Mermaid Purse vs. Skate Case

Mermaid Purse vs. Skate Case Perhaps youve found a mermaids purse on the beach. Mermaids purses blend really well with seaweed, so you may also have walked right by one. Upon further investigation, you can learn more about what they are. The enchantingly named structures are the egg cases of skates and some sharks. This is why they are also known as skate cases. While some sharks bear live young, some sharks (and all skates) release their embryos in leathery egg cases that have horns and sometimes long tendrils at each corner. The tendrils allow them to anchor to seaweeds or other substrates. Each egg case contains one embryo. The case is made up of a material that is a combination of collagen and keratin, so a dried egg case feels similar to a fingernail.   In some areas, such as in the Bering Sea, skates seem to lay these eggs in nursery areas.  Depending on the species and sea conditions, the embryo may take weeks, months or even years to fully develop. When they hatch out of one end, the baby animals look like miniature versions of their skate or shark parents.   If you find a mermaids purse on the beach or are lucky enough to see a live one in the wild or in an aquarium, look closely if the developing skate or shark is still alive, you may be able to see it wiggling around.  You also may be able to see it if you shine a light through one side. The egg cases on the beach are often light and already opened, which means the animal inside has already hatched and left the egg case.   Where to Find a Mermaids Purse Mermaids purses usually get washed or blown to the high tide line of the beach, and they often get wrapped up in (and blend in well with) seaweeds and shells. As youre walking along the beach, walk in the area where shells and ocean debris seems to have washed up, and you might be lucky enough to find a mermaids purse. You may be more likely to find one after a storm.   Mermaids Purse Identification Found a mermaids purse on the beach and want to know where it is from?  Skate and shark species vary by region, but there are some identification guides out there for you beachcombers wanting to identify your finds. Here are the ones Ive found so far: Egg Cases of Alaska (great pamphlet about where baby skates come from)Shark Trust Egg Case Identification Key (UK) Conservation Factors To learn about population sizes and reproduction, some organizations have launched citizen science efforts to have people report and send in egg cases they find on the beach. Click on the links below for more information on reporting mermaids purses that you may find. The Great Egg Case Hunt (Shark Trust, UK)Marine Dimensions (Ireland) References and More Information Florida Museum of Natural History. Shark Biology. Accessed February 28, 2015.Florida Museum of Natural History. Ray and Skate Biology. Accessed February 28, 2015.Shark Trust. The Great Egg Case Hunt Project: Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed February 28, 2015.Weis, J. S. Do Fish Sleep? Fascinating Answers to Questions About Fishes. Rutgers University Press. 217pp.

Name the year - Emphasis

Name the year Name the year Almost a month into the first year of the new decade and the time may have come to pick a side: is it twenty-ten or two thousand and ten? Most people seem to be automatically going with the latter, but they are wrong to do so, claims one American group. This is NAGG (the National Association of Good Grammar), a small group that may actually just be one bloke, a cat and a kettle (they dont even have their own website). Despite their size, they are reportedly very vocal on this subject. Theyre adamant it should be twenty ten and are, frankly, exceedingly put out that we spent the last ten years saying two thousand. Founder Tom Torriglia points out that we are not following the pattern of the twentieth century. Prince never sang, Tonight were going to party like its one thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine, thats for sure.

The risks associated with ionising radiation in medical imaging Assignment

The risks associated with ionising radiation in medical imaging practice, and the precautions required to protect aginst them - Assignment Example Due to the in effective training and inadequate awareness given to the staff as well as the patients they are exposed to more unnecessary radiation (Koenig et al 2001). Ionizing radiation is used in applications such as medical imaging in the hospitals and to perform diagnostic imaging. In the medical imaging, the most common forms of the ionizing radiations are the gamma rays and the x-rays. These medical imaging practices are important in the medical field because of the determination of the diseases and different injuries in the human body. However, aside from these benefits and life saving tool, these ionizing radiations has certain limits and conditions to be applied on the patients and people. The reason for this is due to the fact that high doses of these ionizing radiations are responsible for the formation of cancers. The ionizing radiation in the medical imaging is found to be one of the most important discoveries of the medical science. Even with the use of the new technol ogy, the equipments are highly capable of posing high radiation doses if the treatment procedure is not well maintained and followed (ICRP 2000). Whereas there is a strong debate going that the usage of these ionizing radiations may cause genetic mutations and cancers. As it is well known that there is no such dose below which there is no risk of any harm to the exposed one or a zero risk (ICRP 1990). So it is important to avoid the exposure to these ionizing radiations but how can this be possible. Of course someone that needs medical attention and for different diagnosis, one has to go through these treatments, but on the first hand the primary cure is to improve the life styles and the determinants that may cause the health damage to be improved. Below is the typical effective dose from x-ray radiation. Exam Effective Dose mSv (mrem)1 Chest (LAT) 0.04 (4) Chest (AP) 0.02 (2) Skull (AP) 0.03 (3) Skull (Lat) 0.01 (1) Pelvis (AP) 0.7 (70) Thoracic Spine (AP) 0.4 (40) Lumbar Spine (A P) 0.7 (70) Exam Effective Dose mSv (mrem)2 Mammogram (four views) 0.7 (70) Dental (lateral) 0.02 (2) Dental (panoramic) 0.09 (9) DEXA (whole body) 0.0004 (0.04) Hip 0.8 (80) Hand or Foot 0.005 (0.5) Abdomen 1.2 (120) By improving our health status and also improving our physical mental and social states, we can avoid these threats even at the first place to be exposed by such ionizing radiations even for the diagnosis. However the main concern regarding the ionizing radiation is the induced cancer among the young children from the CT scans. As the young children are more susceptible to get the cancer as compared to the elders, so the more controlled experiments and discoveries are to be made in order to avoid this risk of more cancer due to these ionizing radiations. But another debate that why the need for these medical imaging are increasing day by day even with the more sophisticated technology and new era of research, does that means that science failed to improve the health st atus of the world’s population even with the advancement. The answer could be controversial as the health is comprehensive phenomena and does not depend on one facto but many. So there is a need to improve the

