Praying Essays - Fauna Of California, Mantis, Mantidae,

Praying Mantis Mantodea - most commonly known as the Praying Mantis, order mantodea is a group of about 1800 carnivorous insects which prodominatley live in tropical regions of the earth. Though certain species can be found in locations with moderate climate. With an extremely striking appearence, mantids almost have human like qualities with the ability to hold an erect stance, and arms that face forward. A very efficient killer, mantids were created for hunting and killing prey. Order Mantodea is in the subclass Pterygota. As with all classifications there can be debates on where certain orders or species belong. Historically there has been some confusion on whether Mantodea deserves there own order. Some experts have placed Mantodea in the dictyoptera order along with cock roaches (Ramel 1996, Jaques 1981, Phoenix Zoo). Others say mantids belong in Orthoptera, which consists of grasshoppers. Experts say this is due to their large pro notum (Stokes 1983, Borror and White 1970). The emerging consensus around the position of Mantodea believes Mantodea constitute their own independent order of insects. Mantids can be characterized by their triangular head, and filiform antennae. This head has the ability to turn 180 degrees. With their prominate pair of compound eyes located on Peters 2 the sides of the head, the mantis can almost see 360 degree's around. However the sharpest vision is located in the compound eye's center, for the mantis to optimaly see objects it must turn its head so that the eye is facing the object. These eyes are extremely sensitive to light, changing from light green or tan in bright light, to dark brown in the dark. The prothorax of the mantis is another aid in giving them their distintive appearence. This prothorax has the ability to bend and twist which aids in the mantids ability to see close to 360 degrees around. The two long "raptorial" front legs are adapted to seize and hold prey. The coxa connects the tibia which has sharp spines to firmly hold prey. The femur has matching groves where the spine on the tibia fold into. This creates a "jack knife" effect that allows the insect to assume it's distinctive praying position. The other four legs of the mantis are designed for locomotion. These legs can regenerate if broken, but only in the molting process. These limbs that regenerate are always smaller than they were originally. A full grown adult that no longer molts no longer possess the ability to regenerate limbs. The front"raptorial" limbs do not regenerate if broken. Because of their large bulky bodies mantids are fairly weak flyers. They have four pairs of wings. The first pair are leathery tegmina wings that lay over the inner pair. The Peters 3 mambrenous inner pair are folded under the first pair and are used for flight and to startle enemies. The large segmented abdomen houses the digestive system and reproductive organs. The male mantis has 8 segments, and the females are born with 8 segments as well. But with each succesive molt in the female the last two segments begin to overlap resulting with 6 segments left. Sixty percent of mantid species possess an ultrasonic ear on the under side of the metathorax, especially those that have wings. The mantid is an "auditory cyclops", which means it only has one ear. The ear is 1mm long with cuticle like knobs at either end and two ear drums buried inside. The ear is specially tuned to very high ultrasonic freqeuncies of sound waves from 25 to 65 kilohertz. Apparently, the ears primary purpose is designed to respond to the ultrasonic echo-location signal used by hunting bats. The mantis primarily uses its ultrasonic ears while in flight. When a mantis senses a bat's ultrasonic echo at close range, it curls it's abdomen upwards and thrusts its legs outward creating a drag and resulting in a sudden aerial stall. This flight manuever of the mantis creates an unpredictable flight pattern for the bat, and is very effective at avoiding hungry bats. There are three ways to distinguish between female and male mantodea. The male has 8 segments, while the female has Peters 4 The second is size, the female is always bigger than the male. The third is behavior, the male mantis is more prone to take flight in search of a mate, while the female often remains stationary. Mantids are extremely predacious feeders, only eating live prey, or prey that is moving, and hence appears alive. Varying on the species, you can see what diet preferences are. Some species only

Kurds - A People Without A State Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers

