Chapter 9
It was cool to learn about Burlignton because it's just a ferry ride from school. I like learning that Vermont is on the fore front of trying to lead the way within the United States for trying to help the enviornment and clean up some of the mess we already started. If China wants to follow anybody, it should be places like Burlington, not the majority of the United States. Granted a few states are trying to follow what Vermont is doing, but not enough. There's 50 states for crying outloud.
Chapter 10
I felt she needed to get that point out there about global warming just one last time. Being that it was the last chapter, why wouldn't she? The way she talks about global warming at the end of the book makes me go back throughout the book and remember that she's done it the whole time. Some may not like her style. I do admit there may be a better way, but I can't think of it. I say why don't you try and write a whole book on global warming. It's tough. A lot of bloggers talked about her picking sides. I admit she may have to try better and keep her opinion out of it. But hey, once again, she wanted to fill out a book. It's all about the money. She writes an article with all the great research she did for the book, she would not get her moneys worth in my opinion. This way, she gets her bang for her buck. More than likely I'd say she got a lot more money writing this book.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
chapter 7-8
Chapters 7-8
Chapter 7 was more to the point and quicker compared to previous chapters. That may be better to those not as familar in the topic of global warming and science. She goes into detail about the CO2 emissions and their effects. She talks about waking up and contributed to it. To me that partially sounds like the people who won't touch the knobs on the sink and won't touch and need the automatic paper towel dispenser instead of doing it yourself because everyone thinks they'll get sick from all the germs. What I'm saying is it's a tough thing to overcome no matter what you do. There's germs everywhere, fixing a bathroom situation won't help the rest of everyday occurences.
It is good informative information on what we are doing to contribute to the CO2 emissions and how we should lower it.
Chapter 8 talks about the government getting involved. The government is what scientist need to help get even more to the bottom of these theories and help find some solutions to the problem. Money is an issue with many things and this issue isn't any bit different. It will help out in so many ways to these scientist who haven't had the financial support they would have liked. Of course it relies on us the people to vote these right ones into power if enough of the people care enough to try and solve these problems. It now seems that everyone wants to go "green" so you never know what can happen.
Chapter 7 was more to the point and quicker compared to previous chapters. That may be better to those not as familar in the topic of global warming and science. She goes into detail about the CO2 emissions and their effects. She talks about waking up and contributed to it. To me that partially sounds like the people who won't touch the knobs on the sink and won't touch and need the automatic paper towel dispenser instead of doing it yourself because everyone thinks they'll get sick from all the germs. What I'm saying is it's a tough thing to overcome no matter what you do. There's germs everywhere, fixing a bathroom situation won't help the rest of everyday occurences.
It is good informative information on what we are doing to contribute to the CO2 emissions and how we should lower it.
Chapter 8 talks about the government getting involved. The government is what scientist need to help get even more to the bottom of these theories and help find some solutions to the problem. Money is an issue with many things and this issue isn't any bit different. It will help out in so many ways to these scientist who haven't had the financial support they would have liked. Of course it relies on us the people to vote these right ones into power if enough of the people care enough to try and solve these problems. It now seems that everyone wants to go "green" so you never know what can happen.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Chapter 4-6
Chapters 4-6
A discussion seems to have stirred whether or not the author of this book keeps going off instead of focusing on the theme of the story. I tend to disagree for with what people have been blogging about. I think the story is not in any way interesting, which is against her journalism and writing skills. That I do agree with, but I feel like it's different when you're writing a book. She needs to somewhat get off track for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that she doesn't want to bore those who think would think what she's writing about starts to make you fall asleep. She's trying to wake you up. Whether if it's with comedy or just a sidenote about something, she's trying. I ask you to go out and try to write a book about global warming and see how entertaining you can make it. For example she said in chapter 4 about the Comma Butterfly. She describes the larval looking like a bird dropping which is a funny image and keeps you entertained as well as informed.
As far as the rest of chapter 4 is concerned I feel as if she could have explained more about the butterfly migrgrating due to the warmer weather. Go into further detail on how it's global warming is that main reason for the butterfly to migrate.
When chapter 5 rolled around she would start to right more factual information. Maybe she could have changed the way she jumped from one thing to another within the chapter, but she felt it was the time to get almost 100% serious about the topic and try to win you over there. It is confusing, but I feel the previous chapters were somewhat of a set up in order to get you to understand better when she actually talks about global warming and different areas involving it. It can still be confusing, but I feel that was the point of the previous chapters.
