HUNBlog

Tasers, The Good, The Bad and The Better

Law enforcement officers are sent out each day with the intent and expectation of stopping crime.  Citizens count on them to rescue them in times of emergencies and to take the ‘bad guys’ off the street.  But, what resources are we giving them?  Most law enforcement officers carry a gun and a taser.  Of all  the devices that they are armed with, the taser is the most controversial.  I believe that this is because most citizens were under the impression that situations when a law enforcement officer had to use force, it would no longer be deadly force.  The taser provides a unique alternative to the gun.  A taser disables a person by introducing electrical impulses into the body, which temporarily renders the person unable to control their muscles to move.  Research has shown that these impulses are not fatal and do not provide any long term effects.  This allows the office the opportunity to defuse a dangerous situation with less chance of fatally harming the suspect.  A win-win right?  For the most part, yes.  However, there is no such thing as something that is ‘zero risk’ when you are talking about introducing a foreign object, such as a bullet or electrical impulses into a person’s body.  But, the chances of a suspect being fatally wounded by a taser is much less than that of a bullet.  There have been cases where a suspect was shot with a taser and died.  In all of these cases, the suspect either had an unknown medical condition or was under the influence of a substance that caused their body to react in a much more violent way than another person.  In my opinion, citizens should support the use of tasers.  They have less potential to fatally harm the suspect, they take the opportunity of an innocent bystander being harmed by a shooting away and allow our officers to do their job.   

NASA Finds a New Bacteria That Changes What We Know About Life

NASA Finds a New Bacteria That Changes What We Know About Life

The other day I saw a story on the news about NASA finding a bacteria in Mono Lake in California. The lake was formed on a volcanic area and thus has many minerals that are toxic to many living creatures. However, this new strain of bacteria called, Halomonadaceae, lives life in a completely different way from what we thought was ever possible. This bacteria not only lives amongst the toxic substance Arsenic and eats it; the bacteria also incorporates Arsenic in it’s DNA. Wow! Is what I thought. This totally changes the rules. What we just learned in class about all life forms having the same building blocks just in different arrangements, is not completely true anymore. There is other life that lives off of other building blocks other than what we know, building blocks that would kill us. This means that there are probably many different, and I mean very different, forms of life out there in the universe and maybe even on Earth too, that manage to live in ways that we cannot even imagine. When NASA goes into outer space, anywhere is a possible place to sustain life, nothing can be ruled out. Just because something is toxic to us does not mean that it is toxic to another form of life. That is amazing to me and a big break through!
I can’t believe that it even took this long for scientists to discover a life form that does not have the same substances in their DNA as everything else living on Earth. How did the bacteria manage to stay hidden for so long? Or did scientists doubt that life could exist in places like Mono Lake so much that they never even thought to check if life was there? This bacteria opens up so many questions about so many things that we thought we knew for sure. It is wild to think that what kills us and a lot of other life forms, is something that this bacteria needs.
The biggest thing that I wonder when I think of this bacteria, is what does this mean for life in the universe? This discovery makes me feel even more that there HAS to be something alive out there somewhere in the universe. The question is where and how do they live? Are they similar to us or are they so different that we couldn’t even imagine them in our wildest dreams? It kind of feels like something that you would read out of a sci-fi book, only it’s real. Discovering something so different from what we believed to be as true and proven by science as can be, has made me wonder what else scientists have not discovered that could completely redefine life as we know it? Is there a planet out there in which everything we do here is toxic to them? Could there even be life on the Sun? Only we would never find out because it would kill us to get that close. When a new discovery like this comes along, questions like these run through my mind. I realize how little we know about our planet let alone the universe and I actually get excited! I wonder what scientists will discover in the future when I am very old or perhaps long after I have died. Moments like these I wish I could fast forward and see for myself. Until then I will be listening to the news and waiting patiently for yet another ground-breaking discovery. With that said, I wish scientists the best of luck in that because I would really like to witness any amazing discoveries in my lifetime. Science is definitely an exciting world. Go Science! :)

To read more on the story go here:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/900386--newly-discovered-bacteria-makes-you-wonder-what-else-is-possible

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Composting

        So I am walking down the chip aisle in the grocery store and I reach for my favorite bag of chips; SunChips. I grab the bag and it is unusually louder than normal. “What is this?”, I asked myself.  As I read the bag (without try to be too loud), I discover that they are trying to use 100% compostable bags for their packaging. They have made their chips healthier for us, why not make it healthier for the planet? I think that this is a great idea and they have always been committed to improving the world around us. I did some research on this new bag and it is a great way to reduce waste.

