Ms. Lee Says - ACCHS Chemistry

I didn't realize how far behind I was until reading the introduction to cell and virus structure. Science makes leaps with time and disproves what was previously known to be true. I was taking my first science classes in elementary school. I remember Pluto was considered a planet in our solar system and cellular evolution theory was " key chemicals fell to earth on meteorites from outer space." This means there was only one evolutionary theory being taught. Since then there are three and they all have theoretical validity. I want to take a minute to acknowledge my previous ignorance and celebrate the realization of change in a new way. I recall the progression of technology from it being a luxury to own a box shaped computer with dial up internet to walking around with a mini-computer in our hands. I never considered the developments of science outside of technology. I'm glad this finally hit me and I guess its better late than never.

During class the subject matter of nuclear energy regulations vs elimination of all nuclear power arose. The systemic issue to whats happening on our planet and especially in the US, is a lack of moderation. I disagree with an all or nothing mentality. The absence of nuclear power will not change how corporations develop and utilize power sources. As a country we need to do a better job at moderating our usage of power and corporations need to do the same. Bouncing from one extreme to the other is not going to fix another. The use of nuclear power is not benefiting the environment. A transition to renewable energy such as hydrogen while finding a way to dispose or re-purpose the remaining nuclear energy is ideal to me. This is what needs to be done to all hazordous materials. For example, I don't think RoundUp should stop being used until there is plan in place to transition from RoundUp to a more environmentally friendly option, properly dispose of the remaining RoundUp, and legis...

Biochemistry is a difficult subject for both student and teacher.  As a student, I can say chemistry is difficult and biochemistry as part of the umbrella of chemistry is especially difficult. Chemistry is a combination of science and math which I consider to be complex subjects. I used to enter a chemistry class or look at a periodic table with increasing anxiety. Since, we began looking at chemistry through a lens of how it is part of our everyday and how it may impact our future, my perspective has changed. When I think of chemistry now, I feel a sense of wonder, empowerment, and confusion. If its taken me decades to reach a place of comfortable confusion and wonder. All the while seeing it as a difficult subject matter, how does a teacher see it as difficult. I am not even an ammeter but a teacher is at some level of mastery. I don't understand the difficulty with the subject matter from the teachers perspective. Does their difficulty with the subject matter stem from its cap...

"Billions of Air Pollution Particles Found in Hearts of City Dwellers" I expect air pollutants to be in our lung tissue and in an ideal world our liver could filter all the pollutants before they reach our heart. Unfortunately, this isn't true. Research is being performed on the affect of air pollutants in big cities on critical organs such as the heart and brain. It makes me think about SF and Oakland. Cities which have transportation air pollutants as well as annual fire pollutants. I wonder if we continue to have annual fires which make our air quality show unhealthy and hazardous levels...... how will this affect our health in the long term? Another question is how come we as a nation are investing more money into space rather than our current planet. Its as if financiers to research gave up on our planet and see the only option to spread our contamination to the cosmos.

Lucky for me I have a random assortment of flammable materials underneath my sink. There are Sniffer wipes, paint &primer in one, charcoal lighter fluid, and Palmolive ultra strength dish detergent. Unfortunately, the Swiffer wipes do not have the ingredients listed on the package. According to the environmental working group, Swiffer Wet Mop cloths main ingredients are:  methylchloroisothiazolinone, DDAC, methylisothizalinone, fragrance, acrylic copolymer, monobutyl ether, silicones, and a scary list of other ingredients which are toxic to the lungs. I essentially mop my floors and modestly poison myself everytime the sun warms the floors and scents my house . To top this, I also own lighter fluid and no grill. I am willingly keeping lighter fluid under my sink for a rainy day. Yes, I feel the idiocracy and irony washing over me as I type this entry. The odorless charcoal lighter fluid is clearly highly flammable. After getting past the DANGER signs and poison control inform...

When we were discussing the Alkaline diet, my mind kept drifting back to our discussion on color rich foods. I noticed many of the slightly-moderately acidic foods were beige, brown, and tan. The foods in the alkaline category encompassed a variety of colors within each ph range. I realized the two are connected as in most things in life. This means I don't need to know the ph of every food I eat. If I eat a well balanced meal with multiple colors of the rainbow with a hint of beige/tan/brown then I am doing pretty well. I like having the list on hand as an easy cheat sheet for my most recent grocery shopping trip. I picked at least one food in each category and intentionally bought items which were different colors. I will begin meal prep after class today and see how I feel after the end of the week. I can report back via this blog on what I did and how I feel. I love being my own test subject :)

I have exhaustive conversations with one of my brothers about an alkaline diet. He is strongly in favor of only drinking alkaline water and strictly eating an alkaline meal. He believes this is the way to create internal harmony which allows the body to heal itself.  I believe looking at ph as the only aspect of choosing what we eat or drink is too limited. A blueberry , a lemon, and bowl of rice have different ph levels and offer a different variety of nutrients. I think any dietary changes should be made based on the individuals current state of health. This applies to what foods we choose to eat based on ph. If someone's urine is warm and vibrantly yellow then its likely they may benefit from eating more alkaline foods. If someones urine is mostly clearly and elimination is normal then they can possibly combine alkaline with non-alkaline foods for a healthy diet.

There's a thin line between magic and science. Some things that were considered the dark arts of magic in the 1600's is now part of our regular routines. Flying was an action only performed by divine beings or in ones dreams. Now we can fly anywhere in the world and to select parts of outer space using science. Science offers the structure to hypothesize, test, and prove. This structure known as the scientific method is what allows scientists to discover breakthroughs to propel scientific developments forwards. One person to act upon his curiosity was Avogadro. His ability to think within the box of science and out of the box among most of his peers is what led him to discovering the difference between atoms and molecules. His hypothesis held weight, but his peers ignored his idea for an entire 50 years. I understand this is socially accepted as the rate at which science expands, but I didn't quite get how this could occur until recently. Seeing how politicians are fighting...