Headline: Brooklyn Zoo finds missing Cobra
You're kidding me. A well-known zoo just HAPPENS to lose its Cobra - for a week. How do you even do that? How do you just walk into work one day and say 'crap, I must have forgot to put Slimy away!'
NO. THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN. WE DON'T LOSE SNAKES. LET ALONE VENOMOUS ONES.
That was my what-the moment of the night. Peace out.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Let's feed Africa with potatoes!
Headline: How to grow 100 pounds of potatoes in four square feet
Okay, so this is really cool. 100 pounds of potatoes, in four square feet, in three months. We could feed Africa (or, alternatively, the entire United States for our Thanksgiving dinners) for...a very long time. However, I'm sort of skeptic about how realistic this article is. Though this is merely a synopsis of the article from the Seattle Times, there two things that caught my eye that did not quite add up (sorry Africa):
1) For starters, they said nothing about soil conditions. Maybe I'm nuts, but if I can REALLY grow 100 pounds of potatoes, you would imagine that conditions and necessary treatments would be different in the desert as opposed to, say, the perma-flooding area that is Seattle. I just think that that sounds a little strange, especially if the guy writing this is a gardener (it is coming from The Seattle Times' home and gardening section.)
2) It says that I can plant this anytime between April and August, and still have three months to harvest. Can I just point out that by November, things have gotten just a little chilly in most parts of the United States, and it proves very difficult to grow much of anything at that point, let alone potatoes or anything leafy and green.
So, I'm still not too sure about this whole potato in a box thing. I think that I'll try it over the summer, if I can convince my mother (unlikely) to buy me the expensive materials to do this (now that I think about it, completely impossible).
Hopefully, however, this does work out for whoever tried it..though honestly, who in their right mind wants or needs 100 pounds of potatoes within four square feet?
Just some food for thought.
See what I did there?
That's right.
Okay, so this is really cool. 100 pounds of potatoes, in four square feet, in three months. We could feed Africa (or, alternatively, the entire United States for our Thanksgiving dinners) for...a very long time. However, I'm sort of skeptic about how realistic this article is. Though this is merely a synopsis of the article from the Seattle Times, there two things that caught my eye that did not quite add up (sorry Africa):
1) For starters, they said nothing about soil conditions. Maybe I'm nuts, but if I can REALLY grow 100 pounds of potatoes, you would imagine that conditions and necessary treatments would be different in the desert as opposed to, say, the perma-flooding area that is Seattle. I just think that that sounds a little strange, especially if the guy writing this is a gardener (it is coming from The Seattle Times' home and gardening section.)
2) It says that I can plant this anytime between April and August, and still have three months to harvest. Can I just point out that by November, things have gotten just a little chilly in most parts of the United States, and it proves very difficult to grow much of anything at that point, let alone potatoes or anything leafy and green.
So, I'm still not too sure about this whole potato in a box thing. I think that I'll try it over the summer, if I can convince my mother (unlikely) to buy me the expensive materials to do this (now that I think about it, completely impossible).
Hopefully, however, this does work out for whoever tried it..though honestly, who in their right mind wants or needs 100 pounds of potatoes within four square feet?
Just some food for thought.
See what I did there?
That's right.
Tokoyo Region to Experience Blackouts All Summer
Headline: Tokyo Region to face rolling blackouts through the summer
Source: Check it out!
Due to the loss of two nuclear powerplants in the Tokyo Region, the government will be monitoring the amount of extra electricity the c
ity can use. Since the city of Tokyo runs their power at a different frequency from the rest of the country, they will be conserving 20% of their power resulting in blackouts. By conserving the amount of energy they use, they will save money and about 10 million kilowatts, cool huh? Saving money and energy=COOL, losing power and not being able to see for an x amount of time=NOT COOL.
ity can use. Since the city of Tokyo runs their power at a different frequency from the rest of the country, they will be conserving 20% of their power resulting in blackouts. By conserving the amount of energy they use, they will save money and about 10 million kilowatts, cool huh? Saving money and energy=COOL, losing power and not being able to see for an x amount of time=NOT COOL.Some blackouts in Japan have happened already, but more are expected in the upcoming months. Other companies and energy sources can only offer a certain amount of help, but not enough to make a huge difference. Like i said before, Tokyo runs on a higher frequency of energy, so if any company were to supply such energy- it would cost the same amount of money to build a new power plant. If you ask me, it's not worth it!
Poor Tokyo... That's what you get when your smarter, more technologically advanced, and a lot richer than the mighty US of A. Over and out, Montague.
The Heart of Japanese Drifting
AWFlims - Japan 2010
http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/blog/2011/03/10/ebisu-circuit-hit-hard-by-japan-8-9-earthquake/
Ebisu Circuit Hit Hard By Japan 8.9 Earthquake
http://www.wreckedmagazine.com/blog/2011/03/10/ebisu-circuit-hit-hard-by-japan-8-9-earthquake/
Ebisu Circuit Hit Hard By Japan 8.9 Earthquake
This video was filmed at Ebisu Circuit in Japan, which is a track built specifically for drifting. A Japanese pro driver in the D1 Gran Prix series named Nobushige Kumokubo created the track years ago to give drifters a place to practice all year round.
Sadly, when the earthquake hit the country a few weeks ago, many of the small tracks and garages were destroyed. Cars had to be salvaged with cranes from garages that had slid off cliffs.
This video was made by Abbitt Wilkerson, an 18-year-old videographer from Seattle. He has been creating "Pray For Japan" and "Hope For Japan" stickers in support of the country, and all proceeds he has been recieving are being donated to the American Red Cross. (I bought a few of these stickers to support.)