        What does this mean? Compostable means that it can be decomposed in a composting system within one composting cycle. With the proper mix of leaves, food wastes, and manures, you are left with a humus mixture which has a soil like earthy smell. What is left are minerals and nutrients that can help condition soil and nourish plants. Composting helps eliminate the need for chemical fertilizers, helps promote higher yields of agricultural crops, and is cost effective. 

        Since they started using the compostable material packaging, the company has received positive feedback regarding their attempts to improve the planet. The company is currently working to improving the compostable packaging that is less noisy. I think that what SunChips is doing is a good step to help our planet and I am looking forward to see the new and improved packaging.

 

Energy
Energy allows us to do many things in our lives. From helping to provide food, to transportation, to entertainment, we need the help of energy in order to have all of these and more. As aspiring teachers, we have to make sure we teach and motivate our students on the importance of energy. The topic of energy and the alternative ways on how we can get it is highly important due to the energy crisis that we’re experiencing.
The world today, obtains energy largely through oil, coal, and natural gas, while nuclear, biomass, hydro, and wind and solar power are used in smaller percentages. Oil and gas, will not last us forever, so turning to other alternative energy sources is a must. The United States alone, consumes so much from the world’s productions. We as members of this country and as a world society have to make a move into this issue. We have to realize that statistics propose that the usage of oil will only be good or seen in a person’s lifetime. What will be of the generations ahead of us? In order to answer this question, we must start to support other alternative energy sources like wind and solar power because unlike the rest these are more promising due to them being more sustainable.
As future educators, the way we can help with this crucial issue is to make sure we’re presenting learning material so that our students can truly understand the concepts. The way we teach doesn’t only count for giving grades and passing students to the next grade but to create lasting experiences for science. Jobs in science are always in demand, now more than ever. We as teachers, have the power to guide our students for an interest in the science fields. But in order to do this we have to understand this current energy crisis we’re facing in the world.
We have to be knowledgeable of what is going on in the world to present this information to our students in ways that they would understand. We as teachers, create the basis for future scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, and pharmacists, just to say the least. Our jobs as educators, consists on us preparing our students with strong foundations to be ready for what is to come.

Energy Savers

Saving Energy

I believe that we as educator should start teaching our students to be more responsible citizens for a brighter future. We can start that by showing them how to learn to save energy. It is very important for students to learn about saving energy because they need to learn from an early age to contribute to the earth in which they live in. Saving energy is a major part of our contribution to our community and within in it the whole world. Energy is the number one dominant source that is used in the entire world and this is why we should help ourselves and our students know that it is very important to conserve it as much as we can. Elementary schools should build teams of students each month that are called “Energy Savers”. These groups of four students each month would be chosen by their teachers if they are responsible citizens within their classroom and would be helpful around the school. What student doesn’t like to be given a responsibility? This group of students would wear a badge with their name on it and the title of “Energy Savers”, this would give the students a sense of contribution to their school and to the world. These students would be given the opportunity to go around the school and turn off lights and computers that are not being used at the time. These students would be great help especially during specials or rotation times when teachers are off on conferences or meetings. These students would learn the responsibility to save this energy when it is not being used. It may not seem as much for the students to do at school, but they will for take this that they learn at school and also implement this at their own home. At home they will also learn to save energy for their parents by turning off the television, computers, lamps, and other electrical items that are occasionally used the most at homes. If students dedicate themselves in doing this at home it will help out their parents in the cost of their electrical bill. By just turning off a few lights around the house they may notice the difference. For parents to see that their children are concerned about saving them money around the house is a huge plus. Students doing this as children will remember these little things that they contribute for when they are older and they start paying their own electricity bills. They will remember when they went around turning lights off to conserve energy. This may seem little things to do now, but in the future it will definitely help them a whole lot. By finding ways that they can cut down on the amount of energy being used will help. There are many saving energy tips that children can help out as simple as changing a regular light bulb to an energy saver one. It is a good thing for all of us to take into consideration especially if the children are learning to be responsible energy savers because in the end we are all contributors to the Earth and should help out in the littlest ways that we can.

