Living on Caffeine

The article written by Veronique Greenwood describes how scientists have recently discovered a bacterium that can derive energy by consuming caffeine, essentially making the phrase, "living on caffeine," literal.

Last month, scientists discovered a new bacterium that possesses the capability to derive energy from caffeine when consumed.  They also use vitamins and minerals found in caffeine that human beings aren't able to extract because we do not possess the correct enzymes needed to break down caffeine.  Scientists theorize that once the entire human microbiome is sequenced during future testing, the discovery of a hidden enzyme possessing the same capabilities of the enzyme found in this newly discovered bacterium could be quite possible.  If an enzyme similar to or the same as the enzyme in this bacterium is discovered inside of humans, scientists may be able to start the process that would allow us to use vitamins and minerals found in caffeine, and essentially make it possible for human beings to live off of caffeine.

Personally, I don't normally drink coffee, or anything caffeinated for that matter.  The chances that I would be affected in any way by having an enzyme discovered that could break down caffeine are very slim, given the fact that I stay away from caffeinated beverages.

Flying Saucer Theories Undone

An article by Fox News explains to us a possible reason as to why people have claimed to have seen flying saucers and alien space craft in the past. 

Fox News states that recently the National Declassification Center opened one of over 100 boxes of classified information.  They discovered a 114 page document from 1956 describing a project by the Air Force to create a flying saucer.  It was proposed that the saucer would have an ejector seat and would be powered by a "ram jet".  It was designed to reach a top speed of Mach 4 and be able to reach heights of over 100,000 feet.  The government entitled the project, "Project 1794".  The concept and blue prints looked as if the saucer would be a success, but thorough testing proved otherwise. The disk-shaped craft was basically an over exaggerated version of a hovercraft, and it didn't work out as the scientists had hoped.  As the craft gained in altitude, is started to wobble uncontrollably.  There was a followupplan to develope weapons for the saucer so as to make it capable of reconnaissance, intercepting enemy information, or to be used as a tacticle bomber.  The idea of scientists attempting to build a flying saucer during the cold war is very interesting.  The numbers in the name of the program, "Project 1794," can be rearranged to create the year of the Roswell incident, 1974, when a flying saucer was found crashed in Roswell, New Mexico.

Government testing of the saucer can be linked to many sightings and conspiracy theories about the Roswell incident and Area 51.  This article written by Fox News has given an explanation for the alien space craft theory by providing proof that it was caused by government testing a new program.

Book Review #1

"I'm not what you think I am, I whispered desperately.  The Darkling stepped closer to me and said, his voice so low only I could her, 'I doubt you have any idea what you are.'"  This is a quote from a book called Shadow and Bone, book number one in a trilogy.  I can already tell from reading the first book that it will be at the top of my list of favorites.  Shadow and Bone is basically about a teenage girl name Alina in a fictional world, where magic is used and demonic creatures lurk in the darkness of the Flod.  Aline has magical powers that show up uncalled for, but save her and her friends life, along with making her capable of saving or destroying the world.  Leigh Bardugo's exquisite style of writing in Shadow and Bone had me enthralled in the story, making me extremely reluctant to stop at the end of each chapter.

Shadow and Bone is a fictional novel based in a fictional world and sports the theme of good vs. evil.  The life lesson is to be careful who you trust, inner good conquers evil.

Alina, the main character, discovered she had a power that could lead her down one of two paths, to change the world for good or bad.  Alina trusted the Darkling, an evil and deceptive person, and became enslaved by him so he could harness her power.  Alina's life long friend, Mal, became a victim of the Darkling's plot to control the world.  Alina's bond with Mal caused her to gather enough will power to conquer the Darklings evil, resulting in the saving of Mal's life. 

Leigh Bardugo's style of writing makes this novel exciting to read.  The way the book is narrated from Alina's discriptive point of view makes me feel as if I were watching the story on a movie screen, or as if I were really there.  The way the author descibes the scenery in the land of Racka allows me to have a perfect mental image of every area. The narrators voice in this book is unique, being the first book I have read from a females point of view.

