Titanium Dioxide : A Counter to Global Warming?

"The world is ending! The world is ending! Run for your lives!" the people shout as they run through the streets. Meteors come crashing to earth as the suns rays themselves bake people alive. But in reality the world is not ending and people are not screaming because the atmosphere has not been destroyed yet. The atmosphere has not vanished from the greenhouse gasses we ignorantly still polute the air with. If the temperature could be stopped from rising then global warming would end.

A new cooler for the environment has been brought to the attention of scientists. Titanium dioxide ,the same ingredient used in sunscreen. By reflecting the suns rays, these particles could be scattered in the air to cool the temperature on the earth, therefore countering global warming. This technique was discovered when sulfur dioxide was powdered into the air by Mount Pinatubo, a volcano in the Philippines. The temperature was lowered for 2 years after the explosion. Sulfur dioxide is unhealthy for the air so a similar and more effective substance is being used, titanium dioxide.

A major necesity is making sure that the substance is safe for the environment in which you are trying to save and safe for the animals that live in it. Negative effects from titanium dioxide should be minimal for the depth of the layer of titanurm dioxide that would cover the earth is not even a milimeter in depth. In the past several thought to be safe substances litered the air and caused global warming to worsen.

If titanium dioxide is not sent into the atmosphere, our problems won't be solved but, is global warming a problem? Global warming is most certainly not the end of the world. The earth has warmed and cooled many times througout its lifetime and has survived quite well. Plus the amount of heat needed to take down the atomosphere is unthinkable. The earth will eventually adapt to the changes that have occured and continue to forever change in temperature. The more we do to fix global warming the worse it gets.There is no need to infect the air when we could just fix our bad habits.  If we leave the air alone and reduce the amount of greenhouse gasses we emit into the air the world will mend itself. The more we interfere with the atmosphere the worse global warming will become.

Foreshadowing in "The Lottery"

One example of foreshadowing in "The Lottery" is the stones being readied for the stoning. When you read it the first time, you do not realize that the children are gathering stones to kill someone, you think that the kids are just playing with them.The kids bringing the stones to the town square is an example of foreshadowing. Another example of foreshadowing is the wheeling out of the black box. Because the box symbolizes death and fate you can foreshadow that something bad will occur. Also the sudden change of emotion in the crowd once  the box is brought out shows that box gives fear to the people.

Point of View in Life of Pi

The Point of view of Pi is unreliable in the book, Life of Pi.  His story has a lot of unbelieveable content, such as the island made of seaweed, the man on the lifeboat that is blind, and the whole story itself. Because of Pi and Richard Parker's poor nutrition, they where not thinking straight and the whole thing could have been a halucination.


The Chineese investigators at the end of the book parrallel our society, unless we see it or have proof we cannot believe it. Pi's story has no proof so the investigators do not belive him. The version they wanted to hear was the one Pi told second, where the animals on the boat were people. If a person that was not affected by health problems was on the lifeboat, then the story could have been told with no surprises and everything normal.

Stem Cells

Stem Cells

Could you imagine if one day you were diagnosed with a disease and needed an organ transplant, but were able to grow an organ back instead? This amazing use of healthcare could be made possible by the use of stem cells. Stem cells are unique cells that can become the cure to almost any disease.

Stem cells can transform into specific organ cells capable of doing roles in the body.  Because of cell division, stem cells are able to duplicate themselves. When they split, the new cells have the ability to convert into any type of cell in the body. They can also turn into more stem cells.  (Stem Cell Information)

Containing a unique ability, stem cells can be used to cure diseases by injecting healthy stem cells into the infected body to replace dying organs and tissues. Therefore, stem cells can help cure diseases like spinal cord injuries, stroke, burn, heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis by transforming into organs or cells the body is in demand of. If stem cell healthcare becomes more popular, it may substantially reduce the need for organ transplants. (Stem Cell Information)

The use of stem cells is controversial. Some people believe that using an embryonic stem cell is killing the life of a human. (The Stem Cell Story) While others think that we should be able to use anything science gives us. Another place where embryonic stem cells are found is in the umbilical cord. This means that once children are born scientists can extract the blood from the umbilical cord and retrieve the stem cells. (Dr. Avraham Kadar) That way babies do not get killed and the same stem cells that were extracted may save that baby’s life one day.

Abolitionists of embryonic stem cell research believe that scientists should use adult stem cells. Adult stem cells come from grown humans and embryonic stem cells come from live embryos. Embryonic stem cells are far more advanced than adult stem cells. Embryonic stem cells are new and are able to become any cell in the body, where adult stem cells have been limited to becoming only a few organs. Plus, embryonic stem cells are easier to obtain.  (Stem Cell Information) Accesing adult stem cells are difficult because “[a]dult stem cells are rare in mature tissues, so isolating these cells from an adult tissue is challenging” (Stem Cell Information). Embryonic stem cells are the best form of stem cells for scientific uses.

            Once we get beyond the dilemma of the ethical use of stem cells, major advances in disease treatment will occur.  Stem Cells are a great way to improve our healthcare but are still in preliminary stages. Able to cure almost any disease, stem cells are the healthcare of the near future.

Bibliography

Dr. Avraham Kadar, M.D. "Stem Cells." Brain Pop. 19 4 2012 <http://www.brainpop.com/science/cellularlifeandgenetics/stemcells/>.

Stem Cell Information. 16 April 2012 <http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics1.asp>.

"The Stem Cell Story." JDRF. 16 4 2012 <http://kids.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=109760>.

The Last Pickle

Timothy was the last to be freed from this landfill. Ah, the joy of leaving the jar. It has seemed like forever since the lid has opened. Things have changed since his release; the jar has grown a nauseating smell. Even worse, these small bacteria that swim back and forth in the water antagonizing me day and night, have arrived. There hasn’t been anyone else here since Tim left. Now I face boredom itself and its evil adversaries, loneliness and solitude. I don’t know how long I can take this no one to talk to, no one to listen to. The silence is engulfing my body whole. I must block out these distractions and wait till the jar is opened. There is no escape. There is no happiness. There is no anger. There is no family. There is no enemy. There is nothing.The only thing to do is wait.

Mr. Mason's Jars Conflict and Resolution

The passage, Mr. Mason's Jars, contained the conflict of Troy getting on the nerves of Mr. Mason. Troy was new to the school so he hadn't been shown the ropes from Mr. Mason yet. Because Troy was so talkative, Mr. Mason  despised Troy for interrupting class and asking so many questions. Troy just kept pushing Mr. Masons buttons causing Mr. Mason to invite him after school. Mr. Mason resolved Troy's communication issues by taking his soul. A way that Mr. Mason could have avoided ruining Troy's life forever, Mr. Mason could have nicely told him to quiet down or created a different consequence such as sitting in the hall. Troy losing his soul could have been avoided if his science teacher wasn't mentally insane. If Mr. Mason did not steal Troy's soul then troy would most likely continue to annoy him, unless he treated the problem correctly and scolded him appropriately. If he did do what normal teachers do then Troy would be fine. In the story Troy says just before his soul is taken that Mr. Mason was his favorite teacher. If Mr. Mason would have just been nice to his kids then everyone would have been happy and no one's souls would be missing.