Supervolcano Links

For those of you interested in exploring more...

Wikipedia's Article - additional info and links

Discovery Channel - additional info, links, and a really cool interactive feature

BBC - the British network co-produced the movie, and has some cool stuff on its site

USGS Volcano Hazards site - a lot of good information

Live Science - more info

So what do you think of the movie? Which sites had the best info, graphics, or activities?

Brrr...It's Cold - Who Says Global Warming Is a Bad Thing?

Let's look at the controversy from another angle - who says it's a bad thing?

The Bright Side of Global Warming looks at some of the advantages to a warmer Earth including a longer growing season and a reduction in cold-related diseases and death. Other tout the ingenuity of humankind and believe that a challenge will foster the development of new and better technology. Read "A Reason to Be Optimistic."

Is it happening? There are two questions here - one: is the Earth in a period of warming and two: is it caused by human activity, specifically greenhouse gas emissions? New Scientist.com has an article called "State of Denial."

There is evidence that ecosystems of temperature-dependent creatures are narrowing, moving north or moving to higher altitudes. One place it is being studied is in the Andes. Is this a good or bad thing? Yes, it may be considered bad for ecology or biodiversity reasons, but on the flip side, species that adapt and survive will be better suited for a future, warmer world if that's in our cards.

Finally, the Earth is an amazing regulator (although we humans may not be happy with some of its methods). Past warming trends have been negated by large outputs of volcanic dust from eruptions. For example, 1916 was called "The Year Without a Summer" due to the eruption of Mt. Tambora in Indonesia.

While global warming may be the reason for the increase in strength of hurricanes as reported by scientists at MIT, this year was surprising quiet after the busy seasons of the past couple years. My personal theory is that they may find we are cycling into an ENSO, or El Nino Southern Oscillating phenomena, a warming fo the Pacific that is often accompanied by drought in the west, flooding in the midwest, and a supression in Atlantic hurricanes.

So, what are your thoughts? A warmer Earth means a decrease in cold-related deaths, but an increase in heat-related ones. Insects will thrive. Growing seasons will be longer, although grwoing zones may change. We will use less resources on heat, but more on cooling.

Are we smart enough to make our lives better with improved technology?

The Battle of Global Warming

This is for you, Nick and Gabriel - have fun, but be civil!!!

Of course, anyone can post, but Nick & Gabriel have been arguing about this for awhile...

From Wikipedia:

"The global warming controversy is an ongoing dispute about the effects of humans on global climate and about what policies should be implemented to avoid possible undesirable effects of climate change.

The current scientific consensus on climate change is that recent warming indicates a fairly stable long-term trend, that the trend is largely human-caused, and that serious damage may result at some future date if steps are not taken to halt the trend. Mainstream scientific organizations worldwide (Royal Society, American Geophysical Union, Joint Science Academies, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, American Meteorological Society, and American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)) concur with the assessment that "most of the observed warming over the last 50 years is likely to have been due to the [human caused] increase in greenhouse gas concentrations"[1].

However, there is also a small but vocal number of scientists in climate and climate-related fields that disagree with the consensus view.

There is considerable opposition from parts of the political and business communities both to the conclusion that humans are causing climate change, and to the need to take action to reduce human effects on climate. Chiefly, opposition arises because of claims that these actions would cause enormous expense and disruption to the current geopolitical and economic situation, with no obvious recognizable short-term benefits.

This is a public and political debate. While the climate projections involved in the discussion are constrained by basic physical principles (though they depend on assumptions about emissions), political and economic effects of both global warming and mitigation are more difficult to quantify. As an example, in asking whether the costs of reducing fossil fuel dependency compare with the costs of not taking action, one is confronted by the fact that it is difficult to anticipate social or technological changes that affect such costs."

So what do you think? What is your responsibility as a member of human society? What is the US's role as a word leader? What should businesses do? What suggestions do you have? Are you worried about the world that you are leaving for your grandchildren's grandchildren? Or is this all much ado about nothing?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whether you're at home or visiting family or friends, I wish everyone a wonderful day! Eat good food, hang with your family, take a good turkey-induced nap, watch football, and give thanks for all the good things you have in your life!

Peace!

Easier Quizzes - Boost Your Confidence!

You Passed 8th Grade Science

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Science?

You Passed 8th Grade US History

Congratulations, you got 8/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade History?

You Passed 8th Grade Math

Congratulations, you got 10/10 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?

Kiwi - Thinking Outside the Box!

Kiwi

Add to My Profile More Videos

(Kiwis are flightless birds native to New Zealand - FYI)

The Genius Quiz - I Am A Genius, Of Course!

Here's another quiz - see how you do - don't be intimidated, it helps that I've had college level calculus and I am a science teacher!

You Are 93% Genius!

