Goodbye Dear Reader, no wait, This is so Long!

Hello there, my dear reader! Sadly, this will be our last post. But don't worry, we will try our best to make this good. 

Why?!

          This blog was part of our project, no, CEO (Creative Expansive Output). We are supposed to write stuff about our field trip to the Pawikan Conservation Center and Bataan Nuclear Power Plant and learn how to blog. We took down notes, took pictures, and listened to our lecturers during our field trip there, so that you, the reader, will know what we did there and know what those places are about. 

Mmmm, coffee with ink

          We did encounter some problems while blogging. There were some occasions where someone didn't do their work, making the other group members panic. We also posted late sometimes, half of our posts were late ((whyyyyyyy?!)). We also stayed up past midnight and drank 10 cups of coffee for some posts. But don't worry too much, we were able to solve these. Rosie-desu and Stoic Age would back up the person who couldn't write. We couldn't do anything to make a post not late, but we did try our best to make it as good as possible. 

No one will notice the Canadian flag

            If someone asked us to do this project, I mean  CEO again, we would!  because I love sleeping late and drinking coffee We would because we love to share our stories to you, my dear reader. :D We would also learn a lot more about blogging if we do. We would also be able to express our creativity in writing. 

          If we were to improve our CEO, we would add more funny stuff in our posts to attract readers. We would also try to post earlier, so that we can edit our posts and they won't be late.  We would also try to collaborate more, since someone didn't do their job well. Also, we think it would be nice to combine another subject, like HeKaSi. 


           We all learned that being creative and doing your best in things is the way to go. We should NEVER do our work half-baked. Teamwork is one of the essential things that we need here in order to make things work well. Lastly, without (fast) internet and texting, we couldn't communicate with each other, find funny GIFs/picture, and do this. ((And that is why fast internet should be a basic need of people. Ha…ha)) 

           And this is good bye, we hope to see you soon! Also, we thank the Urban Guru, our Science teacher and a bunch of other fellow bloggers for giving us constructive criticism on how to improve our posts. So, sayonara! faints from typing

Sayonara!

At PCC :)

((No, I don't drink coffee. - Rosie-desu))

WebRep

currentVote

noRating

noWeight

Nuclear Energy and the FUTURE

Hello fellow readers! This will be our second to the last post. TT_TT Today, we'll be writing about the future  what will happen if one of us became the president of the Philippines and the prices of oil plummeted to price no one could ever imagine.

IT WON'T END THIS WAY!

Now sit down ((in a circle)) and listen to our story.

Don't do what the bottom-right guy is doing

          In the future, the president of the Philippines owned a hidden kingdom called the--

        *cough* Oops, wrong story. Let me try again.

          One night, there was a father and son who were watching television when suddenly, there was a black out. The son got irritated and asked his father why it happened.

Link

"Dad, why is there a black-out again?", the son asked.

"Son, it's because of the power crisis our country is going through right now.", the father answered.

"Why is there a power crisis, dad?"

"It's because the global prices of oil plummeted to a price no one ever imagined before." 
"How can this be solved, dad?" 

"Well, son, a lot of people are thinking of opening the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, which had been dormant for the past 30 years. They say it's the only solution to the problem."

"Then why don't they open it, dad? In my Science class, I learned that nuclear energy doesn't emit carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide contributes global warming, so nuclear energy doesn't contribute to global warming. It also doesn't depend on the weather, which is good right?"

"We should also consider its location and the living things in its proximity, you know."

"What do you mean? It only produces a small amount of waste, so what?" 

The son is not a dog, he's a human. *flies*

"The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or the BNPP is just an 8-minute ride from the 7 km long Morong Beach, which is the nesting place of the marine turtles or pawikan. The small waste it produces is actually radioactive, which is quite dangerous and expensive to dispose. The president also said that he doesn't want to open BNPP; however, he is not closing the idea of reopening it. He also mentioned that this is not the only solution to the problem because there are still solar, wind, and geothermal energies, but he is also aware of the benefits of opening the BNPP and being a newly elected president, he feels the need to address this issue at once. If he opens it, then we could use nuclear energy, which doesn't produce any carbon emissions and avoid the problem of global warming and improve  the quality of air that we breathe. With all that, this would imply the decline of disease and improve the quality of life, but it is very difficult to manage. Irresponsible decisions can lead to accidents at nuclear plants; moreover, if it is misused and put in the hands of the wrong people, then many lives can be lost if a nuclear accident happens. "

"You do have a point there. Wait, is anyone listening to us? I have a gut feeling someone is."

"Well, I hope no one is listening to us."

After a minute, the electricity went back.

"Oh look! There's electricity again!"

"Okay, son. Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow is another day." 

~END~

Thanks for reading our story and see you ((for the last time D: )) in the next post. Sayonara~

References:

http://ofnuclearenergy.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-nuclear-energy.html

http://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/nuclear/advantages_disadvantages_nuclear_power.htm 

Nuclear Power and the Only Nuclear Power Plant in the Philippines

Konnichiwa fellow readers! Today, we are going to tell you about our trip at BNPP. 

