tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70900584543824958262024-02-07T09:44:22.777-08:00Dihydrogen Oxide -online-dihydrogen.oxidehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04779427308359054153noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-47819735579617800192011-05-23T12:17:00.001-07:002011-05-23T12:17:16.214-07:00Podcast.<div><object align="middle" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" codebase="http://fpdownload.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" height="25" id="mp3playerdarksmallv3" width="210"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="sameDomain" /><param name="movie" value="http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://dihydro.podbean.com/mf/play/yxpzzt/podcast.mp3&autoStart=no" /><param name="quality" value="high" /><param name="bgcolor" value="#ffffff" /><param name="wmode" value="transparent" /><embed src="http://www.podbean.com/podcast-audio-video-blog-player/mp3playerdarksmallv3.swf?audioPath=http://dihydro.podbean.com/mf/play/yxpzzt/podcast.mp3&autoStart=no" quality="high" width="210" height="25" name="mp3playerdarksmallv3" align="middle" allowScriptAccess="sameDomain" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" /></embed> </object><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.podbean.com/" style="border-bottom: medium none; color: #2da274; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-left: 41px; text-decoration: none;">Podcast Powered By Podbe</a><a class="cssButton" href="javascript:void(0)" id="publishButton" onclick="if (this.className.indexOf("ubtn-disabled") == -1) {var e = document['postingForm'].publish;(e.length) ? e[0].click() : e.click(); if (window.event) window.event.cancelBubble = true; return false;}" target=""><div class="cssButtonOuter"><div class="cssButtonMiddle"><div class="cssButtonInner">Publish Post</div></div></div></a><a href="http://www.podbean.com/" style="border-bottom: medium none; color: #2da274; font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; padding-left: 41px; text-decoration: none;">an</a></div>Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-11479083105551231012011-04-22T14:17:00.000-07:002011-04-22T14:22:37.121-07:00A Tribute to Extinct PlantsAs my last post was pretty pointless, I decided to do another post that is awesome. As today is Earth Day, I created a little tribute to extinct plants of Africa and North America. There is a lot of attention on endangered animals, but not nearly enough attention on endangered plants and fungi. The power-point is below. I hope that in future weeks, I can do more plants from Asia, Oceania, South America, and Europe.<br /><br /><iframe src="https://docs.google.com/present/embed?id=dfxjp6r_172cbfqrwc3" frameborder="0" width="410" height="342"></iframe><div><br /></div><div>-Mister Pip (DZ)</div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-50256836700014633182011-04-22T09:07:00.000-07:002011-04-22T09:08:45.763-07:00The Black Death...And the Bloody OnePlague is caused by <i> Yersina Pestis</i>. It's transmitted mainly by fleas and has a rodent reservoir...which means that plague's here to stay. If we can get rid of or vaccine EVERY SINGLE RAT ON THE PLANET, then sure we can get rid of plague.<br />Eventually.<br />On a brighter note, plague is becoming antibiotic-resistant!<br />Oh, that wasn't good. My bad.<br />Anyway, plasmids (DNA in circles instead of strands) containing the genes necessary for antibiotic immunity are frequently transferred to the plague bacterium in the flea midgut. Flea has resistant genes. Flea eats plague. Plauge gets resistant genes.<br />And in case you're worried, here are the symptoms!<br />Three to seven days after infection you become feverish, nauseous, and experience chills, fever, head/body aches, weakness and vomiting. In the most common form of plague, bubonic, the <i>Yersinia pestis</i> bacillus replicates in your lymph nodes, inflaming them to create "bubos".<br />These things hurt and sometimes burst, creating open, festering sores. <div>Isn't nature lovely?<br /><br /><br />And if that wasn't all, here's the bloody death to cheer you up!<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/images/pathimag/ebola_em.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 227px;" src="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/images/pathimag/ebola_em.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><div><br />Ebola is caused by an RNA virus. RNA is what came before DNA, but in this case, it does the same thing. It was first seen in Africa and causes illness in primates and humans. We don't know what the reservoir of the virus is yet, but there is strong evidence to suggest that it is an animal native to Africa. </div><div>The first infection (we think) results from contact with an infected animal. The next wave is when other people are infected. These people are usually the ones who care for the ill person i.e. their friends, parents, and/or doctors. </div><div>Just so you don't accidentally care for one of these unfortunates, here are the disputably worse symptoms!</div><div>After two to twenty-one days, headache, joint/muscle aches, fever, sore throat and weakness appear. </div><div>Isn't this sounding familiar.</div><div>Next comes vomiting (the similarities abound), diarrhea, and stomach pain. In some patients, rashes, red eyes, hiccups and internal/external bleeding is present. Death can be caused by "bleeding out"; this is when the internal organs disintegrate into blood and leave the body through any orifice. It's not understood why some people recover and others do not, but it has been observed that those deceased had very few antibodies in their bloodstream...Ebola attacks quickly. </div><div><br /></div><div>And now that we've outlined the symptoms, which would you prefer? The black death...or the bloody one?</div><div><br /></div><div>-[Asian X]</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.lasabiology.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/plague.pdf">Plague info</a> </div><div><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvrd/spb/mnpages/dispages/ebola/qa.htm">Ebola info</a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-56329244781213752702011-04-22T07:53:00.000-07:002011-04-22T07:53:38.330-07:00Now You're Thinking with Portals!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn4.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/portal_mirror-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://cdn4.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/portal_mirror-2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Cave Johnson here! <br />
