LiGHT POLLUTiON

While I was on the senior trip, I tried to relate something to my project in class. What I came up with was light pollution and how it affects the Earth. With Disney's many parks and attractions, there's no doubt about it that they use a lot of light in shows and to light up the park. Sure, it looks pretty when you see such beautiful colors and designs but no thinks about the impact lighting has on Earth. We are the very first humans living on this planet to create a lifestyle that is slowly destroying our connection with the sky. Have you ever seen the milky way or the big dipper? The mostly answer is no! Unless you are far out away from the city in the country you probably will not jsse them. In more urbanized places they can not be seen at all. Imagine watching your favorite movie in a well lit theater. The light completely overwhelms the movie and you quickly lose interest. Likewise, the beautiful nightly celestial show is easily destroyed by the improper use of streetlights and other outdoor lighting at night. It isn't that astronomers want all the lights turned off as much as they want to make streetlights and other lights do what they should do shine down on the ground. By properly shielding our streetlights and directing other lights downward, we can save two things, the night sky for all of us, and lots of money.

CONNIE CULP

This undated photo of Connie Culp, before the injury to her face would lead her to become the first face transplant patient in the United States. Culp spoke to the media at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. The 46-year-old mother of two lost most of the midsection of her face to a gunshot in 2004. The initial surgery by the Cleveland Clinic team took place in December 2008

This is a photo of Connie Culp, after an injury to her face, left, and then as she appears today. Culp is underwent the first face transplant surgery the United States at the Cleveland Clinic in December 2008. Culp spoke to the media at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. The 46-year-old mother of two lost most of the midsection of her face to a gunshot in 2004. Connie Culp, left, who underwent the first face transplant surgery in the U.S., is helped to the podium by her head surgeon, Dr. Maria Siemionow, right, and Pat Lock, a nurse with the transplant team, center, before speaking to the media at a news conference at the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio on Tuesday, May 5, 2009. The 46-year-old mother of two lost most of the midsection of her face to a gunshot in 2004. The initial surgery by the Cleveland Clinic team took place in December 2008.

CLAYTON 'i-HOUSE' IS GIANT LEAP FROM TRAILER PARK

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – From its bamboo floors to its rooftop deck, Clayton Homes' new industrial-chic "i-house" is about as far removed from a mobile home as an iPod from a record player.Architects at the country's largest manufactured home company embraced the basic rectangular form of what began as housing on wheels and gave it a postmodern turn with a distinctive v-shaped roofline, energy efficiency and luxury appointments.Stylistically, the "i-house" might be more at home in the pages of a cutting-edge architectural magazine like Dwell — an inspirational source — than among the Cape Cods and ranchers in the suburbs.The layout of the long main "core" house and a separate box-shaped guestroom-office "flex room" resemble the letter "i" and its dot. Yet Clayton CEO and President Kevin Clayton said "i-house" stands for more than its footprint.With a nod to the iPod and iPhone, Clayton said, "We love what it represents. We are fans of Apple and all that they have done. But the 'I' stands for innovation, inspiration, intelligence and integration."Clayton's "i-house" was conceived as a moderately priced "plug and play" dwelling for environmentally conscious homebuyers. It went on sale nationwide Saturday with its presentation at the annual shareholders' meeting of investor Warren Buffett's Berkshire-Hathaway Inc. in Omaha, Neb."This innovative 'green' home, featuring solar panels and numerous other energy-saving products, is truly a home of the future," Buffett wrote his shareholders. "Estimated costs for electricity and heating total only about $1 per day when the home is sited in an area like Omaha."Maryville, Tenn.-based Clayton Homes, acquired by Berkshire-Hathaway in a $1.7 billion buyout in 2003, delivered 27,499 mobile or manufactured homes last year, a third of the industry total. Kevin Clayton thinks the "i-house" very quickly could represent more than 10 percent of its business."I think in 12 to 18 months it is possible," he told The Associated Press. "That is a lofty goal, but it is very possible. Retailers are saying they want the home on their lots tomorrow. I know the demand is there. How fast we capture it is really just determined by how affordable we can make it."Clayton Homes plans to price the "i-house" at $100 to $130 a square foot, depending on amenities and add-ons, such as additional bedrooms. A stick-built house with similar features could range from $200 to $300 a square foot to start, said Chris Nicely, Clayton marketing vice president.
The key cost difference is from the savings Clayton achieves by building homes in volume in green standardized factories with very little waste. Clayton has four plants in Oregon, Tennessee, California and New Mexico geared up for "i-house" production.A 1,000-square-foot prototype unveiled at a Clayton show in Knoxville a few months ago was priced at around $140,000. It came furnished, with a master bedroom, full bath, open kitchen and living room with Ikea cabinetry, two ground-level deck areas and a separate "flex room" with a second full bath and a second-story deck covered by a sail-like canopy."It does not look like your typical manufactured home," said Thayer Long with the Manufactured Housing Institute, a Washington-based group representing 370 manufactured and modular home-building companies.And shattering those mobile home stereotypes is a good thing, he said. "I think the 'i-house' is just more proof that the industry is capable of delivering homes that are highly customizable at an affordable price."The "i-house's" metal v-shaped roof — inspired by a gas-station awning — combines design with function. The roof provides a rain water catchment system for recycling, supports flush-mounted solar panels and vaults interior ceilings at each end to 10 1/2 feet for an added feeling of openness.The Energy Star-rated design features heavy insulation, six-inch thick exterior walls, cement board and corrugated metal siding, energy efficient appliances, a tankless water heater, dual-flush toilets and lots of "low-e" glazed windows.The company said the prototype at roughly 52,000 pounds may be the heaviest home it's ever built.The final product will come in different exterior colors and will allow buyers to design online, adding another bedroom to the core house, a second bedroom to the flex room or rearranging the footprint to resemble an "L" instead of an "I." "We thought of this a little like a kit of parts, where you have all these parts that can go together in different ways," said Andy Hutsell, one of the architects. Susan Connolly, a 60-year-old accountant who works from her conventional Knoxville home, hopes to be one of the first buyers. She's seen the prototype and has been talking to the company. "I have been interested in green construction and the environment in my own personal life," she said. "It is nice to have a group of people that have thought of everything. Where you don't have to shop around and go to different places ... to find the products you want." "I think it is smart. It is fresh. It is kind of hip for a new generation of green-thinking homebuyers," said Stacey Epperson, president and CEO of Frontier Housing, a Morehead, Ky.-based regional nonprofit group that supplies site-built homes and manufactured housing, including Clayton products, to low- and moderate-income homebuyers. "You know a lot of people don't see themselves living in manufactured (housing), but a lot of those people would see themselves living in an 'i-house.' I could live in an 'i-house,'" she said. "Are we repositioning to go after a new market?" Nicely said. "I would think we are maintaining our value to our existing market and expanding the market to include other buyers that previously wouldn't have considered our housing product." The company sees the "i-house" as a primary residence — three developers already have inquired about building mini-developments with them — that also could appeal to vacation home buyers. Brian McKinley, president of Atlantis Homes of Smyrna, Del., a manufactured-home dealer that sells Clayton and other brands, said the "i-house" resembles high-end custom homes he sees along the Delaware-Maryland shore. It represents a "new direction and an innovative application for what our industry can do," he said. "I think there is a market," McKinley said. "The challenge is to find that market and then will they visit this home at one of our traditional factory-built home centers. I think they (Clayton) want to find that out, too."

