Felina, The Finale

                                  Hello Readers!!!!! Unfortunately, this will be our last post EVER. :(
                                                                               

                                                                           
         This blog was actually our CEO (Creative Expansive Outlet) for Science. This CEO is supposed to help us with our computer skills since we will have to use this "skillz" in high school. This CEO also is an outlet for us young people to raise awareness about topics such as nuclear energy/power plants, turtles and showing the world that us young people are not all about "swag". But probably the most important thing that our group has learned from this CEO is to be more creative in all that we do and use your imagination so you can make great things.

To be truly honest, our group didn't really have any preparation for this blog whatsoever. We're not saying that we were REALLY unprepared it's just that when we began we only had the title of our blog and all of the posts that we've given were somewhat rushed. But despite that, we have been able to submit each post time which makes us happy whether we had or didn't have any preparation for what we posted. But just because we were able to post it doesn't mean that we didn't have any problems along the way. Our biggest problem, was the lack of coordination we had making the posts. But luckily, we were able to solve this problem thanks to the social networking site called Friendster. Believe us when we say, "We didn't make that up."

                        If we had the chance, would we do this CEO all over again? The answer is:
                                                                             

         
              Why? Because this CEO was so fun! This CEO allowed us to express our opinions about certain topics in very creative ways and it allows us to be humorous, and the opportunity to be humorous is very hard to find. But the ultimate reason why we'd to it again is because we could improve this blog. We could make the background of the blog look more appealing and make our blogs more informative but at the same time entertaining. We also would've changed how we handled this CEO by being more organized and connected and we'd probably let Schmuck do most of the "writing" in the posts. But unfortunately, we won't get that second chance to do this. But I believe that it's safe to say that everyone in our group has has learned the valuable lessons of being creative and not spending most of your time on Facebook chatting to your crush instead of working on the blog. XD

            And with that, we have to say goodbye to the blogging world but before that we have to thank The Urban Guru for giving us the opportunity to make this and the readers for viewing our legend(wait for it)ary blog and with that we leave you with this from our master Sheldon:
                                                                           

                                                                         



Sources: http://memegenerator.net/instance/43674743
http://theewhitetiger.tumblr.com/post/13405718207/jennhoney-replied-to
http://whatistheexcel.com/wooobooru/post/view/360
http://bigbangtheory.wikia.com/wiki/File:Funny-live-long-and-prosper-sheldon-sheldon-cooper-the-big-bang-theory-Favim.com-286976.jpg

Sheldon Cooper's Minions Become Presidents! Plus The BNPP vs Turtles!

                                                                           

"Guess who's back..... back again.... (Ba)Zingang's back, tell a friend." Yes! That's right reader Bazingang is back for post #5 for this blog! And we're back better than ever! Why you ask? Because we've been really motivated as of late to make this blog better than it was before, and we're making the posts a little bit more humorous. Anyway, let's begin.

   After a very close election race to see who would become President of the Philippines and it came down to a four-way tie between Mass,Schmuck,IfFoundPleaseReturn and Bella. And because of this four-way tie, for the first time in Philippine History, the Philippines has four Presidents at the same time! Bazinga! Just kidding, we're not the Presidents of the Philippines but what if we were the Presidents of the Philippines? Now, imagine this.......

 The Philippines has no power and your only option to power the country is to open the BNPP to stop the power drought. Simple right? Nope, not really. The reason of this is that there is a nest of turtles that is very near the Power Plant. And if a worker in the power plant, then Houston, we've got a problem. The population of turtles is very low and it can't afford to get worse and if the Power Plant malfunctions then it will already lessen the dwindling population of turtles! But then again, if we open the BNPP, the electricity is cheaper and there will be more than enough energy for many. And because we're the "Presidents", we have to make a decision and we have. Drumroll please..... *ratatatatatatatata*..... we will SAVE THE TURTLES! This was a very tough decision to make, but in the end we think it's for the best for our country because if one accident happens in the plant, animals and humans will be harmed and it will have long term effects on the environment.

                                                               THE MATCH RECAP
                                                         The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant
                                                                               

                                 

                                                                     VERSUS
                                                                    The Turtles
                                                                         

                   Now, we go to Judges' score cards after that very close match-up between the BNPP and the Turtles. Judges 1 and 2 scored the fight 50-45 while judges 3 and 4 scored the fight 49-48. And the winner by Unanimous Decision is..... The Turtles!


Sources: http://www.quickmeme.com/Surprised-Sheldon-Cooper

Finally, The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!(BNPP)

The last 2 posts we've only been talking about half of our field trip, The Pawikan Conservation Center. Now, we will talk about the 2nd half, The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant! In this post, you will find several details about nuclear energy, its disadvantages and disadvantages, and what we learned from our tour guide. To start off, we'll first inform you a thing or two about nuclear energy and what it can do.
                                                               

Nuclear energy is the result of nuclear fission(splitting of uranium atoms). This is what is normally used to generate nuclear energy. There has been a lot of debate whether or not the Philippines should harness Nuclear Energy and use it for the benefit our country and we would like to put in our 2 cents on the topic. But first, let's list down the positive and negative effects of harnessing nuclear energy so we can have a better understanding of its effects.                             