<br />
After quite a few years of waiting, the highly-anticipated sequel to one of the best games of the early 2000s finally arrived on Tuesday, April 19th. It was met with very high reviews from several professional review sites. Many fans have also voiced their approving opinions on the game, especially after the intense ARG (Alternate Reality Game) that led up to the release of Portal 2.<br />
<br />
The great thing about Portal is that it's a puzzle game from a first person perspective. The humorous dialogue and intensely creepy robot villain GLaDOS keep the game moving along at a nice pace. The voice acting in the game is superb. Cave Johnson, the ever-enigmatic, somewhat`disheveled former CEO of Aperture Science may be the best part of Portal 2.<br />
<br />
Portal 2 is not just a well-written game but a well-designed one too. The environments are similar to the last game but feature more dynamic lighting. Since it's been a few years after the end of the first Portal, the test chambers have become somewhat overgrown. The design of each test chamber is incredibly well-thought out and unique -- it's not something you'd see in most futuristic first-person-shooters. The archaic lower-depths of the testing facility are also beautifully eerie.<br />
<br />
My advice?<br />
<br />
Buy it.Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-48191476745589174452011-04-21T11:40:00.000-07:002011-04-21T11:54:04.982-07:00Science v Technology Definitions<span class="Apple-style-span" >So this issue has been bothering me for a long time: the difference between Science and Technology. Many people think they understand the difference, but I have been seeing more and more cases of confusion between the two words. So here's the two definitions:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Science -<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "> The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; ">Technology- </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; ">The application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px; "><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 15px;">So pretty simple, science is the study of learning about our world (and space) through observation and experimentation. Technology is using science. So technology can be gizmos and gadgets like we usually think, but it can also be just using science in our everyday life. Identifying plants from scientific research is technology. Though it is not an incredibly advanced item, it is still part of what technology is. Now that, that's cleared up, I think it's important to understand how both are practical in our everyday life. Many could say that we never actually use science, itself , but we use the information from it in all of our technology. Without science we could not advance in society, but the actual information we acquire from scientific study is essential. </span></span></div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-60827485691475447802011-04-11T12:04:00.000-07:002011-04-11T12:13:57.440-07:00Leads<strong> Startling Statement</strong><br /><br><br />Across from me sits a man twice escaped from jail. His tanned skin shows years of sun. You'd never know it, but this man has graduated medical school and served in the army. Because of that, he was sent to jail. He would have been safe if he'd served in the North Vietnamese army. <br /><br><strong>Startling Statement</strong><br /><br><br />After escaping to Laos, Steven Hoang is sent back to jail. As a doctor, you wouldn’t think that he’d be in jail. But this isn’t America. In Communist Vietnam, anything goes. <br /><br><strong>Narrative</strong><br /><br><br />It's scorching outside, but there is an abundance of water. Unfortunately, it's all salt. The tepid breeze ruffles the sea as the boat drifts along, the last of the fuel dribbling out of the rent in its side. Quietly the thousands of men and women crouch, driven to exhaustion by the lack of supplies. <br /><br>-[Asian X]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-68634554420930237242011-04-11T10:41:00.000-07:002011-04-11T12:13:38.150-07:00Mister Pip's Leads<span class="Apple-style-span"><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Twist:</b></span></div>Being one with the animals and understanding their life. She ventured into a difficult field, that few take on. She's not an adventurer nor an explorer, in fact she's not even exploring extreme dangers. No, Brittaney Hopkins, is a teacher.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Startling;</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Earlier this year, Britanny Hopkins found out that her services will no longer be needed at LASA High School. After only one year of being a teacher she is losing her job, and will be forced to find work elsewhere.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>Descriptive:</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Her room says everything about her. A calmness in the air layers the small shrieks coming from the parrot next door. Her room is greeted with the friendly words of _______(need to fact check)_______. Nothing though expresses herself as much as the biology and teaching material dispersed across the room.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><br /><br /><a href="http://13thstreetstudio.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341eb61d53ef01348365a32a970c-800wi" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 281px; height: 229px;" src="http://13thstreetstudio.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341eb61d53ef01348365a32a970c-800wi" border="0" alt="" /></a>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-58135107872051357602011-04-08T13:28:00.000-07:002011-04-08T13:28:58.038-07:00Dem LeadsDialogue: <br />
<br />
When most people are asked what their favorite teaching moment was, they usually reply with some big teaching triumph. Amanda Walker, however, thinks differently.<br />
<br />
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The moment I remember most of all in the classroom was I had a kid who suddenly just vomited on another kid in class."</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Startling Statement:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br />
