Issue 4

FREE www.facebook.com/esfknothole February, 2015 Volume 70, Issue 1

The Knothole

2 • THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment

By Isabella Kaplan

Day 4

I used more French today than I ever thought I

would.

At 9 am this morning, Yael abruptly woke me

up, apologetically explaining that there was a man

at the door. Being the only French speaker of the

two of us, I slowly got out of bed and answered the

door. Through my broken French and a lot of hand

gestures, I igured out he was the apartment’s elec-

trician, who checked the electric box and left.

Later that morning, Yael and I left our snug

temporary home and embarked on the next leg of

our journey.

Our irst stop in Paris was none other than the

Louvre. On the way there

we stopped at a bakery.

After ordering in French

the girl at the register ap-

plauded me (in English) for

my attempt. On the walk to

the Louvre we saw beautiful

Parisian apartments, hun-

dreds of little dogs, bikes,

and more cigarettes then

I had ever seen in my life.

Through the nicotine-satu-

rated-air we inally arrived at the destination. Yael had

previously bought a multi-

museum pass, which saved

us an hour, for it let us pass

the line. After a few selies, we went inside. The museum was huge.

Even with the sea of people pouring into the

Louvre, the large museum dispersed her visitors

so that there were no crowds- unless of course, you

were at the Mona Lisa. But there were many other

great things to see along with Di Vinci’s famous painting. We saw Hammurabi’s code, Napoleon the III(‘s) ornate rooms {or the ornate rooms of

Napoleon the III}, roman and Egyptian artifacts as well as 17 hundreds (18th century would be better)

European paintings.

Using my French and Yael’s map we were able to navigate throughout the colossal museum.

After a quick break at a cafe, we began our “Par-

is by mouth” food tour. We walked around a cute

little neighborhood, stopping at different shops to

pick up cheese, pork, pastries and chocolates. While

eating I learned that cheese making is an intricate

and diverse science, and to become to a cheese mon-

ger it takes around 20 years to attain.

After a delicious meal Yael and I ventured to

do some more touristy things. Wandering through

the labyrinth of the subway, we were able to see

the Arc of de Triomphe and the magniicent Eiffel Tower!

At ten thirty, with sore feet but happy stomachs

we returned to our rooms!

Day 5

This morning, although

no one was knocking at our

door, we were out on the

streets at 8:30 sharp. For

today was the day we left

the romantic city of Paris for Versailles.

After a breakfast of

freshly baked chocolate

croissants (ordered in

French) and an hour of rid-

ing on a super-cool-double-

decker-subway, we inally reached the home of the

great Sun King. Only arriv-

ing a half an hour after the

gates opened for the day,

there was already a long

line bending and twisting in

front of the Palace entrance. The Multi pass cov-

ered Versailles, but unfortunately did not allowed

us to cut in front of the crowd. As we waited in line

I stood in aw awe of the ornate palace that stood in

front of me I wondered how similar wandering the

halls would be to Louvre.

It was very different.

Unlike the Louvre, the line moved quickly. How-

ever, also unlike the Louvre every room was packed

tightly with people from all over of the world,

talking excitingly, snapping photos, and pushing

and shoving. We had no need to plan a route for we

were swept by the tide of visitors. This force carried

us past intricate desks, beautiful chairs, the elegant

Isabella’s Trip: Part Two

Image Credit: Isabella Kaplan

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE • 3

halls and the extravagant bedroom of the king.

Both being short, we were able to move to the front

of the crowd for a few moments, but every time we

were pulled back into the fast lowing crowd. Eventually we found ourselves in the courtyard

and walked to the garden. The gardens were in-

sanely trimmed and organized beyond perfection,

but lacked the beauty of its fountains and statues-

they were all covered up for the winter months. But

nevertheless, it was wonderful to stroll through the

maze of green hedges as Marie Antoinette might

have done before the Revolution. After continuously

being in cities, trains sta-

tions, and airports for so

long, it was wonderful to

breathe in the sweet fresh

air, not embedded with

the smells of nicotine,

gasoline, and other pollut-

ants.

