Salvador is a very large metropolitan city located about 13 degrees south of the equator. It is on a pennisula, with one side being bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the other side bordered by Baía de Todos os Santos, or the All Saint's Bay. Salvador was founded in 1549, and was the original capital of Brazil - it's still the capital of the state of Bahia.
This was my second time in Salvador - the last time I stayed for about three weeks, living with a family, and attending language school. This time I'm in the same neighborhood, but a lot closer to the school that before. I am staying with a very nice woman named Norma who works in tourism. My room is very nice, and it even has a double bed which is a treat.
We went on the city tour yesterday (see pictures), and we went to some places I had been last time as well as some some new places. We went to the park Dique do Tororó, with the Orixas - African god/desses - represented by statues in the lake. We also went to the Igreja de Nosso Senhor do Bonfim - one of the oldest churches and one with a custom of tying colored ribbons on the fence to represent prayers - when the ribbon falls off, your prayer is answered. I went there before but this time the church was open - it was very pretty inside (I don't like taking pictures in the churches - it seems sacreligious). There were a lot of peddlers selling their wares - I was prepared this time. We also went to Forte Mont Serrat, an old fort. I got some cool shots there - there were some horse just roaming free, eating the grass! Finally, we went and had some sorvete - ice cream - yum!
Thursday, July 03, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Iguaçu Falls - The Highlight of My Trip
Other pictures of the falls
Going to Iguaçu Falls was the highlight of the trip for me. The falls were amazing. If you've seen the movie The Mission or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, then you have seen parts of the falls. In real life, the view was absolutely stunning. The falls separate Brazil from Argentina - most of the falls are on the Argentinian side, but you get a great view from the Brazilian side. As you travel along the walkway, you see more of the falls and larger cascades. Finally you end up in the Garganta do Diabo, the Devil's Throat (see the rainbow picture below).
Legend has that the river god split the river with his tail - he was angered that a young girl to be sacrificed to him was rescued and taken away by the boy that loved her. In revenge, the river god split the river and turned the girl and boy into a rock and a tree - at least that's what I got from the film at the Visitor's Center - it was in Portuguese, after all!
Going to Iguaçu Falls was the highlight of the trip for me. The falls were amazing. If you've seen the movie The Mission or Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, then you have seen parts of the falls. In real life, the view was absolutely stunning. The falls separate Brazil from Argentina - most of the falls are on the Argentinian side, but you get a great view from the Brazilian side. As you travel along the walkway, you see more of the falls and larger cascades. Finally you end up in the Garganta do Diabo, the Devil's Throat (see the rainbow picture below).
Legend has that the river god split the river with his tail - he was angered that a young girl to be sacrificed to him was rescued and taken away by the boy that loved her. In revenge, the river god split the river and turned the girl and boy into a rock and a tree - at least that's what I got from the film at the Visitor's Center - it was in Portuguese, after all!
Gramado and Canela
Gramado and Canela are two cities in Rio Grande Do Sul, one of the southern-most states in Brazil. They were settled by a lot of German and Italian immigrants, and the cities' architecture reflects that. You feel a little like you're in an Alpine village in Europe, instead of Brazil. We took a tour of the two towns, and we saw a beautiful valley, waterfalls at the Parque do Caracol, and a chocolate factory. We also saw this strange museum, called Mundo O Vapor (Steam World), that commemorated a famous train wreck in Montparnasse, France - weird!
Other pictures from Gramado and Canela
Friday, May 30, 2008
Flying the Friendly Skies
Pictures from Day 1, Porto Alegre
So, we made it to Miami without a hitch - we were all concerned about our long layover at the Miami airport...well, we shouldn't have worried about too much time - we were kept busy scrambling when our TAM flight was cancelled!
Luckily we got a flight on another airline -
unluckily the flight was not as nice: TAM has some great amenities that the other didn't, like complimentary toothbrushes. Those are important on an overnight flight, particularly when your luggage gets LOST! That's right, the luggage didn't make it with us through the change in flights. We also got a bonus selective security screening - apparently when you get rebooked from a cancelled flight, it's SOP to get selectively screened. Yeah for me.