You did very well on this quiz, and it seems that you are indeed a genius. Congratulations on achieving a great score. Well done!

The Genius Quiz

Fun Planet Quizzes - No Grades Involved!

Try these out and post your results in the comments section. Apparently, I have a deep affinity for Mars...

You Are From Mars

You're energetic, althletic, and totally hyperactive. You love playing sports and being in the middle of all of the action. You're independent, corageous, and brave. Unafraid to do things your way. Mars can be reckless, quick tempered, and a little too spontaneous. So think before you act - and resist your natural urges to dominate others.

What Planet Are You From?

You Should Rule Mars

Mars is a planet that shines brightly and loops wildly around the solar system. You are perfect to rule Mars, because you are both energetic and independent. Like Mars, you seems attractive and bright to others - but you're difficult to pin down. You are a great thinker, but you only think in the present and ignore the future. Full of enthusiasm and inspiration, you are into your own thing... and rather insensitive to others.

What Planet Should You Rule?

Wahsega was a good time - we had 2 days of great weather - good for those outdoor learning activities. Some cold nights - glad I bought a sleeping bag that is good for arctic temperatures! We did a little bit of everything - history, ecology, astronomy, and more.

Favorite activity? Stream ecology - we waded in the creek and dug up little critters to evaluate the health of the habitat. We found all kinds of good stuff - I personally found a couple crawdads, some mayfly larvae, and a stone fly in a weird pupae/larval stage. Brianna was in hot pursuit in the critter-finding competition (I'm sure I won, even if she did find a fish). Pioneer Life was pretty groovy, too - we panned for gold (and even found a little - not enough to pay for college, though), made hand-dipped candles, and even ate corn-bread cooked over an open flame! Forest Ecology would been great if it hadn't rained so much.

Best moment? Walking around the pond in the warm sun and finding dozens of salamanders hanging out and soaking up the warmth.

Second favorite? Watching the kids pull KP - Cleaner? $5. Mop? $15. Watching students mop the floor in unison? PRICELESS!

So here's to the Bob-Cats - best learning group on the trip - you guys rock! And here's to the girls of cabin 12 - we toughed it out in our unheated cabin - and your hair still looked great! And to all the ECMS AC Crew - woohoo!

I Love a Good Sci-Fi Disaster Movie!

I even like bad sci-fi disaster movies if the special effects are good!

Movies will stretch the science a little (sometimes a lot) to make the plot better or to use more interesting special effects. The biggest question I have while watching is, "Could that REALLY happen?"

Moveis I enjoyed, even though the science might have been a little weak, include Volcano, Dante's Peak, The Day After Tomorrow, The Core, Deep Impact, and The Poseidon Adventure. Twister and Armageddon have some good scenes, but the plot and/or the acting were so ridiculous that I didn't really enjoy them. Can you think of others?

There are some sites devoted to analyzing the science behind movies. Two are Bad Astronomy and Insulting Stupid Movie Physics

What are your favortie sci-fi or disaster movies? What is the best special effect you've ever seen? Which movies seem the most likely to happen? How about least likely to happen? Can you think of questions related to movies you've seen?

And Yet Another Favorite Volcano! Happy Belated Birthday Surtsey!

First, I wanted to post a couple more pics from Crater Lake. One is a cross section showing the layout of the lake, and the other is of Phantom ship, another volcanic island in the lake.

Another favorite volcano is the volcanic island Surtsey. Surtsey is cool because it was actually "born" on November 8, 1963. It's been particularly interesting to botanists and biologists, because they got to study how plant and animal life arrive and thrive in a new and barren location. Read more here.

Another Favorite Volcano!

How could I forget Crater Lake? This volcano absolutely fascinated me as a child. During an eruption about 7,700 years ago, the top of the volcano collapsed into the empty lava chamber, creating a huge caldera that filled with water - this became the lake. The original peak of the volcano became an island in the middle. Cool, eh?

Oh, Bummer!!

Well, the weather just did not cooperate today, and so we were unable to view Mercury's transit of the sun. What we were hoping to see was the tiny disk of Mercury as a round shadow crossing the face of the sun as shown in the image above. More infomation about Mercury's transit can be found here.

I was disappointed - I have never had much luck very transits. I've had much better luck with eclipses. Have you seen an eclipse (solar or lunar)? What did you think?

Extra Practice for Tomorrow's Test

Quiz links for tomorrow's test - be sure to e-mail the results to charmagne.quenan@cobbk12.org

Mineral Quiz
Same in Spanish
CRCT Style
Interactive Tutor

Rock Quiz
Same in Spanish
CRCT Style
Interactive Tutor

(If the Interactive Tutor gets an "abort" message, click on it, and hit your back button - weird, but it works - or go to the glencoe site through one of the other quiz links, and use the menu on the left to find the interactive tutor).

