Monday, December 31, 2007
Ah, the evil carbon fuels. Carbon fuels that were once exalted as the power source for the industrial revolution are now demonized because of global warming. There are, however, positive aspects to carbon fuels.
Positive Aspects of Carbon Fuels
Carbon fuels are those fuels which come from the remains of ancient plants and animals. They include oil (petroleum), natural gas (such as methane and propane) and coal. Much has been said about how horrible carbon fuels are because they tend to produce large amounts of pollution and contribute massive amounts of greenhouse gases to the global warming problem. They are also non-renewable, which means that once we have used all of the carbon fuels that are stored within the Earth, the proverbial tank will be empty. Indeed, one can argue that control of carbon fuels will become the basis of many wars between countries. All of this being said, there are still positive aspects to carbon fuels.
The first is the availability of them at this time. Petroleum, or crude oil, is rather easy to find ? there are many stores and reservoirs of the black stuff hidden below the Earth's crust. The same goes for natural gas, as the pockets of gas can be found and harvested just below the surface of the Earth. Coal is even easier to find ? it can be mined (sometimes strip mined) from within caves or in shafts dug into the ground. Carbon fuels are also relatively easily transported from place to place in this day and age, meaning that you don't need to use them right where they are found. This is not so with other types of energy sources such as geothermal and hydropower which are restricted to the area in question and the length to which power lines can be run.
Other positives of carbon fuels include ease of use. Since carbon fuels have been used as a combustible energy source for centuries, most of the machinery and engines that we use in everyday life have been developed to burn carbon fuels. Developing machines that use alternative energy sources can be much more difficult as is adapting existing machinery to use different power sources. Carbon fuel run power plants are also much easier to build and use ? you can erect one almost anywhere, as long as you can get the carbon fuel to the plant. It is much harder to find a suitable location for a power plant that runs off of alternative energy sources, such as hydro power or wind power.
The positive aspects to carbon fuels really boil down to a timing element. At the current time, we have plenty of them. At the moment, all of our machinery from cars to power plants is designed to use them. At the moment, we have developed methods to use these fuels extremely efficiently whereas something like solar power is only 15 percent efficient.
The issues confronting us with carbon fuels, however, are also timing oriented. While the positive aspects of carbon fuels now are clear, they disappear in the near future. How will we deal with shortages in supplies and the resulting rising costs? How will we deal with the continual greenhouse gases produced by our use of these fuels? In short, do we worry about tomorrow or not?
While there are definitely positive aspects of carbon fuels, there are also many disadvantages. Alas, the good news is that we can control our future in this regard. The question, of course, is whether we will choose to do so.
Rick Chapo is with Solar Companies - a directory of solar energy companies.
I KNOW I CAN helps Students in Columbus Schools Attain Their College Dreams
I KNOW I CAN Program Overview
Established in 1998, the I KNOW I CAN organizations seeks to ensure that every qualified Columbus Public School student who wants to go to college has the opportunity to do so. Part of the mission is to encourage children to find out what resources are available to them in order to overcome student and parent fears about financial and informational decisions relating to a college education.
The I KNOW I CAN plan has four missions. The first is to motivate students to stay in school and pursue college. The second is to advise students and parents how to apply for college and access financial aid. The third mission is to fund students with the Last Dollar Grant and find additional sources of financial aid for needy students. Finally, the organization promises ongoing support for students in college to help ensure that they complete their degrees.
Early Awareness Programs
The Columbus Schools offers children a long term program for attending college. Beginning in second grade, all Columbus Public School children receive a free I KNOW I CAN motivational children's book in order to show children that college is possible and affordable for people from all walks of life.
At the middle and high school level, the Summer Scholars Program helps academically talented students attend summer enrichment programs at college campuses across the nation. Columbus Public School students receive financial and application help to attend these programs and gain the necessary exposure to what life is like on a college campus.
High School Workshops
Academic and financial advising for all high school students, with a particular focus on high school seniors, is another way in which the I KNOW I CAN organization helps Columbus Public School students prepare for college. Volunteer advisors help Columbus Public School students by arranging college awareness fairs and a variety of activities that bring students to college campuses and help them understand the various strategies that they can use to gain admission, including exam preparation as well as enrolling in college preparation courses while still in high school.
Every February, the I KNOW I CAN hosts Financial Aid workshops in conjunction with the Columbus Public Schools. These workshops help parents and students complete all the necessary forms for applying for federal and state financial aid. These workshops pair volunteers with parents and students to ensure the one ? on ? one attention for each Columbus Public School student interested in applying for college financial aid.
Last Dollar Grants
After ensuring that every Columbus Public School student has received all the financial help possible from federal and state sources, the I KNOW I CAN organization helps to arrange additional funding, up to $1,200 per academic year for those students who need extra money to fill the gaps in their financial aid package. The organization guarantees financial aid assistance to every qualified graduate in the Columbus City School District. The grants are available for up to five years and must be re ? applied for every year that the student attends university.
Columbus Schools Create SuccessWorks Academy to Combat Poor Conduct and Academics
Columbus Schools' SuccessWorks Academy will be an alternative education program that aims to provide quality education to those students with continual and often severe behavioral issues. The Columbus Schools' SuccessWorks Academy plans to admit students beginning in January of 2007. The SuccessWorks Academy will provide education to approximately 150 students in third to seventh grades. The school will not only follow a strong academic curriculum but offer services and trained counselors to address the social, emotional and physical health needs of students. The overall goal of the SuccessWorks Academy is to transition the students back into a regular school environment and give them the skills to participate fully and effectively in a normal school.
The Staff and Curriculum of Columbus Schools' SuccessWorks Academy
The SuccessWorks Academy will have two teachers for each grade level and support staff that includes a principal, a counselor; a behavior specialist; instructional assistants; a nurse; art, music, and physical education teachers; and a psychologist. Prior to hiring, the staff will have to show that they know how to work successfully with at-risk students, have experience in how ability to apply effective research based instructional practices, have the necessary communication skills needed to work with parents and the skill to document student development on a regular basis. This is in order to ensure that the most cable teachers are placed in the SuccessWorks Academy. The teachers will have to teach a curriculum tailored to the needs of the student population. Not only the core subject areas of reading, writing, math, science, and social studies, as well as health/physical education and the unified arts but the curriculum will reflect the weakness and strengths of the students determined by pre-entrance examines. This may include the use of individualized, small group and class instruction to better handle the students learning or socialization needs.
Student Selection
As the aim of the SuccessWorks Academy is to have the students return to a regular school environment the student population will be continually changing. The Columbus Schools admissions committee will admit students into the SuccessWorks Academy based on the referrals from schools and the students' records. Referrals can be based on severe misbehavior as well as documented frequent poor attendance, low academic performance, and lack of social skills. The placement period will be initially set for one semester and the students will be monitored and considered on an individual basis to determine after the first semester if the student is prepared to return to a regular school environment. This will include serious collaboration with parents and counselors. When the student returns to the regular school environment, the student will receive support for the transition from the school counselor to help assure a successful transition. The support services of the SuccessWorks Academy will follow and maintain a close connection to the student as the student returns to his or her regular school. The school that receives the transitioning student from SuccessWorks Academy will get an all-inclusive report about the student's growth and future needs. This is a highly innovative program that will improve the Columbus Schools.
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