Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear Power Plants are a very hard concept to understand maybe that is why my younger sister called them the "cloud maker" due to those big, white, puffs of smoke exiting from the reactor.  What is a reactor you ask?  It is the big cylinder type that you see coming out of the power plants. They give off the pollution which is bad for the environment; because the clouds are full of toxins and chemicals. On the other hand, Nuclear power plants are also help generate electricity which is used to support our world.

Nuclear Power Plants operate through thermal production. The term thermal refers to heat. This thermal production is the heat source for the nuclear reactor, or the "cloud maker". The steam that comes from the heat produced makes the steam turbine spin.  Steam turbans are big fans that spins from the steam; as theturbines electricity is produced. Electricity is what makes your night light make your room bright during the night, lets you make popcorn and allows your TV to work so you can watch your favorite movies. We all use electricity each every day and all because of Nuclear Power Plants.

However, Nuclear Power Plants have more harmful aspects than beneficial aspects. Accidents can happen within the Nuclear Power Plants like at Fukushima in Japan as well Chernobyl inRussia. These are only 2 of the 437 Nuclear Power Plants in the world. In your lifetime you have only experienced only one Nuclear Power Plant explosion which took place in 2011, only 2 years ago! It happened in Japan. How does an explosion, at a nuclear power plant affected the United States?  The fact that the chemicals, which are bad for us to be in contact with, got into the water supply. Chemicals in your water supply, can then make you get very sick. There is only so much water in the world and if some of it becomes contaminated than it all becomes contaminated. The explosion at the Japanese Nuclear Power Plant resulted from very strong, very powerful earthquake that happened in Japan. This earthquake knocked everything around, making the power go out which made it impossible to cool down the fuel rods which help allow the turbines to run smoothly, and since they could not cool down the pressure built up causing a big explosion.

The other explosion that happened in Russia, was back when your parents were younger, this happened back in the 80’s, 1986 to be exact. Chernobyl was a different kind of explosion, this was not caused by a big earthquake, and this was caused due to a mechanical error, meaning there was a structural issue when constructing the building for the Nuclear Power Plant.  The results of this explosion are similar to the one in Japan.  In this explosion, hot fuel was mixed with cool water, when hot and cold met it caused destruction to the reactor because of the increased pressure that occurred. So the way they both exploded were similar, but the causes are different. However, this explosion was one of the worst yet because everyone who lived near Chernobyl, were said to have a lifetime of radiation in their systems. Radiation is a harmful when you are exposed to large amount and causes cancer.

Nuclear Power Plants present more negatives than positives.  They can explode if one thing goes wrong such as a build up of pressure. They produce pollutants which are released into the environment and cause health issues to humans and animals. The one positive of the nuclear power plants is it produces electricity. Remember with every good there comes the bad.

Molly

The drug Molly has recently become popular with many teens. Molly has been around for a hundred years. The drug has gotten so much attention from the media (i.e.: TV, newspapers, internet) because of the recent few deaths involving the drug. Many teens do not realize how dangerous Molly can be; they think it is a harmless drug, which it is not.

 

Csomor, Marina. 2012. CNN. Retrieved from: http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/16/health/molly-mdma-drug

History

     The German company Merck patented MDMA (which Molly comes from), in 1913, as a diet pill; the company later decided to not sell the drug.[1] The man who is responsible for the study of the drug today is Alexander Shulgin.[2] Shulgin also held patents for several other drugs that later became illegal.[2] In 1985, MDMA received massive media attention when a group of people sued the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to try and prevent them from placing the drug on the category Schedule 1.[1]  The judge recommend putting the drug on Schedule 3, which would allowed the drug to be made, used on prescription medicine, and to be studied further.[1] In the end, the DEA put MDMA on Schedule 1, which banned it completely.[2]    

Explanation

Molly is a part of the drug MDMA, which is short for

3,4-methlyenedioxymethamphetamine. That very long word looks like another language, right? Well, the word is just the scientific name for the drug. Molly is man-made, which means that the drug came from people making it instead of it coming from a plant. Molly is a mind-altering drug that can make you energized and cause hallucinogens. Other names for Molly are: Ecstasy, X, E, love drug, Adam, and some others.

Effects

Molly has some major short-term and long-term side effects. Some short-term effects may include: “an enhanced sense of self-confidence and energy, feelings of peacefulness, acceptance and empathy, closeness with others and a desire to touch other.”[3] Now, you may be thinking that these effects don’t sound bad at all! And you’re right; these do not. Other (and worse) effects may include: “involuntary teeth clenching, a loss of inhibitions, transfixion on sights and sounds, nausea, blurred vision, chills and/or sweating, increase in heat rate and blood pressure, as well as seizures.”[3] These effects do not sound pleasant at all. Many people that take Molly think that the effects will only include the ones that I listed first, and not the last.

