Gregorian Calender Essay Example for Free

Gregorian Calender Essay In everyday life, individuals function with a calendar. Calendars help organize daily events, special events, upcoming events, holidays, seasons, etc. Today in the United States the modern and common calendar that is used is known as the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar†. Previous to the Gregorian calendar, the â€Å"Julian Calendar† was used. Both calendars are similar in some ways as well as different in others, along with sharing some advantage and disadvantages to make one calendar more useful in today’s modern world. Gregorian Calendar The â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† is currently the most internationally accepted calendar, (TimeandDate, 2013). Other known names for the calendar can be known as â€Å"Western Calendar† and â€Å"Christian Calendar†. Pope Gregory XIII first introduced his findings of this new calendar in February of 1582, which the calendar was then named after him. The days of the calendar were put together strictly from a solar plan. The calendar has 365 days in the year that make up the 12 different months. Each of the 12 months is irregular in the number of days that each contain. Seven of the months hold 31 days, five of the other months have 30 days, and the month of February has the least amount of days being 28. Although the month of February composes of 28 days, every 4 years â€Å"Leap Year† occurs adding an extra day to the year making February have 29 days in the month. Every three months of the calendar the seasons change of the 20th day of the month. This calendar is the most constant and stable calendar at the moment. Julian Calendar Before the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† was the â€Å"Julian Calendar† which also replaced the â€Å"Roman Calendar†. One of the reasons it has been known that the â€Å"Roman Calendar† was replaced was due to how complicated it was. Previous to the â€Å"Julian Calendar† the â€Å"Roman Calendar† was known to be complicated with how to figure when the seasons should begin and what days should be kept or added. To help fix the problem, Julius Caesar worked with an astronomer by the name of Sosigenes to put together a calendar based more on the Sun and Earth. This calendar became known as the â€Å"Julian Calendar† which is rather similar to the calendar that is accepted and used today. It has the commonly used 365 days of the year that are also divided into the 12 different months. Every four years, leap year occurred in one of the months just like it does in today’s calendar. Advantages and Disadvantages Between both calendars there are some advantages and disadvantages to how the calendars work. A disadvantage that others feel from the calendar is the days’ holidays may land on. Some holidays such as Christmas or Thanksgiving cannot be changed which can lead to them landing in the middle of the work week. Holidays falling on days like this can prevent individuals from making plans to be around loved ones due to work or school schedules. Another disadvantage is the irregular days of the month. Not every month has the same number of days and sometimes it can interfere with a budget or the cost of life. However, an advantage is the way the calendar is setup. Seasons are always every three months no matter what and the holidays never change. This type of stuff is always guaranteed and cannot be changed. Most Useful in Modern Society Both calendars are really close in similarity. In a way both calendars actually could be used in modern day society since individuals are so familiar with how both calendars work. However, since people are just more familiar with the term â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† and since this calendar is currently more up to date, the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar† would most likely be more useful in todays’ culture. Although there are many other types of calendars used in the world that can be compared to the â€Å"Gregorian Calendar†, this calendar has been found to be the most â€Å"internationally accepted civil calendar† of today, (TimeandDate, 2013).

