Gooseberry Sawfly Laying Eggs

Transcription

1 The Sawfly Scientists learn about tiny animals, and they have studied insects. They found that insects have tools, and they use those tools to survive. For example, they learned about the sawfly. This is just one animal they have studied. They call it the sawfly because it possesses a kind of saw. It's not a real saw, but it resembles one, and it works like one. It is actually a part of the sawfly s anatomy. The sawfly uses the saw to make places where the eggs will be safe. It saws at plants in order to create a space where eggs can go. Afterward, the sawfly does something very special. It makes a sort of homemade glue that fastens the eggs where they are laid. We are not exactly sure how it does that, but if you can watch the sawfly you will see this happen. The Gooseberry Sawfly is a common pest of gooseberries, red and white currants. A related species attacks blackcurrants. The adult sawfly lays its eggs in the centers of gooseberry bushes, often on the underside of leaves. The larvae are up to 20mm long, pale green with black spots and black heads and are usually noticed after fruit-set towards the end of May. Damage commences mid to late spring. The larvae feed on the foliage throughout the bushes. If control measures are not implemented the bushes can be completely defoliated and the berries do not swell. There can be two or three generations a year as once the larvae are fully fed they go back into the soil and pupate, so further damage may occur later in the season. Plants weakened by defoliation may produce a poor crop the following summer. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (54)

2 Gooseberry Sawfly Laying Eggs Note: Scroll your mouse above this note to view the video Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (55)

3 Oh, 180-day-old Happy Meal, Why Won t You Rot? (1 of 3) Photography project sparks conversation about what we and our kids eat Laura T. Coffey Davies, a New York artist and photographer, decided to buy a McDonald s Happy Meal, set it out on a plate in her East Village apartment, and document its gradual decay (or lack thereof). After just one day, her two food-focused dogs a Shih Tzu named Suki and a small poodle named Charlie stopped paying any attention to the plate contents. They totally lost interest, Davies said. That was just unbelievable to me. But there was no more smell after 24 hours, you know? Suki and Charlie exhibited their inexplicable behavior back in April. Today, more than six months later, the Happy Meal burger and fries are still sitting there, forlorn and odorless, on the same plate. And as Davies numerous photos reveal, they haven t changed very much at all. The top bun is very dry and a small part snapped off, Davies said. The burger shrank as it dried out, but nothing much else. It begs the question: Why aren t these kids foods decomposing and turning moldy after months of exposure to the open air? Why won t it rot? in its menu items. In a statement shared with TODAYshow.com, McDonald s stressed that it uses quality ingredients McDonald s hamburger patties in the U.S. are made with 100 percent USDA-inspected beef. They are cooked and prepared with salt, pepper and nothing else no preservatives no fillers, said Todd R. Bacon, McDonald s senior director of quality systems and supply-chain management. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (56)

4 Oh, 180-day-old Happy Meal, Why Won t You Rot? (2 of 3) Photography project sparks conversation about what we and our kids eat Laura T. Coffey Our hamburger buns are made from North American-grown wheat flour, Bacon continued. Our world-famous French fries are made from potatoes and cooked in a canola-oil blend. These are the same foods that consumers buy every day in their local grocery stores bread, meat and potatoes. As for the decomposition question raised by Davies photos, Bacon cautioned against jumping to conclusions. It is not possible to provide a detailed explanation regarding these claims without knowing the conditions in which these food items were kept, Bacon said. Bacteria and mold only grow under certain conditions. For example, without sufficient moisture either in the food itself or the environment in which it is held bacteria and mold and associated decomposition is unlikely. Davies photography project has triggered a media firestorm, garnering coverage around the world and ultimately contributing to a conversation about what we and our kids eat. Scientists from multiple universities have weighed in on the indestructible nature of the fast foods on Davies plate, noting additional factors that could be contributing to their lack of moisture: high fat content, and plenty of salt (a natural preservative). Anything that is high in fat will be low in moisture, Washington State University professor Barry Swanson told Salon.com. Sean O Keefe, a professor of food science at Virginia Tech, told Salon.com that it isn t exactly fair to pick on McDonald s. The ingredients are similar to anything you d see in processed fast food, O Keefe said. According to the McDonald s website, a Happy Meal with a hamburger with ketchup and a small order of fries contains 480 calories, 20 grams of fat and 680 milligrams of sodium. Similar meals at other fast-food restaurants contain more sodium, fat and calories. The tale of the intact 12-year-old burger Davies certainly isn t the first person to have a little bit of fun at fast food s expense. Morgan Spurlock documented McDonald s French fries stubborn unwillingness to decay in the 2004 film Super Size Me. And Davies got the idea for her photography project from a woman she read about online. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (57)