Before going to BNPP, we played Thermoscidama

          After going to the Pawikan Conservation Center, we went to the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP), which is the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines. Before going to BNPP, we ate our lunch at West Nuk Beach and played Thermoscidama, a modified version of dama, a Filipino game. 

           So after eating and playing ((and taking random pictures at the beach)) , we went to the BNPP and had a lecture about nuclear energy. Nuclear energy comes from the splitting of the uranium atoms in a process called fission. The fission process at a power plant is used to generate steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity. 

Omnomnomnom ((which is not how we ate))

Lecture at BNPP

    Nuclear energy is kind of cool because:

• It doesn't produce carbon emissions, so it does not cause global warming
• It doesn't produce smoke particles, too. :3 ((CLEAN AIR WOOHOO))
• A lot of energy is produced from a small mass of fuel.
• It is reliable, it does not depend on the weather.
• It produces a small amount of waste. 

          However, it does have some downsides to it:

• The disposal of nuclear waste is expensive because it radioactive. Radioactive waste can harm us, humans and make us sick or even DIE. X_X
• Nuclear accidents are very, very, very dangerous as it can spread radiation producing particles to other places. A meltdown is a song by Kagamine Rin kind of reactor disaster where the fission reaction of an atom goes out of control, which will lead to nuclear explosion and spread radioactive particles EVERYWHERE. This is the main reason why the BNPP wasn't operated. 

             Although nuclear energy doesn't pollute the air, we think that it's safer to not harness energy from nuclear power plants because of the dangerous waste it leaves behind. It's also quite expensive to buy fuel for nuclear power plants. Besides, there are still other ways of harnessing energy like using solar panels and wind power.

        Before we were born the field trip, we expected to learn from BNPP about:

• "Clean and quiet!" ((We actually don't know why Princess wrote this))
• "Advantages and disadvantages of nuclear energy"
• "Why BNPP wasn't used"
• "What are the uses of nuclear energy and how do they work"

           We learned from the BNPP that a single uranium pellet can provide electricity to a house for at least 9 months.  Also, the location of the BNPP is safe and won't be affected by tsunamis ((We're not sure if it will affect the kawaii cute pawikan)). 

          We each have our favorite part of the power plant. So….:

• Princess - "I like the control room because this is where the guns are located and telephone that directs to Malacañang"
• Rosie-desu - "The most interesting part for me is the reactor because it is where fission happens." ((Odd one out ><))
• Stoic Age - " For me, the most interesting part of the power plant is the control room because there was a lot of buttons and it looks complicated."
• Phantom Z - "The most interesting part in the power plant is the control room because it had all the controls of the power plant."

Well, that's it for today! :( Anyways, we'll see you again in the next post. Sayonara!

BNPP group picture :)

References:
http://www.cyberphysics.co.uk/topics/nuclear/advantages_disadvantages_nuclear_power.htm
http://www.westinghousenuclear.com/Community/WhatIsNuclearEnergy.shtm

All pictures are by Princess. ><

((Insert random comment here))

P.S. 
          Psst! I have some really random answers by Princess.

Q: Are you in favor of harnessing energy from nuclear power plants? Why or why not?
A: "No because it might explode and get hurt."

Q: What are the advantages of nuclear energy?
A: "The advantages of nuclear energy are giving energy to many houses."

Q: What are the disadvantages of nuclear energy?
A: "The disadvantages of nuclear energy are if this explodes we will all die."

Bye! (*´▽`)ν

Turtles are Crucial to the World

Marine turtles or pawikan in Filipino are those shy and elusive turtles we rarely see in the sea and oceans, but why are they so important that the government is trying to save their slowly decreasing number? Here's why. First of all, they are a precious gift from God; moreover, it is our duty to protect them from extinction. Did you know that they maintain the balance of ecology in the oceans and seas? They keep sea grass short which helps keep the sea grass bed healthy. The sea grass bed is a breeding and and developmental ground for fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. They also maintain the beach and dune systems. The pawikan eat jellyfish, which helps prevent large "blooms" and stinging jellyfish make damage to fisheries, recreation and other maritime activities in the ocean. 

A turtle eating sea grass

Global warming is the gradual rise in the earth's temperature caused by high levels of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere. The temperature determines their their gender:

High temperature - Hatchlings have a high chance of being female

Low temperature - Hatchlings have a high chance of being male

Temperature is in the middle of low and high - The hatchlings will be a mix of male and female

Since the temperature is high, the hatchlings have a high chance of being female and because there are less males to impregnate the female turtles, this can also decrease the population of turtles. Global warming also has an impact on ocean temperatures, making the temperatures high and altering ocean currents that are crucial to the pawikan. This also affects the food resources for not only sea turtles, but all marine creatures. 

