Three Strange Habits Americans Have by Anna P

In other countries and cultures we might learn things about them that we find bizarre. However we Americans have weird habits in our culture that are considered weird to many cultures and countries around the world.

Number 1 Root Beer. I love root beer especially the root beer floats. Many countries citizens who have tried root beer hate it though. Why? Well the reason is to many non Americans it tastes like cough syrup. The reason it tastes like cough syrup to them is because root beer is made out of sassafras like flavoring and sassafras the chemical is used in medicine in other countries. 

Number 2 White teeth.  If you think about our culture here in America we have an obsession with white teeth. Think about it.  Every celebrity has a lot shiner teeth than you see on the street. You can even find ultra teeth whitening product in any supermarket. On TV so many commercials are about how to get the perfect white teeth with this product. This focus on dazzling white teeth is strange in other countries though. One example that attest to this is that in Japan you might not find the Crest 3d Whitening strips in their supermarket that you would find here in places like Walmart.

Number 3 Chocolate Wars which is better.  Here in America we have  a lot of chocolate brands to choose from, from Hershey to Reese’s . In the UK one popular chocolate is the Cadbury brand. Many people from the US and the UK will say that chocolate brands in the UK are better. They say it’s better because chocolate in the UK has more cocoa bean in it than the US. While the US version of chocolate has more sugar. The flavor of chocolate overseas is said to taste richer and not overly sweet. A Hershey bar is the complete opposite as it has less cocoa bean and more sugar in it so many from across the pond say it’s too sweet. In fact Hershey even seems to not want to change its recipe even when trying to make British like chocolate for us Americans. Hershey has the license to produce Cadbury chocolate in the US. People were not impressed by the Hershey version though. With many saying it tastes no different than a regular Hershey bar. Whatever the case, chocolate between these two are different; which is better is one‘s own personal opinion.

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Cleaning by Keri

I do my bathroom room and my room. I use a vacuum and mop my bathroom. I make my bed and tidy up. I use Comet for the toilet and disinfecting wipes for the container and the toilet. I water the plants that need to be watered. I do laundry every Saturday. I load the dishwasher and empty it, too.
It makes me feel good to get things done and I feel better about myself. I think I like cleaning them all now because it will help us.
It’s important so we aren’t sloppy and you can learn from it.

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At SEEDs for Autism, our participants create a wide variety of high quality home and garden products which are sold into the community. Every purchase helps support this life-changing program and provides opportunities to further encourage and empower our students.

To learn more about SEEDs for Autism, please visit our website: seedsforautism.org

ZOOM by Jake M.

In order to keep Seeds students engaged during the time off, the Seeds staff put together a weekly online curriculum for the students. I really enjoy doing the online coursework. Seeds also does weekly Zoom chat meetings, which is great because it allows me to interact with my peers, and the instructors. There are also Seeds Zoom clubs, where we talk about Disney movies, do sing-a-longs, and many other fun activities. The Zoom chats are the highlight of my week.

What I’ve Learned During the Break from SEEDs by Daniel N.

Hello, my name is Daniel and I’m going to be writing about what I’ve learned over the break.

I learned how to use Zoom, Duo, and Google calendar to get assignments. I learned Duo from my friend Kim so we could talk face to face. I learned Zoom from Justin, the Computer teacher at SEEDs and I learned Google calendar on my own.

I use Zoom to take martial arts fitness classes with Mrs. Lee and with Mr. Benton who is my teacher for Tai Kwon Do classes.  While it’s true that I can’t practice the practical aspects of Tai Kwon Do, such as self-defense, sparring, and board breaks, I can get practice in on my form and weapons.   

I use Google calendar to get informed about what’s going on at Seeds for Autism. 

I had my first zoom chat with Michele (Newsletter instructor), Francis and Brianna.   I was included in the Zoom meeting with my peers from Seeds.  I had to wait for recognition by the host of the meeting. I never knew how to navigate Zoom until I watched Justin’s educational   video (that was on the Google Calendar) on how to use the application for conferring with colleagues who might be on a business trip for example. Google calendar has helped me stay in the loop. 

I am staying active and connected during the outbreak of COViD 19 using online activities with Seeds and Tai Kwon Do with Mr. Benton and Mrs. Lee.  Missing seeing folks in person. Hope see everyone in 21 days. 

Dark Waters Movie Review

Here my thoughts: the movie was good, very interesting true story that involves a corporate defense lawyer taking on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.

The film is based on the 2016 article “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont‘s Worst Nightmare” by Nathaniel Rich, published in The New York Times Magazine.[3][4] Parts of the story were also reported by Mariah Blake, whose 2015 article, “Welcome to Beautiful Parkersburg, West Virginia” was a National Magazine Award finalist,[5] and Sharon Lerner, whose series “Bad Chemistry” ran in the Intercept. 

Also the movie is very strong, intense and emotional, Robert Bilott fought justice…understanding what is happening with the waters and others.

And the cast: Mark Ruffalo, Anne Hathaway, Tim Robbins, Bill Camp, Victor Garber and Bill Pullman did an amazing performance, they captured the emotion of the real people…terrifically

When you watch the movie…you learn the story, understand the human emotion and something that everyone asks the question is why, when and knowing.

I give this movie a B+

By Angel

The Current War movie review

My thoughts on the movie: The Current War is that it’s a great historical film, taking place in the 19th century involving the competition between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over which electric power delivery system would be used in the U.S.

