http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium
www.osteoporosis.ca/osteoporosis-and-you/.../calcium-requirements/
chemistry.about.com › ... › Periodic Table - Elements › Element Facts
chemistry.about.com › ... › Element Facts › 10 Element Facts
ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Calcium-QuickFacts/  

Environmental Chemistry

 Calcium is a soft-gray alkaline earth metal which is also known as the fifth-most abundant element by mass in the earths crust behind oxygen, silicon, aluminum, and iron. Calcium is also the most abundant metal by mass in many animals as it is responsible for growth in bones, teeth and shells. Calcium is often used in alloys and extraction of metals because it is soft enough that it can be cut with knife. This allows other metals to react with calcium which eventually softens the metals making them easier to extract. It is also used in cement mixing because heating Calcium Carbonate reacts in a volatile state when mixed with water creating cement. Calcium is also used as soil conditioner, water treatment to reduce acidity and in the chemicals industry. Calcium has little effect on the environment except when Calcium Phosphide is created, this can be toxic to aquatic life when fish and other aquatic animals breath the substance in through their gills. Calcium Phosphide is so volatile that it can cause explosions in air. If humans consume more than 2-5g per day this can cause kidney stones and sclerosis. Not consuming enough calcium can lead Osteoporosis which causes bones to become extremely porous and subject to fracturing easily. Calcium is a mineral found in the crust of the earth but it is also naturally occurring when humans and other animals produce milk. When Calcium enters the body it builds up in the bones and teeth. Calcium is constantly breaking itself down which makes for the need to consume milk and certain kinds of vegetables and nuts to replace the broken down calcium particles. Calcium is usually measured in mg’s as evident on nutrition facts labelled on food products.

Homeland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WR4asyGWtI

Into the Abyss

Into the Abyss, a book about a plane crash in Western Canada. The book, written by Carol Shaben reflects a startling realization with the Canadian Commuter airline industry. Carol Shaben who's father Larry Shaben, an NDP leader was a passenger on Wapiti Airlines flight 402. Shaben wasn't the only important force on board the plane. Grant Notley an NDP MLA, was also aboard the plane. The plane departed Edmonton's Municipal Airport on the night October 19, 1984. The plane, bound for Grande Prairie was scheduled to make stops in High Praire, Peace River and Fairview before arriving in Grand Prairie. Erik Vogel, the pilot had been flying for Wapiti Airlines for over a year. Wapiti Airlines was a small and insignificant airline its main destinations were Calgary, Edmonton, Fort McMurray, Grande Prairie, Hinton and many other small towns in Northern Alberta. The plane was a Piper Navajo, a plane seating only 10 passengers. When the plane was descending towards its first stop of High Prairie the captain, Erik Vogel lost sight of the airport. The plane later struck the treetops of a dense forest later striking the ground killing 5 people. Larry Shaben survived the crash but will he make it out of the forest alive.

I thought the book was interesting because it revealed many secrets of the Canadian commuter airline industry. I particularly enjoyed the way Carol Shaben gave away clues before the plane left the ground. For example "the planes rudder hadn't been tested for months". She revealed the way it managed it's airplanes and how it managed it's pilots. I also thought that it was interesting because She revealed Erik (the pilot's) struggle to get a job as a pilot and many of his other struggles while flying. The book was very unpredictable, by this I mean you never knew when the plane would crash and what would happen next. The author really built up suspense. When, the surviving passengers were attempting to get out of the forest the characters discovered their purpose and how precious life was. I strongly recommend reading the book because it build up suspense and the message of the book really captured why life is such a powerful thing. I also believe that this book is good to read because it is always entertaining to read about a plane crash.

We All Fall Down

Book Summary

We all fall down, a classic novel by Canadian author Eric Walters. Will Fuller, a high school student nearing the end of a history class in New York City. Will tells his class that he will be accompanying his firefighting father to his office near the top of the world trade center on September 11, 2001.