For more help, check out the following BrainPop movies here: Fossils, Weathering, Types of Rocks, and Mineral Identification

Good luck!

Yet Another Diet Coke and Mentos Video

Oh, this was just too cool - I had to share!

Even if you've seen the reaction, this one displays some serious artistry!

Dialogo language school and Cobb County

Here is the video of my trip with Cobb county teachers to Brazil. You will see Salvador, the city I stayed in, some of the field trips I went on (including a high school where we watched the kids rehearse a play), and unfortunately for you, some footage of me trying to samba.

Enjoy (or not, as the case may be).

Mt. Everest Summit Video / Film - Everest Peace Expedition

An amazing and touching summit video from The Everest Peace Project's Everest Climb for Peace. History was made as they had the first Israeli - Palestinian summit push; and a joint Israeli/Palestnian flag was raised on the summit. www.everestpeaceproject.org ... The closest most of us will get to the summit most likely - amazing...

Death on Everest

Climbing Mt. Everest is not a task to be undertaken lightly. People die attempting to reach the top of the world every year. However, 1996 was a particularly deadly year for climbing, and it was immortalized in several books and a made for TV movie.

The most famous of the books is probably Jon Krakauer's book
Into Thin Air . Krakauer is a climber as well as a writer of non-fiction books and outdoorsman magazine articles. He was commisioned by Outside magazine to chronicle his attempt to reach the peak. He happened to be there during the most deadly season in Everest climbing history, when 8 people, including 2 experienced climbers (who were paid guides) died in a sudden blizzard.




This was not the only book about this tragedy. Coincidently, an IMAX crew, lead by director David Breashears, was filiming the famous IMAX movie about the mountain. Not only were they involved in filming, but they were also instrumental in helping to organize the rescue efforts. Breashears wrote about the trip in his book Everest, Mountain Without Mercy.

Other guides who survived have a website that is interesting to read. I'm also reposting the NOVA website, because it has a lot of cool information on it, including information about what it is like to climb at high altitudes.

Part of the issue that year was the large number of relatively inexperienced climbers - hobby climbers who were wealthy enough to pay the $50, ooo to have an expert help get them to the "top of the world." When you shell out that kind of money, or take that kind of money to provide the service, disappointment is not always seen as an option.

Everest is someplace I would like to see - if someone paid for me to take a trip to the base camp I would go in a heartbeat. However, I doubt I would make an attempt for the summit - it's too dangerous, and even if I were to get in tip-top shape, I'm still not an experienced enough ice-climber.

What do you think? Would you pay that kind of money for a once in a lifetime trip? At what point would you head back? Is the adventure worth risking your life?

Puggles and Pandas - for real this time (also, Death on Everest)

OK, OK - enough with the hassling on updating the posts - I thought about updating yesterday, but only two people posted on my very long and multi-subjected post, so I figured there was still plenty for y'all to talk about!

First, puggles...

Well, I have a dog, Pippi, who is half black lab and half basset hound. She is a great dog, but she doesn't cuddle. I used to have a dog that cuddled (Pepper, half terrier, half daschund), but she died a couple years ago. So, we're looking for a new dog. I came across "puggles" which are a mixed breed (or cross breed or hybrid - pick your name) of beagles and pugs. They are completely adorable, and I want one!

Now, in the course of my searching, I also discovered that "puggle" is the term for a baby echnida, (but not platypus - it is a common and oft reported error).

Weird looking...




I wanted to repost the panda cam site because the panda is growing big and is still adorable. Don't forget to check out the www.ajc.com site as well - it has exclusive video and pictures that can opnly be seen there.

Puggles and Pandas (and more...oh, my!)

You're right, Hilda - it is time to update the blog...

First - addressing some comments and questions:

Loren wrote about the show on Discovery Channel about a "supervolcano" - it's been on before, but it replayed over the weekend. Basically, the show is about what would happen if the magma chamber beneath Yellowstone National Park erupted. It has erupted in the past, with three eruptions 2.1 million years ago, 1.3 millon years ago, and the most recent such eruption 640,000 years ago.

Read more about the show, and play with the interactive eruptions here.

Hilda asked about using carbon-14 dating to date the remains and ruins at Pompeii - well, they don't need to date them, because we know from historical records when the volcano erupted: August 24, 79 AD. However, because we know the date, we can test dating methods on those remains - for example, potassium-argon dating was found to be more reliable than previously thought be testing it on Pompeii remains (read more here).

Sarah - not a silly question, but it's Fiji Water, not Fuji. however, there is a water treatment company called Fuji, as Fujiyoshida Water, from a "naturally filtered volcanic spring" that is available in Japan.

