Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review Essay Sample

Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review Essay Sample Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review Essay Example Fifty Shades of Grey Book Review Essay Example Fifty Shades of Grey is an interesting and yet controversial book that presents the case of human sexuality in a way that most consider as shocking. Depending on how open-minded one is, this book can be either enlightening or rather too revealing. It is about a young woman who falls in love with a rather ‘different’ man who seems to have issues with his sexuality. The book narrates a number of scenes in which the two lovebirds are at conflict with the concept of gender roles in the realm of sex and relationships. As a work of fiction, the book allows numerous considerations with respect to what people want or at least what they think they want as far as their sex lives are concerned. There may be a number of books that present an insight into the sexuality debate, but none of them can claim to be as thorough as Fifty Shades of Grey in the way it covers the subject as its secondary theme. Initially, with all the negative reviews that the book was getting, it could have be en presumed that the book is all about sex. However, after reading the book, I realized there is more there than just sex. The author may have subconsciously decided to address the subject of sexuality and gender roles, along with power and its manifestations in one’s life. I had previously considered significance of one’s sexuality as a channel that revealed one’s personality, but I have also learnt from this book that there is a very limited scope for determinism in one’s sexuality. Christian Grey may have been ‘damaged’ as a teenager, but he ends up ‘loosening up’ a bit when he falls in love with Anastasia Steele. The significance of this is that sexuality is influenced in its formation and redefinition in one’s personality. In this paper, I have discussed how various chapters in the textbook correlate with facts and ideas from the book Fifty Shades of Grey. The Most Relevant Connection between the Book That I Chose and Our Course Learning about human sexuality is all about developing an understanding of how the concept of sexuality works. This entails examining human needs, thoughts, values, fantasies, desires, and responses within sexual contexts and with relevance to their life as a whole. It is all about understanding influences and consequences of sexuality from a physical, biological, and psychological context (Yarber, Sayad, Strong, 2012). The key factor here rests with uniqueness that each individual is considered to possess. As such, human sexuality as a course creates awareness of one’s individuality when it comes to understanding and acknowledging sexuality. In the book, Giddens and Sutton (2013) present a case of two people who were introduced to a new kind of sexuality with one having the strength to question it, while the other seems to have been willing to embrace it fully. The primary theme in this book is power or will. Christian Grey becomes engrossed in his BDSM lifestyle after being introduced to it by an older woman and at a younger age. He then introduces Anastasia Steele who at the time is much older than he had been when he was introduced. There are two ways of looking at this story. One may see Christian Grey as an abusive lover who uses his position of power and feelings that young Anastasia has for him to twist her and misuse her as a woman. The pain and pleasure combination that he is attracted to is not in any way acceptable from this viewpoint and can thus be construed as abusive and debasing for the woman in the picture. Another way of looking at this is as a context between two consenting adults. Anastasia Steele knows what she wants in a man and she is ready to get it except that it is not nearly half as painful as Christian is offering her. Throughout the story, there is an underlying battle of the sexes and those who believe in the inequality that is affirmative action will expect Anastasia to be the one conceding and fully embracing the BDSM lifestyle in order to be with Christian Grey. The truth is however not so simple. Women in this case are presented as stronger and more willful (Yarber et al., 2012). The author here allows a comparison between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele with regards to their response to BDSM. Whatever reasons the Christian Grey may have had for adapting to the lifestyle and only changing his role from a submissive to a dominant, Anastasia does not seem to have similar intentions. She tries to be his submissive, but in the end she bails out and leaves him despite how much she thinks she loves him. This relationship in its entirety is about power and that Christian Grey holds all the aces from the start may not really mean that he is the only one with the strong will. After reading Fifty Shades of Grey, one may realize that sexuality and power are very much connected. This course is all about taking control of your sexuality, being able to determine what you want and what makes you uncomfortable, and understanding what a healthy relationship is all about. For most people, knowing what they want is perhaps the hardest part of being in a relationship. This book has helped me understand that while there may be room for making mistakes and learning from experience, knowing what you want implies that in the end you will make the right choice. In Fifty Shades of Grey, Anastasia Steele is able to make the right choice and leave when she feels uncomfortable. The Next Most Relevant Connection between the Book That I Chose and Our Course Contrary to a popular belief, gender roles and gender equality are secondary themes in this book. The author does not really dwell on gender roles and gender equality as much as she does on power and sexuality. This means that the reader is expected to understand that gender and equality are a part of their sexuality, but they are not really as significant as individuality and their ability to make their own choices. This is what makes gender equality and gender roles secondary themes in Fifty Shades of Grey. Gender roles are basically expectations placed on people by the society based on their gender or more specifically their sex. In most cases, women are expected to be nurturing, generally tender, and caring, while men are domineering and basically in control at all times (Yarber et al., 2012). The basic perception with the increasing cultural shift and consuming feminist mindset is that women can also be domineering and in control and that they actually enjoy this more than being submissive. This is however a rather misguided perception that is fully embedded in limited ideologies of ‘feminism’ that is devoid of femininity. Within Human Sexuality as a course, there is an emphasis on the need to embrace individuality over feminism and in her own rather ‘sick’ way E. L. James is able to bring this forth in a satirical way. Most people would argue that Fifty Shades of Grey is just a book about sex or power as I would put it. However, the kind of debate that this book starts in the readers’ mind or even that it did in the media soon after its release states otherwise. The big question here is whether under ordinary circumstances Anastasia Steele would have even contemplated getting into the relationship knowing that there were so many rules and so many dangers all in the name of Christian Grey’s sexual gratification. The ideal argument here would be that agreeing to submit to his perversions, she was actually taking control of her own sexuality. She found his demands rather outrageous, but she was willing to try them out and see if she actually enjoyed herself in the process. The preset concept of gender roles here would limit the young woman from even attempting to engage in Christian Grey’s lifestyle. She would be very restricted in her role as a woman and anything that seemingly w ent beyond the societal definition of a norm would strike her as unfathomable. Here, however, she is past these restrictions and, thus, she is able to try out new and ‘unthinkable’ things in search of her own sexual freedom. This book is not really about who gives in to whom, but rather who is able to understand their sexuality and thus take control of it. Anastasia Steele is portrayed as a strong woman with full understanding of her body and her needs and this explains why she ends up leaving an otherwise perfect ‘gentleman’ when she feels exceedingly violated. There is also some relevance to gender equality when learning about human sexuality. The top debate when looking at the themes in the Fifty Shades of Grey book includes superiority that Christian Grey seems to have over Anastasia Steele. It may be appreciated that right from the start the young woman is seemingly under his spell and, thus, he holds some unfair advantage over her. In the course of the book, however, it becomes clear that Anastasia Steele is also fully aware of her own needs and is thus trying to negotiate her spot in the relationship. She is able to cross so many of Christian Grey’s ‘lines’ in terms of making him do things that she wants instead of consistently ‘aiming to please’ him. Here, I learn that sexuality is mainly about what I am comfortable about as an individual. Both people in this story were trying to accommodate each other’s needs, while also being honest about what they wanted. Christian Grey, with all his twisted ideas on sex and satisfaction, was only able to ask for that kind of relationship because he felt confident in his position as a man. It is not because he felt like he deserved it, but rather because he was comfortable enough to ask that Anastasia was willing to try with him. Gender equality within this book and thence within the course on human sexuality is thus a concept that requires either party to be confident in their stating needs and asking to be sated provided they do not endanger one’s life (Yarber et al., 2012). It can be noted that Christian was at all times careful not to put Ana’s life at risk, physically or otherwise, as was Ana in terms of Christian’s feelings. The mutual concern that these two h ad for each other is a justifying leverage for their experiments in the relationship. The Science behind the Primary Themes in the Book That I Chose Sociology by Anthony Giddens and Philip Sutton presents the connection between sexuality and power very vividly. The authors here argue that, as a social construct, gender often affects one’s perception of their sexuality (Giddens Sutton, 2013). Most women are thus mould to become passive and rather submissive in the context of their sexuality, not to ask questions or examine their own needs and desires, but rather to do what they are ‘needed’ to do by their partners. In a patriarchal society, this is largely acceptable as a norm and it can be expected that feminists of this world would come up in arms if this expectation is to be spoken aloud. The greatest problem with feminism is the reductionist basis with which it approaches such sensitive matters (Giddens Sutton, 2013). If one looks at the women’s submissiveness from a modern day perspective with the media reviews on how many women read this text and actually enjoyed it, one may notice that the conce pt of letting the man take charge is rather pleasing to modern day women. The only appealing and rather erotic factor in this book is the way Christian Grey commits himself and is willing to take care of Anastasia Steele for as long as she is ‘his’. Power here has two definitions. Christian Grey is powerful because, as the dominant in the BDSM context, he holds all the aces and thus controls the direction of the relationship. Anastasia Steele is however also powerful here because she is able to break the rules every now and then to get Christian Grey to go out of his way, do things that he never considered himself capable of doing, and to generally love her enough to want to change his intensity as a masochist of some sort. The authors of this study argue about sexuality and power from the viewpoint of feminism and their many disparities in terms of how they perceive sex (Giddens Sutton, 2013). Feminists mostly focus on the exclusion of women from positions of wealth and power, but they fail to recognize that a woman’s sexuality could also be a point of exclusion. When people were busy criticizing E. L. James for writing a book in which a woman submits to a man, real feminists should have been busy lauding her for breaking the stereotype idea and allowing the woman to just let go and be loved. The truth here is that while the man feels powerful when he is in control, the woman is likely to feel mo re powerful when she lets go of that control and is able to trust someone else to take the lead. This is probably because of the feminist waves that got women so bent on taking the reins that they forgot how to actually sit back and relax. Social Psychology and Human Sexuality: Essential Readings by Roy F. Baumeister argues that the need for a man to feel more powerful than a woman may drive them to get physically violent during a sexual intercourse (Baumeister, 2001). This means that they find their sexuality to be a tool with which they can validate their position as men in a society that may have otherwise ripped them off other masculinity. It may be appreciated that men who use physical force in sexual relations are usually deprived in one way or another. Either they were abused as children or they watched someone that they loved being abused, or they are simply living with some form of deficiency or inadequacy (Baumeister, 2001). In this book, I have learnt that circumstances that one is exposed to at a young age may have an impact on sexuality, but if one intends to change, one will find a reason to do so. Christian Grey is in this story able to let go of some of his demands on Anastasia Steele because he considers her as a reason to change, albeit gradually. The fact that he is only able to feel powerful and in control when she is his submissive implies that he at some point had no control over his life. It can also be noted that perhaps the sub/dom situation is therapeutic as a channel for him to release his control issues as opposed to being violent in his interactions with physically or psychologically weaker people. The holding argument here is that one’s sexuality is a great channel for their power needs in terms of their personality. For Anastasia, the power was in trusting Christian despite her trust issues, while for Grey being Ana’s ‘dom’ was enough to keep him sane. Conclusion and My Thoughts and Feelings about the Book When I first read about Fifty Shades of Grey, I imagined that the book was simply a twisted shocker that was not only boring, but also too graphic for anyone’s liking. With some knowledge in sex education, however, I was able to read the book and actually enjoy it. The writing, as often stated in reviews, is rather amateur, but the content is simply enlightening. At first, I was unsure about Anastasia Steele as the protagonist since she seemed so engrossed in the Christian Grey’s world. Nevertheless, as she got to know him and started questioning his actions and desires, she suddenly became very interesting. Initially, I would have considered her a clichà © for falling in love with a rich and powerful man at the first sight. With my understanding of sexuality and its manifestations of one’s personality, I think I can forgive this young woman for wanting what she wanted and respect her for her efforts in trying to remain on the right path. In the end, she leaves the relationship, being hurt, but not broken, considering that she does not end up becoming like Christian Grey. With my understanding of human sexuality, I was also able to read the book and find that it was more about power and gender roles than it was about sex. While the author uses the characters’ sexuality to explore these themes, she is simply trying to express the concept of ‘Fifty Shades of Fucked Up’ as used to describe Christian Grey in the book. Having read the book and studied this course, I believe that all the choices that an individual makes with regards to their sexuality are their own. Determinists may argue against this by stating that Christian Grey was a BDSM enthusiast because of his exposure to the lifestyle at a young age. It can however be noted that, despite numerous years of experience and practice, he is willing and able to let go of all the factors in his lifestyle that make his woman uncomfortable. While he is seen trying to get her to appreciate these pleasures as he does, he is also very sensitive to her situation as a ‘norm’ who is not likely to enjoy processes that take place in the ‘Red Room of Pain’. This book has gotten me thinking of feminism in a new light. Rather than focusing on what women are restricted from doing and experiencing within their respective societies, it may be beneficial to consider things that women are actually allowed or even expected to do and, yet, t hey do not. In this case, I believe Anastasia Steele was expected to refuse Christian Grey’s proposal of the BDSM situation and the fact that she actually allows herself to try it out, if anything to satisfy her own curiosity, is a triumph. Unlike ‘feminists’ out there who contend that the book is demeaning and that it teaches women that being submissive is the right thing to do within a sexual relationship, I believe that this book teaches women to make their own mistakes and learn from them. To me, this is what power is all about: finding what you are comfortable with and embracing it, while discarding whatever you do not enjoy. After all, sexuality is all about personal needs, wants, and expectations with some consideration for the other party as well.