Returning to Paris, we stopped at a cafe to regain

our energy. Excitedly I

ordered a croque madame

(a grilled cheese with

an egg on top), for every

year in French class the

teacher would talk about

this strange sandwich.

It tasted like an egg-a-

mufin, nothing crazy, but it is another thing crossed

of my bucket list. We left

the cafe and walked over

to the museum D’Orsay. I’ve never seen any-

thing so wonderful in my

life.

Many years ago this

building was an elegant and important train sta-

tion of Paris. I cannot express my joy and excite-

ment when I walked into this special place. Looking

at the layout of the museum I recognized the many

traits of the old-1940’s-train stations I saw in the movies. Massive clocks embedded the walls, huge

but delicately carved ceilings looked over the space

where coal powered trains once waited patiently for

the hustling and rushing passengers. That same

area now holds statues instead of trains and visi-

tors instead of passengers.

Wandering these transformed halls I saw some

of the most amazing art I have ever seen. There in

front of me were Monet’s Lillie’s, Van Goghs’ self-portrait, Seurat landscapes, and Degas’s ballerinas. The museum carried so many wonderful painting

that I recognized from books and magazines and

others I did not, but were equally as impressive.

After seeing this treasure, I must have looked

very conident for on our way to the Christmas market and a church, I was asked for directions

multiple times. Visiting churches are never my fa-

vorite thing for I don’t adore the gothic curves and columns of old cathedrals as Yael does, but there

is something special about

European churches. Inside

these holy buildings are

massive and beautiful, but

rarely seen pieces of art.

As Yael marveled at the

architecture, I observed the

church’s little gallery. Exhausted from our long

day we went out for dinner

at a Thai restaurant and

returned to our room. How-

ever, being our parents’ daughters, we were back

out 45 minuets minutes

later.

Again, thanks to Yael’s wonderful navigation

skills, we ran train to train,

until we came to the last

stop- Moulin Rouge. To

our disappointment there

was not much there and we

took a quick picture and

left. Our last destination

was the Sacre Coeur, the tallest point in Paris. The

view with the city lights sparkling and the Eiffel

tower and Notre Dame shining brightly was breath taking. After just staring at the city we visited the

Sacre Coeur (church). Unlike the churches I’ve seen in Europe, which had dark brown interior with

poorly lit paintings, Sacre Coeur was bright and full of light. On nearly every dome (it had many)

were brightly colored mosaics. What a day!

Image Credit: Isabella Kaplan


Katie Oran

A Train Carrying Crude Oil Derails in West Virginia

A train carrying more than three million gallons of crude oil from North Dakota derailed in West Virginia following a year that saw 114 of these types of incidents. One resident was treated for smoke inhalation after their house burned down, but there were no other injuries. Hundreds of other houses were evacuated as a precaution after electric and water services were compromised. The Governor of West Virginia has declared a state of emergency, and there are fears that the oil could contaminate a river that provides drinking water. Fire crews were forced to let the 19 cars, each carrying 30,000 gallons of oil, burn out after the cars caught ire. This crash happened after another recent deadly train derailment in Quebec, Canada that killed 47 people in 2013, and a crash two days before in which 29 cars derailed in On-tario, Canada. President Obama has announced regula-tions for stricter safety requirements for trains carrying crude oil. Industry professionals say that the upgrades would cost billions of dollars to imple-ment and would not have prevented the West Vir-ginia derailment from happening.

Mega Drought Predicted by the End of the Century

A new NASA study says that if greenhouse emissions are continually produced at the same rate as they are currently, the southwestern and central plains regions of the United States are in for a mega drought before the century is over. A drought of this magnitude hasn’t been seen in the last thousand years, and the current droughts in these regions wont even come close to the severity

of a mega drought. NASA is predicting that lakes, rivers, and reservoirs would empty leaving cities stranded without water. These droughts would last decades forcing those who live in the drought zones to lee east or heavily restrict water usage. If we do not curb greenhouse emissions, there is an eighty per-cent chance of this type of drought coming to south-west America. The dustbowl of the 1930s would not com-pare to the environmental, societal, and cultural devastation that a mega drought would cause in the affected areas. In the past, similar droughts have caused the collapse of civilizations, and it is believed that a mega drought caused the collapse of Ancestral Pueblo culture. Tree rings give scientists clues about past droughts in the medieval period that turned grass-lands into deserts. Those droughts, however, were natural. The droughts that we are experiencing now are linked to the increased level of greenhouse gasses in our atmosphere, and predictions for these mega droughts come as we continue to burn fossil fuels at an alarming rate.