</div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"The first time I ever stepped in to a public school was my first day as a teachers.</span><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Descriptive:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br />
</span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span id="internal-source-marker_0.9311238858742172" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The parrot squawks in it's cage as students hurriedly copy notes down from Ms. Walker's chalkboard. She lectures sternly, but with a calm and understanding undertone. All the students pay their utmost attention. By the end of a class, all of the kids have learned an entire new concept from their favorite teacher.</span></div>Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-26766143088363703002011-04-08T12:24:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:25:45.999-07:00Srta. Hopkin's InterviewThe interview was really interesting. Unforunately I could not interview Mr. Ridley, who I had originally intended to interview, but I ende up interviewing my Science teacher, Ms. Hopkins. the interview was slightly different than interviews I have done in the past, just because most of the interviews I have done in the past have been for Journalism. In Journalism, interviews are usually rather short, as you are getting information from numerous sources. In E-zine, as I am writing a feature story, I had to ask a lot more questions for just one person. I had the interview in the morning at about 7:45 am and finished by about 8:10 and had just enough time to get to class. It was very kind of Ms. Hopkins to be willing to be interviewed on such short notice. So I started off the interview by asking her how she got into Biology and teaching. At first, on a few questions, I'm afraid I cut her off. Then there was one question where she was giving a really good answer, and I knew I would have plenty of great quotes, but than a student interrupted for about 2 minuets, and after that we just went on to the next question. I was slightly disappointed. i did ask her about the budget cuts and the staff cuts, after asking her permission, and she gave me some good answers. I ended my interview by asking her what her favorite chromosome was. After looking in her copy of Genome that was lying nearby, she said Ch. 2, as it is responsible for our evolution from chimps. Very neat.Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-56294771549458909112011-04-07T15:11:00.000-07:002011-04-08T12:16:05.197-07:00Interviews<div style="text-align: left;">I interviewed my grandfather. He was a doctor in the South Vietnamese army. Originally, I had wanted to interview my mom about coming to America (They jumped onto a boat and then drifted, starving, for days), but she convinced me to interview my grandfather instead. Since he lives several hundred miles away and his first language is, you guessed it, Vietnamese, I decided to email him instead of actually going to talk to him in person.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div>The issues:</div><div>Most of the questions had a one-sentence response, mainly because they were redundant in relation to the answer to the previous question. In addition, there were a lot of questions that my grandfather hadn't thought to elaborate upon. If I had been there in person, I could've asked related questions and been done a bit faster. </div><div><br /></div><div>The benefits:</div><div>I didn't have to transcribe, always a plus, and, unlike some people, my grandfather is very prompt in his replies. He also elaborated very well, with many quotes I'll be able to use. </div><div><br /></div><div>I learned a lot of things during my interview. Firstly, my grandfather had been jailed and then escaped. Secondly, my grandfather had been jailed and then escaped. </div><div>Yes. It happened not just once, but twice. The second time he was under high-security watch, too. My mom provided some explanations and she had a lot of stories to tell about leaving Vietnam too, which helped a ton. For example, I'm sure the jail conditions were horrendous, but the jailers weren't too smart. They were kids, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, and they were neither the best nor the brightest; the best, the brightest and the experienced were need on the battlefield. If you were determined and resourceful (like my grandfather), you could escape from jail twice. </div><div><br /></div><div>More info on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam">Vietnam</a></div><div>Info on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ho_Chi_Minh">Ho Chi Minh</a> (the person, not the city)</div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ho_Chi_Minh_1946_cropped.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 285px; height: 383px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Ho_Chi_Minh_1946_cropped.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Oh, and I <strong>DO NOT </strong>in any way, shape or form, endorse this man or anything he embodies. <div><br /></div><div>-[Asian X]<br /><br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-42714695827461969312011-04-07T12:30:00.000-07:002011-04-07T12:30:07.333-07:00InterviewSo, this week we conducted our interviews for our feature pieces. For mine I interviewed Ms. Walker, a biology teacher at our school. That wasn't the hard part. Unfortunately, the first two people I contacted to interview (Cory Doctorow and Scott Westerfeld (hallowed be their name, would be more hallowed if they actually <i>responded</i>. But I digress) have still not responded. So, I settled for a boring old teacher. Or so I thought.<br />
<br />
It turns out that Ms. Walker is a very interesting teacher. She had her parrot on her shoulder during the interview, which was entertaining. to be honest, I was fairly intimidated, interviewing a teacher of such incredible prestige.<br />
<br />
Anyway, back to the other two people. I emailed Cory originally because I love his books. He also provides them for free in multiple formats. So, I sent my email off, excited. And then, I waited. And waited. And waited.<br />
<br />