Taking the drug Molly can also cause some major long-term effects. Repeated use of Molly “may damage the cells that produce Serotonin.”[3] Serotonin “has an important role in the regulation of mood, appetite, pain, learning, and memory.”[3] A list of long-term effects can include: “confusion, depression, sleep problems, drug craving, severe anxiety, possible depletion of serotonin and memory, and death.”[4]

Recent Tragedies

On August 31^st, a 23-year-old Syracuse University graduate and a 20-year-old University of New Hampshire student died after taking Molly at the Electric Zoo Festival in New York.[5] These deaths and other reported overdoses resulted in the festival to cancel their last day.[5] A University of Virginia student, who took Molly, died the same weekend at a rave in Washington, D.C.[5] Days earlier in Boston, a 19-year-old died in a club, along with three overdoses at the waterfront.[5] Four deaths have occurred in the same week because of the drug Molly. That says something. It says that Molly is not to be messed with, because anyone who takes it could end up with serious problems, or worse.

Video

If you click on the video I listed below, it will explain more about the drug Molly and how Molly has come into our music.

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/09/01/20283850-who-is-molly-dangerous-drug-gaining-popularity-with-new-name

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[1] Bellis, M. (n.d.). The Invention of MDMA or Ecstasy. About.com. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://inventors.about.com/library/weekly/aa9

[2] History of Ecstasy (MDMA). (n.d.). Narconon. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://www.narconon.org/drug-information/ecstasy-history.html

[3] Ecstasy. (n.d.). The Partnership at Drugfreeorg. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://www.drugfree.org/drug-guide/ecstasy

[4] Ecstasy. (n.d.). CESAR. Retrieved November 15, 2013, from http://www.cesar.umd.edu/cesar/drugs/ecstasy.asp

[5] Drug 'Molly' is taking a party toll in the United States.     (2013, September 30). Fox News. Retrieved November 14, 2013, from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/09/30/drug-molly-is-taking-party-toll-in-united-states/ 

Government Surveillance

Government Surveillance

Imagine a world where every single text, email, phone call and social media page, is being read or listened too by the United States Government. Well, unfortunately you don't have to imagine this world because that's is the world we live in today. Today anytime you want to call your friend about hanging out, or going to the mall, the government will be listening. Government Surveillance is very important in protecting America. Why? Surveillance is important because it gives the government ways to listen and protect America from any terrorist attacks like the ones that happened on September 11th, 2001. September 11th was a horrible day for America and all of its citizens. On this day in 2001, 3 planes were taken and used to attack 2 major buildings in America. The World Trade Centre in New York City, also known as the twin towers, and the Pentagon in Washington D.C. The third plane was taken down by passengers and crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. Many people lost their liefs on this day. The biggest death toll came from the world trade centre, around 2,000 people were killed in the attacks on the towers. 9-11 was a very sad day all around America and government surveillance is something that is here to make sure that nothing like this ever happens during your life time. Its here to protect you and to makes sure people you love are never hurt.
Government Surveillance makes defending our country easier for the government because they can listen in to people they believe could be a problem and make sure that nothing is going on. Government Surveillance really became a major area of our government after 9/11. The Patriot Act, that was created in light of the events, gave major adjustments to the surveillance aspect of the government. The government could now listen to almost every phone call or read every email for every person in the United States. The Patriot Act states, “Allows law enforcement to use surveillance against more crimes of terror. Before the Patriot Act, courts could permit law enforcement to conduct electronic surveillance to investigate many ordinary, non-terrorism crimes, such as drug crimes, mail fraud, and passport fraud. Agents also could obtain wiretaps to investigate some, but not all, of the crimes that terrorists often commit. The Act enabled investigators to gather information when looking into the full range of terrorism-related crimes, including: chemical-weapons offenses, the use of weapons of mass destruction, killing Americans abroad, and terrorism financing” (US Government, 2001). The patriot act made sure that nothing would happen again. With the Patriot Act, the government can make sure no attack can happen again on America. It can make sure that no one is ever planning to use weapons of mass destruction on America.