President Obama Vetoes Keystone XL Pipe-line

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, President Obama ve-toed a plan to build the Keystone XL Pipeline. The pipeline, which would transport 830,000 barrels of oil a day through the US to the gulf on Mexico through 1,900 kilometers of pipeline for reining and shipping, has been a highly contentious issue for the past few years. TransCanada, the company that proposed the eight billion dollar pipeline, ap-plied for permits in 2008. The debate about the pipeline stems from the increased carbon dioxide emissions that would be produced just by extracting it from the tar sands in Canada. Proponents claim that the pipeline will create American jobs, but studies have shown that a total of just 35 permanent jobs would be created if the pipeline were to be built. Republicans in Congress have vowed to override the veto by March 3rd, but the GOP needs

Ocean Acidiication Threat to the United States

The one-billion dollar shellish industry, in 15 out of 23 coastal states around the U. S., is under severe threat from ocean acidiication. The

Environmental News

Image Credit: npr.org


By Taylor Brown

Those moments in life when you all of a

sudden ind yourself asking, “How the hell did I get here?” are the moments that

can give you the most perspec-

tive. I had one of these mo-

ments when I was high up in

the mountains in the village of

Buena Vista, Honduras, digging

a trench while ire ants crawled up my leg and the sun was

blistering the back of my neck.

I could give a simple, logisti-

cal answer: that I spent seven

hours on two planes, six hours

in a truck, and an hour hiking.

But to really understand how

I got there, we need to journey

back seven years.

Seven years ago, in

2007, the ESF Engineers With-

out Borders Club (ESF-EWB) started a project to bring potable

water to the village of Buena Vista. The village is

home to 45 families and most people are subsis-

tence farmers that live off the land. Before this

project, their water supply came from a system of

weak rubber hoses that were prone to puncture,

leaks, and contamination, causing water-borne ill-

nesses. It was not a reliable system; the hoses only

brought water during the rainy season and only to

select homes in the community. The need for a reli-

able water supply system was indisputable.

From this need, a partnership began with

ESF-EWB, the village of Buena Vista, and the US

domestic non-governmental organization (NGO) Alfalit. ESF-EWB designed a gravity-fed water

system and implemented this system with the help

of our partners. Members of ESF-EWB went to

Honduras in the spring of 2008,

the spring of 2011 and during

the summer of 2011. This project

faced many challenges, which

is why it has taken so long to

complete. Honduras faced a coup

d’etat in 2009, which caused the project to lose funding and the

club to be barred from travel-

ing to the country by EWB-USA.

Honduras has been suffering from

criminal and political instabil-

ity—the country currently has the

world’s highest murder rate. The reason I was traveling to

Honduras in August 2014 was to

inally inish what was started seven years ago. During my trip,

we inished the water supply into Los Vegas (a hamlet of Buena

Vista), evaluated needed repairs,

and signed a Memorandum of Understanding

(MOU) with the Buena Vista water board, which

outlined the necessary steps to complete the proj-

ect. As of October 2014, the project is complete and

ESF-EWB is now iling a close-out assessment.So how I really got to Buena Vista was by the hard

work and dedication of all who have been involved

in this project, and my determination to see their

work through.