SUN SPOTS

Could the Sun play a greater role in recent climate change than has been believed? Climatologists had dismissed the idea and some solar scientists have been reticent about it because of its connections with those who those who deny climate change. But now the speculation has grown louder because of what is happening to our Sun. No living scientist has seen it behave this way. There are no sunspots. The disappearance of sunspots happens every few years, but this time it’s gone on far longer than anyone expected and there is no sign of the Sun waking up. "This is the lowest we’ve ever seen. We thought we'd be out of it by now, but we're not," says Marc Hairston of the University of Texas. And it’s not just the sunspots that are causing concern. There is also the so called solar wind streams of particles the Sun pours outthat is at its weakest since records began. In addition, the Sun's magnetic axis is tilted to an unusual degree. "This is the quietest Sun we’ve seen in almost a century," says NASA solar scientist David Hathaway. But this is not just a scientific curiosity. It could affect everyone on Earth and force what for many is the unthinkable: a reappraisal of the science behind recent global warming. Our Sun is the primary force of the Earth's climate system, driving atmospheric and oceanic circulation patterns. It lies behind every aspect of the Earth’s climate and is, of course, a key component of the greenhouse effect. But there is another factor to be considered. When the Sun has gone quiet like this before, it coincided with the earth cooling slightly and there is speculation that a similar thing could happen now. If so, it could alter all our predictions of climate change, and show that our understanding of climate change might not be anywhere near as good as we thought.

MAJOR POTENTIAL CO2 STORAGE IN THE NORTH SEA

The North Sea could store the carbon dioxide from all Europe's power stations for hundreds of years, the results of major research to be unveiled today will reveal. Porous rocks beneath the seabed of the North Sea and disused oil and gas fields could provide storage for millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide. The research, by Edinburgh University, is likely to herald the startof a major new industry for Scotland, using the North Sea to lead the way in efforts to store the greenhouse gas emission from power plants.It will bring the possibility of compressed emissions being transported from power plants across Europe to underground stores beneath the North Sea using the network of pipes already in place for the oil and gas industry one step closer. It will be the first time it has been shown the porous rocks known as saline aquifers beneath the seabed have the potential to store mass quantities of ."We will be able to conclusively say we can store it in saline aquifers for hundreds of years," a source told The Scotsman."This will be a huge opportunity for Scotland. It could create a huge new industry for Scotland." Professor Stuart Haszeldine, a world expert in carbon capture and storage at Edinburgh University, has been leading the eagerly-awaited research into the potential of the North Sea to store the greenhouse gas.

SUPREME COURT LETS SHELL OFF THE HOOK iN POLLUTiON CLEANUP

California will pay more and companies pay less to clean up a polluted San Joaquin Valley site under a closely watched Supreme Court decision Monday. Capping an excruciatingly long legal battle, the court by an 8-1 margin limited the liability of two major railroads for chemical spills in the Kern County town of Arvin. The court also absolved Shell of liability for the Arvin site, in a ruling could help restrict corporate liability in other future pollution cases as well. "It's a hugely significant case," said Baker & Botts' attorney Daniel Steinway, who wrote a legal brief on behalf of the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups. "It will have enormous financial consequences for industry."

WHAT'S NEW

EYE JEWERLY

Eric Klarenbeek has created eye jewels that hang from your contact lenses. It’s not supposed to affect your eyesight, but what happens if it gets caught in something? This is one trend I will not be partipaicing in and I’m sure most people will agree with me.

GLOW iN THE DARK TATTOOS

Have you always wanted a tattoo but were afraid of what your boss will say? With glow in the dark tattoos you can cover yourself in body art and no one will be the wiser, unless they see you with the lights out. The new technique uses black light reactive ink, which is reactive to UV light. As a result, these tattoos only glow in black light. However, you will still surprise your next date when in the black light you start to shine.

SWiNE FLU

The CDC reports additional cases of confirmed swine influenza and a number of hospitalizations of swine flu patients. Internationally, the situation is more serious too, with additional countries reporting confirmed cases of swine flu. In response to the intensifying outbreak, the World Health Organization raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 4. A Phase 4 alert is characterized by confirmed person-to-person spread of a new influenza virus able to cause "community-level" outbreaks. The increase in the pandemic alert phase indicates that the likelihood of a pandemic has increased. CDC has activated its emergency operations center to coordinate the agency’s emergency response. CDC's goals are to reduce transmission and illness severity, and provide information to help health care providers, public health officials and the public address the challenges posed by this swine influenza virus. Yesterday, CDC issued a travel warning recommending that people avoid non-essential travel to Mexico. CDC continues to issue interim guidance daily on the website and through health alert network notices. CDC's Division of the Strategic National Stockpile is releasing one-quarter of its antiviral drugs, personal protective equipment, and respiratory protection devices to help states respond to the outbreak. The swine influenza a virus is susceptible to the prescription antiviral drugs oseltamivir and zanamivir. This is a rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated guidance and new information as it becomes available.

RUBBER MULCH

During an adventure with my sponsor, he introduced me to rubber recycled mulch. Mulch is used in playgrounds, planets, and other places. It can become messy and cause a lot of problems. But, now rubber tires are being used as a sub. for mulch. The colors are black, blue, brown, green, and red. Here in two of our Lindenwold parks we now have rubber mulch being used. The difference between rubber mulch is it requires minimum maintenance, quick drying, non staining, it reduces dust and mud, will not mold or rot, and is guareenteed to last a life time. Who would have thought tires could do the world good?

0NE MAN'S TRASH iS ANOTHER MAN'S TREASURE

For the Senior projects' product I am making a trash sculpture. At first I did not know what exactly I was going to make but I have came to the conclusion that I am going to make a lion to represent our school's mascot with LHS over it. The only two problems I face now is, where will I put it and what materials will I use to create this masterpiece. My ideas for where to put it was outside and somewhere in a showcase in school. My first choice really is to keep it outside for everyone to see because I want the community to see what I have done and to make everyone aware of how much recycling can help our planet. As far as material I still am not sure. I need something that will be able to stand rain or snow and that will be strong enough for outside conditions. Also, the size of the lion I will like it to be a decent size, nothing tiny but life like size. I have looked at other trash sculptures and a lot have inspired me to do so much. I haven't really talked to any one about my idea because I haven't perfect it yet. I hope I do a good job on it.

THE NEXT MiNi iCE AGE?

Solar history was made in August of 2008. This was the first month, since 1913, where no sunspot activity was observed. In fact, the sun had been spotless for 42 days as of the end of August. This is according to sunspot data from NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center. Although sunspot activity follows an 11 year cycle in which activity becomes minimal every 11 years, zero activity is not common. Subsequent to 1913 the sun had been very active but has slowed down, within the 11 year cycle, in recent years. In 2005, two scientists predicted that solar sunspot activity would reach zero by 2015. When this paper was written, sunspot activity was fairly high and they were rebuked by the global warming scientists. Their paper was refused publication because it was based on statistical evidence. It so happens that lack of sunspot activity during the years 1420-1570, 1645-1715 and 1790-1830 corresponds to periods of global cooling. Some scientists believe that as we approach 2014, the climate will again cool -- based on this statistical correlation between sunspot activity and global temperatures. However, this scientific data opposes the global warming stories we hear and, therefore, are rarely reported. They are deemed to be the work of insane deniers of the global warming cult. The point is that all of this is a very complex issue. It certainly cannot be argued that the sun has no effect on the temperature of the earth. The huge electro magnetic storms on the sun that sunspots are made of produce tremendous energy and great volumes of radiation. When we take into account all of the possible factors that make up the temperature of the earth, we see that there is virtually no limit to the number of variables. Because of this, creating a nice and neat theory that accurately predicts these events is impossible. The global warming pundits say the discussion is over and that the proof is at hand. It reminds us of a sniveling child with their fingers in their ears screaming at the top of their lungs so as to not hear what they are being told. If the case for global warming were so solid, they would not want to close the debate. Just as the evidence of sunspots vs. the earth's temperatures does not prove that we are entering a mini ice age, neither can the fantasies of the global warming crowd be proven. The issue is too complex and although we want to think we are so intelligent, the facts are that we know very little about it.

