Who Killed the Electric Car?

I know what you're thinking: it must be Colonel Mustard in the library with a wrench! Close, but not quite.

So, who did it? Who extinguished what could have been a major asset to society?

The answer: oil companies, the automobile industry, the government, the California Air Resource Board (C.A.R.B.) and even us, the consumers!

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Q: I don't really remember the electric car. When were they first on the market?

A: You may be surprised to know that the electric car was actually invented way back in 1834 by Thomas Davenport. Then, in 1930, the production of electric cars came to a halt shortly after Ford introducted gas-fuelled automobiles. Thirty-seven years after this, the Electric Auto Association was formed in hopes to resurrect the electric car from the grave. In 1996, General Motors launched a whole new electric car line and made them available for consumers to lease. In 2000, the vice-chairman of General Motors declared that all electric cars were to be converted into gasoline powered ones because "there [was] no particular need" to continue building battery operated cars.

Q: I don't get it. Wouldn't electric cars drastically eliminate polution? Why would anyone want to take them away?

A: In the United States, oil companies sell nearly 3 billion gallons of gasoline each week. If electric cars were to dominate the automobile industry, oil companies would flourish. Car companies would suffer as well, for they make most of their money by fixing and replacing engine parts.

Q: Well if these cars were so amazing, how did consumers contribute to their disappearance? Wouldn't everyone want to buy one?

A: You'd think so, wouldn't you? In actuality, consumers were not strongly persuaded to purchase electric cars. This was mainly due to lack of awareness and the fact that the cars were limited in availability. Also, back then, gas prices weren't as ridiculous as they are now.

Q: Are there any electric cars out there still?How can I help with the whole pollution thing?

A: Electric cars haven't been completely killed off. Some cars, such as Hybrids, are partially operated by battery. There are actually a few ways we can help eliminate pollution: plant a tree (they help clean the air), combine trips with your car, unpack any extra weight from your vehicle (this may reduce fuel usage by 1%!), and many others! For more tips on how to reduce emissions visit http://www.greenercars.com/drivinggreen.html .

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FINAL THOUGHT

I think it's deceiving how the media claims that there are no strong solutions for pollution when, in fact, someone has already thought of one. I also think it's a shame that people are so unaware of issues such as these and are too consumed with money and power to help solve such a serious problem. Fortunately, now you know and, believe it or not, knowing does make a difference. After all, "knowledge is power." We, as today's generation, have the power to change the future. :)


More information regarding "Who Killed the Electric Car," may be found at http://www.sonyclassics.com/whokilledtheelectriccar/electric.html .

Wikipedia Banned from American College?

Apparently, Middlebury College in Virginia has banned students from using the famous informational website 'Wikipedia,' claiming "Wikipedia is not an acceptable citation, even though it may lead one to a citable source."

I completely agree with this movement considering the information on the website isn't properly edited. Wikipedia allows random speculators to change the information without having the data confirmed by a second opinion. This most definitely puts students at risk for accumulating the wrong information. However, I can't say that I'm completely against it. After all, I've used it a few times myself! Even though I have used the website before, I've never used the information for project research for school (honestly!). I think the website does help people to get the jist of an idea, but the details in the articles, on the other hand, are very misleading. At first, I didn't know that the articles were vulnerable to incorrect editing, so I used the website to look up information that would feed my curiosity. As soon as I found out that the website was not such a good source after all, I stopped taking the information so seriously. So this is my warning to you: be careful!

(For those of you who haven't visited the website and are curious as to what I'm babbling about, the website is http://www.wikipedia.org)

Do you use Wikipedia?


(Information provided by http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070213/ap_on_fe_st/wikipedia_ban%3B_ylt%3DApzVgnEPOOWeWes.joDihpeek3Qf )

Smartest Boy in India?

A few days ago, Oprah had an interesting topic for her show: "Amazing Kids." Now, the topic itself doesn't seem too intriguing, but the guests who came on the show most definitely were! There was one child in particular who caught my attention: Akrit Jaswal.

