An Inconvenient Conversation

My parents have interesting views. They tend to be on the conservative side, and don't really worry too much about climate change or carbon footprints or any of that. Obviously they don't want the world to get all messed up from human interference, but they don't subscribe to typical beliefs about global warming and whatnot. Typically, they do what they can to keep energy costs low, and that usually falls in line with preventing dangerous climate change.

During my conversation, I talked mainly about the ways that our family is reducing the amount of energy we use. For example, I asked my mom what kinds of things we are doing to lower our energy costs. Currently, we have low-power fluorescent bulbs installed in every room. We also have a lot of insulation to keep the cold out, meaning we use our heater less. We don't have A/C, so that's not an issue. Additionally, we turn off all lights when we leave the house, and don't run lights in rooms we aren't using.

My parents don't really believe in a large-scale, immediate climate change. They're more of the opinion that it will happen slowly and falls in line with the natural cycles of the earth. That doesn't mean they don't want to take measures to prevent some kind of happening like this, even though they find it unlikely that something like that would ever happen. We have three cars, all of which get very good gas mileage, and only drive when it's completely necessary. That means lower emissions, which means a healthier Earth. We traded in our gas guzzler truck for a much more efficient Mini Cooper, and it gets 35 miles to the gallon.

As far as other topics go, they seemed to know only a small amount about different forms of energy. Since we have been considering installing solar heating for our pool, they obviously have some ideas about what types of alternative energies are out there.

Our conversation was more of me asking their opinions on specific topics, not really a debate or discussion. I just asked certain questions about energy usage and other energy-related topics and they told me their opinions. That's really all that happened.

All in all, my parents are pretty neutral towards energy use and climate change, even though they have taken some measures to reduce energy costs. They mostly live their lives in whatever way is most beneficial to family finances, and I don't really see a problem with that. As long as they aren't going out of their way to destroy the environment, I think whatever they're currently doing to reduce energy cost and harmful emissions is sufficient.

QQCs

Nuclear Power: Risking a Comeback

"That's not the whole story, of course. The hopes of a burgeoning nuclear industry imploded 27 years ago after the partial 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"

Why are people so up in arms about this? Nuclear power isn't really that dangerous...Chernobyl was caused by a few distracted workers, not by a failure in the whole system. And don't we know by now that the U.S. doesn't really have a reason to use bombs? That's a stupid argument because nowadays nuclear bombs are like 100 dollar bills; the people who matter have them in excess. No one's going to use nuclear power for harm in this day and age.

Clean Coal? New Technology Buries Greenhouse Emissions

"Still, fossil fuels are expected to provide 85 percent of the EU's energy in the foreseeable future, according to European Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik."

Coming up with clean coal is good, but why not try for a renewable energy source, not just a cleaner non-renewable source? Who's to say we won't run out of both coal AND oil in the near future? Wouldn't we want a sure thing instead of a guess? It seems to me that maybe pretty much always means no. But no one no not no one likes to be let down.

Back in 1983 For a Day

I've always wondered what it would be like to live in the 80's. No cell phones, no texting, no Internet…I'm so spoiled by the world we live in today that it's almost unthinkable to go without these things. But for one day, I made an honest effort to deny myself these simple pleasures. Unfortunately, in a time when everything needs to be instant and I constantly need to be connected to people, turning off the cellphone is a lot harder than you would think.

I chose to do this assignment on Saturday because I had a concert to play and lots of work to do, and I figured it would be the day when I wouldn't need to be in contact with everyone all at once. I was wrong. I never knew that working alone could involve so many other people, people who I probably wouldn't have been able to talk to any other way. To get my project for Margaret's class done on time, I needed to be in constant communication with my partner. What I did do, however, was forgo using my laptop or watching TV. The only electronic I used was my cellphone, and that was simply to confirm the time and location of said concert, as well as keep in touch with my senior project partner.

It's not really that difficult for me to give up certain electronics because some days I go without them completely without even really thinking about it. But it was kind of difficult to tell myself "no" when I actually did have some down time, however brief it may have been. Instead, I drew pictures for my senior project and spent time with my family, soon to be broken up by the military. I also went to bed early and caught up on my sleep. It definitely felt slow, but I managed.

The day was kind of strange because when I woke up I didn't just immediately turn on the radio, although I suppose that would have been acceptable. I knew the whole week that Saturday would probably be my day to do this because there was a lot going on that didn't involve electronics. Of course I used my car, but I didn't play my Zune while driving. Like I said, I used my cellphone, but sparingly and only when I needed to talk to someone really badly.

