Super Bugs In New Dehli

In this article it talks about how there has a recent surfacing of a bacterial gene in the tap and ground water in New Dehli. The gene, which some experts describe as "super superbuhgs" has spread to germs that can cause cholera and dysentery. The NDM-1positive bacteria is being exposed to the 14 million people in New Dehli through their tap water. This is a major health concern becauuse the bacteria is resistant to all drugs, and as of now there are no cures. It is also off putting that researchers and experts are saying that they doubt there will be a cure found in the next 5-6 because there are only 2 leading antibiotic researchers still in the field today.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/07/uk-bacteria-superbugs-india-idUSLNE73600F20110407

Second Chance for BP?

In this article it talks about how BP is in talks with the United States Government to resume drilling in the Gulf Of Mexico less than one year after the largest oil spill in American History which ended in the death of 11 people. While nothing is written in stone yet, it is believed that in order to resume drilling, there will be no more new drill sites added, and BP will have to abide to stricter safety guidelines than before. Also, the US Government is also looking into the deaths of the 11 people that resulted from the oil spill. The government is pursuing bringing up manslaughter charges on several BP Officials who made crucial decisions that ultimately led to the oil spill.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/bps-gulf-of-mexico-drilling-could-resume-in-july-2011-04-04?reflink=MW_news_stmp

Crude Oil High

In this article it talks about how the price of crude oil per barrel has hit a 2.5 year high. In the US the price per barrel is fluctuating around $108-$109 a barrel, however in other countries the price per barrel is much higher fluctuation around $120-$121 per barrel. Experts are attributing this oil shortage to the hostility in Iran, Libya, and other parts of north africa. However, at the same time they say that this shortage should be balanced by the decreasing demand in Japan for crude oil after the recent effects from the tsunami.

http://www.foxbusiness.com/2011/04/04/crude-oil-hits-25-year-high-brent-nears-120/#

GE's Opinion on Disaster in Japan

In this article, it talks about how General Electrics chief executive Jeffrey Immelt feels on the topic of the nuclear crisis in Japan. The Fukushima Daiichi Power Plant is currently leaking Radioactivity in the worst nuclear accident then the one at Chernobyl. However, Jeffrey Immelt does not consider Chernobyl to be a "real" nuclear accident because the facilities at Chernobyl were neither western of Japanese designs. He says that the nuclear industry has been a very safe industry at that, and that he expects it to remain the same for years to come.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/04/ge-japan-idUSL3E7F41GV20110404

Japan Nuclear Crisis (make-up blog)

In this UK News Article, it talks about the recent news regarding the nuclear problems occuring in Japan after the recent tsunami and eartquake in the Japan. The article talks about how several of the reactors have been stabilized and are now being ran on generators and other new electricity lines. The article also states how the spent-fuel being held in tanks have also returned to normal temperatures. However, some of the other more unstable reactors like reactor number 2, it is still too early to tell the true nature of the damage that occured there. In the area surrounding the nuclear power plant as of now there are elevated levels of radiation found in the tap water, spinach, and local milk. If radiation levels escaping from the power plant increase, measures such as entombing the plant in concrete may need to be taken.

Bitumen new king of Alberta's oilsands box

In this article from the Calgary Herald, a canadian newspaper, it talks of the digging of oil sands, and how prosperous this is for the canadian economy. The oilsand, a bitumen mixture, has now become the king of Alberta's oilpatch and is projected to account for 50% of non renewable resource revenue in the next upcoming year. This year, the oilsands are expected to bring in $4.1 billion in revenue, and by 2013 this number is expected to grow to $7.1 billion.





http://www.calgaryherald.com/business/Bitumen+king+Alberta+oilsands/4342968/story.html?cid=megadrop_story

New Heinz Ketchup bottles

In this article, it talks about how in June 2011 Heinz will begin to switch over to more ecofriendly ketchup bottles. Heinz will now be offered in the same bioplastic bottles introduced by Coca Cola in 2009. The switch to this more eco friendly product is Heinz attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emmissions, water consumption, solid waste, and energy consumption by 20% by 2015. I think that all companies should begin to switch over to more eco friendly packaging options such as this one because in 2010 alone, the use of bioplastic packacged reduced emissions of carbon dioxide by 30,000 metric tons. (which is equivalent to about the burning of 60,000 barrels of oil)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/02/28/idUS185188331720110228