How I Really Got to Buena Vista, Honduras

study shows that oysters, clams, and scallops are particularly sensitive to ocean acidiication. The National Science Foundation’s National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center funded the irst nationwide risk assessment of the issue, which was recently published in the journal Nature Climate Change. Regions in the Paciic Northwest, New England, Mid-Atlantic, and the Gulf of Mexico are identiied as at risk. Ocean acidiication in the Pa-ciic Northwest has already cost the area 100 mil-lion dollars. Marine ecologists identiied increased greenhouse gasses as the culprit for the rising acid-ity of the oceans. The oceans typically absorb about thirty

percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing the ocean acidity to rise. Nutrient pollution also contributes to the lowering pH levels. The acidiication of the ocean won’t only harm the marine life in these regions but also the people who depend on the shellish as a living. The study shows that communities that are the most at risk are the least prepared to respond to the crisis. Southern Massachusetts is the most vul-nerable as mentioned in the study. The region includes the county of Cape Cod and the islands to the south. These communities are so vulnerable because they depend on only one source of mollusk. They cannot easily switch their economies if their only source of potential is gone.

Image Credit: Taylor Brown


By Morgan Smith

Have you ever found yourself doodling or day-

dreaming in a class or meeting? Ever thought, “I don’t think I can listen to this person talk for another min-

ute.” Now imagine the opposite. Think of a time when you were so interested in a topic or excited about an

activity that you did not want it to end.

Many environmental education organizations replace

dry lectures with entertaining, “hands-on” activities. An

example of one such organization is Project Learning Tree.

Project Learning Tree is an American Forest Foundation program that provides educators with ideas

for lessons about the natural world that are suitable for

many audiences.

Most of the les-

sons use hands

on activities that

include multiple

learning styles.

In order

to reach these

goals, Project Learning Tree

holds many work-

shops designed

for teachers.

What do you do

at a workshop?

Work-

shops come in

many shapes and

sizes. Types of workshops include Early Childhood, PreK-8, and Secondary Modules, which are designed for high school and college level students. They range

in length from two hours, to full weekends, to semester-

long workshops in some cases.

The main goal of the workshops is for instructors to

learn how to use Project Learning Tree materials and activities in their own lessons. At the end of the work-

shop, those who attended receive curriculum guides for

the age level of that workshop.

Do the workshops work?

Great question! In 2012, Sara Velardi, a PhD candidate of SUNY College of Environmental Science

and Forestry (SUNY ESF) began a two year study that looked into the value of the New York State Project Learning Tree workshops. Sara is an expert in environ-

mental education with a Master’s degree in Environ-

mental Interpretation from SUNY ESF.

How did she do it?

Sara began her study by surveying some of the

people in charge of New York State’s Project Learning Tree workshops. The surveys included questions about

types of workshops, limitations of workshops, workshop

attendance, and what resources may make the work-

shops more successful.

Educators that had gone to a Project Learn-

ing Tree Workshop were also sent an online survey.

The survey asked about when the workshop had taken

place, what type

of workshop it

was, and how

each person has

used the Project Learning Tree

activities in their

own lessons since

the workshop.

Sara then met

with some of the

people who had

responded to her

survey for one-on-

one interviews.

In the interviews,

she was able to

dive deeper into

the details of their

experiences at the workshops. Sara was also able to ask

about how they had used their new knowledge in their

own lessons.

What did she ind? It turns out that most of the educators do use

the Project Learning Tree activities in their lessons at least a few times a year. Teachers that went to a work-

shop for high school and college level audiences were

two to three times more likely to use the Project Learn-

ing Tree programs monthly to weekly.

What did the educators like about the work-

shops?

Instructors enjoyed the “hands-on” portions of

Project Learning Tree: A “hands-on” approach to learning

Sara administers a Project Learning Tree activity called “Tree Cookies” in which participants learn about tree growth through tree rings. (Image credit:

Sara Velardi)


the workshops most. They also enjoyed the workshops

that took less time, had a clear theme, and focused on a

more speciic audience. Sara did ask workshop members if they would have

rather been a part of an online workshop to save them

more time. She found that most people preferred the in-

person workshops because of the hands-on aspect.

What does this all mean?

In terms of Sara’s irst question that asked about the value of the workshops, the study suggests

that Project Learning Tree workshops are a useful tool for teachers.

Sara hoped to learn more about how much of what was

taught at each workshop was used after the fact. Her

results suggest that people who attended the Secondary

Module workshops used what was taught there more

than the other workshops.

This could be due to the fact that they were focused on

a more speciic audience, were shorter than most other workshops, and because they tended to have a speciic theme.