What Is Real Love Philosophy Essay

What Is Real Love Philosophy Essay Some say that love is the most powerful and magical force. But it is also the most formidable thing in the universe, and that there would be nowhere else it could discover and display its beauty and wonders more, than in an intimacy relationship between two people. It is said to be invisible and cannot be measured yet so powerful enough to be able to transform someone in a moment and give you so much joy than any material possession one could ever have (Angelis, 10). Real love refers to as an act of faith, which means you commit yourself without any guarantees of the other person loving you back. The bible tells us that, Love is patient, kind, it does not envy or boast, it is not proud or rude, it is not self seeking or easily angered, and it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoice with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes and always perseveres. Love never fails. An example of such kind of love is agape love- its offered or given despite of how the other partner behaves; its a form of real love which is unconditionally committed to an imperfect person. Its a love that is transparent, strong enough to let your partner to get close to you and tell the honest truth, share your positive and negative feelings and it is this kind of love that will be able to keep other types of love alive. Perfect love is the one that gives all and expects nothing. If you expect nothing and ask for nothing at all then you can never be betrayed or disappointed, its only when love demands that is bound to bring a lot of pain. Real love is when you unconditionally care about the happiness of another person without thinking of what you might get for yourself, even when they dont think of you, consider or give you nothing in return which includes gratitude; because youre main concern is their happiness. Real love is not selfish but the one which has no limits or any conditions attached to it. Without real love, we get miserable but with it our happiness is genuinely true. And this is not the kind of happiness we get from money, sex or conditional approval, its also not the same as the feeling that we get from entertainment or from getting people to do what we want, but this is genuine happiness which is profound, a long lasting sense of peace and fulfillment that will deeply satisfy us and enlarge our souls. It doesnt disappear when circumstances or situations get worse. It preserves and even grows through sufferings and hardships. This true happiness is our entire purpose to live and is the type of happiness which can only be obtained and guaranteed as we find real love and be able to share it with other people. With real love nothing else matters; without it, nothing else is enough (Baer, 12). The feeling of being loved and also becoming unconditionally loving doesnt happen all at once like a twinkling of an eye, it takes time and patience. You are not going to loose all your fears, disappointments, anger or pain overnight, its a journey, but a journey that is worth every effort. Some people worry or even fear that loving unconditionally might turn them to a doormat that everyone around them is going to use. But the truth is when you love people unconditionally, that does not imply you have the responsibility to give them everything they want; it would only mean you are being indulgent and immature. When you love someone unconditionally, you accept that person as they are and contribute to their happiness as wisely as you can but it does not entail that you respond to their every command. Real love is when you tell somebody that you care about how they feel but conditional love is when you tell them that you like how they make you feel. Conditional love is selfish, one sided, it is what people offer us when we do what they want and sadly its the only kind of love most people have ever known. People have liked or loved us more when we make them feel good about themselves, meaning we have to buy conditional love. When we dont know the difference between real and conditional love, we end up settling for give and takes of conditional love which always leaves us empty, unhappy, disappointed and frustrated. It is therefore advisable to know the two reliable signs that portray that love is not genuine: that is anger and disappointment (Baer, 22). When it comes to love relationships, we often feel safe enough to express our love and attain intimacy when we are sure that the bridge is solid and that we also feel confident of its support. Trust is that bridge which is there between individuals that enables them to cross over to each other in whichever relationship, whether its friends, lovers or business associates. We tend to feel comfortable and secure with a sturdy foundation beneath us, but when it comes to real love, you just love without expecting anything in return, that way you are actually exempted from being hurt (Block, 18). In conclusion, what we have observed is that the foundation of our disappointment, irritation, anger, resentment and even bitterness in our souls is not caused by the people around us, but by lack of real love among ourselves. Understanding they say is just a simple realistic assessment of how things are, but blame shows anger and pain which can only bring harm to both yourself and others. The point is: If someone doesnt know how to love, dont tell them but show them and sooner or later theyll begin to speak and understand the language of love.

