When Recycling Is Bad for the Environment

You just polished off some yogurt and, because of that chasing-arrows symbol on the bottom of the container, you assume it should go in the recycle bin. Right?
Not necessarily.

I chose this lede because recycling is a big part of what I go to school for. I am obsessed with the concept of recycling, and more importantly not wasting. After reading this article I even realized as much as a recycling freak as I am, i'm still not doing it correctly. There are so many plastics out their that its almost impossible to recycle every single type of plastic. I thought the lede was good because alot of people can relate to it, and then again it tells them its not necessary to throw your recycable cup into the recycling bin.  It leads the reader in kind of making them feel a little less guilty for not recycling when they knew they should have been!

http://discovermagazine.com/2009/jul-aug/06-when-recycling-is-bad-for-the-environment

The Centipede!

This past weekend I went home to visit my sister for her 30th birthday. As I dropped my bag down on my bed I noticed the ugliest looking bug I have ever seen. It had more legs than any living organism I've ever seen. After I screamed for about 30 seconds I decided I would get my mother to come and kill the beast since I was way to afraid. My mother came in with her rubber gloves and a tissue. Once she saw what I was making a fuss about she said in a silly voice, " OH Dayna! that's just a centipede, they're harmless!" If they are so harmless, then why do they have so many darn legs!
   The centipede, which belongs to the Chilopoda and the Subphylum Myriapoda family, has 100 feet and legs. They have one pair of legs per body segment, and are a brownish red color. The size of their body varies from a few small millimeters, to almost 30 cm! They have round heads, and antenna's. Centipede's are only capable of telling between light and dark, they don't have clear vision. The centipede feeds off of other insects, and use their antannea to find their prey. They are common in a lot of different environments all over the world. They like to hang out under stones, and inside logs. What I didn't know is that some centipedes actually bite people, and can be very harmful to young children because children can be allergic to them.

Attack of the Spiny Water Flea!

            Although this creature is only a 1/2 inch big, it may be one of the most annoying and invasive species of all time. The Spiny Water Flea, also known as Bythotrephes Cederstroemi  is an invasive species that has attacked both the Great Lakes, Sacandaga Lake, and is on its way to Lake Champlain.
           The Spiny Water Flea derived in Eurasia, and was found in the Great Lakes in the mid 1980s. It wasn't until last September that scientists discovered the species attached to boats in Sacandaga Lake. It is their fear that this species will make its way into Lake Champlain. Although it may be small, it can totally ruin lake ecosystems. The fleas tail makes it almost impossible for small fish to digest. Since nothing can digest them they just keep multiplying. The flea produces thick walled eggs that can remain dormant for long periods of time outside of the water. Their eggs can even be digested and still survive. Its hard spiny body gives it is perfect name " Spiny Water Flea". Scientists believe that the flea invades our lakes through boat transportation. Since boating is a big recreational sport in New York State, people are constantly taking their boats in and out of different bodies of water. This could have caused the invasion of these annoying creatures. The spiny water flea predation will reduce the diversity and density of the native Zooplankton that can be found in most lakes in NY.
       My best friend's family owns a campsite on the shore of Sacandaga Lake. Over the summer we went on a boat ride and when her father took the anchor out of the water there were a number of the fleas attached to the chain. They are small, yet very ugly looking. As a matter of fact, they kind of resemble what I would think an alien would look like. The Flea's body is almost 70% Spiny. Adult's have four pairs of barbs on there tail, and younger ones only have 1 pair of barbs. It has one large black or red eye, and has four pairs of legs that they use to catch their prey. They also have antenna that they use to swim with. For being not even an inch big these creatures have caused quiet a stir in New York State. I even learned about them last year in my Ecology class because they have caused such an annoyance to fishers.

Lede of the Week!

More than 50 years ago, the psychologist Carl Rogers suggested that simply loving our children wasn’t enough. We have to love them unconditionally, he said — for who they are, not for what they do.

My favorite lede of the week was  from the article When a Parent’s ‘I Love You’ Means ‘Do as I Say’by Alfie Kohn.  This lede kind of touches my heart because all of my life I have struggled with trying to get my fathers approval. It always seemed like the only time he would ever give me any recognation was when I accomplished something. We never really had a conversation about anything to be honest. It was either disagreements, or total silence. I feel like I can relate to this lede because my father never agreed with any of the decisions that I have made. He didn't want me to come to SUNY Plattsburgh because he didn't think it was a good school. He didn't want me to join a dance team because it wasn't a sport. He never liked any of my friends because he thought they all were bad influences. Everything has always seemed like a hassle when it came to my father and my relationship. My mother on the other hand has always been the most supportive person in the world. She has my back no matter what and is always there for me when I need her. My mother loves unconditionally and never has any doubts in me. I could be a garbage (wo)man and she would tell me that I was doing a great job cleaning our city. This lede is a true statement. Children need there parents support no matter what they choose to do with their lives. Parents really need to be there for their children, and let them know that no matter what they are going to be on there side, forever!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/health/15mind.html?_r=1&ref=science

The Stink Bug

  The Stink Bug, also known as the Halyomorpha halys or the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug is  indigenous to the northeastern part of Asia. Stink bugs damage trees, vegetables and crops.They are said to be a native pest to China, Korea, and Japan. The Stink bug was just recently introduced into the United States and is said to arrived through shipping containers  from Asia.The first discovery of the stink bug in the US, was in Pennsylvania in 2001.

