Thanksgiving Turkeys

Danielle Slatkin

Date Presented:  11/26/12

Thanksgiving Turkeys

The purpose of my news report was to educate the class about the bird that they just ate on Thanksgiving.  For example, I showed the process turkeys go through to get to the slaughterhouse, as well as the effects that turkeys have on the environment and on people's health.  I displayed these facts, and showed an advertisement created by PETA, in order to let individuals in the class make an informed decision on whether or not he or she wants to continue supporting the Thanksgiving turkey industry. 

Discussion Questions:

1.     Is this an issue that Americans should care strongly about, and put as a priority?

2.     Would it be possible for Americans to break this tradition of eating turkeys? Could you give up eating turkey on thanksgiving?

3.     Is it a good tradition that the president pardons a turkey every thanksgiving?  Does this, or is this enough to promote animal rights?

Some of my Research:

·      Over 65 million turkeys are killed during the winter holiday season alone

·      The majority of these turkeys spend their entire lives confined inside massive sheds, and never set foot outside

·      In the 1960s, it took 220 days to raise a 35-pound turkey-->now, due to selective breeding and growth-promoting drugs, it only takes 132 days to raise a turkeyàfarm conditions are so harsh that the turkeys have to be pumped full of antibiotics just to stay alive

·   According to the US Dep. Of Agriculture, the single condition for the term “free-range” is that birds need to have access to the outdoorsàall other facets of a free-range turkey’s life can be indistinguishable from the living conditions of a conventionally raised bird-->turkeys, and in fact all birds, are excluded from coverage under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and from the Animal Welfare Act

·      Turkey skin is also contaminated with deadly pathogens and antibiotics that are passed on to the consumers

-    much of the 10 billion pounds of manure generated by 7,300 turkey farms in 33 states ends up in our drinking water, and is responsible for the release of immense amounts of methane and nitrous oxideàthe livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions than all transport combined

-     PETA used to support the turkey pardoning, but this year the PETA president Ingrid Newkird said “it makes light of the mass slaughter of some 46 million gentle, intelligent birds and portrays the United States’ president as being in some sort of business partnership with the turkey-killing Industry.  Turkeys do not need to be pardoned, they are not guilty of anything other than being born into a world of prejudice.  They are innocents who should be respected for who they are:  good mothers, smart birds, and interesting animals.”

Main Source:
"GREENRLogout." GaleNet. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/retrieve.do?sgHitCountType=None&sort=DateDescend&docType=IAC&docLevel=&prodId=GRNR&tabID=T004&subjectParam=&searchId=R1&resultListType=RESULT_LIST&searchType=BasicSearchForm&currentPosition=1&qrySerId=Locale%28en%2C%2C%29%3A.

Other Sources (including video link-Peta.org):

"Compassion Over Killing > Harvest Compassion This Thanksgiving with an Animal-Friendly Feast!." Compassion Over Killing. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://www.cok.net/feat/thanksgiving/>.

"Gentle Thanksgiving." Gentle Thanksgiving. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://www.gentlethanksgiving.org/about/why.htm>.

"Thanksgiving: Disgrace to Turkeys: PETA's Banned Ad | PETA.org." People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA): The animal rights organization | PETA.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://www.peta.org/features/Thanksgiving-Grace.aspx>.

"White House Thanksgiving Tradition: Obama Pardons Turkey Named Cobbler - ABC News." ABCNews.com  - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2012. <http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/white-house-thanksgiving-tradition-obama-pardons-turkey-named/story?id=17767432#.UK6V17tehEE>.

Picture Link: http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&tbo=d&biw=795&bih=564&tbm=isch&tbnid=HM6Dy9v2mW7cnM:&imgrefurl=http://cadryskitchen.com/2010/11/18/my-wish-for-the-turkeys/&docid=3ZSUTOFuyjFjhM&imgurl=http://cadryskitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/turkeysfactoryfarm.jpg&w=500&h=333&ei=Tu-zUJ-4KuHjiAKOtIHIDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=320&vpy=258&dur=58&hovh=184&hovw=276&tx=167&ty=134&sig=110770707616431204612&page=1&tbnh=140&tbnw=225&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:6,s:0,i:102

The Rise in Cellulosic Ethanol

Macey Mathews

Presented - November  20

The Rise in Cellulosic Ethanol 

 

Purpose: 

The purpose of my presentation was to educate the class about a type of alternative fuel called cellulosic ethanol that converts wood chips and agricultural waste into fuel. Foreign dependency on oil is an ongoing issue for the US and lowering this dependence is a major priority. This fuel source can be produced within the United States and it uses products considered "waste" while also lowering the CO2 pollution. 

