THE FINALE!!!

     The time has come when there will be “Bye-byes” heard and said. Every journey must come to an end, but always remember that every end comes a new beginning. This is just the ending of a chapter and the start of a new one. And before we even say our good-byes, let us talk about what our project really is about and how we prepared for it…

     Our 4^th Quarter final CEO is about expressing our opinions and sentiments through blogging. The Blogging Project is the title of our CEO (Creative Expansive Output) and with this; we have to make our own group blog to post our own reflections about some issues and also about the tiring yet amazing field trips we went to. This project is to build up our teamwork, creativity and logicality. We were given time to prepare for this project and luckily, we were able to start off our blog with only few problems. We first discussed about what the blog would be like, the name and the information we have to type in our first blog post. Good thing our blogging project started off with a good first post.

     However, like all projects would have, we encountered problems as we prepared for it. One of this was about the problems on creating the blog post. There were lots of excitement that we didn’t know how to start it. Thus, what we did was plan it little by little and we first created our name then everything followed. There were also some problems with the “group” work. There were some members of our group that had problems with their internet connections. So, we had to start off somehow late because we still had to ask them about their opinions personally. Nevertheless, everything turned out fine.

PROBLEMS SOLVED!

     While there were problems, there were also GREAT parts during the making of this blog. We had lots of fun while giving out ideas on each issue we had to type and post. There were fun parts and even HILARIOUS ones while we worked the blog out. But most of all, it was great to see that we worked hard as a team!

     Given the chance to do this CEO all over again, we would still do it. There are still lots of other things we can explore and we can still do more. It’s also fun to start off again with fresh minds and new ideas; this can challenge our creativity. This CEO can be further improved by giving more options to the next bloggers. There are lots of things to explore on. And may we also suggest, if possible, having a video blog posted here. It can be short but informative. However, you should always remember to plan everything first with your group mates if you’re planning to make a group blog. If you don’t do this, it will cause some errors in the blog.

     We wouldn’t change anything regarding this CEO because we think that it’s fine this way. There are enough topics and issues to talk about. There are also lots of options that you can do when you make a blog post. But, having more creative topics and issue would be better to further excite the bloggers and also the future readers.

     We learned lots of important lessons in doing this project. One of this was teamwork. You shouldn’t depend on your group mates only, but at the same time, you shouldn’t do everything by yourself. You should work together as a team and voice out your own opinions and at the same time, respect the opinions of others. We also learned that having perseverance has many things to do with creating a blog. There are times when you really have to stay up late typing your ideas in the computer because of the many questions. However, after you have finished, you would feel a sense of relief. Being creative and having an open mind are also the things that we learned while making the blog. We should think out-of-the-box in doing this project; after all, it’s a Creative Expansive Output so you really have to have a creative mind. Lastly, we learned much more about God’s wonderful creations. And on our trips, we learned lots more about them and that we shouldn’t let man-made creations destroy them. We should respect His creations and treat them the right way.

1. Think out-of-the-box

 2. BE creative

3. Work with your team

4. Be hardworking

     Thus, this ends a wonderful journey with you, readers! We hope that you’ll know a lot (We know you did!) and that this will serve as an inspiration for you to be good examples for our country and our world. And as what the elders say. “The children are the future of this world.” And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

     BYE GUYS!!! Even if we know you’ll miss us very much, we have to leave because a journey awaits the 5 of us: Kai Lin, Snowdrop, Josh Bayns, Aluxre and Nathan! The 5 of us have our own paths to follow and we know that we will reach success in anything we want to do and to be and it's the same for you, readers! GOD BLESS!  

FAST FORWARD...TO THE Future!

     One of the TOP issues the Philippines is facing now is the argument about the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). It is about whether to open it or not. Until now, the government hasn’t made a final answer… So, what if… we fast forward the time and you have just been elected as president? Will you open the BNPP? OR is it otherwise?

     The majority of the people in the group said that they wouldn’t let the opening of the BNPP. This is because there are so many hazards if we open the plant. There are also more alternatives than that because opening the plant is NOT and CAN’T be the ONLY solution. There are other alternatives like the solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal power generation. We just need to improve on these and be more creative and to think outside of the box if we can combine these technologies for more effective results. And as we know, here in the Philippines, we have lots of intelligent and creative people who can think of other better alternatives if they just think outside the box. IF we also open the BNPP, the endangered marine turtles will be at harm and they might end up in the extinct list of species if we open the BNPP because of its toxic wastes. That’s why we chose NO! And now, we’re going to discuss about the pros and cons on opening the BNPP…

Geothermal Energy!