It seems that Project Learning Tree is a useful tool for all educators that touch on the natural world

even rarely. It is a great way to get ideas for lessons that

actively involve the audience and inspire exploration of

environmental subjects.

Isabella Kaplan

For those who may not know, this edition is

very special. It is the irst edition of The Knothole that, to quote our mission statement, “is eclectic

mix of art and articles which spark discussion,

inspire creativity, and increase awareness”! To

celebrate this renaissance of the Knothole I’m start-ing a “History of The Knothole and ESF” column

for the publication. Here, I will examine the old

editions and share how the stumpies of ESF have

changed over the years: their concerns, interests

and passions! I hope you enjoy learning about our

history as I do!

Digging through the illing cabinet in The Knothole ofice I pulled out a dusty folder titled 1945. What lay before me were dusty, colored pages

stapled together by twos. Unlike columns and pho-

tos depicting world wide environmental events in

the current issues, these older editions looked much

different. Each page was illed with little para-

graphs that talked strictly about events happening

on campus, like who is getting married, dances, and

advertisements for campus events! Comics called “The Adventures of Joe Stumpy” also accompanied

each newspaper.

“Are these really the older knothole ar-

ticles?” I thought as I looked closer at one of the

crumpled pieces of paper which read “Knothole:

founded 1938”. “1938!” I exclaimed as I nearly

dropped the folder in excitement. Unfortunately, af-

ter shifting through the sea of folders, 1954 was the

earliest article I could ind. Not too bad, considering

the article is sixty-one years old! What happened

that year in 1954? To give you a better time frame,

in 1954, McCarthy was on an anti-communist rage, and the Supreme Court said separate but equal was not equal. So what was going on at ESF during

these changing times?

Well, irst off in all the articles The Knothole address SUNY-ESF as the College of Forestry! It wasn’t until 1948 did ESF become a SUNY School and not until 1972 did our beautiful school acquire

the full name: The New York School of Environ-

mental Science and Forestry.

One of the paragraphs I found pretty inter-

esting is that ESF used to have school dances! So,

maybe ESF wasn’t always the worst party school, for the “Woodchoppers Brawls” dance sounded pret-

ty interesting. According to the November 11, 1945 edition the School of Forestry had a dance in Bray

Hall complete with pie eating, log-sawing contests,

and a Moonshiners Band to perform with the round

and square dancing!

Although we don’t have square dancing anymore, what hasn’t changed is our love of useless facts! In the, “ABSOLUTELY USELESS FACTS ABOUT COMPLETELY UNINTERESTING SUB-

JECTS” section of the article it was stated, “the pelican derives its name from the Greeks. It has a huge beak shaped like the great pelekus, an axe.”

So maybe our activities may have changed, but the

stumpie love of fun facts hasn’t. I can’t wait to ind what other secrets hide in these old articles and

share it with you!

History of the Knothole

Student Life & The Environment • THE KNOTHOLE • 9 8 • THE KNOTHOLE • Student Life & The Environment


Eleanor Clark

North: Kringle

(whatscookingamer-

ica.net)

Ingredients

1 package active dry

yeast

1/4-cup warm water

(110 degree F. to

115 degree F.)

1/2-cup cold butter

2 cups all-purpose

lour1/2-teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon granu-

lated sugar

1/2-cup warm milk (110 deg. to 115 deg.)

1 egg beaten

Nut Filling (recipe follows)Glaze (recipe follows)2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

1 1/2 cups inely chopped pecans or walnuts1-cup irmly packed brown sugar1/2-cup butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered (confectioners) sugar

4 to 5 teaspoons water

1/2-teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Procedure

Nut Filling:1. In a large bowl, combine pecans or walnuts,

brown sugar, and butter.

Glaze:1. In a medium bowl, combine powdered sugar,

water, and vanilla.

Kringle:

1.Dissolve yeast in warm water in a small bowl

2. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut but-

ter into lour and salt until particles are the size of small peas in a large bowl

3. Add yeast mixture, sugar, warm milk, and egg;

beat until smooth (dough will be very soft).

4. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but not more than 24 hours.