5 Oh, 180-day-old Happy Meal, Why Won t You Rot? (3 of 3) Photography project sparks conversation about what we and our kids eat Laura T. Coffey With this fry, I thee wed: Couples can marry at McDonald s That woman a wellness educator and nutrition consultant named Karen Hanrahan reportedly bought a McDonald s burger in 1996 and watched, horrified, as it fail to decompose for more than 12 years. Hanrahan used the intact burger to teach people about the benefits of eating healthful, minimally processed foods. The account of the 12-year-old burger gave Davies such a jolt that she mentioned it to a friend of hers. My friend said that was crazy, and that I should not believe everything I read online, Davies recalled. He believed it would mold or rot within two to three days if left out on the counter. So, Davies and her friend decided to bet on it. She bought a Happy Meal and brought it home on April 10. Her plan: Photograph the meal daily, send the pictures to her friend and win a bet. She began posting her Happy Meal photos on Facebook and Flickr and it soon became clear that this was going to be one tedious photography project. So, she started photographing the burger and fries every week or two instead of daily. About four months into the project, the world began to notice. Davies has been stunned by the attention received for her little project to entertain her friends and win a bet. Along the line, some have wondered whether the photos are in fact real. Could it be that this is some kind of a hoax? Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (58)

6 McDonald s 4-year-old Cheeseburger (Video) Note: Scroll your mouse above this note to view the video Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (59)

7 The Sugar Content of Various Soft Drinks Hannah Wickford A study led by Dr. David Ludwig for the Department of Medicine at Children's Hospital in Boston and the Harvard School of Public Health concluded that "a child's odds of becoming obese increase by 60 percent with each additional daily serving of sugar-sweetened drinks." Sugar-sweetened soft drinks are a favorite among children and teenagers despite their high calorie and sugar content, with some 12-ounce soft drinks containing 16 percent or more of the recommended daily allowance for sugar. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent recommends giving up the sugar-sweetened drink in favor of bottled water or diet soda. Coca Cola Brands The Coca-Cola Company produces seven brands of sugar-sweetened sodas. A 12-ounce can of Coca-Cola and Caffeine- Free Coca Cola contain 140 calories and 39g of sugar, 13 percent of the recommended daily allowance. The vanilla and cherry Coca-Cola flavors contain 150 calories and 42g of sugar, or 14 percent of the RDA. Fanta comes in four flavors -- grape, orange, pineapple and strawberry. The grape, pineapple and strawberry flavors contain 180 calories per 12- ounce can, with 48g of sugar, or 16 percent of RDA. Fanta Orange contains slightly less sugar, with 160 calories and 44g of sugar, 14 percent of the RDA. Additional Coca-Cola sugar-sweetened brands include Pibb Xtra with 100 calories and 26g of sugar, Seagrams Ginger Ale with 130 calories and 35g of sugar, Sprite with 140 calories and 38g of sugar, Mello Yello with 170 calories and 47g of sugar and Barq's Root Beerwith 160 calories and 45g of sugar. Pepsi Brands Like its competitor, Coca-Cola, Pepsi owns a variety of sugar-sweetened brands. Its flagship brand, Pepsi, contains 150 calories per 12-ounce can, and 41g of sugar, as does Caffeine-Free Pepsi and Pepsi Cherry Vanilla. Pepsi Natural and Pepsi Throwback both contain 150 calories, but Throwback has 40g of sugar while Natural has 38g of sugar. Pepsi Wild Cherry has the highest calorie content per 12-ounce can with 160 calories, and the highest sugar content at 42g. Other Pepsi brands include Mountain Dew and its seven flavor variations. Each of these products contains 170 calories per 12-ounce can and 46g of sugar, except for Mountain Dew Throwback at 44g of sugar. Mug Root Beer comes in at 160 calories per 12-ounce can and 43g of sugar, while Mug Cream Soda contains 180 calories and 47g of sugar. Pepsi's Slice and Tropicana Twister brands contain the highest calories as well as the highest levels of sugar. Slice flavored sodas range from 160 to 190 calories per 12-ounce can with 43g to 50g of sugar. Tropicana Twister flavors net out at 160 to 190 calories with 43g to 52g of sugar. Dr. Pepper Brands The Dr. Pepper-Snapple Group, formerly the Cadbury-Schweppes Americas Beverages, produces several brands of soft drinks, including Dr. Pepper, Seven Up and Sunkist. One 12-ounce can of Dr. Pepper contains 150 calories and 41g of sugar, Seven Up contains 150 calories and 38g of sugar, and Sunkist soda contains 190 calories and 50g of sugar Read more: Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (60)