Loren wrote that it would be weird to climb a mountain and possibly see the bodies of climbers who had died. Well, there is a very famous incident about this very thing. George Mallory was a very famous British climber who may have been the first to reach the peak of Mt. Everest (the tallest continental mountain, but not a volcano). We don't know if he made it, because he died - we don't know if he dies on the way up or the way down.

In 1999, an expedition climbed Everest following his path (on the North face - most routes today use the South face). Unexpectedly, they found his body. There was a great book, called The Ghosts of Everest written about the expedition, and an episode of NOVA. Check out NOVA's site here for some cool mountain climbing info.

Will, they can use different types of radioactive dating to date eruptions. Radioactive dating of rock only works on igneous rock, which is what lava and magma becaome when they cool. They take core samples, where they drill into the rock, and date the layers - so it's not too different from tree ring dating. Tree rings and other non-rock information can also provide clues about eruptions.

Tommy - congratulations on becoming a big brother!

Mt. Everest is the highest peak on the planet, 8,850 M or 29,035 feet and that's above sea level. However, if you measure the Big Island of Hawaii (Mauna Kea) from its base on the sea floor, to its peak, it's nearly 33,000 feet (estimates differ slightly). Everest was originally measured using triangulation methods and a lot of math. Now we can use satellites, which is how Mauna Kea was measured.

Even so, there is still a little debate and remeasuring as tools and techniques improve. As far as we can tell, Everest is rising - as the Indian plate continues crashing into the Asian plate, it moves upward. Mauna Kea is sinking - its weight is pulling it down.

Last, but not least - Gabriel and Hilda - I do use YouTube, but the Google search bar comes up automatically on my computer, and so I go there first out of habit (and laziness, ha ha). Since Google is buying YouTube, it'll all be the same soon, anyway!

Oh - I forgot about the puggles and pandas - I'll get to them tomorrow...

Big Island Hawaii - Volcano, Maui, Hawaii

Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano, when measured to its sea base, is the highest island mountains in the world. If Mauna Kea's height (13796') is measured from its base (18,000 feet below sea level), it surpasses even Mount Everest, and is the world's highest mountain (31,796). Geologic evidence suggests that the volcano last erupted around 1650. Legend says Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa were the domains of two opposing goddesses, Poliahu and Pele respectively. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions were produced from their violent rivalry.

My Favorite Volcanoes - Some of Them, Anyway...(Part 1)

This is a picture of lava flowing from one of the two active volcanoes that make up the "Big Island" of Hawaii. Hawaii was formed at a "hot spot" on the Pacific seafloor, which formed when magam pushed through a weak spot in the crust and created the islands. As the seafloor moved over the hotspots, new islands were formed.
There is a new island forming now, called the Loihi Seamount.

It may not look like much, but it'll be paradise in a few thousand years!



This is a picture of beautiful Mt. Fuji - thought by many to be one of the most beautiful mountains in the world. It is located in Japan, and plays a big part in the art and culture of that country. Many people climb to the summit each year - one of the oldest was 70 years old!



Finally, my favorite volcano would probably be Mt. Vesuvius. Its violent history and the destruction of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum have always fascinated me.
These are the casts created when plaster was formed into the empty cavities left by Vesuvius' victime of the 79 A.D. eruption.

If you want to learn more, one of the best sites on the web is Volcano World.

Earthquake in Hawaii

The island state of Hawaii experienced an earthquake on Sunday. Usually the type of earthquake that occurs in Hawaii is different than the type that occurs in California. California's are tectonic - that means they happen due to shifts in the Earth's crustal, or tectonic, plates. Hawaii's are usually magmatic, or due to magma moving beneath the volcano. Sometimes the stress of a growing volcano can trigger bigger earthquakes that are tectonic like the one on Sunday. Read more and try out the interactive link here.

Volcanoes have played an important part in human history. many people find them fascinating, even if they are dangerous. One of my dreams is to visit the Volcanoes of Hawaii - have you ever been there or to another volcano? What was it like? If you could visit a volcano, would you? Which one would you go to, if you did? What is your favorite volcano?

Brainiac: Alkali Metals

What happens when alkali metals come into contact with water?

The Elements Song

The Elements Song

Flaming Gummy Bear

This is a chemical reaction between potassium chlorate and sugar (gummy bear). The potassium chlorate is melted to a liquid which then reacts with the gummy bear. The potassium chlorate is oxidized, releasing oxygen gas, which creates the extremely bright and hot reaction. Warning: these demos are to for teachers to perform only!

Cool Videos...

I've linked some of the chemical reaction vidoes we watched in class today - along with some others I thought everyone would like. Some are RealPlayer, some are MediaPlayer, and others are QuickTime - they may not work on everyone's computer, so keep trying.

Sodium and Chlorine - look at salt in a whole new way!

Ice Bomb - freezing water explodes! Weird.

Magnesium and Dry Ice - Very cool...pun intended...

