Class Response: Oil!

In class today, we discussed the natural resource of oil- where it is found, the conditions needed to create it, and the importance of it in our modern day society.
Basically, oil is a natural resource that takes thousands of years to form. Oil (petroleum) is made when sediments pile up against each other and bury themselves under the ground. As the pressure and heat increases, the substances, after many years, turn into oil.
Since oil is so hard to make, and even harder to get to, oil companies spend billions of dollars trying to locate and separate it from the ground. Geologists hired by these companies use state of the art technology to find appropriate locations where oil can be found. Oil can only be found if there is a source, a reservoir, and a lid.
More than most of the time, all of the oil cannot be retrieved from underground, so geologists must have an accurate sense of the environment and the budget they are working with. If anything, the petroleum business can get quite expensive! (Would that explain some of the rising gas prices? =])
Since the demand for oil is high, thousands and thousands of barrels of oil are being taken from the earth every day. Since oil takes so long to form, we might be facing a shortage in this natural resource. Bust as technology advances (hybrid cars, energy saving appliances), we can maybe start limiting our use of this resource.


For more information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petroleum
Picture: wikipedia

Extra Credit: Weather&Poetry

Who has seen the wind?
Neither I nor you:
but when the leaves hang trembling
the wind is passing through.
Who has seen the wind?
Neither you nor I:
but when the trees bow down their heads
the wind is passing by.

"Who Has Seen the Wind?" Christina Rossetti

"Who Has Seen the Wind?", by Christiana Rossetti is a poem that uses the weather to paint a picture. In this poem, the weather is being used to almost signify a person. The wind, the main type of weather in the poem, has been given human characteristics. ("The wind is passing through...") This is a literary device called personification. Not only has the wind been personified, but also the surrounding environment ("trees bow down their heads"). If the use of weather were to be absent from this poem, there would be no basic story or rhythm. In this case, the wind is the main factor. The thought provoking lines and inter meanings would all be lost if the weather did not play a part. This poem did not increase my scientific knowledge of weather, but rather, it has increased my artistic impression of weather and the wind.

For information on the poet: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina_Rossetti
For more weather related poetry: http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/education/primary/students/poems.html

Class Response: "An Arctic Tale"

The documentary, "An Arctic Tale", narrated by Queen Latifah, tells the story of two arctic animals, Nanu the polar bear and Seela the seal. This movie documents the lifestyle of these two native arctic animals and how they must adapt to the ever-changing climate of their home and the world.
The movie starts with newborn polar bear cubs,Nanu and her brother, who both emerge from their home (a cave) with their mother. They soon go on to learn how to hunt and survive in their pristine yet dangerous new home.
We move on to meet Seela, a newborn walrus calf. Seela is protected by her mother and her "Auntie", who is most probably another female walrus in the herd. Since walruses do not give birth very often, Seela is the crown jewel of the whole herd.
As time passes, Seela and Nanu learn the hardships of living in such a unforgiving environment. At one years old, Nanu sees her brother die to starvation and Seela almost dies from an attack from a male polar bear. But, Nanu and Seela continue to grow and learn just as they have to.
Soon, Nanu and Seela realize that the climate is changing. This was most obviously stated when sudden food shortages appeared. Driven by the forces of starvation and disparity, Nanu and her mother are forced to separate a year earlier than natural.
Now, Nanu has to find a way to survive with out the needed guidance of her mother, and Seela must learn how to cope with the ever lasting adventures to find food, and a non-melting home.
As time passes, Seela and Nanu's paths cross on a desolate "last-resort" island called Rock Island. This is the only place where Seela and her family can find shelter and the only place Nanu may find food. Unfortunately, Rock Island is occupied by a grown male polar bear- a natural enemy to both Seela and Nanu. When the male polar bear is finally disturbed by the walrus heard, Seela's loving "Auntie" must sacrifice herself to save her heard. Nanu must forget everything she has learned to befriend the male bear, for he is the last chance for food.
"Arctic Tale" ends closes with the "cycle completed". Nanu soon mates with the male polar bear on the island and gives birth to two cubs and Seela, mates with a male walrus, giving birth to a female calf.
This movie cleverly portrays life in the Arctic as well as preserving the message of the dangers of climate change. This heart-felt story is so thought provoking that the next time you go to turn on your air conditioner, you think of Seela and Nanu. (You then turn to open your window =]). This movie helps the population truly understand what this "climate crisis" is, and how we can stop it.

