buildings and others were impressive. The inhabitants were mostly wealthy merchants who always traveled here and there to trade gold and wares. In the market cucumbers, melons, and pumpkins are sold. There was also a place where a busy slave market flourished.

-When We Ruled by Robin Walker

After reading this and other stories about slaves being sold in Africa, I wondered what the difference was between American Slavery and African Slavery. Why are so many people upset about American slavery when Africa also had slaves? But slavery in Africa was not the same as Slavery in America.

The European form of slavery was called chattel slavery. A chattel slave is treated as property, has no rights, and is a slave for life. Slavery in Africa was a different form of slavery. African slaves usually became slaves to pay off a debt or pay for a crime they have committed. On the website www.discoveringbristol.org.uk, Ottobah Cuguano, a former slave, said that slaves were,”well fed… and treated well”. Olaudah Equiano, another former slave who wrote an account of his life, said that slaves might even own slaves themselves.

Olaudah Equiano

In large states, some slaves worked in government administration and could become a royal official with wide-ranging powers. Other slaves in Africa worked within their master’s house as domestic servants, agriculture laborers, or went to work in the gold mines of West Africa. As outsiders coming to Africa grew such as Europeans and Arabs, the demand for slaves grew too.

When Europeans came to Africa they only wanted to import African’s to America to work their land. Unlike Africans, who treated their slaves like they were part of the family. When Europeans came and took slaves to America, they treated them like animals. The European slaves were wiped, hung, and beaten. European slaves that were women were raped and the slaves had horrible living conditions. As you can see, slaves in Africa could hold important positions in government and were treated much better than the way the Europeans treated their slaves.

-Lexi

The Top 10 Richest Countries in the World

Published on March 17, 2017 by Lexi2 Comments

This is a list of the top 10 richest countries in the world by GDP per capita.

10 – Saudi Arabia – $51,924 GDP per capita

Saudi Arabia has an oil-based economy. The country also possesses 18% of the world’s petroleum reserves and ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum.

9 – The United States – $54,630 GDP per capita

While having the world’s largest economy and the third highest population with 325,735,473, it is surprising that the country can maintain a per capita GDP of $54,630. The reasons why are because of their automotive industry and their technological sector.

8 – Switzerland – $57,235 GDP per capita

The reason that Switzerland is eighth on the list is because of the Swiss banking and financial institutions. Some of the wealthiest people and companies in the world own Swiss bank accounts. Switzerland’s most well-known cities (Zurich and Geneva) is ranked among the top ten highest living standard cities in the world and Swiss is also ranked first in best country.

7 – Norway – $64,856 GDP per capita

With an economy driven by fishing and major oil and petroleum exploration, Norway is seventh on this list. Norway is also the eighth largest exporter of crude oil, 9^th largest exporter of refined oil, and 3^rd largest exporter of natural gas in the world.

6 – The United Arab Emirates – $67,674 GDP per capita

With a population of about 9.4 million people and land area of about 32,278 sq. miles (which means it can easily fit inside New York State, which is 54,556 sq. miles). A third of the economy comes from oil revenues, while the other two-thirds are from the service sector and telecommunications.

5 – Brunei – $71,185 GDP per capita

Located in Southeast Asia, Brunei is a small country with a wealthy economy. It is supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas. They also have a population of 434,448 people.

4 – Kuwait – $73,246 GDP per capita

Kuwait is a small country. There population as of 2016 is 4.2 million, but only 1.3 million are Kuwaitis the other 2.9 million are expatriates. The highest-valued currency in the world is the Kuwaiti dinar. Kuwait also as 10% of the world’s oil reserves and the petroleum accounts for nearly half of the GDP and 95% of government income.

3 – Singapore – $82,763 GDP per capita

Singapore is a tiny city-state with a population of 5,784,538. The reason Singapore is third on this list is because of it financial services sector and a chemical export industry. Singapore also has the second busiest port in the world, exporting $414 billion of goods in 2011 alone.

2 – Luxembourg – $97,662 GDP per capita

Luxembourg is a small country in western Europe with a strong economy, held up by its financial sector, fiscal policies, and industrial and steel sector. Banking in Luxembourg is the largest sector of its economy with an asset base of over $1.24 trillion.

1 – Qatar – $140,649 GDP per capita

Qatar is a small country located western Asia with a small population of 2,338,085. Qatar has an oil exploration industry where the petroleum industry accounts for 70% of its government revenue, 60% of its GDP and 85% of its export earnings. Because of the country’s wealth and economy, it has been chosen to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the first Arab nation to do so.

I hope you liked this list. Some of you may have been surprised by this list and in the next post will be about how the countries got this way.

-BigHomie age 12

The Top 5 Poorest Countries in the World

Published on March 14, 2017March 15, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

In 2016, all five of the world’s poorest countries are in Africa. These countries are mostly ruled by authoritarian regimes, and corruption is widespread. These countries are compared by their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita, which is one of the primary indicators used to figure out the health of a country’s economy. In this article, GDP is measured in International Dollars.

Central African Republic (CAR)

This country became independent from France in 1960 and has had a democratically elected president since then. The current president of CAR is Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who has been president since March 30, 2016. The Central African Republic has a GDP per capita of $639.

2. Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Although the DRC contains a large amount of natural resources, it is still the second poorest country in the world. Right now the country is experiencing severe political unrest. President Joseph Kabila has been in office since the death of his father in 2001. The Democratic Republic of the Congo’s GDP per capita is $753.

3. Burundi

Burundi is a small country that has been dealing with civil war, and Hutu-Tutsi ethnic conflict. The president of Burundi is Pierre Nkurunziza who won a third term last year. Burundi’s GDP per capita is $951.

4. Liberia

Africa’s oldest republic is focusing their attention on next year’s presidential election, until then President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf will remain in office. Since their civil war in 2003, the country has had peace and stability. Despite the recent stability, its economy is struggling to find its feet after the ebola crisis. Liberia’s GDP per capita is $934

5. Niger

80% of Niger is covered by the Sahara desert and is a rapidly growing population. The main drivers of their economy are gold and uranium, so the economy is at risk because of price shocks as well as droughts and floods. The president of Niger is Mahamadou Issoufou who has been president since April 2011. Niger’s GDP per capita is $1,069.

It seems that Africa is still struggling with poverty. Two of the countries, Niger, and the Central African Republic have persistent droughts. Reading this does not mean there aren’t any wealthy parts of Africa like Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt. But we need to know what is wrong with Africa as much as we know what is great about the United States. In my next post, I will explain how these countries became the way they are today.

-Lexi

Economic and Education Stats for the State of Arizona

Published on January 30, 2017January 29, 2017 by LexiLeave a comment

Quick intro from Cool Poppa:

Remember your old boring Geography class in school? Did you ever wonder whether it really mattered if you knew exactly where various states were located in the United States? Really, you are not even able to drive yet and what if you never planned on even visiting those states when you got older? Well, I’ve noticed the fruits of this mentality in adults over the years, so this year I wanted to try something different with the Tribe.

Continue reading “Economic and Education Stats for the State of Arizona” →