Mercury Heartbeat - one of two elements that are liquid at room teperature, mercury beats like a heart in this reaction.

Variety of Videos - this is the site that had the hydrogen balloon reaction we watched in class

Do you need help?

With science, of course...

If you have having trouble with something in science, post your question here. I will answer it as soon as possible - others are free to answer the question as well - you learn best when you can teach it to someone else.

It's a Girl! (and other news...)

Yes. It's a girl. She's so CUTE!!! And, no, I'm not going to say what she is, but I will include a link here (I'm sure most of you can guess what I'm talking about).

In other news...

If you fix it, they will come?

Naomi (1st) period posted the following

"...I just wanted to comment about the New Orleans Saints. Today is their first homegame in the dome since Hurricane Katrina. There are two sides to this story.First of all I will begin with the bad side of it. All this money was spent on the dome instead of the cleanup of the city. Most of the homes that got destroyed are still there. The good side of the dome being repaired is that the people of New Orleans finally get hope of being happy again. Everyone in the dome is very excited because they are looking forward for the Saints to give them hope. They also are bringing tons of people to the city because they all want to see the team play. The football team is giving the city a spark of hope and happiness..."

I was watching the game, and they mentioned that it was FEMA money that went toward the rebuilding of the dome. They also mentioned that 1/4 of the current population of the city was in attendance at the game tonight (and they looked HAPPY). Additionally, they mentioned that something in the neighborhood of $10 million dollars flowed into the city tonight because of the game.

I know there were people who were unhappy that money went to the Superdome before it went to fix houses, but New Orleans is a tourist city, and if the tourists have no reason to come and spend their money, then the city is in even worse shape.

Not only did it give New Orleanians something to be happy about and enjoy, it brought much needed money and a renewed awareness of how far the city has come, as well as how far it still needs to go.

"...I walk the line..."

Weekly Review/Preview & Fun Website of the Week! 9/25/06

Last week we reviewed matter - the four states of matter (solid, liquid, gas, plasma), the three subatomic particles (protons, neutrons, and electrons), as well as changes of state (freezing, melting, condensation, sublimation, vaporization). We will have a test on this material on Tuesday, 9/26. For review, try here and here.

For review of the scientific method, try here.

Also, try the Interactive Tutor at www.glencoe.com - we have been working on material from Chapter 1 and 2.

Finally, try the quizzes that I have already posted on the blog - if you do well on them, you will probably do well on the test.

The later part of the week will bring a review of the Periodic Table of the Elements. For a preview, click here.

The Fun Website of the Week:

Do you Sudoku? Sudoku is a Japanese number puzzle game. There are many online versions to try - here's one.

Gabriel and Jeff H - This Post's For You!

One last panda post...

Revenge of the Endangered Panda:

In China, a drunken man jumped into a panda's cage, so that he could touch the bear. Instead, he startled the bear, who ended up biting him. The man tried to bite him back! Needless to say, the panda won, and the man ended up getting stitches. Read more here.

In other science news, the space shuttle Atlantis arrived safely back on Earth after a construction mission to the International Space Station. More...

What Kind of Super Hero would You Like To Be?

I was watching the movie Fantastic Four this weekend, and I thought of the question - what kind of super powers would you like to have?

Science Current Events

Some interesting science events:

1. A shark that "walks" on the sea floor was discovered. Go to the link, scroll down, and check out the video!

2. A women "space tourist" was launched into space (you could go too, for a mere $20 million dollars).

3. An extra-solar planet that could theoretically float in water was discovered (thanks Jeff H - 3rd period). Go to the link, and check out the interactive feature on how we find these planets.

4. A weird distorted solar system was found. This is based on the idea of a brown dwarf - a space object like a star, but without enough mass to ever start fusion.

If you had a chance to travel in space, would you? How much would you pay?

Weekly Review/Preview and Fun Website of the Week!

First, the Fun Website of the Week is Roller Coaster Physics - design your own roller coaster here.

Second, more practice quizzes (remember, e-mail your results to me at charmagne.quenan@cobbk12.org)


Matter Quiz, and in Spanish

Density (this is the same as the other posted - some people still need help)

CRCT style

Last week, due to testing, every class did something different, but we all worked on hands-on activities (1st and 2nd did density tubes, 3rd completed the Lighthouse Diamond Mystery, and 6th and 7th examined the properties of a Twizzler).

This week we are reviewing matter.

Random Thoughts and Thoughtful Randomness

Things have been relatively quiet in the world of science this week, so I thought I would throw some other topics out for discussion.

First - (OK, this one is science related - I just couldn't help it) - check out the new video of Lun Lun and her cub. There is another one here (www.ajc.com - you might need to register to see it, but it's worth it). Click on the link "New Video of Baby Panda."