Kurds - A People Without A State Essays - Free Essays, Term Papers Kurds - A People Without a State Introduction Of all the ethnic groups in the world, the Kurds are one of the largest that has no state to call their own. According to historian William Westermann, "The Kurds can present a better claim to race purity...than any people which now inhabits Europe." (Bonner, p. 63, 1992) Over the past hundred years, the desire for an independent Kurdish state has created conflicts mainly with the Turkish and Iraqi populations in the areas where most of the Kurds live. This conflict has important geographical implications as well. The history of the Kurdish nation, the causes for these conflicts, and an analysis of the situation will be discussed in this paper. History of the Kurds The Kurds are a Sunni Muslim people living primarily in Turkey, Iraq, and Iran. The 25 million Kurds have a distinct culture that is not at all like their Turkish, Persian, and Arabic neighbors (Hitchens, p. 36, 1992). It is this cultural difference between the groups that automatically creates the potential for conflict. Of the 25 million Kurds, approximately 10 million live in Turkey, four million in Iraq, five million in Iran, and a million in Syria, with the rest scattered throughout the rest of the world (Bonner, p. 46, 1992). The Kurds also have had a long history of conflict with these other ethnic groups in the Middle East, which we will now look at. The history of Kurds in the area actually began during ancient times. However, the desire for a Kurdish homeland did not begin until the early 1900?s, around the time of World War I. In his Fourteen Points, President Woodrow Wilson promised the Kurds a sovereign state (Hitchens, p. 54, 1992). The formation of a Kurdish state was supposed to have been accomplished through the Treaty of Sevres in 1920 which said that the Kurds could have an independent state if they wanted one (Bonner, p. 46, 1992). With the formation of Turkey in 1923, Kemal Ataturk, the new Turkish President, threw out the treaty and denied the Kurds their own state. This was the beginning of the Turkish-Kurdish conflict. At about this same time, the Kurds attempted to establish a semi-independent state, and actually succeeded in forming the Kingdom of Kurdiez, which lasted from 1922-1924; later, in 1946, some of the Kurds established the Mahabad Republic, which lasted for only one year (Prince, p. 17, 1993). In 1924, Turkey even passed a law banning the use of the Kurdish language in public places. Another group of people to consider is the Kurds living in Iraq. Major conflict between the Kurds and Iraqis did not really begin until 1961, when a war broke out that lasted until 1970. Around this time, Saddam Hussein came to power in Iraq. In 1975, Hussein adopted a policy of eradicating the Kurds from his country. Over the next fifteen years, the Iraqi army bombed Kurdish villages, and poisoned the Kurds with cyanide and mustard gas (Hitchens, p. 46, 1992). It is estimated that during the 1980?s, Iraqis destroyed some 5000 Kurdish villages (Prince, p. 22, 1993). From this point, we move into the recent history and current state of these conflicts between the Kurds and the Turks, and the Kurds against the Iraqis. Causes for Conflict The reasons for these conflicts have great relevance to geography. The areas of geography relating to these specific conflicts are a historical claim to territory on the part of the Kurds, cultural geography, economic geography, and political geography. These four areas of geography can best explain the reasons for these Kurdish conflicts. First, the Kurds have a valid historical claim to territory. They have lived in the area for over 2000 years. For this reason, they desire the establishment of a Kurdish homeland. Iraqis and Turks, while living in the area for a long period of time, cannot make a historical claim to that same area. The conflict arises, however, because the area happens to lie within the borders of Iraq and Turkey. Even though the Kurds claim is valid, the Turks and Iraqis have chosen to ignore it and have tried to wipe out the Kurds. Second, and probably most important, is that this conflict involves cultural geography. The Kurds are ethnically and culturally