Hydroelectric Energy!

Solar power.

     First of all, we know that we’ve already discussed with you this, but unlike before, we’ll say it detail by detail. So let’s start off with the advantages…

1.      Its reliability. Nuclear power plants can give off more electricity than the coal-fired plants and it comes with paying less electricity bills! So that means, less flying wallets, and less money to spend. And most of all, there will be no blackouts (PHEW)!

2.     The little pollution. Coal-fired power plants emit more radiation into the air than nuclear power plants! So, that means, if we open the BNPP, there will be less destruction with the ozone layer.

3.      Its safety. It is said to be one of the safest power plants to make. And no Americans have died because of a reactor accident!

     Now, let’s move on to the disadvantages of opening the plant!

1.                   The sustainability. There is no Uranium (Which is used to power nuclear power plants) found in the Philippines! As a result, we still need to buy uranium from the countries which have Uranium. And also, Uranium is a scarce source…

2.                   The meltdowns. Meltdowns can cause damage in the place where the nuclear power plant is.

3.                   Radiation. Radiation causes bad effects on us, like cancer, radiation sickness and even genetic mutation.

4.                   The waste disposal. Without proper disposal of wastes, it might cause damage to the animals living or residing near it. Too add to that, nuclear wastes also remain toxic for hundreds of thousands of years!

     Also, if we would open the BNPP, we are not 100% sure that it would work out properly because there are many defects found in the BNPP. And opening it will have major effects on the animals living near it, especially the endangered marine turtles!

     To wrap it all up, if we were president of the country, we wouldn’t open the BNPP because we know that there will be much better alternatives for that. We just need perseverance in searching and for finding more information about it. We also need teamwork and cooperation with doing this. The government can’t do this alone without the cooperation of their citizens. We can also ask help from different countries and ask advice to the international organizations like the United Nations for advice. Remember, we are not alone in this issue… many counties can help us and most importantly God can and will help us solve this issue.

     That’s it for now! Think twice in making your decisions but always make sure that it will lead to something good, not just for the Philippines, but also for the WHOLE world!

NEXT STOP: Bataan Nuclear Power Plant!

     There are many sources of energy found here in this world, renewable and non-renewable sources. As of today, we are more dependent on coal to generate electricity. And by the way, coal is a non-renewable source of energy; that means, coal will only be available for a couple more years, that’s why many people are finding alternatives for this. One of which is NUCLEAR ENERGY…

The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

     That type of energy is what we’re going to talk about today because the other site that we went to in our trip to Bataan was the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). The BNPP is located in Napot Pt. in Morong, Bataan. It is also the only nuclear power plant in the Philippines, but sadly, it has never been fueled. And, maybe, you might be wondering, what’s nuclear energy?

     Nuclear energy originates from the splitting of uranium atoms in a process called fission. At the power plant, the fission process is used to generate heat for producing steam, which is used by a turbine to generate electricity.

     There are also many advantages and disadvantages of generating nuclear energy. Let’s first start off with the advantages:

Little Pollution:

Nuclear power produces less pollution than coal, which is our primary source of electricity…

 

Safety:

Generating nuclear energy is one of the safest ways on producing electricity….

 

Reliability:

The cost of electricity will be lowered and there will be no brownouts. And also, Nuclear Power Plants need little fuel to work. 

 

Now, let’s go down to our disadvantages:

Sustainability:

Uranium (which is used to power Nuclear Power Plants) is a scarce source. Furthermore, there is no URANIUM found in the Philippines.

 

Meltdowns:

Radiations:

The 3 Major effects of radiation are: Cancer, Radiation Sickness, and genetic mutation (WHAT??!!!).

 

Waste disposal:

Nuclear wastes remain toxic (OUCH!) for hundreds of thousands of years…

 

     After reading, we have one question for you: Which side are you on? Are you in favor of harnessing energy? OR is it the other way around?