Benedict Cumberbatch as Edison, Michael Shannon as Westinghouse and Nicholas Hoult as Nikola Tesla alongside Tom Holland, Katherine Waterston, Tuppence Middleton and the whole cast did a great job 

What I like about the movie is that you get to know and learn, have an idea…you invent something that will change the whole world

SPOILER ALERT: one of the best scenes in the film is the chemistry between Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland…their performance, the emotional and more. When you’re watching the movie, imagine Doctor Strange and Spider-Man in the alternate universe. 

 

By Angel

 

The Peanut Butter Falcon movie review by Sydney

A truly inspiring story , THE PEANUT BUTTER FALCON is the story of Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, who runs away from a residential nursing home to achieve his dream of being a student at the professional wrestling school of his idol, The Salt Water Redneck. A unique turn of events pairs him on the road with Tyler, a small time outlaw on the run, who becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally. Together they embark on a wild adventure together and cross paths with Eleanor, a worker at the nursing home, who was charged with finding Zak and bringing him back there. But no one had ever asked Zak what he wanted to do, so he threw the car keys into the river and she was forced to go with them on a homemade raft down the river. Their journey was certainly wild. In my opinion, the movie should be 100 stars because it was a perfect example of the struggles some people face every day. One of the things that was so amazing about the movie was the fact that one of the actors had Down Syndrome, which made the movie even more fascinating.

I think there should be more opportunities in the movie,t.v. and music industries for people with challenges.  The movie offered a unique insight into the world of people with special challenges. There are many different kinds of people who don’t often get a chance to really be heard. If only people would stop being prejudiced and really listen, the world would be a better place.

Mister Rogers and Me

When I was a small boy, I used to watch the old Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood series on PBS Kids because my Dad was working at a PBS station. When he first met the actor who played Mr. McFeeley, Mr. Newell invited my family to meet Mr. Rogers himself at his studio.

When we got to the office where Fred Rogers worked, I was so excited that I wanted to rush up and hug him, but I kind of tackled him into his sofa. During our visit, he told my Mom that she was very special to have a son like me and that she should be proud. Then we took our picture with Mister Rogers. That was a time when he was getting frail and then later on he passed away.

Since then, we became good friends with Mr. Newell and we’ve been visiting with him at times. I still respect Mister Rogers’ legacy and hope to keep up the good work in the future. Do you enjoy Mister Rogers’ special messages of kindness?

by Chris M.

Personal Stories: What Is The Bravest Thing You’ve Ever Done?

“Courage doesn’t mean you don’t get afraid. Courage means you don’t let fear stop you.” – Bethany Hamilton

For those on the autism spectrum, advocating for ourselves, interacting with others and stepping outside of our comfort zone often takes a tremendous amount of courage. At SEEDs for Autism, we strive to empower our participants and help them develop the skills to face these challenges and GROW. Every day we celebrate with our participants as they persevere and demonstrate acts of courage. We asked them to share their personal stories of bravery and to let our audience know that not all superheroes wear capes. 

MATTHEW
On my first trip to Japan with my dad and brother, we were rushing to catch a subway train. While dad and I made it in, the doors would have shut for my brother if I didn’t reach out for him, even if it meant that the doors could crush my arm. This caused the doors to open and close again while my brother finally got inside the train. It didn’t even hurt my arm that much. I just couldn’t leave him behind at the station, so I tried doing what I could. My dad seemed proud for my quick thinking, as it helped us make the train in time.

CAMILLE
The bravest thing I have ever done was dealing with difficult people without having a meltdown and losing control of situations. I don’t listen to them so they won’t get me upset.

JESSE
The bravest thing I have ever done, was when I was really young maybe around 5 or 6 years old. It is hard for me to recall certain details but this story has been told by my family enough that it has stuck in my memory. My sister was scared of getting a shot so I cut through the line and I got my shot to show her it was nothing to fear. My mom was surprised by my actions. Some people in line were slightly annoyed but once they understood the event, they did not seem to mind as much.

BRIAN D.
Four years ago I asked for a first time date with Leanne. When I asked her for the date she said yes and I was so excited and felt brave about myself. Now we are so happy together and we watch movies and eat at restaurants and we talk to each other and have fun spending time together.

KERI
I went on a helicopter ride in Hawaii. It was a blast of fun. I was scared at first and terrified before I went on the helicopter then I did it and got rid of my fear.

A Message to all Apple Haters

I’ve been a huge fan of Apple since 2006 since I got my very first Apple product: Late 2006 20 inch iMac.  And over the years, I’ve been constantly learning more and more about computers like CPUs, Hard Drives, Operating Systems, etc.  But I mainly prefer Apple products because Apple offers some incredible technology in their Operating Systems like the Graphics API Metal, a powerful encryption and security system, and Project Catalyst which allows developers to easily put their existing iPhone and iPad Apps to the Mac.

 

But I obviously know that a lot of People don’t think the same way as I do.  During my time in High School, I talked about Apple a lot and some of my friends are okay with it and others would give me a bunch of backlash that I never needed at all.  To make matters worse, I heard recently in 2019 that Apple is the most hated company in the internet and outside of the internet, and people are saying nasty comments in the comment fields in Apple articles.  There’s also some YouTube videos about people being very biased and saying things that are not true. Even though some YouTube videos are full of false information about Apple, there are more likes than dislikes in those videos which really triggered me a lot.

 

All of this hate has really made a lot of Apple Fans discouraged including myself.  So I have something to say to all Apple haters. Show some respect to some people that prefer something that you don’t like.  This doesn’t apply to Apple, Google, and Microsoft. It also applies to other things like people prefer vegetables over fruit.  So please show some kindness and respect to Apple Fans and we’ll do the same for you guys.

 

-Ethan L.