Field Notes: Chapters 5 and 6

As much as I know about global warming now, I was under the impression that the catalyst of it speeding up is because of the life we as humans have been living. When I read Kolbert's description of the ancient civilization and how global warming has been around and is not necessarily caused by one civilization or the other. I thought that this was pretty interesting. Yes, I know that the world has been around for a while and because of that, needs to regulate itself. But although the world needs to regulate itself, (i.e global warming) we haven't been helping too much either. I thought it was very important that Kolbert take this approach and it was a good way to inform readers like me about global warming history. She also went on to discuss and breakdown the world and its atmosphere and did so in a way that kept me interested while learning a lot. Her method of breaking the world up into cubes was very helpful in making me understand what she was talking about, which I think Kolbert is very good at doing when it comes to informing readers who know nothing about the subject.

Like always, I have enjoyed Kolbert's style of writing and although her extra comments and descriptions (i.e the amphibian houses in a row like toasters) may be a bit useless, they still place a picture in your head and make you remember that chapter.

Field Notes Part 2

After reading these chapters I can honestly say that I think Arrhenius' prediction of global warming was truly eye opening. The information that was presented by him shows that he knew what would happen to the world's climate just by judging the levels of CO2 during his time. I thought it was interesting that he was able to deduce this and I thought it was really impressive that he was correct. What really makes me think hard about it is that this man was able to predict the climate change in the world but did not add in the effects of greenhouse gases that would be produced by factories and cars in the future. That was something that I thought was really amazing that his assumptions were still correct even though all of that was before his time. Kolbert introduced a bunch of new information in these chapters but she did it in a non-overbearing way so that I wasn't overwhelmed when reading it. It was still very much conversational and flowed very nicely. I like the way she added small quirky bits about each scientist and even though it wasn't necessarily relevant to the topic, it still gave a more personal feel to the chapter. As I keep reading, I am continually learning more about climate change and global warming. 

Observations from Field Notes from a Catastrophe

As soon as I opened then book and started reading I got an immediate image in my head of what this woman was talking about. I thought that her writing was very descriptive. I think that this is a good quality to have in your writing because when you're writing about the Earth and climate change, you want to have the reader know and understand what your trying to say. When the author is talking about nature and the weather, its important to envision what they describe. Another thing that I really liked about the writing is how conversational it was. Kolbert would add little quirky bits on information about the people she interviewed or the town that it made the story that much more personal. I think that it was important that the writing was so conversational because, to be honest, I thought that this book was going to be really boring because of its topic. However, while reading it, the writing was very smooth and flowed well and it made it that much more of an easy read. 

Finally, while reading this piece I thought her use of information was placed perfectly in the writing. In the beginning when she was describing the village, she talked about its history and the people and then talked about the changes that the village went through since then. I thought the way she described the relocation of the town was very interesting and she kept me engaged. I really liked her writing style and I learned a lot. 

Black and White Menace

A few weeks ago a was sitting in my living room with my roommate watching a scary movie. Now, when it comes to these types of movies I'm a wimp but my roommate is not and likes to play tricks on me. We came to this one suspenseful part and all of a sudden I hear a tapping at the window. Immediately I jump up and accuse my roommate of scaring me but she laughed it off and said it wasn't her. A few times later I yelled at her again, but she assured me it wasn't her and this time I started to believe her because she looked just as scared as I was. Shrugging it off, still angry I went to bed. But the next afternoon the tapping continued. This time I was determined to figure out just who was messing with me and when I opened the curtain I noticed a little ball of black and white feathers hopping along side my window. A woodpecker!

Although doing it unintentionally, the Downy Woodpecker was in fact our mystery window tapper. A common sight among backyard feeders, woodlots, brushy weeded areas and city parks all over the entire United States and parts of Canada, Downys are usually confused with their larger look-alike the Hairy Woodpecker. Downys are much smaller however. With tiny chisel-like bills(which seems to look smaller for the bird's size than most woodpeckers, but works just the same), blocky heads, and a straight postured back, the Downys lean back onto their tail-feathers in order to obtain the most acrobatic-like positions to peck at treats inside branches and tree trunks.

Downys have a white belly and back with black wings that are littered with checkered spots. They have a line of black that runs along the sides of the mouth, eyes and head. Females are just black an white in these parts, while the males are contrasted by a brilliant red spot that covers the back of the head. Because of their size, about 4-5 inches in length and 2 1/2 inches in width, the Downys are able to hang upside down and sideways from branches and trees easier than their larger relatives. Their rising and falling flight patterns is a distinctive woodpecker trait.

In the spring and summer, the Downys are very loud, their call is a high pitched chirping noise which is made by both sexes during breeding season, followed by constant drilling. The drilling and drumming on trees is worse in the spring because it signifies their mating season. They drum not only to find food but as a type of mating call as well to attract mates. Both sexes drum on trees to claim territory and express their readiness for mating and this allows other Downys to answer the call. When the drumming is in a fast steady pace, it may mean "stay away this is my tree." But when the beats are slow and farther apart, it may signify a call to a mate. Although their pretty cute to look at, if you have a Downy near by, there's no need for an alarm clock!