Creative Easter Words List for Classroom Activities

Creative Easter Words List for Classroom Activities Easter  is a time of renewal. It falls each year in the early spring  when flowers are blooming, plants are sprouting, and hatchlings are starting to break out of their shells and enter the world. Indeed, the season of Easter- the season of spring, really- is an annual time of beginning when much of the country is waking up and thawing out from a cold and bleak winter into a renewed world filled with signs of rebirth and splashes of color. Use the season as a  thematic teaching  tool. Kids, seeing the changes in the season, will be naturally curious and interested in what is  happening around them. Harness that  curiosity with this comprehensive Easter word list to create many  seasonal  activities  such as  worksheets, writing prompts, word walls, and word searches. The words below are sectioned according to Easter- and spring-related concepts. Each section begins with an explanation  followed by a list of appropriate words. April   Explain to students that  Easter falls in late March through much of April  depending on the year. So April is a great month to introduce students to words such as: TulipsPastelPaintingShowers You can explain that a 16th century  English writer and poet named  Thomas Tusser penned the phrase,  Sweet April showers do bring May flowers, and that many writers- even the great  William Shakespeare- were enamored of the month and wrote many poems and stories about this season of bloom. If you have younger students, explain that this month is the time when  tulips  bloom, offering a great time for painting when the world sparkles with pastel colors.​ Easter Easter, of course, is the highlight of the season for young children. Its a time for putting on bonnets, decorating and dying Easter eggs, grabbing a basket and scurrying to find the hidden eggs. Children may be most interested in coloring eggs and finding candy, but dont forget to mention that theres even an annual  Easter parade and bonnet festival  in New York. This gives you a chance to cover geography, the planning, and pageantry involved in staging a parade, and even possible art projects, like  making bonnets. BasketBunnyBonnetChickChocolateCandyDecorateDyeEggsFunFindGrassHideHopHuntJellybeansMarshmallowParadePeepsTreatsLily Spring Spring, the season in which Easter and April fall, provides plenty of opportunities for learning and art activities. You can have students study the lifecycle of a butterfly, how vegetables such as carrots and flowers like daffodils grow. You can even throw in some science lessons such as how birds build nests and how hatchlings emerge from their shells. Or, take a field trip to a local pond and observe ducks and flowers residing there. ButterflyCarrotsColorfulDaffodilsDuckFlowersJoyLambPlantsNestHatch Sunday Though you cant teach religion in public schools, you can certainly mention that  Easter is a religious Christian holiday  where families dress up in nice, new clothes and attend church on Easter Sunday. This also gives you a chance to cover the  days of the week  and social norms, such as, Why do people dress up to go to church on Easter (as well as for other special occasions)? Use the season to teach cultural lessons, too, such as  Holy Week and Easter in Mexico. Easter- and the season that it falls in- provides an endless opportunity to teach writing, spelling, history, science, art, and more.