Development of Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Development of Prostitution - Essay Example s â€Å"profession† vary greatly among those involved, the most common of which relate to poverty and destitution, although according to an unnamed Google-sponsored informative website (2010), other reasons such as a desire for drugs and/or alcohol, also exist. Despite its controversial nature, it is sometimes pondered whether its legalization would do greater harm than good. Thus, this article aims to discuss the pros and cons if ever prostitution were to be legalized, and to come up with a stand. Asia, America, Europe, wherever one goes, a very much active sex industry is sure to exist. Most industrialized nations have cities with their own red-light district, complete with clubs with neon signs, where those interested can experience a close encounter of the carnal kind. But regardless of where it occurs, prostitution is an issue worthy of note. Where it started, why it goes on, and why anyone would be drawn to it in the first place are just some questions people ask pertaining to this subject. An article by Iris Hickenbottom (2002) states that this particular trade dates back to ancient Mesopotamia, emerging in Victorian-era America in the middle of the 19th century. Public perception of the sex industry and of prostitutes in general varied greatly within this period, ranging from understanding and sympathy to indifference and finally to flat, outright rejection. While they had hitherto been thought of as life-draining demons in human guise, early feminists instead viewed them as victims of a male-dominated society – a viewpoint which slowly but surely altered the status of women all over. The same site goes on to note Dr. William Sanger, whose research on the topic was highly regarded due to being both accurate and detailed. Among the most important things he discovered was the general profile of a prostitute: they were said to mostly be in their late teens or early adulthood, and usually came from a background of poverty and illiteracy. Since at the time,

Ancient Indian Mathematics Essay Example for Free

Ancient Indian Mathematics Essay There are opposing views prevalent regarding the prominence of mathematics in ancient India. One, there are those who make excessive claims for the antiquity of Indian mathematics with the motive of emphasizing the uniqueness of Indian mathematical achievements. Whereas, the other conflicting views denies the existence of any ‘real’ Indian mathematics before A. D. 500. This view is the result of deeply entrenched Euro centrism that does not negotiate with the idea of independent developments in early Indian mathematics. Whereas mathematics grew out of philosophy in ancient Greece, it was an outcome of linguistic developments in India. In fact the algebraic character of ancient Indian mathematics is but a byproduct of the well-established linguistic tradition of representing numbers by words. ? Around 800 B. C. Vedic mathematics declined and Jains School of mathematics gradually which was to do notable work in the field. ? From about 200 B. C. was period of instability and fragmentation due to foreign invasions but also of useful cross cultural contacts. Probably the only piece of existing mathematical evidence from this period is the Bakhshali manuscript. ? This period ranges from 3rd to 12th centuries and is referred to as the classical period of Indian civilization. Mathematical activities reached a climax with the appearance of the famous quartet: Brahmagupta, Mahvika and Bhaskracharya. Indian work on astronomy and mathematics spread westward, reaching the Islamic world where it was absorbed, refined and augmented before being transmitted to Europe. This last period described as the medieval period of Indian history, saw the migration of astronomy and mathematics from the north to south. Particularly in present day state of Kerala, this was a period marked by remarkable studies of infinite series and mathematical analysis that predated similar works in Europe by about three hundred years. Harappan society was a highly organized society. There is every possibility that the town dwellers were skilled in mensuration and practical ar ithmetic of a bid similar to what was practiced in Egypt and Mesopotamia. Archaeological findings from that period provide the following indications of the numerate culture of that society: ? It shows uniformity of weights over such a wide area and time which is quite unusual in the history of metrology. Taking 27. 584 grams as a standard, representing 1, the other weights form a series of 0. 05, 0. 1, 0. 2, 0. 5, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500. Such standardization and durability is a strong indication of a numerate culture with wellestablished, centralized system of weights and measures. Scales and instruments for measuring length have also been discovered with remarkably high accuracy. A notable feature of Harappan culture was its extensive use of kiln-fired bricks and the advanced level of its brick-making technology. These bricks are exceptionally well baked and of excellent quality and may still be used over and over again provided some care is taken in removing them in the first place. Fifteen different sizes of Harappan bricks have been identif ied with standard ratio of the three dimensions as 4:2:1. It was thought until recently that from them evolved first the Bakhshali Number system and then the Gwalior system which is recognizably close to our present day number system. In both Bakshati and Gwalior number systems, ten symbols were used to represent 1 to 9 and zero. With them it became possible to express any number, irrespective of its largeness, by a decimal place value system. Long lists of number- names for powers of 10 are found in various early sources. In the Ramayana, it is reported that Rama had an army of 1010 +1014 +1020 +1024 +1030 +1034 +1040 +1044 +1052 +1057 +1062 +5 men. The very existence of names for powers of ten up to sixty two indicates that the Vedic Indians were quite at home with very large numbers. This is to be compared with ancient Greeks, who had no words for numbers above the myriad (104). The Jains who came after the Vedic Indians were particularly fascinated by even larger numbers which were intimately tied up with their philosophy of time and space. For units of measuring time, the Jains suggested following relationship: 1 purvis = 756 * 1011 days 1 shirsa prahelika = (8,400,000)28 purvis The last number contains 194 digits! The word numeral system was the logical outcome of proceeding by the multiples of 10. Such a system presupposes a scientifically based vocabulary of number names in which the principles of addition, subtraction and multiplication are used. Â  Due to oral mode of preserving and disseminating knowledge, the wordnumeral system persisted in India. As a replacement to this, a new concrete system was devised to help versification and memory, known as bhutasamkhya, wherein numbers were indicated by well-known objects or ideas.

