Current World Issues Blog Community

This blog assignment is worth 20 points and is due on Tuesday, May 6. Ask your parents to help you fill in some of the items. Please share your results and how you plan to reduce your emissions in the future. 

 http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/calculator/ind_calculator.html

Here are the directions from their website: 

EPA has developed tools to help individuals (and households) reduce greenhouse gas emissions and take action.

Use this online calculator to obtain an estimate of your personal greenhouse gas emissions or your family’s greenhouse gas emissions. Then move on to the next section of the calculator to explore actions you and/or your family can take to lower your emissions while reducing your energy and waste disposal costs. For each action you choose to take, the calculator displays the amount of emissions you could avoid and how that amount relates to your total emissions.

Instructions for using the calculator:

1. Allow yourself 10-15 minutes to enter the data.
2. To get the most accurate results, gather your recent electric, gas, and/or oil bills so you can use real numbers for your household’s energy consumption.
3. After entering data, use the TAB key to continue moving through the calculator.
4. The calculator is designed to give you a rough “ballpark” estimate of your emissions and the savings you may achieve from taking certain actions. If you have more specific information (i.e. square footage of your home), try using one of the calculators listed below.

Our next unit will be on Global Warming. In class we will be watching Al Gore's documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". This video will hit the "global warming is happening" position. The other position is that it is not really happening. Read the following article by Senator James Inhofe entitled "Hot and Cold Media Spin Cycle: A Challenge to Journalists Who Cover Global Warming".  Summarize the main points made in this article and then give your opinion on the subject. This blog is worth 20 points and is due on Tuesday:

Anti-Global Warming:

http://epw.senate.gov/repwhitepapers/HOT%20AND%20COLD%20MEDIA%20SPIN%20CYCLE.pdf

This blog entry is worth 20 points and is due on Tuesday. Play the following Darfure Simulation and write about your experiences with it.

http://www.darfurisdying.com/

Read the following article. Summarize the main points of the article and then give your opinions on the "single-sex" classroom.

 http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2008-02-25-single-sex-schools_N.htm

 This assignment is due on Thursday and is worth 20 points.

Take this timed quiz to find out:

http://andys.org.uk/countryquiz/

This blog entry is due on Monday and is worth 20 points. Be sure to explain how you did as well as what you think of this quiz.