oh where, oh where has our bacon gone!

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/28/tech/web/apparently-this-matters-bacon/index.html

     Did you know that there was talk of a bacon shortage? I didn’t, but if I had, I’ll have to admit that I would have been among those who “collectively freaked out over the possibility that we might have to one day hit up the buffet and actually eat fresh fruit -- with all that "nutrition" and "flavor."”  Wait, was that sarcasm? Bellini, you cannot underestimate the flavor of bacon, because guess what: We put bacon in other food to make it taste better. It has power.  Bellini at least understands that, though.

“Without question, bacon is the most interesting meat in the world, and if it were capable of original thought, we wouldn't even be having an election this November in America. We would simply appoint bacon as our forever leader and live dutifully under its rule. "Today, for no apparent reason, I instructed U.S. troops to invade Calgary." "Hooray! Thanks, bacon!"”

     The point is, I read “Apparently This Matters: Bacon Shortage” and was scared at first. What would I become without bacon? When the National Pig Association put news out there that there would be a shortage of bacon in America, I believe we might have found the world’s new most destructive weapon, simply heartbreak.

     Seriously though, I’m not sure if it should warm my heart or worry me that people would completely drop the subject of “topless photos of Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge” to talk about the loss of bacon. Bacon is amazing, we’ve established that, but I realize that everyone has their own opinions. So, that means there must be people out there who don’t like bacon, right? Well, apparently not as many as we might have expected! Because, obviously, Catherine’s throne was taken over by bacon. Again, is that sad or simply fascinating?

     Bellini goes on to tell us that this scare was just a “big misinterpretation of facts”. If the shortage was such a big deal, I’m sure it was also a big deal being a hoax. You can just imagine the relief around the world! I mean, you might as well claim it the cure for cancer!

     All in all, bacon has now done a tremendous amount of things for all of us. It’s tasty. It’s important. It invaded Calgary. It revealed the secret for the world’s new most destructive weapon, forget the bombs! And last but not least, it is the cure for cancer. I think it actually might be time to consider bacon for president. As I said before, you just cannot underestimate the power of bacon

Arsenic

It is a true that arsenic is a “Potent human pathogen that can set up children for health problems later in life” as Consumer Reports claims it is. What I find hard to believe is that it is rice and rice products so heavy that I can affect your well being later on in life. It has showed up at what they are saying is an alarming rate,  we are talking micrograms per serving. Consumer Reports is even telling people to cut back on how much rice they take in through strict diet changes, even when arsenic is found in almost everything on earth. Consumer Reports has even worked with scientists to decide what needs to be done to stop arsenic levels from being as high as they are. They suggest that the EPA should phase out the use of arsenic containing pesticides, the USDA and EPA should end the use of arsenic laden manure as fertilizer, and that the FDA should ban the feeding of arsenic- containing drugs and byproducts to animals. I believe it is all just a big hype, and should blow over soon.

On the other hand, the Arkansas Rice Federation responds to the article by Consumer reports saying “We understand that arsenic is an alarming word but consumers should know that arsenic is a naturally occurring element in our air, water, rocks, and soil. It has always been in our food supply and no pesticides containing arsenic are used in rice production.” 49% of all rice grown in the United States is grown in Arkansas, and the Arkansas Rice Federation is planning on keeping it that way. They say that the FDA has made it clear that no changes are recommended regarding rice consumption. Lastly they state that, They will be working with the FDA, food scientists, nutritionists, and manufacturers, as they look further into this issue.

Book Review

Jennifer L. Weber's Summer's Bloodiest Days is intreguing, I thoughly enjoyed the Civil War facts that I learned in this book.
I can make connections though the entire book. One example of a connection is this book deals with the Civil War, like another book I read called The Red Badge of Courage. I could also make a connection to the movie American Outlaws. Which has some scenes from the Civil War in the beginning of the movie.
The characters in this book are of different varieties of hero's. Like Some people would say that Robert E. Lee was a hero, but others would say he was a villan.But I think that Robert E. Lee is one of my favorite characters mentioned in this book.So the characters in this book are from one extreme to the other. Another one of my favorite charcters in the book is Genneral Stonewall Jackson. I liked him becuase he was a fearless leader for the Confederate Army.
The setting of this book is to take place in in the 1800's in our quarreling country, all the way from the far south to the far north this book covers it all. This is a time that is entreaging to me but some people would find it boring.
I would reccomend this book to anybody that enjoys learning about this event, and millitary facts
of the Civil War.

Current Connection

Kwala Mandel, a writer for Yahoo! News, states in her article, "Heckler interrupts Romney rally in Virginia," that someone interrupted the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, to encourage action about the environment when Romney was speaking at a rally.

In the article, Kwala Mandel states, "Mitt Romney was interrupted at a rally Thursday in Virginia Beach, Va. A rowdy audience member took advantage of a pause during the Republican presidential nominee's speech and shouted 'climate change caused Sandy!'" The heckler interrupted Romney to try to encourage an emotional reaction from the crowd, and, at that, he was successful. He blamed the recent storm, Sandy, on climate change and, by extension, the U.S. government and people (at least in the crowds eyes).

