| |
 |
Wednesday, June 27, 2007 |
Have a Good Summer All!
The Freshman Academy has just wrapped up with a field trip to the Phoenix Zoo, check out our home page to see some pics of the experience.
I hope everyone enjoyed themselves, and that all have a good, safe summer.
Look forward to seeing you all in the Fall...jg
12:15:33 AM 
|
|
|
Tuesday, June 05, 2007 |
Science data nerds writes "The White House is consistently and persistently claiming that the US is doing better than Europe
in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is false — their claim is
purely based on carefully selecting the only subset of the data that
supports this conclusion. When all the data are used, it is plain that
European emissions have declined substantially and US emissions have
grown substantially. The article, and this linked analysis, debunk the White House claims."
11:20:30 AM
|
|
|
Saturday, April 14, 2007 |
Noctilucent clouds over northern Europe (Credit: Pekka Parvianien)
Science Daily —
An international research team is to study spectacular 'night-shining'
clouds, thought by some to a harbinger of global environmental change.
But, on the bright side....
IPCC Report Delivers Sobering Message
"Science & Technology Committee Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN) today issued the following
statement on the report: "For the first time, the world's top scientists are able to confidently
attribute changes in a wide variety of ecosystems in all parts of the world to human-induced
global warming." "This report, a tremendous scientific achievement, delivers a powerful and
sobering message about the current state of our climate system."
5:28:18 PM
|
|
|
Wednesday, April 11, 2007 |
God Bless You, Mr. Vonnegut!
"Hello, babies. Welcome to Earth. It's hot in the summer and cold in the winter. It's round and wet and crowded. At the outside, babies, you've got about a hundred years here. There's only one rule that I know of, babies — God damn it, you've got to be kind."
Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times
So it goes.
8:49:32 PM
|
|
|
Saturday, April 07, 2007 |
Fresh Air from WHYY, March 28, 2007 ·
In his most recent book, British scientist Richard Dawkins writes about
the irrationality of a belief in God, examines God in all his forms and
sets down his arguments for atheism. The book is The God Delusion.
Dawkins is a professor of "the public understanding of science" at Oxford University.
The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who "understands the issues so clearly that he forces his reader to understand them too." 
Dawkins has been one of the leading scientists bringing this topic out into the open. The idea that perhaps we should question and debate religion on the same footing that we question scientific ideas, evaluating the meaning of truth and reality.
Americans, especially in the last six years, have been loath to even discuss the topic. This is rather ironic, as we retreat from rationalism and run towards irrational thought at the same time that we are under threat from another form of extremist fundamentalist religion. jg
3:20:20 PM
|
|
|
Monday, April 02, 2007 |
By Beth Daley, The Boston Globe Staff | April 2, 2007
In a defeat for the Bush administration, the US Supreme Court ruled
Monday that greenhouse gases are a pollutant and ordered federal
environmental officials to re-examine their refusal to limit emissions
of the gases from cars and trucks.
The justices' 5-4 decision did not go as far as to require the US
Environmental Protection Agency to regulate greenhouse gases, such as
carbon dioxide. Rather, the court directed the agency to take a new
look at the gases. If it determines they cause global warming and
therefore human harm, the agency should regulate them under the federal
Clean Air Act, or provide a reasonable explanation why it will not, the
court said.
The case, brought by 12 states and 13 environmental groups and
argued by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office, is the high
court's first decision on global warming and is expected to have
far-reaching implications for regulating greenhouse gases in the United
States.
"In short, EPA has offered no reasoned explanation for its refusal
to decide whether greenhouse gases cause or contribute to climate
change," Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the majority.
The EPA had argued that the Clean Air Act did not give it authority
to regulate greenhouse gases in part because of "substantial scientific
uncertainty" about its harm to human health and the environment.
The decision comes just two months after the US endorsed a statement
by hundreds of scientists worldwide that concluded that there was a
high degree of certainty that the recent rise in global temperatures
was mostly caused by increasing levels of carbon dioxide and other
heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere.