For more information on the climate crisis visit: AlGore.com WeCanSolveIt.org ClimateCrisis.net

For more information about the movie: arctictalemovie.com

Social Studies: Technology and Culture

After interviewing three adults in my family, I really realized how big of a change technology has encountered in even the last thirty years. Even bigger is the great affect technology has on on our American and world culture. What I feel is the biggest improvement on technology in the last thirty years is the invention/modifications of the computer and internet. Virtually anything can be done on the computer. May it be watching a movie or researching your favorite band, the computer and internet has found a major part of our life. Computer technology has also saved many lives. In a hospital, heart rate monitors and walking machines have helped doctors diagnose and treat many life threating problems. Truly, I believe that these technological advances has not only made our lives easier, but also made our culture a more interesting and valued one than it had been.

In class, we learned about the periodic table and the atom. As many might know, the periodic table is a method of displaying all the elements known to man kind. The periodic table was first designed by the Russian chemistry professor Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev and then four months later the German Julius Lothar Meyer, who both arranged the elements by mass. The table is made up of squares, each square belongs to an element.
If you look at the one pictured above, you can see how the square describes an element. There is an atomic number, that tells you how many electrons and protons are in the atom. There is the atomic symbol (H) which is obviously the symbol for the element (Hydrogen). And lastly, there is an atomic mass, which is represented in atomic mass units.

To better understand the periodic table you need to understand the make up of an atom. The atom is made out of four main parts: the electron, proton, neutron, and shell. Since all atoms are neutral charged, the number of negatively charged electrons and the number of positively charged electrons must be the same. The protons and neutrons are found in the nucleus of the atom while the electrons orbit the nucleus. See above for photo.

I think that learning about this is a fundamental way to start learning and exploring different aspects of biology, chemistry and physics.

Click HERE for more information!

Abu Dhabi to be the Greenest City in the World!

Abu Dhabi, located in the country of the United Arab Emirates, has unveiled their new plans to be the greenest city on the planet. Masdar City, a small six-kilometer region of Abu Dhabi, will be the first city to have made such a promise to make their city a sustainable community. Masdar City is going to achieve this by following the WWF's 'One Planet Living' global initiative program, which sets a few guidelines. These being that the city must have zero carbon emission, zero waste, sustainable transport, sustainable materials, sustainable food, sustainable water, safe habitats and wildlife, and the city will also have fair trade regulations, a good balance of culture and heritage, and most of all, the city will be healthy and happy. The government of Masdar City and Abu Dhabi has not only promised to meet these guidelines, but they have pledged to exceed them as well!
Many people are left wondering about how this will be done. The plans have revealed many significant aspects that have forced the public to believe that this is possible. The electricity will be generated by photovoltaic panels, cooling systems will be provided through concentrated solar power. The city's water supply will be provided via a solar-powered desalination plant. Trees and park water will be supplied through irrigation systems. All water will be put through a highly advanced process and be reused. The use of public transportation will be strongly encouraged, and anything built will be constructed out of sustainable products, such as wood or bamboo.
Many experts have endorsed this master plan for Masdar City, saying this is a feasible goal and will have huge benefits to the world's community as a whole. The city will then be a role model for future cities to show how urban development can be environmentally safe and conscious. All in all, the whole population of the world has high hopes for this record-breaking city.
Construction begins in early 2008 and is projected to be finished by 2012.
For more information, click here.
Picture from here.

Gorillas In Midst of Murder

Gorillas, one of the closest relatives to humans in the animal kingdom, have fascinated scientists and the general public for decades. Mountain gorillas, native to Africa, are one of the biggest species of gorillas there are. Humans have studied these creatures for decades and it has been taught to these gorillas that humans mean no harm. Unfortunately, this is not true any longer. These already endangered specie has been exposed to human poaching and war, killing at least ten in the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the only places left where these giants live.
There are only 700 gorillas left in the world, according to Flora and Fauna International, and they mostly live in the forests of African nations like Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In countries like Rwanda and Uganda, these gorillas are well-protected. They live in national preserved forests and parks where poaching is banned. Tourists from all over the world flock to these nations to see the remaining of the mountain gorillas, making tourism a big part of both the countries economy.
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, war and fighting has taken place for the last ten years. Because of lack of government aid and financial resources, the country cannot afford to protect the gorillas like it's neighbors. It has been reported that in 2006 ten mountain gorillas have been shot to death. It has not been reported how many have been found dead in 2007, but there is no expected decrease of gorilla deaths because the fighting has not seized.
If nothing is done to protect these gorillas soon, the number of them will decrease at a rapid pace. It might only take a couple of years for the Mountain gorilla to be added to our list of extinct species. But, there has been several efforts by the United Nations and other environmental groups to help protect these mammals. With more funding, I believe that we can help these gorillas thrive like they once did.

For more information, click here
Picture from here