Monday, May 3, 2010

Summary of Paper




Our world is changing at a drastic pace and people don’t seem to understand the magnitude of the situation. Our world is going down a dangerous road that leads to a bleak future. We are losing our environment, various species, and any resemblance of control we had on our world. We are causing spikes in temperature, and we are responsible for changing our world into a world of waste, greed and desolation. I argue that ocean levels are rising at varied rates due to the different reactions the western Antarctic ice sheet, the eastern Antarctic ice sheet and the Greenland ice sheet are having due to the change in global climate. These three ice sheets hold more than 50 percent of the world’s fresh water. Right now the rate at which the ice is melting will be causing problems for countries all around the world.

There is much speculation what is causing these such diverse changes, but it is hard to tell even after all the different studies there have been into the research of this topic. It is a matter of discussion the scientific community and could change the way we see the world as we know it. The growth of some of the ice caps and the decline of others may unexplainable to most people but to scientists just another question that has been raised in the whole picture of global warming. It is a known fact that water levels are increasing and two of the three largest ice masses on this earth are decreasing but 1 is increasing at a drastic rate which brings up the question, why? This have yet to be discovered but the data on these is abundant and detailed so the scientific community has a detailed understanding of what is happening up north.

Cooking

Ingredients

* Gnocchi:
* 1 (8 ounce) container ricotta cheese
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 1 cup all-purpose flour, or as needed
*
* Sauce:
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon minced garlic
* 1 (15.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* 1 dash crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
* 6 basil leaves, finely shredded
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into small chunks


Directions

1. Stir together the ricotta cheese, eggs, Parmesan Cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic powder in a large bowl until evenly combined. Mix in 1 cup of flour. Add additional flour if needed to form a soft dough.
2. Divide the dough into 3 or 4 pieces, and roll into 1/2-inch-thick ropes on a floured surface. Cut each rope into 1-inch pieces, and place on a lightly floured baking sheet. Place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, and cook until softened and fragrant, about 1 minute. Pour in diced tomatoes and red pepper flakes; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in shredded basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. While sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Boil the gnocchi until they float to the surface, 1 to 2 minutes, then drain.
5. To assemble the dish, stir the cubed mozzarella cheese into the sauce and allow the heat of the sauce to soften, but not melt the cheese. Place gnocchi into a serving bowl, and spoon sauce overtop.

This seems really Delicious. i would love to try this dish. i think it would be easy to make, we could get some ripe tomatoes make a good pasta sauce and enjoy.

Sorry this is late

i forgot about it but i posted it now

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Sources and stuff.

MacCracken, Michael. "GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE AND ITS EFFECTS." US EPA. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2010.


This article is a good example of how each person affects global warming. He uses calculations to figure out how much on average each person emits in the world. This is very important when talking about the Antarctica ice sheet. He brings up that the loss of the Greenland ice sheet and the west Antarctic ice sheet would increase water levels by up to 15 feet. That would put most coastal cities into a very difficult situation. He brings up examples such as Washington and New Orleans, where some cities are built underneath the sea level and will face many problems if sea levels rise at a drastic rate.


Barry, R.G. . "CRYOSPHERIC RESPONSES TO A GLOBAL TEMPERATURE INCREASE." Publications. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. http://www.iiasa.ac.at/Publications/Documents/XB-78-502.pdf#page=181


This is a very interesting journal. It gives good data, that is fairly simple to understand with the descriptions that are given. He also gives a great overview and puts the view of global warming in great context. He talks about how the amount of ice we have has to be accounted as a whole, and how small percentages of ice melting in such a large amount of ice is a big deal and is a issue. He addresses how it affects due to altitude, latitude and human interference. These are three factors he just brings up as examples of how ice loss might differ between areas.

Monday, February 22, 2010

Online Speaker

I learned a lot after watching this guys talk on the energy crisis and CO2. I could tell from the beginning that he was a very intelligent man, he supported everything he said with sound facts and said it in a comical way which is necessary because it is such a serious subject. I think he portrayed this subject in a new light that really showed me what really has to be done and how everyone will have to work towards this goal if we really want to fix this problem. He also brings about many solutions and also shatters them without blatantly saying it, he shows the facts and he uses those to prove his point like any good politician would do.