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) Essay

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) - Essay Example The U.S.-Canada agricultural provisions for Free Trade Agreement were incorporated into the NAFTA in 1989. With the creation of NAFTA all tariffs affecting agricultural trade between the United States and Canada were all removed but with very few exceptions for items covered by tariff-rate quotas. Moreover, Mexico and Canada also reached a separate bilateral NAFTA harmony on market entree for farm products. The Mexican-Canadian agreement also served in the elimination of a number of tariffs. However, some tariffs remained in force between countries such as those affecting trade in dairy, poultry, eggs, and sugar products. This paper intends to highlight some of the reasons behind Canada, the US, and Mexico, entering into the NAFTA, the concerns of each nation, and finally determine whether these concerns materialized. The Conception of the NAFTA Idea The most significant characteristic of the manner in which the free trade within the Western Hemisphere had influenced the trading syst em was a culmination of efforts to bridge the gap between the Northern and Southern Divide. NAFTA ensures that there is free trade between a major developing country and two developed countries that have undergone significant industrial revolution. This agreement in its entirety is usually based fully on reciprocal commitments. For instance, Mexico, in its own self-interest decided to open its market to far better degree as compared to United States and Canada. Mexico made this move because its tariffs accompanied by other border restriction were much higher at the onset. In addition, some of the areas of commitment that were extremely significant to Mexico include intellectual right to property, unrestricted procurement, ventures, and free transportation. It is worth noting that the sharp peculiarity between developed and developing nations, which permeated the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and currently the World Trade Organization (WTO) and which held the history of preferential trade considerations was not included within NAFTA. Furthermore, the outlook for a Free Trade Area of the America (FTAA) agreement aims at continuing with this non-special/non-differential affiliation. Even the small countries are certain to receive special and fair treatment since the implementation of free trade commitments and such regional integration on non-preferential basis is likely to have a considerable impact on the future of NAFTA. In fact, this process of developing a comprehensive free trade area within the Western Hemisphere through closing down the gap between the developed and developing nations or countries is compatible with the continued transformation of the multilateral World Trade Organization. However, there were various reasons behind Canada, Mexico, and US joining North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which are discussed hereunder: Reasons behind Canada’s Entry into NAFTA Upon the introduction of NAFTA, Canada did not welcome t he idea of expanding the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) to a third country. In Ottawa, politicians were reticent in regards to the FTA and therefore they questioned the insight of additional tribulations. Nevertheless, through absolute expediency, Canada realized that the Mexico and U.S. were more than willing to sign an agreement in the midst of

Political comparison between president George Bush and president Obama Essay

Political comparison between president George Bush and president Obama - Essay Example The two presidents, former president George Bush and currently ruling president Obama, have something in common about their reign in authority. A close observation is identified in president Obama following some of the ruling of retired president George Bush and also similarities about their personal lives such as; they are both passionate in running the halls of white house with their fleecy black puppies, they are both outstanding awkward dancers, they are fond of giving ridiculously public speeches, they both promoted heavy sums to the state arrears, they both have two daughters and were both sporting in their juvenile years (Johnson 2013). This essay highlights out some of the political similarities shared by former retired president George Bush and president Obama and also features in details the conclusions to their political comparisons and their administrative future. The two heads of states shares one thing in common about the essence of immigration as witnessed when George W. Bush tried to acquire an immigration amendment through the senate in protection of the immigrants, he was objected and later declined his request by the opposition congress. Similar to President Bush, Obama wanted to protect the immigrants within his administrative power who had lived in the USA for more than five years, but he faced stiff counterargument from the republicans and the senate claiming that he was overturning the constitution and was acting more like an emperor within his stated mandates (Collinson 2014). Despite the

Iagos soliloquy at the end of Act 1 Essay Example for Free

Iagos soliloquy at the end of Act 1 Essay Iagos soliloquy at the end of Act 1; what does his language tell us about his character and motivation? How does it compare with his language in the rest of the act? Iago seems to be presented as a Machiavellian villain; he is cunning and always seems to know whats going to happen. In Iagos soliloquy at the end of Act 1 Scene3, he says of Roderigo thus do I ever make my fool my purse. This conveys Iagos character as superior and manipulative. Iago states that Roderigo is a fool; a stupid moron. He also calls him a snipe which is a small bird which also is used to mean unintellegent. Iago refers to Roderigo possessively, referring to him as my fool as if the extent of his own influence makes Roderigo his own possession (as with my purse; purse being an object that is owned). By saying I even make Iago is implying that manipulating a fool for their money is a usual activity for him, as if he always does this. Iago holds such little respect for Roderigo and feels himself so superior that he should profane if [he] time expend with such But for [his] sport and profit. Hes claiming that Roderigo is so beneath him that it is only for the money (profit) and the game he plays with the characters (sport) that hed ever bother wasting his time with such an idiot. This seems to be revealing of Iagos attitude toward social classes. Just because another character is richer or has higher social standing this does not mean that he has any extra respect for them. Taking into account that England in the Elizabethan era worked with strict social classes I think that Shakespeare uses Iagos lack of respect for the system as another way of demonising him. He is the villain because he believes himself to be superior to everyone else. Iago is Othellos ancient. However, Iago obviously feels he is superior to his master. Iago likens Othello to a donkey; a dull, stupid animal. Iago says Othello will be led by th nose. As asses are. Asses, or donkeys, are literally led by the nose with a harness. Might the harness be the society they are both part of? This implies that Othello is not free. It implies that he is tamed, obedient, dependent and without a mind of his own. It is Iagos intention to use this harness to lead Othello to his ruin. In act 1 scene 1 Iago reveals his views on the roles of master and servant (in his case ancient) to Roderigo. Iagos opinions show his perceived superiority in his character. Iago says how there are many a duteous and knee crooking knave thatwears out his time, much like his masters ass. He is saying that the dutiful are knee crooking, meaning that they bow down, accepting their inferiority. To say that a subordinate wears out his time much like his masters ass shows how he feels that they waste their lives being anothers workhorse while receiving none of the profits. In this respect Iago feels himself above Othello. By later referring to Othello as an ass he could be the knee crooking knave to the governors of Venice. This is what I feel is supposed to be conveyed by the line: were I the Moor, I would not be Iago. Iago is resentful of the lack of recognition he has received from his society. I would say that Iago has motivation against his society. He misses out on promotion and Cassio takes the position. He resents Cassio for being better educated and of higher social standing. From scene 1 Iago says I know my price, I am worth no worse a place when telling Roderigo of being passed over for promotion. I think that Shakespeare has Iago say this because hes supposed to be resentful of the lack of recognition hes received. By saying I know my price he is also saying that no-one else perceives his worth. Iago mentions that Cassio is a Florentine while disrespectfully describing him. That Shakespeare has Iago mention this means that it is relevant. Perhaps that Iago disapproves of a Florentine being promoted in a Venetian army shows he has a kind of respect for the society hes in. If he is ambitious then he is ambitious toward the higher roles/accomplishments of his own society; Venice. Iago may also feel he has not been duly acknowledged for the fighting he has done for the causes of Venice at Rhodes, at Cyprus, and on other grounds Christian and Heathen. By not being advanced he may have felt the sacrifices he made were not appreciated, as if hed been cheated, which may explain why he cheats so much in the conventions of his society. Iago is presented as being a very effective user of language. He seems to know exactly the right language to use in order to affect the decisions of the other characters. When bating Brabantio he uses course language about his family to infuriate him. Instead of merely informing Brabantio of his daughters whereabouts and who she is with Iago tells him that your daughter and the moor are now making the beast with two backs. Making the beast with two backs is a crude euphemism for having sex. Beast implies that the sex is ugly and savage. Iago uses the word moor instead of his name, Othello, to bring attention to his race as opposed to his high rank and standing in Venice. Iago knows how to offend. He immediately starts referring to Brabantios family in animal terms; youll have your nephews neigh to you; youll have coursers for cousins and jennets for germans. In the Elizabethan era it was probably a taboo to have a mixed race marriage probably because people of African origins would have been considered inferior. This is a reason why Iago refers to Othello as a horse (coursers for cousins). As a further example of Iagos ability to alarm through his seemingly perverted perception would be youll have your daughter covered with a Barbary horse. Iago alarms him by conjuring bestial imagery. Bestiality is sacrilegious, which a few hundred years ago was more important than it is now. Perhaps this sacrilegious imagery influenced Brabantio to rationalise his daughters behaviour as witchcraft. Shakespeare presents Iago as an effective liar. This must be the case as Othello refers to him in Act one as Honest Iago. He also describes him as a man he is of honesty and trust. Despite Iago keeping Roderigos presents to Desdemona for himself he still can convince him of his trustworthiness. When reassuring Roderigo he says I have professed me thy friend, and I confess me knit to thy deserving with cables of perdurable toughness. By claiming that he is Roderigos professed friend and that hes prepared to help him with everlasting strength he convinces of his honesty. Iago also successfully manipulates Roderigo by repeatedly suggesting (instructing really) to put money in thy purse so as he can take it from him. Iago repeats this six times. Iago also convinces Roderigo to do his biddings by distracting him with his philosophies; Our bodies are our gardens, to which are wills are gardeners. In this speech Iago basically turns Roderigos loss into his own gain.