When Akrit was only 7 years old, he performed surgery on a girl around the same age as him! Not only that, this kid knew how to read when he was only 2 years old. A short while later he discovered he really liked reading Shakespeare and, amazingly enough, he actually understood it! On top of that, he was reading various medical textbooks that a college student would find difficult to read ! By age 5, Akrit started going to school and, a short while after this, he began teaching English and Math classes. Doctors around his neighbourhood began to notice his talent when he was only 6 years old and allowed him to observe surgeries. Apparently, this guy has an IQ of 146! (I wouldn't be surprised!)

Akrit is currently 13 years old and in his second year of college. He says that he wants to continue studying medicine and anatomy so that he may ease the pain of people around the world. Aww!

If you want to see video footage of Akrit, the following link has a clip of his interview on Oprah:
http://www.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200702/tows_past_20070212.jhtml


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I also read another story about Dutch journalist Teun van de Keuken who asked to be incarcerated for eating chocolate! Apparently his whole plan was to make others aware of child labour issues in Ivory Coast (the home of the world's largest cocoa industry). Van de Keuken says "If I am found guilty of this crime, any chocolate consumer can be prosecuted after that. I hope that people would stop buying chocolate and thus hurt the sales of big corporations and make them do something about the problem."

You can find more on this story at http://kiwibox.com/today/respond.asp?n=17869&d=2%2F14%2F2007+1%3A36%3A27+PM&c=0

I tend to get most of my news from this site (http://www.kiwibox.com) because it posts interesting information you don't hear about on the news. Some of the stories are really fascinating! I would definitely recommend checking it out! :)


p.s. HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY EVERYONE! <3

Studying Techniques

Hey all!

So, what do you think about the new layout? I guess I just like to "think pink." :)

So today, I nearly scared myself half to death. I was carelessly flipping through the pages of my planner when I suddenly realized that my MIDTERMS ARE NEXT WEEK! Yikes, that came fast!

After I stopped hallucinating and regained sanity, I began to plan out how I was going to tackle the whole studying thing. As I planned out my studying schedule for the week, I came up with some pretty good tips:

1) First, I thought about the location. I know many people who always 'study' at home and get absolutely nothing done. I hear the same story over and over again: "I got distracted and ended up eating Doritos and watching 'Wedding Crashers.' " Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating. However, studying at home is definitely a major downfall. Since you're comfortable in your own space, it's easy for your eyes to wander off. The library is definitely a more fitting environment. On the other hand, not all libraries are suitable. All libraries have different seating plans, noise levels, and capacities. It's important to experiment with different libraries so that you may find one to your liking.

2) I also thought about time management. Some people say that they can study well at the last minute. This may be true, but they would probably study more efficiently if they studied a little at a time. I remember my Grade 12 Psychology teacher specifically telling my class that "cramming is pointless because it doesn't work!"

3) Eliminating small activities is also another important factor. It's easy to lose focus when you're running around making errands. However, not all activities should be cancelled. Going to the gym, for instance, is an awesome way to wake up and refresh your brain.

4) A studying technique I tend to overly abuse is note taking. Reading straight from the book never gets me anywhere. Instead, I read over the text, pick out the main ideas, and write them down in point form. Sometimes this can be rather time consuming but, in the end, it's all worth it!

5) Another way to improve your studying habits would be to get up and walk around while you are reading your notes. According to studies, walking around helps your brain get some exercise and keep focus. Pretty cool, eh?


These are only a few ways to help improve your study skills. There are definitely a whole lot more out there!




What studying techniques do you find helpful?

General Studies Underrated?

"General studies? That sounds like a waste of time."

In my opinion, going into General Studies is probably the best thing someone could do if they are unsure about what they want to study. Sure, you could go into something you don't take that much of an interest in, let's say Criminology, and get a nice, fancy diploma "just to have." However, chances are, you probably won't even use it. Don't get me wrong, I think Criminology is an awesome field to get into if that's what you're interested in, but I strongly disagree with rushing into something you are not even sure you want.

"Oh, you don't know what you want to do? You should go into Arts or something and get a degree. At least this way you'll have something after a few years rather than just wasting your time in General Studies and getting nothing in the end."