1. Discussion Questions: 
   

   1. Ultimately do you believe that Kior and other companies will be successful in mass-producing cellulosic ethanol on a national scale?

   2. Current estimates say that this renewable oil could only supply 60% of Americans’ fuel…  what are other ideas to reduce dependence on foreign oil? 

   3. Do you believe that cellulosic ethanol will be a viable source with out  depleting natural     recourses? 

2. 
   

   Evidence:

•    can affordably turn agricultural waste products into fuel.
• ·        Kior, a company based inTexas, claimes it has produced a crude oil made from wood chips and would be expected to refine it into gasoline and diesel later this month
• ·        Able to rearrange the molecule of the biomass into oil in a matter of moments
• ·       Takes the cellulose, which is an energy rich molecule found in plants, and convert it into fuel
• ·       PROCESS(for wood): Shred wood into small particles and is fed into a reactor mixing a powdered catalyst. It is then sent to the separator where the catalyst is separated from the renewable crude. The renewable crude and byproducts are then sent into the product recovery where they are cooled and separated and is condensed into a liquid and the gases are send to the cogeneration unit where they are burned and used as electricity. It is then refined into gasoline and diesel 
• ·       Kior deals with mostly wood chips specifically the yellow pine however it is also possible to use other agricultural debris such as switch grass and corn stalk which does not compete with our food supply.
• ·       Companies have predicted that it would reduce gas prices to around 2 dollars a gallon and would produce around 1.2 million jobs in the coming years
• ·       Zion has recently created its first commercial fuel production facility in Columbus Massachusetts earlier this year.
• ·       They are also currently compatible with cars on the road

   Links 

   http://www.kior.com/content/?s=11&t=Technology

   http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/11/08/turning-wood-chips-into-gasoline/

   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoZraRIPeNI

   http://www.issues.org/27.2/forum.html      (found from gale group)

   Follow Up: 
   http://www.biotechnologyforbiofuels.com/content/5/1/21 (specific information on the composition and process of generating the fuel) 

  http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/14/business/energy-environment/alternative-fuels-long-delayed-promise-might-be-near-fruition.html?pagewanted=all 

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1SDAgLn-tk (extended version of the video above) 

Duncan Cummings News Report, 11/1/2012

The Effects of Climate Change on Hurricane Sandy

 

Purpose: Hurricane Sandy, is the super storm that was plaguing the east coast in October. The hurricane has brought storm surges, flooding and extreme winds to the New York and New Jersey areas. There are clear connections between the extreme storm conditions and the growing effects of climate change. The rising sea levels due to melting ice caps have worsened storm surges. Climate change is increasing global ocean temperatures, which increase flooding by bringing more rain. The once rare October hurricanes are now more common because of hotter temperatures. Overall, hurricane intensity has grown due to climate change, and it is yet to be determined whether or not they are increasing in numbers. The finding in this article has direct implications for future natural disasters; climate change is making them more common and possible worse.

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does North America have such a high increase in the intensity of natural disasters?

2. Could climate change be increasing the abundance of natural disasters?

3. How could climate change effect natural disasters in California?

Evidence:

"With every degree C, the water holding of the atmosphere goes up 7%, and the moisture provides fuel for the tropical storm, increases its intensity, and magnifies the rainfall by double that amount compared with normal conditions."
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1029-hance-climate-hurricane-sandy.html

“But the sea level rise has been even more pronounced of the U.S. east coast. A study from this summer found that sea levels in the region have been rising on average 2 to 3.8 millimeters a year during the last sixty years, cumulatively, that's around 5-9 inches.”
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1029-hance-climate-hurricane-sandy.html

“Warmer weather in the north allows hurricanes to travel further than they usually would, while hotter seasons increase the chances of October hurricanes on the eastern seaboard, once a rarity.”
http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1029-hance-climate-hurricane-sandy.html

“In fact, a 2010 review paper in Nature Geoscience found that global warming will bump up the number of particularly intense hurricanes by 2-11 percent, hurricanes just like the "Frankenstorm" Sandy.”

http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1029-hance-climate-hurricane-sandy.html

“Over the past half-century, temperatures and precipitation in the United States have gradually increased, more of the precipitation has fallen in heavy storms, sea level and sea surface temperatures have risen, and other aspects of climate have also changed.”

http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=392fa7e32b9168dd14bd532e53defc2b&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T012&docId=A225078457&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

“When weather varies outside this range of tolerance, however, damages increase very disproportionately. As floodwaters rise, damages are minimal as long as the levees hold, but when levees are overtopped, damages can be catastrophic. If roofs are constructed to withstand 80 mile per hour (mph) winds, a storm bringing 70 mph winds might damage only a few shingles, but if winds rose to 100 mph, roofs might come off and entire structures be destroyed. Plants can withstand a dry spell with little loss of yield, but a prolonged drought will destroy the entire crop. The most alarming risks of damage from climate change arise from an increasing likelihood of such extreme weather events, not from a gradual change in average conditions.”