The Significance of International Sports Essay -- essays research pape

The Significance of International Sports International sporting events have become somewhat of a staple in today’s society, whether it be the Olympics, the World Cup, or exhibition games between the New York Yankees and the Tokyo Giants. These competitions generally bring out high spirits and intense enthusiasm. Most people envision sports as childhood pastimes, played for fun and recreation. However, in a lot of cases, international sporting events mean more than just the game or event themselves because they inspire nationalism and patriotism. The patriotism and nationalism that these events inspire, however, is not always positive and can sometimes â€Å"legitimize† superiority claims or inspire anti-foreign sentiment. In 1936, the summer Olympics took place in Germany, where at the time dictator Adolph Hitler was claiming that the Germans were a master race and he would surely be proven right in the Olympic games where the Germans would obviously win every gold medal because they were so superior. Jesse Owens and other incredible African-American and Jewish athletes proved Hitler wrong. Owens persevered to capture four gold medals in the 1936 Olympics; in the 100-meters sprint, the 200-meter sprint, the long jump and the 400-meter relay, breaking two Olympic records and one world record. Jesse Owens’s record for the long jump set in the 1936 Olympics stood for twenty-five years. The German spectators gave Owens a very large standing ovation. In the unofficial point system drawn up by the American Olympic Committee the American male track and field team scored 203 points. Owens, amazingly, scored 40 points by himself, almost two-thirds the total of the entire German track and field team. Whe n Jesse Owens made his triumphant return to the United States, he was honored and celebrated with a New York ticker tape parade, and awarded many honors. Even though the United States was not yet at war with Nazi Germany, the people knew of Hitler’s white supremacy policy, but did not interfere with it because the citizens were extremely bent towards isolationism following the first World War and the Great Depression. Owens’s triumphs in the 1936 Olympics lifted the spirits of the American people who were still greatly battling the Great Depression. Owens was turned into a national icon and political figure, and reportedly received 10,000 dollars to endorse Republican can... ...kout." The Sporting News 10 Feb. 1999. 2 May 2004 . ."Iran Tops US 2-1." cnnsi.com. 22 June 1998. 2 May 2004 . ."Iran Tops US 2-1." cnnsi.com. 22 June 1998. 2 May 2004 . ."Iran Tops US 2-1." cnnsi.com. 22 June 1998. 2 May 2004 . .Blum, Ronald. "Yankees gain revenge on Devil Rays with 12-1 rout." USA Today 31 Mar. 2004, Natl ed. 2 May 2004 . .Gallagher, Jack. "Valentine, Marines set sail again." The Japan Times 30 Mar. 2004. 2 May 2004 . .Gallagher, Jack. "Valentine, Marines set sail again." The Japan Times 30 Mar. 2004. 2 May 2004 . .Bedean, Michael. "Why they call it a Miracle." espn.com. 23 Feb. 2004. 2 May 2004 . .Bedean, Michael. "Why they call it a Miracle." espn.com. 23 Feb. 2004. 2 May 2004 . .Bedean, Michael. "Why they call it a Miracle." espn.com. 23 Feb. 2004. 2 May 2004 . .Flipse, Scott. "How I learned to love the Olympics." The Observer 26 Feb. 2002. 2 May 2004 . .Flipse, Scott. "How I learned to love the Olympics." The Observer 26 Feb. 2002. 2 May 2004 . 23. "Ronald Reagan’s Berlin Wall Speech." usa-patriotism. 2 May 2004 .