Knowing that the pawikan is on the brink of extinction and may only be seen in encyclopedias, as a student, we should be doing our part in helping conserve these marine creatures in our own simple way. By simply picking up garbage in coastal areas, we already saved one life of a marine turtle; we should throw our garbage in the proper place and not in oceans or seas because turtles might eat them accidentally. We should not patronize ornaments, products and food made out of turtles since the poor turtles are being used just to get money. Lastly,we can also report to the authorities about the people who smuggle and catch these marine turtles.

We should always remember to take care of the pawikan not only because they are important to the ecosystem of the ocean, but because they are from God. 


"Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds in the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." - Genesis 1:26

Link

References:
http://www.conserveturtles.org/seaturtleinformation.php?page=whycareaboutseaturtles
http://www.bonaireturtles.org/explore/are-sea-turtles-worth-saving/
http://www.seaturtles.org/article.php?id=988
Collins Cobuild Advance Dictionary of English

Turtles, Pawikan, and a bit of our Field Trip

Last January, we went to the Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). To learn about the pawikan and how to conserve them was one of the main reasons why we had the field trip.

PCC 

BNPP

We joined the field trip because we wanted to learn about the pawikan and how to save them from extinction. We wanted to learn about nuclear power since not many people know much about this. Seeing the live pawikan and their hatchlings made us really excited, especially when we released them. Before the field trip, we expected that we will keep tons of memories of a once in a lifetime moment with the pawikan; moreover, we expected that we would be seeing different kinds of pawikan and if there's a chance, be able to release their hatchlings.

We felt very exited before the actual field trip but we were slightly sad because this would be out last field trip before leaving our beloved school, The Learning Tree. :'(

We went to two places in Bataan, particularly the PCC and the BNPP but first, we will focus on PCC. We expected to learn many things about the turtles, such as how we can save their depleting number, where they mostly lay their eggs, how to take care of them, their importance, and how we, as students can help conserve them.

The PCC is an institution that helps take care of the turtles by releasing them at a certain time so that they have a higher chance of survival. They also make people aware that these creatures are in danger of being extinct. 

We learned from PCC that turtles help maintain the ecological balance in the oceans and seas. The gender of the turtles is determined by the temperature. When the temperature is high, then the hatchling would most likely be a male. Temperature also affects the number of days when the egg will hatch. 

Releasing a pawikan

Oh, and by the way, the baby turtle above is an Olive Ridley turtle. Here are some facts about the Olive Ridley:

Common name: Olive Ridley

Scientific name: Lepidochelys olivacea 

Taxonomic classification:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Testudines

Family: Cheloniidae

Genus: Lepidochelys

Species: olivacea

They have a heart-shaped carapace (top-shell) and they also are one of the most abundant turtles in the world. They are also globally distributed in the tropical regions of the South, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and migrate great distances between feeding and breeding grounds.

We chose the "Olive Ridley" turtle since it was the kind of turtle that we released and they looked a bit kawaii cute. 

A small Olive Ridley turtle

Olive Ridley turtles are mostly carnivorous, since they mostly feed on snails, crabs, and shrimp. However, they occasionally feed on algae and seaweed. The hatchlings are usually preyed on by crabs, big fish, and birds and worse, many people smuggle them in order to make material items like bags and our garbage (mostly non-biodegradeable)  ends up in their habitat, which can kill them. :((((

We were all able to release a marine turtle hatchling and it was the kawaii cute Olive Ridley; however, Princess wasn't able to release an Olive Ridley because she was afraid to touch it!

So, that's all for now folks! Bye-bye! :D

Pawikan - "Turtle" in Tagalog

References:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/oliveridley.htm

Mostly About Us

Hello there! We are a group of 6th graders from The Learning Tree who love to learn about Science and protect the environment. The members of our group are:

Stoic Age -  He loves playing MMORPG (Massively multiplayer online role-playing game) and Real Time Strategy games. Basketball, table tennis, and bowling are sports that he loves playing. Usually, he doesn't greet people he meets for the first time and prefers talking to adults than talking to children. He'd rather be alone than be in a large group of people. 

PhantomZ - He browses the Internet and watches Pewdiepie on YouTube A LOT. He's kind of smart and talented; however, he can be lazy, arrogant, and very very VERY loquacious at times. He loves to play around though he'll take things seriously when he is told to be serious.

Rosie-desu - She loves listening to Japanese songs and watching Hetalia (an anime about countries and history). You'll usually hear her say "Konnichiwa!" when greeting a person. Some of her talents include dancing ballet and playing the flute. She also plays video games like Professor Layton and Animal Crossing.

Princess - She absolutely hates *cough* loves *cough* EXO. She sings and dances in class sometimes (mostly singing). She draws often on her pad papers and gives her drawing to a classmate. Minnie Mouse is one of her (many) favorite characters. She often says "Oh my gosh!" when she messes something up. She also hates Japanese stuff but likes Hello Kitty, which is really ironic.

We made this blog to tell people about our experiences about our last field trip in 6th grade 

and our blog can serve as a remembrance of what we did when we were still in 6th grade. Our blog will help us express our opinions too! 

So, that's it for now and sayonara (goodbye in Japanese)!