5. When ready to use, remove from refrigerator.

Punch dough down and divide in half; return other half to refrigerator.

6. On a well-loured board, working quickly before dough softens, roll into a 15 x 10-inch

rectangle, approximately 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick

(if dough gets too warm from handling, return

to refrigerator).

7. Spread half of the prepared Nut Filling down the center of the rolled-out dough rect-

angle in a 2-inch strip. Fold sides of dough over

illing, overlapping 1 1/2 inches; pinch edges to seal.

-Oval Shape: Form roll into a circle and pinch

ends together. Place seam side down on a large greased baking sheet. Repeat same process

with remaining dough and illing. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until

double in size.

-Pretzel Shape: Lift the illed roll from both ends irmly and center the middle of the roll

onto the baking sheet as if you were forming a

circle. Pull the ends of the roll so that they make a cross above the roll, then pull the ends down and

tuck the ends under the top part of the roll so that

the ends stick out from under the roll.

8. Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place ap-

proximately 30 minutes or until double in size.

9. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.10. After the dough has risen, bake approximately

20 minutes until golden brown or when the internal

temperature registers approximately 205 to 209

degrees F. on your cooking thermometer. Remove

from oven and let cool for 15 minutes.

11. Spread prepared Glaze over the warm Kringle. Sprinkle with chopped pecans or walnuts. Serve

Kringles warm or at room temperature.

12. To re-warm, preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Slide a whole, uncut Kringle onto a baking sheet

lined with aluminum foil. Cover loosely with a large piece of aluminum foil and heat for 12 to 15 min-

utes. Remove from oven and remove aluminum foil

before slicing.

-Makes 2 Kringles (each serves 10 to 12).

West: Sourdough (allrecipes.com)

Ingredients

4 3/4 cups bread lour3 tablespoons white sugar

Cardinal Recipes

Image Credit:whatscookingamerica.net


2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast

1-cup warm milk

2 tablespoons margarine, softened

1 1/2 cups sourdough starter

1 extra large egg

1-tablespoon water

1/4 cup chopped onion

Procedure

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 cup lour, sugar, salt, and dry yeast.

2. Add milk and softened butter or margarine. Stir

in starter.

3. Mix in up to 3 3/4 cups lour gradually; you may need more depending on your climate.

4. Turn dough out onto a loured surface, and knead for 8 to 10 minutes.

5. Place in a greased bowl; turn once to oil sur-

face, and cover. Let dough rise for 1 hour, or until

doubled in volume.

6. Punch down, and let rest 15 minutes.7. Shape into loaves. Place on a greased baking pan. Let loaves rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

8. Brush egg wash over tops of loaves, and sprinkle

with chopped onion.

9. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or till

done.

East-blueberry

cream mufins: (food.com)

Ingredients

1-cup fresh blueber-

ries

2 cups all-purpose

lour, divided3/4-cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2-teaspoon baking soda

1 pinch salt

1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cut into cubes

3 teaspoons lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/4-cup butter or 1/4 cup margarine (melted)

1/2-cup milk

2 eggs

Procedure

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.2. Toss blueberries with about 2 tablespoons lour and set aside.

3. Combine remaining lour with the other dry in-

gredients and set aside.

4. In a large mixer bowl, cream the cream cheese,

lemon juice and vanilla until smooth.

5. Add eggs, then lour mixture, butter and milk and mix until just moistened.

6. Fold in the blueberries.

7. Fill paper-lined mufin pans 2/3 full.8. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned.

9. Remove from pan immediately.

South-sausage

bread: (Aunt

Karan)

Ingredients

2 Pillsbury French loaves

1 egg

1 teaspoon Par-

mesan cheese

1 package Jimmy Dean spicy breakfast sausage

1 package cheddar cheese

Procedure

1. Take 2 Pillsbury French loaves, then knead and roll the dough out to a 9 inch by 12 inch rectangle

2. In a small bowl, beat the egg and add the Parme-

san cheese

3. Line the center of the dough with the mixture of

egg and cheese.

4. Brown the breakfast sausage and drain out the

grease.