Canterbury Tales - Downfall of the Church in Chaucer’s General Prologue :: Canterbury Tales

Canterbury Tales - Downfall of the Church in Chaucer’s General Prologue Light-hearted yet bitingly satirical, Chaucer’s â€Å"General Prologue† to his Canterbury Tales is a commentary on the corruptions of the Church at the time. Chaucer, being of noble estate, retains his witticism in his narrator. The narrator devotes many a line to the vivid portrayals of the Prioress and the Frere. Through the actions of these two members of the clergy, it is seen that the lust for material goods, the need for flaunting one’s estate, and the development of hypocrisy all contribute to the shaking of the Church’s foundations. Enfolded in the coils of luxury, the Prioress and the Frere can hardly recall their missions as part of the clergy. Is not gluttony evil in the eyes of the Church? Although not allowing any â€Å"morsel from hir lippes falle† (Chaucer, l. 128) can be viewed as a sign of â€Å"wasting not† in the Prioress, Chaucer’s narrator’s detailed and realistic descriptions of the Prioress’s table manners impress upon one that food and drink is the quintessence of this woman’s faith in the Church. The Frere, too, delights in merry living. Not only does he know the taverns in every town, he also knows â€Å"every hostiler and tappestere,/Bet than a lazar or a beggestere† (ll. 240-242). The Frere spends most of his time playing the rote and singing ballads (ll. 236-237); he also showers â€Å"faire wives† with gifts such as â€Å"knives† and â€Å"pinnes† (ll. 233-234). How is it then that the Frere needs to be g? He is the â€Å"beste beggere in his hous† (l. 252), and he can coax a â€Å"widwe [who] hadde nought a sho† (l. 255) to give him money. Is this not ridiculous when, during love-dayes, the Frere can - like a butterfly breaking out of its cocoon - shed his begging clothes and wear ceremonial gowns as rich and as fine as a maister’s or a pope’s? Contrary to the Church’s belief in not hoarding material goods, the Prioress delights in dressing fashionably in a neat cloak, with coral around her arms, and a gold brooch about her neck (ll. 157-162). As feasting and dressing shrewdly seem to occupy the bulk of these religious’ time, it must be that the Church is now based on hedonism instead of faith and humility!

Million

Since this is a website concerning the sell of pixels for a dollar and having the public buy and advertise their pages or business for only a dollar. According to the innovator, who thought of the idea to pay for his college degree achieved a sold out audience achieving one million dollars. The milliondollarsailor.com is trying to achieve the same goal but to use the funds generated to give 50% to the creator of the site and the other half to the Navy and Marine Corps Relief Society. Although, the intention for the purpose of the money is a great idea, the case arises in how to promote a new idea in informational technology. First, the website should be clear on its goal and purpose for the site. Presently, the website lacks explanation and what the customer should see as the outcome. If the person does not go to the milliondollarhomepage.com, than it is not aware of the end result. The site is sort of an advertising mall that you pick the box that can get you the product. Marketing a website like this a bit of the problem because what is the gimmick to attack people to it. In order, for someone to want to buy a pixel it must have a business or be offering service in order to advertise. However, for this site good way to spread the word about the site is through search engines, spreading flyers to the public, and placing banners through sources like myspace.com and sites that support the armed forces. Another way how the site can get promotion is through college students that are studying web design and marketing strategies to design links to the site from their pages to connect to yours. Also by offering that the site is a permenanted avenue for them to get hits to their website or corporate sites people are more likely to buy because it is something that will always generate customers. The most important tool your website can do is provide information to those interested in purchasing a pixel and letting them know it is a great investment that will generate business relationships or contacts. In the long run, the customers generate more business and the creator and the corps get a winning result. References: Tew Alex (2005) The Million Dollar Page; Copyrighted by Alex Tew 2005. The Million Dollar Sailor (2006) The Million Dollar Sailor: Copyrighted by milliondollarsailor.com http://www.themilliondollarsailor.com/link.php