The characters in this novel are very well developed by the author and it is easy to recognize what type of people they are.  It was easy to indentify the characters personality because of the authors discriptive writing.  The fact that the characters were described so well allowed me to emerse myself in the story.  Alina describes her self in the beginning as a small, frail girl that wasn't very attractive.  The Darkling is descibed as a handsom, mysterious being with immense power.  The Darkling decieved Alina by giving her anything she wanted to trick her into trusting him so he could enslave her.  Mal is said to be the best tracker in Ravka, he is portrayed as a popular guy who is also Alina's best friend.

The setting of the novel is a war torn land called Ravka.  The conflict in this novel is between Alina and Mal, who are good, and the Darkling, who is evil.  Ravka is divided by a place called the Fold, which is inhabited by demon creatures, preventing people from crossing.  The creatures of the Fold's main purpose is to kill anything the come across.  When Alina and Mal try to escape the Darkling, they use Ravka's rugged terrain to hide and protect themselves.

This book connects with me because I love fictional stories.  The only other books I have read similar to this are the Harry Potter books.  This type of book appeals to me mainly because of the dramatic storyline and the use of mythological beings.  This book would appeal to anyone who enjoys modern fictional fantasy and a great suspensful story line.

Profit for Good Plans

Yahoo News/Inc.com, published an article on Friday, September 28, 2012, by John McDermott, entitled "Teacher Makes $1 Million Selling Lesson Plan".  This expository article informs readers of a great way for teachers to make money and share their ideas with other teachers around the world. 

The article tells us about a 43 year old kindergarten teacher, Deanna Jump, who made $1 million dollars this year selling her lesson plans.  She belongs to an online marketplace where teachers are able to sell and share their lesson plans with other teachers.  This website is called TPT (TeachersPayTeachers.com), founded by Paul Edelman, a retired New York City middle school English teacher.  Deanna took advantage of this website, offering her brilliant lesson plans packed with all the necessities to teach 5 year old children.  She also incorporated very successful ways of promoting her ideas through TPT.  For example, Mrs. Jump created her own blog where she advertises and markets her lesson plans.  Her products are affordable to everyone with prices ranging from free up to $100 for a packet that gives a school year worth of lesson plans.  Her user rating with TPT is at the top of the list.  Her best advertisement is that with every new resource unit she creates, she sends an e-mail to each of her 17,000 subscribers.  "I can post something and within an hour it's selling," Jump says.  Mrs. Jump is the number one seller on TPT, but there are others who have also made a formidable profit with their own ideas and plans.  There are other companies similar to TPT where teachers can share their lesson plans for free, but Edelman's idea of giving teachers the opportunity to make money by sharing their lesson plans is different.  He believes that offering teachers a way to make extra money will invite a higher level of lesson plans and participants.  Edelman was correct.  He states that TPT will bring in about $30 million dollars in lesson plan sales this year.  

This is a great business that offers great opportunities for teachers to supplement their income by using their own original, creative ideas.  Many teachers already buy supplies for their classrooms with their own money, just to make their teaching environment more interesting for their students.  TPT offers a marketplace for these dedicated, talented teachers to help themselves and others.

TPT is another example of a successful internet business started by a person with a good idea.  The success of this business teaches us that opportunities are available to share our ideas with the world.  This story inspires me to be creative with my ideas, and to work hard, because great success is within reach.      

An Extremely Dedicated Dog

An article in Yahoo News/The Side Show, on September 13, 2012, by reporter Eric Pfieffer, entitled "Dog stands guard over deceased owner's grave for six years," informs readers of an extraordinary bond between master and dog.  In the article, Pfieffer describes the dog, Capiton's, inexplicable behavior after his master's death.  This story comes to us from central Argentina.