Moving towards a cashless society Essay

In history there was no money but people used to evaluate commodities in monetary terms. People used to make trade of goods for goods that could be estimated to have same monetary value as waved. The person who wanted to buy some commodity could make estimates of the commodity the seller has and compare its value in terms of worthiness to the commodity of exchange. Money was later invented as a tangible form that includes paper and coin. Transactions were all handled in monetary value and different currencies were also put in place for different nations. Different rates were also set up to be able trade efficiently on different currencies. Cash became the day to day ways of trading were one had to have paper money so that they could be able to acquire whatever they want. Banks were developed for easier and safe storage so that no one could get hold of in illegally. Cash or money has the following advantages like that the mode of payment is easier and simple because no so much transactions are made. Counterfeit money is also easy to detect and systemic risks are hardly a problem. There is no paper trail and is a peer to peer mode of payment. It also introduced lots of problem like theft and counterfeiting of paper cash. This led to the revolutionary of cashless society by introduction of cheques where people no longer carry cash but writes cheques that authorizes withdrawals and payments in terms of cash. (Thorndal, 1994) Traditionally deposits have been used for payments at a distance. Deposits can be transferred in a number of ways: payer initiated transfer, direct debit, standing order, check, credit card. With distance to distance payments or mode of trade the demand for are more fast and effective ways of communication and trade came into place. The introduction of ATM card was introduced by the banks to enhance trade. People no longer had to carry cash but could make withdrawals through these cards. The electronic cash system came into place where people can buy things over the internet using cards as a form of electronic commerce. This electronic cash system involves use of cards that have been categorized as credit cards, electronic cash and smart cards. The credit cards involve creating an encrypted channel for use of cards for internet like VISA or MasterCard. Electronic cash uses specially designed software where customer buys electronic cash for digital wallet then sends as payment to merchant. Examples are DigiCash and CyberCash. Smart cards include contact less and swap cards like MasterCard, Visa, Quicklink, VisaCash, Protonn and Danmont. The growth of payment cards reflects their attractiveness to consumers over other forms of payment and credit. Payment cards offer consumers numerous benefits, including better management of one’s expenses, improved recordkeeping, greater shopping convenience, reduction of the risk of theft, float for those who do not revolve balances, rewards from use of cards that are available for additional purchases, and, especially for debit cards, convenience in obtaining cash. I first discuss these benefits and then consider the benefits of payment cards when used to obtain credit. (Wallace, 1983) Payment cards allow consumers to manage their money better by making it possible to anticipate, plan, and match their obligations to their available funds. The payment cards allow consumers to smooth out unexpected expenditures such as car repairs or family emergencies . Payment cards also reduce the costs of record keeping and retaining individual receipts. Checks also offer this advantage but payment cards do not require the additional inconvenience of recording in and then rebalance a checkbook. Payment cards can also reduce the time and transaction costs associated with shopping. Advances in technology have dramatically increased the speed of processing card transactions which are now substantially faster than writing checks. If the ATM is outside of the consumer’s network the consumer must pay a fee to withdraw the money. In contrast transactional users of payment cards pay nothing to use their card. Transaction errors, such as receiving too little or too much change, are also probably higher with cash than with electronic payment card transactions. Another advantage of payment cards is that payment cards can be used in a wide variety of outlets hence helping both consumers and merchants. (Krueger, 1999) Some Debit cards, PIN or online cards allow consumers to withdraw additional cash beyond the price of the purchase for which the card is used thus saving the use of ATM. Unsecured personal finance loans are expensive with much higher initiation fees than credit cards. Credit cards are attractive for consumers for both cost and convenience. General purpose credit cards have also substantially displaced retail store credit. We have also so many disadvantage of using payment cards. One of this disadvantage in that they are risky for customers because they cay be incur fraud easily. People can use your card and pin number once known to withdraw or use your money. Credit cards are also expensive to acquire because they are costly. Payment cards are only acceptable by registered merchants and hence are not applicable everywhere. Card users also incur high interchange fee and cost while transacting using this payment cards. (Prinz, 1999) Specific regulations need to make a cashless society of cards work smoothly. Regulation in the payment card need to be set due to the claim of interchange fees are too high and as a result reduces consumers to overuse payment card. Interchange fees arose from the structure of the Visa and MasterCard networks. Visa adopted a fixed interchange fee which was not linked to the merchant discount charged by individual acquirers. A uniform fee reduced the transaction costs of negotiating separate interchange fees between acquirers and issuers and eliminated the difficulties that issuers faced in monitoring in the merchant discount set by the acquirers. Visa and MasterCard reduced the interchange fees charged to supermarkets hence reducing the merchant discount. Some regulations were also imposed on regulating card frauds that many banks face. Fraud card detectors have been setup and laws governing the enactment of the card fraud have been set to punish those fraudsters. The winners of the cashless society are the consumers or users of the cards because they have been absorbed from the risk of physical theft of money. Even though there are fraudsters, the users are not exposed to so much risk of theft. Card users can effectively purchase things online regardless of the distance because all transactions are done to the and at a very high speed. The losers are the merchants or company providing this services because the have to incur all the expenses of setting up this technology and infrastructure. Lastly they incur the problem of making all transactions possible regardless the distance and parties involved. The merchants incur all this cost and expenses in this cashless society. (Buiter, 2005) Reference Buiter, W (2005): New developments in monetary economics: Economic journal, Vol. 115 Thorndal, J. (1994): Prepaid cards and monetary Review: – Danmarks Publishers Krueger, M. (1999): Towards a Moneyless world: Dept of Economics and finance: University of Durham Press Prinz, A (1999): Money in the real and Virtual World: Netnomics journal. Wallace, N (1983): A suggestion for oversimplifying the theory of money: Economic journal

