Sudbury robot goes to Chile

Chile is a country located in South America. However, most of us know it more for the mining disaster that trapped 33 Chilean men under the ground for  69 days. After the devastation brought upon the Chilean mining community by that horrific event, Chile is investing in the improvement of their mining industry. A mining company called COLDECO is interested in purchasing a robot, mad in Sudbury. This robot's primary use is to go in front of the miner's and detect whether the air in the mine is survivable , or if the geography in the mine is easily disturbed.
This robot can save lives. Every year miners die while working. Mining is one of the most dangerous industries and its great that a world that is constantly evolving in terms of technology that this industry could be made more safe.  However, I feel Chile has been forced to improve upon their mine safety records due to the amount of attention they received when the miners were trapped. 1 Billion people watched news broadcasts which showed them being brought out from the mine. If that's what it takes for mining industry's to stop caring only about the money, and care about the lives of the miners, I'm afraid it won't be long, until we're on the edge of our seats, waiting for more lives to be brought out of the earth.

Rant on Facebook

Is Facebook really helping society or is it slowly destroying centuries of human values?

To further my viewpoint on the matter I feel that Facebook has slowly create a new form of friendship. On Facebook, someone can have a friend, whom they've never actually met. Whereas before somebody tended to want to meet a person in the flesh before deciding upon whether or not they'll be friends, nowadays someone can see pictures of a possible friend, see how they interact with other people, and talk to them on a daily basis with no additional charge, without leaving there seats. Slowly, the days where kids would just spend time together to talk, are dissipating, quickly being replaced, by an era that is being ushered in by Mark Zuckerberg and other pioneers of social networking, an era in which the line between real friend and virtual friend, will be non-existent. Please comment and post your thoughts on this matter

Germany Returns 20 Skulls to Africa

Skulls. 20 of them, used in Berlin for the purpose of proving racial superiority by the shape of one's skull. That what Nambian government officials and the tribe leaders of the Hereo and Nama tribes received at a ceremony. These skulls were a product of extensive experimentation carried out during the World Wars by Germany when they were trying to create the Ultimate soldier. There are reportedly 7000 more skulls that have yet to be returned.
Personally, I think this is a symbolization of a dark time in German history and, Germany's repentance for their actions. The fact they have 7000 skulls is completely ridiculous. I have to wonder when I look around the class,whenever I see the children of people who died in the war. Which one of your grandfathers died in the war fighting for their country, and which ones died fighting for their sanity.

Did Wind Turbines Play Role in Liberal Losses?

So close, but yet so far. Dalton McGuinty was one seat away from a majority government, and when  he looks back at the different factors that kept him from getting a majority government the 10 seats he lost in rural Ontario might have been a reason. One thing that may have played a role in 10 Liberals, including three members of the Cabinet, the Environment Minister, The Argriculture Minister and the Education Minsiter losing their seats, and that is the issue of wind turbines. All of these ridings have plans for wind turbine programs or are already housing some turbines. Wind Concerns Ontario, an organization in Canada's rural areas which is against the Liberal governments institution of wind power.
Its unfortunate,for the Liberals, that they had missed out on a majority government by only one seat. Personally I favour the Conservative parties policies, but I can't complain about Dalton McGunity's tenure. I believe one of the highlights of his tenure is the embrace of green energy by the liberal party. Renewable energy sources like wind, water and solar energy, are the future of the world's energy consumption, and that Ontario is at the forefront of the country in supporting these is quite an accomplishment. However, wind energy is not a proven energy source, and to invest not only the money but the time of residents in Canada's rural areas must be something they do not take kindly to. They let their opinion be known to the government and I'm there issues will be addressed in later elections. Depsite the fact that I disagree with their disinterest with wind energy, I don't know what it is like for those living in rural communities who have to deal with wind turbines. I don't think Dalton McGuinty knows what it is like for them either. As John Laforet, the president of Wind Concerns Ontario said:
"The Ontario Liberals have spent the last two years denying science, refusing to accept local democracy, and tonight they paid a price," 
One seat away from a majority government. I would say, yes, he's right, and it's a pretty hefty price to pay.