Miguel Guzman adopted Capitan, a German Shepherd dog, in 2005 as a gift for his son, Damian.    Mr. Guzman died a year later in 2006, and after his burial the family discovered Capiton had disappeared.  They could not find him anywhere and were sure that he must have gotten killed somehow .  A week after Mr. Guzman passed away, the family went to the cemetery to visit his grave, and to Damian's amazement, there was Capiton sitting beside Mr. Guzman's grave.  Capiton ran up to the family barking and howling as if he were crying.  The family was so happy to have found their dog.  They tried taking Capiton home many times, but he would always find his way back to the cemetery regardless of what they did.  One of the strangest things about this story is that, according to Mr. Guzman's widow, Veronica, the family had never taken Capiton to that cemetery in the past. 

The cemetery director and his workers said Capiton turned up there one day, alone, and wandered around the cemetery until he found his master's grave.  He sometimes leaves the grave during the day for a while, but always hurries back to keep watch.  Every night he returns at six o'clock sharp, and lays down on the grave to stay throughout the night.  He has been doing this now for six years.  The cemetery staff started feeding and taking care of Capiton because it was obvious he was not going to leave Mr. Guzman's side.  Quote from Damian, "I think he's going to be there until he dies too. He's looking after my dad."

Reading this article verified for me that an extraordinary bond can occur between a dog and his master if they share love and respect.  This article caught my eye because I own a dog that I am extremely close to and have a strong bond with.  I have gained a new respect for this amazing animal. 

In conclusion, Mr. Guzman unknowingly taught us that our relationship with our dog can be far more complex than we can ever fathom.  This article encourages me to want to learn more about canine senses. 

Raleigh's Reading Bucketlist

1. Thirteen Reasons Why - By Jay Asher:  Mrs. Gillmore was talking about books in class and suggested this book for us to read.  She gave us a brief discription and I was hooked and decided to add it to the list of books I want to read this year.
2. 50 Shades of Grey - By EL James: Hastings is usually where I find all the books that I want to read.  I was looking for books in Hastings and 50 Shades of Grey stood out to me, the cover looks kind of dark, but the story line isn't.  I asked people about it and they said it was a good book, for a mature audience.
3. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - By Seth Grahame: The movie, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, was amazing.  Many people I've asked, including my English teacher, have told me that it's a great read also, so I decided it should be on my bucket list of books to read.
4. 50 Shades Darker - By EL James:
5. {Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie} - By Lubar:
6. Shadow and Bone - By Leigh Bardugo: I was walking through Hastings looking for interesting books to read, when I saw this book out of the corner of my eye.  The cover art for the book was awesome, it looked like it could be a really cool book, so I read the back and was instantly hooked on the story.
7. The Great Gatsby - By Scott Fitzgerald: I've recently been seeing more and more commercial for the movie The Great Gatsby.  I heard from my dad that it's a book as well, so I went to Hastings to look for it. I found and bought it because the trailer from the movie commercial was enough to make me want to read the book, and the books are usually better than the movies.
8. Slayer Chronicles - By Heather Brewer: I read the entire Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series and kept my self updated with Heather Brewers upcoming novels and books.  After the Chronicles of Vladimir Todd series she decided to make a series about the slayers that were hunting Vlad, who is a vampire in the series.  It was the best series of book I've ever read, so I decided to read the Slayer Chronicles.
9. Blackout - By John Rocco
10. I Am Number Four - By Pittacus Lore:

Remembering 9/11

By rebuilding the WTC, America is making a statement saying that we will not give up and let anyone else beat us into submission.  In the article we/re told about all the memorials being built around the new WTC.  They are being constucted so that we never forget what happened on 9/11, but that we're rebuilding to show we cannot be beaten and we will never give up. Building the new WTC is a great thing because it gives every American proof that our country is strong and that we will let everyone else know that we cannot be beaten down, we will always stand up and fight back whether it's fighting a war or making a statement like we are now.