I'm now deciding to be a 1920s immigrant from Austria

"Nikola Tesla" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikola_tesla

This is the Wikipedia page for Nikola Tesla. It gives good info and is locked so not just anyone can edit the page. I'm also using the FBI file on Nikola Tesla at the bottom.

"Alban Berg Biography" http://www.geocities.com/al6an6erg/bio.html

Alban Berg was an Austrian composer of music. he gives a representatio

“Gasoline and Fuel Update” http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/gasdiesel.asp, Energy Information Administration

  
 The only thing that I had used this source for was to find the cost of
diesel fuel for the past 2 years. I chose to use this website because
it’s timeline of diesel prices matched perfectly with the information
that I had about SEPTA. I knew the amount of diesel fuel that SEPTA had
used in the past two years, so with the information I received from
this website I could determine how much money was used on fuel alone.
  
 I did not arbitrarily choose this website either. I chose to trust
this website because it gives statistics from government records. So
again, I used it due to its trustworthiness. Unlike other websites

Citations

“SEPTA Operating Facts” http://septa.org/inside/reports.html  

    SEPTA’s own website was the first source that I used. On this website I could access many .pdf’s and documents containing information for the past few years. Almost 100% of my information was from SEPTA directly. Mainly because through SEPTA’s website I could access several primary documents.

1. Brief Explanation of your Q2BM (assignment, audience, what you used, where you went, who you talked to, etc.)
Our PSA was about water pollution. We used the members in our
group as props. Our audience was the general public, especially the one
old man watching us as we made our video. We ventured to the vegetation
on Arch st., the Schuylkill river, the rain forest, Egypt, a tiger,
Philadelphia, and the forestry of the bike path. We talked to each
other.

2. What do you like about your PSA?
I liked that our PSA was entertaining. It was a lot of fun and interesting. Awesome script.

3. What would you like to improve about your PSA?

Dear Mr. President-Elect,

My group is working well together so far. We have gotten most of the lines put up on our google doc or will soon. Communication in the group has been efficient as well for the most part. There's a lack of communication between one group member, but I believe that has/will be worked out. Though, there has been some problems with the google doc. Two group members for some reason can't gain access to editing the doc. One of these two group members can't even use google docs. So to constitute for that handicap, they are just going to moodle message their information to me and I'll be fowarding it to google docs. I'm pretty sure we finished all needed work so far. We've decided that the most effective way to exert our lines is by making a podcast rather than preforming. We don't seem to have any problems so far other than the difficulties with adding collaborators to the google doc.

So far I have noticed how evil Iago honestly is. Of course I saw before that he was evil, but it took a double look to realize how evil he was. I felt this impact when I reread the part where Iago tells Roderigo to stab Cassio. But then Iago ends up taking credit for finding the coward Roderigo and kills him. All the while making himself seem like some noble, honest man in front of Lodevico. 