  Positive effects:

   1. More efficient energy production
   2. Large capacity plants can be installed
   3. Energy Crisis can be controlled
   4. Less pollution compared to Thermal Power Plant
   5. does not require a lot of space
   6. Most concentrated form of energy

  Negative effects:
    1. Disposal of Nuclear Waste is a major problem
    2. Construction costs are very large
    3. Can damage aquatic life
    4. Risky, as leakage of Nuclear Fuel can be a danger
                                                             

 After all the effects of Nuclear Energy listed, our group would like to say that we support the harnessing of Nuclear Energy for the development of our country. There have been many times that an energy crisis has happened in the Philippines but if we had a Nuclear Power Plant, we would be able to control the energy crisis. Also, more efficient energy production means that there would be more energy to go around and this would keep our cities powered more than before and we're pretty sure that every civilian in the city would be happy of that. And if a Nuclear Power Plant makes less pollution than the Thermal Power Plant then that would be a great help to the environment. Despite all its risks, the rewards of using Nuclear Energy are huge and could last a lifetime, and if there were a saying to summarize how we feel about harnessing Nuclear Energy it would be "Go big or go home".
                                                         

                                                       

Since we never went to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) before, we had several assumptions on what we would learn including the reason it was never activated, how it could make energy from its fuel and how its build keeps radiation from escaping the compound. Soon enough, we arrived at the BNPP. After greetings and introductions in the office, we were finally able to tour the actual structure. Our questions above were answered accordingly: 1. it was never activated because the Philippine Constitution states that we are not allowed to have any active nuclear power plants in the Phil. 2. as mentioned earlier, it makes energy from its fuel using nuclear fission, which is the splitting of 2 Uranium atoms. 3. its infrastructure is built in such a way(didn't say how)that the radiation goes into the power plant instead of out during a leak/meltdown.                                          

After the ft, we came together and discussed our favorite parts of the power plant:
Mass'- The storage room because that's where the mass is.
XRaps'- The reactor because it powers EVERYTHING.
IfFoundPlsReturn's- The control room because it's fun to flip switches and press buttons.    

Extra pictures:

 



Having a lecture as soon as we arrive at the Nuclear Power Plant....

A phone call away from talking to the Philippine President...

The control screen in the control room....

Going up the stairs....

The Reactor.......

And last but not least, the empty hallways of the Nuclear Power Plant.






Sources:
http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/community/WhatIsNuclearEnergy.shtm
http://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/nuclear/advantages_disadvantages_nuclear_power.htm
trip chart

A Little More About Marine Turtles

     During our stay at the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC), we learned that our marine turtles are endangered due to continuous hunting for food and decorations.  In this post, we will shed light on the ecological importance of marine turtles and what the government is currently doing to help the pawikan.
                                                         

     The marine turtle is ecologically important because it affects both marine and beach ecosystems.  They maintain the numbers of certain marine animals including jellyfish, snails, crabs and shrimps by eating them.  They also trim sea grass, just like horses and cows trim field grass, keeping the grass healthy.  This in turn provides grass beds for breeding and development grounds for many species of fish, shell fish and crustaceans.  Marine turtle eggs also provide nutrients to beaches (since sand doesn't hold nutrients well), which make dune vegetation stronger and healthier.  This improves the health of the ecosystem and protects the beach from erosion.
                                                                     

     As most (if not all) readers know, the world's efforts for development have led to multiple environmental problems including Global Warming.  This is the increase in the overall temperature of the Earth's atmosphere generally attributed to the Greenhouse effect caused by the increased levels of carbon dioxide, chlorofluorocarbons, and other pollutants.  As you can imagine, global warming affects many species of wildlife and one of the many species affected is the marine turtle.  Because of the rise in temperature, the polar ice caps are starting to melt, making sea levels rise.  With sea levels rising, the turtles lose their beach and nesting habitats.  Aside from this, weather extremes are now being experienced, including frequent and severe storms, which alter nesting beaches, cause beach erosion and flood sea turtle nests.  In addition, sand becomes hotter because of the increase in temperature.  This results in decreased hatching rates or complete nest failure.  The temperature increase also affects gender ratio as hotter temperature means more female hatchlings.  This means there won't be enough male turtles to fertilize most of the females, lessening the chances of a female laying eggs.  Last but not the least, the change in temperature also affects the migratory pattern of the turtles by altering currents and impacting distribution and abundance of prey..
                                                                       

     As 6th graders, our choices of helping are limited, though that doesn't mean we cannot help.  Sometimes, things we think won't help at all actually do help a lot.  For example, disposing of trash properly help keep our turtles alive by lessening the chances of marine turtles accidentally eating plastic or other objects they can choke on.  We can also help by trying to help keep our oceans and beaches clean with the method mentioned earlier.  This way, turtles will be given a better chance of surviving and completing their life cycle.  Another way of helping is by volunteering (during summer/semester break) at a conservation center or other groups which aim to help marine turtles survive.
                                                                   

Sources:
http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=whycareaboutseaturtles 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
http://www.seeturtles.org/1380/global-warming.html

Our Field Trip to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and the Pawikan Conservation Center

Recently, us 6th graders have gone on a field trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). This post will give some of the details of our first site, PCC, and what we were expecting before we actually left the school grounds.