Digital Fortress Chapter 110-114

Chapter 110 Jabba stared blankly at the printout Soshi had just handed him. Pale, he wiped his forehead on his sleeve. â€Å"Director, we have no choice. We've got to kill power to the databank.† â€Å"Unacceptable,† Fontaine replied. â€Å"The results would be devastating.† Jabba knew the director was right. There were over three thousand ISDN connections tying into the NSA databank from all over the world. Every day military commanders accessed up-to-the-instant satellite photos of enemy movement. Lockheed engineers downloaded compartmentalized blueprints of new weaponry. Field operatives accessed mission updates. The NSA databank was the backbone of thousands of U.S. government operations. Shutting it down without warning would cause life-and-death intelligence blackouts all over the globe. â€Å"I'm aware of the implications, sir,† Jabba said, â€Å"but we have no choice.† â€Å"Explain yourself,† Fontaine ordered. He shot a quick glance at Susan standing beside him on the podium. She seemed miles away. Jabba took a deep breath and wiped his brow again. From the look on his face, it was clear to the group on the podium that they were not going to like what he had to say. â€Å"This worm,† Jabba began. â€Å"This worm is not an ordinary degenerative cycle. It's a selective cycle. In other words, it's a worm with taste.† Brinkerhoff opened his mouth to speak, but Fontaine waved him off. â€Å"Most destructive applications wipe a databank clean, â€Å"Jabba continued, â€Å"but this one is more complex. It deletes only those files that fall within certain parameters.† â€Å"You mean it won't attack the whole databank?† Brinkerhoff asked hopefully. â€Å"That's good, right?† â€Å"No!† Jabba exploded. â€Å"It's bad! It's very fucking bad!† â€Å"Cool it!† Fontaine ordered. â€Å"What parameters is this worm looking for? Military? Covert ops?† Jabba shook his head. He eyed Susan, who was still distant, and then Jabba's eyes rose to meet the director's. â€Å"Sir, as you know, anyone who wants to tie into this databank from the outside has to pass a series of security gates before they're admitted.† Fontaine nodded. The databank's access hierarchies were brilliantly conceived; authorized personnel could dial in via the Internet and World Wide Web. Depending on their authorization sequence, they were permitted access to their own compartmentalized zones. â€Å"Because we're tied to the global Internet, â€Å"Jabba explained, â€Å"hackers, foreign governments, and EFF sharks circle this databank twenty-four hours a day and try to break in.† â€Å"Yes,† Fontaine said, â€Å"and twenty-four hours a day, our security filters keep them out. What's your point?† Jabba gazed down at the printout. â€Å"My point is this. Tankado's worm is not targeting our data.† He cleared his throat. â€Å"It's targeting our security filters.† Fontaine blanched. Apparently he understood the implications-this worm was targeting the filters that kept the NSA databank confidential. Without filters, all of the information in the databank would become accessible to everyone on the outside. â€Å"We need to shut down,† Jabba repeated. â€Å"In about an hour, every third grader with a modem is going to have top U.S. security clearance.† Fontaine stood a long moment without saying a word. Jabba waited impatiently and finally turned to Soshi. â€Å"Soshi! VR! NOW!† Soshi dashed off. Jabba relied on VR often. In most computer circles, VR meant â€Å"virtual reality,† but at the NSA it meant vis-rep-visual representation. In a world full of technicians and politicians all having different levels of technical understanding, a graphic representation was often the only way to make a point; a single plummeting graph usually aroused ten times the reaction inspired by volumes of spreadsheets. Jabba knew a VR of the current crisis would make its point instantly. â€Å"VR!† Soshi yelled from a terminal at the back of the room. A computer-generated diagram flashed to life on the wall before them. Susan gazed up absently, detached from the madness around her. Everyone in the room followed Jabba's gaze to the screen. The diagram before them resembled a bull's-eye. In the center was a red circle marked data. Around the center were five concentric circles of differing thickness and color. The outermost circle was faded, almost transparent. â€Å"We've got a five-tier level of defense,† Jabba explained. â€Å"A primary Bastion Host, two sets of packet filters for FTP and X-eleven, a tunnel block, and finally a PEM-based authorization window right off the Truffle project. The outside shield that's disappearing represents the exposed host. It's practically gone. Within the hour, all five shields will follow. After that, the world pours in. Every byte of NSA data becomes public domain.† Fontaine studied the VR, his eyes smoldering. Brinkerhoff let out a weak whimper. â€Å"This worm can open our databank to the world?† â€Å"Child's play for Tankado,† Jabba snapped. â€Å"Gauntlet was our fail-safe. Strathmore blew it.† â€Å"It's an act of war,† Fontaine whispered, an edge in his voice. Jabba shook his head. â€Å"I really doubt Tankado ever meant for it to go this far. I suspect he intended to be around to stop it.† Fontaine gazed up at the screen and watched the first of the five walls disappear entirely. â€Å"Bastion Host is toast!† a technician yelled from the back of the room. â€Å"Second shield's exposed!† â€Å"We've got to start shutting down,† Jabba urged. â€Å"From the looks of the VR, we've got about forty-five minutes. Shutdown is a complex process.† It was true. The NSA databank had been constructed in such a way as to ensure it would never lose power-accidentally or if attacked. Multiple fail-safes for phone and power were buried in reinforced steel canisters deep underground, and in addition to the feeds from within the NSA complex, there were multiple backups off main public grids. Shutting down involved a complex series of confirmations and protocols-significantly more complicated than the average nuclear submarine missile launch. â€Å"We have time,† Jabba said, â€Å"if we hurry. Manual shutdown should take about thirty minutes.† Fontaine continued staring up at the VR, apparently pondering his options. â€Å"Director!† Jabba exploded. â€Å"When these firewalls fall, every user on the planet will be issued top-security clearance! And I'm talking upper level! Records of covert ops! Overseas agents! Names and locations of everyone in the federal witness protection program! Launch code confirmations! We must shut down! Now!† The director seemed unmoved. â€Å"There must be some other way.† â€Å"Yes,† Jabba spat, â€Å"there is! The kill-code! But the only guy who knows it happens to be dead!† â€Å"How about brute force?† Brinkerhoff blurted. â€Å"Can we guess the kill-code?† Jabba threw up his arms. â€Å"For Christ sake! Kill-codes are like encryption keys-random! Impossible to guess! If you think you can type 600 trillion entries in the next forty-five minutes, be my guest!† â€Å"The kill-code's in Spain,† Susan offered weakly. Everyone on the podium turned. It was the first thing she had said in a long time. Susan looked up, bleary-eyed. â€Å"Tankado gave it away when he died.† Everyone looked lost. â€Å"The pass-key†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan shivered as she spoke. â€Å"Commander Strathmore sent someone to find it.† â€Å"And?† Jabba demanded. â€Å"Did Strathmore's man find it?† Susan tried to fight it, but the tears began to flow. â€Å"Yes,† she choked. â€Å"I think so.† Chapter 111 An earsplitting yell cut through the control room. â€Å"Sharks!