I kept waiting until the weekend before the interview was due. Since I hadn't heard back, I emailed another author (Scott). He didn't respond either. The day before due date, Mister Pip had the idea to interview Ms. Walker. And so I did. I interviewed her the day the interview was due during lunch. It was awesome!Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-50229253955052965432011-04-01T12:52:00.000-07:002011-04-01T12:52:05.800-07:00Iraqi Air<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/03/dust_storm_baghdad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="292" src="http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2011/03/dust_storm_baghdad.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy wired.com</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The gunfire rattles overhead as you hear the blades of a helicopter turn in swirls of angry diligence. Grenade shrapnel stings the air with shards of fiery metal, and smoke exhaust from tanks and other motorized vehicles fill your senses with foul matter produced by machines.<br />
<br />
This is a problem with the air in Iraq. The fights and skirmishes here involving heavy artillery are filling the air with pollutants like metal fragments and other bad particles. The soldiers are breathing these in, and report "increased wheezing, coughing, allergy symptoms and chest pain."<br />
<br />
Another large contributing factor to the air pollution is the fact that Iraq still uses a lot of leaded gasoline, which produces many pollutants and small particles. The natural dust storms (which occur about twenty times per year) also raise buried/settled particles from the ground and throw them near or into the soldiers.<br />
<br />
We need to be protecting our soldiers. The wounds they get (if any) should be from enemies, not their environment. They're brave enough to risk their own well-being for us, and the least we could do would be to protect their respiratory system as well.<br />
<br />
For more on this subject, check out the article on <i>Wired</i> <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/dust_iraq/">here.</a><br />
<br />
-CambiumCambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-19558986142438322382011-04-01T12:19:00.000-07:002011-04-01T12:19:44.736-07:00April Fools? Not Today <span class="gc-message-sms-text">On April Fool</span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">'s Day, there was a lockdown that was no joke. In the joint highschools of LASA and LBJ, it was reported that a gang known as 'GMB' entered the school</span><span class="gc-message-sms-text"> building to attack a kid. This teenager and one other wound up in a fight with eight of the gang members. As stated by one teacher, "I'd seen <him >walking around and I wanted to know why he was out of class...I knew something was up."</span><br />
<br />
<span class="gc-message-sms-text">At present, it is still unrevealed why the gang wa</span><span class="gc-message-sms-from"></span><span class="gc-message-sms-text">nted to stage an attack, or why they came in such large numbers to fight one individual.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="gc-message-sms-text">-Asian X </span><span class="gc-message-sms-time"></span><br />
<div class="gc-message-sms-old"><div class="gc-message-sms-row"> </div></div>Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-60375835889753800602011-04-01T10:52:00.000-07:002011-04-01T11:21:59.307-07:00Cigarette Gene?<div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I'm not sure if all of my readers are aware of this, but there have been a group of article published recently, discussing genes that can lead to smoking risk. On reading the title, I was a little confused, because I always though that smoking was cause by beginning to smoke at a young age, and from there getting an addiction. After reading the article, here's what I found:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><img src="http://www.technologyreview.com/files/12940/dna_nicotine_x220.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 477px;" border="0" alt="" /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">There are two sets of genes, that can make a person three times more likely to become a regular smoker in high school and two times as likely to c</span><span class="Apple-style-span">arry it on into adulthood. Now, obviously, one gen</span><span class="Apple-style-span">e is not going to stick a cigarette in your mouth, and the other gene is not going to light up. No, what the genes simply do is create a stronger addiction to smoking, once someone does start smoking. So I guess the simple answer is that if you don't want to become addicted to smoking, Don't Smoke. Scientist are now trying to develop test to tell someone's nicotine suceptibility. I don't really understand the purpose of the test. it seems taht a person that goes to the length to test their nicotine suceptability would have no desire to smoke in the first place. Oh well. if you'd like to read more you can read the full article in Biological Psychiatrist.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span">-Mister Pip</span></div></div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-72059267633491353612011-03-31T14:53:00.000-07:002011-03-31T15:43:27.847-07:00The Top of the Food ChainThe food chain - life’s way of telling you just where you are on the totem pole. Up near the top are us, the humans, evolved to be the perfect predator. At the bottom are the krill and insects, as befits their rank.<br />Our utter perfection is shown in how we have conquered the mighty lion, tiger and puma. Sure, they make occasional strikes, but overall, we’ve won and we’ve kept it that way.<br />So. Now that we’ve determined our rank on the food chain, guess who’s on the very top?<br />Not the lion, obviously, nor the tiger, nor the puma. And in case you were wondering, it’s not the elephant either.<br />No, it’s the mushroom.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2674929460"><img src="http://images.cdn.fotopedia.com/flickr-2674929460-hd.jpg" width="434" /></a><br /><br /><br />Actually, to be precise, it’s worms, mushrooms and bacteria. When you die, they eat you - always have, and hopefully always will. Without them, we’d have a pile-up of dead bodies and just a whole lot of death in general, as the nutrients in the soil would be depleted and then nothing would grow, leading to mass death. The only safeties would be in a completely ocean-supported lifestyle, although if all bacteria died, not just composers, we’d really be messed up. The ocean food chain/circle mirrors our own; energy travels up until the “top” of the chain dies, at which point it’s eaten by bacteria, to begin the cycle anew.