pln23

In the article, "Nature's 'treasure' unearthed in Borneo," reported by CNN, the article described the large numbers of almost alien species recently discovered in the Southeast Asian island of Borneo. Some of the new species include the mulu flying tree frog, the degredskrin flame snake, the kinablu tailed slug, and many more. What does this mean for the world? It means that there is still things left in this world that we humans don't know about and that there is always the potential of something amazing around every corner. As far as education goes, there are always more blank pages in the big book of species, and that the new frontier is not just space - it could be right here in our own backyards! There is so much society doesn't know, in the words of a great mentor, "You can never stop learning."

pln26

In the article, "Flights ease Europe's air traffic crisis," reported by CNN, it described the trouble a volcano in Iceland is causing to the worlds' air traffic, especially in Europe. The volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, has been erupting all week according to Iceland officials causing European air traffic control to ground all flights in most northern European countries until the end of the week. The decision has stranded thousands of passengers across the continent and stopped those who would be coming in. The broader question is, what does this mean for the world? Is Mother Nature trying to send a message? No one knows for sure but air traffic won't get up to speed for at least another week and for the families of the members of the canceled flights it spells headaches.

pln25

While reading articles about who is going to be the next world super power, I discovered that the most probable country for this designation is China. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? I believe that this is a good thing because whenever you are the super power that makes you the world's policeman; you have to help everyone and you have to babysit all the third world countries. When and if China becomes the next world super power, they are going to share the responsibilities of the U.S For the U.S., this could mean fewer troops overseas, more money to spend on things like new energy and eco-friendly development, etc. The great thing about not being the world's super power is that others, such as terrorists, don't focus on knocking you off. Overall, not being the world's only super power is probably a good thing and could greatly affect us in the future.

PLN24

"The curious incident of the dog in the night," by John Haddon, is a story about an autistic boy named Christopher (Chris) who lives near London with his father. Readers do not know exactly how old Chris is but he seems to be about thirteen. Chris likes to go out alone in the night. One night he discovers his neighbor's dog, Wellington, dead with a pitchfork through its chest. The neighbor blames Chris and from there the story unfolds as Chris tries to solve the mystery of who killed the dog. Clearly Chris' crime-solving abilities are impaired by his autism which leaves him mistrustful of strangers and being touched and extremely detail-oriented. However, he is also a mathematical genius. Ultimately Chris discovers that his father killed the dog to get back at the neighbor and that the mother he thought had died was actually alive and well.

Pln22

In the article "Obama, Russian president sign arms treaty" reported by CNN, it talked about the enormous effort the world is making to get rid of the nuclear threat. This effort was magnified when the two opposing sides, the U.S and Russia, agreed to stop their nuclear research 19 years after the end of the Cold War. This shows the great progress our nations have achieved since the turn of the century. Now the world's citizens can sleep easier knowing that the global nuclear threat has diminished by at least 50%. But the world still has a long way to go to get rid of the nuclear threat entirely. Most countries agree that reducing the nuclear threat by reducing the number of weapons is a good thing. However, many are still very concerned that radicals such as Al Queda and the Taliban would use these weapons without hesitation if they could get their hands on them.

plN21

While watching the newsreel, "Policy limits role of nuclear arsenal," reported by CNN, the reel told about how the U.S has pledged to cut nuclear warhead research and stunt the usage of nuclear weapons "if necessary" to an all time low. In the words of CNN reporters, " The U.S is finally catching up with history," regarding the fresh look the administration is taking at our nuclear policy and the overall need for nuclear weapons long after the end of the cold war. However, what does this mean for the world? Many people have spoken out to say that this is a step toward peace on earth, while others say that this public statement by President Obama is making the U.S look weak and that the decision should be reconsidered. As far as education goes, there will be no more need for the "hide-under-your-desk-to-avoid-nuclear-fallout drill". Although there is much controversy, the decision still remains. Could it be we will ever completely realize a nuclear-free world?

pln20

In the article Energy issues at EU-Russia summit, found at , European Energy blog, it describes the EU - Russian summit currently underway in Stockholm. The major issue to be discussed at the summit is energy. Europe would like to avoid what happened in 2008 when Russia cut off oil to multiple European nations for two weeks because of a price and pay dispute with Ukraine, the country through which the Russian oil transits. This caused major problems in the EU which receives about a quarter of its gas supply from Russia. A progressive leap forward on this issue happened Monday when Russia and the EU signed an energy early warning agreement that will help them avoid future abrupt disruptions of the gas supply. Russia and Ukraine however still must work out a peaceful agreement. Energy issues are not the only problems Russia and the EU are facing. Another sensitive topic at the summit is human rights because Sweden plans to press Russia over this issue. In summary, Europe is not the only region dependent on foreign energy supplies. The world needs to develop cheap, renewable energy sources to avoid future conflicts.

pln 19

In the article US Navy frigate captures 5 pirates near Seychelles, published by AP or Associated Press, it decribed the increase of pirate activity over the last year in Simiolia after this recent oil tanker was captured. The Somilie Pirates have captured more than 50 ships off their coast alone but over this year there has been 306 pirate attacks compared to the year 2008 with 293 attacks this is a substantial increase. On tuesday a small band of pirats opened fire on a ship at night, however this simingly harmless ship was actully the U.S war ship the USS Nicholas, the pirats were easly delt with and detained, through further search the Nicholas later found the pirats mother ship. But What does the future of shipping hold for the world with this old threat come back to haunt us. Will our generations in the future look back at this time of piracy in text booksand make movies about it like the popular movie "Pirats of the Caribian". For now we wait and try our best to keep the ocean safe.