"Despite acknowledging that global warming poses serious dangers to
our environment and health, the Bush Administration has done nothing to
regulate greenhouse gas emissions," Massachusetts Attorney General
Martha Coakley said in a statement. "As a result of today's landmark
ruling, EPA can no longer hide behind the fiction that it lacks any
regulatory authority to address the problem of global warming." The EPA
released a statement saying it is reviewing the decision. "The Bush
Administration has an unparalleled financial, international and
domestic commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions," it said,
adding that the administration is pursuing voluntary efforts to prevent
emissions and has spent over $35 billion on climate change programs --
"more than any other country in the world." Stevens was joined in the
majority by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, David Souter
and Anthony Kennedy. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Samuel
Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas dissented.
Roberts wrote that Congress and the executive branch, not the
courts, should address the states' complaints about the EPA's lack of
regulation.
He said his stance "involves no judgment on whether global warming exists, what causes it, or the extent of the problem."
This is a huge victory for anyone who has a shred of concern for the future of human life on the planet (not to mention a shred of decency) jg
8:45:00 PM
|
|
|
Sunday, March 25, 2007 |
South Pointe Students - Welcome to Block IV!
I hope my Biology and Anatomy & Physiology students had a good Spring Break, and are energized for our final block (yeah!). By now most of you should know how this works, but in brief, check here every week or so for some (hopefully) interesting articles and (brilliant) comments, and of course extra credit assignments. The first one of the block is soooooo simple.
For my Biology II students, scroll down to the "TOPIC - Environmental Change" posting from a few days ago, and browse through the articles. Click on at least one of the links, read the article, and write me an abstract (normal format) of it. You can either print that out and give it to me in class, or email it to me at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net, for 25 points extra credit. Piece of cake, dudes and dudettes.
For my Anatomy & Physiology II students, check out three of the six Blogs listed in the post immediately below this one, and write me a quick note telling me about the latest post on each one. A sentence or two will do fine. Again, you can either print it out and give it to me in class, or email it to me at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net, for 25 points extra credit. It's all good, babies...
See ya' in class...jg
11:56:13 PM
|
|
|
Friday, March 23, 2007 |
A slightly redacted version of my favorite student complaint ever: My Teacher,
I
appreciate you taking your inconvenience to instruct us but I really
had some problems in your class and I would like to explain them to you
now. Every day I wanted to discuss with you about the way you grade my
papers and the way you teach the class, but I could not because the
things you say in class and your words disturb me so much I can not.
You make me completely uncomfortable with the little things you say in
the class like how you talk about television or how you talk about when
you are grading our papers and trying to be fair. You do not seem to
care about our grades only that they are up to your too high standards
and I can not talk to you because you make me completely
uncomfortable. For example, you say you will talk to us about our
grades but you really will not because of how uncomfortable you make me
feel with your words and what you say.
I will plan to contest the grade you have given me in this class
when I get it because I know it will be much higher with any other
teacher. I am a very religious man and you are not a bad person but
you do not choose your words with enough care like a teacher should.
You try to be objective and the very attempt becomes your flaw because
you try so hard to grade fairly and comment wisely that you become
biased to your own ideas. You criticize our writings because we are
college students and young but do not realize that you offend most of
us when you do this. I am always offended when I go to your class and
have been on many occasions but I never tell you of my offense because
you make me completely uncomfortable so I never say a word.
You like to lead discussions and that is bad because it is the
entire means by which we learn but we do not know what you want from us
on our papers. I have honestly no idea what I learned from you in
this class because so much time was spent discussing the tiny details
in the passages in the book and so if I learned anything it is how to
read things in too much detail. I could have read books in too much
detail on my own but that is not what I came to college to do because I
already know how to read and I would have told you this but you make me
completely uncomfortable with your words so I never said a word.
By doing this you give us no guidance on our papers. I thought it
was lame that you decided to show a movie and a cop out because you
chose not to give us any instruction. I know that it was a movie based
on the story in the play we read but it was not teaching to show it to
us when you could have been teaching us to write what you wanted us to
write on our papers instead. The movie was completely racist and very
offensive because it contained cultural stereotypes that are often used
in disrespectful jokes about people who have their feelings hurt all
the time. I was offended by this racism and in the movie and had my
feelings hurt by it. If that was supposed to teach me something about
the class I completely do not understand.