5. Place the sausage down the center of the dough and add the cheddar cheese.

6. Fold over the sides of the dough to overlap in the

center, and then fold ends to close

7. Bake at 350o for 30 minutes

(Onions, bell pepper, and mushroom to sausage if

desired)

Image Credit: food.com

Image Credit: freestylecookery.com


Dear Nut,

College is expensive. Between tuition, housing, food, and books, it seems like I’m getting charged for something new every day. And heaven

forbid if I want to splurge and buy something nice

or entertain myself. What are some good ways to

save and/or make money as a poor college student?

Sincerely,

BROKE

Dear BROKE,

There are plenty of ways to make money as

a college student! The irst thing that you should consider is completing dangerous and/or disgusting

stunts for money. People love seeing things that make them cringe, so I’m sure they would be will-ing to pay you to do strange dares.

Another way to make money is by searching the

change return in the vending machines for coins.

If you’re persistent, you can sometimes make TWO WHOLE DOLLARS in a single day. With that

money, you can maybe actually buy something…

from the vending machine.

As far as saving money goes, you can save on

housing costs by living in a cardboard box; rent is

fairly cheap on cardboard boxes, and utilities usu-

ally come free. To save on food, eat Ramen noodles

3 meals a day. Your body will likely become 90% so-

dium, but the savings are deinitely worth it. Sadly, I can’t think of a good way to save on books. Rent-ing, buying used books, and borrowing from friends

are all immoral strategies because they lower the

proits of giant publishing corporations. Those mil-lionaire executives have got to eat too, you know!

If all else fails, why not just try being rich?

I’m surprised more people don’t consider that op-

tion. The simplest idea is often the best one.

-Nut

Ask-a-NutLiam Donaher

Time is frozen. I’m stuck in an elevator, and it’s dark. The whole building must have lost power.

Do I call for help?

I think I might have mistakenly swallowed my

tonsils. Is that the right word? No wait, vocal chords, that’s what you talk with. Yeah, that’s it.

These things normally have help buttons for

situations like this, right?

It’s pretty dark, so I can’t see much.I try to close my eyes, but accidentally open them

instead.

Oh, hey, I can see now. Never mind.

My phone somehow manages to ind its way out of my pocket and into my hand.

I press 9, 1, 1, and then the equal sign.

Wait, am I in the right app?

No service anyway, what a shame.Back into the purse it goes.

Wait, where did this purse come from?

I then suddenly have three resolutions:

1. My own backpack is missing

2. Some random lady just became $14 richer in fruit

snacks and gum wrappers.

3. I meant to say realizations.

4. I need to get out of this elevator.

5. I need to stop making revelations.

I stamp on the ground.

I bang on the walls.

Nothing.

It’s broken. Totally busted.This elevator isn’t moving anywhere.

Oh wait am I thinking of the right thing? I meant

escalator. Damn, those words are similar.

Stuck


Weird Creature Spottight

Stephen Scaduto

In this edition of Weird Creature Spotlight, we travel to the exciting world of plants to meet

Welwitschia mirabilis. The main reason that this

plant was picked is that its’ name is just so fun to say (Vell-vitch-ya), but it also has some pretty pe-

culiar features that make it very worthy of a Weird

Creature Spotlight. Welwitschia makes its’ home in the harsh Namib desert on the Southwest coast of Africa. This area receives little to no rainfall every

year. However, Welwitschia thrives despite the

desert’s best efforts, due to the plant’s long taproot that can reach underground water. It also contains

the ability to absorb water from fog and dew. But

that isn’t what makes Welwitschia so strange- de-

spite what one may assume from looking at it,

Welwitschia only has two leaves. These leaves grow

continuously throughout Welwitschia’s life, and it only appears to have more because the leaves are

low to the ground and get shredded by wind, sand,

and animals.

Despite its’ simple design, Welwitschia can live a very long time. Many individuals are

500-600 years old, but some can live to be 2,000!

Welwitschia can also get very large. The largest

known individual, creatively nicknamed “The Big

Welwitschia”, is 1.4 meters tall and over 4 meters

in diameter!