Solar energy, a gift exclusively from mother nature

During this semester, we talked about the different types of energy in my science class. However, the type of energy that really caught my attention is solar energy. Solar energy is energy produced by sunlight. Unlike, the traditional energy that we use, solar energy is considered a renewable source because we will never run out sunlight or worry that we may use it all up. Some of the benefits of solar energy is that it is free, clean, and is almost everywhere. The type of energy that we all currently use in our homes is energy that is produced by a generator that uses fossil fuels. Scientists have predicted that we are running out of them and that one day we will most likely have to depend on solar energy. Furthermore, solar energy is clean because it is not toxic to our environment; in other words collecting sunlight does not release gases that impact our environment.

On the other hand, I believe that science teachers should help children learn about solar energy and spend time explaining why it is beneficial to our environment. Some of the things that a teacher could discuss with his/her students could be how burning fossil fuels to create energy is affecting our environment and how it is bad for our health. In addition, as I was trying to learn more about solar energy; I started doing my own little research and went online to learn more about it. I learned that the top ten countries using solar energy are: Germany, Spain, Italy, the Unites States, Japan, Czech Republic, Belgium, China, France, and India. I also learned that here in the U.S., some states are even offering a Government tax credit that provides some kind of tax credit or incentive for people purchasing solar energy systems. I think that this is wonderful because the government is sort of rewarding people for using energy that is environmentally friendly and at the same time they are getting money back. All in all, I think that we all should get more educated on ways that we can improve and protect our environment.

I'm Scared! Is there really life out there?

For as long as I can remember; the discussions of there being life on other planets have scared the dickens out of me! More specifically, the possibility that there could be human-like beings or even aliens sends chills down my spine. For years and I’m sure maybe even centuries, men have wondered about the possibility of life on other planets. As a result, some have tried to prove that it really does existence. However, skeptics such as myself may never believe because even the most trust worthy sources leave too much room to cast doubt. For one thing, way before the first shuttle or probe was launched; stories of life on other planets and life invading our own planet were published prolifically. Not to mention, there were numerous movies and television shows that made light of the situation. Let’s not forget the 1980’s epic film ET! In this film we observe a child befriending a life form from another planet. Whether it’s a desire to connect with others or a burning curiosity to know whether we are truly alone, the question of life on other planets fascinates people from every walk of life. In addition, apprehension is heightening as discussions of how to carry out these quests for knowledge expands. In fact, some are calling the careers of these scientists who study life on other planets a death sentence. Click on the link and judge for yourself. Quite a few scientists have lost their lives due to unknown and bizarre causes. On the other hand, recently NASA made a discovery that may have a smidgen of merit to support theories of life on other planets. Their discovery nearly blew me away and as eerie as it sounds it is true! NASA discovered evidence that water formed on Mars! As we all know, water is a key element in the survival of any life form. What is most notable about this fact is that scientist believes that this water came as a result of events that have occurred within the past few hundred years. NASA made this shocking discovery when one of their exploration rovers became stuck in the wet ground on the planet. This discovery only fuels the notion of their being life beyond what we know. All things considered, I sincerely believe that the intriguing question of there being life on other planets will be debated in scientific circles for a very long time. Furthermore, no matter what the discovery, there will always be those who have pessimistic views. Lastly, I wholeheartedly consider that we will not see a definitive truth about this subject during this lifetime.NASA discovery Dead Scientist

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Teaching students to recycle, and why recycling is so important

Teaching students to recycle, and why recycling is so important!!

In order to conserve a clean beautiful earth to live in it is very important to begin teaching students at a young age the importance of recycling.  Students are like sponges and observe information well if they learn about it starting at their early childhood education and throughout their school years. They should be aware of the importance of recycling, and therefore I strongly believe each school district should implement into their lesson plans a lesson of recycling in order for the students to begin recycling themselves.  Students should learn about the causes and effects of recycling and from there teach their families of the importance of it if their families don’t contribute to recycling themselves.  They need to know why recycling will conserve a better earth to live in.

