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If our current trends continue, we will face many agricultural, economic, social and political problems. One of the problems that can reach through each of these areas in different ways is that of hunger. In the article, "The Future of the Global Food System", many factors such as over-fishing causing dramatic losses in fisheries, global warming, population growth, differing diets in different regions, increased urbanization, resource competition, and cross-cutting is not only damaging our environment and our food supply, but is also damaging our planet and its inhabitants. Drastic changes will have to be made to discontinue these means of devastation.

Article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2935131/
Picture:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/globalpanel/37657076681/in/album-72157687236380470

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This article describes amazing true stories of the impact that CBD oil (cannabis) has on saving lives. Cannabis oil comes from the marijuana plant. There are many forms of this oil, including THC and CBD which have similar health benefits but often have different side effects. CBD oil often has less mind-altering effects than THC, though both are being proven to be very beneficial in medicinal use. I chose this plant because I have personally witnessed its amazing benefits in a relative who has suffered from seizures and truly believe it is giving him better quality of life, if not saving his life. A few of his doctors have even changed their opinions after seeing its amazing effects on his health.

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MarijuanaBreak Staff / Updated on February 16, 2018

Cannabidiol (CBD) could become one of the most important medical breakthroughs in decades. It is one of the dozens of cannabinoids, or compounds, found in cannabis. It offers an enormous range of benefits and, unlike its sibling THC, it is non-intoxicating. While it is still illegal on a federal level, it is legal in most states if the CBD comes from an industrial hemp plant and has less than 0.3% THC.

Not only can CBD help reduce the pain of dozens of conditions, but it is also a genuine lifesaver as we show with a range of heart-warming stories from around the world.

Charlotte Figi

We begin with arguably the most famous CBD-related story of all time. Charlotte has Dravet Syndrome, an exceedingly rare condition. One of its symptoms is a severe frequency of seizures. Charlotte had hundreds of seizures a week, and according to her parents, she was starting to 'slip away' at the age of two. Her heart had stopped several times, and it seemed as if the young girl wouldn't survive much longer.

One day, her father saw a video about a young Californian boy with Dravet who had benefitted from cannabis. The Figi's knew they had nothing to lose because by now, Charlotte could not walk, talk, or eat. After a great deal of difficulty, the Figi's found a dispensary in Denver that sold R4, a marijuana strain low in THC and high in CBD. Paige Figi paid $800 for two ounces, and it was the best purchase she has made in her life!

The Figi's asked a friend to extract the oil and gave a small dose to Charlotte. When she didn't have her usual hourly seizures, the family had slight hope. This turned to joy when Charlotte went a week without a seizure. Then, the Figi's heard about the Stanley Brothers who had created a low THC, high CBD strain that no one wanted. Charlotte began using it, and the brothers renamed it Charlotte's Web in her honor. Today, Charlotte gets no more than three seizures a month and not only is she walking, she can ride her bike and feed herself. All this on 3-4 milligrams of CBD oil per pound of bodyweight.

Sadie Higuera

Sadie is four years of age. Nothing remarkable about that you might think but Sadie had Schinzel-Giedion syndrome and wasn't expected to live for more than a year or so. Like others afflicted with this terrible condition, Sadie's organs and bones did not develop as they should, and she had 300 seizures a day. She also had tumors on her liver and spine. By the time she was eight months old, doctors had given up on her chances of survival and suggested medication to end Sadie's suffering forever.

It seemed hopeless as the Higuera family had a week to decide. Sadie's father, Brian, had found anecdotal evidence on the power of CBD but since it is illegal under federal law, he was concerned about getting in serious trouble. However, the family decided to roll the dice and gave their daughter a small dose of CBD.

Within minutes, Sadie stopped trembling and started to react to voices; she even managed a smile which was a rarity in itself. The family continued the CBD treatment, and within two months her seizures had practically stopped. However, the Higuera family found it hard to get a sympathetic doctor on their side. They began attending conventions and met medical cannabis advocates.