Philosophy: Course Summative Assignment

Inspiration Project It Is your objective to apply three (3) of the philosophical theories studied In class to a number of songs and make a presentation to the class, which Illustrates some of your Insights. Step One: Find Three (3) Songs Think of some of your favorite songs. See If the lyrics to any of your favorite songs reflect some of theories that we studied In class. Remember, our units of study In this course Include: Human Nature, Metaphysic, Ethics, Epistemology, Social and Political Philosophy. Step Two: Apply the Theories to the SongsOnce you have picked your three songs, apply the theories from class to the songs. Make point form notes that clearly link the theories to the songs. You may apply more than one theory to each song but you must have at least 3 different theories in total, at least one per song. Step Three: Conference With Your Teacher Arrange a ‘Culminating Task Conference' with your teacher at which you will present: A point form summary of your song cho ices, showing which theories you plan to use for each song. Lyrics to your 3 songs. An explanation of which song you plan to present to the class (see below).Step Four: Prepare a Report using the point form notes as your guide, write a 1000-word (more or less) report that illustrates how your chosen philosophical theories are reflected in the songs. Your report will include an analysis of each song and an application of at least one theory per song. Your report will work best if you present the lyrics and analysis to one song together before moving on to the next song. Please include references and a resource list. Step Five: Present a Song using a program like Powering, make a presentation that brings ONE of your chosen songs to life. Inning your song as the background music, make a video presentation using photos and the song lyrics to Inspire your viewers. Make sure your video presentation reflects the philosophical view that you feel Is present In the song. Due Dates: Conference : Written Analysis: prevention: Philosophy: Course Assumptive Assignment By plaza It is your objective to apply three (3) of the philosophical theories studied in class to a number of songs and make a presentation to the class, which illustrates some of your insights. Think of some of your favorite songs.See if the lyrics to any of your favorite songs fleet some of theories that we studied in class. Remember, our units of study in this course include: Human Nature, Metaphysic, Ethics, Epistemology, Social and Political Using the point form notes as your guide, write a 1000-word (more or less) report that Using a program like Powering, make a presentation that brings ONE of your chosen songs to life. Using your song as the background music, make a video presentation using photos and the song lyrics to inspire your viewers. Make sure your video presentation reflects the philosophical view that you feel is present in the powerboat/DVD.

Article Analysis Paper: Fatal Child Abuse

Article Analysis Paper The authors Kauppi Anne, Tuji Vanamo, Kari Karkola, Juhani Merikanto that wrote â€Å"Fatal child abuse: a study of 13 cases of continuous abuse† was published on 5 January 2012. The main point that this author is trying to convey is how child abuse is active all around the world. Even though some are fatal which is rare it is still on the rise to this day. Many of the children living in those conditions could have been prevented from someone reporting the abuse but failed to do so.Many of the parents in the study knew about the battering, but because the violence of the family members hindered the other parent to put an end to the abuse. The injuries in the children were also seen in daycare or by other authorities but failed to act in time. The signs of battering was a change in the child’s behavior such as depression, withdrawal, anxiety or being absent from school or daycare. The most common injuries in abuse is skin and soft tissue.In the fat al abuses, it was most always head trauma. After fatal battering most parents do not want to take the unconscious child to the emergency room because they did not intentionally mean to kill or seriously hurt the child. In the beginning of the paper, it tells some background on the injured patients and then the results on what happened to the children and parents. Also, there is a chart that lists the age, patient, and short descriptions containing the abuse done to them.The end of the paper has a discussion about how child abuse is under reported or not looked into enough. Meanwhile, tells how important reporting it could be or how it could save an innocent child’s life. The evidence that the author has is statistics and a chart of how many children are being effected by child abuse. Also, percentages of how many children had soft tissue injuries or head trauma which is fatal. The author is trying to address this to everyone.This needs to be addressed because people often see that a child is getting abused but does not want to get involved so they do not report it. Millions of children are abused each day and no one does anything about it. Seeing that this article was only written a year ago shows everyone it is still going on today and we have not found a solution but needs to be addressed to prevent abuse as much as possible. People have been trying to prevent this for years and now child services are cracking down on these cases more often.I like this article a lot and agree with it one hundred percent. Its strength is it talks about things that are happening every day that needs to be prevented and taken care of. It also shows the risks, signs, and symptoms that happen to innocent children. I would recommend this article to someone else because this could be helpful for anyone to know the signs of child abuse or the things that could happen if it was not reported. I think this article could be useful for my research because it has a lot of statistic s I could use.