The Effects Of Rap On Inner Cities Essay -- essays research papers fc

Thesis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Do you believe that one’s words can reflect on a certain person’s action? Today, Rap has become the most popular type of music in the US. The Rap industry is dominated by artists’ who mostly dedicate their lyrics to either violence, drugs, or sex. Through 1998 and 1999 the survey taken by the National Music Bureau, stated that 46% of the listeners of Rap are under the age of 19. While 65% of the listeners, live in run-down homes, or impoverished areas, usually being inner cities. The National Music Bureau also reported that in the 66% of the listeners of Rap who are under the age of 19, 86% of those teen-agers are black. Along with that fact, many of the artists sing about their ghettos, and their past ways of life, which included, drugs, sex, murder, and alcohol. The listeners of rap living in run down areas in the inner cities see themselves in the same situation as many of the rap artists’, and duplicate what they hear. So although a person may be responsible for his or her action, rap music dramatically affects the lives of America’s inner cities and slums. In this day and age, of the biggest problems in America has become teen pregnancy. 68% of 18-year old have had sexual intercourse, while half of 17-year old have had sexual intercourse. To add to that, 6 in 10 girls between the ages of 18-19 become pregnant. While pregnancy rates among teens continue to rise, rappers continue to rap and call themselves â€Å"Playa’s† and rap about their, â€Å"bitches,† and sexual encounters. In a song titled â€Å"The B.I.G† Notorious B.I.G AKA Biggie Smalls says â€Å"Please don’t shoot up your guns, ‘cause one of these ladies will be havin’ my baby.† Of the 66% of the listeners of rap, who are under the age of 19, 26% of them are women. Biggie is promoting sexual activity, and a bad message is being sent out to all women. Another important fact is that every year 3 million teens; about 1 in 4 sexually experienced teens acquire a Sexually Transmitted Disease (S.T.D). Another rapper, â€Å"Mast a’ Pimp† begins each song by saying â€Å"Pimpin’ Aint Easy!† In a song by Masta’ Pimp titled â€Å"The Way of Life,† Masta’ Pimp says â€Å"From the ghetto to where all my hooches at, I’ll ride for life, f$%# da condoms, ‘cause I’ll f$%@ all da’ bitches for life.† While Masta’ Pimp talks about his â€Å"hooches† in his ghetto, 60% of sexually active teens between the ages 15-19 ... ...n the cities of New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and Detroit. Also, in 37% of violent crimes committed in inner cities, the offender was high on some sort of drug, usually being marijuana. The bureau also stated proved that in 20% of un-planned pregnancies, one of the participants was intoxicated. And, 92% of the time the baby came out with a deformity. When researching what kind of affect rap has on America’s inner-cities, there is only one conclusion to come to. Yes, many people may say that people should be able to take responsibility for their own actions, but the statistics, and the eye-witness encounters has proven that rap does have a negative affect on America’s inner-cities. Works Cited 1) Bureau of Justice Statistics 2) http://www.ojp.udoj.gov/bjs/cvcivtgen.htm – Criminal Victimization 3) Facts in Brief: Teen Sex and Peganancy http://www.agi-usa.org/pubs/fb _ teen_ sex.html 4) Encarta 98 Encyclopedia 5) Groilers Encyclopedia 6) Violent Crimes: Drugs and Alcohol http://www.rom.pubs/atest/org.html 7) The Official Website of The Music Television http://www.mtv.com 8) The National Bureau of Music Distribution http://www.nbmd.musc.org.html