In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation

In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation In Quest of a Standard American Pronunciation By Maeve Maddox American English has many regional variants, some of them more comprehensible than others. Along with spelling rules, schools once taught a standard pronunciation. The purpose was to maintain a standard speech easily understood by people in every part of the country and by non-native speakers who learn English as a second language. No one doubted that children were capable of learning the standard speech without abandoning whatever dialect they spoke at home. Now, however, a doctrine of political correctness inhibits the teaching of standard pronunciation with the result that the media has become the final arbiter. Certain pronunciations that were once considered non-standard are catching on, even when they fly in the face of rules I imagined were still being taught in the early grades. Apparently it is now possible to get out of school without learning the most basic rules for forming the plurals of nouns. I think I knew by fourth grade that the nouns life, knife, and wife form their plurals by changing the f to v and adding es. Yet I have heard an announcer on NPR use lifes as the plural of life. Ignoring the First Rule of Silent Final e (e makes the vowel say its name). I was startled to attention one day when I heard someone on the radio talking about gas-powered micro-turbans. I figured out from the context that the intended word was turbines. Another time I heard someone pronounce finite as if it would rhyme with mine it instead of pronouncing both vowels as long is. An NPR reporter once described a scene in which people were wielding staves (plural of staff). She pronounced staves as stavs. The sounds of s, sh, and zh Ive heard the word coercion /co er shun/ pronounced co er zhun, and the word resource /re sors/ pronounced rezorse. One of the most interesting drifts Ive noticed concerns the pronunciation of the noun house /hous/ and its plural houses /houz iz/. (NOTE: When the word house is used as a verb, the s is pronounced /z/.) Until fairly recently, the pronunciation of the plural houses with a soft s /hous iz/ was a nonstandard regionalism not even mentioned in the dictionary. Now, however, the pronunciation has been spread by announcers from the eastern and northern areas of the United States. (The same ones who pronounce tourist /toor ist/ as tor ist.) TV Meltdown Because actors come from different parts of the country, their pronunciations of certain words vary. I listened in fascination one evening to the actors in an episode of Numbers. The plot required them all to say the word houses numerous times. Some of them said /houz iz/ and some said /hous iz/. If I remember correctly, one actor used both pronunciations, in different sentences! Its probably time for English teachers to take a united stand for a standard pronunciation. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Spelling category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:25 Subordinating Conjunctions7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewNarrative, Plot, and Story

Sustainable policy for Disneyland Hong Kong Essay

Sustainable policy for Disneyland Hong Kong - Essay Example The whole case comprised of the A and B sections pertaining corporate as well as government decision-making.1. The Walt Disney Corporation aims at establishing a lasting, sustainable constructive environment legacy for Hong Kong, Disney, and future generations. By achieving all this then Walt Disney Corporation will be committed to minimizing the overall impact that would have affected environment and at the same time encouraging as well as activating environmentally responsible way of life for cast members, guest, employees, entuerprenue and private individuals. Notably, Disney aims make sure that water is conserved, energy and ecosystems. This will play a fundamental role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, minimizing of water and inspire the general public consciousness in support of all effects directly towards environmental sustainability. Disney seeks to understand as it identifies itself with the measures that impact directly or indirectly with the operations as it develops innovative lasting and realistic solutions for countering those impacts. The company also complies with all re gulatory regulations pertaining environment. Finally, the company is fully committed to periodical communications concerning its progress in implementing required policies as well as attaining the set targets. Here are Disneys environmental policies explained. The company has a systematic process aimed at involving the mult-stakeholder; they will be analyzing and evaluating any possible environmental implications that may arise to proposed policies, plans as well as programmes which will be helpful in strategic formulation and planning decision-making. Disney will have to incorporate evaluation of the most important environmental implications that has the possibility of determining the actual scope of the whole environmental report together with its preparations including public participation through

Lawsuits against Counselors Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lawsuits against Counselors - Essay Example In 2001, a high school counselor was sued because a student claimed he was told a particular English class was accredited, but he later lost his scholarship because it wasn't. The guidance counselor denied giving the student that advice, but the courts ruled in favor of the student. Karla Scoon Reid's news report reads, "A high school counselor can be sued for dispensing academic advice that has an adverse effect on a student." In this instance, the counselor could have saved himself the trouble by double-checking to make sure the class was properly accredited, especially since it was new to the high school's curriculum. With recent allegations having come forth regarding Catholic priests and molestation/rape, it is no wonder that failure to report child abuse is a huge faux pas. Child abuse charges that need to be reported are not only ones of a sexual nature, but also physical abuse. As well, clergy counselors are especially susceptible. A website report on clergy counselors reads, "At least nine states have permitted adults who were abused as children to sue clergy counselors (para. 1)." Since each state has different laws, counselors who are made aware of child abuse need to stay updated on exactly what allegations need to be reported, and which officials are appropriate to contact in each specific case. The most common cause of lawsuits against counselors, perhaps, is failure to prevent suicide.