Kwala Mandel also states, "He then flashed a sign that read 'End Climate Silence.' While Romney seemed to take the heckler in his stride, the crowd (and security) reacted much more strongly." The man's "End Climate Silence" sign was meant to encourage people to start talking about climate change, because climate change really has not been a big topic in this election, though it really probably should be. Romney did not seem to be bothered by the heckler, but the crowd on the other hand, was not pleased.

The article then states, "The man was booed and his sign was pulled away from him. As the heckler was led out of the event, the booing was layered with chants of 'U-S-A!'" The crowd did not react positively to the heckler's seemingly accusatory declaration about Sandy. They probably felt that he was blaming the U.S for the storm, and they felt that they were defending their country (and favorite presidential nominee) from the words of the heckler, an insulting nuisance.

This is yet another article that reminds me of events in the Middle East. The first time I watched the video, the way the crowd started chanting "U.S.A." and booing reminded me of videos I have seen of radicals in the Middle East chanting "Down with U.S.A" and booing. I understand why the crowd was chanting now, but the first time I saw the video, it really took me by surprise.

The heckler may have meant well with his message, but if he wanted a positive reaction (I don't think he did), then he was unwise to go to a presidential rally at this point in the race. Though he was booed out of the rally, he was successful in his mission to get people talking to some extent, as there are over 15,000 comments on the article.

cc#5

In a recent article by Olivier Knox in the Yahoo! News entitled "U.S. ambassador killed after chaotic, hours-long siege," Knox informs readers of the recent events in the Middle East, a dangerous place.

Unfortunately, there were attacks on various U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East, specifically, Libya. The attacks were supposedly ignited by a film on the Internet made by an American. If that is the case, then people were murdered over a video on the Internet, which is absolutely ridiculous.

The article states: "American officials painted a harrowing picture late Wednesday of the assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that left the widely respected diplomat and three others dead." It is a shame that four innocent people were murdered for no real reason. I did not realize that people could get so angry over some stupid video on the Internet.

I am reminded of the infamous attack on the Twin Towers by extremists back in 2001. The attacks also happened to occur on the 11th anniversary of that attack. Both of these attacks were carried out by Muslim extremists.

Chris Stevens and the other 3 Americans were good, innocent people that committed no crime and were unjustly killed. I can only hope that President Obama makes good on his promise to bring these murderers to justice.

Current Connection "It's all in the rings"

In Veronique Greenwood's aritcle "Why Bacteria, But Not Humans, Can Live on Caffeine: It's all in the rings," she informs us on the reasons why this newly found bacterium can live on caffeine alone but we can not.
She states that "we, and the caffeine-loving bacterim, need nutrients like vitamins and minerals as well. But those are for use in biological reactions rather than as an energy source." This means that the bacteria do not need the energy that we need but they need the same nutrients for reactions that occur naturally inside of them. Since the caffeine has those nutrients they can still have those reactions occur. But we need the nutrients for energy and there is simply not enough in caffeine to use it alone.
We "humans are fairly limited in terms of what the body can digest," "alot of the molecules we eat, we don't use." So yes caffeine would be a substainable diet if it had the things in it that our complicated bodies could digest to use in our everyday lifes.
The reason we can not digest this molecule is because "we don't have the gear to digest derivatives further." We can only take away the CH3 in caffeine. leaving the few parts the we pee out if we can connect an oxygen to the molecule thats left.
I see something about coffee every other day because Mrs. Gilmore's classroom is focused around a cafe setting, and what do they serve at cafes? Coffee, that is it, and what does coffee have in it? Cafeine. It contains alot of cafeine unless you get that nasty decafe coffee.
Do you live off cafeine? If so you might want to rethink the way you live and get some of the foods and drinks your body can digest and use to help you stay healthy.

Current Connection "Government report on secret flying saucer program..."

On FoxNews.com they have an article named "Government report on secret flying saucer program made aviable."  The purpose of them writing this article is to inform the readers about the "flying saucer" the government has been hiding from us.  They tell us about the aircraft itself, the test they have done, and the products used in making it work.
"The disk-shaped craft --...-- was designed to reach top speed of Mach 4 and reach a ceiling of more than 100,000 feet, according to the lengthy document, which is titled "Project 1794, Final Developement Summary Report" and dated 1956." This is telling about the expectations of this craft and what it should be able to withstand.
"Six Armstrong Siddeley Viper turbo-jets --1,900 pounds of thrust, 22 inch overall diameter, 525 pound weight each -- are mounted radially in the wind, exhausting inwards; and used as gas generators to drive a pair of contra-rotating centrifigual impellers by means of radial inflow turbine." These engines should beable to lift this product to the outstanding height it is supposed to reach. These jets were a feat for the time period this was supposed to be build in.
During a test it "simply did not work as hoped." Having this much power caused it to "wobble uncontrollably as it gained altitude." Which appear to be a danger to the pilot and anyone down below, the innocent bystanders.
This article sparked my interest becuase I have always been interested in places like Area 51, and the conspiracry theory about aliens. So I think it is pretty cool they were trying to build a "UFO."
This shows how easy it is for the government to hide things from us. So do you think it was wrong or right for them to hide this from the public?