Happy Holidays

Hi guys,

Just want to wish everyone a happy Easter Holiday! I will be posting some things up in the coming days.
I did not give you a lot of homework, so I do hope you spend some time reading. When I say reading I don't mean just facebook comments! You can be reading good books and writing down good ideas for stories of your own.

Oh and I want to thank you for cheering for me on the sidelines during the basketball game today!

Happy Holidays,
Mrs. Hasmig

Global Warming Humour

What can I do about global warming?

You don’t have to wait until you are grown to do something about global warming. Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels is causing global warming. Since these fuels are burned for energy, and everyone uses energy, everyone can help stop global warming just by using less energy.

Think about the things you do each day that use energy. The lights in your house use electricity. The TV and computer use electricity. The washing machine, dishwasher and dryer all use gas or electricity. Every time you ride in your car, it uses gasoline.

There are some simple things that you can do to help stop global warming:

• Turn off the lights when you leave a room. Use fluorescent bulbs in your room.
• Turn off your computer or the TV when you’re not using it. Unplug chargers when not in use.
• Wait until you have a lot of clothes to wash before using the washing machine. Don’t use the machine for one item just because it’s your favorite shirt.
• Take shorter showers. Heating water uses energy.
• Close the blinds on a hot day if the sun is shining in. Dress lightly instead of turning up the air conditioning. Or use a fan.
• Dress warmly inside your house when it’s cold, instead of turning up the heat.
• Offer to help your parents keep the air filters on your AC and furnace clean.
• Walk short distances instead of asking for a ride in a car.

• Whenever you can, recycle paper, plastic, newspaper, glass and aluminum cans. .
• Plant a tree.
• Learn more about global warming so you can talk to people about it.

Global Warming Explained

I thought since we talked about this topic today in Geography you will enjoy reading this!

Here are the answers to the key questions about global warming:

Do scientists agree about global warming?

Scientists who study the climate are still arguing about how fast the earth is warming and how much it will warm, but they do agree that the earth is warming and that it will keep warming if we don’t do anything about it.  The most accurate way to measure temperatures on our planet, by the way, is with the help of orbiting weather satellites.

What is causing global warming?

Scientists agree that the burning of fossil fuels like oil and coal cause greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide (CO2), to escape into the air and that these gases are causing most of the warming. Another cause is deforestation (cutting down trees). Trees soak up the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from the air. All humans contribute to global warming, by,  for example, driving a car or flying in an airplane; scientists often refer to the term "carbon footprint" when they refer to the impact an individual or business has on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gases produced.

Carbon dioxide isn't the only greenhouse gas causing global warming; another important greenhouse gas is methane, which is much more damaging to the atmosphere than carbon dioxide, but, fortunately, has a much shorter life span in the atmosphere.  At the moment, the atmosphere still contains less than 1/10th of 1% of carbon dioxide, unlike the planet Venus for example, where it is 96.5%, with temperatures hot enough to melt lead!

What is the difference between "global warming" and "climate change"?

"Global warming" refers to the increase of the Earth's average surface temperature, due to a build-up of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (also called the "greenhouse effect").  The "atmosphere" surrounds our planet and protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation and reducing temperature extremes between day and night.

"Climate change" is a broader term that refers to long-term changes in climate, including average temperature and precipitation.

What will happen if global warming continues?

There are already some changes happening because of global warming. Sea level is rising and some animals are already moving to new homes. It’s already too late to stop global warming completely.

If the warming gets worse, as scientists expect, there may be some kinds of plants and animals that become extinct (disappear completely) because they can’t move to new homes. There may be more storms and floods due to melting ice caps. Sea level may rise so much that people have to move away from the coasts. Some areas may become too dry for farming.

What is being done about global warming?

Global warming is a very difficult problem to fix. People are having a hard time agreeing on what to do about it. For example, everyone agrees that wasting energy is a bad thing to do. But some people think that the federal government should make laws about it, while other people think it should be up to each person or business to decide what to do.   In 1997 the famous "Kyoto Protocol" was adopted in the city of "Kyoto", and it entered into force on 16 February 2005. As part of this protocol, 36 countries are required to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many states and businesses in the United States are not waiting until the federal government decides what to do. They have already started working on the problem. A number of companies such as Greatest Planet work on projects that reduce or avoid the greenhouse gases going into our atmosphere: such projects include, for example, treeplanting, windfarms (a windfarm is a group of 2 or more wind turbines which produce electricity), and solar energy (which turns sunlight into electricity).  The energy provided by windfarms, solar power, tidal and hydro power is often referred to as "renewable energy"

It could happen...

http://www.magickeys.com/books/happen/index.html
Here's a link to an interesting online story. Enjoy!

The History of Chocolate

So where and when did the magic begin? Thousands of years ago is the answer, in the ancient Maya and Aztec civilizations of Central America.

Cocoa trees grew wild in the jungle, and they used them to make a spicy, rather bitter drink for special occasions. Centuries later the Aztec Empire fell, and the Conquistador Hernan Cortés brought cocoa beans back across the ocean to Spain.

Gradually chocolate spread across Europe – it was the fashionable choice of Kings and Queens, the nobility and the rich, just like caviar or champagne today. At the end of the 19th Century milk was added, and at last someone devised a way of making chocolate to eat as well as to drink. But it wasn’t until the 20th century that chocolate became affordable for everyone.

So chocolate has been on an epic journey, but its popularity is enduring: prized once by Aztec warriors and today by millions of people around the world.

I thought you might like this since we just started learning about the Aztecs. 

April Fool's Day

from  The Top 100 April Fool's Day Hoaxes of All Time


Instant Color TV
1962: In 1962 there was only one tv channel in Sweden, and it broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert, Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that, thanks to a new technology, viewers could convert their existing sets to display color reception. All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over their tv screen. Stensson proceeded to demonstrate the process. Thousands of people were taken in. Regular color broadcasts only commenced in Sweden on April 1, 1970.

New Zealand Wasp Swarm

In 1949 Phil Shone, a New Zealand deejay for radio station 1ZB, announced to his listeners that a mile-wide wasp swarm was headed towards Auckland. He urged them to take a variety of steps to protect themselves and their homes from the winged menace. For instance, he suggested that they wear their socks over their trousers when they left for work, and that they leave honey-smeared traps outside their doors. Hundreds of people dutifully heeded his advice, until he finally admitted that it had all been a joke. The New Zealand Broadcasting Service was not amused by Shone's prank. Its director, Professor James Shelley, denounced the hoax on the grounds that it undermined the rules of proper broadcasting. From then on, a memo was sent out each year before April Fool's Day reminding New Zealand radio stations of their obligation to report the truth, and nothing but the truth.