What Causes Hangovers?

After a long night of laughing, dancing and, of course, drinking, I proceeded to wake up this morning feeling, well, less than perfect. As I lay in my bed pondering what happened the night before, my thoughts shifted and inspired me to figure out just how my symptoms arose. So what are the causes of  a hangover?

Of course the main reason why you get a hangover is because of drinking alcohol. But what is inside the alcohol is what you need to watch out for.

 Alcohol contains toxins which can build up in your body when you drink too much, which can cause you to feel sick the next day. These toxins build up because your body cannot metabolize the alcohol fast enough. A chemical called acetaldehyde is found in alcohol and is one of the main culprits to the cause of a hangover. 

Other things, such as congeners are another cause of hangovers. These are impurities found in the alcohol that arise during the fermentation process. Studies also show that if you drink darker liquors you are more prone to get a hangover and worse. 

 Dehydration is another reason why people can get hangovers and when you drink, many vitamins and nutrients in your system are lost because of the alcohol. 

So what can you do to fix your post drinking bedroom blues? Watch how much you drink. Prevention is the best thing you can do. Drinking lighter liquors and drinking water in between alcoholic 

drinks is also a way of preventing a hangover because it will keep your body hydrated. Having food in your stomach before going out will also help you from getting really intoxicated and allows you to have more nutrients in your body before hitting the bottle. 

When you do get a hangover, don't keep drinking! "Hair of the dog" will not help and it will only prolong your symptoms. Also pumping up the vitamin B's the morning after will help your body reboot so eating fruit the morning you get a hangover will help. If you're truly in pain, taking Tylenol is not the best bet when hungover. Studies have shown that when mixed with the preexisting alcohol in your system, Tylenol can damage your liver. Sports drinks like Gatorade are good to drink because they contain the sugars your body has lost the night before and some say that exercise (even sex!) is best for a hangover because it gets the blood pumping and moves the toxins out of the body. All in all, as most people know, drinking too much will give you a hangover, but now you know how to fix it! 

What's that ringing noise in our ears?

Whether you just got back from a rock concert, its allergy season or someone might be "talking about you", everyone has experienced their ears ringing. But where does this ringing come from and are there real ways of treating it? Yes, there are.

The ringing in the ears that we experience is called Tinnitus. Not a disease but a symptom of an underlaying condition from a disorder which 36 million people suffer from. The mild form of Tinnitus that all people experience is not harmful but it does have the potential to do much more damage.

Tinnitus itself is the brain trying to reboot itself after the eardrum (tympanic membrane) has been damaged. This damage can come from a number of things, like loud music, sinus pressure or even to much earwax. Tinnitus can arise in the outer, inner or middle ear or can be caused by abnormalities in the brain. Excess fluid or In most cases, these factors can cause the intensity of the noise to increase but damage is only slight and usually resolves on its own. Tinnitus can, however, become very severe, but everyone's experience with it is different.

A study that was done at Johns Hopkins University says that 10 percent of adults have severe cases of Tinnitus by age 70. This severity can lead to intense debilitating pain and more intense ringing or buzzing of the ear. In cases like these hearing impairment or loss can be results of Tinnitus.

Going to the doctors and getting a general hearing evaluation is the best way to determine whether or not you are suffering from Tinnitus. It is important to let your doctor know if you Tinnitus is constant, like a heartbeat, or if it associated with hearing loss or loss of balance. In some extreme and severe cases, Tinnitus can be tumor related and an auditory brain stem response (ABR), a computerized test of hearing nerves and brain pathways, computer tomography scan, (CT scan) or, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be needed to rule out a tumor occurring on the hearing or balance nerve.

There are many remedies that have been developed in order to help the effects of Tinnitus, but for now there is no lasting cure. Once you have an understanding of the severity of your tinnitus you and your doctor can make the right decision in helping it.

There are many ways to prevent Tinnitus. According to MedicineNet.com, one common mistake many people make is cleaning their ears with Q-tips (which is something that surprised me). This will cause earwax to impact in your ear and may cause and infection in your inner ear near your eardrum. It is also very important to keep loud music and noises away from your ears. This is also something that people ignore but make sure you don't, it will truly benefit you in the long run.

Little White Foam Flower

There are times in the Spring where I have noticed this flower around Plattsburgh but really didn't put much thought into it. Just another flower that caught my eye from time to time, even though it has a pretty plain presence. But then I started thinking about what kind of flower it was, I didn't think I knew who it would be related to. Maybe the lupin? So I decided to find out.

The Heartleaf Foamflower or Tiarella Cordifolia is a common wild flower that is found only on the eastern side of the country. It can stretch from Quebec all the way down to the Carolinas (with the exception of Maryland and Rhode Island). However it is endangered in New Jersey and Wisconsin. In the Northeastern areas, the plant has no leaves but in Southern regions it bears small heart-shaped leaves. It blooms small, white feathery petals that resemble foam, giving the flower its name. Blooming regularly in March, April and May the plant stands about a foot tall. It likes to hang out in partially sunny average to moist areas and spreads stems underground in wooded areas in order to create colonies. This plant is a perennial.