Algae for Fuel?

There have been many recent and exciting developments in the field of biotechnology. One example is algae biofuel-a better alternative to corn ethanol. Corn ethanol displaced the need for 364 million barrels of oil, but producing this much corn ethanol is not sustainable, especially because corn could be used as food for people. Also, it doesn’t efficiently fuel cars. Algae are much easier to grow; they do not need farmland, but need only tanks, land and sunshine. They also grow much faster than corn does. Algae may even be able to grow with wastewater, providing another benefit to this growing project, which is being developed by companies such as Sapphire Energy.

Cement making accounts for about five percent of global carbon emissions. It may sound small, but every percent counts. To resolve this, firms are attempting to make cement production more energy efficient. Among these attempts are reformulating the product used to waterproof it, but even more revolutionary is the company Novacem’s current product of a new cement that actually absorbs carbon dioxide. To accomplish this, the carbon rich limestone currently used in cement is replaced with magnesium silicates with no stored carbon. If this project is applied on a commercial scale, it could reduce carbon emissions by more than five percent. How does it have this carbon-absorbing property? As the cement hardens, the carbon dioxide in the air reacts with it to form a carbonate precipitate that strengthens the cement while keeping the gas in its grasp.

[Top Green Tech Ideas article from Biology]

By Victoria Johnson

BTHS Reaches Out!

If you walked into Biotechnology High School on Friday, November 30th at 6:30- 8:30 pm, you would hear the melodious sounds of the music club’s annual Coffeehouse fundraiser. This year, it was a benefit concert for Hurricane Sandy victims. According to the BTHS website, the Music Club and the PSFA raised nearly five thousand dollars! Students from all grades came together to put on a great show. Instruments varied from the guitar and piano, to boom whackers, a percussion instrument. There was also a variety of genres played, including classical and pop.

"The Coffee House was a collaborative effort between the PSFA and the BTHS Music Club to raise money in support of Hurricane Sandy Relief. The evening was a great financial and artistic success with almost $5000 raised and performances that were truly memorable. A big thank-you goes out to the PSFA and to the officers and members of the club who participated. I couldn't have been prouder of the Music Club and the BTHS community for coming together the way it did,” Mr. Dannen, the advisor of the Music Club said. There were numerous raffles as well consisting of donations from BTHS families. Donations included two iPads were also auctioned off and many gift cards. Dr. Eno said, “I want to remind you that healing does not happen overnight. That to really heal from an event that was as catastrophic as Hurricane Sandy takes

time.”

By Emma Mueller

NFL: Week 14

One of the craziest weeks of football, week 14 was kicked off with the Broncos-Raiders game. The highlight of the game was Peyton Manning’s decision to take a shot deep into the end zone, only to have his pass intercepted by Philip Adams and the Raiders score a touchdown. This was one of only scores until Heyward-Bey scored on a 56 yard pass in the late fourth quarter. The Broncos won the first game of the week 26-13.

As families settled onto their couches for Sunday night football, the Ravens and Redskins were getting geared up for the kickoff of the evening. Quite to the disappointment of Redskins fans, RG3 went down with an injured knee with just 16 seconds into the game and the Redskins down 8 points. Kirk Cousins was put in, and to the surprise of many, he led the offense to a touchdown and also a two point conversion rather than just a convert. This caused the Redskins to tie with the Ravens. Cousins pleasantly surprised Redskins fans to change their minds about him being nothing more than a rookie. The final score was in the Redskins’ favor, with the score 31-28.

The next game was the Cowboys vs. Bengals. Another surprising player in this week’s game was Tony Romo. With everyone doubting his ability and anticipating his retirement, Romo had turned up the heat during last 5 weeks. The game began with a moment of silence for Brown who died only the day before their game. Despite the emotional setback, the Cowboys won 20-19.

Following the emotional Cowboys-Bengals game was the Rams- Bills game. GIbson had a good game with 6 passes, but his big play was his last catch. Brandon Gibson saved the game for the Rams with a game winning touchdown catch made with only 48 seconds on the clock. The Rams won against the Bills 15-12.

Speaking of talented players, Nick Foles led the Eagles to victory against the Buccaneers by completing two passing and one rushing touchdowns. However, the object of interest was the speed of his rushing touchdown. Let’s just say a snail would probably have finished the touchdown faster than Foles. Thankfully, the Eagles didn’t sign him as the running quarterback because his true talent is passing. Thanks to Foles’ touchdowns the Eagles won 23-21.

Despite their defeat to the Falcons earlier this season, the Panthers came out on top this Sunday. The Panthers were fueled by the thought of revenge against Falcon’s player Matt Ryan who disrespected them after the Falcons victory earlier in the year. The Panthers dominated throughout the first 2 and a half quarters leading by 23 points. Gano and Newton were responsible for this edge. Gano made three field goals and Newton made a passing touchdown and an amazing 72 yard running touchdown. The saying, “Success is the best revenge,” was proved by the Panthers’ 30-20 victory over the Falcons.

Following the Panthers’ victory was the unexpected victory of the Cleveland Browns. This Sunday’s games was their third win in a row. The most spectacular event in this game was Rookie Travis Benjamin’s 93 yard punt return: the longest punt return in franchise history. Rewriting NFL history set in motion a number of plays resulting in the crushing defeat of the Chiefs. The Browns won with 30 points against the Chiefs’ 7 points.