http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=392fa7e32b9168dd14bd532e53defc2b&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T012&docId=A225078457&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

“Insured losses from disasters globally averaged $9 billion a year in the 1980s. By the 2000s, the average soared to $36 billion per year. The costliest weather disasters in the USA since 1980, as defined by insured losses, have all been hurricanes, led by Katrina in 2005 ($62 billion) and Ike in 2008 ($18 billion).”

http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=89ddd7165d02d7a155d3cfb81a5932ec&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T004&docId=CJ304985284&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

References:

http://news.mongabay.com/2012/1029-hance-climate-hurricane-sandy.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTFKnwN9Q3o

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/hurricane-sandy-becomes-stronger-and-larger-than-expected/2012/10/25/59172f10-1eb2-11e2-9cd5-b55c38388962_blog.html

http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=392fa7e32b9168dd14bd532e53defc2b&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T012&docId=A225078457&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=89ddd7165d02d7a155d3cfb81a5932ec&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T004&docId=CJ304985284&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

Hazardous Waste By Sydney Block

Purpose: 

The purpose of this presentation was to inform the class about hazardous waste in the United States and and around the world. Hazardous waste disposal is an international issue that is important to be aware of and to know how to encourage safer ways to dispose these toxic materials.

Overview of Presentation:

-Hazardous wastes are byproducts of human activities
-This issue became prevalent in the 1970s when a number of high-profile human health and environmental pollution crises focused public attention on the problem
- United States industries, farms, mines, military facilities, cities, and small businesses generate roughly 200 million tons of hazardous wastes each year
-Each year, industrialized nations with strict environmental regulations export more than two million tons of hazardous waste for disposal in poorer developing nations with less stringent waste disposal oversight

Discussion Questions:

           Should there/can there be an international law limiting and regulating hazardous waste?

·      What steps do you think the US needs to take in order to decrease the amount of hazardous waste produced by American industries, farms, mines and military facilities?

·      How else can governments encourage clean and safe waste disposals?

Sources Used in Report:

"Hazardous wastes." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. K. Lee Lerner and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. 4th ed. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Gale Science In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Drums Containing Radioactive Waste." Alternative Energy. Ed. K. Lee Lerner, Brenda Wilmoth Lerner, and Kathleen J. Edgar. 2nd ed. Detroit: U*X*L, 2012. Gale Science In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Polluted swamp at the Inger Oil Superfund toxic waste site." Environmental Encyclopedia. Ed. Marci Bortman, Peter Brimblecombe, and Mary Ann Cunningham. 3rd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Gale Science In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

"Toxic foam caused by the accumulation of pollutants." Biotechnology: In Context. Ed. Brenda Wilmoth Lerner and K. Lee Lerner. Detroit: Gale, 2012. In Context Series. Gale Science In Context. Web. 13 Nov. 2012.

Evaluating the Benefits of Organic versus Conventional Foods: Julia

Evaluating the Benefits of Organic versus Conventional Foods 

Purpose:

The purpose of this report is to examine a controversial study on the benefits of organic food versus conventional foods.  There is a common perception that organic food is healthier because it is grown or produced without pesticides, growth hormones, antibiotics, or other additives.  A recent study by Stanford doctors and scientists challenges this idea that organic food is healthier than conventional. 

Discussion Questions:

1. What factors should be considered in evaluating the benefits of organic food versus nonorganic food?  Only nutritional value comparisons?  What about the environmental effects of conventional farming versus organic farming?  Or the health risks from long term exposure to pesticide residues?

2.  Can there be safe levels of exposure to pesticides or chemical additives, such as growth hormones in milk?

3.  Is a food “healthy” just because it is organic?  Organic gummy bears?  Organic chips?

4. Will this study lead to less consumption and therefore less production of organic food?

Research Facts:

§  A recent Stanford study concludes that nonorganic food is just as healthy and nutritious as organic food.  Specifically, it examines numerous existing studies and finds that the nutrient and vitamin values of conventional food are generally the same as organic food.  In other words, an organic strawberry has the same amount of vitamin C as a conventional strawberry.  See New York Times Article, http://find.galegroup.com/grnr/infomark.do?&source=gale&idigest=89ddd7165d02d7a155d3cfb81a5932ec&prodId=GRNR&userGroupName=san92165&tabID=T004&docId=A301499976&type=retrieve&contentSet=IAC-Documents&version=1.0