PARASTiC TWiNS

No, this is not the National Enquirer. Baby Manar Maged in Egypt known as the 'two headed girl' had survived an earlier operation to remove a parasitic twin joined at her head. However, on Saturday, she passed away after succumbing to an infection in her brain. Maner was only 10 months old when surgeons operated on her for 13 consecutive hours and managed to successfully separate the parasitic twin. The twin seen in the photo was not expected to survive even with the surgery or with the passage of natural time. Physicians stated that the twin could do little more but blink and smile.The surgery was somewhat controversial in Egypt because it would have meant the certain death of the parasitic twin, which had no limbs, a partial torso and only a head. Reports suggest that there was some effort to halt the surgery on compassionate grounds. In the end, it was an infection that the surviving twin succumbed to.The Manar Maged case has been diagnosed as craniopagus parasiticus, an extremely rare condition where the embryo splits to form a twin but fails to develop separately and is attached to the head of the 'normal' embryo. There have been other known cases, such as a girl in the Dominican Republic, born in 2003, who did not survive the delicate and dangerous operation to remove the parasitic twin. The 2003 case involved an 8-week old baby who endured a complicated 11-hour operation to separate an undeveloped head of her twin. Doctors had warned after the surgery that the girl would be at great risk of infection or hemorrhaging.In this case, lead surgeon Dr. Jorge Lazareff opined that the girl lost a lot of blood in the operation, which apparently caused her to suffer a heart attack. Friends and family donated almost 4 gallons of blood for surgeons to use during the operation. Fully developed twins born conjoined at the head are extremely rare, accounting for one of every 2.5 million births, but parasitic twins, where one twin stops developing in the womb, are even rarer. Rebecca was the eighth documented case in the world of craniopagus parasiticus, doctors said. All the other infants documented to have had the condition died before birth, making Rebecca's surgery the first known operation of its kind. The afore-mentioned Egyptian case is recognized as the ninth.Without an operation, Rebecca would have barely been able to lift her head at 3 months old. Her doctors said the pressure from the second head, attached on top of the first and facing up, would have prevented her brain from developing.

S0LAR POWERED CELL PHONES

Not a whole lot of detail about Samsung's new Blue Earth Phone except that it has some eco-features that finally get us excited about the future of greener cell phones. We really hope this won't be a disappointing chunk of greenwash like Motorola's Renew. Hitting the UK in the second half of 2009, the Samsung Blue Earth phone is a touchscreen smart phone that can apparently generate the power it needs to make a call any time from the solar panel built into the back.
At first glance, we're pretty darn excited about this solar power feature. But, we aren't sure just what Samsung means by this and how powerful that solar panel must be to charge up an energy-intensive touchscreen phone for 24/7 use. Perhaps it's simply that it can get enough juice from the sun to make a call, but not run much else on the phone. Also, are people really going to leave their phone in the sun long enough and often enough to charge it? At any rate, it's an excellent addition to a cell phone so that needed back-up power can be gathered when it's bright out.Most of the phone is constructed from PCM, a plastic extracted from recycled water bottles (more so than the Renew?) and both the handset and energy efficient charger ditch harmful substances such as Brominated Flame Retardants, Beryllium and Phthalate. Additionally, the phone comes in recycled packaging.

AiR CAR

Compressed-Air Powered cars could take you over 800 miles on a single fill-up, at speeds of up to 96 mph. They should refuel in less than 3 minutes, and at speeds over 35 mph emit about half the CO2 of a Toyota Prius. Best part? You could see them in the US at the end of next year.

The world’s first commercial compressed-air powered vehicle is currently being produced by India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, who is licensing the technology from European-based company MDI (a company powered by the innovation of ex-Formula One engineer Guy Nègre). They anticipate having about 6000 of these vehicles on city streets in India in 2008.

EARTH DAY!

In September 1969 at a conference in Seattle, Washington, U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson of Wisconsin announced that in spring 1970 there would be a nationwide grassroots demonstration on the environment. This occurred during a time of great concern about overpopulation and when there was a strong movement towards "Zero Population Growth."Nelson viewed the stabilization of the nation's population as an important aspect of environmentalism and later said:"The bigger the population gets, the more serious the problems become ... We have to address the population issue. The United Kingdom, with the U.S. supporting it, took the position in Cairo in 1994 that every country was responsible for stabilizing its own population. It can be done. But in this country, it's phony to say 'I'm for the environment but not for limiting immigration.'"Senator Nelson first proposed the nationwide environmental protest to thrust the environment onto the national agenda.” "It was a gamble," he recalls, "but it worked."Five months before the first April 22 Earth Day, on Sunday, November 30, 1969, The New York Times carried a lengthy article by Gladwin Hill reporting on the rising hysteria of "global cooling":"Rising concern about the environmental crisis is sweeping the nation's campuses with an intensity that may be on its way to eclipsing student discontent over the war in Vietnam, a national day of observance of environmental problems...is being planned for next spring...when a nationwide environmental 'teach-in'...coordinated from the office of Senator Gaylord Nelson is planned...." Senator Nelson also hired Denis Hayes as the coordinator.April 22, 1970, Earth Day marks the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Approximately 20 million Americans participated, with a goal of a healthy, sustainable environment.Denis Hayes, the national coordinator, and his old staff organized massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways, the loss of wilderness, and the extinction of wildlife suddenly realized they shared common values. Mobilizing 200 million people in 141 countries and lifting the status of environmental issues onto the world stage, Earth Day on April 22 in 1990 gave a huge boost to recycling efforts worldwide and helped pave the way for the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. As the millennium approached, Hayes agreed to spearhead another campaign, this time focused on global warming and a push for clean energy. The April 22 Earth Day in 2000 combined the big-picture feistiness of the first Earth Day with the international grassroots activism of Earth Day 1990. For 2000, Earth Day had the internet to help link activists around the world. By the time April 22 came around, 5,000 environmental groups around the world were on board, reaching out to hundreds of millions of people in a record 184 countries. Events varied: A talking drum chain traveled from village to village in Gabon, Africa, for example, while hundreds of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., USA. Earth Day 2000 sent the message loud and clear that citizens the world 'round wanted quick and decisive action on clean energy. Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days to date, with an estimated billion people participating in the activities in thousands of places like Kiev, Ukraine; Caracas, Venezuela; Tuvalu; Manila, Philippines; Togo; Madrid, Spain; London; and New York. Founded by the organizers of the first April 22 Earth Day in 1970, Earth Day Network promotes environmental citizenship and year round progressive action worldwide. Earth Day Network is a driving force steering environmental awareness around the world. Through Earth Day Network, activists connect change in local, national, and global policies. Earth Day Network’s international network reaches over 17,000 organizations in 174 countries, while the domestic program engages 5,000 groups and over 25,000 educators coordinating millions of community development and environmental protection activities throughout the year. Earth Day is the only event celebrated simultaneously around the globe by people of all backgrounds, faiths and nationalities. More than a half billion people participate in Earth Day Network campaigns every year.