† It was Soshi. Jabba spun toward the VR. Two thin lines had appeared outside the concentric circles. They looked like sperm trying to breach a reluctant egg. â€Å"Blood's in the water, folks!† Jabba turned back to the director. â€Å"I need a decision. Either we start shutting down, or we'll never make it. As soon as these two intruders see the Bastion Host is down, they'll send up a war cry.† Fontaine did not respond. He was deep in thought. Susan Fletcher's news of the pass-key in Spain seemed promising to him. He shot a glance toward Susan in the back of the room. She appeared to be in her own world, collapsed in a chair, her head buried in her hands. Fontaine was unsure exactly what had triggered the reaction, but whatever it was, he had no time for it now. â€Å"I need a decision!† Jabba demanded. â€Å"Now!† Fontaine looked up. He spoke calmly. â€Å"Okay, you've got one. We are not shutting down. We're going to wait.† Jabba's jaw dropped. â€Å"What? But that's-â€Å" â€Å"A gamble,† Fontaine interrupted. â€Å"A gamble we just might win.† He took Jabba's cellular and punched a few keys. â€Å"Midge,† he said. â€Å"It's Leland Fontaine. Listen carefully†¦.† Chapter 112 â€Å"You better know what the hell you're doing, Director,† Jabba hissed. â€Å"We're about to lose shut-down capability.† Fontaine did not respond. As if on cue, the door at the back of the control room opened, and Midge came dashing in. She arrived breathless at the podium. â€Å"Director! The switchboard is patching it through right now!† Fontaine turned expectantly toward the screen on the front wall. Fifteen seconds later the screen crackled to life. The image on screen was snowy and stilted at first, and gradually grew sharper. It was a QuickTime digital transmission-only five frames per second. The image revealed two men. One was pale with a buzz cut, the other a blond all-American. They were seated facing the camera like two newscasters waiting to go on the air. â€Å"What the hell is this?† Jabba demanded. â€Å"Sit tight,† Fontaine ordered. The men appeared to be inside a van of some sort. Electronic cabling hung all around them. The audio connection crackled to life. Suddenly there was background noise. â€Å"Inbound audio,† a technician called from behind them. â€Å"Five seconds till two-way.† â€Å"Who are they?† Brinkerhoff asked, uneasily. â€Å"Eye in the sky,† Fontaine replied, gazing up at the two men he had sent to Spain. It had been a necessary precaution. Fontaine had believed in almost every aspect of Strathmore's plan-the regrettable but necessary removal of Ensei Tankado, rewriting Digital Fortress-it was all solid. But there was one thing that made Fontaine nervous: the use of Hulohot. Hulohot was skilled, but he was a mercenary. Was he trustworthy? Would he take the pass-key for himself? Fontaine wanted Hulohot covered, just incase, and he had taken the requisite measures. Chapter 113 â€Å"Absolutely not!† The man with the buzz cut yelled into the camera. â€Å"We have orders! We report to Director Leland Fontaine and Leland Fontaine only!† Fontaine looked mildly amused. â€Å"You don't know who I am, do you?† â€Å"Doesn't matter, does it?† the blond fired hotly. â€Å"Let me explain,† Fontaine interjected. â€Å"Let me explain something right now.† Seconds later, the two men were red-faced, spilling their guts to the director of the National Security Agency. â€Å"D-director,† the blond stammered, â€Å"I'm Agent Coliander. This is Agent Smith.† â€Å"Fine,† Fontaine said. â€Å"Just brief us.† At the back of the room, Susan Fletcher sat and fought the suffocating loneliness that pressed down around her. Eyes closed, and ears ringing, she wept. Her body had gone numb. The mayhem in the control room faded to a dull murmur. The gathering on the podium listened, restless, as Agent Smith began his briefing. â€Å"On your orders, Director,† Smith began, â€Å"we've been here in Seville for two days, trailing Mr. Ensei Tankado.† â€Å"Tell me about the kill,† Fontaine said impatiently. Smith nodded. â€Å"We observed from inside the van at about fifty meters. The kill was smooth. Hulohot was obviously a pro. But afterward his directive went awry. Company arrived. Hulohot never got the item.† Fontaine nodded. The agents had contacted him in South America with news that something had gone wrong, so Fontaine had cut his trip short. Coliander took over. â€Å"We stayed with Hulohot as you ordered. But he never made a move for the morgue. Instead, he picked up the trail of some other guy. Looked private. Coat and tie.† â€Å"Private?† Fontaine mused. It sounded like a Strathmore play-wisely keeping the NSA out of it. â€Å"FTP filters failing!† a technician called out. â€Å"We need the item,† Fontaine pressed. â€Å"Where is Hulohot now?† Smith looked over his shoulder. â€Å"Well†¦ he's with us, sir.† Fontaine exhaled. â€Å"Where?† It was the best new she'd heard all day. Smith reached toward the lens to make an adjustment. The camera swept across the inside of the van to reveal two limp bodies propped against the back wall. Both were motionless. One was a large man with twisted wire-rim glasses. The other was young with a shock of dark hair and a bloody shirt. â€Å"Hulohot's the one on the left,† Smith offered. â€Å"Hulohot's dead?† the director demanded. â€Å"Yes, sir.† Fontaine knew there would be time for explanations later. He glanced up at the thinning shields. â€Å"Agent Smith,† he said slowly and clearly. â€Å"The item. I need it.† Smith looked sheepish. â€Å"Sir, we still have no idea what the item is. We're on a need-to-know.† Chapter 114 â€Å"Then look again!† Fontaine declared. The director watched in dismay as the stilted image of the agents searched the two limp bodies in the van for a list of random numbers and letters. Jabba was pale. â€Å"Oh my God, they can't find it. We're dead!† â€Å"Losing FTP filters!† a voice yelled. â€Å"Third shield's exposed!† There was a new flurry of activity. On the front screen, the agent with the buzz cut held out his arms in defeat. â€Å"Sir, the pass-key isn't here. We've searched both men. Pockets. Clothing. Wallets. No sign at all. Hulohot was wearing a Monocle computer, and we've checked that too. It doesn't look like he ever transmitted anything remotely resembling random characters-only a list of kills.† â€Å"Dammit!† Fontaine seethed, suddenly losing his cool. â€Å"It's got to be there! Keep looking!† Jabba had apparently seen enough-Fontaine had gambled and lost. Jabba took over. The huge Sys-Sec descended from his pulpit like a storm off a mountain. He swept through his army of programmers calling out commands. â€Å"Access auxiliary kills! Start shutting it down! Do it now!† â€Å"We'll never make it!† Soshi yelled. â€Å"We need a half hour! By the time we shut down, it will be too late!† Jabba opened his mouth to reply, but he was cut short by a scream of agony from the back of the room. Everyone turned. Like an apparition, Susan Fletcher rose from her crouched position in the rear of the chamber. Her face was white, her eyes transfixed on the freeze-frame of David Becker, motionless and bloody, propped up on the floor of the van. â€Å"You killed him!† she screamed. â€Å"You killed him!† She stumbled toward the image and reached out. â€Å"David†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Everyone looked up in confusion. Susan advanced, still calling, her eyes never leaving the projection of David's body. â€Å"David.† She gasped, staggering forward. â€Å"Oh, David†¦ how could they-â€Å" Fontaine seemed lost. â€Å"You know this man?† Susan swayed unsteadily as she passed the podium. She stopped a few feet in front of the enormous projection and stared up, bewildered and numb, calling over and over to the man she loved.