Government Surveillance is there to protect everyone in America. In my opinion I think we need surveillance. Sure, half of america disprove because it is a invasion on their private space. In order to be protected by the american government they need us to give up some freedoms. Freedom comes at a price and the only way to make sure we are free is if the government can do everything that they have to. Government can't focus the way it needs to if they people do not back it up and believe in the programs they are running.
Government Surveillance is important in America to be able to protect us. It makes sure to listen to phone class and read emails and ext messages. This is important to make sure that no one attacks America from the inside of the country and to make sure nothing like the attacks on 9-11 ever happen again.

The USA Patriot Act: Preserving Life and Liberty. (2001) Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/archive/ll/highlights.htm

Endangered Species

 Ezra Ranco

Dr. Francis

 English

 11/25/13

Summary

Imagine you are a polar bear and you have begun on a journey searching for food and you have travel far and wide. Now you are able of swim an amazing distance, but you have begun to grow really tired. You have reached a max distance of about 30 miles and you require a break. You look out and you see nothing but open waters. Failing to find food and land to rest, you have to continue your travels. Swimming for a while, you notice that everything continues to look the same. What do you do? Well problems like becoming really hungry, and becoming really tired happens to the polar bears far too many times. Polar bears even die floating among floating blocks of ice. Polar bears have become endangered in the past years and are on the verge of being no more, but the polar bears are among many animals whom may have the same problems or have it worse. Endangered means to become close to dyeing and never being seen again. The word species is just another word for a bunch of animals. Sadly there are more than just one type of endangered species that are placed in many different categories.

 Animals have been disappearing for a long time now. There has been so many animals that has started to disappear that there are now categories of them. Categories are the grouping of certain animals so people like you may know who they are. Supporting these animals continues to be very important at this time. If the animals are not protected now there will not be many left. It is the actions of everyone to protect these helpless creatures so that they may one day be on their own again. Clearing land for farms and towns, lumbering, mining, building dams, and draining wetlands all have an effect on the environment. With the human population requiring food, shelter, and clothing and constantly demanding more energy using devices, the temptation to use the land for human use without regard for consequences is big. We can make a difference but only if we all come together and donate little money at a time. Anything is possible with team work and support from others, but we need to remember that animals like us has a heartbeat, feelings, and the desire to live on. It is the survival of the fittest and only the strong will survive even with help.

 When watching the video, listen to how they introduce ideas on how the law works and how everything is trying to help all endangered species. The video will explain how the endangered species are being protected under the endangered species act. It also explains how people are finfing ways around it. I hope you enjoy.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q42XdgJFnDo   

 

Human Cloning

Have you ever wanted to have an exact clone of yourself? This possibility is becoming more and more possible as technology becomes more advanced. If you were to clone yourself, the clone would have to have a natural birth just as any human does. Therefore, the clone would not be the same age as you, but be identical to you. It is an identical twin that is delayed in time. This has never happened to humans though. Our technology is not that advanced yet, but is almost there. The picture to the right is scientist Ian Wilmut and his cloned sheep named Dolly. In 1997, this Scottish scientist was the first ever to clone a mammal. This just shows how close we are coming to human cloning. There has been various other animals cloned in the past century. Dolly the sheep is still the only mammal though.

 

The problem with human cloning is that humans are far more complicated than sheep as far as our genetic make up goes. Also, there is the question of morality and ethics. Many people feel as though it is not right or natural to perform something like this. Many religious groups think that these scientists are trying to take over the role of the creator, or God. They believe only God should have the power to create humans. Another issue with this is the cloned child will not have a sense of identity. They will feel like a science experiment rather than an actual human being. They will feel overshadowed by the person they were cloned from. Some people also believe that it is not right to clone a human. They find it unnecessary and think technology has gone too far. It is also a very dangerous process, which can harm the clone and the surrogate mother carrying the clone. It took nearly three-hundred tries for Dolly the sheep to be a success. We are not quite there yet, but when we do get there it will be a very controversial issue.

 

 

Campaign Funding

Where does it all come from?

All of you have seen the signs in the yards around your neighborhoods when there is an election. Did you ever take the time to think about where they come from? What about all of the costly ads on television? These are some of the many things that go into running a campaign for elected office. The process of campaigning can often get very expensive and the money they use often comes from questionable sources.

Retrieved from http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance.

 

 When you go to find the statistics for campaign spending most of what you find is only what the candidate has raised, however there is a whole other aspect to campaigns like Political action committees (PACs) and Super PACs. These are committees that are set up to support or setback someone that is running for office. For example the Super PAC Restore Our Future is the primary PAC for the Republican Party and it contributed 16% of Romney’s Campaign funds in 2012.* That same PAC also spent 88.6 million dollars on an independent campaign against Obama.* This is a very large sum of money and it all comes from an organization that does not have to report their earning and spending to the same place as the official presidential campaigns. Instead they report to a less strict organization. 

