It might sound absolutely ridiculous, but a billionaire in Beijing, China thinks that the air pollution problem has become such an issue that he has decided to send a message to the people in his city by selling canned fresh air. Chen Guangbiao is smart enough to realize that, of course, this won't exactly help the problem, but he hopes that the people in his city will come to realize that they need to take better care of their environment, so that they and their children may continue living. The money made from selling the cans will go towards charity.
I completely agree that the air pollution problem in Beijing is serious and needs to be dealt with and I totally support how Guangbiao is going about this. They say the best things in life are free, and by showing that fresh air has become such a commodity, he is showing people that they have to take care of their environment.
Works Cited:
http://sourcefednews.com/chinese-billionaire-sells-cans-of-fresh-air/
http://dawn.com/2013/01/31/chinese-billionaire-sells-canned-air-in-polluted-beijing/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/01/chen-guangbiao-canned-fresh-air-pollution-china_n_2599716.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/29/china-canned-air-chen-guangbiao-chinese-millionaire_n_2574901.html
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
Friday, March 15, 2013
Billboards That Are Actually Good For Something #8
I think it's fair to say that I hate being advertised to. I avoid watching television and watch shows online for less ads, even then I mute them and find something else to do for the thirty seconds they play and I never give magazine advertisements a second glance. I think it's fair to say that I avoid advertisements fairly well. I think of them as necessary but unfortunate parts of life. I know that some websites and companies use them as their only source of profit, like many of the partners of Youtube, which is why they are necessary, now I don't particularly want to be advertised to, but if it brings money to the people that I want to support, then I see no reason why not. Now, a new technology has come to light in Lima, Peru: A billboard that has the technological capability of transforming water vapor into clean, drinkable, water. Basically, nothing short of an absolute miracle.
The billboard works by using the abundant water vapor in the air and the process of reverse osmosis to produce up to 20 liters of water a day. It needs electricity to run this process and it is currently using the power grid of the city, but it could be changed to use solar panels or fuel cells. Unfortunately, this process only works because of the high humidity in the air already in Lima, Peru, which ranges from 83-100%. This high humidity is caused by the city's close proximity to the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. The billboard is specifically designed for a humid city that needs water. Still, if innovative solutions, like this one, can be used to provide water to those who desperately need it, that could end our fear of lacking water for good. I don't think that people would even mind being advertised to on these billboards.
The billboard works by using the abundant water vapor in the air and the process of reverse osmosis to produce up to 20 liters of water a day. It needs electricity to run this process and it is currently using the power grid of the city, but it could be changed to use solar panels or fuel cells. Unfortunately, this process only works because of the high humidity in the air already in Lima, Peru, which ranges from 83-100%. This high humidity is caused by the city's close proximity to the southern part of the Pacific Ocean. The billboard is specifically designed for a humid city that needs water. Still, if innovative solutions, like this one, can be used to provide water to those who desperately need it, that could end our fear of lacking water for good. I don't think that people would even mind being advertised to on these billboards.
Sources:
http://sourcefednews.com/billboards-that-pull-water-out-of-thin-air/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=35yeVwigQcc
http://techland.time.com/2013/03/05/finally-a-billboard-that-creates-drinkable-water-out-of-thin-air/
Friday, March 8, 2013
The Guns in School Debate Resurfaces #7
Remember the tragedy that befell the Elementary School of Sandy Hook a couple months ago? And remember the ridiculous notion that the NRA came up with to put more guns in schools to "protect" kids? As a part of the efforts to increase school safety after the shooting, schools in New York put out a program that places an armed police officer in the school. Keep in mind, this was a police officer, trained for using a weapon and authorized to have a gun legally.
At 1:38 on Tuesday in the hallway of Highland High School Officer Sean McCutcheon's gun discharged, apparently by accident. No one was hurt, this time. The question that sticks in my mind, however is, if an armed, licensed police officer, who's legitimate full time occupation is to handle a gun and keep the people around him safe, cannot handle a gun, who really can?
There have been reports of volunteers in other states that are marching around schools with guns as a part of a volunteer effort to accomplish the same thing, which in my mind cannot possibly be in any way safe. Those same volunteers, when investigated thoroughly, were found to be convicted criminals who didn't have anything better to do during the working hours of the day than to stand around an elementary, middle, or high school campus and "guard" the children that they had been convicted of committing crimes against. And again I ask the question, if a police officer cannot handle a gun properly, how can people like this, who are not professionally trained or paid to do their job?
I have an inkling of a feeling that, they can't. The only way to figure out how to keep kids in a safe environment so that learning can really take place is to ensure that the laws we have against guns are being followed through and if those laws aren't working, to legislate new ones, that will.
Works Cited:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El3NwLVYHmY
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/sean-mccutcheon-gun-school-highland_n_2819273.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/07/guns-school-officer-shoots/1970017/
At 1:38 on Tuesday in the hallway of Highland High School Officer Sean McCutcheon's gun discharged, apparently by accident. No one was hurt, this time. The question that sticks in my mind, however is, if an armed, licensed police officer, who's legitimate full time occupation is to handle a gun and keep the people around him safe, cannot handle a gun, who really can?
There have been reports of volunteers in other states that are marching around schools with guns as a part of a volunteer effort to accomplish the same thing, which in my mind cannot possibly be in any way safe. Those same volunteers, when investigated thoroughly, were found to be convicted criminals who didn't have anything better to do during the working hours of the day than to stand around an elementary, middle, or high school campus and "guard" the children that they had been convicted of committing crimes against. And again I ask the question, if a police officer cannot handle a gun properly, how can people like this, who are not professionally trained or paid to do their job?
I have an inkling of a feeling that, they can't. The only way to figure out how to keep kids in a safe environment so that learning can really take place is to ensure that the laws we have against guns are being followed through and if those laws aren't working, to legislate new ones, that will.
Works Cited:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=El3NwLVYHmY
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/06/sean-mccutcheon-gun-school-highland_n_2819273.html
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/07/guns-school-officer-shoots/1970017/
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