Another in a series of surprises, the Chargers broke a four game losing streak against the Steelers. Steelers quarterback, Roethlisberger, sprained his shoulder and dislocated a rib  and lost to the Chargers on his first day back. The Chargers won the game 34-24, but it is still a long-shot for them to get in the playoffs.

The Colts- Titans games was another in a series of comebacks engineered by Andrew Luck. Luck brought the Colts back into the game from a 13 point deficit. The Colts won against the Titans 27-23.

Now for our local teams; Jets and Giants. After a relieving benching of Sanchez last game, Sanchez was back in this time. This time around Mark was told to hand off the ball 39 times to his running backs. Meanwhile Tim Tebow was warming the bench. The Jets won 17-10 against the Jaguars.

As for the Giants, they are doing much better than the Jets this season. After last weeks one point defeat, the Giants dominated 52-27 against the Saints. Eli Manning performing spectacularly, throwing four touchdown passes and proving that the Saints special teams unit is  as bad as its defense is. The Giants are creating hope for their fans and will hopefully continue to do so.

And that wraps up week 14 of the NFL. Some impressive talent was showcased and some ridiculous plays were carried out. But thats all in the spirit of American football. Let’s hope that week 15 turns out to be as eventful as week 14.

By Laya Manoj

Battleship

Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Alex, Alexander Skarsgård as Stone, Rihanna as Cora, Brooklyn Decker as Sam, and Tadanobu Asano as Nagata. It is rated PG-13. 

The beginning of the 2012 sci-fi action movie Battleship shows that NASA has discovered a new planet, named Planet-G, that may be able to support life. NASA sends a communication signal from a base in Hawaii to the planet.

Meanwhile, the reckless Alex Hopper is celebrating his birthday at a bar with his older brother Stone, who is part of the US Navy. Hoping it will make Alex become more disciplined, Stone forces Alex to join the Navy. Alex eventually becomes a lieutenant on the USS John Paul Jones, but he is in danger of being kicked out of the Navy because of his behavior problems.

Planet-G sends ships in response to the communications signal from Earth. Their main communications ship crashes into Hong Kong, devastating the area. The others land in the waters near Hawaii, which happen to be around where Alex and Stone's ships are training. One of the alien ships creates a force field around Hawaii, trapping all of the navy ships inside. The aliens fire at Stone's ship, the USS Sampson, as well as the John Paul Jones and a destroyer called Myōkō. Sampson and Myōkō are destroyed and the John Paul Jones is greatly damaged. Alex finds out that his brother has died, as well as the head officers of the John Paul Jones, which means that he is highest rank to command the ship. Survivors from Myōkō are rescued and brought to the John Paul Jones, including Alex's rival, Captain Nagata.

Alex, with assistance from Nagata; Ord, a crew member; Cora Raikes, Gunner's Mate; Sam, Alex's girlfriend; Mick, a retired veteran and amputee; Cal, an apprehensive scientist; and many others, is able to defeat the alien ships. During a night battle, the alien ships and the John Paul Jones fire at each other in a manner resembling the board game Battleship, hence the name of the movie.

The heroes are able to defeat the aliens because of clever strategies. Also, it is discovered that the aliens are very sensitive to sunlight, and they must wear masks in order to protect them from exposure. The cannons on the aliens' mother ship can only rotate so much until they crash into the ship itself.

I enjoyed Battleship, especially learning about how the aliens are defeated.  The aliens are able to detect hostile and peaceful humans or objects using their masks, which highlight objects in either red or green, which I thought was very interesting. The special effects in the movie created great suspense and action moments. Overall, I rate the movie a 7 out of 10.

By Emily Lau

Thanksgiving and the New Season

On November 22, 2012, families gathered all over the country to celebrate Thanksgiving, a day of feasting and giving thanks. Lots of delicious food was served, including the traditional turkey, stuffing, potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, pumpkin pie, and vegetables.

As much as everyone enjoys and appreciates the food, it is also important to remember the main aspect of Thanksgiving. We must be thankful for everything we have: our family, friends, and our homes. It’s worthwhile to take a moment to appreciate what you have instead of dwelling on what you don’t.

After Thanksgiving, excitement begins as the holiday season arrives! The day after Thanksgiving, Black Friday, kicks off with frenetic buying sprees! Stores work overtime to keep up with the large demand on holiday gifts. This year, Hello Kitty seems to have become a fan favorite- baby clothes, jewelry, purses, glasses, clocks, socks and even toasters -the cute cartoon is appearing EVERYWHERE! Other popular teen holiday gifts include the Kindle Fire HD; Xbox 360, Halo 4, and Dance Central 2; DVD’s, like The Avengers, The Hunger Games, Avatar, and Harry Potter; Ugg Boots; and some popular books, such as Hidden – House of Night, Everyday, and The Fault in Our Stars. There is truly something for everybody!

Families around the country are now showcasing their Christmas lights and Hanukkah menorahs. The excitement in the air is tangible in both children and adults as people of all ages start the countdown to their favorite holidays. Looking ahead, New Years will soon be approaching; don’t forget your party hats! And

make sure to remember to watch the ball drop in NYC at midnight!

By: Jenna Weingarten