Catching Fire Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

Catching Fire Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

Catching Fire Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

Reviewers were happy to report that the Hunger Games trilogy is alive and well, and all looked forward to the third book in the series after this one's stunning conclusion. But they disagreed over whether Catching Fire was as good as the original book Hunger Games or should be viewed as somewhat of a "sophomore slump." Several critics who remained unconvinced by Katniss's romantic dilemma made unfavorable comparisons to the human-vampire-werewolf love triangle in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. But most reviewers felt that Catching Fire was still a thrill because Collins replicated her initial success at balancing action, violence, and heroism in a way that will enthrall young readers without giving them (too many) nightmares. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Catching Fire Catching Fire (The Second Book of the Hunger Games)

How Cooking Made Us Human Paperback

How Cooking Made Us Human Paperback

How Cooking Made Us Human Paperback

Ever since Darwin and The Descent of Man, the existence of humans has been attributed to our intelligence and adaptability. 

But in Catching Fire, renowned primatologist Richard Wrangham presents a startling alternative: our evolutionary success is the result of cooking. In a groundbreaking theory of our origins, Wrangham shows that the shift from raw to cooked foods was the key factor in human evolution. When our ancestors adapted to using fire, humanity began. 


Once our hominid ancestors began cooking their food, the human digestive tract shrank and the brain grew. Time once spent chewing tough raw food could be sued instead to hunt and to tend camp. Cooking became the basis for pair bonding and marriage, created the household, and even led to a sexual division of labor. 


Tracing the contemporary implications of our ancestors’ diets, Catching Fire sheds new light on how we came to be the social, intelligent, and sexual species we are today. A pathbreaking new theory of human evolution, Catching Fire will provoke controversy and fascinate anyone interested in our ancient origins—or in our modern eating habits.

Check out The Book Review, our editors' fresh new blog featuring interviews with authors, book reviews, quirky essays on book trends, and regular columns by our editors. Explore now 
 
How Cooking Made Us Human Paperback

Playground Wood Mulch Fires

The summer of 2007 was one for the record books. The southeastern United States dried to a crisp under relentless heat and sun, uninterrupted by rains for weeks at a time. For some places, it was the worst drought since weather records have been kept.

Meanwhile, in Texas, the summer began with record setting rainfall, which was followed by a heat wave. Fire officials believe that this combination of the elements led to a school playground in Arlington Texas catching fire in August of that year. Other playground fires had been reported close to that time, but in those cases, officials were unable to rule out human intervention.

The Arlington fire, however, was on surveillance video from beginning to end, and there was nobody around to start the fire. The camera caught the mulch growing discolored, and then smoking before erupting in flames. However, once flames became visible, the fire spread rapidly, melting plastic equipment and belching thick, black smoke into the air. Fortunately, fire officials concluded that the playground was not close enough to the school to cause a fire threat to it.

The series of weather-related events leading up to the spontaneous combustion was unusual. The heavy rains during the first part of summer caused the mulch to begin to decompose. Once the rains stopped and the heat began, decomposition sped up. Decomposition releases heat, and the wood mulch on the playground was no exception.

According to the Arlington, Texas Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Eber, mulch must be turned over frequently to keep excessive heat from building up. "If you have not turned it in the last two weeks, you probably cannot stick your hand in it," he told The Dallas Morning News.

Fire officials say that in severe heat, mulch can easily catch fire. Landscape islands around shopping malls have been known to erupt in flames multiple times in one day, stretching fire department resources thin. It is important for mulch to be raked regularly to avoid this. Before the playground fire, the Arlington school policy was to rake playground mulch every 30 days. Once it was determined that the mulch in the one playground caught fire spontaneously, the school system replaced wood mulch with pea gravel in every playground that had been using wood mulch.

While it took a "perfect storm" to produce the conditions that caused the Arlington playground fire in 2007, the school system there decided not to take any chances. Fortunately for Arlington, other choices for playground surfacing abound. Rubber mulch made from ground up tires is one option. While there is no conclusive evidence, there are people who say that rubber mulch leeches chemicals into the soil. Pea gravel, as was used post-fire in Arlington, is another option, but it is more expensive. On the other hand, pea gravel does not ever have to be replaced, just supplemented as enough bits of gravel go home in shoes to make a difference.

There are also solid playground surfaces that are poured in place, or that come in thick, snap-together tiles that can be put on top of a concrete pad. While these surfaces are expensive to install, they are much easier for children in wheelchairs to use, and would not have had the decomposition/heat risk that the wood mulch in Arlington did.

Playground surfaces have come a long way since the poured concrete of the mid twentieth century. While playgrounds are safer than ever, the wood mulch fire in Arlington in 2007 showed that accidents can happen when circumstances come together in just the right way.

Playground Wood Mulch Fires

Catching Fire

Playground Wood Mulch Fires

Playground Wood Mulch Fires
Playground Wood Mulch Fires

Catching Fire