Definition and Examples of Stative Verbs

Definition and Examples of Stative Verbs In English grammar, a stative verb is a  verb used primarily to describe a state of being  (I am) or situation (I have). Its how something is, feels, or appears. These verbs dont show physical action (I run) or processes (It prints). Stative verbs can describe a mental or emotional state of being (I doubt) as well as a physical state (Kilroy was here). The situations illustrated by state verbs are unchanging while they last and can continue for a long or indefinite time period. Key Takeaways: Stative Verbs Stative verbs are not action or dynamic verbs.  Stative verbs describe how something is or seems or a mental process.Revise them out of your writing to increase imagery and details in a passage. Common examples include be, have, like, seem, prefer, understand,  belong, doubt, hate,  and  know, such as in the saying, We  are  what we  believe  we  are. These types of words are also known as  being verbs (especially in the case of be, am, is, are, was, and were), or  static verbs.  Contrast them with  dynamic verbs, which show action. Types of Stative Verbs Four types of stative verbs include: senses, emotion, being, and possession. Theres no one right way to classify them, of course, and some words can fit in multiple categories, depending on the context of their usage. Geoffrey Leach and colleagues group the four types this way: (a) Perception and sensation (e.g.  see, hear, smell, hurt, taste)...(b) Cognition, emotion, attitude (e.g.  think, feel, forget, long, remember)...(c) Having and being (e.g.  be, have, have to, cost, require)...(d) Stance (e.g.  sit, stand, lie, live, face) (Geoffrey Leech, Marianne Hundt, Christian Mair, and Nicholas Smith, Change in Contemporary English: A Grammatical Study. Cambridge University Press, 2012) Sensing Verbs Senses and perception verbs include data coming into your five senses: SeeHearSmellTasteSeemSoundLookSense Emotion and Thought Verbs Emotion and thought verbs include: LoveHateAdoreLikeDespiseDoubtFeelBelieveForgetRememberLongAgree/disagreeEnjoyNeedThinkRecognizePreferUnderstandSuspectAppear Possession Verbs Possession verbs include: HaveBelongIncludeOwnWant Being/Qualities Verbs Verbs that describe states of  being include: Be/Are/IsWeighContainInvolveContainConsist Writing Advice: Revise Them Out Some writing advice will tell you never to use to be verbs, but sometimes theyre unavoidable. Of course, if you can revise a paragraph that has a bunch of lifeless verbs into one where theres more action, thats typically the way to go, as it makes your writing more dynamic and sensory for the reader.   For example, look at the sentence, His room was a mess. This description could mean a lot of things to different people, such as a neat freak vs. a clutter bug. But if you revise to include sensory imagery and more description, youll have a much fuller experience for the reader and less ambiguity. Revised description: Piles of dirty clothes rose from the floor, books and papers covered the desk, and trash overflowed the wastebasket. Grammar: To Be but Not to Being Though stative verbs can be in the present, past, or future tenses, theyre not usually in motion. That is, stative verbs usually dont occur in the progressive  form (an -ing verb form paired with a helper, such as in are trying; you wouldnt say, for example, I am having a pencil.)   Of course, our malleable English language is made up of exceptions to the rules. Susan J. Behrens, in Grammar: A Pocket Guide, notes, [T]here is some advertising that plays with stative verbs. The McDonalds slogan Im loving it uses a stative verb in the present progressive form (Routledge, 2010). These types of usages are becoming more common, denoting conditions that are temporary, such as in, Youre looking awesome tonight. Some argue that you cant use them in the imperative mood (the command form, such as in the sentence Come with me), but there are plenty of exceptions here, too, because even though the contexts where you use them in this way would be pretty narrow, they still exist. You could give someone an item and say, Have it. You could plead with someone, Love me, or make a person bristle by forcefully imploring, Understand this... Exceptions: Both Stative and Dynamic English also has plenty of gray areas, where a word isnt always only in one or the other category- sometimes words are stative and sometimes active. As with so many things in English, it depends on context. Sylvia Chalker and Tom McArthur explained, It is generally more useful to talk of stative and dynamic meaning and usage  [rather than types alone]...Some verbs belong to both categories but with distinct meanings, as with have in She has red hair  [stative] and She is having dinner [active] (The Oxford Companion to the English Language. Oxford University Press, 1992). Another example could be with the word feel. Someone can feel sad (a state of being), and a person can also physically feel a texture (an action). They can also  tell others to check it out as well: Feel how soft!   Or even think can be in both categories, even though it doesnt seem like a very dynamic process. Compare the usage of  I think thats really lousy with the famous scene in Back to the Future when Biff comes up to George in the cafe and commands him, Think, McFly! Think, while knocking on his head.