Snake Venom

Venom Venom Types Methods of Production Methods of Delivery Offense or Defense? Lethal injection or False alarm? Mysteries Warnings To most people venom and snakes go hand in hand. It is commonly believed that all snakes are venomous, but this is an erroneous belief. Of the 2. 700 known species of snake only 300 are venomous. So what is venom, how did snakes get it and why do they have it? These are questions that have interested herpetologists and other scientists alike. Venom itself is a poison secreted by animals for either defensive or offensive purposes.Venom originated from digestive enzymes that were originally located in the stomach. Throughout the millions of years it has progressed quite a lot and in some animals has become quite different from it's origin. The type of venom depends on the type of animal. In spiders venom is kept rather simple. It is pretty much just digestive enzymes. Spiders use their venom to turn their hard shelled insect meals into nice and nutritious goo. So in a sense one can think of this type of venom as a form of starting the digestive process before you even start to eat the meal.In insects venom is used predominantly as a defensive weapon. Wasps, bees and ants use formic acid in their stings to cause a painful burning sensation that will either kill or injure their enemy enough to make them think twice about attacking them again. Amphibians all use their venom for defense. In amphibians the venom is secreted through glands in the skin to make the animals unpalatable. So as we can see venom is a predominantly defensive adaptation. An adaptation that has found it's way into every class of vertebrates except one. The birds; the only class to forego any venom.In mammals we have platypi with venomous claws, then there are the fish which comprise too many venomous species to count and finally we have the reptiles. All venomous reptiles are squamates and of them snakes make up the bulk. There are only two species of venomous squa mates that are not snakes, the lizards of the genus: Heloderma. These lizards use their venom for defense as well and can deliver powerful and painful bites. In snakes venom has found a new use, for offense. Since snake prey generally has the advantage of speed (not to say that snakes can't be speedy. A black mamba traveling at 17 mph is nothing to sneeze at. snakes had to find a new way to take down their prey without running the risk of losing them or getting too hurt in the process. Enter venom, a fast and effective mode of subdueing prey items with minimal risk to the snake. Venom types Snake venom can be divided into two broad (yet fuzzy) categories. That of hemotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Hemotoxic venom effects the blood and organs, causing a breakdown or inflammation in the body. Hemotoxic bites are the most painful as breathing hurts and tissues start to die. Neurotoxic venom, as the name suggests, effect the nervous system, leading to everything from siezures to death.Neur otoxic bites are the most deadly. Although we have these two wonderful different categories, no snake fits completely in each. Many snakes incorporate both neurotoxic and hemotoxic venom in their bites so when telling them apart one goes by which type is more predominant. For instance Ophiophagous hannah (King Cobra) has predominantly neurotoxic venom while Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake) has predominantly hemotoxic venom. Methods of production While getting bitten by a snake might strike fear in people, the fangs are not where the venom comes from, they are mearly methods of transfer.The place where the venom is made is in special glands located on the head of the animal. The venom glands differentiate into false and true venom glands. False venom glands (a misleading name no doubt) are made up either from mucus producing supralabial glands that run on either side of the head extending as a continuous strip from near the snout to below and well behind the eye. These then lead to several ducts that lead to the bases of many maxillary teeth. Alethinophidians are known to have this type of arrangement. Most colubrids have a different arrangement.Rather than use those modified salivary glands they use a larger gland known as the Duvernoy's gland. This gland is situated right under the skin, above and near the angle of the jaw. These glands open from a duct at the base of one or more posterior usually enlarged fangs that may or may not be grooved. These glands do not have a lumen (central storage chamber) so the snakes must give off a continous stream of venom into their prey which means that they must continue to hold on to the animal to ensure envenomation. True venom glands are made uf thick connective tissue.They contain a lumen, a separate compressor muscle and a duct connecting them to a single fang on each side of the jaw. These glands dominate all elapids and viperids (along with some atractaspidids) Methods of Delivery Their are four main types of teeth in snakes with which venom is transferred from gland to prey. While these forms seem to indicate a continual progression towards more complexity, they are misleading as it doesn't take into account the morphological variation in snake dentitions making for a paraphyletic occurence (that is they all thought up different ways to accomplish the same goal).Aglyphous snakes Aglyphous (grooveless) snakes lack any groove in their teeth for venom to run down. Instead the venom drips down the teeth from any available opening essentially saturating the maxillae. In order for envenomation to occur the snake must chew on it's prey which is time consuming. Aglyphous snakes include blind snakes and some colubrids. Opisthoglyphous snakes Opisthoglyphous (rear grooved) snakes have elongate fangs located on the top of the back of their mouths. These fangs have a groove running on the lateral side of the fang which helps direct venom into the prey.Since the fangs are located post eriorly the snake must make a point of taking a big bite into it's prey in order to assure envenomation. Colubrids make up the bulk of this group. Proteroglyphs Proteroglyphs (front groove) snakes are pretty much all elapids with an occasional actractaspidid like Homoroselaps (Harlequin snakes). In proteroglyphs the groove has run so deep that both sides of the groove overlap eachother forming a channel for the venom to flow. A lumen is located at the base of the tooth where venom eagerly awaits ejection while a discharge orifice lay on one side near the tip.An adductor (jaw closing) muscle is attached to the glands so that when the snake bites down the glands get squeezed and a stream of venom flows into the prey. These snakes are â€Å"fixed fanged. † That is to say they are unable to fold up their fangs when not in use so the fangs must be kept short enough so as not to puncture the lower jaw. Interestingly enough fixed fanged elapids are known to hold onto their prey afte r biting. This would seem to present a potential hazard for the snake, but the predominantly neurotoxic venom works so fast that the prey doesn't have enough time to struggle, thus ensuring the snake it's meal.Some cobra types such as the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) and many species of Afro-Asian cobras (Naja sp. ) have the ability to spit their venom at predators. Their fang tips have beveled, circular (sometimes pear shaped) apertures on the anterior surface just above the tip where the venom is ejected. African spitters go one stepped further. They have spiral grooves in their fangs that (like the riflings of a gun barrel) force a spin on the venom allowing for greater accuracy. This is only used in defense and is amazing effective as these snakes are adepth marksmen.By expending venom in these little droplets, the snake is guaranteed the maximum use of it's (normally offensive) venom when battling a predator. How often can these snakes spit before running out. Well one bla ck necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) emptied it's venom glands by spitting fifty seven times in only twenty minutes. Truly a force to be reckoned with. Solenoglyphous snakes Solenoglyphous (pipe grooved) snakes make up the viperidae and show some of the most specialized teeth for the job.Viperid fangs have the groove so deep now that the outside of the teeth completely cover it forming a pipe for venom to enter. The two fangs are attached to a short highly movable maxillary bone. This bone allows the snakes to fold their fangs up in their mouths. This ability to fold up the fangs allows for greater fang length. How much greater? Well compare a 3. 83-m Ophiophagous hannah's 11mm fangs to a 1. 8-m Bitis gabonica (Gaboon viper) with fangs measuring 29mm. Impressive no? Viperids have predominantly hemotoxic venom and as such, their bites take longer to take effect.Since the effect is longer, the snake can't risk holding onto the struggling prey for it would surely get hurt, but w ith their potent venom, quick strikes and hyperextendable fangs, these snakes are able to get in and out extremely fast. Not only can the fangs hyperextend (up to 1800) but with the separately jointed maxillae the fangs can move individually as well. So a viper can decide whether or not to move one fang or two. Inject one side or two. The amount of venom control in vipers is astounding as well as their venom reservoirs. The bulk of Bitis gabonica's head is it's venom glands. Shocking!Offense or Defense As stated before, snakes predominantly use their venom to capture prey, but when push comes to shove, venom can mean the difference between life and death. Snake defense is rather limited when one thinks about it. They can't outrun their predators, a lack of limbs means that gaining the leverage for tail whipping is rather impossible (pointless anyway seeing as how most snakes have rather small tails). Some snakes can secrete nasty substances that make them unwanted to be around. Othe rs feign their own deaths, but in general the best area of defense for snakes lies in their jaws.For a venomous snake, biting a predator means wasting precious venom; a commodity that doesn't come without it's price. Venom costs energy to make and takes a while to refill when empty. A snake would much rather save that venom for something worth it like food, so it takes quite a bit of pressing to get a venomous snake to actually bite. In fact it is for these reasons that venomous snakes have adopted so many warning strategies. From warning colors, to hoods, to rattles, venomous snakes do everything in their power to avoid biting the enemy. In contrast a boid or other constrictor will readily bite in defense.While they lack venom, recurved teeth can be just as bad and since constrictors don't have to worry about wasting venom they can feel free to bite all they want. Lethal injection or False alarm? Along with warning well in advance, another common thing found in venomous snakes (esp ecially viperids) is giving what is known as a â€Å"dry bite. † Dry bites occur when a snake like a rattler is cornered and forced to bite in defense. While the snake might be in last resort mode, it still has one more trick up it's sleeve. Venomous snakes (true venomous snakes) have the ability to choose whether or not they want to inject venom into something.So if a rattlesnake bites a dog, it has the choice of either envenomating or bluffing the animal. In nature bluffs work much of the time and are the safest way for an animal to avoid a fight. By giving off a dry bite, venomous snakes need not waste their venom supplies. In fact over half of all rattlesnake bites are dry ones. A very comforting thought. Mysteries of Venomous Snakes One of the strangest things about elapids and viperids is that they seem to have evolved venom that is too potent for their own good. For instance, a Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) injects it's prey (a mouse) with 300 times more venom than is necessary.Or the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) which injects enough venom in one bite to kill two hundred thousand mice. Why the excess? No one knows for sure. Perhaps the mechanisms that produced the venom never had any buffers for how powerful it got. Since the evolution of new traits involves the constantly ascending path (new traits are only kept if beneficial to the organism) the fact that ever potent venom would always guarantee the quick death of the prey means that it would always be selected for and will be until something comes to counter it.While this is a nice theory and all, there is an underlying problem with it. Venomous snakes (of at least the elapid and viperid families) are able to meter out how much venom they intend to inject into their prey. So that Crotalus viridis is quite aware of the amount it is pumping into that mouse. Plus since venom replenishment is not the fastest thing (averaging between 4 days and three weeks) injecting so much ve nom seems wasteful. Another theory proposed was that it the venom helps to begin the digestion process. Surely this seems reasonable especially considered how venom effects tissue along with it's origins.Yet that too does not give a perfect explanation for Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) which inject three to eight times more venom than necessary, end up with half of that venom lodged in the skin. So for now, the reasons behind the excess venom delivery by venomous snakes are still unknown. Warnings about venom While no person should actively go out and try to capture a venomous snake (without good reason) in the even that one finds said snake, the best precautions are to examine the encounter. If you're far enough away to leave then feel free to do so, you need not worry about the snake following you.If you're practically stepping on the snake things could be worse. At that point though one usually finds that one has been bitten. If bitten make sure to ID the snake. Remember as much as possible about it. For an idea of the type of venom that might have been injected in you consider the area that you are at and how the snake looked. Vipers, due to their large venom glands, have heart shaped heads. Elapids have nice thin heads. Colubrids are harder to tell apart from elapids, but a venomous elapid will give warning or have some type of forewarning available.Colubrid bites normally don't kill and are more a pain than anything else. Viper bites can be deadly and normally are very painful. Elapid bites are extremely lethal and antivenin treatment is a must if bitten. Although all this seems scary, it's best to remember that no venomous snake will attack without severe provocation. Look for the warning signs and watch where you step and you should be fine. Also remember many bites given are dry, so just because you were bitten doesn't mean you were envenomated. A good rule of thumb when dealing with a scared or cornered snake is that the last thing it's going to want to do is bite.Venom Venom Types Methods of Production Methods of Delivery Offense or Defense? Lethal injection or False alarm? Mysteries Warnings To most people venom and snakes go hand in hand. It is commonly believed that all snakes are venomous, but this is an erroneous belief. Of the 2. 