Second - this topic came up in my homeroom, as well as on the blog: student laptops. It's back in the news because an audit done of the county books showed that Apple should not have received the contract for the laptops. It turned out to be a huge mess that cost people their jobs and cost the county money. What did you think? Did you want the laptops or not? Based on your classmates' behavior, do you think the laptops would've been taken care of or broken all the time? How do you feel about Apple vs. PC (I know we have some techies out there with an opinion!)?

Third - A mother and grandmother in Clayton county were arrested because they falsified paperwork and sent their children toa Fayette County school. They could get a $1,000 fine and 5 years in prison (I doubt it, but it's a possibility). Do you think that is fair? How do you think we should decide which schools kids can go to?

Finally - I love the shows "Dancing with the Stars" and "Project Runway" - I'm not a huge reality TV person, but I do like these shows because they are different. My favorite celebrity on DWTS is Emmitt Smith - I loved him as a football player, and the man can really dance! I also enjoyed Jerry Springer - I thought his dancing was much more entertaining than his talk show! "Project Runway" is winding down, and one of the designers with a really good chance to win it all is Michael - not only are his designs terrific, but he is from Atlanta. What shows do you like? What shows do you love and never miss?

Have fun with the topics - be nice if someone's opinion differs from yours, and remember that this is still a school-related site!

Side note: Interesting article concerning online information and possible problems with getting hired. Young people who grow up very comfortable with technology sometimes forget that they leave "evidence" online. Some colleges are having to give seminars to kids about online safety and common sense. I know a lot of you have myspaces and xangas - just be careful, and watch how much info you put out there in cyberspace!

Experiences...

Did you hear that there was an earthquake off the coast of Florida on Sunday? It was a magnitude 6.0 (that's pretty strong), and it was centered about 260 miles off the coast of Tampa. People in Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana reported feeling it. Luckily, it was not big enough to trigger a tsunami. It was the strongest of about a dozen quakes that the region has experienced in the last 30 years.

When I hear the word "earthquake," I think of California. When I hear "hurricane," I think of Florida (sorry, Louisiana, despite Katrina, I still think of Florida first). When I hear "tornado," I think, "Toto, we must be in Kansas" even though Georgia gets its fair share.

I experienced easily a dozen earthquakes while I lived in California - some felt like a truck rumbling by, some made the building roll like a boat, and others were like sharp loud cracks. I was never close enough to an epicenter to experience any real danger. Likewise with hurricanes and tornadoes - I've always been on the outskirts - minor wind damage, but nothing deadly or dangerous.

Probably the most famous storm that I was a part of was the Blizzard of '78 - it shut down the entire east coast for over a week. The snow went up to the roof of my house - my siblings and I could slide off the roof and across the snow in the yard! I remember cross-country skiing to store with my dad to try to buy food - I was also out of school for a week!





What experiences have you had with natural disasters?

Debate - Where Should Our Money Go?

After some hemming and hawing, I removed Gabriel's panda post, not because I didn't like it, but because it used a couple of terms that may have been (mildly) inappropriate for a school site (please remember, folks, your classmates and their parents may have different ideas about what's OK!).

Anyway, his comments were very valid - the gist of it being, "What's the big deal? Why are we spending money on this (the pandas) when we haven't even cleaned up the mess from Katrina or developed alternative fuel sources?"

Good question.

I did a quick glance at the Zoo Atlanta site and a quick google search to see if I could find out how much government money went to the zoo, but I was not successful. I did see, however, that much of its money comes from corporate and private sponsorships, and not the government (although as a likely non-profit, it would benefit from tax breaks). The pandas are at the zoo as a public relations tool as well as an educational one. I think people feel a responsibility to help animals that are endangered as a result of human activity. We also have a very tenous relationship with China, and the loan is a very positive endeavor.

Philanthropy is a personal thing. Causes I feel worthy of supporting may seem worthless to you. Both of my in-laws dies of cancer, therefore I tend to support cancer-related causes. It doesn't mean I think heart disease is any less important; it's just not as meaningful to ME. I work in education - I support education, naturally. I am more likely to donate to an education cause than another cause.

So discussion question - what science-related cause do you feel are worthy of government support? Should we be paying millions to launch a space shuttle or explore a planet when we are still so dependent on foreign oil? Should we be spending money to study endangered animals habitats when we still haven't found a cure for cancer?

What do you think?

Panda Cam, Fun Website of the Week, and More!

Here's the link to Zoo Atlanta's Panda Cam - check in and see how the mother and baby are doing.

Fun Website of the Week - this is too cool - VIRTUAL DISSECTIONS! And, I love the name of the site - www.froguts.com Although the site is a subscription, it has three sample virtual disections/activities - click on the "demos" button in the upper right hand corner. I tried all three. I liked the frog, but I really liked the owl pellet.

