Baraka

Baraka is a film that gazes with such awe at the mystery of life on earth that it seems almost childlike and yet does it in a way so purely cinematic that it can only come from the hands of a wizened master. It looks at us humans as if through a telescope and yet knows us so well, it’s scary. Human beings and their complicated relationship with the planet and what might be waiting for us when we leave it. Maybe the point’s in there, our capacity as humans to wonder, to look up and imagine something greater than ourselves. It’s fitting then that Baraka begins with a solar eclipse and ends with rolling star fields, likely primitive man’s first hint of the eternal. This incredible journey, around the world only to arrive at what makes us fundamentally human is the gift of Baraka. It’s also, as this brilliant jewel of a film reminds, us, the enduring reward of the movies.

Darwin's Theory

• A species is a population of organisms that interbreeds and has fertile offspring.


• Living organisms have descended with modifications from species that lived before them.

Natural selection explains how this evolution has happened:

1. More organisms are produced than can survive because of limited resources.
   


2. Organisms struggle for the necessities of life; there is competition for resources.
   


3. Individuals within a population vary in their traits; some of these traits are heritable -- passed on to offspring.
   


4. Some variants are better adapted to survive and reproduce under local conditions than others.
   


5. Better-adapted individuals (the "fit enough") are more likely to survive and reproduce, thereby passing on copies of their genes to the next generation.

6. Species whose individuals are best adapted survive; others become extinct.

Review Chapters 1-3

Chapter 1:
Chapter one called Environmental ethics, in this chapter they ask is environmentally profitable? They name two companies that seek profits through the promotion of environmental awareness which are the Rainforest Cafe and Outdoor World. The Rainforest Cafe is a resturant and gift shop, with a virtual jungle theme. Outdoor World is a retail dsports superstore selling anything related to fishing, camping, hunting, and other outdoor activites.
Industrial Ecology is the means by which humanity can deliberately amd rationally approach and maintain a desirable carrying capacity, given continued economic, cultural, and technologically evolution. some concerns throught global, and regional are: Global climate change, ozone depletion, loss of habitat andreduction of biodiversity, acid precipitation, chemical change in surface water, visibility, pesticides, groundwater pollution, photochemical smog, oil spills, and lastly hazardous waste sites.

Chapter 2:
Geography of the Envionment, there are al different maps that show the world whether its a three dimensional models and depressions of regions on two dimensional surfaces and portray both manmade and natural features. this would include this such as mountains, valleys, lakes, rivers, plains, and vegetation-man's primary creations, such as major buildings, roads, boundaries, and conveyance lines can also be identified. many specific types of maps are actually a combination of a base map and a thematic map. Exapmles would include political maps: show cultural features like the outlines of countries, states, and cities. Physical maps: show natural features such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and shorelines. Road maps: shows major and minor highways, cities, and towns, often with campgrounds, parks, and other tourist features. Weather maps: shows weather conditions such as fronts, temperatures, rain, snow, and fog at a particular time, or range during a particular period. and lastly summary maps show the results of analyzing grouped data.
Carbon cycle: Carbon is found in large sums in oceans and sedimentary rocks. once carbon reaches water, it precipitates to form calcium carbonate. Corals and algae build up limestone reefs though this carbon precipitation process, creating suitable environments for their population and sources of carbon for further respiration. on land and in water, plants convert carbon dioxide into carbohydrates through photosynthesis. then the carbon is either liberated into the atmosphere, eaten by animals when plants die, or decompose into the soilfor further extraction by plants and useful resources.

Chapter 3:
Biodiversity: One of the most important habitats for species is the Tropical Rainforest. the importantance of this because they account for millions of species of flora, and half of all presently known animals and plant species. Arthropod diversity in the rainforest alone numbers approximately five to ten millions species. The men temperature is near twenty-six degrees celsius yea round, and this circumstance allows the forest to be in a constant state of maintaince.
Ecological diversity: A key way in preserving the wide diversity of animals is the ecological system. It aides with capturing energy, sustained food webs, and recyclinh materials within the system. There are many critical factors that plays a role in every living orgaism. some of these major factors are tempertures, moisture levels, nutrient supplies, soil and water, chemistry, and living space. Each organism has a different tolerance level inwhich the species can or can not survive. most species have evolve with coevolution, most species play a major role in their community among other species and oprganisms.
Endangered and Threatened Species: Over the millions of years many species have become extinct or endangered. The species we see today are only a mere fraction of what use to exsist. An example of this would be the Florida Panther. The panther has become endangered due to hunting, habitat loss, and being isolated to the wetlands of south florida.