I guess you can say chapter 6 is more of an entertainment chapter somewhat. Even though she talks about the rise of sea levels and what not, she does talk about the idea of floating houses eventually. Due to the water levels rising, people would have to eventually live in floating houses. Even though it was somewhat serious, I would assume a lot of people would take that as a joke. Of course that would not be fun at all once a storm hits, but she tried to make it entertaining, atleast compared to the more seriousness of chapter 5.
A discussion seems to have stirred whether or not the author of this book keeps going off instead of focusing on the theme of the story. I tend to disagree for with what people have been blogging about. I think the story is not in any way interesting, which is against her journalism and writing skills. That I do agree with, but I feel like it's different when you're writing a book. She needs to somewhat get off track for a few reasons. One of those reasons is that she doesn't want to bore those who think would think what she's writing about starts to make you fall asleep. She's trying to wake you up. Whether if it's with comedy or just a sidenote about something, she's trying. I ask you to go out and try to write a book about global warming and see how entertaining you can make it. For example she said in chapter 4 about the Comma Butterfly. She describes the larval looking like a bird dropping which is a funny image and keeps you entertained as well as informed.
As far as the rest of chapter 4 is concerned I feel as if she could have explained more about the butterfly migrgrating due to the warmer weather. Go into further detail on how it's global warming is that main reason for the butterfly to migrate.
When chapter 5 rolled around she would start to right more factual information. Maybe she could have changed the way she jumped from one thing to another within the chapter, but she felt it was the time to get almost 100% serious about the topic and try to win you over there. It is confusing, but I feel the previous chapters were somewhat of a set up in order to get you to understand better when she actually talks about global warming and different areas involving it. It can still be confusing, but I feel that was the point of the previous chapters.
I guess you can say chapter 6 is more of an entertainment chapter somewhat. Even though she talks about the rise of sea levels and what not, she does talk about the idea of floating houses eventually. Due to the water levels rising, people would have to eventually live in floating houses. Even though it was somewhat serious, I would assume a lot of people would take that as a joke. Of course that would not be fun at all once a storm hits, but she tried to make it entertaining, atleast compared to the more seriousness of chapter 5.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Chapter 2 & 3
Some of the strongest pieces of evidence for the theory of global warming within chapter 2 and 3
I believe that evidence is slowly but surely improving by each chapter to help prove more and more about global warming. We're still only up to chapter 4 now; time will tell how this ends up. Her objectivity may be a little impartial but the same thing with that; there's plenty of pages left to get a better perspective and opinion of Kolbert's objectivity. Her explainatory powers are good because I am understanding stuff that I would normally never understand.
One of the strongest pieces of evidence adduced in supporting of the theory of global warming are when Kolbert talks about mosquitoes. She talks about Bradshaw and Holzapfel when they look back on their own files of mosiquitoes. They originally thought the mosquitoes were genetically changing. Turns out as the climate had warmed, those mosquitoes that had remained active until later in the fall had enjoyed a selective advantage, presumably because they had been able to store a few more days worth of recources for the winter and had passed this advantage on to their offspring, and so on.
Also the glaciers melting is a strong piece of evidence for the theory of global warming. It has got to the point where shipment has ceased in Iceland because the islands remain icebound in the Summer. A third of the population has died in Vatnajokull. The "sun-home glacier" is 1,1000 ft. shorter than it was just a decade ago. One colleague for the Icelandic Glaciological Society believes that the ice caps will be so small on the highest mountains with the mass of the glaciers gone.
I believe that evidence is slowly but surely improving by each chapter to help prove more and more about global warming. We're still only up to chapter 4 now; time will tell how this ends up. Her objectivity may be a little impartial but the same thing with that; there's plenty of pages left to get a better perspective and opinion of Kolbert's objectivity. Her explainatory powers are good because I am understanding stuff that I would normally never understand.
Chapter 1
Field Notes From a Catastrophe - Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert
The beginning of the book was interesting to me. The subject of the book I felt would have bored me. The start was a good enough beginning to keep me going besides the fact that it's homework.
Within the very first line of the story about watching the icebergs flowing by was funny and I personally believe that comedy is always a great way to start a story.
For the most part I thought the writing was good. I'm sure they're some who are against how the author writes and it could be biased. Well for one it's chapter one. There's plenty of book left for someone to give their opinion on if Kolbert is biased or not.
In my opinion what the author is doing is a great form of journalism. When I say this I mean by going out there in the middle of everything and then later writing about it. Getting into the situation is always a great way to learn about an area or anything for that matter.