Finally, discussion topic (I thought of it after reading Jane's and Hilda's posts about panda's as pets):

I have owned, in addition to ordinary cats, dogs, fish, and parakeets, hamsters, guinea pigs, tarantulas, geckos, newts, Madagascar hissing cockroaches, and a giant African millipede.

What is the coolest or weirdest pet you've ever owned? What animal would you love to have for a pet?

Fun News!

After the sadness of Steve Irwin's death, I thought it would be nice to have some good news.
Lun Lun, the female panda at Zoo Atlanta, gave birth to a baby panda about 4:50 PM, Wednesday afternoon. The baby is pink and hairless and only the size of a stick of butter! So far, it seems like Lun Lun is taking care of the baby and bonding well with it.

There was a chance that she might have a twin - twins are born between 12 and 24 hours after the first cub. So much time has passed that zoologists don't think she will have another, but they are still watching just in case. Often, when a twin is born, the mother panda won't take care of it, so the zoo keepers want to be able to rescue it if another is born.

Lun Lun and her partner Yang Yang came to Atlanta seven years ago from China. Their baby is the fifth panda born in a US zoo, and the first born in the south.

You can read more about it at the Atlanta Journal Constitution site - you can even see the birth (it's not gross or too detailed) or participate in a blog to name the new baby. (Don't forget - you might need to register, but it's free).

Have you seen the pandas? What did you think (I thought they were SO cute!!!)? What do you think a good name for the baby would be? What are some other animals you would like to see more of in the US?

Some people are against zoos, saying that it's cruel to keep animals locked up for human entertainment, but others point to the good zoos can do, particularly with endangered species, like pandas. What do you think?

Crocodile Hunter Controversy - What's Your Opinion?

It turns out that there is video of Steve Irwin's death. They were filming when his chest was pierced by the stingray barb, as he pulled the barb out, and as he died. Some people feel the video should be used only by the coroner for information for the autopsy. Others feel that it should be shown - some even say that Steve Irwin would've wanted it shown.

What do you think? Should it be shown or not? Whose decision should it be whether or not it gets shown? Would you watch it if it were available? Why or why not?

Correction

Testing is Wednesday and Thursday - not Tuesday, as I had previously posted.

Weekly Review/Preview & Fun Website of the Week!

This past week, we continued working on reviewing and understanding scientific methods and improving our metric measurement skills. This upcoming week, we will continue working on both.

Need help with metric measurement (or the 24 hour clock)?

Try this site (when you enter your answers, click on the bubble, "Are you right?" to see the correct answer and move on to the next slide. Try it here.

More help and practice can be found here. The metric activities are to the right.

Due to Labor Day on Monday and CoGat testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, we will only have homework Wednesday night, and there will be no learning log this week or next. First period will have a small work packet sent home Tuesday that is due on Friday. All classes will have a Performance Assessment ( a practical application test) that will be worth a test grade.

ATTENTION: Online Quiz Opportunities for Effort Points!

After submitting, e-mail the results to me at charmagne.quenan@cobbk12.org for effort credit!

One: Self-Quiz and in Spanish, here
Two: CRCT style
Three: Density

Fun Website of the Week: Astronomy Picture of the Day

When I was in junior high, I spent hours in the library, reading Astronomy magazine, looking at the cool pictures and dreaming of being an astronomer. I would've LOVED this site!

Sad News!

As several students have posted already, the sad news is that Steve Irwin, the "Crocodile Hunter" died today while filming a new show in Australia. He was 44.

He was killed in a freak accident - a sting ray's barb pierced his chest and made a hole in heart. Sting rays barbs, while painful, are rarely fatal. This was the first death by sting ray in Australia in nearly 60 years.

A a self-proclaimed science geek, I loved his show - I loved his enthusiasm for science and nature in general, and animals in particular. He made science fun, entertaining, and "cool."

He will be missed.

You can read more information here at CNN.com and here at AJC.com (you may need to register at the AJC site, but it's free).

Weekly Review/Preview & Fun Website of the Week!

Since I've covered the big science story of the week in several other posts, I figured I'd combine the Review/Preview with the Fun Website of the Week this time out.

Week Two involved more review, and a greater understanding of the key elements of a controlled experiment, namely the manipulated and responding variables. REMEMBER: the manipulated variable is what the scientist changes, and the responding variable changes as a result. MORE

This week we will be reviewing metric measurement, and we will have homework on Monday and Wednesday. I also offered an extra opportunity to earn effort points - bring in a real-world example of the metric system in use! MORE

Topic: What do you think of the metric system? Should the US convert like Canada?


Fun Website of the Week:

Sandlot Science - lots of really cool optical illusions!

The Iceman - Today's "Cool" Topic!

In most classes today we watched a short video on Otzi, the 5,000 year old frozen body found in the Alps in 1991. The video focused on how scientists researched the Iceman and then inferred what his life was like.