After this quarter I am hurt and tired and feel like talking to you
now will do me no good. I wanted to go to your office hours but I
could not find the time or make myself because of your words. I feel
like my paper was written to the best of my ability in reference to
your teaching skills in the discussions. You grade my papers poorly
but do not realize that you do so because they reflect your teaching
skills. Other people may have done well with your skills but I did not
and would have talked to you but what you said about grading fairly
made me uncomfortable. I take my responsibilities as a man and I have
never complained about my grades but this one I will because I did not
need you to teach me how to read or to write. I have made very high
grades in all my other writing classes and even though I had many
disputes with those instructors we always settled them to my
happiness. Now for the first time I can not talk to you to settle my
grades because I am uncomfortable to talk or even write to you. I
should have stayed strong and like a man no matter how much your words
and what you said offended me. I do not blame you because when there
is error there are two to blame, the perceiver and the target. I do
not know what this email does but I have to get my feelings off of my
chest. Thank you for reading this and I am sorry if what I feel has
shown you disrespect but these are my feelings and I feel by your words
you did not respect them. I love everyone and believe you to possibly
be a great person but with your words you have treated me completely
unfairly.
I am a very religious man and I love every one but I will forward
this letter to the head of your department so he can see that I am a
serious student who does not deserve the grade you will give him
because I write so very well.
10:35:12 AM
|
|
|
Thursday, March 22, 2007 |
TOPIC - Environmental Change
A series of articles with an Environmental Change theme...jg
New Evidence That Global Warming Fuels
Stronger Atlantic Hurricanes (March 2, 2007) -- Atmospheric scientists have
uncovered fresh evidence to support the hotly debated theory that global warming
has contributed to the emergence of stronger hurricanes in the Atlantic
Ocean.http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070228123140.htm
The Government has become the first in the world to commit itself to legally
binding reductions in carbon dioxide emissions but will come under strong
pressure to agree to bigger cuts when its landmark Climate Change Bill goes
though Parliament. More: http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article2355957.ece A Step Toward Inexpensive Geothermal
Energy (March 15,
2007) -- In the debate over alternative energy resources,
geothermal technology has received scant media attention. Advocates call it one
of the cleanest, sustainable energy resources available. However, steep
construction, equipment and drilling costs have prevented more widespread
development of geothermal technology. An Ohio University hydrothermal systems
expert is working to change that.
Global December-February Temperature
Warmest On Record (March 16,
2007) -- NOAA reports that February's combined global land and
ocean surface temperature was the sixth warmest on record, but a strong El Nino
in January helped push the winter to its highest value since records began in
1880.
NASA Studies How Airborne Particles Affect
Climate Change (March 18,
2007) -- A recent NASA study links natural and human-made aerosol
particles to how much Earth warms or cools. Different types of aerosol particles
can influence visible light and other kinds of radiation, affecting climate and
temperatures, the scientists reported.
Substantial Amount Of Mercury Entering The
Ocean Through Groundwater (March
22, 2007) -- Researchers from the Woods Hole Oceanographic
Institution have found a new and substantial pathway for mercury pollution
flowing into coastal waters. Marine chemists have detected much more dissolved
mercury entering the ocean through groundwater than from atmospheric and river
sources.
Powerful New Tool To Track Atmospheric
Carbon Dioxide By Source (March
21, 2007) -- Scientists from the NOAA Earth System Research
Laboratory have announced a new tool to monitor changes in atmospheric carbon
dioxide and other greenhouse gases by region and source. The tool, called
CarbonTracker, will enable its users to evaluate the effectiveness of their
efforts to reduce or store carbon emissions.