This is relevant to me because I was planning on traveling to Japan this summer for a few weeks to visit Ebisu Circuit, but I don't think it will be able to happen due to the recent events.
I hope to see the track back together soon and the drivers doing what they love; drifting.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Invisible Kool-Aid?!
Article Headline: F.D.A. Panel to Consider Warnings for Artificial Food Colorings
News source: NY Times Online
I don't know how I feel about this article. The research appears to be saying that one of the biggest causes of behavioral problems in children (and probably adults too) is the dyes that are used to color foods. While I'm not 100% comfortable with putting all of those chemicals into my body, I also don't like the idea of drinking colorless Kool-Aid. I know that natural, fresh foods are best for my health and my body. I try very hard to eat all of my daily servings of fruits and veggies and whole grains every day. And, if I'm being honest, I know that I feel better when I eat lean meat, fresh green veggies, and brown rice for dinner. But I think because I'm a person who grew up with processed foods and who doesn't remember a time when "blue" wasn't a viable color for candy and cookies, my body sometimes wants brightly colored foods too.
Maybe that's not fair - it isn't my body that wants blue Jolly Ranchers, it's my mind and my tastebuds. But knowing what I know about the impact of food dyes, I don't know how comfortable I'd be giving MY children blue foods. It is the government's job to decide what foods are safe and what foods can harm us. If they decide that colored foods aren't good for us, I'm going to miss some of my favorite tastes, but I guess it will be for the best.
Interesting side note, I read this article this morning right after I put a packagage of "Colors!" Goldfish crackers on each of my PSSA students' desks. I felt guilty because I thought that I was (possibly) giving them dye, but when I looked at the label, I saw that the crackers are colored with:
Beet Juice
Paprika & Tumeric (spices)
Watermelon Juice
So maybe I WILL be able to give my children colored foods afterall!
News source: NY Times Online
I don't know how I feel about this article. The research appears to be saying that one of the biggest causes of behavioral problems in children (and probably adults too) is the dyes that are used to color foods. While I'm not 100% comfortable with putting all of those chemicals into my body, I also don't like the idea of drinking colorless Kool-Aid. I know that natural, fresh foods are best for my health and my body. I try very hard to eat all of my daily servings of fruits and veggies and whole grains every day. And, if I'm being honest, I know that I feel better when I eat lean meat, fresh green veggies, and brown rice for dinner. But I think because I'm a person who grew up with processed foods and who doesn't remember a time when "blue" wasn't a viable color for candy and cookies, my body sometimes wants brightly colored foods too.
Maybe that's not fair - it isn't my body that wants blue Jolly Ranchers, it's my mind and my tastebuds. But knowing what I know about the impact of food dyes, I don't know how comfortable I'd be giving MY children blue foods. It is the government's job to decide what foods are safe and what foods can harm us. If they decide that colored foods aren't good for us, I'm going to miss some of my favorite tastes, but I guess it will be for the best.
Interesting side note, I read this article this morning right after I put a packagage of "Colors!" Goldfish crackers on each of my PSSA students' desks. I felt guilty because I thought that I was (possibly) giving them dye, but when I looked at the label, I saw that the crackers are colored with:
Beet Juice
Paprika & Tumeric (spices)
Watermelon Juice
So maybe I WILL be able to give my children colored foods afterall!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Greetings & Salutations
Welcome to K Squared J Squared, our journalism blog and current events assignment for the 4th quarter. I would like to welcome all of you to the blog and hope that you will take ownership of content and the community that I hope develops from your posts and comments. Tomorrow and Thursday (3/30 & 3/31) we will be going over my expectations as well as a tutorial for how to post, comment, and add some technological bling to YOUR opinions and YOUR ideas.
But let's first start with some guidelines that MUST be followed.
1. Although you can post to this blog from any computer, anywhere, it is still considered to be school property. Do not say (type) anything here that you would not say (type) within the four walls of my classroom. This means that all posts must be SCHOOL APPROPRIATE in content and tone.
2. It is important that we are respectful of each other. You do not need to share the opinions of your classmates and I in fact encourage you to debate the finer points of your thoughts and arguments. BUT it is possible to have a critical discussion without personally attacking another person and without being mean. This DOES extend to teasing - what flies on Facebook does NOT fly on K Squared J Squared.
3. Think before you post. Blogger saves your posts as you type (look down, it's probably saving right now!) and saves your posts as drafts. You don't have to post your thoughts immediately. Take time to think about what you're saying and how others may react to it. You don't have to please all the people all of the time, but you do need to keep any open mind consider how others may interpret your words.
I am VERY, VERY, VERY excited to read your upcoming posts and comments. And guess who else is?
Jack is!
But let's first start with some guidelines that MUST be followed.
1. Although you can post to this blog from any computer, anywhere, it is still considered to be school property. Do not say (type) anything here that you would not say (type) within the four walls of my classroom. This means that all posts must be SCHOOL APPROPRIATE in content and tone.
2. It is important that we are respectful of each other. You do not need to share the opinions of your classmates and I in fact encourage you to debate the finer points of your thoughts and arguments. BUT it is possible to have a critical discussion without personally attacking another person and without being mean. This DOES extend to teasing - what flies on Facebook does NOT fly on K Squared J Squared.
3. Think before you post. Blogger saves your posts as you type (look down, it's probably saving right now!) and saves your posts as drafts. You don't have to post your thoughts immediately. Take time to think about what you're saying and how others may react to it. You don't have to please all the people all of the time, but you do need to keep any open mind consider how others may interpret your words.
I am VERY, VERY, VERY excited to read your upcoming posts and comments. And guess who else is?
Jack is!