<br />In other words, you should be grateful to these bacteria. Even though they’re the reason you’ll never be the top of the food chain, there wouldn’t even be a food chain without them.<br /><br />To see the original blog post with the mushroom, click on the image OR click <a href="http://www.fotopedia.com/items/flickr-2674929460">here</a>!<br /><br />Thanks for reading my kinda-not-really-educational rant!<br />-[Asian X]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-84040138089186899062011-03-24T18:56:00.000-07:002011-03-24T19:30:47.451-07:00Mister Pip's Corner: Weekly Blog Post<div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span">Dear Mister Pip,</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">What are your thoughts on the way that science is presented in the classroom? Do you feel that by teaching biology, chemistry, and physics we are showing a fair representation of the field of science? If there are other type(s) of sciences that could be added to the curriculum, what would it/they be?</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Margaret P.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dear Margaret,</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>This is an interesting question and one that I have actually thought of quite a bit. I'm going to express my feeling and then explain. I do not think that the science curriculum in the school is giving a fair view of the field of science. According to an article I read on <a href="http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/research-innovations/stories/updated-report-shows-students-still-severely-lack-science-ed">mnn.com</a> a few weeks ago, 49% of adults in the USA do not know how long it takes for the earth to orbit the sun (~365 days for all of you out there), and the USA ranks 48th in science education for our children. These are scary numbers, but unfortunately I cannot say that I am surprised. Children are science illiterate in this country. It's a shame. We teach our students (in most schools, there are a few exceptions) only basic knowledge and sometimes not ev</div><div>en that. As long as the child get an 'A' everyones happy. That is until the real world comes into play. Our country cannot support itself and it's economy on workers that do not understand basic science skills. China has now surpassed the US in being the leading technology exporter, and it's all due to a lack of science education. Now I could get into an argument about how all aspects of most public schools need readjusting, but as this is a science blog, I regress. To answer your other question, I do believe we should add some sciences into the education field: Social & Behavioral Science, Basic Engineering Skills, Microbiology, and Genetics. These are the ones that I think would greatly help students although I feel that while adding Botany might not directly help students, it would be rather interesting.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Most Sincerely,</div><div>Your Mister Pip</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Dear Mister Pip,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Hi, for my outdoors badge (we're in the 4H) we have to be able to identify trees by their leaves. We have this book called Leaf Key for Tree Identification. Could you explain how to use it?</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Dormo S. & Merganta W.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Dear Dormo & Merganta,</div><div><br /></div><div>I assume your talking about a book where you have several choices and by answering questions about the leaf, you can identify what type of plant this is. I used to have to do this all the time while studying botany. There's a special name for the book, but my mind is blank. Anyways you must firstly understand how the book works. The book will ask you a question (eg. Nodes?) and then there will be three choices or so. Depen</div><div>ding on which traits the leaf has (eg. no node) then the book will say to go to another question. This is the process you do until eventually it will say what type of tree the leaf came from. Most books will then direct you to a page where you can learn more about the tree or bush, and if there's a picture (which there usually</div><div> is) you can compare the leaf to the picture. They should be rather similar. If they're not you most likely made a mistake, or it is possible that the leaf is not in the book. Go through the process several times if not sure.</div><div><img src="http://www.landscape-photo.net/albums/fall-autumn/thumb_fall-autumn-fallen_leaf--03.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 180px;" border="0" alt="" /></div><div>Most books are designated for certain areas (eg. Coastal Plains of Texas) so that there are not too many questions and leaf options. Botanist (people who major in Botany) do this sort of stuff all the time unless they have memorized some of the more common leaves. Best of luck on earning your outdoors badge.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sincerely,</div><div>Mister Pip</div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-30495549998978573872011-03-24T12:53:00.000-07:002011-03-26T11:17:16.163-07:00War of the Worlds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Snejanka_Cave_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Snejanka_Cave_2.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<br />
In the famous book by H.G. Wells, Martians come and attack the earth, and the world as the humans know it ends forever. Now, the humans are trying to find the Martians before they find us. In 2007, The Odyssey spacecraft discovered several large holes in the planet's surface. Unfortunately, the craft was too big to explore the caves. Now, NASA scientists are contemplating sending swarms of smaller robots to explore the caves in search of extraterrestrial life. These robots (called Jallbots) would be sent in groups of 40-60. Jallbots would sense caves by the sharp decline in temperature caused by the change in elevation.<br />
<br />