GLOBAL COOLiNG

Scientists announced in the July 21, 1999, edition of the journal Nature findings that suggest that global warming can sometimes lead to cold weather or even a worldwide freeze. Scientists have long known that a severe cold spell occurred after the end of the Pleistocene glaciation, approximately 8,200 years ago. The cause, however, has been a mystery. The authors of the Nature article write that the centuries long cold spell might have been caused by meltwater from the disappearing glaciers, cooling the North Atlantic. The Laurentide Ice Sheet covered parts of North America with ice up to two miles thick for more than a million years. When the Earth began to warm 10,000 years ago, it retreated back toward the poles. The ice sheet left in its wake at least two lakes containing more water than the Great Lakes combined. In the Hudson Bay, ice held the water in place like a plug in a bathtub. When the plug finally melted, trillions of gallons gushed into the Labrador Sea, flowing out at 100 times the rate water leaves the Mississippi. The conclusions of the authors are the result of a study by University of Colorado and Canadian researchers who examined evidence of this huge flood in the Hudson Bay region of Quebec and Ontario. Independent research showed that global temperatures dropped significantly within several hundred years of the flood. Until this study, nobody could pinpoint if these two events were connected, said the study's lead author, University of Colorado geologist Don Barber. The scientists used radiocarbon dating of clams in the flood sediment, and other evidence, to correlate the two events. The Atlantic Gulf Stream normally acts like a conveyor belt to deliver warm tropical water to temperate regions. By adding so much cold fresh water in such a short time, the flood shut down the Gulf Stream, said Richard Alley, a climate expert at Penn State University. Temperatures in Greenland and Europe dropped by 6 to 15 degrees for at least 200 years, according to ice core data. The authors conclusions demonstrate how global warming can, paradoxically, provoke a global freeze. If a modern glacier such as the Greenland Ice Sheet melts as a result of rising temperatures in the next century, it could trigger a similar flood and climate fluctuation, the researchers said.

R.i.P SERGiO

Teen Killed In N.J. Community Center Shooting
LAWNSIDE, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Click to enlarge
A teen was shot and killed outside the Wayne Bryant Community Center in Lawnside, Camden County on April 12.
Police are searching for suspects in a deadly shooting at a Camden County community center Sunday night.Officers were called to the Wayne R. Bryant Community Center on Charleston Avenue in Lawnside after reports of gunfire just before 11 p.m.Police said a fight during a youth group birthday party at the center prompted the suspect to pull a gun and fire one shot into the floor.As the suspect left the scene, 18-year-old Sergio Rivera was amongst a group that followed the gunman outside. Rivera was shot multiple times outside the center and pronounced dead at the scene.Family and friends of Rivera, a Woodrow Wilson High School senior, described him as a standout athlete who was planning to attend college."He wasn't a combative person, he wasn't an aggressive person," said his aunt Moya Daz. "He was just happy."A Rivera family friend says there was no security at the center and more police presence is needed. "It gets out of hand over there," said Shawn Johnson, "No bouncer, no security guard, none of that."So far there have been no arrests and no motive in the shooting. No other injuries were reported.The Camden County Prosecutor's Office has joined the investigation. If you have any information, please contact police.

Dear Ms. Carroll

April 9, 2009


Dear Ms. Carroll,

I chose this project because I want to become an Environmental Scientist and study global warming. Global warming is cause by pollutants that create holes in the ozone layer which increases the high levels of UV waves impacting Earth. During school sometimes twice a week, I go over to Public Works and the Aquarium. I help out with the recycling of many goods such as batteries, household hazardous materials, and tires and also learned about ocean pollution. I get to watch how everything is processed and recycled during my hour or two of volunteering. My mentor and I meet up for about a half hour to an hour to review things that happened in the past week. At the end of my exploring I will make an hour long presentation to my fellow class mates, teachers, and or board of education.

At the presentation it will be a lot of visuals such as, the things you can recycle and the proper tools to use to recycle. I also will have power points showing the destruction that has happened throughout the world due to global warming. I basically just want to use my time to make my audience aware of the crisis we are facing right now. I also will be presenting my product. My product is what I am making to sum up everything I did. What I am making is a recycled trash sculpture. The sculpture is going to be made out of cans, aluminum, paper, and every day things. When I complete it I would like to plant it here at Lindenwold High school. I am not sure where I would like to put it yet in the school but, I do know I want it to be displayed outside for everyone to see. I also, want the Environmental club to add something new to it each year to make it better. I thought having it here at school it could be used as a learning tool for all students and the community. It will also make everyone aware of there surrounding and think about our environment.

Sincerely,
Tyana MitchellSenior Project student 2009

EARTH HOUR

Starting in New Zealand's remote Islands, thousands of cities, towns, and landmarks around the world will start to go dark for Earth Hour on Saturday evening. Up to a billion people worldwide were expected to participate in this global voluntary blackout by switching off their lights from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. local time. The movement, sponsored by the conservation nonprofit WWF, is designed as a symbolic gesture in support of action against global warming. Now in its third year, Earth Hour has been attracting some high-profile advocates. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recently pledged his support for Earth Hour, saying it has the potential to be "the largest demonstration of public concern about climate change ever attempted." Secretary-General Ban urged people to participate as a way of letting politicians know that they expect progress at the Global Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December, when world leaders will meet to draft a replacement for the Kyoto Protocol. Other big names endorsing Earth Hour 2009 include actors Edward Norton and Cate Blanchett, musicians Alanis Morissette and Big Kenny, and the band Coldplay.

R0B0TiC FiSH

Robot fish developed by British scientists are to be released into the sea off north Spain to detect pollution. If next year's trial of the first five robotic fish in the northern Spanish port of Gijon is successful, the team hopes they will be used in rivers, lakes and seas across the world. The carp-shaped robots, costing 20,000 pounds apiece, act just lke the movement of real fish and are equipped with chemical sensors to sniff out potentially hazardous pollutants, such as leaks from vessels or underwater pipelines. They will transmit the information back to shore using Wi-Fi technology. Unlike earlier robotic fish, which needed remote controls, they will be able to navigate independently without any human interaction. Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at engineering company BMT Group, which developed the robot fish with researchers at Essex University, said there were good reasons for making a fish shaped robot, rather than a mini-submarine."In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient," he said. "This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end." The robot fish will be 1.5 meters long roughly the size of a seal.

PUBLiC WORKS

While I been at the Aquarium I haven't really did anything that had to deal with my project. It was fun going seeing all the different animals and the feeding tanks but, as far as the environmental side to it all I wasn't really getting that. So, I decided to be proactive and change my sponsor to help me out a bit. Mr. Robert Lodovici is head of the Public Works and does a lot with recycling and managing waste here in Lindenwold. I thought that would be even better because Public Works is right there behind the school and is it directly related to my studies. Also, while in class I was discussing my trash sculpture with Mr. Abrams. We decided to have the sculpture planted here in school instead of having dragged all the way to Philadelphia. We also, decided to have to used as a learning tool with facts and information about recycling and global warming itself. I want people every year like the environmental classes here at school to add on something to every year. I want it to be MOVEMENT! I can't wait to start and make a difference.