Will and his father, John visits the observation deck before arriving at his office on the 85^th floor of the South Tower. Suddenly a loud bang rocks the building, American Airlines Flight 11 has just struck the neighboring North Tower. John orders an evacuation of the intact South Tower. On the way out of the building United Airlines Flight 175 has just struck their tower (South Tower), They suddenly head towards the bottom of the building, straight towards the point of impact. At the impact point they find a foreign woman named Tang, they then carry her down the staircase. They alternate carrying her down. After an eternity Will, John and Tang finally make it to the lobby. John has decided to stay with Tang to look at her injuries, Will leaves the building with an officer when he is knocked to the ground by a powerful force, the building collapses. Will explains to the police officer that we wants back to the building to find his father, the police officer won’t let him stating it is too dangerous. Suddenly he sees his father emerge from the building. He tells the police officer “this is my dad, can we go now”.

My Position on the Northern Gateway Pipelines

My Position on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines

By Sam Clark

Recently we have been studying different views on the Enbridge Northern Gateway Pipelines. After reading several articles and watching two videos for and against the project I believe that it is a better idea to build the pipeline than not to build it. The Northern Gateway Pipelines are supposed to deliver diluted bitumen from Bruderheim to Kitimat and Natural Gas Condensate from Kitimat to Bruderheim. The pipelines are going to stretch 1777 km and be expected by 2015. I believe that the pipeline is a good idea because:

The St. Albert Gazette states that it will be great for their local economy and Canada’s economy. More specifically it will increase Canada’s gross domestic product by 270$ billion over a 30 year period. A video that Enbridge created regarding how they build and maintain their pipelines states that they will respond quickly and effectively to any problems. The video more specifically states that company builds their pipelines from “quality pipe” and monitors them 24/7. The video shows farmers and other landowners stating that Enbridge will deal with any problems regarding pipelines crossing land. One key argument is that Enbridge even shows the ongoing, state of the art monitoring process that in my opinion is not a lie. The process involves monitoring all of their pipelines and turning them off if there is a leak. Enbridge said they hold open houses inviting aboriginal groups and stakeholders regarding any problems that the pipeline may pose. However, the other video against the pipeline states that spills from previous leaks have caused medical issues such as seizures and migraines. I believe that the video against the pipeline did not do a great job of convincing me that the pipeline is a bad idea. News Corporations such as the Vancouver Sun, Times Colonist and the aboriginal group, Beaver Lake Creenation also failed to convince me that the pipeline is a bad idea.

Overall I believe that Enbridge will develop a safe and efficient pipeline that will be great for Canada’s economy.

The Whale Sighting

On September 9, 2012 I took a school trip to Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada. The purpose of the trip was to get 9th grade students educated about the vast biodiversity in the Pacific Ocean. On the first day we arrived on a highway coach at 10:00 pm (two hours behind schedule). We only had time to unpack and settle into our dorms for the night. The very next day the thought of riding a ship way out into the ocean reverberated through my group mates as it was all that I wanted to talk about. The labs that we had to conquer leading up to the voyage engulfed me in boredom as the only though that was on my and other group mates mind was the thought of riding the ship out to sea. Evening finally struck across Barkley Sound and we walked down to the dock to a large boat that said Motor Vessel or MV Alta. We put our sopping orange life vests on and then boarded the vessel. The vest had a pungent smell of wet socks sneaking into our noses. We finally sat down and then the captain threw away the docking ropes and then we were off. The white ship itself had a small wheelhouse but a large deck and a big, tall mast but no sail. By the time we had reached the mouth of Bamfield Inlet and proceeded out to the vast Barkley Sound. A splash of water caught my eye.  And the lady that was on the boat cried out "look at the whale", "it's a humpback". The whale had since disappeared beneath the waves but a minute later we saw it's fluke emerge from the cold ocean. It was breathtaking today I still have that exact image of that whales ravishing fluke and the orange evening sky behind it. I think everybody on that ship could agree that the image of the whale will forever be embedded in our minds.