    

     Some of us had mixed emotions when asked if we are in favor of harnessing nuclear energy or not, but most of us said that we are not in favor of harnessing nuclear energy. We would love to tell you the reasons why, but that’s for our next blog post…

     Now, let’s leave that topic behind to discuss about our 2^nd SITE, The BNPP! Before we went to BNPP, we expected that we will see the different parts of the power plant and to know their functions and we also wanted to learn LOTS more about nuclear energy.

    

     After the field trip, we surely learned a LOT about the BNPP. First of all, we learned about the kind of structure of the plant and we learned that there were “back-ups” just in case a part of the BNPP goes wrong. We also learned that nuclear power plants are difficult to build and it is also difficult to select a place to build the plant. And also, the plant is safe as long as the structure is good.

     After touring the plant, the best part that we liked in the plant is the dome and the reactor. Why? SIMPLE ANSWER: It is where most of the EXCITEMENT takes place.

CONTROL RODS

     SO that’s about it for now, we hope that you learned a lot about nuclear energy (And we know you did) and we also hope that someday, when you get older, you’ll be able to help and solve the issue concerning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Until NEXT time!!! BYE!!!

TURTLES TO THE RESCUE!!!

     Since the day we were born, we were taken care of Mother Earth. All the materials and basic needs we need were from Earth. However, as time passes, many people are taking our Earth for granted. Everything from the land, to the waters and up to the skies is now getting affected. How are we going to help them?

     Hello once again, READERS! Today, we will talk to you about the information we gathered regarding the marine turtles and how we can help, but before that, let us start off with something we always do, yeah; you’re RIGHT, with a QUOTE!

 

“The least movement is of importance to all nature. The entire ocean is affected by a pebble... (BlaisePascal).”

 

     Every little thing we do can cause MAJOR problems, without us knowing it. And remember the thing about plastic bags? It causes death to turtles (How MAJOR is that?). SO, next time, think before you act. Be open-minded and think of as many EFFECTS as possible, then after that, weigh it, which has more advantages? NOBODY can tell, except for YOU. TO wrap it all up, It’s somehow ALL up to YOU.       

WEIGH IT. BE A WAGER.

 

     And now, let us continue with the importance of the marine turtles. If the marine turtles were to be extinct, some of the marine animals, like the plankton, will be overpopulated because they will have fewer predators. Also, the animals that eat marine turtles would have less food which may cause imbalance in the ecological system of marine life.

     One of the top enemies of marine turtles is global warming. As you well know, global warming is when the water rises and covers a big track of land because of the temperature of the Earth rising. If this were to happen, the turtles won’t have any place to lay their eggs because the beaches would likely be covered by water. Global warming is also the process when the earth heats up (the temperature rises).  It happens when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, nitrous oxide, and methane) trap heat and light from the sun in the earth’s atmosphere, which increases the temperature.  This hurts many people, animals (Like the MARINE turtles), and plants.  Many of them cannot take the change, so they die (HOW SAD :(). Rising of the temperature is also the cause of sea level rise from the melting of polar ice and that is already contributing to the loss of beach and sea turtle nesting habitat.  Weather extremes, also linked to climate change, mean more frequent and severe storms which alter nesting beaches, causing beach erosion or flooding to the sea turtle nests (WOW, THAT’S A LOT).  

     

     Increasing temperatures also cause hotter sands which results in decreased hatching rates or complete nest failure. And there’s more (WHAT!!!), it also affects hatchlings by altering natural sex ratios, with hotter temperature producing more female hatchlings.

    

     Actually, there are lots more BAD effects of global warming to the marine turtles (SAD FACT). However, let’s just stick to this because some of you might faint (Just joking… but seriously). And do you want to know what the major contributors of GLOBAL WARMING are? ANSWER: WELL, DUH… OK, we’ll show you… Why don’t you STOP for a while and GRAB any MIRROR then LOOK… Is IT obvious now? Well, for the sake of some people who don’t get it… HERE”S THE ANSWER…

YOU!!!

 

     ANOTHER SAD FACT UP THERE… but, do you want to change from the KILLER to the SAVER? Well here are some things that we, students, can do to help…    

      

     As students, we can conserve marine turtles by causing less pollution, reporting people who kill marine turtles for money, and to inform people to try and not cause global warming or we can be GOOD examples because you have to start off with changing yourself before changing the world, with leads us to another QUOTE (YEHEY, 2 Quotes in a ROW!!!):

 

     I don’t think that needs more explaining to do. The quote speaks for itself.