ENViRONMENTAL RACiSM

In March of 1963 Martin Luther King’s famous march on Washington to protest the

government’s failure to safeguard the civil rights and physical safety of civil rights workers and blacks took place. This is considered one of the most important events in the fight on racism in the past 50 years. The march did make specific demands with some being the end of segregation of public schools, meaningful civil rights legislation and a $2 minimum wage. Racism has changed over the years but it still exists. In the years following 9/11 people of Middle Eastern heritage were targets and even now we have people who are still experiencing racism. Is the type of racisms you are exposed to based on the color of your skin, sexual preference, political beliefs or by just where you live.Environmental Racism is defined as the intentional or unintentional racial discrimination in the enforcement of environmental rules and regulations, the intentional or unintentional targeting of minority communities for the siting of polluting industries, or the exclusion of minority groups from public and private boards, commissions, and regulatory bodies. In the United States researchers have been investigating why minorities are more likely to live in areas where there is more pollution than Caucasians. It has been suggested that the segregation practices of the past have contributed. Even affluent minority communities are more likely to be in high pollution areas than similarly affluent Caucasian communities. From 1987 to 1992 researcher James T. Hamilton studied American Zip Codes for targeted expansion of hazardous waste facilities. He found that the average minority population in the targeted areas was 25% compared to only 18% in the non-targeted areas. Of the more than 9 million people estimated to live within 2 miles of one of the nation’s 413 commercial waste facilities, 5.1 million are people of color and Caucasians only make up 25% of the estimated total.While this study shows a startling reality in the USA, Environmental Racism is not limited to affluent countries. Between 1989 and 1994 it is estimated that the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries exported 2,611,677 metric tons of hazardous waste to non-OECD countries. The question of "Why is this happening?" ends with the answer of "Racism and Profit." The large corporations continue with the "Profit before People" mindset. Corporations have become more powerful than nation states and feel that they are not accountable to anyone except their shareholders. Second, around the world people of color pay a far greater and disproportionate price for economic development and industrialism with their health. Is there a solution? Experts point that the solution is Globalization based on a global civil society that puts accountability of moral, legal and environmental issues of the leaders on the people they govern. This means that we should hold the governments accountable. In a democratic society this accountability exists with the ability to remove existing governments from power. Unfortunately, the world is not all democracies. The fact is that humanity still has a long way to grow up and mature. This is exactly what Martin Luther King was hoping for; let us hope that one day we can realize his dream.

GENETiCALLY MODiFiED FOOD

Genetically modified food, also known as GM food or genetically engineered food, entered the food supply in the 1990s. GM foods contain small pieces of foreign DNA from other organisms and often from another species, however SA companies are not required to label foods that use GM ingredients. The foreign DNA in GM foods is engineered into the food in hopes of producing desirable traits like resistance to herbicides and pesticides, or resistance to specific pests. Insect resistant maize, for example, is modified by inserting a bacterium gene that produces toxins and acts as an insecticide. Others have a gene that makes them indestructible when sprayed with certain herbicides. The proGM faction mainly GM seed producers such as Monsanto, Du Pont, Dow, Bayer and Syngenta say GM increases crop yields, reduces farming costs and increases food security for developing countries. Environmental bodies worldwide are strongly against GM food growth, saying that this is a dangerous experiment with health and could have a bad effect on the environment. They say it "violates a natural organism's intrinsic value; that modified genes are being spread through pollination; and that it allows a few giant corporations to control food production worldwide, forcing farmers to buy new, expensive, patented seed from them year after year." Many countries, including most of Europe, most Australian states, Angola, Sudan, Venezuela and Zambia, have declared themselves GM-free zones, refusing to grow GM crops. So strong is the anti-GM lobby in the UK that the industry has abandoned all attempts to get GM seeds approved for growing in that country. South Africa, on the other hand, has adopted the crops wholeheartedly. Since 1997, South Africa has grown GM crops, including maize, soya beans and cotton commercially. The Government does not require GM crops to be separated from non-GM crops during production, processing and distribution, which means there's no way of tracking GM food from farm to plate; if one strain caused adverse effects in humans or animals, it would be virtually impossible to trace the offending variety.

THE 11TH H0UR

Leonardo DiCaprio is a rare phenomenon. He's certainly not the only celebrity trying to raise awareness of environmental issues. But whereas for so many celebrities, charity work is an add-on, an obligatory social tax they feel they must pay to justify public admiration, for DiCaprio it is a thread that runs through everything he does. He's championed some of America's most effective environmental organisations, such as the Natural Resources Defence Council and Global Green and has led calls for the expulsion of oil money from US politics. His new film The llth Hour is a very personal project where the two parts of his life merge. Hot on the heels of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, The llth Hour is very much the sequel and to be amongst the first to view it even before it debuted at Cannes was a privilege. "I expected something impressive. I expected something profound and depressing--a catalogue of human errors and a stark warning, said a viewer of the movie." But the llth Hour takes the debate about the environment to a whole new level. It places the problems we're now mostly aware of in the context of something bigger, describing climate change, oceanic dead zones, soil erosion, the destruction of the world's forests and the spread of disease in the context of system failure. It is shockingly ambitious, and it works.

DROWNiNG OUT

The northeastern U.S. coast is likely to see the world's biggest sea level rise from man-made global warming, a new study predicts. However much the oceans rise by the end of the century, add an extra 8 inches for New York, Boston and other spots along the coast from the mid-Atlantic to New England. That's because of predicted changes in ocean currents, according to a study based on computer models published online Sunday in the journal Nature Geoscience. An extra 8 inches on top of a possible 2 or 3 feet of sea rise globally by 2100 is a big deal, especially when nor'easters and hurricanes hit, experts said."It's not just waterfront homes and wetlands that are at stake here," said Donald Boesch, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science. "Those kind of rises in sea level when placed on top of the storm surges we see today, put in jeopardy lots of infrastructure, including the New York subway system."For years, scientists have talked about rising sea levels due to global warming - both from warm water expanding and the melt of ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica. Predictions for the average worldwide sea rise keep changing along with the rate of ice melt. Recently, more scientists are saying the situation has worsened so that a 3-foot rise in sea level by 2100 is becoming a common theme.

SATURDAY NiGHT

After being so stressed in school these few past weeks, on saturday I was able to spend some time with my friends. Torrin, Erica, Alona, Ikeedah, Turquois, Thomas, Ciara, and I spent some time together over Ikeedah's house after the play. We sat on the porch outside playing cards and playing around. Even though, it was like 34 degrees outside, it didn't stop us from having a good time. Music was playing, everybody was dancing, and it was the first in a long time we had everyone together like that. We were having so much fun we lost track on time that by the time we decided to leave it was like 4 in the morning! I can't wait for spring break to come because that is when we will really have fun. We plan on having something like that similar again but a bbq too insted of not having anything at all and also maybe going to out somewhere also. There is only 3 months left and I want to enjoy myself as much as possible before graduation comes and we all have to go our seperate ways and we won't be able to spend time like that any more. A lot times we take little moments like that for granted and don't realize how precious they are. I'm trying to enjoy every moment I get with my friends. There is only three months left and it's going bye so fast.

LiFE iS EXPENSiVE!