8 Sugar In Soda: How Much Is Really In All Your Favorite Drinks? Sugary drinks are all over the news lately. From New York City Mayor Bloomberg's proposed ban of the sale of super-sized drinks with added sugar last month to Los Angeles Councilman Mitch Englander's more recent proposal to bar the sale of sugary drinks from the city's public spaces, like parks and libraries, legislators are eager to limit access to the public health hazard of what experts call "sugar sweetened beverages. As rebuttal, industry representatives argue that people know how to limit their own sugar consumption. "We trust our customers to make the choices that are best for them," read a Tweet from McDonald's corporate account. But are we informed enough to make the right choices? We at Healthy Living wondered: even with a sense of portions, can we really conceptualize how much sugar is in each drink? Sugar in commercial beverages comes in many forms. Though we used white cane sugar for illustrative purposes, sugar in these drinks can come in the form of high fructose corn syrup, cane sugar, beet sugar or even concentrated fruit juice. In fact, some of the sugar found in juices is naturally occurring in fruit. Those fruit juices offer vitamins and nutrients that make them healthier than, say, a soda. But no matter its source, a diet high in added sugar -- particularly liquid sugar -- has been associated with an increased risk of metabolic syndrome and with higher rates of Type 2 diabetes and obesity. We chose popular drinks that were easily accessible at stores near us, though we do not intend to call out these particular brands over others -- the sugar content of the following drinks is representative of the market. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (61)

9 Sugary Soda (Video) Note: Scroll your mouse above this note to view the video Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (62)

10 Do you know how much sugar is in your soda? Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (63)

11 The U.S. Electoral College The Electoral College is a process, not a place. The founding fathers established it in the Constitution as a compromise between election of the President by a vote in Congress and election of the President by a popular vote of qualified citizens. The Electoral College process consists of the selection of the electors, the meeting of the electors where they vote for President and Vice President, and the counting of the electoral votes by Congress. The Electoral College consists of 538 electors. A majority of 270 electoral votes is required to elect the President. Your state s entitled allotment of electors equals the number of members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives plus two for your Senators. Read more about the allocation of electoral votes. Under the 23rd Amendment of the Constitution, the District of Columbia is allocated 3 electors and treated like a state for purposes of the Electoral College. For this reason, in the following discussion, the word state also refers to the District of Columbia. Each candidate running for President in your state has his or her own group of electors. The electors are generally chosen by the candidate s political party, but state laws vary on how the electors are selected and what their responsibilities are. Read more about the qualifications of the Electors. The presidential election is held every four years on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November. You help choose your state s electors when you vote for President because when you vote for your candidate you are actually voting for your candidate s electors. Most states have a winner-take-all system that awards all electors to the winning presidential candidate. However, Maine and Nebraska each have a variation of proportional representation. Read more about the allocation of Electors among the states and try to predict the outcome of the Electoral College vote. After the presidential election, your governor prepares a Certificate of Ascertainment listing all of the candidates who ran for President in your state along with the names of their respective electors. The Certificate of Ascertainment also declares the winning presidential candidate in your state and shows which electors will represent your state at the meeting of the electors in December of the election year. Your state s Certificates of Ascertainments are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (64)

12 The U.S. Electoral College The meeting of the electors takes place on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December after the presidential election. The electors meet in their respective states, where they cast their votes for President and Vice President on separate ballots. Your state s electors votes are recorded on a Certificate of Vote, which is prepared at the meeting by the electors. Your state s Certificates of Votes are sent to the Congress and the National Archives as part of the official records of the presidential election. See the information about the roles and responsibilities of state officials in the Electoral College process. Each state s electoral votes are counted in a joint session of Congress on the 6th of January in the year following the meeting of the electors. Members of the House and Senate meet in the House chamber to conduct the official tally of electoral votes. See the key dates for the 2012 election in the Electoral College process. The Vice President, as President of the Senate, presides over the count and announces the results of the vote. The President of the Senate then declares which persons, if any, have been elected President and Vice President of the United States. The President-Elect takes the oath of office and is sworn in as President of the United States on January 20th in the year following the Presidential election. Integration of Knowledge and Ideas (65)