Carol

Week 3: Water Treatment === This week the prevailing topic that dictated our activites in class was water. We biked to Robbins Park to perform various tests on the creek water and even taught elementary schoolers about ponds. So, I thought it would be interesting to follow the process of water treatment: ===

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=== The video generally describes how treatment plants take brackish water from where oceans and rivers meet to generate the clean water that comes from our faucets. It takes a lot of work to meet goverment requirements, but after a great amount of both chemical and mechanical filtering, the yellowish water eventually becomes freshwater. The video also makes an interesting point on how fresh water supplies are disappearing as population increases. As Mrs. Lil mentioned in class, the next world war may even be over fresh water! Still, saltwater facilities such as these are throroughly useful as they can convert the majority of water into clean, drinkable water. ===



Week 2: Sustainable Fishing ===This week, we played an interesting game that involved sustainable fishing within a small community. It was a lot of fun, and I was intrigued by the serious issue behind it. Overfishing has become a big problem as fish consumption rates have been increasing every year. However, some fish farmers, such Miguel Medialdea, try to keep as close to nature as possible. ===

===This TIME article describes how Medialdea not only appreciates the predators who eat his sea bass, such as the flamingos, but also allows the tides to sweep in nutrient rich estuary water from the ocean. He isn't at all angry that the various birds on his farms take about 20% of his annual yield; in fact, he seems quite prouf. In addition, he allows the fish to grow until they weight 2 pounds, unlike industrial farms where they are only allowed to grow until they are 4 ounces. Medialea understands that nature should be improved upon, as he notes, "The point isn't to make use and conservation compatible. The point is to use in order to conserve." ===

Week 1: Autism ===So this week we watched a movie about an autistic woman named Temple Grandin. Now, I'll be the first one to say that I knew practically //nothing// about the disease, even though its really common among children and adults these days. After some additional research, I realized that the movie was actually pretty accurate in its portrayal of the symptoms and effects of autism, which basically affects the brain's normal development of social and communication skills. Here's an additional little video to help explain the disease a little more smoothly: ===

So this guy makes a few important points:
===While there are still no known causes or "cures" for autism, there are many treatments to aid in the child's development. Autistic children are no longer institutionalized (as they were in the movie), and with the right treatment, symptoms can diminish in severity. Today, it is not uncommon that autistic people can live together with their families and within their communities. ===
 * ===Some children are indeed born with autism, but others, like Jason, initially appear normal, but then suddenly "regress" before the age of two and lose the language or social skills they had previously gained ===
 * ===The definition for autism constantly changes, and today's definition includes a broader spectrum of children than it did before ===
 * ===Although some people believe that vaccines may lead to autism in their children, studies by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Institute of Medicine provide no evidence to support this theory ===