During 8th period Sam, Nat, and I were talking and Nat was telling us about her blogs and journals and how she talks about money and things about her project. I asked, "Money? Why money?" She then replied saying, "I have been saving up money over the summer and I had $700. Since I have no job and I been using it to pay bills, I now only have $200 left." Sam and I looked at each other and said, "Where did all your money go?" Nat then said, "Just life....life is expensive." I then thought about it and she is so right! Life is really expensive when you think about it. Between phone bills, food, clothing, and etc. it can really add up. I spend about 150 in two weeks and I don't know where it all went. Even though I try to save my money there is always something coming up. With the senior trip coming and prom a week after, I have no time to save money because all my money has to go to events coming up. Once I start college I can't imagine how harder it will get to get a job and find time to study when I will be far away from home. When Nat said that she made me appreciate money a lot more. I am determine to find a way to save my money and still have the things I need. Thanks a lot Natalie!=]

SAVE OUR OCEANS

Yesterday, I went to the Aquarium and I had fun. Yesterday I was learning about aquatic life and how global warming affects it. The coral reefs in Austrailia and New Guiena are in trouble. Because of global warming the waters are getting warmer and the different fish such as stone and cuddling fish, have to go further south to get to colder water. They have to leave their homes behind and it is harder for the corals and algea to stay alive. Coral bleaching due to global warming is the most serious threat to coral reefs. Rising water temperatures heat the coral, breaking down the complex biological system that coral have evolved to survive. In some places, water temperatures are nearing the coral's heat tolerance. Already, 27 percent of the world's reefs have died, and by 2020, temperatures could rise enough to destroy most of the world's remaining coral reefs. Within a ten year span the waters have rised to 4 degree Fahrenheit. Another problem that is becoming big is acidification because it affects how coral reefs and shellfish grow. It is related to the burning of coal, oil and other fossil fuels which pumps carbon dioxide into the air. Much of this carbon dioxide pollution hangs over the earth in a heat trapping blanket, causing global warming, but some of it is sinking into the ocean, where it dissolves and reacts with water to form carbonic acid. Carbonic acid interferes with the growing of coral, preventing reefs from growing fast enough to keep up with the natural rate of erosion. It also makes coral skeletons more brittle. The combined stress of warming and acidification has many coral reef biologists worried. When coral reefs suffer, the entire community of aquatic life that depends on them for food and shelter suffers. Shellfish are also at direct risk from ocean acidification because carbonic acid reduces the levels of a critical raw material, calcium carbonate they use to grow their shells. Many creatures at the base of the food chain rely on calcium carbonate. Depending on what our future carbon emissions are, in certain regions ocean life could shift dramatically toward the spineless, as one scientist put it, to "the reign of jellyfish." The good news is that the key to preventing the worst outcome is already in works. Slashing global warming pollution. Carbon dioxide is the main global warming polluter. By cutting carbon dioxide emissions from cars and power plants, we can curb global warming as well as the acidification of our oceans. The ocean is filled with all types of amazing fish and mammals. The way the ocean works is that they all rely on each other to survive, its like one big family. I would hate to see our oceans destroyed because of mistakes that us humans are making. We need to put an end to this soon.

UNDER THE SEA 3D

Tomorrow I will be seing an imax 3d film called "Under the Sea."The movie shows the most exotic and isolated undersea locations on Earth such as New Guinea and Southern Austrailia. It shows the most mysterious creatures that roam the ocean floors but it also shows the impact that global warming has on the sea. I am so excitied to see this movie because for one its imax and 3d and that is so incrediable and two this is something I am very interested in. I didn't know that global warming was affecting land and ocean at the same time. My fear is that many animals will die and become extinct because of this rapid change that is happening. One animal that is already affected by this is polar bears. Because the polar ice caps are melting and water levels their homes are being lost. Polar bears can only swim for a short amount of time so they usually drown trying to make to swim where. I feel so bad about it but I can't wait to see it.

MAKiNG LiNDENWOLD HiGH GREEN

I want to challenge Lindenwold High School to see how green we can make our school. I want Lindenwold to become one of the biggest go green schools around. By doing so here are some things I want students and teachers to think about. I want us to have a Waste-Free Wednesday. On Waste-Free Wednesday, this will be one day a week where students and staff will minmize there waste useage that day. For insistance, teachers should try to do all work on the smart board and not give out any papers that would cause trash. At lunch it could be a waste-free lunch by not eating anything that comes in containers such as juice boxes and sandwhich bags and use reusable food containers. Next we should baned all junk food from our lives. We have done that here at school already such was a good step into going green. Junk food is not only bad for your health but also bad for the environment. Teachers should also have green studies in each class. It would be nice to have a little green fact here or there in classes to make students aware of what's going on. Maybe some students would learn something and pay it forward to other places they go. Lastly, a report card should be made to see how much progress our school has made. If the first time around the grades are bad we want to get better and better at what we do until we pass with flying colors! Once I get a hold of this and start this with my school.

NiGHT iN AC

Saturday was so gorgous outside that Miguel, Nia, and I went to Atlantic City. Our plans at first was to go to Philly but the gallery was going to close by the time we got there. We got on the train about 6:30 and the train ride was nice. Even though, it was dark seeing the water and the different buildings was nice. As we were pulling up you could see the bright city lighting up in the sky. Once we got off the train and walked out into the city it looked so pretty out. All the buildings were lighting up and all the outlets were open. We walked into some stores and looked around and tryed things on then we walked to the broad walk. There were so many people on the broad walk especially wrestlers because finals were there. While we were walking around it got a little colder but I still enjoyed the night. We went into this one candy store that was crazy! It had so many different kinds of candys, candys that I never even heard of. I wanted so badly to get some but I forgot about how much my teeth were bothering me. Then we went to the Rain Forest and it wa so much fun. The inside of it actually looked like a forest and it had all animal noises too. After we left there we walked the board walk a couple of times and then we went home.

BROADWAY EXPERIENCE

Yesterday I went to go see Cats at the Merrian Theater in Philadelphia. Cats is ablout Jellicle cats who are all different, it goes through different characters throughout the play. At first I wasn't so excitied about going because I wasn't show if I like the whole broadway thing. When we first got there we took lots of pictures and I saw some of the actors outside before the show. Once we got in there it was packed. So many people were there and I was amazed by that. When the show started it was outstanding. The different cat outfits and make up was done very well. The dancing and singing was my favorite part of the show. Each of the cats had different personalties and two of my favorites were Rum Tum Tugger and Grizabella, the Glamour Cat. Rum Tum Tugger he was the cool cat. He was like a heartthrob and was like a rockstar. His oufit was the best and I loved his style. Grizabella, the Glamour Cat was the saddest cat and made me cry. Back in her prime she was the prettiest cat who everyone adored. Now, she had grown to become ugly and wore down and no one treats her nice. She had the best songs and you could feel her pain without the play. At the end of the play everyone becomes good friends with her and she has a happy ending. After the show was over we went to the back and wanted for the actors to come out. I was able to get 4 autographs from people and I was happy. I can't wait to go to any show like this.

MORE HARM THAN GOOD...

Biofuels are supposed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. They do the opposite. Almost all of them produce more greenhouse gases than petrol or diesel, for two reasons:"emissions of nitrous oxide caused by the application of nitrogen fertilisers” the destruction of grassland, wetland and forest caused by the expansion of agriculture stimulated by this new market, you see this study on the biofuel carbon debt and this one on biofuels increasing greenhouse gases.
Biofuels, especially biodiesel made from palm oil also cause other kinds of environmental havoc. They are now among the major drivers of deforestation in Indonesia and Malaysia, wrecking tens of millions of hectares of primary forest and driving orang-utans and other wildlife towards extinctionYesterday the EU imposed temporary tariffs on US biodiesel because subsidies over there distort trade - but that shouldn't be the only reason to stop the biofuels juggernaut
Is there any trade crazier than the liquid biofuel business? Apart from a handful of cars and vans running on used chip fat, it exists only because of government rules and subsidies. So what social benefits do these buy?

R.I.P HIP PIERCINGS

Last night I went to Empire Tattoo to look at different piercings with my friend Torrin. As we were looking at different things I asked the piercier to look at my hips to see if they were healing properly and he told me that they weren't. As a piercier, when doing surface piercings you are not supposed to use bars and more but instead use microdermals. The person who did mine wasn't very good at all and did it with bars anyway. Without having any knowledge of this before getting them done, I let him. As months went on they weren't healing and every move I made it would be painful. I couldn't understand why it was happening and then I found out that because I am so short any move I made it would stretch the skin. When he told me this bad news I cried so much! I was upset because I put in a lot of time and effort to take care of them and get them and I did it all for nothing. As soon as he took them out the holes closed right up but, I now feel relieved and pain free! I actually had a good night of sleep. But, you would think I would say after this I'm never getting another piering again. NOPE! In a month when they heal I will replace it with the microdermals. I can't wait!

