I like this animation a lot. It was a little bit interactive since we had to click through each step. I t was helpful to see the two processes side by side and have the descriptions of what made them similar and different at each step. Very useful learning tool!
Citric Acid Cycle
This animation was also very good. I really liked having the audio as well so I didn't have to read through as much since the citric acid cycle seems pretty complex. It was very long. Also it took a lot of focus and repeating/replaying steps to grasp the process being presented. I still have a difficult time understanding all the steps, but it was a very good tool for learning. I would probably just need to dedicate more time and effort into understanding all the processes going on there.
Class discussion
The article "Ringing the alarm for Earth" reminded me of dangerous trajectory we are on in terms of over population. A friend once likened all of the good we try to do in terms of conservation and being green, reducing our footprints, etc., to throwing a pebble into the vast Grand Canyon that is overpopulation. There are too many humans on the planet right now already and the population is continuing to grow exponentially. This subject is strangely still very taboo in our culture. For some reason population control is seen as a barbaric, anti-American, anti-freedom idea, and yet, if we do not make the choices to control our population now voluntarily, we will run into the limits of our finite world that will control our population without our say and it will most likely be tragic and terrible. It is a major issue that I grapple with in my own life. The question of whether or not to have children, knowing that it further burdens the few remaining resources left on this planet. It is a controversial and essential debate.
"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." - Lao Tzu
I loved your post about the population. I am sure we have all heard of that television show 19 and counting. That just sickens me and for more reasons than I can talk about here. I mean China is a good example of what will happen even if we start limiting the amount of children people are allowed to have. I was once told that China is now actually encountering some problems because people are only allowed to have one child. I.e. no uncles and aunts. Kids are becoming completely spoiled because they are the only child from both sides of the parents. Either way it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming years.
ReplyDeleteIn the case of limiting the number of kids that people have is ideally a good idea, but getting the public to agree would be another issue, as you mentioned, however, things like having 19 kids, come on!
The ending quote is very fitting for your post. I feel that we are slowly making changes in the right direction, and I hope that we continue to follow this change!
You may be right that overpopulation is a real threat. But I always think of the vast and I mean vast amounts of energy and material that we waste. I don't think that being green and changing small things is insignificant and part of that is because there are so many of us. Sure, certain areas are over populated such as the desert cities that exist that couldn't without water being piped in, but we'll never know how over populated we are until we actually live up to our standards of efficiency and conservation.
ReplyDeleteI, too, loved your post on the article about population and found the end quote to be quite appropriate. Then found my thoughts waylaid by reading the comments of JenRenHen and thomas. I agree will all that this is a very complex problem that needs to be addressed at the world of countries level all the way down to the individual level.
ReplyDeleteChina's one child policy has had many disastrous social effects and there is always the issue of needing to be more efficient (and just) with our use and sharing or resources and materials.
I believe we need to take all of this into account and find a way to slow population growth without the negative social side effects being experienced in China and that we must all become more efficient and the personal, community, state, country, and world levels.
With this in mind I would like to end my comment by paraphrasing one of Liu Ming's comments during his talk on the Year of the Rabbit. He basically said that we need to be kind to one another and share and take care of one another at the personal level and that this will send out positive vibrations (ripples if you will) for positive changes at the higher levels of community, state, country, and world levels.