Obama Unveils Education Plan

Admirable, but flawed. These are the words that President Barrack Obama use to describe the Bush Administration's No Child Get's Left Behind law. On Friday, Obama announced his intention to alter the law so that states will get the freedom to waive the basic parts of the law. Obama new law allows for states to buy time, as they will be allowed to free themselves of the deadline of 2014, at which time all students must show they are good at reading and writing, if they meet the required condition designed to prepare and test student in a better manner. The reason for the change Obama says is because teachers were forced to teach only to prepare students for test, and subjects like history and science were shortchanged in class, as a result the U.S was falling behind other countries in terms of education. The new changes have torn politicians and important figures in education with some saying it undermines congress, and weakens the law, while others disagree. With 82 schools due to be named failures next year, the law was in need of a tweak. That's what Obama has supplied.

In my opinion this law change is very good as it helps the education system to alleviate itself of some pressure to perform, while also having to maintain a standard. The original law pressured teachers to push kids through, only preparing students for standardized testing as to not hurt their reputation. The result of that teaching method resulting in more students not being adequately prepared for post secondary education. By giving this leeway to each individual teacher, he alleviates the pressure off of the teachers shoulders, and allows teacher to teach not for a test score that looks good, but rather for the gain of knowledge. The education system is about learning, not testing, and this law brings this ideal back to the forefront.

University of Texas Making a Big Bet on the Future of Algae

"Nearly 15 000 gallons of algae flow inside the tubes, which are housed in a massive structure called a shadehouse". Why so much algae? Well for years upon years, scientists have struggled to mass produce algae as a source of fuel for vehicles but they have encountered the problem of high costs and several environmental factors. Scientist at the University of Texas at Austin believe that a new facility might help alleviate some of the more substantial issues. Texas is a very capable breeding ground for algae as it has an abundance of the three things needed to grow algae , carbon dioxide, dirty water, and sunshine. The algae is grown at the J.J Pickle research center and funding and algae are provided by local Texas companies. This new centre allows them to experiment with a new way of growing algae; vertically. Typically in nature algae is grown horizontally allowing naturally factors o affect its growth. The scientist think that the vertical growth will help in the mass production as it allows them to easier grow algae in massive amounts with less complications. However, scientist are weary of the fact that when organisms grow in such large amounts, there are bound to be problems.

I find that this experiment is extremely interesting. The environment is a big issue in our society. We have been slowly destroying our planet, and social conscientiousness to this fact, is on the rise. More and more , people are trying to do what little they can to help our environment. Algae as an alternative to crude oil will decrease our production of green house gases, and is able to grow more quickly and in more areas, than a normal plant would. Algae is also useful the production of some medications. All in all I think this project is a step in the right direction. And as for the massive amount being produced, well , isn't everything bigger in Texas?

Two-way, all-day GO service coming to York

Currently in the Markham-Stoufville riding in which I reside , politicans are vying for the right to represent our riding in Provincial Parliament. Michael Chan the incumbent is fighting to maintain the post he has occupied since 2007. On September 13th ,however, him and other Liberals from York Region vying for position in provincial parliament, took a break from the campaign trail to announce all GO trains in the province will run two ways 24/7. Traffic congestion cost the GTA 6 billion a year, and it could be more if it continues to go unchecked. These new 24/7 two way Go trains along with the 15 minutes late equals a money back guarantee policy will increase interest in public transit and help address the traffic congestion issue. Michael Chan states that the Conservatives made cuts to the transit system when in power, and the Hudak government plans to make further cuts, something that people living in York Region, just can't afford.

Despite the fact, that I don't use public transit extensively these new changes affect my day to day life. Increasing interest in public transit through improvements to the system will keep people of the roads, as a result reducing traffic in York Region. Making it easier to drive without experiencing ridiculous traffic not only saves time but also saves money. The fact that the incumbent in my riding is involved with this very civilian friendly deal would help swing my alliance in the MPP election in my Markham- Stoufville riding, from Conservative to Liberal.