Dear President Obama,

President Obama, I humbly beseech you to make your new home, The White House, a model green home. You have an incredible opportunity to make it a home from which all Americans can learn, and of which we can all be proud. What better way to start our country off on a bright new green path to the future than by making The White House the Great American Green House? I’ve been encouraged by some of the things you’ve said about your intentions to make your home more eco-friendly, and we’d like to offer some thoughts on how you might flesh-out your green home renovation program. The White House is over 55,000 square feet and has 132 rooms. There are over 35 bathrooms and the building has three kitchens. Using the Household Environmental Impact Calculator, I estimated that that The White House has a carbon footprint in the range of 1.2-1.5 million pounds of CO2 per year, uses somewhere around one million gallons of water, and generates over 50,000 pounds of trash each year. As a point of reference the average 2000 sq. foot American home has a carbon footprint of 65,000 pounds, uses 90,000 gallons or water and generates 3,800 pounds of trash per year. So The White House is no low-impact house! Fortunately your predecessors have already taken some steps in a positive direction. President Carter famously a solar water system in 1979, which was then unfortunately taken down by President Reagan. However, in 2002 a new solar system was installed to power lighting for the grounds. Apparently the toilets have been changed to low-flow models and many of the water fixtures have also been upgraded. President Clinton commissioned the Rocky Mountain Institute to do study on the White House and make recommendations for environmental improvements. I am not sure how many of those got made you’ll want to kick the tires on that one.

BAMBOO BUZZ!

Bamboo this, bamboo that - What’s up with the bamboo buzz? Technically classified as a “weed”, the bamboo plant is strong, renewable and inexpensive. There are nearly 1000 different species of bamboo and it can be grown in almost any moderate climate. Bamboo can grow 20 meters in less than 60 days. However, extremely fast growth is not bamboo’s only environmentally friendly virtue. Bamboo also helps repair the devastating effects of deforestation and mining to soil and communities. Bamboo actually removes toxins from soil, prevents erosion and provides jobs and food for many people. It thrives in a diverse landscape up to 12,000 feet and releases 35% more oxygen than an equivalent stand of trees. Bamboo is the strongest plant known to humankind. Bamboo is also extremely versatile. It has thousands of uses, from paper to clothing, fences, construction, chop sticks, flooring, musical instruments - the list is endless. Furthermore, when manufacturing solid hardwood flooring from plantation timber, only 20-25% is used. Bamboo flooring, on the other hand, uses over 90% of the bamboo plant with no wastage. Its strength-to-weight ratio is better than graphite. The US Navy even used bamboo to reinforce concrete in World War II. In conclusion, the buzz about bamboo is quite legit. If you have the opportunity to buy things bamboo, we say go for it. Buy bamboo and keep the green going.

CHiNA

The United States and China should hold a summit featuring an agreement on climate change, helping to create international support for a new global pact by the end of 2009, a former White House adviser said on Thursday. China and the United States have often been icy rivals over trade and security, and they are also the world's top two emitters of the greenhouse gases from burning fossil fuels that are stoking global warming. Kenneth Lieberthal, a former National Security Council officer on Asia in the Clinton administration and now at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., said the two powers should make fighting global warming a centerpiece under President Barack Obama. A summit between Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao featuring clean energy and curtailing greenhouse gases as one of the major issues would help surmount domestic misgivings in each country and lift hopes for agreeing a successor to the current Kyoto Protocol by the end of 2009, Lieberthal said in Beijing. Kyoto is the United Nations' main weapon to fight climate change. "We should use Sino-U.S. cooperation in order to create momentum for other countries' efforts, which will in turn increase the chances for success at the global climate negotiations," he said. He was speaking at the release of a study by him and another former Clinton official, David Sandalow, advocating China-U.S. cooperation on climate change. The study is available on the Brookings website. Lieberthal's call came a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's visit to Beijing, when she pushed the issue.

AH-CHOO

Researchers found that children born in the high mold season, which generally encompasses the fall and winter months, have three times the odds of developing wheezing - often an early sign of asthma - by age 2 compared with those born at other times of the year. The study results, to be reported online Tuesday, Feb. 24 in the journal Thorax, may help shed light on why babies born in the fall and winter appear to have a higher risk of eventually developing asthma than children born in the summer.Numerous factors have been linked to asthma risk, including heredity and exposure to air pollution, animal dander and tobacco smoke. A 2008 study of birth and medical records found that babies born in the fall are at greater risk of later developing childhood asthma. That study suggested an influence from early exposure to respiratory viruses, which is more common during the peak of cold and flu season.The researchers examined 514 children born in 1999 and 2000 in California's Salinas Valley, a region with mild, rainy winters and dry summers. They identified 27 spore and 48 pollen groups in the study, recording the average daily concentrations for the groups that accounted for more than 3 percent of the total during the first three months of life for each child in the study.The peak of the pollen and spore seasons did not always occur in the same months of each study year, but for this region, ambient mold levels begin to increase in November and December, and pollen peaks in the early spring months of March and April, the researchers said. After adjusting for such factors as family history of asthma, air pollution, secondhand smoke and signs of cockroaches, rodents or mold in the home, the researchers found that babies born in the fall and winter have triple the odds of developing early wheezing, often a precursor to asthma, by 24 months of age. High concentrations of two groups of fungal spores, basidiospores and ascospores - emitted from such sources as mushrooms, molds, and rusts on plants - had a significant association with early wheezing at age 2. Basidiospores and ascospores are common outdoor allergen-bearing particles that are more prevalent during periods of rain or high humidity. Total pollen concentration exposure during the first three months of life was also linked to greater risk of early wheezing. Of the groups of pollen, those from alder, pine and cypress trees had a greater effect than those from oak, mulberry or elm trees.

Global Warming Causes Severe Storms

Research Meteorologists found that the temperature changes brought on by global warming are significant enough to cause an increase in the occurrence of severe storms. Severe storms are those that cause flooding, have damaging winds, hail and could cause tornados. Their study revealed that by the end of this century, the number of days that favor severe storms could more than double certain locations, such as Atlanta and New York. Researchers also found that this increase would occur during typical stormy seasons and not during dry seasons when it may be beneficial.

#17

Over the break I was itching to get a new piercing. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to get but I decided to get my nose and my upper lip done. When I know the piercing is about to start I always hestiate at the last minute to get it done. For some reason I get so scared before the needle goes in. The first thing I did was get my nose done and it hurted so much. I was bleeding all over and I thought I was going to pass out! After I recovered from that I got my upper lip pierced. It didn't hurt at all but it got swollen really bad. I am now up to 17 piercings and I have 4 more to go!

CAN GEO-ENGiNEERiNG REBUiLD THE PLANET?

In the 1960s, two Russian scientists set out ambitious plans to reshape the world around us: to reverse the flow of rivers, shoot tiny white particles into space to illuminate the night sky, and melt the Arctic to water fields of Soviet wheat. "If we want to improve our planet and make it more suitable for life," wrote NP Rusin and L Flit, "we must alter its climate."Four decades later, we have done plenty to alter the climate, but not for the better. And as we grapple with the problems of global warming, the standard prescription cutting greenhouse gas emissions is proving problematic. "I cannot see that we will be able to keep carbon levels low enough to prevent catastrophe," says Professor Brian Launder, of the University of Manchester. "Over the past five years, emissions have gone up, not down."Which means that "geo-engineering" using technology on an almost unimaginable scale to tinker with the environment and correct our mistakes could move from fantasy to necessity. Professor James Lovelock, who came up with the "Gaia" hypothesis, in which the Earth is thought to behave rather like a living, self-regulating organism, thinks we have exceeded the planet's natural capacity to counteract the changes we have made, and are rapidly heading towards a situation that will be calamitous for our species. "Whatever we do is likely to lead to death on a scale that makes all previous wars, famines and disasters small," he says. "To continue business as usual will probably kill most of us during the century."