Title: Why is biodiesel a cleaner fuel source? ☺
Alison and Yousuf: (act like we are building the reactor)
Robert: Hey what are you guys building?
Yousuf: We are building a biodiesel reactor.
Robert: Oh, what are you building one of those for?
Alison: We’re building it so we can make cleaner fuel.
Robert: (confused) Wait, how is biodiesel a cleaner fuel source?
Alison: There are many reasons as to why biodiesel is a cleaner fuel source. The main reason is that it is a green fuel, meaning that it is good for the environment.
Robert: I still don’t understand.
Alison: Here we’ll explain…Biodiesel can be made out of anything with fat in it, such as; soybeans, corn, algae, tallow trees, and fryer grease. This is good because we can grow the materials and make the biodiesel in America. Which means we’ll no longer have to rely on foreign oil. And that means that gas pump and heating oil prices will go down.  For the first time ever the United States has gotten foreign aid to help pay for heating oil in the winter. And we can make our biodiesel out of fryer grease which is even better. This serves two purposes; One that it gets ride of the fryer grease and two we get a clean fuel source to run cars and generators on.
Robert: So we can use all the grease left over from the fast food places to make fuel and we don’t have to pay huge amounts of money?
Yousuf: Exactly! It’s a win-win. The fast food places get rid of their oil and we get cheaper fuel saving us billions of dollars. Also it means we control our energy. If we control our energy we’ll control our future.
Alison: Also since the biodiesel can be made from waste products we don’t need to use the crops we use for food to make our fuel, which companies are doing now to make ethanol. That would also stop the problem of the increase in food prices and the demand for more farming land.
Robert: This looks hard to build though.
Alison: No, it is actually quite simple to build, it can actually be made at home with simple materials, like sheet metal and pipes from a hard ware store. One reactor can be made at the price of about $150. So it takes a little start up cost, but after that you make money because you won’t have to buy fuel at the gas pump. Another thing, by making biodiesel at home, the fule won’t have to be transported.
Robert: So why does it matter that fuel would not have to be transported?
Yousuf: It matters because if the fuel does not have to travel as far then there would be lower emissions from the transportation of the fuel.
Alison: Also not only will there be less emissions from transportation, but Biodiesel has lower emissions when it is burnt compared to other types of fuels. The CO2 levels are much lower than both gas and diesel and yet it has almost as much energy as diesel. Also biodiesel has no sulferdioxide emissions. This means more miles per gallon and fewer emissions when using biodiesel compared to other fuels.  
Intro: Biodiesel is a cleaner fuel source
2: Renewable resource – kitchen grease oil
3: easy to produce- home made reactors
4: lower emissions – compared to diesel but close to same energy
5: less traveling- made at home
6: compare biodiesel to other sources of energy
7: not taking away from food – making food cheaper or no increes
conclusion:
Diesel is getting expensive
Why is it cleaner?

    In our Advanced Engineering class, our teacher Mr. Van Kouwenberg had assigned us to make biodiesel. We had to draw up the blueprints, find materials, build the model, register for a patent on the design, and finally make the biodiesel using our design. We began building the biodiesel during November 2007. Mr. VK (Van Kouwenberg) split our class up into groups and assigned each group an area of the model to work on. My partner Mithun and I worked on the settling tanks. Cutting out the shape, molding the pieces to fit together, connecting the funnel to the bottom and such. Mithun and I did this for both for the large settling tanks and worked partially on the methanoic acid tank.

    We began this project so that cheaper, efficient, and cleaner fuel would be available to the world. This design would especially benifit South and Central America and developing countries. 

Horas de Sueño por Noche:
Anoche, dormí 8 horas.

El Desayuno:
Comí cereal y tomé agua.

El Almuerzo:
Comí un burrito de biste. Tomé PowerAde.

La Cena:
Comí bistec, maiz y patatas. Tomé leche.

Las Meriendas:
Comí una galleta y helado.

Ejercicio:
Nada anoche.

Horas de Sueño por Noche:
Anoche, dormí 7 horas.

El Desayuno:
Comí harina de avena.

El Almuerzo:
Comí unos burritos de tuna y queso. Tomé PowerAde. Tambien, comí galletas.

La Cena:
Comí arroz, unas patatas fritas y doble hamburguesa con queso. Tomé un batido con steph :-(...mal.

Las Meriendas:
Comí unos Ferrera Rochers y pastal helado.

Ejercicio:
Levantí pesos por 45 minutos.

Up to this point in my research of lead and its daily uses I have found that lead paint was banned in 1973, but lead pipes were not banned until much later {date needed}. Not only was lead pipes banned until {date}, but the occurance of lead in water pipes was not completely banned. The ban on leaded pipes only applied to pipes containing more than %8.0 lead. So any water pipe that contains less then %8.0 lead is still legal and available to use in the U.S.. And not only was lead still legal in pipes up to a certain degree, but lead is completely legal to be used in faucets. So maybe your pipes don't contain so much lead, but your faucet could.

    Ok, so I've totally researched lead and am horrified that our government (as well as others) would let the use of lead continue. I've already explained some of the effects and uses of lead, but I haven't really explained much about the alternatives that we can use. Recently in my BioChemistry class, our teacher Mr. Best assigned us a project in which we would all research one chemical each. The chemical that I chose was cobalt. Cobalt I found, was and is a very good alternative to lead in many products. There are many pro's to the chemical cobalt and many less con's than lead has. Cobalt is also a very versitile metal that so far, has no definite damaging effects on people. Other than the fact that Cobalt is spelled and pronounced similar to Colbert, it is a much better chemical to use in everyday America.