Mini Project #7

US Census:

• Total Population in Boca Raton, Florida is 74,623. out of this there are 37,570 men and 37,053 women.


• Race: One Race: 73,490 & Two or more: 1,133. White: 67,742, African American: 2,075, Asian: 2,075, and other: 3,328


• Poverty of All families: 4.95%, Married couple families: 3.4%, Families with female householder, no husband present: 14.2%

The reason why I chose these certain poverty levels because they apply to my family, my brother and I grew without our dads in our lives so this percentage applies to my family.

Mini Project #6

Precautions:

Biological agents are relatively easy to obtain by terrorists and are becoming more threatening in the U.S.. Government agencies and laboratories are working on advanced detection systems to provide early warning, identify contaminated areas and populations at risk, and to facilitate prompt treatment. Methods for predicting the use of biological agents in urban areas as well as assessing the area for the hazards associated with a biological attack are being established in major cities. In addition, forensic technologies are working on identifying biological agents, their geographical origins and/or their initial source of infection. Other efforts include decontamination technologies to restore facilities without causing additional environmental concerns.

Mini Project #5

What is a Superfund?

Superfund is the federal government's program to clean up the nation's uncontrolled hazardous waste sites.

Near my home their are no Superfunds.


Superfund site cleanup begins

Jessica Coomes
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 28, 2008 12:00 AM

Inside two considerable water tanks tucked into a corner of Goodyear Community Park, contaminated groundwater from a local Superfund site is being scrubbed of pollutants.

The tanks, which started cleaning water last month, are positioned at the northern edge of the Phoenix-Goodyear Airport North Superfund Site and are supposed to stop the contaminants from flowing any farther north. Once the expansion is halted, contaminant levels in the 2-square-mile underground plume of water are expected to shrink until the water's chemical levels are safe again.

Polluted groundwater at the Superfund site has been treated since 1994, and the new treatment facility is expected to increase by 20 percent the removal of a dangerous chemical called trichloroethylene. That will increase even more when a second new treatment facility goes online in March.

Crane Co. is responsible for the cleanup after putting chemicals into the ground at the former Unidynamics Phoenix facility in Goodyear, where defense and aerospace component systems were manufactured.

Crane paid $1 million for the new treatment facility as part of a formal agreement reached in 2006 between the company and the EPA.

"I urge the EPA to keep the pressure on Crane," Litchfield Park Mayor Tom Schoaf said Thursday at a celebration for the new treatment facility at Goodyear Community Park. "I hope that the new responsibility that we've seen from this company continues. I hope they'll fund the necessary cleanup of the mess that's been made here."

The Superfund location was identified in 1983 and later was divided into two sites, north and south.

Officials reacted quickly to start cleaning groundwater at the south site, said Keith Takata, director of the Environmental Protection Agency Superfund division in the Pacific Southwest.

But they did not do enough to stop the plume from expanding at the north site, Takata said.

"We really didn't stay vigilant enough," he said. "I feel like we're back on track, and we're headed in the right direction."

At the new treatment facility, near Litchfield and Thomas roads, water is pumped from a well, cleaned in the two tanks and spit into a canal near Goodyear Community Park at 750 gallons per minute.

It is not used for drinking water; the stream is mixed with other water for irrigation.

"If we didn't contaminate the water in the first place, we wouldn't have to clean it up," said Steve Owens, director of the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. "And that's part of our mission, as well, to make sure we don't have to have facilities like this built in the future, that we do a better job protecting our precious groundwater resources in the state."

Mini Project #4

What is Genetically altered food?

Approximately 50% of all the soy and 38% of the corn acreage planted in the US this year is genetically altered. In addition, much of the canola oil in the US market is from genetically altered plants. Given the prevalence of these products in processed foods, unless you are eating all organically grown food chances are you're already consuming some of this food without knowing it. It remains unlabeled and typically not segregated from non-altered food, so if you are consuming vegetarian products containing any of these ingredients not labeled as organically grown, it is more than likely that some of what you are eating is genetically altered.

There are two common forms of genetic alteration of foodcrops. In the first, used frequently with soy, the plant is modified in order to be resistant to the Monsanto herbicide RoundupTM so that farmers can apply it to kill weeds without killing the young soy seedling. In the second, often used with corn, the plant is modified to contain within its genetic structure a pesticide called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis).

We are told that these genetic modifications are made in order to reduce the amount of chemicals applied externally. Yet, in part because of the increasing resistance to these chemicals by pests, all indications so far are that these genetic modifications may in fact be leading to their increased use.