Elements of Design Essay examples - 919 Words

Elements of Design The scene Alices suicide from the movie The Last of the Mohicans is a vital and intricate scene of the movie that amplifies the artfulness and emotion of the story. In the scene, Alice, a British officers daughter, jumps to her death off a cliff after her love, a Native American man named Uncas, is killed by Magua. Alice, in a treaty offered by the chief of Maguas tribe is promised in marriage to Magua in order to satisfy the death of Maguas children to re-establish his blood line. Alices suicide scene from the last of the Mohicans offers a glimpse into how film production lighting, setting, costumes and hair and makeup work in cohesive unity to express the directors vision of the films mise-en-scene†¦show more content†¦The art director is the individual that works the production designer and oversees the visual aspects of the film. Art directors have a large responsibility of giving orders and overseeing the Art department such as the coordinator, and financial workers. The Art director also oversees the construction of props and other items used during the film. Lighting in the Alices suicide scene brings the pain and sorrow that this scene portrays to life. The scene is shot with a dreary feel because of the overcast of rain clouds that portrays shades of gray. The cliffs also cast shadows that darken the mood and feel of the film. When The gun smoke obscures the light which restricts natural lighting and gives a great artistic feeling to the viewer. The film the last of the Mohicans takes place at Fort William Henry and Fort Edward in Albany New York during 1757. The amazing view of mountains, ridges waterfalls and foliage portrays a flawless setting for the film and is astatically pleasing to the viewers eyes. The view is so amazing that film makes the viewer fill if they were actually present with the Mohican tribe. The view also draws out emotions that make the film even more enjoyable to watch. The Native Americans lived in their own settlements with theirShow MoreRelatedElements Of Design Elements1056 Words   |  5 PagesImprove conversion rates with Effective Design Elements Converting website traffic into leads is mandatory for anyone who is in the web-based business. It is directly associated with his/her survival in the business. If your sites conversion rate is decent, you can easily achieve the ultimate goals of your web-based business and even expand it further. If you fail to perform on this front, you struggle a lot to generate leads and sales. There are numerous website owners who fail to reach theirRead MoreDesign And Design Elements859 Words   |  4 Pagesthen analyzed and used to create the Performance Specification (PSPEC). Design artifacts can be created from the parent requirements and PSPEC. Design artifacts are created in an effort to assist the identification of all the necessary components pertinent to satisfying said requirements. Design artifacts also identify interfaces and support the development of product behaviors, data models, and other design aspects. Design artifacts include block diagrams, system functional architecture, and activityRead MoreThe Necessity Of Design Elements Essay1103 Words   |  5 PagesPeggy Fogel Raul Manzano Art Appreciation 10 December 2016 The Necessity of Design Elements in Artistic Expression The continuous human experience of life exposes observers to a smorgasbord of design elements that demonstrates the necessity of design elements. A sample smorgasbord of artistic expression are architecture, interior design, automotive concepts, digital photography, graphic illustrations, advertising and much more. The aforementioned sample smorgasbord is created by utilizing recipesRead MoreElements And Principles Of Design1209 Words   |  5 PagesIntroduction As Graphic Designers it is essential that we are familiar with the principles and elements of design in order to correctly understand 2-dimensional design. 