     Cobalt is a little more expensive then lead yes, but the effects definetely outweigh the price. I'll talk more on this later when I conduct even more research on cobalt and it's effects versus lead.

    So, at this point in my research I am finding that lead is an even bigger problem that I first expected to find. I was taught that lead is very dangerous and was/is used in everyday society, but I never understood the severity of it. Especially after researching lead poisoning in children did I realize how large an issue it is that governments are not censoring chemicals enough. The main causes of lead poisoning in children are from lead paint chips and lead painted toys. Serioiusly, how does the world still use lead when there are alternatives? Ok, so lead may cost less than these alternatives, but is it worth our health and our childrens health? I think not... 

    What also has been bothering me about lead is the fact that it is in so many of our everyday products. You can find it in shampoo, make-up, childrens toys, whatever you can think of, you can probably find lead in there. And then this (what seems to shock me the most), there was lead that was in school water supplies not even 10 years ago. This is just atrocious and appalling. We are willing to put one of the most deadly stable chemicals into our products that not only adults, but small ignorent children use every single day. 

Gasoline is huge and crucial contributor to not only the United States, but to the whole world's daily life and means of transportation. Pollution seems to be and has been a problem in the United States for some time now (dating back earlier than the invention of the automobile), but for a portion of this time, pollution was even more dangerous than ever. This was because during the 1920s lead was found to 'cure' the 'knocking' found in many high compression engines. Once lead was found to fix the 'engine knocking' problem, it quickly became a addictive to gasoline worldwide. The gasoline with the lead addictive would burn at a lower temperature and would not build up carbon as quickly in an engine's pistons. The sale of leaded gasoline for on-road vehicles however, was finally banned in the United States in 1995 following the Clean Air Act. But even with this act in place, it still does not clear the air from lead pollution because leaded gasoline is still legal for sale for airplanes, marine vehicles, farm equipment, and racing cars.

Although the Clean Air Act had banned leaded gasoline in 1995, most vehicles from 1973 and on were incompatible with leaded gasoline. This incompatibility was due to the newly added catalytic converters found in almost all new U.S. vehicles. Since lead was pretty much no longer used in gasoline starting in the 1980s, new additives were needed for gasoline. The most common additives are ethers, alcohol, and aromatic hydrocarbons.

As you probably know, not all chemicals are legal. And not all chemicals that are legal in the U.S. are legal in the E.U. and vice-versa. The EU (European Union) has stricter laws and regulations on what chemicals can be used and manufactured than the U.S. does. This may be due to the economy of the two places. The E.U. has a much more stable economy than the U.S. does which allows it to more easily pick and choose which chemicals are to be used. Unfortuantely, the U.S. does not have as much leeway to some chemicals as the EU does. On June 1, 2007, the EU banned 30,000 chemicals that were unregulated in the U.S.. These chemicals that the EU band were known as endocrine disrupters and are "suspected of 'increasing rates of breast and testicular cancer, male infertility, diabetes and even obesity'".

Dangerous chemicals are very common and can be found practically anywhere. You've probably heard of the many product recalls here in the U.S., mainly due to the less strict chemical laws as elsewhere. In the EU, phthalates have been temporarily banned since 1999 due to connection with reproductive system damage. Phthalates are used as a softener for the plastic found in childrens toys. So when a child chews on their toys, they absorb these phthalates through their mouths. Pthalates have yet to be banned in the U.S. (with the exception of California). This is just an example of how the U.S. has yet to catch up to the EU in chemical safety.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4651391.stm