Welwitschia may not be the prettiest of

plants, but it has certainly done pretty well for

itself. The species has remained nearly unchanged

since the Jurassic Period, and is considered a “liv-

ing fossil”. Currently, the species is neither endan-

gered nor threatened, although it is protected as

a preventative measure. Protecting such a weird species is a pretty good idea, because the average

Welwitschia is a lot older than even the oldest hu-

man, and every half decent human being knows

that you should respect your elders!

Image Credit:beautifulbotany.com

Stephen Scaduto

If you’re like me, you may have noticed how infuriatingly cold it has been here in Syracuse

lately. Being from Buffalo, I know a thing or two

about the cold, and this s**t has been absolutely

insane. I’m no meteorologist, but -4˚ F everyday seems downright excessive, even for this area.

What makes it even more infuriating is people who

say that you should just suck it up and quit com-

plaining. But, as it turns out, the complainers may

be completely justiied in their whining.Apparently, the average temperature so far this

February has been 10.4˚ F, which is 15 degrees below normal for this time of year. This month has

been one of the coldest on record since 1902, and

could in fact end up being the record holder. As of

February 20th, we have yet to get above 32˚ F on any day this month. If that trend continues, Febru-

ary 2015 will be the irst month on record that the temperature failed to get above freezing. God have mercy on us. Also of note is that it has snowed ev-

ery day this month (also as of February 20th), but

to me, the snow is less annoying than the relentless

cold.

So if you feel like you’ve been traversing the Arctic tundra every time you walk to class, don’t be afraid to complain about it. You’ve earned it. If you’re the type of person that “doesn’t mind the cold” and “doesn’t get what everyone is complaining about,” then just know that all of us sane people re-

ally hate you right now. Thank god February is the

shortest month of the year; it’s time for this crap to be over. I’d like to feel my face again.Written: February 24, 2015 – data retrieved from

Syracuse.com/Weather, “Not-So-Fun Facts about CNY’s brutal February”

About the Weather...


By Mimi Scicchitano

WHAT IT IS: An affordable way to prepare seedlings

for planting outside once the danger of frost is gone

(if that ever happens). It its perfectly in a window-

sill, and keeps the soil moist so minimal watering is

needed.

WHAT YOU NEED: •An egg carton •Potting soil •Seeds •Toothpicks •Plastic wrap

WHEN TO START (in Central NY):

Early-March: eggplants, onions, petunias, and toma-

toes

Mid-March: lettuce, melons, peppers, daisies and peas

Late-March: pumpkins, squash, corn, marigolds and

cucumbers

WHAT TO DO:

1. Cut the cover-half of the egg carton off with scissors.2. Fill each egg-hole in the carton a little over halfway

with soil.

3. Use your inger to make a hole to the depth sug-

gested on the back of the seed packet.

4. Plant the suggested number of seeds in each egg-hole, and gently

water after covering the seeds with

soil.

5. Wrap one layer of plastic wrap

over the surface of the egg carton.

6. When the seeds germinate and

begin to grow too tall for the plastic

wrap, use the toothpicks to raise the

plastic wrap covering by a few inches.

7. If your egg carton comes with the

clear, egg-shaped protective casing on

top of the eggs, this can be used instead of the plastic

wrap.

8. Write on the side of the carton to keep track of what

type of seeds were planted in each hole.

9. Set in a windowsill in full sun, and water as needed.

DIY Egg Carton Greenhouse/Seed Starter

Image Credit: Landongilillan.com


Co-Managing EditorsJen LouieGrace Belisle

Head Layout Terrance caviness

Layout StaffMark TepperScott Przybyla

Editorial StaffKatie OranIsabella KaplanGrace AndersonLJ Jerome

AdvisorKaren Moore

WritersStephen Scaduto

Isabella Kaplan

Katie Oran

Liam Donaher

Mimi Scicchitano

Julia Hart

Eleanor Clark

Morgan Smith

Taylor Brown

The Knothole is a

monthly SUNY-ESF

publication composed

by the student body. It

is rooted in the spirit

of ESF, and branches

out into the broader

community to inform

and inspire. We hope to

provide an eclectic mix of

art and articles which

spark discussion, inspire

creativity, and increase

awareness


Documents

Issue 4