2 – dimensional design is when a real life object is represented into a two-dimensional surface using the elements and principles of design as basic tools. In the design process, this step is essential and should never be disregarded. As Graphic Designers, we should never rely on the machine as being the only tool available to usRead MoreElements of Design Essay1634 Words   |  7 PagesElements of Design The elements of design were created by Arthur Wesley Dow to help people see, describe, and create visual qualities in a systematic way. It consists of 7 elements: line, shape, form, colour, value, texture and space. Lines are paths or marks left by moving points and they can be outlines or edges of shapes and forms. Lines have qualities which can help communicate ideas and feelings such as straight or curved, thick or thin, dark or light, and continuous or broken. Implied linesRead MoreThe Elements Of Interior Design2155 Words   |  9 PagesThe Elements of Interior Design â€Å"Interior design is the process of shaping the experience of interior space, through the manipulation of spatial volume as well as surface treatment† (freshome.com). There is a lot more behind interior design than the surface shows. Interior design is built around the basis of elements of design. The elements fond in interior design are extremely consistent with the elements and principles for a form of design because they all have the same foundation of standardsRead MoreThe Elements of Design in Film1986 Words   |  8 PagesFenicia Stephens Elements of Design ENG 225 Jonathan Beller July 15, 2013 â€Å"Marvel Studios delivers the ultimate comic-book film â€Å"The Avengers†, which ties together such characters as Iron Man which was played by Robert Downey Jr., Captain America who was played by Chris Evans, The Hulk played by Mark Ruffalo, and Thor who was played by Chris Hemsworth for a big-screen franchise team-up like no other. Taking center stage this time is Nick Fury played once again by the note-perfect Samuel LRead MoreElements Of Modern Bathroom Design959 Words   |  4 PagesELEMENTS OF MODERN BATHROOM DESIGN | HARKRAFT Bathrooms have evolved from a simple place where one could shower to a serene escape. With the rise of sophisticated trends in home dà ©cor, it was only about time that the first places to change would be the bathroom. From vintage to modern and elegant, different elements can be used to transform any bathroom. A modern bathroom adds a taste of sophistication, elegance and class to a home. What really constitutes a modern bathroom? Well, these are the elementsRead MoreDesign Of Precast Structural Elements1046 Words   |  5 PagesCHAPTER 6 DESIGN OF PRECAST STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS 6.1 Preamble The precast structural components are manufactured off or on the sites, transported to the site and with suitable handling and erection procedures, they are assembled so as to form a structural system. The design should cater to the conditions encountered during the various stages of construction. The Different types of precast elements manufactured are listed below. Floor and Roof units: Hollow core slabs, Double T, Single T, and PrecastRead MoreElements and Principles of 3d Design1588 Words   |  7 PagesThe Elements and Principles of Three-Dimensional Design Design: v. to mark out, to plan, purpose, intend... n. a plan conceived in the mind, of something to be done... n. adaptation of means to end... The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary Elements of 3-D Design Space: distance, area, volume; physical space independent of what occupies it; absolute space. Line: the edge or outline of a form, the meeting of planes; linear materials include: wire, wood, metal rod, string or any materials with