First of all we need to educate on why we need to recycle.  It is very important to help our earth by recycling and letting our children know there are several reasons why we should recycle versus why we should not recycle.  One reason to recycle would be different products that we use take years to decompose when we just simply throw them away in our trash cans. We can help our world by recycling and sorting the items out properly which will result in us re-using it instead of waiting years for it to decompose in a landfill.   The more we recycle the more we help out.  By recycling we can reduce the prices of products because it lowers the cost of making new products each time they are wasted.  Recycling reduces our dependence of landfills.  The more we recycle the less we have to use the landfills to decompose materials or products.  The less land we are harming results in the more land we are conserving by recycling products.  Another reason to recycle would be it protects our earth and our own health.  We might ask ourselves how recycling protects our health but indeed it does.  Harmful substances are decomposed and we inhale all of their remains.  It is not healthy to inhale these dangerous substances and by recycling such products we can prevent this from occurring.  Recycling also conserves our natural resources.  It decreases the need for raw substances.    Many have thought that if we don’t recycle we will run out of room to put all of our trash.  Just imagine how many people there is on earth and how much trash each citizen produces.  Eventually if we continue to not recycle we will indeed run out of spaces to put all of our trash. One of the main reasons we should teach our students to recycle is to reduce global warming.  Reducing global warming will help us conserve our precious earth. 

Schools can help us teach our students about recycling.  A lesson plan can be created were students have to begin by recycling at their school.  Students can learn about recycling by actually taking part of it both at school and at home. 

Obesity in the USA

Obesity in the USA

In the United Stated of America there is a problem with obesity. When compared to other countries, USA is ranked as the highest country with obesity problems. Other countries do not have the same problem. For example, the USA has an extremely higher number of obesity problems compared to China. Why are the numbers so different? What is that country doing different? What can we do as a country to better our self’s and health?
A question commonly asked is, who do we blame? We always blame the person who is overweight or the parents. Something that has drawn my attention is all the marketing the companies do. I have noticed many companies do not always advertise what they say. For example, the Lean Cuisine states that their product is healthy, fat free; they even advertise their brand by making the box with light colors to make you think is healthy, but they are not. Who should we blame? The person who is buying the healthy product or the company who is labeling their products fat free and is lying? What about the generic brand vs. the name brand? Which is better? I did some research on my own and I seen that the brand JIF, the peanut butter is not always better that the Kroger Natural peanut butter. The generic peanut butter simply has no preservatives which affects us while JIF has added other ingredients in order to make their product last longer on the shelves. Many products ignore the risk factors they put the public in danger of simply because they want more money in their pockets.
I am not trying to run these companies out of business but I do want people to be aware that not everything is true. I believe people should be well educated and not buy a product just because it says fat free. I also have noticed that in a lot of other fat free products they claim false statements involving ones health choices. It would be a good idea to pay attention and read the ingredients that are in that product. It will be then when people realize that some of the ingredients are not as healthy as the product appears.
I believe that if individuals were able to read the nutrition labels correctly, then obesity would not be a big problem. I believe America should educate their people by doing work shops and campaigns promoting eating healthy and perhaps exercising. America should also put a stop to all the false marketing companies are doing and make labels clear. This will prevent many illnesses because obesity also plays a big part in many diseases that individuals could obtain.
I believe that everyone should be careful on what they eat and be aware on the Nutrition Labels so America will have happy healthy individuals.

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Energy

Energy
Energy allows us to do many things in our lives. From helping to provide food, to transportation, to entertainment, we need the help of energy in order to have all of these and more. As aspiring teachers, we have to make sure we teach and motivate our students on the importance of energy. The topic of energy and the alternative ways on how we can get it is highly important due to the energy crisis that we’re experiencing.
The world today, obtains energy largely through oil, coal, and natural gas, while nuclear, biomass, hydro, and wind and solar power are used in smaller percentages. Oil and gas, will not last us forever, so turning to other alternative energy sources is a must. The United States alone, consumes so much from the world’s productions. We as members of this country and as a world society have to make a move into this issue. We have to realize that statistics propose that the usage of oil will only be good or seen in a person’s lifetime. What will be of the generations ahead of us? In order to answer this question, we must start to support other alternative energy sources like wind and solar power because unlike the rest these are more promising due to them being more sustainable.
As future educators, the way we can help with this crucial issue is to make sure we’re presenting learning material so that our students can truly understand the concepts. The way we teach doesn’t only count for giving grades and passing students to the next grade but to create lasting experiences for science. Jobs in science are always in demand, now more than ever. We as teachers, have the power to guide our students for an interest in the science fields. But in order to do this we have to understand this current energy crisis we’re facing in the world.
We have to be knowledgeable of what is going on in the world to present this information to our students in ways that they would understand. We as teachers, create the basis for future scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, and pharmacists, just to say the least. Our jobs as educators, consists on us preparing our students with strong foundations to be ready for what is to come.

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