Dióxido de Carbono: No es
Causa del Cambio Climático: por Eduardo Ferreyra - La
correlación entre dos fenómenos observados no es evidencia de causa: primero hay
que determinar cuál es la causa y cuál es el efecto, o también, cuál efecto
ocurre primero y cuál ocurre después -porque ambos eventos podrían no tener
relación entre sí. Es el caso del dióxido de carbono y la variación de la
temperatura del planeta. (27-diciembre-2006): http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/CarbonoClima.html
El Carbón en
"Carbonífero": por Eduardo Ferreyra - Segunda
parte de: Dióxido de Carbono: No es
Causa del Cambio Climático. En las rocas está inscrita una intrigante
historia de cambios climáticos que comprende las formaciones geológicas
establecidas durante el Período Carbonífero. Los depósitos de carbón juegan un
rol importante en este registro del clima, y su análisis permite com-prender la
ausencia de correlación entre CO2 y cambio de clima. (28-diciembre-2007) http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/Carbonifero.html
Le incluyo más abajo el estudio del
climatólogo Nir Shaviv, sobre la relación cada vez más comprobada, de la
variabilidad solar como modulador e impulsor del clima de la Tierra –algo que el
Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski ya venía sosteniendo desde principios de la década del
90. Ver su estudio en Inglés: "Los Ciclos Solares, No el
CO2, Determinan al Clima:
Último trabajo del Dr. Zbigniew Jaworowski, M.D. Ph.D., D.Sc, sobre la relación
ciclos solares, viento cósmico, nubes, vapor de agua, y cómo interactúan para
dar forma al clima. El CO2 no cuenta para nada. (28-FEB-04) http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen3/Jawor.html
¿Dióxido de Carbono, o
Forzamiento Solar?: por Nir Shaviv - el climatólogo
israelí nos ilustra de manera acabada acerca de la falacia del CO2 como impulsor
del clima, y nos da las razones por las que la actividad solar, como modulador
del viento solar presenta una correlación irrefutable con las variaciones del
clima. (12-febrero-2007): http://www.mitosyfraudes.org/Calen6/Shaviv.html
1:15:23 PM
|
|
|
Friday, March 09, 2007 |
More Than a Feeling, no more forever...
Brad Delp, the lead singer of the 1970s and '80s rock band Boston
died today. With Delp's big, high-register voice, Boston scored hits with "More Than a Feeling," "Long Time," and "Peace of Mind." The
band's popularity peaked in the late 1970s, but it remained active off
and on, producing its last album "Corporate America" in 2002. Delp
was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and bought his first guitar at age
13 after seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show, according to his
Web site. Since 1994, he spent his spare time working in a tribute band
called Beatle Juice, the band's Web site said.The band's Web site carried a statement, "We've just lost the nicest guy in rock and roll."
Boston was such an incredibly huge influence on rock music in the 70's that it's difficult to understand their impact today, perhaps something akin to Nirvana or Pearl Jam. They were an American band, through and through. With high power guitars, percussion, and vocals, led by Delp and lead guitarist and engineer Tom Scholz, Boston knew how to burn the house down. It's epic hit More Than a Feeling was a seminal piece of music for anyone young in the 70s and 80s. I still get chills listening to it, even after 30 years! I hope Brad found some Piece of Mind, or at least Hitched a Ride to the other side. Namaste Brad!
Brad Delp - June 12, 1951 to March 9, 2007
The nicest, kindest, most caring, down to earth rock star the world has ever known.
May you rest in Peace
10:04:09 PM
|
|
|
Thursday, March 08, 2007 |
 |
|
|
Image: © ISTOCKPHOTO/LISE GAGNE
|
|
ERASE MODE:
Scientists speculate that during sleep, the neocortex drives the
clearing of information stored in the hippocampus, the brain region
responsible for episodic memory |
For some 40 years, neuroscientists have believed that
the brain forms memories by using a "sketch pad" to quickly record
experiences and information learned throughout the day.
Stenographic duties, under this model, fall to the hippocampus, the
two slightly curved sections of the brain located under the temporal
lobe that are implicated in episodic memory. During sleep, the thinking
goes, neurons in the hippocampus fire, driving a transfer of its
information to the neocortex, the top layer of the cerebrum that serves
as the brain's hard disk, or permanent storage bin. This model seemed
to explain why people with hippocampus damage could recall old memories
but could not create new ones.
