Energy Articles

NUCLEAR ENERGY ARTICLE

Q:

"...meltdown at one of the Three Mile Island reactors in Pennsylvania, followed by the horror of Chernobyl seven years after that. Plus, decisions made by utility regulators in the 1970s and '80s left companies barely able to pay off billion-dollar nuclear construction bills."

Q:

Don't the Nuclear Energy Companies have a lot of support in its future developments since it has a lot of potential?

C:

I don't get why we wont keep a good thing.

CLEAN COAL ARTICLE

Q:

"The goal of the pilot plant is to develop technology that will allow the European Union (EU) to reach its target of capturing and storing 10 percent of its total carbon dioxide emissions and 30 percent of the CO2 produced by conventional power stations."

Q:

Why can't we just have healthier soil and add more oxygen-producing trees, wouldn't it be the same thing?

C:

I dont get this. It would be easier just to stick with what we have.

No technology

For me to go without technology, is almost impossible. Especially in this day and age. Its like saying, here is the car, drive it without gas. My cell phone is needed for communication, between friends and parents. Mostly saying , hey mom i made it to work alive-hey mom im on my way home-hey mom im still here, love you. Yes i know, back in the olden olden...olden days there was no cell phone, no fancy computer, no fancy ipod, ipad or anything of that nature. but come on now, we have it running in our veins. sure the old folk dont know how to use it, but i bet a toddler is almost as good as i am with the dang things.

So back to my phone. With my phone i contact rides to get to and from work, days to hang out, and to stay in touch with my parents, and mostly, to bicker back and forth and make my mom want to pull out her hair. Good luck pulling me away from that. i carry my phone everywhere, and i get nervous without it--as though the world will explode without it right by my side.

Now its computer time! This is easier to push away. Facebook, myspace, email--i can do without. But when it comes to making homework typed, and working on applications for college, its not so easy.

Over all, I think i could live without it, did i try? oh yeah. But i have to really plan everything out a day or two early to get it to work, other than that, technology rules my life.

Energy

Mostly my dad was answering questions, he seemed to be on the ball and give short concise answers to statements.

From what forms of energy there are (electrical, mechanical, and gas), to the hardest thing about addressing climate change (getting everyone to agree).

A lot of things were mostly question and answer for him, while he played his Call of Duty Black Ops, which I would like to add, wastes energy. :) He and my mother believe that benefits and drawbacks of current energy sources are things like being too expensive and also based on monetary return and efficiency.

Also discussed was climate changing, studying climate, and what scientists, and politicians say and do about climate change. My dad was saying jet streams and weather interaction are the cause for climate changing. And that most of us normal folk learn by what we study in school and what scientists learn and tell public via news broadcasts. And that politicians are fed by money along with scientists, so they put their mouths where the money goes to not necessarily do good, but to just sound good, and not much would change if it keeps headed in that direction.

And with spirituality, most people pray and believe it will all be okay, and that God or whomever will control it as best for the environment, while bad ethics is about money, and cheating, to make everything go the way the big wigs want it to--that there are no morals.

A lot of people also use emotions to make decisions and to do as they please with what they want. And if people want change, they will follow their beliefs and do as they please.

And that was my 15 minutes of fame with my father, and side dish of mother :)

Biome HW Part 2

Temperate Forest: The Intimate Wild

Q: "Ernest had grown up hunting in the Ozark National Forest."
Q: Isn't it illegal to hunt in a national forrest?
C: I had always thought that you weren't allowed to hunt in a national forrest, let alone take something out of it.

Grassland: Grassland Kingdom

Q: "...1,800 Asiatic wild buffalo, the largest remaining population anywhere..."

Q: Is this in the whole world, or just one specific area?

C: I just wanted to know if it means this species was endangered or almost extinct.

Freshwater: Reuniting a River

Q: "...But when the weather turned sunny and hot, the fish, wearied by the false start and weakened by infections, didn't get far: At least 30,000 chinook salmon died in the lower 40 miles."

Q: What kinds of infections did fish get, and how did they develop?

C: I wondered if it was from pesticides that farmers used, or some outside source.

Extra:

Desert:

1. Q: "Even worse, this place where rain falls sparingly at the best of times was now in the grip of a bad drought,

   and the half-mummified carcasses of camels and goats lay strewn across the sands."

1. Q: If the Afar people were traveling and a goat they had with them or a camel dies, do they just leave it? Wouldn't it be more efficient to use what they had?

1. C: The imagery in this quote is good. I wondered why they would just leave it, instead of using it for food or other things.