700 known species of snake only 300 are venomous. So what is venom, how did snakes get it and why do they have it? These are questions that have interested herpetologists and other scientists alike. Venom itself is a poison secreted by animals for either defensive or offensive purposes.Venom originated from digestive enzymes that were originally located in the stomach. Throughout the millions of years it has progressed quite a lot and in some animals has become quite different from it's origin. The type of venom depends on the type of animal. In spiders venom is kept rather simple. It is pretty much just digestive enzymes. Spiders use their venom to turn their hard shelled insect meals i nto nice and nutritious goo. So in a sense one can think of this type of venom as a form of starting the digestive process before you even start to eat the meal.In insects venom is used predominantly as a defensive weapon. Wasps, bees and ants use formic acid in their stings to cause a painful burning sensation that will either kill or injure their enemy enough to make them think twice about attacking them again. Amphibians all use their venom for defense. In amphibians the venom is secreted through glands in the skin to make the animals unpalatable. So as we can see venom is a predominantly defensive adaptation. An adaptation that has found it's way into every class of vertebrates except one. The birds; the only class to forego any venom.In mammals we have platypi with venomous claws, then there are the fish which comprise too many venomous species to count and finally we have the reptiles. All venomous reptiles are squamates and of them snakes make up the bulk. There are only two species of venomous squamates that are not snakes, the lizards of the genus: Heloderma. These lizards use their venom for defense as well and can deliver powerful and painful bites. In snakes venom has found a new use, for offense. Since snake prey generally has the advantage of speed (not to say that snakes can't be speedy. A black mamba traveling at 17 mph is nothing to sneeze at. snakes had to find a new way to take down their prey without running the risk of losing them or getting too hurt in the process. Enter venom, a fast and effective mode of subdueing prey items with minimal risk to the snake. Venom types Snake venom can be divided into two broad (yet fuzzy) categories. That of hemotoxicity and neurotoxicity. Hemotoxic venom effects the blood and organs, causing a breakdown or inflammation in the body. Hemotoxic bites are the most painful as breathing hurts and tissues start to die. Neurotoxic venom, as the name suggests, effect the nervous system, leading to everything fro m siezures to death.Neurotoxic bites are the most deadly. Although we have these two wonderful different categories, no snake fits completely in each. Many snakes incorporate both neurotoxic and hemotoxic venom in their bites so when telling them apart one goes by which type is more predominant. For instance Ophiophagous hannah (King Cobra) has predominantly neurotoxic venom while Crotalus adamanteus (Eastern diamondback rattlesnake) has predominantly hemotoxic venom. Methods of production While getting bitten by a snake might strike fear in people, the fangs are not where the venom comes from, they are mearly methods of transfer.The place where the venom is made is in special glands located on the head of the animal. The venom glands differentiate into false and true venom glands. False venom glands (a misleading name no doubt) are made up either from mucus producing supralabial glands that run on either side of the head extending as a continuous strip from near the snout to below and well behind the eye. These then lead to several ducts that lead to the bases of many maxillary teeth. Alethinophidians are known to have this type of arrangement. Most colubrids have a different arrangement.Rather than use those modified salivary glands they use a larger gland known as the Duvernoy's gland. This gland is situated right under the skin, above and near the angle of the jaw. These glands open from a duct at the base of one or more posterior usually enlarged fangs that may or may not be grooved. These glands do not have a lumen (central storage chamber) so the snakes must give off a continous stream of venom into their prey which means that they must continue to hold on to the animal to ensure envenomation. True venom glands are made uf thick connective tissue.They contain a lumen, a separate compressor muscle and a duct connecting them to a single fang on each side of the jaw. These glands dominate all elapids and viperids (along with some atractaspidids) Methods of Delivery Their are four main types of teeth in snakes with which venom is transferred from gland to prey. While these forms seem to indicate a continual progression towards more complexity, they are misleading as it doesn't take into account the morphological variation in snake dentitions making for a paraphyletic occurence (that is they all thought up different ways to accomplish the same goal).Aglyphous snakes Aglyphous (grooveless) snakes lack any groove in their teeth for venom to run down. Instead the venom drips down the teeth from any available opening essentially saturating the maxillae. In order for envenomation to occur the snake must chew on it's prey which is time consuming. Aglyphous snakes include blind snakes and some colubrids. Opisthoglyphous snakes Opisthoglyphous (rear grooved) snakes have elongate fangs located on the top of the back of their mouths. These fangs have a groove running on the lateral side of the fang which helps direct venom into the prey.Since th e fangs are located posteriorly the snake must make a point of taking a big bite into it's prey in order to assure envenomation. Colubrids make up the bulk of this group. Proteroglyphs Proteroglyphs (front groove) snakes are pretty much all elapids with an occasional actractaspidid like Homoroselaps (Harlequin snakes). In proteroglyphs the groove has run so deep that both sides of the groove overlap eachother forming a channel for the venom to flow. A lumen is located at the base of the tooth where venom eagerly awaits ejection while a discharge orifice lay on one side near the tip.An adductor (jaw closing) muscle is attached to the glands so that when the snake bites down the glands get squeezed and a stream of venom flows into the prey. These snakes are â€Å"fixed fanged. † That is to say they are unable to fold up their fangs when not in use so the fangs must be kept short enough so as not to puncture the lower jaw. Interestingly enough fixed fanged elapids are known to h old onto their prey after biting. This would seem to present a potential hazard for the snake, but the predominantly neurotoxic venom works so fast that the prey doesn't have enough time to struggle, thus ensuring the snake it's meal.Some cobra types such as the rinkhals (Hemachatus haemachatus) and many species of Afro-Asian cobras (Naja sp. ) have the ability to spit their venom at predators. Their fang tips have beveled, circular (sometimes pear shaped) apertures on the anterior surface just above the tip where the venom is ejected. African spitters go one stepped further. They have spiral grooves in their fangs that (like the riflings of a gun barrel) force a spin on the venom allowing for greater accuracy. This is only used in defense and is amazing effective as these snakes are adepth marksmen.By expending venom in these little droplets, the snake is guaranteed the maximum use of it's (normally offensive) venom when battling a predator. How often can these snakes spit before r unning out. Well one black necked spitting cobra (Naja nigricollis) emptied it's venom glands by spitting fifty seven times in only twenty minutes. Truly a force to be reckoned with. Solenoglyphous snakes Solenoglyphous (pipe grooved) snakes make up the viperidae and show some of the most specialized teeth for the job.Viperid fangs have the groove so deep now that the outside of the teeth completely cover it forming a pipe for venom to enter. The two fangs are attached to a short highly movable maxillary bone. This bone allows the snakes to fold their fangs up in their mouths. This ability to fold up the fangs allows for greater fang length. How much greater? Well compare a 3. 83-m Ophiophagous hannah's 11mm fangs to a 1. 8-m Bitis gabonica (Gaboon viper) with fangs measuring 29mm. Impressive no? Viperids have predominantly hemotoxic venom and as such, their bites take longer to take effect.Since the effect is longer, the snake can't risk holding onto the struggling prey for it woul d surely get hurt, but with their potent venom, quick strikes and hyperextendable fangs, these snakes are able to get in and out extremely fast. Not only can the fangs hyperextend (up to 1800) but with the separately jointed maxillae the fangs can move individually as well. So a viper can decide whether or not to move one fang or two. Inject one side or two. The amount of venom control in vipers is astounding as well as their venom reservoirs. The bulk of Bitis gabonica's head is it's venom glands. Shocking!Offense or Defense As stated before, snakes predominantly use their venom to capture prey, but when push comes to shove, venom can mean the difference between life and death. Snake defense is rather limited when one thinks about it. They can't outrun their predators, a lack of limbs means that gaining the leverage for tail whipping is rather impossible (pointless anyway seeing as how most snakes have rather small tails). Some snakes can secrete nasty substances that make them unw anted to be around. Others feign their own deaths, but in general the best area of defense for snakes lies in their jaws.For a venomous snake, biting a predator means wasting precious venom; a commodity that doesn't come without it's price. Venom costs energy to make and takes a while to refill when empty. A snake would much rather save that venom for something worth it like food, so it takes quite a bit of pressing to get a venomous snake to actually bite. In fact it is for these reasons that venomous snakes have adopted so many warning strategies. From warning colors, to hoods, to rattles, venomous snakes do everything in their power to avoid biting the enemy. In contrast a boid or other constrictor will readily bite in defense.While they lack venom, recurved teeth can be just as bad and since constrictors don't have to worry about wasting venom they can feel free to bite all they want. Lethal injection or False alarm? Along with warning well in advance, another common thing found in venomous snakes (especially viperids) is giving what is known as a â€Å"dry bite. † Dry bites occur when a snake like a rattler is cornered and forced to bite in defense. While the snake might be in last resort mode, it still has one more trick up it's sleeve. Venomous snakes (true venomous snakes) have the ability to choose whether or not they want to inject venom into something.So if a rattlesnake bites a dog, it has the choice of either envenomating or bluffing the animal. In nature bluffs work much of the time and are the safest way for an animal to avoid a fight. By giving off a dry bite, venomous snakes need not waste their venom supplies. In fact over half of all rattlesnake bites are dry ones. A very comforting thought. Mysteries of Venomous Snakes One of the strangest things about elapids and viperids is that they seem to have evolved venom that is too potent for their own good. For instance, a Western rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) injects it's prey (a mouse) w ith 300 times more venom than is necessary.Or the Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) which injects enough venom in one bite to kill two hundred thousand mice. Why the excess? No one knows for sure. Perhaps the mechanisms that produced the venom never had any buffers for how powerful it got. Since the evolution of new traits involves the constantly ascending path (new traits are only kept if beneficial to the organism) the fact that ever potent venom would always guarantee the quick death of the prey means that it would always be selected for and will be until something comes to counter it.While this is a nice theory and all, there is an underlying problem with it. Venomous snakes (of at least the elapid and viperid families) are able to meter out how much venom they intend to inject into their prey. So that Crotalus viridis is quite aware of the amount it is pumping into that mouse. Plus since venom replenishment is not the fastest thing (averaging between 4 days and three wee ks) injecting so much venom seems wasteful. Another theory proposed was that it the venom helps to begin the digestion process. Surely this seems reasonable especially considered how venom effects tissue along with it's origins.Yet that too does not give a perfect explanation for Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis) which inject three to eight times more venom than necessary, end up with half of that venom lodged in the skin. So for now, the reasons behind the excess venom delivery by venomous snakes are still unknown. Warnings about venom While no person should actively go out and try to capture a venomous snake (without good reason) in the even that one finds said snake, the best precautions are to examine the encounter. If you're far enough away to leave then feel free to do so, you need not worry about the snake following you.If you're practically stepping on the snake things could be worse. At that point though one usually finds that one has been bitten. If bitten make sure to ID the snake. Remember as much as possible about it. For an idea of the type of venom that might have been injected in you consider the area that you are at and how the snake looked. Vipers, due to their large venom glands, have heart shaped heads. Elapids have nice thin heads. Colubrids are harder to tell apart from elapids, but a venomous elapid will give warning or have some type of forewarning available.Colubrid bites normally don't kill and are more a pain than anything else. Viper bites can be deadly and normally are very painful. Elapid bites are extremely lethal and antivenin treatment is a must if bitten. Although all this seems scary, it's best to remember that no venomous snake will attack without severe provocation. Look for the warning signs and watch where you step and you should be fine. Also remember many bites given are dry, so just because you were bitten doesn't mean you were envenomated. A good rule of thumb when dealing with a scared or cornered snake is that t he last thing it's going to want to do is bite.