Retrieved from http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance.

PACs are also not limited in the donations that they receive. The candidates are limited to a $2,500 donation per person however there is no limit on PACs. In the 2012 election Sheldon Adelson and his wife both gave $15 million to the republican Super PAC. That is the price of over 400 new cars all going to an organization that could possibly decide the election. Since PACs have no minimum donation that allows people to give these incredible amounts of money and that gives them power to influence the direction of the campaign. Which can essentially mean that if a powerful enough individual gives enough money to the right organization they could decide the election. This creates a large unbalance in the electoral process.

Retrieved from http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance.

If one person can have such a large influence on the election it diminishes the real purpose of the election that is to give the public a say in who they want to govern their nation. This is the unbalance that is created through the use of PACs. PACs often give an individual or group more power because of their money. The same is true for many other things in the United States like business and some higher level education. The people with more money have a better opportunity than the people with less. Think about when you are going to apply for college do you want your spot given to someone with grades that are lower than yours just because they have money? Also think about when you are old enough to vote and have a say in the government. Would you want someone else’s opinion to matter more than yours?

 *Retrieved from http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/campaign-finance.

Deforestation and the 3 Rs

Lions, Tigers, and Bears. Oh my!
Everyday trees are cut down all over the world. Every minute 100 trees are cut down! These trees are cut down for many reasons. The trees are cut down to make space for buildings, farming fields, and highways. The trees are also used for resources such as folders and paper. The problem with cutting down these trees it that it takes the habitiats (homes) away from many animals. For example if you were to cut down a mautre (grown up) oak tree, you could be taking away up to 480 species of animals homes.

The Future of Medicine - Stem Cells

Could you imagine if one of your parents had a disease that doctors said could not be cured?  Fortunately, there is something doctors might be able to do.  They could be cured by something called stem cells.  Once a cell is damaged, it is very hard to repair them.  Often times in very dangerous illnesses like heart failure, cells will break down.  That's where stem cells come into place.  Stem cells are taken from the tissues of fetuses that never fully developed.  These stem cells can then be placed into tissues of damaged cells.  The stem cells then replace the damaged tissues that.  This process could possibly save so many people with illnesses.  Scientists have been spending a lot of time study mice and have determined that the use of stem cells has helped remove dangerous diseases like Parkinson’s, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and ALS.  This is a major accomplishment.  It shows that one day, they can continue to help cure these diseases in people.   Although stem cells sound amazing, it can be a complicated process.  Here is a picture to help explain it better:



Image courtesy of http://whyfiles.org/127stem_cell/stem_cell_graphic.html

As you can see, stem cells can be a complicated task.  In the picture above, we see them start as a fertilized egg.  Over the course of 5 to 7 days it the egg enters the blastocyst stage.  By step 3, inner stem cell mass, the cell have grown and take up much more space than they previously did.  After this point doctors have determined that the egg will never truly form and create life.  We now at this point it is possible to use them for medical purposes.  Cultured undifferentiated stem cells, or step 4, is when cells are formed but have are not developed into a specific cell type yet.  This means they can be used at different areas of the body that could use them.  That takes us to the final step where they become specialized cells like blood cells, neural cells or muscle cells.  They are also know as differentiated stem cells.  This is the step where than can be put into places of the body where cells are damaged and the stem cells move in to repair them.  This process is the whole idea of stem cells that can help save countless numbers of lives.  T.J. Atchison is one of the first people in the United States to take part in this study.  This video will help show the progress.  Watch the video below:

 



As seen in the video, T.J. was in a terrible car accident that changed his life forever.  He became paralyzed from the stomach down.  Once paralyzed, it is not possible to feel anything in the part of the body affected by it.  However, with the use of embryonic stem cells, T.J. can clearly feel again and use his legs to some extent.  This is a incredible breakthrough in the medical world.  Hid story shows that there is a sign for hope for people just like him and millions of others facing diseases that stem cells can potentially cure. 

If you knew someone you loved was suffering you would want to help them, right?  With stem cells it appears it is possible.  Years ago, technology like this seemed out of reach.  Breakthroughs in modern medicine are giving us all a new look at what we can do.  Ask around and try to spread the use of stem cells to help others.  This idea can possibly save millions.  Why wouldn't we try it?  If we can do all of this now, I cannot even imagine what will be possible in the future.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. (2009 ). http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/pages/basics6.aspx