A few interesting links:

The Iceman's Last Meal

Death of the Iceman

The Iceman (and other mummies)

Enjoy!

Pluto - Not a Planet at All?

In the wake of the news about redefining the word "planet" and changing the number of planets in our solar system, I thought it would be interesting to revisit an argument from about 4 years ago - that Pluto isn't really a planet at all!

Read this article about the old controversy and another revisiting it in light of the new controversy!

BTW - thanks to Naomi in 1st period and Gabby in 7th for bringing this to my attention in the first place - I've been so busy with the start of school that I haven't been keeping up with my space news!

Current Events in Science & Fun Website of the Week

The biggest news in science this week is the possible new definition for the term "planet" - this new definition would make our science books wrong by redefining our solar system as having 12 planets instead of 9. The additional planets include the asteroid Ceres, Pluto's moon Charon, and a recently discovered planet, 2003 UB313.

Read the Space.com article here.

See a photo gallery of the "12 Planets" here.

And, the fun website of the week is Brain Bashers:








BrainBashers: Brain Teasers and Games


Have fun with puzzles, brain teasers, and Sudoku!

Hey, kids, I'm ba-ack!

Well, I am back from trip, and it was very interesting! I saw some pretty cool things and had some neat experiences. I am getting my pictures developed and will be putting together some information about the trip over the next few days.

Today I want to talk about one of the highlights of my trip, and that was being in Brazil for part of the "Copa Do Mundo" or World Cup 2006 . When I was preparing for my trip, several of my students told me how lucky I was to be in Brazil for the event - I didn't get it - after all, the games were in Germany, and it wasn't like I was going to see any in person. Like most Americans, I know little about the World Cup, except that America doesn't usually do that well.

Brazil's national team, I have learned since, is currently ranked number one in the world and is favored by many to win the event - they are also a heck of a lot of fun to watch! I also learned how seriously countries OUTSIDE of the USA take soccer - or as the rest of the world calls it - FOOTBALL.

In Brazil, the schools, post office, many businesses - even the MALL - close for the duration of the game. Restaurants stay open, but you can fully expect the staff to be watching the game along with you. Almost everyone wears the Brazilian colors of green and yellow - some sport "futebol" shirts with the number of the players like #9, Ronaldo; #4, Kaka; or #10, Ronaldinho - others wear shirts with the Brazilian flag.

Watching the games is an event - folks come over, bringing food. Every goal is followed by rounds of fireworks going off in the streets - it was this excitement that my students were excited for me to see - and it was one of the highlights of the trip!

Tomorrow Is The Day!

Tomorrow is the day I leave, and I can't believe it's here! I will take a 2 hour flight to Miami, and then a 9 hour and 45 minute (!!!) flight to Rio. This will be the longest plane ride I've ever been on, and the first time I will be crossing the equator.

In other news, the was a moderate earthquake in Indonesia, a 6.3 on the Richter scale. What's amazing to me is that so many people (5, 700 as of this post) have died. I was in several earthquakes in the 6.0 to 6.5 range when I lived in California, and very few (if any) people died. What a testament to the improved building codes we have here.

This is the second or third major quake to strike the region recently, one of which was responsible for the 2004 tsunami. It's also home to Krakatoa and Mt. Tambora, two of the most violent volcanic eruptions in history.

Mt. Tambora, in 1815, put so much ash in the air that it dropped world wide temperatures. The following July it snowed in New England, and many referred to that as the "Year Without a Summer." Krakatoa, in 1883, caused a tsunami that killed over 30, 000 people. Both are part of the Ring of Fire.

Last Day of School - First Day of Summer!

Tomorrow is the last day of school. You would think I'd be excited, but I haven't really thought about it - I've been so busy anticipating my trip to Brazil!

This will be the second time I've taken a long trip outside of the United States. The last was in the summer of 1980, when I was 14. I went to France, and stayed with a family for a couple months. It was a wonderful experience, and I learned more French living with a family than I ever did in my French classes.

This time I'll be staying with a family in Salvador, Brazil, and learning Portuguese. I am really excited about the opportunity, but a little nervous, too.


The first part of the trip will be to Rio De Janeiro ("river of january"), which used to be the capital until 1960. It is famous for its beaches and its Carnivale.

We will stay in Rio for three days, and then travel to the new capital, Brasilia.

It is a planned city with a lot of modern buildings and green space.




After spending a day in the capital, we will visit Goiania, another planned city, where many of my students are from. While there, we will visit a hot springs resort areas called Caldas Novas.


Finally, after a whirlwind cultural tour of the city, we will go to Salvador, meet our host families, and begin language training. This will be the trip of a lifetime!
And I'll be there for "O Copo do Mundo" - The World Cup!