Nursing as a career Essay

           Nursing as a Career, Vocation, or Job? Nursing as a Career, vocation or just a job is a question that may receive many different answers. In my own personal opinion, I think that Nursing could be all three for different people or even all three things for the same person. Is it so hard to believe that someone’s job is their career, and even that the person is lucky enough to have a career/job as their vocation in life? I think not. A job is something that one gets paid for, makes a living off of it and takes pride in their work. A career is a lifelong commitment to a job or line of work. You get paid for it, you sometimes get benefits and even get to retire. A vocation is a calling in life. It is God’s chosen area for one to work in or do. It is a special talent. â€Å"Individual nursing practice is determined by the career path selected and is dependent upon education, experience, work setting and geographical location. Nurses may follow their personal and professional interests by working with any group o f people, in any setting, at any time. There is no profession which offers as many opportunities for diversified roles as does nursing.† (Sigma Theta Tau,2014) â€Å"Using Blum’s model of vocations it is argued that such occupations are socially expressed within practices embodying traditions, norms and a range of meanings: industrial, social, personal and moral. Vocational workers are those who identify in certain ways with these traditions, norms and meanings.†(PubMed, 2002) â€Å"Nursing as a job requires not only treating patients who are sick and injured, but also offering advice and emotional support to patients and their families, taking care of paperwork (lots and lots of paperwork), helping doctors diagnose patients and providing advice and follow-up care.† (Snagajob,2014)

How To Use Exclamations and Exclamation Marks in Spanish

How To Use Exclamations and Exclamation Marks in Spanish As in English, an exclamation or exclamatory sentence in Spanish is a forceful utterance that can range from a single word to almost any sentence that is given extra emphasis, either by using a loud or urgent voice, or in writing by adding exclamation points. Types of Exclamations in Spanish However, in Spanish, it is very common for exclamations to take particular forms, the most common of which is starting with the exclamatory adjective or adverb quà ©. (Quà © also functions elsewhere as other parts of speech, most often as a pronoun.) When used that way, quà © can be followed by a noun, adjective, an adjective followed by a noun, or an adverb followed by a verb. When it is followed by a noun, an article is not used before the noun. Some examples:  ¡Quà © lstima! (What a shame!) ¡Quà © problema! (What a problem!) ¡Quà © vista! (What a view!) ¡Quà © bonita! (How cute!) ¡Quà © difà ­cil! (How difficult!) ¡Quà © aburrido! (How tedious!) ¡Quà © fuerte hombre! (What a strong man!) ¡Quà © feo perro! (What an ugly dog!) ¡Quà © lejos est la escuela! (The school is so far away!) ¡Quà © maravillosamente toca la guitarra! (How beautifully she plays the guitar!) ¡Quà © rpido pasa el tiempo! (How time flies!) If you follow the noun after quà © with an adjective, ms or tan is added between the two words:  ¡Quà © vida ms triste! (What a sad life!) ¡Quà © aire ms puro! (What clean air!) ¡Quà © idea tan importante! (What an important idea!) ¡Quà © persona tan feliz! (What a happy person!) Note that the ms or tan doesnt have to be translated directly. When emphasizing quantity or extent, it also is common to begin an exclamation with cunto or one of its variations for number or gender:  ¡Cuntas araà ±as! (What a lot of spiders!) ¡Cunto pelo tienes! (What a head of hair you have!) ¡Cunta mantequilla! (What a lot of butter!) ¡Cunto hambre hay en esta ciudad! (What a lot of hunger there is in this city!) ¡Cunto he estudiado! (I studied a lot!) ¡Cunto te quiero mucho! (I love you a lot!) Finally, exclamations arent limited to the above forms; it isnt even necessary to have a complete sentence.  ¡No puedo creerlo! (I cant believe it!) ¡No! (No!) ¡Policà ­a! (Police!) ¡Es imposible! (Its impossible!) ¡Ay! (Ouch!) ¡Es mà ­o! (Its mine!) ¡Ayuda! (Help!) ¡Eres loca! (Youre crazy!) Using Exclamation Points Although this rule is commonly violated in informal Spanish, especially in social media, Spanish exclamation marks always come in pairs, an inverted or upside-down exclamation point to open the exclamation and a standard exclamation point to end it. The use of such paired exclamation marks is straightforward when an exclamation stands alone, as in all the examples above, but it gets more complicated when only part of a sentence is exclamatory. The upside-down exclamation mark doesnt exist in languages other than Spanish and Galician, a minority language of Spain. When an exclamation is introduced by other words, the exclamation points surround only the exclamation, which isnt capitalized. Roberto,  ¡me encanta el pelo! (Roberto, I love your hair!)i gano el premio,  ¡yupi! (If I win the prize, yippee!) But when other words follow the exclamation, they are included inside the exclamation marks.  ¡Me encanto el pelo, Roberto! (I love your hair, Roberto.)Yupi si gano el premio! (Yippee if I win the prize!) If you have several short connected exclamations in a row, they can be treated as separate sentences or they can be separated with commas or semicolons. If theyre separated by commas or semicolons, the exclamations after the first arent capitalized.  ¡Hemos ganado!,  ¡guau!,  ¡me sorprende!(We won! Wow! Im surprised!) Special Uses of Exclamation Marks To indicate strong emphasis, you can use up to three consecutive exclamation points. The number of marks before and after the exclamation should match. Although such use of multiple exclamation points isnt used in standard English, it is acceptable in Spanish.  ¡Ã‚ ¡Ã‚ ¡No lo quiero!!! (I dont want it!) ¡Ã‚ ¡Quà © asco!! (Thats disgusting!) As in informal English, a single exclamation mark can be placed within parentheses to indicate that something is surprising. Mi tà ­o tiene 43 (!) coches. (My uncle has 43 (!) cars.)La doctora se durmià ³ (!) durante la operacià ³n. (The doctor fell asleep (!) during the operation.) An exclamation mark can be combined with a question mark when a sentence expresses incredulity or otherwise combines elements of emphasis and questioning. The order doesnt matter, although the sentence should begin and end with the same type of mark.  ¡Ã‚ ¿Pedro dijo quà ©?! (Pedro said what?) ¿!Viste Catarina en la jaula!? (You saw Catarina in jail?) Key Takeaways As in English, exclamations in Spanish are sentences, phrases, or even single words that are especially forceful.It is common for Spanish exclamation to begin with quà © or a form of cunto.Spanish exclamations begin with an inverted exclamation mark.

