Sunday, November 22, 2009

Field Notes Ch5&6

Chapter 5 made me very confused. She jumped from the Mayans to NASA to the Akkadians, I just couldn't stay focused on these things because she discussed too much. I feel like she continues to jump from subject to subject without a general flow. This isn't reading like a story anymore like in the beginning, more like a research paper. I appreciate her abundance of knowledge on everything but for me, this stuff is very confusing.
Don't get me wrong, her descriptions are great, I enjoy that because it actually gives this book something tasteful instead of the scientific words I definitely would be even more confused about.
I did, however, find the story about the lost city, Tell Leilan, it reminded me of the other lost city people really know about, Atlantis. Stuff like this will keep me interested but only for so long especially when she continues to jump from example to example.
Chapter 6 was a little better reading I think, I enjoyed the things she was describing because they were things that have actually been discussed about with Global Warming. For instance like rising sea level and CO2 levels as well as green house effects. All of these present different issues with the change of the earth and what is in store. I especially liked the ending of this chapter,
"In the future, she said, she expected that people all over the world would live in floating houses, since, as she put it, 'the water is coming up, and we have to live with it, not fight it-it's just not possible.' " Personally I am totally for floating houses, how fun would that be?

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Field Notes-ch4

Kolbert has once again been able to use her great description of people and places to help with this topic of Global Warming.
I understand how difficult it is to write about something that is so intensely looked upon with so much to write about, however I'm beginning to see a repetition in just what this book is really about. It's a compile of examples that to myself...well...at the time may be interesting, but I don't find any hard evidence behind it. It is just examples of animals and how they have begun to migrate in different areas.
I do enjoy this book, however, because it has definitely given me a better interest in what exactly Global Warming is all about and how it is effecting our world today. I enjoy Kolberts writing style by describing her subjects in such great detail from their messy desks to the color of their eyes. That's the type of reading I enjoy, great descriptive writing that can paint a picture in your head being able to visualize these things.
I'm not really sure as to why Kolbert decided to use the examples she did in this chapter, maybe to describe how greatly Global warming is effecting them. However I did notice that throughout this entire book so far she will describe an example for however many pages and then the last sentence is just something like, "there is only one explanation, Global Warming." I feel like she needs more evidence then just explaining these insects and animals or describing what they look like. Personally I feel like they are just that, descriptions. Animals change, as do humans, we adapt to society, as to animals adapt to their surroundings...I understand Global Warming, but are these facts just merely animals changing thinking they are sick of their daily routines just like we do in every day life? That's a question scientists will eventually figure out.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Field Notes-ch2&3

I'm sure everyone has heard of the movie The Day After Tomorrow. However, when I watched this the first thing I thought of was wow, this could actually happen one day. Little did I know at the time but it IS happening all around us every minute of every day.
Kolbert discusses many different facts of Global Warming in these two chapter. The problem is, are we as readers, and as human beings willing to actually believe this is happening?
A couple of examples that caught my attention were when she was at the Swiss Camp and they did the dating of the earth's climate from drilling into the ice core. Also the many different diagrams really help encourage the fact that Global Warming is occurring. Greenland's temperatures are proven to be rising. The Keeling Curve as described in chapter 2 is essentially what got me from beginning the reading. Being able to show the difference in CO2 levels from winter to summer is definitely a huge benefactor in the issue of Global Warming.
Kolbert's writing helps with understanding the difficult aspects of what exactly is going on. Her unique writing flow really helps move me along from page to page. She really explains and describes the individuals from what they do as a living to their eye colors. I think this is a great gift to be able to describe such a skeptical issue in our society today, as well as she does, and do it with such great understanding.

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Field Notes

Global warming isn't a topic that I tend to read about because it's usually too "scientific" for me and I get too confused. The author of this book, however, seems to write this more fluidly and really take her time to describe what she sees which, I think really helps pull your readers in.

It's interesting to read about what she has witnessed instead of just reading scientific codes, equations, dates, and data. All of that stuff gets too jumbled up and confusing so for her to write more about how Global warming is effecting little towns that, personally I have never heard of, and all of the things they've gone through to survive, it makes me want to learn more and read on.