The Facilitation of Drug Use

While this topic isnt really environmentally related, after seeing this video I thought other people would find it really interesting. The video talks about a facility called "Insite" which facilitates the usage of illegal drugs and intravenous drugs by providing clean needles and medical supplies to addicts. The thought behind this is that addicts are going to use drugs no matter what, but by giving them sanitary supplies they will be able to slow down the spread of HIV amongst addicts. while this can be seen as controversial, I think it is actually a really good idea to do something like this because it is making a bad situation a little bit better. Insite also is providing other health care services like on site nurses and drug rehabilitation plans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/health/08vancouver.html?ref=science

Evolution vs. Creationism

In a recent National Survey of 900 public high school biology teachers, a major controversy over the teaching of the topic of evolution has surfaced. The National Research Council recommended to these teachers to teach the topic of evolution using the straightforward evidence found about the topic. However, the survey found that 60% of teachers avoided teaching the topic all together to avoid class controversy of the topic. It also showed that 28% strongly taught the accepted theory of evolution, while the reminaining 12-13% taught the topic of creationism. This can be seen as a major problem in the public schooling system because this shows some teachers are not separating church from school in the classroom. I see this as a major downfall of these schools because by teaching the topic of creationism, your are alienating all those members of the classroom that are not of christian/catholic background. I also think that the teachers who chose not to teach the subject of evolution at all lack the confidence in their own abilities to teach and should have to undergo further schooling because they should be able to teach all the required material in a school's curriculum.

Pesticide

In this article it talks about how congress is now passing further regulations on the existance on fluoride in drinking water. Thought in the past to be beneficial to children's teeth, experts are saying now that over exposure to fluoride can cause both tooth and bone decay. The pesticide being regulated is known as sulfuryl fluoride and it is used in treating cocoa products and dried fruits. It was also used for the 50 years prior to 2004 as an anti-termite insecticide. However, now experts are coming to the conclusion that we have been over exposed to fluoride all of this time and that we need to change this by first cutting the amount we are exposed to in our drinking water.



http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2011/01/11/11greenwire-epa-proposes-phaseout-of-fluoride-based-pestic-97414.html?scp=1&sq=pesticide&st=cse

FOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

Friday:
-Pack of blueberry poptarts and glass of 2% milk
-Egg bagel w/ butter & Bottle of water
-12 inch flatbread sub (turkey, ham, cheese, tomato, lettuce) & Iced Tea
-4 soft tacos (homemade not from taco bell) & iced tea

Saturday:
-2 Packs of blueberry poptarts and milk
-pack of strawberry poptarts
-12 inch flatbread sub & iced tea
-grilled chicken and seasoned potatoes & iced tea

Sunday:
- Egg sandwich
- chips ahoy cookies & milk
- turkey ham and cheese wrap
- sweet & sour chicken w/ fried rice & iced tea

Man With Aids, Cured?

I remembered seeing a story about this on the news about a month ago, so i looked online for an article about it. Basically, a man living in germany with both HIV, and Leukemia, has been cured of both illnesses. After receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor, and intense chemotherapy the man was unsuccessfully cured of leukemia. However, after a second stem cell transplant from the same donor, the man was cured of his leukemia and has now tested negative for HIV as well for the last 3 years. The reason this happenned is because the donor had a rare 1 in a million gene mutation that attacks HIV cells. This has since opened a door for new gene therapy research and the possibility of finding a more realistic cure for HIV. Although in this case, the man was cured of HIV it is not practical for large scale use because there was a 30% chance that he could have died while undergoing the treatment. Also, he would have never been given the opportunity for the stem cell transplant if he had not had leukemia as well.

Nuclear Waste Dumping in Texas

After reading this article about the dumping of nuclear waste in Texas, I was quite taken back. According to the article, there was a previous agreement between Vermont and Texas that would allow the states to dump low level nuclear waste into a dump site in Texas. However, a new dump site in Andrews, Texas, near the New Mexico state line is now proposing the ability for 36 other states to dump their waste there as well. This would be bad for vermont because it is planning on shutting down its nuclear powerplant the Vermont Yankee which would create a large amount of nuclear waste. However, with 36 other states now invited to use the new dump site that means there is less available space for vermont to dump.

http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/30/a-last-minute-choice-by-texas-and-vermont/?ref=science

MAKE UP BLOG FOR WEEK OF 12/13