Alternative Energy Sources

It is urgent that we develop alternative energy sources to meet our energy needs. We now understand and realize that fossil fuels (natural gas, coal and oil) have two major disadvantages. First, fossil fuels are not an abundant source. According to our Earth Science book, fossil fuels will only last about 170 years. If we only depend on fossil fuels, it will create chaos when these sources are depleted from the Earth. The second major disadvantage of fossil fuels is that they are harmful to our environment. We recently experienced a tragedy in the Gulf Coast due to oil drilling. This is just one incident in a long list of environmental tragedies that happen due to our need of fossil fuels. In class we read about alternative energy sources that can be used in place of fossil fuels. We know that there are six other energy sources; solar energy, nuclear energy, wind energy, hydroelectric power, geothermal energy, tidal power.

Assignment:

1) Research one alternative enregy source from the six above.

2) How is energy collected from this alternative source?

3) What are the advantages of using this energy source?

4) How is this source good for the environment?

5) What are the disadvantages of using this source?

6) What states and countries use this source?

Los Olmecas

Los Olmecas

1) The Olmecas civilization began around 1200 B.C.E. and it ended around 400 B.C.E.
2) The Olmecas civilization was located in the tropical coastal plains of what are now the Mexican states of Veracruz and Tabasco.

3) Ten facts about the Olmeca civilization:

1) The Olmeca civilization was first Meso-American civilization. They paved the way for the other great civilization of Meso-America.

2) Olmeca means “rubber people” in the Nahualt language.

3) The Olmeca civilization is known for their colossal head statues. There has been 17 colossal heads unearthed so far.

4) Many of the Olmeca artwork was made from jade. Jade was more valuable than gold or silver to the Olmecas.

5) There were four major cities of the Olmeca civilization; La Venta, San Lorenza, Laguna de los Cerros, and Tres Zapotes.

6) These cities were also very important religious centers of the Olmeca civilization. The cities were constructed around a raised mound. These mounds were the center of the religious activity.

7) It is believed that the Olmecas were the first to practice bloodletting rituals.

8) It is believed that the Olmecas were the originators of the Mesoamerican ball court game, “Juego de Pelota”. A dozen rubber balls were found in El Manati, a sacrificial bog. The balls were dated to 1600 B.C.E. or earlier.

9) The Olmeca main diet consisted maize, beans and squash.

10) The Olmeca economy centered around agricultural production on fertile floodplains, and was supplemented by fishing and shellfishing.

4) What I learned about the Olmeca civilization:

Through my research of the Olmeca civilization I discovered various things about this civilizations. I now know that the Olmecas are one of the first Meso-American civilizations. Many concepts and ideas were first utilized by the Olmecas. I learned that Olmecas lived in the Mexican states that are now Veracruz and Tabasco. In my research I discoverd that Olmeca means "rubber people" in Nahualt. There has been 17 Olmeca head statues.

Assignment:

Choose one of the three following civilizations, Aztecs, Mayas, Incas...

1) Write the time period in which this civilization lived in.

2) Write the location in which this civilization flourished.

3) Write 10 facts about this civilizartion.

4) Write a paragraph (5-7 sentences) stating what you learned about the civilization you had researched.

5) Write a comment on my blog and another student's blog.

ANOTHER RAID!

On Thursday, August 13, 2009 the Sheriff's office of Maricopa County, Arizona raided the Royal Paper Converting company. In the raid 44 people were arrested. The sheriff booked 35 of the people on state felony identification theft. This was the second time this company was raided in the past year. In the first raid 8 people were arrested. The sheriff of Maricopa County, Joe Arpaio, is not a stranger to making these raids or arresting migrants. Sheriff Arpaio is known for bending the law in order to arrest migrants. For example, the sheriff has used a smuggling charge on migrants to arrest them-stating that they smuggle themselves! The sheriff has also given prisoners, mostly migrants, pink underwear to wear while incarcerated. Another one of Sheriff Joe Arpaio's action was feeding the inmates bologna sandwiches, in which the bologna was green! Most all of his actions are targeting migrants. He recently stated, "If we come across any illegal aliens during the course of this operation they'll be arrested and put in jail." Comments like this one have been common in interviews and public rallies. "We don't train the officers to speak Spanish to talk to them. They're in the United States of America so they're gonna learn English." While the sheriff has made these types of comments, he wasn't always so anti-immigration. Michael Lacey, the editor of the Phoenix New Times, Lacey stated about Arpaio, "he's got a very famous quote about how he wasn't gonna be busting corn vendors or Mexicanson the street looking for work. That there were real criminals out there." I wonder what made the sheriff change his view on immigration?

Endangered Animals

Endangered Animals

Those Lindsay students that went to the San Diego Zoo might have noticed the signs in front of the different animal exhibits. On those signs was the following information; the name of the animal, the scientific name of the animal, the area where the animal is originally from and whether the animal is on the endangered list. This last thing is very important because if an animal gets on this list there is a great chance that your grand-children might never see this animal in their lifetime. Imagine if they never get to see a real Giant Panda or a Black Rhinoceros or a Tiger. It will be a real shame that our future generations will not see these wonderful animals because of our lack of knowledge about conservation. Many people think that keeping these animals in places like the San Diego Zoo is a cruel thing. But if we think about the dangers that these endangered animals face in the wild, then it might change your opinion about the zoo. Tell me your opinion about endangered animals and the conservation of these creatures.