Okay, I definitely know what some of you are thinking and, quite frankly, I was once in the same position as you. BUT, I can honestly say that general studies is a very beneficial choice for those who have interests in various fields. In the long run, it is very possible that you will be in general studies for quite some time, however, I don't look at this as a bad thing. Personally, I would rather take an extra year or two to discover myself and find a career that truly defines me. If I were to go into a random degree program just because I wasn't sure of what I wanted, I wouldn't be learning the things I am today.

I've learned that I like using my imagination and being creative. I found out that I really enjoy writing essays and poetry. I discovered I'm good at editing and coming up with innovative ideas.

After learning all these new things, I have finally decided the career I want to pursue: Journalism. AND, it only took me one semester to figure it out! Imagine what would have happened if I went into a degree program just for kicks. I would have probably ended up transferring into General Studies midway through anyways. That kind of sounds like a waste of time, don't you think?

First Tutoring Session

As soon as I walked into the Learning Centre today I heard a voice tell me "Alyssa, you have a tutoring session booked. The student you will be helping is sitting right over there." I immediately became excited and a little nervous at the same time. I truly did not know what to expect because I knew that watching a tutoring session is completely different from experiencing it myself.

I quickly put my bag away and walked over to where the student was sitting. I introduced myself and we discussed what kind of help she was seeking. The student merely wanted to go over her essay and receive feedback. I think the student's willingness and eagerness to learn really motivated me to help her. I particularly liked the fact that the student started to identify her mistakes when I read the paper out loud. She would say "Oh, that doesn't make sense, does it?" and "I know what we could put instead." I think reading the paper to her really helped get her thoughts going. As the session continued, I found that she was starting to see the mistakes that I was seeing. Instead of reading her paper as a writer, she was reading it as a reader. I think this is ultimately the most significant strategy one could use. Toward the end of the session, I told her that if she is unsure of a sentence or paragraph, she should read it out loud. Chances are, if it sounds awkward, it probably is.

This experience was definitely a pleasant one and is something I would repeat in a heartbeat. At the end of the session, I felt relieved and proud at the same time. I felt that I had really helped the student out and that she learned new skills she could practice on her own. I was also very thankful that I got to help the student that I did because she was patient with me as well. I look forward to what the future has in store!

Cheers!

So Far So Good

Today I was asked to write a blog about learning, which is actually something I don't reflect on very often. I kept asking myself "What am I going to write about?!" After all, this is my first blog entry and I do have to make a good impression. Then, after writing my first introductory e-mail to the rest of the online tutors, I finally got some insight as to what I wanted to write about.

Choices.

If there's one thing I've learned about this whole education thing, it's that choices really don't have to be all that difficult. All through high school people have told me to pick what I want to pursue as a career because I "can't do everything." However, I don't see much truth in that.

I think I can integrate all my threads of interest and make one big comfy sweater. In other words, my interests in music, psychology, media, and current affairs can be fused together through writing. Writing doesn't limit you to one topic or idea. Instead, it challenges you to probe for new and exciting issues that you feel passionate enough to either support or refute. I feel that this truly gives one a sense of his or her values and what he or she believes in. So truth be told, writing does not open a door, it opens many.

Now that I have my thinking cap on, I've come up with another issue to discuss.

Fear.

Upon my arrival at the Learning Centre I immediately felt a sense of hesitation. I felt like I was the 'new kid' and I had to do everything perfectly or else I would get frowned upon. There was no initial incident that provoked me to feel this way. In fact, I've never met a more welcoming bunch of people. Instead, it was a mental predisposition, the momentary thought that maybe I am getting myself involved with something I cannot physically do. Almost like the butterflies you get before you go onstage and perform a play: there's that one second of fear that makes you wonder if you will mess up or not.

Luckily, I snapped out of it quickly. I went over the training manual, did the activities in the booklet and even watched a couple of tutoring sessions. It wasn't until after the first tutoring session when I felt that little speck of fear begin to dwindle. I can do this, I thought to myself. Then when I was asked to write this blog I came to a conclusion: at the end of the day, I'm on the same page as everyone else. We're all here to teach, learn and discover new things. These three things are continuous; they never stop. Therefore, I can never be a step behind!


For someone who didn't know what to write about I sure had a lot to say, don't you think? ;)