Today, Sadie attends a special needs preschool and is becoming more active in classes by the week. She reacts to her sisters and music and went over a year without a trip to the hospital; a situation that once happened on an almost daily basis. CBD has given Sadie the gift of life, and her family the gift of seeing her grow up.

Kyla Smith

In an article entitled: 'CBD Oil is Saving My Daughter's Life' in 2014, Sadie Smith outlined the agony of seeing her baby daughter near death, and the joy of witnessing her miraculous recovery. In June 2013, Sadie and her husband were told that their seven-year-old daughter, Kyla, was at 'the end of the road' for testing and treatment options. Kyla has epilepsy, and her fits could last days at a time.

The Smiths came across news of how Charlotte's Web marijuana strain was helping kids with epilepsy, so they decided to try this high CBD, low THC oil. After upping the dose, Kyla went from 45 seizures a day to one every few days. This 99% reduction in seizures was accompanied by a young girl who was happier and more vibrant than she had ever been. Constant seizures can result in developmental disabilities, brain damage, and death. By reducing the frequency of seizures, CBD is possibly a life-saver.

Tom Bethell

CBD doesn't just help kids with epilepsy; it can help with , depression and much more. 15-year old Tom Bethell suffered from chronic fatigue syndrome and hadn't been to school for eight years because of ME. Tom was confined to his bed and refused to leave his room. He had stopped growing, was losing his vision, and was contemplating suicide. Tom's memory was poor, he fell 20+ times a day, had no energy, and anti-depressants had proved useless.

In desperation, his mother, Sarah Thomas, offered him CBD oil and here's what happened when he began taking a few drops a day:

He grew 11 inches in nine months!

He grew two shoe sizes in two months.

Puberty was kickstarted, and hair began to grow on his body and legs.

His memory has drastically improved.

He is now studying for five GSCE's. Before CBD, he struggled with basic arithmetic.

In just a few months, Tom went from hopelessness, and the brink of suicide to a normal, happy life and his mother is convinced that CBD is the reason.

Final Thoughts on CBD's Life Saving Capabilities

While we are not saying that CBD is a 'miracle cure,' the anecdotal evidence is getting harder to ignore. There are thousands of cases where CBD has made the difference between life and death; are they all just a coincidence? It doesn't make you 'high,' and its medicinal benefits are profound.

Yet its Schedule I status means it is federally illegal, so you have to purchase low-THC products made from industrial hemp. Martin Lee, the author of Smoke Signals, has made a fine analogy. In the 17th century, the telescope was banned because Galileo used it to confirm Copernicus' theory that the earth revolved around the sun. Lee says that modern medicine is as wrong about marijuana as the Catholic Church was about astronomy back then.

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Does CBD Save Lives? - These 4 True Stories say YES

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MarijuanaBreak Staff / Updated on February 16, 2018 Cannabidiol (CBD) could become one of the most important medical breakthroughs in decades. It is one of the dozens of cannabinoids, or compounds, found in cannabis. It offers an enormous range of benefits and, unlike its sibling THC, it is non-intoxicating.

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The Third Agricultural Revolution, or the Green Revolution, had many impacts on the world due to many innovations and inventions. A few of the most influential breakthroughs were the use of irrigation, pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers. Also, through plant breeding, higher-yield plants began to emerge, and the use of pesticides and fertilizers combined with these new higher-yield plants brought more food to the world, including developing countries that needed it the most. Though all countries were not benefited, as some could not afford the  irrigation systems or the price of fertilizers and pesticides,  many countries benefited from these innovations around the world, and countries began to have a global sharing of this knowledge and these uses of scientific innovation to improve food supply worldwide. Though there are many benefits to uses of pesticides, there is beginning to be more doubt as to the extent of their use, which ones are being used and the impact they may have on human and environmental health. These are issues that must be looked at when considering the impacts of pesticides on the world... in science, as in all areas of life, we must be careful to use the knowledge we attain carefully and understand both its positive and negative impacts. Below is an article on some of these impacts throughout the Green Revolution.