I feel my favorite part was when he was doing the breakdown of energy. When he brought up how you could use nuclear power to power the world, but showed how many you would have to build, that just made my mouth drop. I didn't expect that at all, i also did not expect that much of a small amount of energy to be gained from all the renewable resources excluding solar. I really did not think that solar could supply 1500 Kilowatts, that so much more than we could ever use, but being able to harness that kind of power could become useful in the future. I would like to see this man complete what he is working on because i feel that it will allow the world to prosper and we can fix the problem that we are having now just like how we fixed the ozone. I am glad you showed us this video and i think it was important for us to see this from such a scientific viewpoint.

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

CO2 Catcher

I have changed my ideas a lot after all the lectures and movies that we have watched. I have become very interested in global warming and the facts and repercussions that will happen because of it. Due to this it brought me upon something that he said that was said in the “Inconvenient Truth.” He said it quickly and did not talk about it in depth but he brought up, CO2 extraction from the atmosphere mechanically. I have always thought it was because of this technology that has caused it and its pretty amazing to see that it can also be the reason why we get out of it. Now after reading about it, this has been talked about for years but never really brought up into the main stream because of all the people who believe it is impossible and that more would be emitted during the process than would be taken out, I am saying right now after reading countless articles, they are dead wrong. This extractor that is being made by many companies but just slightly different, produces no CO2 and will extract CO2 and put it into a liquid that will be useable. It will be making oil, from the atmosphere, the perfect solution to our growing CO2 problem. The people who have thought of this and are supporting this include a scientist who was one of the leading researchers in this field. I feel that if these machines are made correctly they can fix our problem and there will be no more need for a green movement, we will be able to power our cars and power almost everything off of pure carbon that is gathered from the atmosphere.

This source gives an accurate depiction of how the filter is going to work and what form it will be put into. It also talks about who will be manufacturing it and the pros and cons of building a device like this such as where will the byproducts go, and how expensive will it be to make.

"Could US scientist's 'CO2 catcher' help to slow warming? | Environment | The Guardian." Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. .

This article talks about how it originated. The ideas behind it and the true people who supported it and vouched for it even though they had an image to live up to. It also talks about the process of how it was thought of and how the collaboration of so many great minds if put towards a task can solve anything.

"Ed Pilkington interviews climate science pioneer Wallace Broecker | Environment | The Guardian." Latest news, comment and reviews from the Guardian | guardian.co.uk. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. .

This gives great pictures showing CO2 extractors. This is a company that specializes in these types of machinery. They have been at it for years which are explained in the article and the extractor will be using methods that were experimented with and tested here at the Eden Labs. Without the building of a prototype and the engineering of such great technology, there would be no way to actually build the extractor that everyone is hoping to have.

"SUPERCRITICAL/SUBCRITICAL CO2 AND COMPRESSED GAS EXTRACTION." Eden Labs LLC. Web. 11 Feb. 2010. .

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Strawberries

I personally want to grow strawberries. It is my favorite fruit and just tastes amazing and after talking to you seems like it is completely possible. Due to our hot, dry desert like climate, I went out to make sure that it would be ok to even grow strawberries in the desert and pretty much everyone was like no. After scrolling farther I found a few helpful suggestions from a person who just started growing his own strawberries for the first time. His suggestions after three years of trying was to make sure they get enough food, sunlight and start them in the fall not the spring, because it may be too hot for them to grow. Although I am going to start growing them in spring I am sure if I give them shade at times and hope the weather stays ok, I feel we will have a good crop and will be able to use this for the next three years because after reading it seems like the average life span of a strawberry plant is three years if you want large amounts of productivity.

After looking at a few gardening websites I see the best way to grow these strawberries is to have them on a raised bed, which is kind of what we have now with very nutrient rich soil. They said to make sure we used mulch and to have lots of organic matter in the fertilizer we use because it will allow the strawberries to grow quickly and produce the most fruit possible. Keep the beds well mulched, to control weeds and keep the fruit clean. Strawberries prefer a slightly acidic soil of pH 5.0 - 6.0. Avoid soil that has previously grown other berries or members of the tomato family (Solanaceae) to reduce the danger of viral diseases. Drip irrigation is preferred over overhead watering because it stops chances of fungal disease allowing the plant to live longer. A fortnightly spray with seaweed fertilizer improves the vigor of the plants. They recommend using the strawberries in jams or preserving them if it is our first time, because it takes time to perfect the art of growing strawberries, especially in such a hot climate. Some facts about them are that they contain a very high amount of vitamin C. Almost all their roots are contained in the top 3 inches of the soil. California produces 75percent of the nation’s annual strawberry crop, so what makes them think that I cannot grow it in San Diego. Strawberries are my number one goal but I will also be helping my friends with theirs although mine seems very difficult to do after reading about how much work it is to maintain and guarantee a successful crop.