Complete List of High School Electives

Complete List of High School Electives SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips Are you thinking about high school electives and wondering what your options are? Unlike required courses, electives are classes you choose based on your interests. Most high schools offer electives that cover a wide variety of topics, so you're sure to find some that interest you! This list was created by compiling the elective options from numerous high schools across the country. A variety of schools were used including public, private, large and small schools in order to create a complete list of high school electives. How to Use This List This list is intended to give you an introduction to all the possible electives you may come across as a high school student. You can use it as a starting point for doing more in-depth research of your own school's electives. Read through the list below, making note of any course names that seem particularly interesting. Then, grab a copy of your school's course catalog (ask your guidance counselor if you don't know where to find it), and look to see which of the electives you found interesting are offered by your school. Read through the course descriptions if necessary because electives can have different names depending on the school offering them, even if they cover essentially the same topic (for example, the culinary arts class listed below could also be called cooking, foods, or something similar). Mark the interesting electives you find in your course catalog as potential classes to take in the future. Also, because this list organizes electives by category, you can see which categories have the most interesting electives for you. While electives don’t include all topics covered in a specific field, if you marked, for example, a lot of the science electives as potentially interesting topics to study, you may want to think about continuing to study science in college. Being interested in your classes is one of the best way to get higher grades and enjoy what you’re learning. Now that you have the complete list, are you wondering how to choose which electives to take? We have a guide for that! Read through it to learn how many electives you'll be able to take and how to choose electives that are both interesting and will strengthen your college applications! What If Your School Doesn't Offer an Elective Listed Below? It would be impossible for any single school to offer every elective on this list; there are simply too many. Schools choose which electives to offer based on a number of factors including location, student population, resources available, teacher expertise, and student interest. If you are interested in one of the electives on this list but don't see it offered in your school's course catalog, you can take the following actions: Talk to your guidance counselor or department head. The elective may be under a different name than the one listed below, or your school may offer a similar course. If there is no comparable course and you are really interested in the subject, talk to your guidance counselor and see if it’s possible for you to do an independent study or take the course at a local community college. The Complete List of Electives Business Accounting Business law Business management Consumer education Entrepreneurial skills Introduction to business Marketing Personal finance Computer Science/Information Technology Animation App development Audio production Computer programming Computer repair Film production Graphic design Media technology Music production Typing Video game development Web design Web programming Word processing Family and Consumer Science Chemistry of foods CPR training Culinary arts Early childhood development Early childhood education Family studies Fashion and retail merchandising Fashion construction Home economics Interior design Nutrition Want to build the best possible college application? We can help. PrepScholar Admissions is the world's best admissions consulting service. We combine world-class admissions counselors with our data-driven, proprietary admissions strategies. We've overseen thousands of students get into their top choice schools, from state colleges to the Ivy League. We know what kinds of students colleges want to admit. We want to get you admitted to your dream schools. Learn more about PrepScholar Admissions to maximize your chance of getting in. Foreign Language American Sign Language Ancient Greek Arabic Chinese French German Hebrew Italian Japanese Korean Latin Portuguese Russian Spanish You might even learn all the Dutch names of the Chinese zodiac signs! Language and Writing Advanced composition African literature Asian literature British literature Cinema studies Contemporary literature Creative writing Debate Film study Gothic literature Humanities Journalism Poetry Popular literature Practical writing Public speaking Rhetoric School yearbook Works of Shakespeare World literature Math Computer math Math applications Probability and statistics Quantitative literacy Trigonometry Performing Arts Choir Concert band Dance Drama Guitar Jazz band Marching band Music theory Orchestra Percussion Piano Theater technology World music Physical Education Aerobics Dance Gymnastics Health Lifeguard training Pilates Racquet sports Specialized sports Swimming Weight training Yoga Science Agriculture Astronomy Biotechnology Botany Earth science Environmental science Forensic science Geology Human physiology Marine biology Meteorology Oceanography Physics Sound and acoustics Zoology Social Studies African studies Asian studies Civics Cultural anthropology Current events Economics European history Human geography International relations Latin American studies Middle East studies Mythology Philosophy Physical anthropology Political studies Psychology Religious studies Sociology US government Women’s studies World politics World religions Visual Arts 3-D art Art history Ceramics Digital media Drawing Film production Jewelry design Painting Photography Printmaking Sculpture Vocational Education Auto body repair Auto mechanics Building construction Computer-aided drafting Cosmetology Criminal justice Driver Education Electronics FFA (Future Farmers of America) Fire science Heating and cooling systems Hospitality and tourism JROTC (Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps) Metalworking Networking Plumbing Production technology Refrigeration fundamentals Robotics Woodworking What's Next? Now that you know the options you have for electives, read our guide to learn how to choose electives that will interest you and strengthen your college applications. Trying to decide whether to take the ACT or the SAT? Read our guide to figure out which test will get you a better score! Are you considering summer academic programs for middle school and high school students? Take a look at our guides for the TIP, SIG, CTY, and Stanford EPGY programs. Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. Download it for free now:

