In “KY property owners need clear laws”, -from http://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/18/3647914/ky-property-owners-need-clear.html- the author claims that when the legislature reconvenes next month, it should make clear that the power of eminent domain is exclusively reserved for pipelines and infrastructure that serve public utilities. And it should bring pipeline proposals that do not serve public utilities under the siting rules that already govern non-public electrical transmission and generation. There are bound to be other proposals for new pipelines and converting existing ones to carry natural gas byproducts known as NGLs, including ethane, propane and butane, which are explosive and also pose a threat of groundwater contamination. There’s already a plan to convert a natural gas pipeline that runs from Greenup County through Morehead and Campbellsville to NGLs.

I think that this is a decent article, probably 7 of 10. HE introduces the counter-argument and has some reasons and evidence. I think he doesn’t have enough reasons and evidence though. I think he should put something in about the coal fields in it to because it mentions the coal fields but it doesn’t mention it as reasons.

In “Thoroughbred industry’s winning idea” the Herald-Leader explains how they are trying to rolling out a web site that allows people to seamlessly research, develop and book personalized tours online. HIs reasons and evidence are as  the following:

It’s a welcome initiative that promises to, at last, give visitors a chance to experience and learn about our signature industry.The demand exists. Tens of thousands of people visit the area annually for horse-related activities, including race meets at Keeneland and sales there and at Fasig-Tipton, as well as the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event and other Horse Park events. Both VisitLex and the Bourbon Trail, which attracts 750,000 visitors a year, say people who contact them often ask about how to visit a horse farm. The answer today is to contact a horse farm tour provider or call the handful of farms that accommodate visitors.A group of farm owners considered all this, as well as the ongoing annual decline in Thoroughbred racing fans, and began to investigate a way to change both pictures.They gathered $60,000 to get a team from the Disney Institute to come and evaluate whether we have the potential for a world class tourist draw centered around horses. Anne Sabatino Hardy, who has been hired as executive director of the new organization, said Disney told them what we who live here already know, “you have gold.” But that came with a challenge —”you just have to do it right” — that led to almost two years of work and investment.

In my opinion, the writing is good but it doesn’t address the counter-argument. It says they should and have done it and it was “impressive” on how they did.

http://www.kentucky.com/2015/01/13/3640169/school-board-members-across-state.html?sp=/99/349/

In “School Board Members Deserve More Appreciation”, the author explains how school board members have done a significant amount of things for us. He addresses that they deserve more appreciation from us. Some of the great reasons and evidence as shown below. He explains that they signed the commonwealth commitment, supported increasing the dropout age from 16 to 18, worked hard to support policies and initiatives aimed at improving graduation rates, answered the state’s call to improve transparency and accountability for superintendents by posting superintendent contracts and benefits online, and strengthening superintendent evaluations by reviewing progress on graduation rates, proficiency rates, achievement gaps, working conditions and key financial matters, embraced improved state training that provides them with the ethics and financial knowledge they need to ensure their districts are operating effectively, efficiently and responsibly, and joined other education groups in successfully lobbying the General Assembly for more classroom dollars.

This is very sound and logical but the author does not address or mention the counterargument so, it isn’t to good. It isn’t really organized in an effective manner because he just lists them all in no specific order. I would give it on a scale from 1-10 a 4.

In chapter one of No Summit out of Sight Jordan Romero features his main goal that goes through out the book and answers where he got the goal from. This goal is to climb all of the Seven Summits. The Summits include Denali, Aconcagua, Vinson, Elbrus, Everest, Kilimanjaro, and the Carstensz Pyramid. He says that he got his goal from a painting that he walked by every day at school to and from recces. It had all of the Seven Summits, the tallest mountains on each continent. He admired the people that had completed the challenge before and on the first day of fourth grade, he told his dad about the goal. And his dad accepts it and starts the training by going out on a hike with him and his big sister.

In chapter 4 of No Summit out of Sight Jordan Romero shows how he climbed his first mountain and explains the strategy he did it in. Jordan Romero was training to climb the Seven Summits and now he was tackling his first mountain, but it wasn’t yet one of the Seven Summits. This mountain was called Snow Summit. It was Jordan’s first real test. Unluckily, it was on Christmas and 3:00 in the morning. But luckily it wasn’t to hard because he had trained a lot but he eventually made it to the top. His strategy was to do timed intervals, or he would work as fast and hard as he could for about 30 seconds to a minute, then take it slow and catch his breath for 30 seconds to a minute. It would keep going like this until he reached the top. When he got there, there was a note that read “Dear Jordan, Congratulations on reaching the summit of your first big mountain. Merry Christmas. Love, Santa.” Jordan was so happy and couldn’t wait to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro as his first of the Seven Summits. His only problem… funding. He got some sponsors to help fund, if they took pictures with their gear on the summit. But that was not enough. Jordan had to make a lemonade during the summer and he sold it. He got to know almost everybody in town and he sold enough to make hundreds of dollars. OH, and one thing as well… he was fully funded and ready to go to Africa!!!!!!