For the rest of the article, click here.
2:08:36 AM
|
|
|
Friday, March 02, 2007 |
Until society does seven things, and does them well, little will change: ¶Make teaching a profession that attracts and keeps the most talented of our young adults. ¶Make schools intellectually stimulating for students and teachers. ¶Treat teachers with respect and pay them adequately. ¶Give teachers the continuing support they need. ¶Reduce
the ravages of poverty by providing poor families with programs like
health care, child care, mental health services and job training. ¶Support the development of well-paying jobs that require specialized training rather than a college education. ¶Use well-designed research rather than bumper-sticker rhetoric to guide decision-making. Anything less will put us further behind. Howard Margolis
Voorhees, N.J., Feb. 27, 2007
The writer is professor emeritus of literacy and special education, Queens College, CUNY.
12:07:27 AM
|
|
|
Saturday, January 20, 2007 |
South Pointe Extra Credit - Read the article below, and write me a one paragraph discussion of how you think the technological advance has impacted your life. To find out more about each particular advance, follow the links included or Google the headings. Either turn in the paragraph in class, respond to the post through the comments link at the bottom of the article, or send me an email at jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net. Make sure you include your name and class, so I
know who to give the extra credit to.
Greatest Medical Advance: Sanitation
Sanitation Gets Top Vote in Medical Advances From Readers of the Journal BMJ
By Miranda Hitti, WebMD Medical News
Jan. 19, 2007 -- Sanitation is the greatest medical advance since 1840, according to voters in a poll on the medical journal BMJ's web site.
The runners-up: antibiotics and anesthesia, says BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal).
Last year, BMJ invited readers to submit nominations for the top medical breakthrough since 1840, the year the journal was launched.
BMJ then posted 15 nominations and invited people to vote on its web site between Jan. 5 and Jan. 14, 2007.
Votes poured in from more than 11,000 people (mainly doctors) in
countries including Australia, Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, India, Italy,
Spain, U.K., and the U.S.
Here, in order, are the results:
1. Sanitation: 1,795 votes. The importance of clean
drinking water and waste disposal was recognized in the late 1800s, as
diseases began to be linked to impure water. However, the World Health
Organization says there is still a long way to go. More than 1.1
billion people now lack access to drinking water from an improved
source; 2.6 billion do not have basic sanitation.
2. Antibiotics: 1,642 votes. Alexander Fleming, a
British bacteriologist, discovered penicillin in 1928 by accident when
he sloppily left a Petri dish of bacteria unwashed in his lab. He found
a substance (later named penicillin) growing on it that killed the
bugs, and modern-day antibiotics got its start. Fleming shared the
Nobel Prize in 1945 for the discovery.
3. Anesthesia: 1,574 votes. In 1846, a Boston
dentist used ether during surgery, putting an end to much of the pain
of operations. Since then, general anesthesia has become a mainstay.
4. Vaccines: 1,337 votes. Vaccines have helped prevent a variety of diseases -- including polio, whooping cough, and measles. The first was Edward Jenner's smallpox vaccine, in 1796.
5. Discovery of DNA structure: 1,000 votes.
Scientists James Watson and Francis Crick presented the structure of
the DNA helix, the molecule responsible for carrying genetic
information from one generation to the next, in 1953. It earned them
the Nobel Prize in 1962.
6. Germ theory: 843 votes. In the late 1800s, Louis
Pasteur was the first to suggest that disease is caused by exposure to
microorganisms. Others furthered the theory, showing that specific
diseases are caused by specific "bugs."
7. Oral contraceptive pill: 842 votes. The pill arrived on the U.S. market in 1960. For women who use it correctly, oral contraception can be up to 99% effective at preventing pregnancy.
8. Evidence-based medicine: 636 votes. As the name
suggests, evidence-based medicine involves making use of the current
best evidence (such as research), combined with a patient's values and
a doctor's clinical experience, to make decisions about patient care.