      

     Besides those mentioned above, we can also join organizations that help in conserving marine turtles, like the Pawikan Conservation Center! We should also start practicing the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) to help lessen the cause of global warming EVERYDAY! 

REDUCE the use of electricity!

REUSE old SHOES!!!

RECYCLE OLD NEWSPAPERS!

GO TO the Pawikan Conservation Center.

      

     TO end this post, we must end it with a BANG (You know what we mean)! But, we think we don’t need the summarizing because the first QUOTE says it all! Once again, thank you for tuning in and we hope that what you learned from us will stick in your minds and hearts! BYE!

First STOP: BATAAN!!!

The beautiful mountain of Bataan...

     Hello readers! WE are here once again to tell you all sorts of amazing things we found out about nature and about our resources! Our first stop in our trip to nature is Bataan, the beautiful and unique Bataan! And we went there to visit two of the amazing sites in Bataan: The Pawikan Conservation Center (PCC) and the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant! However, we’re just going to post, for now, the awesome things we learned in our first venue, the PCC! And we will start off this post with a quote:

      That quote means that you can see the real moral progress of a nation by simply looking at how the nation treats its animals. Does the nation make programs concerning the wildlife? OR does the nation leave that issue behind? How about you? What do you think of our government? Does the government make efforts on protecting wildlife or what?

     Now, let’s move on to our field trip…    

     We had a field trip in Bataan because our teacher wanted us to know the real status of the Earth’s resources like the sea turtles for example. And also to widen and open our minds on the effects on the little things we do. Did you know that when you throw a plastic bag on the ground and not on the proper place, there will be a chance that you can kill a marine turtle? We didn’t, but because of the lecture in PCC, we knew what we had to do. Do you want to know why it can kill them? ANSWER: OF COURSE. Simple, when plastic bags are thrown in the ground, there can be some circumstances that it will end up in the sea. Then, the little turtles will see the plastic as a jellyfish (They eat jellyfishes.), and after they eat and swallow it, something bad will happen and the turtles will eventually suffocate (Maybe, it wasn’t that simple).

     We joined this field trip because we wanted to, of course, go to Bataan and see the little pawikan hatchlings. We also wanted to clean-up the coastal area where the turtles hatch their eggs. And we wanted to see how the BNPP works. We also expected that there will be hatchlings available on the time we go to the PCC (That was about last February 3, 2012.) and we also expected that we can, of course, learn more about the turtles and the “White Elephant” (BNPP).

And what did we feel before the trip? Here:

Kai Lin feels… “that we will have a good field trip!!!”

Snowdrop is… “excited and nervous because I’m afraid that the bus will leave me!!!”

Josh Bayns (Josiah’s new nickname) is…”excited.”

Nathan is…”very excited!”

Aluxre is…”a little nervous because I haven’t released a hatchling before!”

    

     The five of us expected to see turtle hatchlings in the PCC and we also expected to have a great day and see the different kinds of species there and how they conserve it. And you might probably have on question in your mind, “What is the PCC?” Answer: The PCC is one of the conservation centers in the Philippines. It’s a center that helps in the preserving and the conserving of the turtles or the “pawikans” in the Philippines. We learned a lot from the PCC like ways on how they hatch, the imprinting process and the kinds of species there. There are five species seen on the Philippines: the Olive Ridley (Which was the only species we saw in the PCC.), the Green, the Leatherback, the Hawksbill, and the Loggerhead Turtle, but we were only able to adopt an  Olive Ridley or the Lepidochelys olivacea.

Pictures of the Olive Ridley turtles heading to the shore. :D

    

          

     Now let us give some facts about the one and only live turtle we saw in the PCC, the Olive Ridley!!!

     The Olive Ridley Turtle or the Lepidochelys olivacea is also known as “mukay” in Bicol and “latun” in Palawan. And this is the taxonomic classification:

  

    Taxonomic classification...

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Testudines
Family:	Cheloniidae
Genus:	Lepidochelys
Species:	L. olivacea

     The Olive Ridley is also the smallest marine turtle in the whole world and it is named after it's shell which is colored olive green. It also feeds on all food types like crabs, shrimps and snails. The Olive Ridley is distributed in Bataan and Zambales here in the Philippines. We also chose the Olive Ridley Turtle because it was the only sea turtle we saw in the PCC. And based on what Kai Lin said “It was so cute!”, it was really cute. 