I think this is a good idea. Science, and space in particular, is an amazing area of study that we have yet to explore fully. There's no telling what would happen if we <i>did</i> discover life on Mars. It could be a dangerous mission, but that's the benefit of using robots instead of humans - robots' lives are dispensable. While they cost a lot of money, they don't cost nearly as much as a larger spaceship, a rover, or a human life. We have amazing technology, and we should use it to learn of and explore the greatest parts of our universe.<br />
<br />
For more information, see the Wired <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/robots-search-martian-caves/">article </a>on the subject.Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-3958986618277226012011-03-11T20:31:00.000-08:002011-03-28T17:11:37.268-07:00How It Really Gets To You - AnthraxIn 2001, terrorists attacked. Their weapon of choice? Anthrax. Almost a decade later, the anthrax mail attack is still foremost in people’s minds when they think of bioterrorism. But what is anthrax, really?<br /><br />Anthrax is a rod-shaped (bacillus) bacterium formally known as <i>Bacillus anthracis </i> [See figure 1]. It is a part of the cellular organisms domain, specified into the bacteria kingdom, part of the fermicutes phylum, of the bacilli class, subdivided into the bacillales order, further specified into the bacillaceae family, then divided into the bacillus genus and finally identified in the bacillus cereus species. <br /><br><i>Bacillus anthracis</i> is endemic (native) to Asia, southern Europe, sub-Sahelian Africa and parts of Australia. It is found in soil, where its spores can last for generations. It mainly affects cattle, sheep, goats, camels, horses, and pigs in addition to the humans who care for them. <br /><br>Anthrax is a lethal disease. Even though it doesn't cause your brain to explode, it's just as deadly. After being introduced into the body, the bacteria produces three compounds known as lethal factor, endema factor and protective antigen. Alone, lethal factor and edema factor are harmless, but with the addition of protective antigen they become deadly. Protective antigen binds to cell receptors, which then cut the protein in half. The halves bind separately to each of the factors, transforming them into lethal toxin and edema toxin. The two toxins each stop cell regulation via the signaling pathways, which results in cell death due to either necrosis (premature cell death) or apoptosis (cell suicide). Anthrax especially targets the immune system and blood vessel linings most likely because they require either downstream ERK activity or Mek1/2 pathway in order to reproduce. This mass cell death eventually results in either death by infection (the immune system's down) or death by lack of functioning (the cells are dead and therefore cannot perform any more).<br /><br>Evidently, anthrax is nothing to be taken lightly. In 2001 this was shoved home as twenty-two people were infected. Although only five died, it was still a shell shock to the American society. Anthrax was the unanimous super-villain. Now, as people everywhere learn more about anthrax, they are able to fully appreciate the risks-whether they be large or small.<br /><br><center><img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/6WNM9PYYJHymOp9liZ8QZN8SqIcURikWy9g_XHefOLfXiaGWVPs0XwokoWohgzyhhs_2rkE-itAH5MimmxyfamUfdNG4tOTUnPoZNvBmW5OsKRsjevk" width="400px;" height="320px;" /><br /><br><i>Figure 1 (Bacillus anthracis: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Image)</i></center><br /><br><strong>Read More</strong><br /><br>Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthrax">article</a>. Read this first, then the rest of the stuff...it'll make a LOT more sense, I promise<br /><br>Click <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17095744">here</a> for the effects, in all their pseudo-gory detail, of lethal toxin and edema toxin. <br /><br>More lethal toxin and edema toxin effects <a href "http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19638283:>here</a>. It's a lot simpler and there's a link to the rest of the article for free! <br /><br>Oh, wait. They're all like that. <br /><br>And now, on to the <strong> World Health Organization</strong>. <a href="www.who.int/csr/disease/Anthrax/en/">Here</a> they are. <br /><br>Last but not least, our lovely <strong>Centers for Disease Control</strong>. They had to work hard after that mailing...and here's <a href="http://emergency.cdc.gov/agent/anthrax/">the evidence</a>. <br /><br><br /><br>Anyway, that was this week's episode of <i> How It Gets To You</i>. Stay tuned throughout the year to (maybe) hear about more!<br /><br>(Unless, of course, this is offensive. In that case I apologize and sincerely hope that you spell your criticizing comments right)<br /><br>-[Asian X]Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-40542481168436201772011-03-11T18:41:00.000-08:002011-03-11T18:41:45.704-08:00The Discovery's Final Hour<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/wp-content/gallery/discovery/discovery_launch_sts-26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="321" src="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/wp-content/gallery/discovery/discovery_launch_sts-26.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Photo credit <i>Wired</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
At about noon on Wednesday, March 9th, the space shuttle Discovery touched down at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the final time. The shuttle has carried many unique people, such as the oldest person and the first member of Congress in space. Discovery had a twenty-seven year career.<br />
<br />
While I think it is wise of the space program to discontinue the shuttle - otherwise flights may become dangerous for astronauts- it is certainly sad that this shuttle will no longer carry the important explorers of a new age into a vast, dark frontier. However, the Discovery served many purposes. This shuttle helped the space program achieve many things. The final landing of the Discovery signifies the end of an era. The people who have traveled on this ship have seen and traveled places you and I won't ever see. With the final landing, the sun sets on a period of exploration. However, the shuttle will be displayed in the Smithsonian as an emblem of "discovery" for everyone, even people from different nations to see. Space travel binds the world together, and while this final landing is sad, we will eventually push space travel even further, and expand the limits of our minds and imaginations.<br />