https://enviroliteracy.org/food/food-production-supply/green-revolution/

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The Neolithic Revolution had many impacts on the human population. One of the impacts that I find is the most profound and interesting is that it began to change something that would change the world: the very structure of human society. This change would lead to civilizations, politics, war, and everything that makes up the history of the world as we know it. When populations began to appear in communities from settling (allowed by the farming movement of the Neolithic Revolution), people realized there needed to be a way in which to organize these populations. Class structures began to emerge, which eventually led to separation of nobility and serfs/peasants. When a land became rich in resources, it became desirable. this often lead to raids and wars in a competition for resources. Another reason for war sprang from the fact the more food equaled a greater population, and the greater the population, the more space that population needed, leading to conquest of land. The ways in which the Neolithic Revolution impacted human society are so vast that it truly did change the world, the populations that inhabited it, and the way those populations functioned forever.

Sources:
https://www.theguardian.com/inequality/2017/dec/05/how-neolithic-farming-sowed-the-seeds-of-modern-inequality-10000-years-ago

https://humantp.weebly.com/neolithic-revolution.html

Image from: flowofhistory.com

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The tundra is a biome that is in danger because of many issues. Global warming is a major threat in that it could possibly do away with Arctic regions altogether. If the permafrost in the tundra melts, it will directly affect the releasing of carbon dioxide (about 1/3 of the world's soil-bound carbon is in the tundra's permafrost, according to National Geographic).  Oil spills are another issue that can damage the environment and species of the tundra. Air pollution puts lichens in danger, which many animals of the tundra rely on for food. Ozone depletion contributes to radiation damage in the tundra. Sources: askabiologist.asu.edu (photo),  https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/habitats/tundra-threats/, https://education.seattlepi.com/ecological-concerns-affect-tundra-3509.html.

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http://botgarden.uga.edu/june-native-plant-of-the-month/

http://botgarden.uga.edu/april-native-plant-georgia-trillium/

wildflower.org (picture of Harry Rattleweed

botgarden.uga.edu (picture of Georgia Trillium)

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The Georgia Trillium (Trillium georgianum) only grows wildly in one place: Whitfield County, Georgia. The angiosperm is an endangered perennial herb. It produces three-petaled white flowers during the Spring. Pests and logging are threatening the existence of the Georgia Trillium.

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The Hairy Rattleweed (Baptisia arachnifera) is an angiosperm only found in Georgia. Its stems grow up to thirty-two inches tall, and it has heart-shaped leaves. It produces yellow flowers in the summer. Sexual reproduction occurs through pollination, though it is capable of asexual reproduction. It is now endangered, many think due to reasons such as clearcutting and possibly the suppression of fire in habitat areas. Another challenge the plant has faced is threat from insects, specifically weevils, who are "destroying up to 35% of the seed crop annually" (encycolpedia.com).

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This Youtube video, to the left, (originally from www.designmate.com) was a great video illustrating photosynthesis. It explained how every part involved worked together. From the structure of the leaf, to showing the locations and functions of the stomata, guard cells, chloroplasts, and molecules of carbon and water, it was a very detailed presentation that took you through each step visually, while still being easy to understand. I loved how it tied what we learned in Unit 1 to what we have been learning in Unit 2 so seamlessly. It really helped bring it all together in a way that I could understand. I love videos like this, and have loved seeing them throughout our lessons!

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This picture, although simple, seemed to say so much about plants in the environment and society. For thousands of years, we have been dependent on plants. This photo shows how tribes had to use plants from natural environments (which they had to adapt to) to survive. Here, they are using plants to create fire, which could be used for protection, heating water, cooking food, and any number of other things that their life depended on. They used plants for shelter, clothing, food, rope, hunting utensils, weapons, and any number of other things. Yet they also understood how important the environment of these plants were, and adapted to the environment rather than adapting the environment to themselves. They understood that nature had a balance and that these plants created that balance. The plants they used to survive also created the environment that was necessary for survival.