All in all I think the day was pretty much the same as any other day I spent over break. I didn't get on Facebook, something I don't even do every day anyway. I didn't play video games, something I don't really have time to do anymore. I didn't watch TV but that's nothing new. I didn't listen to my Zune which meant enduring the music and commercials the radio was spewing. My cellphone was just the most difficult thing because of how much I needed to contact people, and I tried to curb my use. It just goes to show that not everything can be turned off for even a day in this high-speed world of ours.

4 Readings

World Hunger Crisis

(I don't have the packet in front of me, but I remember the topic)

It's interesting that America spends so much of it's time worrying about big businesses who don't care about actual humans instead of spending it's time on those actual humans. Instead of going for what gets money faster, why wouldn't government officials try to appease the citizens? Citizens are supposed to run everything, yet these huge corporations are allowed to have complete and absolute control over the nation.

Cheap Food Workers Pay the Price

This goes along with what I was saying above. Because America isn't willing to go the extra mile for the small people on the bottom, they put them in dangerous conditions for almost nothing in return. These people are forced to eat unhealthy food because they can't afford the more expensive organic stuff. How is this justice?

Financial Crisis

These companies aren't going through a financial depression, but our country is? What kind of garbage is that? People can't even afford to feed their families and the big corporations want to just sit back and line their pockets. It's disgusting and appalling.

The Scope of World Hunger

In my opinion, I don't think America is entitled to feeding other countries. We have our own problems, yet we use resources on these other countries, and for what? Why not tackle our own hunger problems before sending our food away?

Study Guide Questions

Water Study Guide 21:

Ships are a huge source of ocean pollution, and so is runoff. Runoff comes from nearby factories or hospitals that carelessly dump nasty things into neighboring rivers. Because rivers are made of water, and water tend to be affected by gravity, the rivers carry all of those nasty things into the oceans, where they will fester forever and eventually kill everyone.

Food/Ag Study Guide 11:

Overharvesting of aquatic animals for food isn't good, because eventually humans will become so populous that feeding all of the fat people in the world will require species of fish to become completely wiped out. Then the entire food chain as we know it will collapse and Earth will cave in on itself and disappear from the universe forever.

Biome HW pt 1

Freshwater: How can someone tell the difference between each body of water?

Marine: How does such a wide variety of animals live in a reef?

Desert: Why don't deserts ever become wet? Why are they always arid and hostile?

Forest: How do forests remain so mysterious?

Grassland: Where are the largest grasslands located?

Tundra: What kinds of animals would be able to survive in the heat if global warming drastically changed the state of the tundra?

Biome HW pt. 2

FRESHWATER ARTICLE:

Quote: "Only in this desert the mirage is real."

Question: How can a place that changes so much hold so much life in it?

Comment: This place sounds very beautiful if nearly uninhabitable.

MARINE ARTICLE:

Quote: "I don't find blue whale breath offensive--certainly not in comparison to gray whale breath, which is really foul--but blue whale breath can be strong."

Question:

Comment: I wonder what drives people to put themselves in danger to see or catch a whale...

TEMPERATE FOREST ARTICLE:

Quote: "I don't care how hard it is to build. That's what we're here for, is to see places like that."

Question: What is the fate of these mountains as our Earth changes more and more over time?

Comment: The way the forests are described make me want to see what they look like in person.

4 Goals

1. Change all the grass to muddied water to give the garden a marshier appearance.

2. Rescale everything so that it makes sense.

3. Add some more assorted colorful plants. Add taller plants

4. Make the paths more twisted to draw attention to all parts of the garden.

Friday 10/1

Who Will Restore the Ocean? - NatGeo News Watch." Nationalgeographic.com. Web. 03 Oct. 2010. restoring-the-oc.html>.

"Unveiled: The Mystery of Life on Undersea Mountains." 7thSpace Family Portal - Covering Headlines, Business News, Family, Entertainment and Everything Else That Matters.Web. 03 Oct. 2010.

Ward, Chip. "Building with wolves Their reintroduction into Yellowstone has helped restore an entire ecosystem lost when the creatures were exterminated decades ago. - Los Angeles Times." Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Oct. 2010. .

Wednesday 9/29- Garden Ideas

My idea is a hedge garden. I like boxes and angular things, so naturally a hedge garden fits right in with my interests. There are many different kinds of hedges, too. Privet, hawthorn, lavender and holly are just a few of the woody plants that can be used in hedges. Hedges can either be clipped or unclipped, and either way look great. They are easy to plant and feed, and simply require some routine water. Soft loamy soil is the best way to ensure a hedges healthy growth and happy life. They can be trimmed or clipped any time from May to February. They just generally rule.