<br />
To read more about the Discovery's journeys, refer to <a href="http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/03/farewell-discovery-a-look-back-at-the-longest-lived-shuttle/">this article</a> on Wired.Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-81190364303896756832011-03-11T10:19:00.000-08:002011-03-11T13:22:40.533-08:00Mister Pip's Corner<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: collapse; "><span class="Apple-style-span">Welcome to Mister Pip's corner. Here I will answer questions from some of my biggest fans. It was so hard to pick the question, but here we go.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span>Dear Mister Pip,</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I'm an avid reader and thought to ask you one question that I have had for a long time. Why was Pluto excommunicated from the planetary family system? I know it has something to do with Pluto not fitting all of the requirements, but can you explain the exact reasons why it is no longer considered a planet?</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Thanks,</span></div><div><span>Hermione G.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Dear Hermione G.,</div><div><br /></div><div>This is a common question I get. In order for an object to be a planet it must follow three requirements. The first requirement is that the object must orbit the sun. Pluto obviously orbits the sun, so in this sense it could be considered a planet. The second rule is that an object must have a great enough mass so that it is able to pull itself into a spherical shape. Pluto's mass is large enough, so this category is not a problem. The final rule to be a planet is that it must have cleared things out of its "orbital neighborhood". Pluto is relatively small compared to other objects in its orbital neighborhood, so in this sense Pluto cannot be a planet. Pluto was degraded to a <i>dwarf planet</i> on August 24, 2006 at a meeting of the International Astronomical Union.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sincerely, Mister Pip</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span>Dear Mister Pip,</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I love your blog posts and look forward each week to reading them. My question for you today is kind of stupid, but I have always wondered. Why does wood float? I have heard that it has to do with weight, but that can't be true because even large trees like Redwoods float in water. What's up? Any help would be much appreciated.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Your Secret Sweetheart,</span></div><div><span>Cho C.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Dear Cho C.,This question is one that is commonly overlooked. Wood floating in water does have to deal with weight, but not directly. The whole reason wood floats is that wood is less dense than water. Let me explain. Density is how much mass something has in comparison to its volume (d=m/v). Wood on average has a density of about 650 kg/cu.m. Bamboo is one of the lightest woods with 300 kg/cu.m while Lignum Vitae has a much higher density of about 1300 kg/cu.m. If you would like to see a full list of wood densities you can <a href="http://www.simetric.co.uk/si_wood.htm" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 65, 112); ">click here</a>. Anyways, objects that have a lower density than water float. Hence, wood has a lower density than water, so it floats.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Sincerely, Mister Pip.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span>Dear Mister Pip,</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>I work in an office building in Edinburgh and they are testing the office building for asbestos. What is this? If there is asbestos, how could this substance get into the building? Thanks for all your help.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div><span>Joanne R.</span></div><div><span><br /></span></div><div>Dear Joanne R.,</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm so flattered I have international reader. Actually I'm not that surprised; I am pretty spectacular. As we all know. Anyways, asbestos is pretty serious if you breathe it in. Asbestos is one of six silicate minerals (natural). If it is inhaled, it has the potential to cause tumors. Asbestos is a very dangerous substance. It can also cause mesothelioma and lung cancer. Asbestos used to be used in construction, before they realized the dangers of it, just like how they used to lead paint. Unlike lead paint, however, many older buildings still have asbestos. I hope this helps. I would try avoiding asbestos, because of its health problems, at all costs.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sincerely, Mister Pip</div></span></span>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-56828440714340580802011-03-08T13:01:00.000-08:002011-03-28T17:11:12.552-07:00Damaged Life...Or Death?<center><a href="http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs262/en/"><img src="http://doctorexclusive.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/nipah-virus.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><strong>The Nipah virus.</strong></center><br /><br />Sound unfamiliar? That's because it is. In 1999, the virus was officially recognized during an outbreak among Malayian pig farmers. Although rare elsewhere, in Bangladesh the fatality rate is approximately 75%. The survivors aren't much better; 20% suffer neurological damage in return for their lives. A fair trade?<br />The survivors can suffer from convulsions and personality changes as well as recurrent brain swelling.