For those who are not just experienced in or have vast knowledge of the subjects discussed in the book, I think she does a good job in trying to keep someone like me who doesn't have much knowledge on the subject interested. Whether it's little things like when she talks to Morris Kiyutelluk and mentions that his last name means without a wooden spoon. It could through you off for a second, but it's a book. When I say it's a book I mean that it's not just straight foward information. There needs to be some entertainment involved with the book.
I also think that Kolbert provides great background information on places she went to. For one when she talks about Fairbanks, Alaska. She writes about the fires that go one for months and months there and how you need to wear these glasses to protect yourself when you are out there. More great information she gives is how there was a fire where 6.3 million acres had been incenerated.
The beginning of the book was interesting to me. The subject of the book I felt would have bored me. The start was a good enough beginning to keep me going besides the fact that it's homework.
Within the very first line of the story about watching the icebergs flowing by was funny and I personally believe that comedy is always a great way to start a story.
For the most part I thought the writing was good. I'm sure they're some who are against how the author writes and it could be biased. Well for one it's chapter one. There's plenty of book left for someone to give their opinion on if Kolbert is biased or not.
In my opinion what the author is doing is a great form of journalism. When I say this I mean by going out there in the middle of everything and then later writing about it. Getting into the situation is always a great way to learn about an area or anything for that matter.
For those who are not just experienced in or have vast knowledge of the subjects discussed in the book, I think she does a good job in trying to keep someone like me who doesn't have much knowledge on the subject interested. Whether it's little things like when she talks to Morris Kiyutelluk and mentions that his last name means without a wooden spoon. It could through you off for a second, but it's a book. When I say it's a book I mean that it's not just straight foward information. There needs to be some entertainment involved with the book.
I also think that Kolbert provides great background information on places she went to. For one when she talks about Fairbanks, Alaska. She writes about the fires that go one for months and months there and how you need to wear these glasses to protect yourself when you are out there. More great information she gives is how there was a fire where 6.3 million acres had been incenerated.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Colored Leaves
Question - How and why do leaves change colors?
Answer - Pigments, weather and amount of night.
Haven't you always wondered exactly why the colors of leaves change? How does it change? There's more to what you thought the answer would be.
The one you may know is involved with the pigments. There are three type of pigments that are involved with the color changes according to www.na.fs.fed.us/spfo. There's chlorophyll which givesleaves their basic green color. The plant in which the leaves are connected to need the sunlight to manufacture sugars for their food. Carotenoids produce the yellow, orange and brown colors . Then there's anthocyanins, which appear in the watery liquid of leaf cells.
The weather needs to go from hot to cool for the leaves to begin to change colors during the fall season. Cool to cold for the winter. Cold to warm for the spring. Warm to hot for the summer. The weather helps for the leaves to change colors at certain times of the year which shows why it appears to happen out of no where before your eyes.
The one that might be somewhat surprising to you is the length of night. The timing of color change and leaf fall are primarily regulated by the calendar, that is, the increasing length of night. Temperature, food and other aspects aren't as important for the leaves to change colors. Biochemical processes in the leaf begin to change the colors in the leaf when there's less sunlight and more darkness.
If you don't know, now you know.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Skunk vs. Rose
V
S
Question - Why are we repelled by the scent of a skunk and attracted to the scent of a rose?
The famous Looney Tune character Pepé Le Pew always wanted to fall in love. Only if he was a Rose with legs, arms and a mouth. All he need is that scent instead of his distinct, grossing smell that would drive all of the others within his looney cartoon world.
Humans are drawn away from the smell of the skunk because they have two glands on each side of their anus. In which have a mixture of sulfur that contains the chemicals methyl and butyl thiols which can be compared to the smell of rotten eggs.
The skunks spray can reach out up to 15 ft. Basically if you smell the skunk already, don't got anywhere near it because you can have temporary blindness. Watch out for the low molecular weight thiol compounds. Involves the (E)-2-butene, 1-thiol, 3-methyl-1-butanethiol and 2-quinolinemethanethiol.
Our national flower is the rose for a reason. It's beautiful to us in so many ways. The color that represents love in the eyes of many. Specifically the scent. Especially compared to the skunk.
Within the petals of the rose is what drives the great smell. The oil of the rose is what people can smell. All different kinds of roses provide scent appealing to the human nose. Any kind of rose will work compared to a skunk. The rose wins due to it's oil it doesn't spray at you, but overwhelms you with it's beauty.
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