    The Stink bug name refers to the scent that protrudes from the bugs when they are squashed. They attack common crops like apples, peaches, figs, mulberries, citrus fruits, and soybeans. They disperse in the fall and spring and can be household pests because they tend to look for a warm place to stay for the winter.

      I actually found this bug more than once. It was in early September, and it was on the inside of my window crawling up and down. The next day I found it crawling on my bed. The bug is really scary looking because it actually looks like it has pinchers, like a crab. I realized it was a stink bug when I squashed the bug and my entire room smelled extremely bad like burning grass. The smell does not go away quickly, it lasted for a good hour. 

        The stink bug has a triangular body, with black and white patterns all across it. It has 6 legs that look as if they have claws on the ends of them, and 2 antenna's. They can crawl on almost everything and are about 3/4". They are part of the Animalia Kingdome, Antropoda Phylum, Pentatomidae Family and the Hemiptera Order.

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/jf072087e?cookieSet=1

http://ento.psu.edu/extension/factsheets/brown-marmorated-stink-bug

http://www.coldclimategardening.com/2009/04/19/the-brown-marmorated-stink-bug-what-you-need-to-know/

Tool to Offer Fast Help for H.I.V Exposure

          " Time is of the essence in treating someone who may have been exposed to the AIDS virus." is what this article written by Roni Caryn Rabin started with, and boy is that true. Thankfully, starting this Wednesday emergency rooms and doctors all over New York state will only be a computer click away from possibly saving someone from being infected with the disease. The computer click, can also be known as " The Widget". The Widget was developed by a team of doctors from St. Vincent's Hospital in Manhattan, NY. The widget walks users through a screening process, which will determine whether the patient is able to be treated. It also teaches the patient about the 28-day course of antiretrovial drugs. Not only is this widget available for all patients, but you can also find it in 22 different languages. What's unfortunate is that the widget isn't as popular as you would think. In the article Dr. Tony Urbina explains that " You'd be surprised at how many patients come to us and say, ' I went to an emergency room, and the doctor didn't know what I was talking about, and I didn't get the drugs,'". This is absurd! If this miracle technology is available, how come everyone in the world doesn't know about it?  
          The article explains that all the information in the widget is constantly being updated by the State Health Department.  It is good to know that this product is out there, and it also good to know that these doctors are treating this problem, as if it were a "gunshot wound".Which in reality, H.I.V is worse than a gunshot wound, because you can never get rid of it. You live with it for as long as it allows you to live. The article also explains about the " golden two-hour period" after exposure where it is possible for you to start treamtment, and stop H.I.V from infecting you. What I didn't know is that you not only have 2 hours, but 36 hours after exposure to try and stop the disease from occuring.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/08/health/08hiv.html?ref=science

Global Warming Could Forestall Ice Age by Andrew C. Revkin

These days, global warming is one of the most discussed and argued about topics in the news. Some people don't believe that we as humans could have any adverse effect on the huge planet that we call earth. Others believe that we as humans are the main reason why we have so many problems on earth. According to the article "Global Warming Could Forestall Ice Age" global warming is a serious issue, and not only is it real, but it is possible that it is preventing an Ice age from occurring. According to the article “human activity is not only warming the globe, particularly the Arctic, but could also even fend off what had been presumed to be an inevitable descent into a new ice age over the next few dozen millenniums." To prove this statement a team of scientists recorded samples of layered lakebed mud, glacial ice and tree rings from Alaska to Siberia that showed the reversal of the slow cooling trend.                       Even more studies have shown that the Arctic region has been going through an unusual warming period.  So what is causing this global warming epidemic in the first place? Global warming is caused by the buildup of Green house gases. The green house gases make it impossible for the sun’s rays to escape the atmosphere. The more greenhouse gases that get into the atmosphere, the hotter the earth is going to become. According to author Jonathan T. Overpeck, a climate specialist from the University of Arizona, the rising concentration of greenhouse gases are indeed warming at a pace that could stress earths ecosystems, and could cause massive melting of Greenland's great ice sheet.          It is believed that 17 ice ages are thought to have come and gone in last two million years. Our last ice age ended about 11,000 years ago. The next ice age is expected to be in the next 20,000 to 30,000 years if you don't include any human influence. But with human actions causing such strain on the earth’s natural courses, it is believed by Dr. Overpeck that we could easily skip the next opportunity for an ice age all together. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/science/earth/04arctic.html?_r=1&ref=science