  First of all, we had this field trip to be able to learn more about marine turtles, our efforts to help them survive and to get a background on the BNPP, why it was never activated and what it can do once activated. Second, we joined this field trip because the places we were going to seemed interesting to us, it was the first time we ever went to these places and because it was our last field trip as a TLT 6th grade batch.

  We expected to learn many things about turtles and the BNPP, a very long bus ride, a good vantage point and beautiful scenery in Bataan, our victory/defeat in our competition of ThermoSciDama and unforgettable experiences with classmates. Before the actual trip, we were all excited and couldn't stay still because as mentioned earlier, none of us have ever been to these places and because it was one of the farthest field trips we ever had without students from other batches. 

Now, let's talk about the first site - the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC)

distributed by Shmuck

 We all expected to learn a good deal about the Pawikan in the Philippines(life cycle, what they eat, how they manage to get back to the beaches they were born on without what we use to do that) and their importance to the water ecosystem.
More on PCC, it is the place where they teach the public about the pawikan, where they release baby turtles into the wild, where voluntary beach cleanups are held and where they rehabilitate injured Pawikan.
In the PCC, we learned about the pawikans and what the human race has gradually done to them and their habitats. We also learned about the few different types of pawikan, their life cycle, the reason for their dramatic dcrease in population, their importance to the water and ecosystem and how we could (help) save the pawikan from going extinct in the wild.

 While we were in PCC, we were able to release several Olive Ridley hatchlings into the wild! Here are some things we thought you should know about these turtles.

1. Names:
 Common: Olive Ridley
 Scientific: Lepidochelys olivacea
 Taxonomic Classification: Kingdom animalia, Phylum chordata, Class Reptilia, Order Testudines, Suborder Cryptodira, Family Cheloniidae or Dermochelyidae, Genus Lepidochelys, Species olivacea

2. Characteristics and Ecological Relationship:
  The Oliver Ridley Turtle is the most abundant species worldwide.It's role in it's environment is to make sure the organisms it feeds on do not overpopulate the area.It eats other organisms including jellyfish, snails,crabs and shrimps and will occasionally eat seaweed as well. Although, the hatchlings of turtles are often preyed upon by crabs, raccoons, pigs, snakes and birds among others.

3.  We chose to inform you about this turtle since it is one of the most  common and it is the turtle that we have the most information on. Also,  as we stated earlier, we were able to release an Oliver Ridley hatchling.







The Gallery:

On the road (SCTEX).......

Looking at the view from our bus.....

Almost there!

Getting a lecture as soon as we arrive in Pawikan..

The beautiful sea.....

The Turtle Race!

One of the Turtles being rehabilitated in Conservation Center.

Tiny Turtles!!!! The cuteness level is over 9000!!

Right after the tiring (but enjoyable) coastal clean-up....

references:http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=species_class
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/olive-ridley-sea-turtle/

Meet the team!

(the following names are pseudonyms, not our real names)

IfFoundPlsReturn

 IfFoundPlsReturn- Hi! I'm IfFoundPlsReturn and I am many things. I am a ballerina, book worm, and my classmates call me the "Valedictorian". I have been dancing ballet for 9 years and I am currently in Violet, pointe 1 but I will be Maroon, pointe 2 in summer.
           I like and dislike a few things. I like books, food (especially Pasta), Science, taking on challenges and proving people wrong. But I dislike things as well, such as annoying, arrogant, gross people and people who abuse other people, autocorrect and and losing an argument.

Mass

                                                                                                             Mass- The blog maker. A moderately scaled down version of If Found Please Return. He likes eating, drawing and enjoys watching TV or using the computer. If this blog doesn't meet standards, know I am a beginner.                  

Bella- Salutatitons! I am Bella! I am an artist, one - half of identical twins and a lover of dogs. I have a habit of drawing in class when things get a little bit "boring" and I come up with drawings which my classmates say are nice. I am the younger half of identical twins and I've loved taking care of dogs ever since I could remember.
         I like things. I like reading books, drawing, playing games on electronic devices and questioning people's love life and playing match-maker. I also dislike things.... I pretty much dislike everything IfFoundPleaseReturn dislikes

Schmuck- Hello peeps!! I am Mr. Schmuck! There is over 9000 things about me, but I am two completely different things: A rapper and a comic book nerd. I like rapping because I can't sing and I like to rhyme all the time (see what I did there?). I read books whenever I have the time and I choose DC over Marvel Comics.
           Le me likes and dislikes a lot of things. I like milkshakes because they bring all the boys to the yard, I like Science shows (Cosmos, Bill Nye etc.) and everything I've said before. My dislikes are corny movies, and being forced to do something weird in front of people.



Our reason for making this blog:
To inform people and to document what our teacher, TheUrbanGuru teaches us in his Science class. this is also our equivalent to a school project.

visit our teacher's blog! http://dontwishimyourguru.blogspot.com/

Chewbacca Says (Just for Fun!):