We made it to Sao Paulo, but had to scramble again to catch our connecting flight to Porto Alegre - we had to fill out lost luggage forms. Finally we made it to our hotel - the Blue Tree Towers - very nice.
We spent the afternoon on a ciy tour, which to be honest, I missed most of because I kept falling asleep on the bus. I did learn about the state of Rio Grande Do Sul , which is very much like our state of Texas. Like Texas it has cowboys, called gauchos, and admires independence. There was a civil war to separate in 1835, called the War of Tatters, so now they say that they are Brazilians by choice, not neccessity. The highlight was seeing the medical worker's protest, and having it explained to me - in Portuguese - by a skateboarder I struck up a conversation with.
The day ended on a high note - dinner at a churrascaria - traditional gaucho dishes and traditional gaucho meats - sliced right at the table!
Tomorrow - Grammado and Canela
So, we made it to Miami without a hitch - we were all concerned about our long layover at the Miami airport...well, we shouldn't have worried about too much time - we were kept busy scrambling when our TAM flight was cancelled!
Luckily we got a flight on another airline -
unluckily the flight was not as nice: TAM has some great amenities that the other didn't, like complimentary toothbrushes. Those are important on an overnight flight, particularly when your luggage gets LOST! That's right, the luggage didn't make it with us through the change in flights. We also got a bonus selective security screening - apparently when you get rebooked from a cancelled flight, it's SOP to get selectively screened. Yeah for me.We made it to Sao Paulo, but had to scramble again to catch our connecting flight to Porto Alegre - we had to fill out lost luggage forms. Finally we made it to our hotel - the Blue Tree Towers - very nice.
We spent the afternoon on a ciy tour, which to be honest, I missed most of because I kept falling asleep on the bus. I did learn about the state of Rio Grande Do Sul , which is very much like our state of Texas. Like Texas it has cowboys, called gauchos, and admires independence. There was a civil war to separate in 1835, called the War of Tatters, so now they say that they are Brazilians by choice, not neccessity. The highlight was seeing the medical worker's protest, and having it explained to me - in Portuguese - by a skateboarder I struck up a conversation with.
The day ended on a high note - dinner at a churrascaria - traditional gaucho dishes and traditional gaucho meats - sliced right at the table!
Tomorrow - Grammado and Canela
Monday, May 26, 2008
School's Out For The Summer!
So what are your plans? Are you going anywhere out of town? Out of the state? Out of the country? Are you traveling with friends, relatives, or both?
How about camp? Band camp? Science camp? Sports camp?
I am leaving for Brazil this Thursday - be sure to check back for blogs and pictures! Feel free to share your summer stuff, too!
Enjoy!
How about camp? Band camp? Science camp? Sports camp?
I am leaving for Brazil this Thursday - be sure to check back for blogs and pictures! Feel free to share your summer stuff, too!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Ordinary People Doing Ordinary Things
I just liked it...not particularly "science-y" (although there are some people I've mentioned in class) - I guess the message is to keep trying - never give up.
We Didn't Start the Fire...or did we?
A mini-history lesson in an old Billy Joel song from the late 80s - did you catch the science references?
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Science Current Events
Some recent articles - feel free to browse and post on as many topics as you like. Each relevant post on a separate topic counts as one effort point.
Oldest Known Human Fossil Found In Europe - placing man there earlier than previously believed
The Science of Baseball Stats - for the hardcore baseball fan out there
Vast Antarctic Ice Shelf About to Collapse - more climate change news
Seeds of Life Found Near Saturn - one of Saturn's moon's is off-shooting water and organic molecules
Tourist Rocket Ship Set to Launch by 2010 - for the low, low price of $200,000 - would you go?
Oldest Known Human Fossil Found In Europe - placing man there earlier than previously believed
The Science of Baseball Stats - for the hardcore baseball fan out there
Vast Antarctic Ice Shelf About to Collapse - more climate change news
Seeds of Life Found Near Saturn - one of Saturn's moon's is off-shooting water and organic molecules
Tourist Rocket Ship Set to Launch by 2010 - for the low, low price of $200,000 - would you go?