<br /><br /><div>So. The real question here. Would you rather live a damaged life or die? </div><div>It's not a certainty that you'll suffer seizures. It's not a certainty that you'll suffer personality changes. It's not a certainty that you'll be affected. But this isn't all about you. Unless you’re living in India near pigs or bats, you’re pretty safe, unlike the people of Bangladesh. They have to live with this everyday. <br /><br />And now we’ve gotten to the best part. So you know how I said India’s not the place to be? <br /><br />I lied. <br /><br />Well, not exactly. Viruses change extremely fast; take <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV">HIV</a> for example. It changes from person to person (so if person A gives it to person B, person A and B do not have the exact same virus. Similar enough to be classified as the same, yes, but not the same). Nipah virus presumably has a fairly low transmission rate (Otherwise, a LOT more people would be dead), but that is subject to change at any time. In other words, this virus could spread across the globe. <br /><br>The Spanish flu did the same. In 25 weeks, it’d killed 25 million people. Nipah virus would be much, much worse. The mortality rate for the Spanish flu was, at worst, 25%. The mortality rate for Nipah virus is 40-75%, easily twice that of the Spanish flu. <br /><br>As of yet, there is no vaccine. We’ll just have to watch and wait...and hope our immune systems learn fast. <br /><br><br /><br><strong>Read More</strong><br /><br>Click on the image for the <strong>World Health Organization</strong> factsheet and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nipah_virus#Nipah_virus">here</a> for <strong>Wikipedia's</strong> henipavirus page (The link'll take you to the Nipah virus section). <br /><br /><br>Anyway, that was this week's episode of How It Gets To You. Stay tuned throughout the year to (maybe) hear about more!<br /><br /><br>(Unless, of course, this is offensive. In that case I apologize and sincerely hope that you spell your criticizing comments right)<br /><br /><br>-[Asian X]</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-55412611318165931132011-02-14T12:41:00.000-08:002011-02-14T12:42:21.769-08:00Our Media Kit<div><object style="width:420px;height:272px"><param name="movie" value="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110214203634-ad0aa0fbd2b24f059654876df4f5a24c&docName=media_kits_collection-004&username=dihydr0g3n.0xid3&loadingInfoText=The%20Most%20Awsomest%20Wonderful%20Media%20Kit%20Ever&et=1297716010522&er=51"><param name="allowfullscreen" value="true"><param name="menu" value="false"><embed src="http://static.issuu.com/webembed/viewers/style1/v1/IssuuViewer.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" menu="false" style="width:420px;height:272px" flashvars="mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true&documentId=110214203634-ad0aa0fbd2b24f059654876df4f5a24c&docName=media_kits_collection-004&username=dihydr0g3n.0xid3&loadingInfoText=The%20Most%20Awsomest%20Wonderful%20Media%20Kit%20Ever&et=1297716010522&er=51"></embed></object><div style="width:420px;text-align:left;"><a href="http://issuu.com/dihydr0g3n.0xid3/docs/media_kits_collection-004?mode=embed&layout=http%3A%2F%2Fskin.issuu.com%2Fv%2Flight%2Flayout.xml&showFlipBtn=true" target="_blank">Open publication</a> - Free <a href="http://issuu.com" target="_blank">publishing</a> - <a href="http://issuu.com/search?q=science" target="_blank">More science</a></div></div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-5173123760510646002011-02-10T13:33:00.001-08:002011-02-10T13:36:43.353-08:00ResultsTHE VOTES ARE IN!<div><br /></div><div>Hermione Granger 75% (Of Course)</div><div>Ginny Weasley 25% (Second Place isn't that bad)</div><div>Cho Chang 0% (Oh Well!)</div><div>Fleur Delacour 0% (I was secretly rooting for her!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Mister Pip</div>Mister Piphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11634303713507060315noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-34907797731208539042011-02-08T12:32:00.000-08:002011-02-08T12:48:08.968-08:00Cambium Opinion Leads: Living Underwater<span id="internal-source-marker_0.930816267437547" style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Contrast and Compare:</span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />A few hundred years ago, America was a frontier for the Europeans. The plains were vast and rolling, the food plentiful, and horizons limitless. Fast-forward to today. We now have a new ‘frontier’ to explore. It’s not space, however, as Star Trek would have you believe. The human race is about to begin a new life in the ocean.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Rhetorical:</span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />How do you solve the world’s environmental and over-population problems? By building an underwater complex. That may be a little over-dramatic, but with enough work, it could be possible/plausible.</span><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /><br />Direct Address:</span><span style="font-family: courier new; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><span style="font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /><br />You’ve always wanted to live underwater. And now you finally have the chance. There are currently plans to build an underwater living complex. Soon you will be able to move under the surface of the sea. You can swim with fish, and farm seaweed. We hope you enjoy it.</span></span><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: courier new;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span>Cambiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13462038388532887460noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7090058454382495826.post-20750384189913646772011-02-08T12:31:00.000-08:002011-02-08T12:43:40.626-08:00Leads-[Asian X]<span style="font-style: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;" 000000=""><strong>Descriptive</strong><br />In a small pond, a kitten is frantically splashing about. Its head is coming to the surface less and less. Obviously, it’s drowning. There’s no one else around- only you can help it. Or not. No one would know if you just left. No one would blame you. But you save the kitten anyway, because it’s the right thing to do. <strong><br /><br /><br />Rhetorical</strong><br />A frail old man, struggling to push his cart out of the store. A young child, standing on tiptoe to reach for a book. A homeless person, crouching on the street.<br /><br />These people all need help. It’s impossible not to tell. But when everyone needs help, how do you decide?<br /><br /><br /><strong>Twist</strong><br />Helping people increases dependence. Helping people ultimately results in more death. Who are we to choose people to help?<br /><br />We’re exactly the right people. With this mindset, we can help no one, not even those most in need.<br />-[Asian X]<br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6