FiRE!

Scientists say that Australia can expect more of the scorching conditions that fanned the firestorms that killed at least 181 people this month, prompting a nationwide debate about how to prepare for a hotter, more fire-prone future. As investigators pick through the tangled wreckage left by Australia's deadliest wildfires, which flattened townships and destroyed more than 1,000 homes starting Feb. 7, a wide ranging discussion has begun about the way the country handles wildfires - from greenhouse-gas emissions standards to planning codes to an emergency protocol that encourages people to stay and defend their properties.Wildfires have been a feature of the Australian landscape for centuries; thousands of fires burn across the continent each year. But scientists warn that the "Black Saturday" disaster is a sign of things to come as climate change brings hotter weather land less rain. The government Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization concluded in 2007 that average temperatures in Australia would increase by as much as 2 degrees Celsius by 2030 and 6 degrees Celsius by 2070 unless greenhouse emissions are drastically cut. That would be a difference of 3.6 degrees and 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit.Days of high or extreme fire danger are forecast to increase by 5 percent to 25 percent if the effects of climate change are low and by 15 percent to 65 percent if they are high, the report said.

CONFUSED MUCH...

In English class we soon have to write a paper about what we are doing in class. To start off the paper we all have to come up with a thesis for our research paper and I am stuck! I am stuck because the thesis can not be broad but, I'm not sure what's broad and what isn't. I got this book that Al Gore wrote talking about Global Warming and the crisis we are in now. It touched subjects such as a new atlas, hazards to our health and, technology's side effects. Everything thats in here I like but, Im unsure of how I could do one of these subjects without them being too broad. I know for sure I want to write about Global Warming's effect it has on the world and humans as well. But, I don't know how to turn that into a thesis that is good enough. There is so much to prove and different things I could do but narrowing it done is tough. In some shape or form all the subjects ties in with each other so if I pick one thing Im going into the next...I just need help!

DAY 0NE

Tonight I had my first real meeting with my sponsor. We met up at the Borough Hall at seven for the environmental commission meeting. At first for a about an hour they talked within themselves. Mrs. Suckiel hadn't gotten there at first so I was just busy taken notes and listening, finally they opened up the meeting to the public and of course I was the only one there and Mrs.Suckiel came in just in time. She introduced me to the board and I told them about the Senior Project and how I wanted to become an Environmental Scientist. They were all amazed especially about my trash sculpture, they really can't wait until I do that. I also got a lot of people in on my little project that can help me in the long run. I talked to a lady who offered me a job in college and once I get out also the local recycle company wants to interview me and work with my school to make every one aware. I feel so accomplished because I feel like I'm finally getting some where on working towards my dream. I feel like I have everything in the palm of my hands now. While I was there, I also asked about the styrofoam issue and what I had did in class and they loved it! The only problem is money right now because we are in this recession no one is funding in recycling. I also, learned so many facts such as hot tea and foods in plastics are bad, 61 tons of trash is recycled here in Camden County area, and New Jersey was once the top state in recycling. At the meeting I felt like I was in heaven. I was there with people who were actually interested in the same things I were and it felt great. I really am excitied about getting started right away.

THE PRiCE 0F 0UR FUTURE

Just $400 billion - 0.8% of global GDP. That's how much money one of the world's leading economists says governments around the world need to put towards "green" policies that will ensure global finances and the global environment prosper in the 21st century.There's a catch, and it's a big one: the money needs to be set aside by this summer and spent by mid-2010.The former chief economist of the world bank, Nicholas Stern, and three leading economists have compiled their report under the auspices of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change. Their aim was to determine whether it made sense to solve "the two great crises of our time" one financial, one environmental - in one fell swoop.The four were co-authors of the 2006 Stern Review, which estimated the economic cost of tackling climate change.

i W0NDER

One day last week I was in chemistry class and we were learning about polar and nonpolar chemicals. To help us better understand how polar and nonpolar chemicals interact with other chemicals, Mrs.Wenzel did a mini experiment. Stryofoam is a nondegradable material that builds up over time in landfills. Acetone, gasoline, kerosene and etc. are nonpolar chemicals and can break down stryfoam. These chemicals if concentrated well enough can not affected the human body and can be used to recylce styrofoam materials. If we were able to think of this in high school, why hasn't this been used to help our land fills out. Doing this could be a BIG help for our pollution levels and could change out future. Tonight when I meet with my sponsor I am going to present this information with her and hopefully spread my information with the world. I figured I have to start small first and then I will eventually get some where with this. There is no reason to have this knowledge and not do anything about it. I hope my plan works out and I can get this going making it a law. It's amazing what you can find out!

GETTiNG RiD OF PLASTiC

Mr. Abrams brought to my attention an article in the Philadelphia Inqurier about a women by the name of Beth Terry who got rid of plastics in her life. For two years now she hasn't used or brought any items that were kept in plastic containers such as mustard, because her favorite mustards are all in plastic containers, she makes her own. Even though she has not gotten rid of her telephone and computer moniter she is trying to become a conscious consumer in those areas as well. This article is close to my project because I'm all about reduce, reuse, and recycle and it's nice to see other people are as compassionate as me. I start my volunteering this Thursday and I can not wait! There are many things I would like to bring up such as nondegradable things such as sterofoam and ways we can recycle them. I also can't wait to go to Medford and Camden to the aquarium and to a wild life relief site. Seeing stories like these makes me feel like I'm not alone on my fight about trash. I also want to start on my trash sculpture soon.http://www.philly.com/inquirer/magazine/39300712.html

QU0TE 0F THE WEEK

Today while I was in Freshman Seminar class, my students had to read a quote and write about it in their journals. The quote said " No one can drive us crazy unless we give them the keys." After I got done reading that quote, I sat back and said Wow! That is so true. The quote is basically saying no one can put you in a bad mood unless you let them do so. I had a very bad weekend this pass week and it wasn't because somone got me mad but, I allowed them to. If you don't let them break you you can't go wrong. I now will live life by this quote because I tend to let people break my spirits and either put me in a good or bad mood. I think this will also be heathier for me because if I become very upset I tend to lay in bed more and become lazy. I am pretty sure life will be a lot easier to handle and put less stress on me. Once I figure out if this helps out I will tell others to do the same.

VALENTiNE'S DAY

Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I'm excitied. It is my favorite holiday and brings me joy. On that day I always wear pink or red and buy little Valentine's Day cards to put in all my friends lockers. i love to get gifts such as chocolate and cards and go out to dinner or movies. I also enjoy it a lot because the best movies come on during the week of Valentine's day. I love watching sappy movies such as The Notebook, which is my favorite movie because it always has a happy ending. This year I think I am going to Atlantic City and enjoy dinner at the Rain Forest. I never been there before but, I think I will have a good time. Also, for many of my friends they have boyfriends and always say "What should I get my boyfriend?" I say "Nothing." I don't think boys should get anything for Valentine's Day because it is a girl's holiday. It's made to show how much you appreciate females and to basically make up for anything you have done wrong in the past. Valentine's Day is on Saturday and I can't wait.