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Spring Forward; Fall Back
I hate Daylight Saving Time...I know, I know, it's nice that it is currently 7:15PM and still light - I get it. But tomorrow, when it's 7:15 AM, it will still be dark...and I hate waking up in the dark!
We not saving any daylight at all - the number of hours of daylight has nothing to do with how we humans choose to set our clocks. Having the switch take place before the spring equinox (equinoxes are the two days a year when day and night hours are equal) is sort of silly, in my opinion. The rationale is that it saves energy.
Want to know more? Here's a good site that talks about the history and reasons for the change. You can also reead about it at Wikipedia. Finally, you can ask Bill Nye the Science Guy!
It takes me about a week to adjust - and I spend that week pretty grumpy, to boot! How about you - do you like the switch? Do you hate it? Do you even notice?
We not saving any daylight at all - the number of hours of daylight has nothing to do with how we humans choose to set our clocks. Having the switch take place before the spring equinox (equinoxes are the two days a year when day and night hours are equal) is sort of silly, in my opinion. The rationale is that it saves energy.
Want to know more? Here's a good site that talks about the history and reasons for the change. You can also reead about it at Wikipedia. Finally, you can ask Bill Nye the Science Guy!
It takes me about a week to adjust - and I spend that week pretty grumpy, to boot! How about you - do you like the switch? Do you hate it? Do you even notice?
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
It's Gettin' Hot in Here!
No, this is not another global warming article -well, not the current global warming, anyway, but the ultimate global warming: the end of our sun, and life on Earth as we know it!
You may remember learning about the lifecycle of a star in 6th grade Earth Science. You also may have been subsequently disappointed to learn that our sun, as magnificient and life-giving as it is, is doomed to end in a less-than-dramatic fashion - instead of an amzing supernova explosion, it will become a red giant, burn off the bulk of its mass in a last-gasp effort of nuclear fusion, and finally fade away from a white dwarf to a black dwarf - a celestial whisper instead of a bang.
Scientists have long estimated that the sun (and solar sytem) were roughly 5 billion years old, and the sun middel-aged, giving roughly 5 billion years before it dies out. Now scientists Robert Smith, from Britain's University of Sussex, and astronomer Klaus-Peter Schroeder of the University of Guanajuato in Mexico have made new calculations prediciting the end of the Sun 7.6 billions years from now.
"After a billion years or so [when the Sun begins it's expansion to a red giant] you've got an Earth with no atmosphere, no water and a surface temperature of hundreds of degrees, way above the boiling point of water," Smith told Space.com. "The Earth will become dry basically. It will become completely impossible for life of any kind to exist. It's a pretty gloomy forecast."
Read the original MSNBC article here. To see another article about an extrasolar planet currently undergoing this scenario, read here. To refresh your memories about the lifecycle of a star with interactive activities, click here.
You may remember learning about the lifecycle of a star in 6th grade Earth Science. You also may have been subsequently disappointed to learn that our sun, as magnificient and life-giving as it is, is doomed to end in a less-than-dramatic fashion - instead of an amzing supernova explosion, it will become a red giant, burn off the bulk of its mass in a last-gasp effort of nuclear fusion, and finally fade away from a white dwarf to a black dwarf - a celestial whisper instead of a bang.
Scientists have long estimated that the sun (and solar sytem) were roughly 5 billion years old, and the sun middel-aged, giving roughly 5 billion years before it dies out. Now scientists Robert Smith, from Britain's University of Sussex, and astronomer Klaus-Peter Schroeder of the University of Guanajuato in Mexico have made new calculations prediciting the end of the Sun 7.6 billions years from now.
"After a billion years or so [when the Sun begins it's expansion to a red giant] you've got an Earth with no atmosphere, no water and a surface temperature of hundreds of degrees, way above the boiling point of water," Smith told Space.com. "The Earth will become dry basically. It will become completely impossible for life of any kind to exist. It's a pretty gloomy forecast."
Read the original MSNBC article here. To see another article about an extrasolar planet currently undergoing this scenario, read here. To refresh your memories about the lifecycle of a star with interactive activities, click here.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Onlie Quizzes - Repost
Click here or here to access some online quizzes. Want some CRCT practice? Try here. After submitting your answers, you can e-mail the results to me for credit. Need some math practice? Try these.