Battle of Fort Sumter Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fort Sumter is located in Charleston, South Carolina. The fort is in Charleston’s harbor. The fort was not even complete when war broke out. This was a big turning point for the United States of America. It separated the north from the south and in some cases it separated families. This war would impact how the United States saw slavery. It is the most deadly war that the United States has every seen in its history.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It all began with the secession of South Carolina. After this an understanding was established between the authorities in Washington and the members of Congress from South Carolina. They both agreed that the forts, Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter, would not be attacked, or seized as an act of war, until proper negotiations for their cession to the state. At the time of this Fort Sumter was in an unfinished state and did not have a garrison. (www.civilwarhome.com/CMHsumter.htm)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Major Anderson thought that the people of Charleston were about t attempt to seize Fort Sumter. He would not stand for this, so since he was commander of all the defenses of the harbor, and without any orders to disagree with him, he said that he could occupy any one of his choice. Since he was being watched he only told his plan to three or four officers that he knew that he could trust. He first removed the women and children with a supply of provisions. They were sent to Fort Johnson on Dec. 26 in vessels. The firing of tree guns at Moultrie was to be the signal for them to be conveyed to Sumter. In the evening the garrison went to Sumter. The people of Charleston knew that the women and children were at Fort Johnson and thought that Anderson would take his troops there. (www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battlefort-sumter.html)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On March 5, 1861 Abraham Lincoln got a message for Maj. Robert Anderson, who was at Fort Sumter, saying that there was less than a six week supply of food left. On April 8, Lincoln told Gov. Francis Pickens of South Carolina that he was going to try to refurnish the fort. The Confederate government ordered Gen. Beauregard to demand the evacuation of the fort. If it was refused he was to force its evacuation. (www.us-civilwar.com/sumter.htm) Anderson received a letter from Gen. Beauregard telling him to evacuate the fort or h... ...p;The bombardment had lasted thirty-six hours, and over 3,000 shot and shell had been hurled at the fort. The evacuation of the fort took place the following day on April 14, 1861. The fort had been evacuate, not surrendered. Before the evacuation the citizens of Taunton Mass. had voted Maj. Anderson an elegant sword. New York gave him the freedom of the city in a gold box. Finally, on June 6, 1861, the Chamber of Commerce of New York ordered the execution of a series of medals to be presented to Maj. Anderson and to each man of the garrison. (www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fort-sumter.html)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This is what took place at Fort Sumter and what the men at the fort had to go through. This battle didn’t have many short term effects, but it did have one major long term effect. This battle started the civil war, which was the deadliest war that America has ever had and I hope that it is the last. Sources McPherson, James M.; The Atlas of the Civil War. Macmillan: 15 Columbus Circle New York, NY. 1994. http://www.us-civilar.com/sumter.htm http://www.civilwarhome.com/CHMsumter.htm http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/battle-fort-sumter.html

Improve Your Writing Essay

Use formal language: Passive voice and participles where possible 1.Because they do not want to trouble their parents some teenagers try to solve their problems themselves. Not wanting to trouble their parents some teenagers try to solve their problems themselves. 2. ÃŽâ„¢f we live close to our parents it can mean having less privacy. Living close to our parents it can mean having less privacy. 3. If we take everything into consideration effective strategy is required to face the issue. Taking everything into consideration†¦ 4.If you work as an employee in an established company, it has several positive features. Working as an employee in an established company, has several positive features.   5.If we provide prisoners with basic training courses in the use of tools or computers it will be more likely that prisoners will find employment after their release. Passive voice: If prisoners are provided with basic training courses in the use of tools or computers it will be more likely that prisoners will find employment after their release. Participle: If provided with basic training prisoners will be more likely to find employment after their release. 6. If we equip people with computer skills, they will be able to have access to a vast amount of information. Passive voice: If people are equipped with computer skills , they will be able to have access to a vast amount of information. Pariciple: If equipped with computer skills , people will be able to have access to a vast amount of information. 7. If it is properly managed such a program is bound to bring good results. If properly managed such a program†¦.. 8. I believe that if we have one’s freedom taken away is in itself, a serious enough punishment. I believe that having one’s freedom taken away is in itself, a serious enough punishment. 9. When we read we use our imagination When reading we use our imagination 10. There are considerable differences between the old and the young when they purchase electronic equipment. There are considerable differences between the old and the young when purchasing electronic equipment. 11.While we need government support to deal with the environmental problems, public awareness is also vital. While needing government support to deal with the environmental problems, public awareness is also vital.