§  The study also concludes that conventional foods do not pose a higher health risk than organic foods, even though conventional foods are thirty per cent more likely to contain harmful additives, such as pesticide residues.  NBC Video Clip, http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/msnbc-video/2012/09/organic-food-no-more-nutritious/.  The study claims that such pesticide levels are not harmful because they are within the safe levels set by the government.  See Reuters Health Medical News Article, http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/scic/NewsDetailsPage/NewsDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=SCIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&mode=view&displayGroupName=News&limiter=&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&source=&sortBy=&displayGroups=&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA301490750&userGroupName=san92165&jsid=dc45263043a62ca8b676cf027572ff70

§  These conclusions have generated significant controversy because they suggest that people should not pay more for organic foods because they are not healthier than conventional foods.  Critics of the Stanford study claim that it is flawed because: (1) it relies entirely on existing studies that have only examined the short term health effects of eating nonorganic foods (these studies simply analyze effects of exposure to pesticides, etc., over a period ranging from 2 days to 2 years; cancer can takes years to develop); (2) it ignores the harmful environmental effects of conventional farming, such as air and water pollution from pesticide use; and (3) it disregards concern for animal welfare of animals, such as chickens and cows, who are raised on conventional farms.   See New York Times Article (cited above).

“Food” for Thought

§  The Stanford study questions the perception that organic food is healthier than conventional food.  However, its definition of healthy is narrow and focuses mainly on comparing nutritional value between the two types of food.   It also doesn’t consider health effects from long-term pesticide exposure. 

§  In addition, from a broader perspective, “healthy” can be expanded to mean what is beneficial for the environment as well as for an individual’s health.  Ultimately, the health of all human beings is linked to the health of the planet.  In this sense, the study does not answer the question whether organic food is healthier than conventional food because it does not consider the environmental impacts of conventional farming.

Resources used during Presentation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byDXT2SYNI4

Electric Cars in the Bay Area and Beyond by Ruby Fisher-Smith

Date of presentation: 9-25-12     

Purpose:

The purpose of sharing this presentation was to provide some background to the discussion of electric vehicles as an alternative to internal combustion vehicles, and to ground this discussion with the application of the electric vehicle trend in local news.

Background information:

Pros:

• Electric vehicles convert about 59–62% of the electrical energy from the grid to power at the wheels—conventional gasoline vehicles only convert about 17–21% of the energy stored in gasoline to power at the wheels
• Don’t emit tailpipe pollutants, but the energy companies that provide electricity might
• Don’t depend on foreign energy, electricity is domestic

Cons:

• Most EVs can only go about 100–200 miles before recharging—gasoline vehicles can go over 300 miles before refueling.
• Many people feel insecure because charging stations do not exist in such abundance as gas stations do
• Fully recharging the battery pack can take 4 to 8 hours. Even a "quick charge" to 80% capacity can take 30 min.

Charging Stations in San Francisco:

• Bay area has about 500 charging stations, although they are not evenly spread out over the region
• Additional charging stations will be needed to convince the more mainstream consumer to go electric
• So far, electric car sales in the bay area have been about 0.4% of all car sales
• firms such as NRG Energy Inc., 350Green and Ecotality Inc. have plans to install more electric-car charging facilities in the Bay Area.
• NRG, a power company based in Princeton, N.J., signed an agreement with the state of California to install 55 next-generation electric-vehicle fueling stations across the Bay Area as part of a four-year plan to build 200 fast-charging stations in the state. The company says it hoping to start putting in the stations early next year.

Discussion Questions:

1. What do you think that electric cars are better than internal combustion vehicles? Why or why not?
2. Would you buy an electric car given the opportunity?
3. Do you think making more charging stations in the bay area will cause a significant increase in electric car sales? What do you think about the “chicken and the egg” idea put forth in the video regarding the charging stations and car sales?
4.  Do you think the electric car should be subsidized? If so, in what ways? If not, why?

Follow Up Research: 

•  More about EV batteries: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/fuel-efficiency/vehicles/electric-car-battery1.htm
• Information about Battery swapping stations: http://abcnews.go.com/Business/place-live-battery-switch-stations/story?id=13742428#.UGsSSaRejyc
• More about battery swapping stations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8nTAjVaa7Y

Sources Used in Report:

"Electric cars' side effects." The Futurist May-June 2012: 4. Gale Science In Context. Web. 25 Sep. 2012.

"Electric Vehicles." Electric Vehicles. US Department of Energy, n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2012. <http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evtech.shtml>.

Sweet, Cassandra. "Pursuing Power: Where Electric Cars Can Fill Up." The Wall Street Journal. WSJ, 19 Sept. 2012. Web. 20 Sept. 2012. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444450004578002452949001868.html>.