So yesterday (February 19th, 2008), I was in science class, and Mr. Best brought up the topic of test animals. I figured that this would be a great thing to share with you. Best discussed that almost all the time, lab animals, such as those adorable bunnies, gunny pigs, dogs, cats, sheep and pigs, and many more, are used to test dangerous chemicals scientists put in household and beauty products before releasing those items to the general public. Products you use everyday, to clean your house, your skin, even your hair, seriously could have killed dozens of animals in its development.
What really upsets me is that even if the animals do not die from the experimentations, researchers kill them anyway. “Their purpose has been fulfilled and that’s all they’re used for anyways.”
How would you feel if it was your dog or cat they were putting chemicals on? I strongly believe that if people feel the need to invent something new to help improve life, as we know it, then maybe we can invent something that we can test on instead of animals. Imagine how many animals’ lives we would save.
    I’ve also been checking out this website . It’s about an undercover spy who goes and works at an animal testing facility. In the 9 months she was there, she witnessed first hand the horrible thing that they did to animals and some if it was even prohibited by law. The scientists treated the animals badly, and performed tests that they were never suppose to. This article later showed up in PETA, along with many other articles protesting the wearing of fur, and KFC cruelty.   

Lead based products in the United States still remains an issue even though there have been bans, laws, and recalls enforced inorder to keep lead away from our citizens. Yet we still find lead in a lot of our eveyday products. Lead paint was banned in 1978, but you can probably find it on your walls if you house was built before the ban (especially before the 1960s). Though, these lead paints are not the only lead products that can be found in our homes.

 Here is a small list of lead containing products found in homes:

− Food and liquids stored in lead crystal or lead-glazed pottery or porcelain
− Folk remedies that contain lead, such as "greta" and "azarcon" used to treat an upset
stomach 
− Garden hoses – in brass couplings or in PVC 
− Imported candy containing tamarind or chili
− Wheel weights 
− Computers; circuit boards (young kids should not take electronics apart)
− Old or imported cans with soldered seams
− Antique toys (painted wagons, wood toys, lead soldiers)
− Some foil and colored gift wrap and ribbons 
− Decorations on glass drinking mugs  

Many of us can find some of these products in our homes and they aren't even half of the products that contain lead. We can encounter lead at almost anytime while at home, at work, or in a public environment because it is used in so many products.

     What can we do to avoid lead? There are a few things that come to my mind. For starters, buying products produced in the U.S. would be both great for you and for our economy. By buying products produced in the U.S. you have more of a chance of there being no or less lead coming in contact with you. Not to mention how buying an unimported product would keep spendings within the U.S. economic system. Secondly, buying 100% natural fruit and vegetables is probably the best thing that you can do for yourself. By buying 100% natural fruit and vegetables you are allowing less of a chance for lead to enter your food.

Lead is a serious problem in many countries and communities. Lead poisoning has the potential to cause serious organ problems and even result in death. There have been many cases of lead poisoning throughout history and yet it is still used in the modern day. Lead seemed to have been the human savior at first, but after use for centuries, it has proven how deadly and dangerous it actually is.

Lead poisoning is caused by an increase in blood lead levels, which can cause a large range of medical conditions. With an increase in lead levels, irreversible neurological damage, cardiovascular effects, and reproductive toxicity may occur.
But even more dangerous is the effects of lead in young children. Lead poisoning is even more worrisome in children because children's bodies are still developing and growing. If lead poisoning becomes a factor early on in human development, then even worse effects can occur. As of 2002, the amounts of cases in children involving lead poisoning were around 310,000 (dropped from 13.5 million in 1978). Major developmental issues in children are those such as neurological dysfunction, cardiovascular deficiency, attention deficit disorder, and major organ failure. Most of these conditions are also found in adults, but should be seriously contemplated in children. A leading cause to lead poisoning in children for the past few decades has been the consumption of lead paint chips. Although interior lead paint has been banned since 1978, many houses still contain leaded paint because they were painted before the law was created. Children are also more skeptical to lead poisoning then adults because they absorb 40-50% of the lead that they place in there mouths compared to the near 10% that adults absorb.

The number of children with lead poisoning in the early 1990's has dropped from 4% to between 1-2% in the previous year. These numbers may not seem so severe or scary on paper, but the effects that lead poisoning leaves on these children and their families are huge. Some unborn children have been exposed to lead and develope adnormally while still in the womb. There have even been cases of children born without eyes.