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance

Giotto di Bondone - Father of the Renaissance Giotto di Bondone was known for being the earliest artist to paint more realistic figures rather than the stylized artwork of the medieval and Byzantine eras Giotto is considered by some scholars to be the most important Italian painter of the 14th century.  His focus on emotion and natural representations of human figures would be emulated and expanded upon by successive artists, leading Giotto to be called the Father of the Renaissance. Places of Residence and Influence Italy: Florence Important Dates Born: c. 1267Died: Jan. 8, 1337 Quotation from Giotto Every painting is a voyage into a sacred harbor. About Giotto di Bondone Though many stories and legends have circulated about Giotto and his life, very little can be confirmed as fact. He was born in Colle di Vespignano, near Florence, in 1266 or 1267- or, if Vasari is to be believed, 1276. His family was probably farmers. Legend has it that while he was tending goats he drew a picture on a rock and that the artist Cimabue, who happened to be passing by, saw him at work and was so impressed with the boys talent that he took him into his studio as an apprentice.  Whatever the actual events, Giotto appears to have been trained by an artist of great skill, and his work is clearly influenced by Cimabue. Giotto is believed to have been short and ugly. He was personally acquainted with Boccaccio, who recorded his impressions of the artist and several  stories of his wit and humor; these were included by Giorgio Vasari in the chapter on Giotto  in his  Lives of the Artists.  Giotto  was married and at the time of his death, he was survived by at least six children. The Works of Giotto There exists no documentation to confirm any artwork as having been painted by Giotto di Bondone. However, most scholars agree on several of his paintings. As an assistant to Cimabue, Giotto is believed to have worked on projects in Florence and other places in Tuscany, and in Rome. Later, he also traveled to Naples and Milan. Giotto almost undoubtedly painted the Ognissanti Madonna (currently in the Uffizi in Florence) and the fresco cycle in the Arena Chapel (also known as the Scrovegni Chapel)  at Padua, considered by some scholars to be his masterwork.  In Rome, Giotto is believed to have created  the mosaic of  Christ Walking on the Water  over the entrance to St. Peter’s, the  altarpiece at the  Vatican Museum, and  the fresco of  Boniface VIII Proclaiming the Jubilee  in  St. John Lateran.   Perhaps his best-known work is that done in Assisi, in the Upper Church of San Francesco: a cycle of 28 frescoes depicting the life of Saint Francis of Assisi. This monumental work depicts the entire life of the saint, instead of isolated events, as had been the tradition in ​earlier medieval artwork. The authorship of this cycle, like most of the works attributed to Giotto, has been called into question; but it is very likely that he not only worked in the church but designed the cycle and painted most of the frescoes. Other important works by Giotto include the Sta Maria Novella Crucifix, completed sometime in the 1290s, and the Life of St. John the Baptist fresco cycle, completed c. 1320. Giotto was also known as a sculptor and architect. Though there is no concrete evidence for these assertions, he was appointed chief architect of the workshop of Florence cathedral in 1334. The Fame of Giotto Giotto was a much-sought-after artist during his lifetime. He appears in works by his contemporary  Dante  as well as  Boccaccio.  Vasari said of him, Giotto restored the link between art and nature. Giotto di Bondone died in Florence, Italy, on January 8, 1337. More Giotto di Bondone Resources Painting of Giotto by Paolo UccelloBooks on Giotto include Giottoby  Francesca Flores dArcais Giotto(Taschen Basic Art)by Norbert Wolf Giotto(DK Art Books)by  Dorling Kindersley Giotto: The Founder of Renaissance ArtHis Life in Paintingsby  DK Publishing Giotto: The Frescoes of the Scrovegni Chapel in Paduaby Giuseppe Basile Giotto di Bondone on the Web WebMuseum: Giotto Extensive examination of Giottos life and work by Nicolas Pioch. Renaissance Art and Architecture

Write an essay comparing and contrasting life in the colonies (pick

Write an comparing and contrasting life in the colonies (pick two colonies and discuss) - Essay Example Burkina Faso, formerly Upper Volta is a small, poor, landlocked country in West Africa which later became the part of French West Africa in 1896. A large number of people in Burkina Faso live in rural areas. The extended family and tribes are the basic social units. Excessive population and drought carved the people and they were compelled to move neighboring countries in search of better life facilities. If one compares the French colonies with that of the American, one can find that there existed somewhat a far better living condition in American colonies which allowed the freedom for education and health facilities for the colonists. Most of the colonies of the world faced the same problem of the wide dispersal of population and the migration of educated people to city life. The New England colonies in America gave more emphasis to education which later paved the way for the renewal of most of the colonies. The Dame school system was very common in the time of early colonial days. The one room school is managed by a woman in her house, with a few children. The political conditions were crucial in Burkina Faso before the conquest of France in the 1890s.The Islamic empire of Mali and Songhai ruled before the arrival of France into the scene. In Burkina Faso, the political life has been controlled by the small group of educated people, military officers and labor unions. The result of extreme poverty, political instability became a curse in Burkina Faso region. After the advent of French administration, these political organizations and labor unions demanded political freedom. The social life was so pathetic and the vegetation was mainly depended on seasonal rain. The poor soil supports few fruit trees and crops, which were insufficient for the inhabitants. While in New England colonies in America have been developed a different social

Businesses have no responsibility whatever to protect and conserve the Assignment

Businesses have no responsibility whatever to protect and conserve the natural environment - Assignment Example 281). The participation in the environmental conservation and protection requires the use of business funds to pursue a corporate social responsibility agenda. It is not in the power of business management to invest funds in environmental protection. Business leaders use the logic of delivering profits to business owners (Jackson 1996, p. 159). The owners can choose to use the profits in environmental conservation ventures. In any case, the participation in environmental protection and conservation can serve to reduce economic efficiency and profit margins of the business. In addition, if businesses are to participate in the conservation and protection of the environment, they are likely to pass on the costs to the customers. Therefore, the customers are more likely to pay more for goods and services. Participation in environmental conservation is one of the corporate social responsibility sectors that may serve to impose unequal costs among competitors (Blowfield & Murray 2008, p. 240). Evidently, the modern business front is highly competitive. Therefore, when businesses face the compulsion of investing in environmental conservation, they register higher costs than competitors placing them at a disadvantage (Henderson 2009, p. 13). The role of environmental conservation and protection should be taken up by every individual in the society, and not imposed on businesses alone. Therefore, businesses should not feel compelled to participate in environmental conservation. Worth noting is the fact that businesses should only do what is required by the law , and what is dictated by the commercial priorities while maximizing profits (Sinha 2012, p. 704). Sinha, GA 2012, Corporate Social Responsibility in the 21st Cent, New York University Journal Of International Law & Politics, 44, 2, pp. 702-706, International Security & Counter