OLIVE RIDLEY TURTLES!!!!

     Lastly, what’s the ecological importance of that turtle? Well, the Olive Ridley Turtle serves as the carnivores  in the food web. They also help balance the food chain of the marine life, without them, there won’t be, of course, balance in the ecosystem which results in some disruptions of the other marine creatures. And they are also creatures made by God so we should preserve and conserve them (You see how awesome they are?).

    That’s about it for now, SO LONG READERS! Thank you for reading our long post and we hope that you’ll stick to our blog (We don’t mean it literally.)until the end and until our NEXT trip to nature!!! Oh, and we hope you learned a lot from our trip!!!

Everything must start with an introduction...

“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

     That quote just simply means that everything must start with a simple but meaningful start. Everything should start with something, right? Right. In our case, before we get all excited and stuff we should first introduce the team that are part of this blog and this journey. And by the way, we hope that you, readers, will be with us until the end of our journey.

     Vibeen a.k.a. the most recent “Kai Lin” nickname is known as being the artistic and friendly girl in our class. Being artistic and creative, Kai Lin is always asked to draw or decorate something from the simple bond paper up to the most random things. She is also known as the “one-who-has-a-good-singing-voice-and-recently-knows-how-to-play-the-guitar” kind of person. She is also, by the way, adventurous and is game for anything. She’s the type of person you’ll see inside the four corners of a room, with a few but close friends. All in all, despite her dynamic character, one can describe her in just these few words, talented and kind.

     Chyna/Chi Chi or “Snow Drop” is one that you can see occasionally bumping, spilling, dropping and hitting things accidentally (yeah, we know, she’s really clumsy). Once you hear the sound of an object that dropped in the 2^nd Floor of our school, most likely than not, it will be her. Also known as the intellectual person/alien, she is mostly seen in competitions held in her school. However, she’s more than that; she’s a true friend which many people, including boys, trust. And she can be hiding many things and talents that you didn’t expect from her, but watch out, before you even say “Hi” to her; she might bump you or accidentally hit you first.

    

     Josiah is the athletic and TALL guy that you can here making jokes and laughing really LOUD. He would be the one who would always express his opinions to the teacher and to his classmates. He has a circle of friends, but only has a few CLOSE friends. One would always see him shooting hoops in the basketball area and if not, playing any other sport. He’s also very musical and knows how to play the piano and guitar very well, many people think that he is talented and yeah, he really is. You might think that he’s mean and annoying sometimes, but once you get to know him, he would be a great, sincere and caring friend to be with.

     When you here the sound of the recorder playing random songs, it will almost always be Nathan. You would always here him say random facts and riddles about everything. He’s the one you’d see in the corner writing in his journal or drawing characters when we have free time, but when classes start, he’d be the person who can express his opinions without hesitation. He might be somehow a “loner”, but when you fully understand his TRUE self, he’s not just any friend, but he’s this FRIEND that you can count on and can understand you because he might be having the same problems that you have.

     Aluxre (Raj) is the guy you’d see with friends who laugh at him and you’d see him laughing back too, but inside he’s thinking differently. He’s the kind of person who’s different from what people think about him. When people think he’s not nice, they’re WRONG. When people think he’s so sensitive, they’re also WRONG. He’s more than just that, they just need to think more deeply and think of the other possible things that he can be. Also known as one of the smartest boys, Aluxre’s known to work hard and when he says something, sometimes he means the other. So you see, he’s very unpredictable, but he’s the one to watch.

     SO here it is, the 5 members namely Kai Lin, Snow Drop, Josiah, Nathan and Aluxre. The 5 of us will be part of this journey that will uncover the truth about EARTH and other less-known facts.

     We made this blog to make the readers (Yeah, YOU) think outside of the box and to know the “major, major” issues that’s happening in the WORLD we live in. We also want to tell everyone what we think, not just to the 4 corners of the classroom, and we are very thankful that T. Rye gave us the opportunity to express our opinions and to make this blog our project.

MAY GOD BLESS ALL OF US AND MAY THE JOURNEY START!