1. Alpine

a. The context is: “We soon left the vegetation behind and entered the alpine zone…”

b.I think this word means like no vegetation or above/below vegetation. I think this because he is in the middle of climbing a mountain so he is going up past the trees and stuff but also away from it.

c. The actual definition is”Botany. Growing on mountains above the limit of tree growth.”

d. 3 synonyms are high, elevated, and towering

e. It is an adjective

2.slate

a. The context is: : “We hiked up a narrow trail on loose, flat stones similar to slate.”

b. I think this word means a rock that is like gravel because it says that it is a stone and it is loose so it must be some what slippery, like gravel

c. The actual definition is “a fine-grained rock formed by the metamorphosis of clay, shale, etc., that tends to split along parallel cleavage planes, usually at an angle to the planes of stratification.”

d.3 synonyms are gravel, granite, and angled rock

e. It is a noun

No Summit out of Sight (p. prologue-39(for all the words))

1. crampons

a.This is its context: “I kicked desperately, trying to sink my crampons into snow, ice, anything to keep from sliding toward the deadly cliff.”

b. I think crampons are special shoes you would use for climbing mountains. I think this because this book is about mountain climbing and it says “kicked” which uses your feet so I think they are shoes of some sort and they try to help you stay on the mountain.

c. The actual definition is “a spiked iron plate worn on the shoe to prevent you from slipping on ice, snow, etc.”

d. 3 synonyms are Ice cleats, spikes, metal points

e. It is a noun

2. fanatic.

a. The context is: “One thing you should know about me: When I get interested in something, I become fanatic and learn everything I can about it.”

b. I think that this means to basically want to learn. I base this off the context clues of “learn everything I can about it.”

c. The actual definition is “A person who has extreme enthusiasm.”

d. 3 synonyms are addict, enthusiast, and joyful person

e. It is an adjective

3. porters.

a. The context is: The twelve porters he hired would carry our packs, tents, tarps, stoves, food, and propane up the mountain for us. They wore cotton shirts, shorts, and flip-flops and greeted us with big smiles.”

b. I think porters are people that do the work of an animal like a mule or camel as in carrying most of the people’s items. I think they are people because they have people like qualities such as wearing the cotton shirts and shorts and flip-flops. Also they had big smiles.

c. The actual definition is “ person who serves as an attendant or caretaker

d. 3 synonyms are transporter, baggage carrier, and carrier.

e. It is a noun

The exposition of this book was basically said in the last blog. Percy and Annabeth cut the chains in Tartarus and came up the doors. In the last post I forgot to mention that Hazel threw her cavalry sword and cut both sides of the chains. The exposition is closing the Doors of Death for good!

The character development is everyone is relieved that the Doors of Death are closed and that was finally over. They were all also stressed because the fate of the world they on their heads still because they had to head straight to where Gaia was waking and stop her from waking. If they let her wake the world would be destroyed so they had to  try to stop her. Duh… Duh… Duh…

Spoiler Alert!

This part of the plot is the climax. The climax is the highest point of the tension and excitement. In this book there are 2 at the same time. One is when Percy and Annabeth had been traveling though Tartarus with only each other and a friendly giant named Bob (Tartarus is actually the gods body). When they reach Tartarus’ heart and find the Doors of Death there they get excited. There were chains on the back and they had to cut them to be able to pass through the doors to the other side(they aren’t monsters).There are 2 of the worst Titans on duty, one guarding the doors, one pushing a button that must be held the whole time for them to reach the top. But once they cut the chains the actual god Tartarus appears! Percy wants Annabeth and Bob and him to be safe but not necessarily him. One of Percy and Annabeth’s other friends they met that couldn’t go  with them because of a curse ended up breaking the curse and came to help defeat Tartarus. Bob finally persuades Percy and Annabeth to get on the elevator and let him hold the button as Bob and Diocletian( their other friend) were left behind to defeat Tartarus. On the other side, everyone has to drink a special poison to be able pass deeper to get to the other side of the Doors of Death because they have to close the doors of Death from both sides. Nico tells them to drink the poison and everyone was a little if-y but they trusted Nico and drank it and eventually made it to the Doors of Death. Once they were there, they met a giant that sucked in fire and other stuff and polluted the air around him and a witch with all gold clothes. Hazel had to do something that she only had a little time to develop which was called bending the mist. It basically was changing what other people saw. She ended up defeating the witch using the mist. Then Percy and Annabeth arrived. The doors had to be opened from the other side or else the people/monsters in there will be stuck and maybe sent back down to Tartarus. Leo threw a screwdriver and hit the button and Percy and Annabeth tumbled out. Hazel imagined them behind her and the mist bended and they appeared behind her. Then Piper, Nico, Jason, and Frank burst through another side and they eventually defeated the giant. then the room started collapsing so they all shadow-traveled out.

The character development in this is Percy and Annabeth and their sad feelings about leaving Bob and Diocletian down in Tartarus. The others developed in a way to trust each other and Hazel especially got better at bending the mist and started teaching Piper how to fight with a sword.

The rising actions of the story were everything that  everyone encountered. Everything Percy and Annabeth encountered, everything Frank, Nico, Jason, Piper, and Hazel encountered also. Everything was building up to the climax.

The way the loss of Annabeth and Percy affected the rest of the crew is that they were used to having those two as their leaders. They had to not only survive on their own but they also had to find out how to work without their leadership. The way it developed Percy was because when he fell into Tartarus he came upon these creatures called Arai. Whenever you kill an Arai you get cursed by an animal/monster/creature by their final breath they would say something like “I hope you suffer the same way as me” or something like that. When you killed an Arai that curse would apply to them and they would get hurt on whatever the thing Percy killed was. This made Percy realize that killing monsters was bad unless you actually needed to and it was something like a life or death situation.