The term was coined in the early '90s and the concept has been evolving
ever since.
9. Medical imaging: 471 votes. The X-ray was
accidentally discovered in 1895. Since then, the field has expanded,
giving us computed tomography (CT scans), positron emission (PET
scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRIs), and ultrasound. 10. Computers: 405 votes. From medical records to
insurance, to making sure your new medication isn't going to clash with
an existing one, computers are now considered as important as their
stethoscopes by some doctors. They've been in use in medicine since the
early 1960s. Doctors can access information on new drugs and
interactions, new medical studies, and clinical trials, and keep
patient records stored at their fingertips.
11. Oral rehydration therapy: 308 votes. This
therapy involves giving fluids by mouth to replace losses by the body.
It was first reported in 1964; now it's a mainstay of treatment in
patients with cholera, acute diarrhea, and other conditions.
12. Risks of smoking: 183 votes. The first report of the connection between smoking and lung cancer was published in BMJ in 1950. Even so, tobacco use still kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year.
13. Immunology: 182 votes. The history of
immunology is traced to 1798, when Edward Jenner found that people
could be immunized against the disease smallpox. Numerous other
immunology discoveries followed, leading to a greater understanding of
such things as allergies and antibodies.
14. Chlorpromazine: 73 votes. Discovered in 1952,
chlorpromazine (Thorazine) was the first antipsychotic medication. It
was used to treat psychotic disorders and their symptoms, such as
hallucinations, hostility, and delusions. Its development brought new
understanding of the biological basis for mental illness, and some say
it provided more humane management.
15. Tissue culture: 50 votes. Tissue culture
(keeping tissue alive and growing it in a culture medium for research
or other purposes) was "discovered" in 1907; but it took until the
1950s for it to become an important tool for clinical investigation.
2:06:30 PM
|
|
|
Sunday, January 07, 2007 |
Welcome to Block III All South Pointe Students!
Hi all. If you're visiting from Mr. G's Biology or Anatomy classes, welcome!
About once a week at this site, I'll post a brief extra credit assignment that goes with the unit we are currently discussing. For today, all I want you guys to do is to send me an email from this link, or send a note to jgiacobbe_southpointe@cox.net. You can also just post a comment by clicking on the comment link at the bottom of this post.
Make sure you include your name and class, so I know who to give the extra credit to.
Please remember to check out this page every now and then. It will also include random rants, articles, and comments on things I think are interesting. Feel free to tell me what you think about things. This is considered an off-campus site, so you can say whatever you want, however you want, just keep it relevant...jg
10:47:29 PM
|
|
Scientists reported Sunday they had found a plentiful source of stem cells in the fluid that cushions babies in the womb. The announcement may make it easier to sidestep the controversy over destroying embryos for research. Researchers
at Wake Forest University and Harvard University reported the stem
cells they drew from amniotic fluid donated by pregnant women hold much
the same promise as embryonic stem cells. They reported they
were able to extract the stem cells without harm to mother or fetus and
turn their discovery into several different tissue cell types,
including brain, liver and bone....Dr. George Daley, a Harvard University stem cell researcher, said
that finding raises the possibility that someday expectant parents can
freeze amnio stem cells for future tissue replacement in a sick child
without fear of immune rejection. Nonetheless, Daley said the discovery shouldn't be used as a replacement for human embryonic stem cell research."While
they are fascinating subjects of study in their own right, they are not
a substitute for human embryonic stem cells, which allow scientists to
address a host of other interesting questions in early human
development," said Daley. Read the rest of the article here
For more about stem cells, check out here, here, here, and here.
10:33:53 PM
|
|
© Copyright 2007 John Giacobbe.
|
|
|
|
| June 2007 |
| Sun |
Mon |
Tue |
Wed |
Thu |
Fri |
Sat |
| |
|
|
|
|
1 |
2 |
| 3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
| 10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
14 |
15 |
16 |
| 17 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
21 |
22 |
23 |
| 24 |
25 |
26 |
27 |
28 |
29 |
30 |
| Apr Jul |
|
|