Two part paper about the recent financial crisis and Hyman Minsky's Dissertation - 1

Two part paper about the recent financial crisis and Hyman Minsky's theories - Dissertation Example The stationary properties of all the variables are examined using Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root tests. To test for stationarity, the unit roots for each of the series are examined using the Augmented Dickey Fuller (ADF) unit root tests developed by Dickey (1976); Fuller (1976); Dickey and Fuller (1979). Here the null hypothesis that the time series belongs to the difference stationary process against the alternative that it belongs to the trend stationary process has been tested using two models, one with constant and the other with constant and trend. The optimum number of lags is selected using Akaike Information Criteria. 45 3.4 Hypothesis Testing 47 3.5.4 Model Limitations 48 3.6. 5 Hyman Minsky’s Articulation 49 Chapter 4 – Statistical Result 55 4.1 Empirical Evidences for Greenspan’s Theories 55 H 63 R 63 D 63 B 63 FRM 63 Constant 63 -1.000 63 0.03(0.56) 63 0.07(0.04) 63 0.09(0.03) 63 -0.002(0.65) 63 -0.23(0.03) 63 0.002(0.15) 63 -1.000 63 0.04(0. 03) 63 0.43(0.04) 63 -0.004(0.21) 63 -0.65(0.76) 63 0.001(0.14) 63 0.002(0.013) 63 -1.000 63 0.32(0.14) 63 -0.001(0.11) 63 -0.43(0.16) 63 4.2 Empirical Evidences for Taylor’s Theory 67 Price Expectations and Housing 70 4.3 Empirical Evidences for Hyman Minsky’s Theory on Financial Crisis 72 Chapter 5 – Data Analysis and Interpretation 75 5.1 Discussion of Greenspan’s Theory 75 5.2 Discussion of Taylor’s Theory 83 5.3 Discussion of Minsky’s Theory 88 Chapter 6- Conclusion 94 References 100 Chapter 1- Introduction 1.1 Background In 2007, a number of leading European and U.S. banks were severely impacted by the collapse of mortgage-backed instruments that were mainly a by-product of their ‘packaging’. To the dismay of financial institutions, these toxic assets comprised a major portion of the bank’s asset base. The high demand in the housing market was triggered by historically low (many would argue below equilibrium) intere st rates. This ‘artificial’ demand led to a bubble in the housing sector that subsequently burst once the Fed raised interest rates, paving the way for a series of delinquencies. Buoyed by the booming housing market, banks granted loans to subprime borrowers who under ‘normal’ conditions, would have been rejected. With the rise in interest rates, these subprime borrowers failed to pay back on their house payments which resulted in a plethora of loan foreclosures. The rising defaults led to a credit crunch because financial institutions suddenly became very wary of lending to each other. For example, a steep rise in liquidity costs resulted in the â€Å"first bank run† in Britain in over 150 years. The enduing credit crisis was the result of a sustained period of global imbalances and bubbles in asset prices. The Federal Reserve continuously kept interest rates at unprecedented low levels for a significant part of the decade, setting the stage for che ap credit. Many business leaders and financiers across the world considered U.S. households

Dance 234 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dance 234 - Assignment Example The dance is about the event that brought together various choreographers and performers who took part in the performance. The BoSoma2 created the choreography for the dance as created by the directors of the dance company. The leadership of the company consists of three members of the company. The company seeks to utilize the rigorous athleticism that exists within the entertainment industry. Judging by the movie, the dance was on 27th of February 2015. The show presented is the Third Life Choreographer that involves several performers including Rowan Salem, Bosama 2 Dance, Jennifer Farrell, Kelley Donovan, Bryce dance company, Olivia Coombs, Catherine Wagner and Kelly Engel. The program involves performances including the Real Rosie that involved several performers. Variations on the story were a performance choreographed by Kelly Engel. The performers included Kelly Engel, Malone Thermitus, Previlu, Lisa Lin and Erica Lin. The performers dance to music by Susie Suh and Koch Robert. The Hunt was the performance that followed and choreography of Shannon Luchs. The dancers in the performance include Grace Stauffer, Tessa Hamza, and Sahaiyai Khalili. The dancers performed music by Bjork, which was a remix of the song, Cover me. The Freedom Dances was an exceptional performance that presented sections of work in progress. The choreography was by Laliberte Nicole instructing several dancers including Stephanie Walsh, and Luciana Lyans. The performers danced to music by Antonio Vivaldi and Vann Teirsen. Madeline Douglas and Elizabeth Griffin appeared courtesy of the spindle city Ballet Jr.Co. The second section was an untitled dance by several performers such as Erin Gridea, Tara Gragg, and Lauren Difede. The appearances were courtesy of the Island moving company that presented a great performance. The dance tells a story that provides the audience with an