Although these quizzes are form a different textbook, most of the chapters correspond to our book.
Good luck!
Although these quizzes are form a different textbook, most of the chapters correspond to our book.
Good luck!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Did You Know? Shift Happens.
Watch the video - note what facts surprise you the most. You might want to watch it more than once. What do you think this means for you and the class of 2012? Your kids? Does this change the question, "what do you want to be when you grow up?"
I love the stat that most people are training for jobs that don't even exist yet. I look at my daughter, who is 20 and a college junior. She is majoring in English, yet many of her classes have been in web design and writing for the web. She is an artist, yet lately she has been working with computer manipulations. She could someday work for a web designer or game company writing story lines or designing graphics - there is no college major for that...yet.
Read this article in the Marietta Daily Journal about the Wheeler Robotic team - note how it talks about Southern Poly Tech adding a new major - Mechatronics. That would've sounded like science fiction when I was in the 8th grade.
Charged Up About Electricity!
Batteries. Lightbulbs. Things we use everyday that we don't even think about. If you lived 150 years ago, you wouldn't think about them either - they didn't exist!
Have you ever wondered how they worked?
Energizer has a great Learning Center and Duracell has some FAQs. A great source for information is HowStuffWorks. Find out about batteries, lightbulbs, capacitors, and solar cells.
Read a little about these and try to summarize it in your own words. Could you explain it to your folks? Could you explain to to a little brother or sister? Any new knowledge gained? Any surprises?
Find another topic that interests you - tell us what you learned!
Experiment: Make Your Own Battery
Have you ever wondered how they worked?
Energizer has a great Learning Center and Duracell has some FAQs. A great source for information is HowStuffWorks. Find out about batteries, lightbulbs, capacitors, and solar cells.
Read a little about these and try to summarize it in your own words. Could you explain it to your folks? Could you explain to to a little brother or sister? Any new knowledge gained? Any surprises?
Find another topic that interests you - tell us what you learned!
Experiment: Make Your Own Battery
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Some Websites to Get You Started!
You are certainly not limited to these, but it will save you some searching time! Feel free to post questions about the project on the "Comments Page" (No, AC, that won't count for effort points).
Cool Cosmos - lots of links to other sites about the electromagnetic spectrum
Waves of Energy (at Discovery School) - scroll down and click on The Electromagnetic Spectrum Tutorial
The Electromagnetic Spectrum (at Windows on the Universe) - you can change the level to beginner or advanced and even change the language to Spanish. Check out the Explora Tour, too
The Electromagnetic Spectrum (at NASA) - more information
How the Eye Sees Light (at Neuroscience for Kids) - good for projects on visible light and the eye
Electricity Links - lots of links for magnets and electricity
Light and Optic Links - lots of links for light, color, and optics
Sound Links - lots of links for sound and acoustics
Remember: when citing websites, use the URL for the page you actually find the information, not the page from which you followed a link! Google, Yahoo, & Ask are not sources - they are search engines. Wikipedia is an OK place to start (they often have great links at the bottom of their articles), but it can never be considered a definitive or final source.
Cool Cosmos - lots of links to other sites about the electromagnetic spectrum
Waves of Energy (at Discovery School) - scroll down and click on The Electromagnetic Spectrum Tutorial
The Electromagnetic Spectrum (at Windows on the Universe) - you can change the level to beginner or advanced and even change the language to Spanish. Check out the Explora Tour, too
The Electromagnetic Spectrum (at NASA) - more information
How the Eye Sees Light (at Neuroscience for Kids) - good for projects on visible light and the eye
Electricity Links - lots of links for magnets and electricity
Light and Optic Links - lots of links for light, color, and optics
Sound Links - lots of links for sound and acoustics
Remember: when citing websites, use the URL for the page you actually find the information, not the page from which you followed a link! Google, Yahoo, & Ask are not sources - they are search engines. Wikipedia is an OK place to start (they often have great links at the bottom of their articles), but it can never be considered a definitive or final source.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Where Should Science Draw the Line?