Biome HW Part 1

Marine:

What would happen if an underwater animal from the Pelagic Zone entered the Abyssal Zone?

I couldn't find an answer in the article.

Desert:

How could someone survive if they were lost in the desert and needed water and food?

A person who is lost can eat berries and cut open cacti for the meat of the cacti and the water stored inside.

Freshwater:

Does erosion and runoff affect the quality of water and the quality of life for the animals that live there?

No obvious answer could be found, except it just means that the fish or animals that live in that area will either adapt or relocate. For example, carp can be found in areas with high turbidity due to the low amount of oxygen it requires.

Forrest:

This article was extremely thorough and I found no questions I needed answered.

Grassland:

Is the only aesthetically discerning feature about a grassland is that it is all pretty much level with itself?

Yes because it is all primarily grass growing. It all grows to just about the same height, which is perfect for predators.

Tundra:

What could happen if suddenly there was a decrease in fish in tundras, what would happen?

I couldn't find a clear answer.

Food Inc. Articles

Fields of Poison

I think this is just another example about how the government regulating everything still fails. The government doesnt really care about worker safety just as long as america continues getting food. I think that workers should be able to go out ad learn about pesticides and the effects of them instead of doing nothing about the. Not only is it the employer but its the workers as well. Everyone should really step up and become educated.

The Financial Crisis and World Hunger

Microloans could definitely work in poorer countries where less is more than in the US. Its actually a pretty cool idea and its awesome how most of the people taking out loans are the women. We wont really ever solve world hunger; there will always be someone somewhere who cant get food. I think that since small farms are slipping that they should just go local vs worldwide.

The Scope of the World Food Crisis

Poverty and hunger are most occurrent in rural areas, so why don't the people come into the city or something. I dont think America or many places for that matter are taking care of people and hunger throughout countries. We cant really supply food for free but maybe if we charged less for ones in need it could help out a lot more.

Cheap Food: Workers Pay the Price

It doesnt really make sense that we exploit workers for cheap food and yet they say the price is still too high. Then there are ore regulations, and here is the government still having regulation failure. They are here to enforce laws, and yet they dont.

Exam: Multiple Choice Questions

The answers are in RED

Water Study Guide:

#4. Describe the relationship between ground water and surface water in a watershed.

1. What is groundwater?

a. Water in lakes and streams.

b. Water in the ocean.

c. Water collected and put into watersheds.

d. Underground aquifers that are harder to reach.

2. What is surface water?

a. Water in underground aquifers that are harder to reach.

b. Water from lakes, streams, and rivers.

c. Water in the ocean.

d. Water collected from rainfall.

3. What is a watershed?

a. Where water drains out into the ocean.

b. Where rain is caught and stored.

c. Where surface and/or groundwater is drained into.

d. Where the water is cleaned for drinking purposes.

4. Why is ground water and surface water important?

a. So we have water to put back into the ocean.

b. So we have water we can drink.

c. For everyday purposes.

d. To divide and give to different cities and populations.

Air and Land Use Study Guide:

#6. Explain what causes indoor air pollution and how it can be prevented.

1. Which indoor air pollution comes from the ground?

a. Asbestos

b. Radon

c. Carbon Monoxide

d. Mothballs

2. What can you do to prevent Indoor Air Pollution?

a. Stop using cleaners

b. Don't paint the walls

c. Don't use your fireplace

d. Get organic cleaners

Food and Agriculture Study Guide:

#7. Identify the major (Physiological) causes of malnutrition.

1. What is malnutrition?

a. Too much food.

b. Good nutrition.

c. Poor nutrition.

d. No exercise.

2. What is one cause of malnutrition?

a. Bad ecosystem.

b. Poisoned Food.

c. Poverty.

d. No food.

Goals for My group

Group Name: Wormies and the Pests

My Goals for the Week:

Tuesday: Research, and start to find cheap/donate-able bins for worms

Wednesday: Try and find pest control/diatomaceous earth for cheap/or to be donated

Thursday: Choose the area to which the worms will live

Friday: Choose which worms would be best for composting

Saturday: Get materials needed for bins

Sunday: Get materials needed for killing/keeping ants out.

Goals

First Four:
1. Place trees farther apart due to size.
2. Add house and trails.
3. Size the plan (1"=40 ft, 1/4 inch=10 ft).
4. Use natural components for bridge (logs).

Second Four:
1. Start adding mushrooms into the plan.
2. Place the plants throughout the trails.
3. Place boulders around river and plants.
4. Note where high elevation is and low elevation is (put in elevations).