Chapter 5 & 6

Chapter 5 was totally different than what her style of writing has been through the rest of the book. It was even worse than the humor she tries to integrate into her writing. Then in chapter 6 she brings it back. I don't get the point she is trying to make with this. Stick with one style, don't just throw this other one in the middle of it.

I hate the way she tries to relate things, like in the beginning of chapter 5 where she is giving the reader a history lesson...what does this have to do with global warming? I wish she would just get to the point instead of beating around the bush.

I also thought she was trying to say that humans are to blame for global warming, then she goes into how it would happen regardless of what humans did...so what is the big deal? Yes it is happening faster but if it was going to happen eventually, why the worry?

I am still not sure what she is trying to do with this book. I haven't liked it from the beginning and I don't think anything she writes will change my mind other wise. Her style may work for some people but it just gets annoying, perhaps that is why she threw in chapter 5 to show she knows how to write about serious subjects, but it wasn't very successful in my eyes.

Chapter 4

I think where Kolbert was trying to go with this chapter failed. She presented that these animals are dying or in trouble or migrating, but she has no proof that it is because of global warming. Yes these animals are dying off because of climate changes, but does that mean that it is global warming?

It was an interesting chapter, I didn't fall asleep this time, but as I was reading I was thinking 'What does this have to do with global warming?'. Why does it matter if this very limited species of frog dies? Not to be cold hearted, but they were in such a small area did they really contribute to the rest of the world? Butterflies are moving to places they have never lived before, good! Butterflies are pretty and fun to watch! Why not have them in more than one place?

I found the facts about the animals the most interesting, the frogs were pretty interesting because they only came out of the ground to breed and nobody knows much else about them.

Her humor gets old after awhile, it is like she tries to be witty, but it is just annoying. Maybe I am just hating on the author because I feel that the book is just telling us things we already have heard. People talking about global warming is nothing new.

Chapters 2 and 3

I think the biggest piece of evidence the author presents is the movement and melting of the glacier. She talks about how the glaciers melt each year but in recent years the one she is on has shrunk hundreds of feet. The Keeling Curve is also good evidence of the rising CO2 levels in our atmosphere.

It is good evidence but there really isn't anything to compare it to and why it is such a bad thing. I did like the prediction made by Arrhenius about how people in the future would be living under a warmer sky, but I feel that the way I read it...living under a warmer sky is a good thing.

Her writing puts me to sleep to be honest. I really have no interest in the topic of global warming. I feel like she has just taken a side and wants to make sure all her readers believe at the end of the book that global warming is here and it is all our fault. I am sure that some people would enjoy this book, but I find it boring. There is really nothing we can do to absolutely stop global warming and even if there was, I am sure there wouldn't be enough people on board in the world to stop it.

Field Notes

I don't have a huge interest in the concern of global warming, but the author of this book makes it easy to understand and holds your attention while reading. I appreciate anyone who can do this, because if I don't have an interest I usually stop reading.

I enjoy that she goes to Alaska to see the work of the scientists she is writing about. That is reporting, not only interviewing but getting your hands dirty that is how you get the real story.

I also like how she goes to these little towns in Alaska and shows the reader how this warming is changing their worlds as they know them. This brings a whole new perspective to people who can't see the effects right now (like me!).

Ladybugs

It is that time of year when the ladybugs make their grand debut before the cold weather sets in. It is my favorite time of the autumn season. They seem to only be around for a short time before it gets too cold for them to be flying about, but when they are...it is pretty neat...to me anyway.

Walking around on tiny short legs with little antennas, these tiny round red/orange/yellow beetles have black spots which vary in patterns. These colors and spots make predators unattracted to them. If they are threatened the ladybug can secrete a fluid from joints in their legs which gives them a foul taste and they can play dead!

The Coccinella septempunctata is the scientific name for the ladybug. It can live two to three years in the wild (who would have thought!) I didn't know an insect could live that long!

There are over 5,000 species of ladybugs. In Europe they are called ladybird beetles.

Some of these brightly colored creatures have a great appetite which farmers love because they eat plant eating insects which eat crops. Ladybugs lay hundreds of eggs in colonies of these plant eating insects and when the larvae hatch...they feed on them. These larvae can eat up to 5,000 insects in its larvae stage of life, which is 3-6 weeks. Not all ladybugs eat plant eating insects, some eat plants.

They are also considered good luck in some cultures!

What are Eye Boogers?

I have always wondered what exactly was going on in the corners of my eyes in the morning. I really hate when I clean them out and this string of goop comes with it. What is this and why does it happen?

Turns out the proper name for eye booger is Rheum. It is a thin mucus that is naturally discharged from the eyes when we sleep. You get "crusties" when it dries. This stuff is made up of mucus discharged from the cornea or conjunctiva from the eye, tears, skin cells, and dust. Rheum can also be seen in the nose and mouth after sleep.

This is produced all the time, but is washed away naturally with tears when you blink. This can't happen when you are sleeping because you are not blinking, so that is why you get crusty eye boogers when you wake up!

The process is not useless, it traps dirt, dust, eyelashes, etc...and coats them in this mucus so it won't scratch your eye...what a great thing to have!

Producing eye boogers is very natural, it happens even in healthy people and children. However, if one morning you wake up and there is a large amount of eye boogers or pus, you could have a serious eye infection.

Sorry to ruin the fun of anyone who thought the sandman came at night but...that is science for you!

Stephen Hawking Article Grading

This article was an interesting piece on Stephen Hawking; however, after three or four pages, it all blended together and lost my interest. I understand it is about him making a comeback after a few years, but I would have been more interested in the fact that he has survived ALS for so long.

Have there been studies done about him and is he helping contribute to this cause to help others? I haven't found anything...but if he has lived for over 40 years with this disease and hasn't contributed to finding a cure, I have no respect for the man.

I honestly think we should worry about problems here on earth before we go make predictions of things that we can't even get to in space.

Grading:

1. Lede - It was interesting and got me reading it, I think if it had started with "On a mild March evening..." it would have been better. 18/20

2. Content - I think he answered all the right questions. Again, I would have been more interested in the ALS part of his life...but if it wasn't a big part of his life there is no need to talk about it. After the first three or four pages, I became uninterested. I am not big on the study of space, so once they started talking about it I zoned out. 16/20

3. Organization - I really liked the way it was organized with the subheads transitioning from one subject to another. It was very easy to follow. 19/20

4. Quality of Writing - I liked the writing style. It wasn't full of jargon and it was easy to read. Some things I didn't understand sometimes. The author was very good at the disciptions of things throughout the story whish made it interesting at times. 18/20

5. Clarity of Exposition - The author did well in descriptions but lost me because I didn't have any interest, this could pose a problem in some cases. I understand that Discover is a science magazine, but I probably wouldn't read this article by choice and it doesn't help that I really don't know what they are talking about most of the time. 15/20