Recently I read two stories that disturbed me. The first was about the FDA allowing meat and milk from cloned animals to be sold as food. The second is that a man genetically engineered a rabbit with jelly-fish genes so that it glowed in the dark.
From the AJC's article about the FDA: "Meat and milk from cattle, swine and goat clones are as safe as food we eat every day," said Dr. Stephen Sundloff, FDA's food safety chief.
I say, are we sure? These things haven't been around that long, and we haven't been eating them.
As far as the ethics of creating genetically altered creatures, the Supreme Court has said it is ok for any living thing except humans.
Part of me is naturally wowed by what science can do, but another part of me is a little creeped out about the thought of a glowing bunny or eating a burger from a cloned cow.My daughter used to have a poster in her room that said, "Just because you can, doesn't mean you should." I sort of feel that way about these two things.
What do you think? Are these experiments pushing science forward in a good way? A bad way? Would you own a glowing pet? Would you drink milk from a cloned cow? Any other thoughts?
Monday, January 14, 2008
It's Pleo!
What is Pleo? From the Pleoworld website: "Pleo is an autonomous robotic life form modeled on a one-week-old Camarasaurus dinosaur. Pleo is designed to mimic life which means Pleo thinks and acts independently, just like a real animal."
It is also completely adorable! The operating system and mechanics are similar to, but more sophisticated than, the ones used in STEM class, but the principals are the same. If you go to the Pleoworld website, there is some interesting information on the "insides."
A few weeks ago we talked about technology and its changes, and someone mentioned having robots for pets. Pleo is available from The Sharper Image for about $350 - the same as many dogs, but without the food or vet bills. I am half-charmed and half-alarmed by Pleo and its popularity. Reading the forums, I am struck by how devoted many owners are to the creature.
What do you think? Good or bad? Scary or sad? Cute or disturbing? Would you own one?
It is also completely adorable! The operating system and mechanics are similar to, but more sophisticated than, the ones used in STEM class, but the principals are the same. If you go to the Pleoworld website, there is some interesting information on the "insides."
A few weeks ago we talked about technology and its changes, and someone mentioned having robots for pets. Pleo is available from The Sharper Image for about $350 - the same as many dogs, but without the food or vet bills. I am half-charmed and half-alarmed by Pleo and its popularity. Reading the forums, I am struck by how devoted many owners are to the creature.
What do you think? Good or bad? Scary or sad? Cute or disturbing? Would you own one?
Friday, January 11, 2008
Neuroscience For Kids
This is the website we used in class for the brain activities. It has a lot of information and activities for you to learn more about your brain and how it works. The memory and learning activities are here.
Which was your favorite? Did you learn anything new? Are you going to change any habits because of the activities?
Which was your favorite? Did you learn anything new? Are you going to change any habits because of the activities?
Challenge Day - Can You Be the Change?
Although I was disappointed that 8th grade didn't get to participate in Challenge Day, I was very happy that the Foundation was able to bring to program to our school. ECMS is unique; we have an amazingly diverse population. This is a strength but it also presents problems - that is why Challenge Day was so important.
For those of you curious about what your classmates experienced, you can read more about Challenge Day here.
Challenge Day also brought some positive publicity to our school: the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Marietta Daily Journal, and WXIA, Channell 11, all covered the event. Be sure to click on the links to read the stories.
Challenge Day isn't meant to be a single day event - it's meant to be extended. The Be the Change program is a way of extending the lessons of Challenge Day.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you think this will make a difference? Did any of your younger friends or siblings get to participate? What did they say? What's something you could do to "be the change?"
For those of you curious about what your classmates experienced, you can read more about Challenge Day here.
Challenge Day also brought some positive publicity to our school: the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the Marietta Daily Journal, and WXIA, Channell 11, all covered the event. Be sure to click on the links to read the stories.
Challenge Day isn't meant to be a single day event - it's meant to be extended. The Be the Change program is a way of extending the lessons of Challenge Day.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you think this will make a difference? Did any of your younger friends or siblings get to participate? What did they say? What's something you could do to "be the change?"
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