Mollusk Facts Habitat, Behavior, Diet

Mollusks may be the most difficult animal group  for the average person to wrap their arms around: this family of  invertebrates  includes creatures as widely divergent in appearance and behavior as snails,  clams, and cuttlefish. Fast Facts: Mollusks Scientific Name: Mollusca (Caudofoveates, Solanogastres, Chitons, Monoplacophorans, Scaphopods, Bivalves, Gastropods, Cephalopods)Common Name: Mollusks or molluscsBasic Animal Group: Invertebrate  Ã‚  Size: Microscopic to 45 feet in lengthWeight: Up to 1,650 poundsLifespan: Hours to centuries—the oldest is known to have lived over 500 yearsDiet:  Mostly herbivore, except for cephalopods who are omnivoresHabitat: Terrestrial and aquatic habitats on every continent and ocean in the worldConservation Status: Several species are threatened or endangered; one is extinct Description Any group that embraces  squids, clams, and slugs present a challenge when it comes to formulating a general description. There are only three characteristics shared by all living mollusks: the presence of a mantle (the rear covering of the body) that secretes calcareous (e.g., calcium-containing) structures; the genitals and anus opening into the mantle cavity; and paired nerve cords. If youre willing to make some exceptions, most mollusks can also be characterized by their broad, muscular feet which correspond to the tentacles of cephalopods, and their shells (if you exclude cephalopods, some gastropods, and the most primitive mollusks). One type of mollusk, the aplacophorans, are cylindrical worms with neither shell nor foot. Getty Images Habitat Most mollusks are marine animals that live in habitats from shallow coastal areas to deep waters. Most stay within the sediments at the bottom of water bodies, although a few—such as cephalopods—are free swimming. Species There are eight different broad categories of mollusks on our planet. Caudofoveates  are small, deep-sea mollusks that burrow into soft bottom sediments. These worm-like animals lack the shells and muscular feet characteristic of other mollusks, and their bodies are covered with scale-like, calcareous spicules.Solanogastres, like caudofoveata, are worm-like mollusks that lack shells. These small, ocean-dwelling animals are mostly blind, and either flattened or cylindrical.Chitons, also known as polyplacophorans, are flat, slug-like mollusks with calcareous plates covering the upper surfaces of their bodies; they live in intertidal waters along rocky coastlines worldwide.Monoplacophorans are deep-sea mollusks equipped with cap-like shells.  They were long believed to be extinct, but in 1952, zoologists discovered a handful of living species.Tusk shells, also known as scaphopods,  have long, cylindrical shells with tentacles extending from one end, which these mollusks use to rope in  prey from the surrounding water.Bivalves are characterized by their hinged shells and live in both marine and freshwater habitats. These mollusks have no heads, and their bodies consist entirely  of a wedge-shaped foot.Gastropods  are  the most diverse family of mollusks,  including over 60,000 species of  snails and slugs that live in marine, freshwater, and terrestrial habitats.  Cephalopods, the most advanced mollusks, include  octopuses, squids, cuttlefish, and nautiluses. Most of the members of this group either lack shells, or have small internal shells. A tusk shell. Getty Images Gastropods or Bivalves Of the roughly 100,000 known mollusk species, about 70,000 are gastropods, and 20,000 are bivalves or 90 percent of the total. It is from these two families that most people derive their general perception of mollusks as small, slimy creatures equipped with calcareous shells. While the snails and slugs of the gastropod family are eaten the world over (including as escargot in a French restaurant), bivalves are more important as a human food source, including clams, mussels, oysters, and other undersea delicacies. The largest bivalve is the giant clam (Tridacna gigas), which reaches a length of four feet and weighs 500 pounds. The oldest mollusk is a bivalve, the ocean quahog (Arctica islandica), native to the northern Atlantic and known to live at least 500 years; it is also the oldest known animal. Bright yellow banana slug. Alice Cahill/Getty Images Octopuses, Squids, and Cuttlefish Gastropods and bivalves may be the most common mollusks, but cephalopods (the family that includes octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish) are by far the most advanced. These marine invertebrates have astonishingly complex nervous systems, which allows them to engage in elaborate camouflage and even display problem-solving behavior—for example, octopuses have been known to escape from their tanks in laboratories, squish along the cold floor, and climb up into another tank containing tasty bivalves. If human beings ever go extinct, it may well be the distant, intelligent descendants of octopuses that wind up ruling the earth—or at least the oceans! The largest mollusk in the world is a cephalopod, the colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni), known to grow to between 39 and 45 feet and weigh up to 1,650 pounds.   548901005677/Getty Images Diet With the exception of cephalopods, mollusks are by and large gentle vegetarians. Terrestrial gastropods like snails and slugs eat plants, fungi, and algae, while the vast majority of marine mollusks (including bivalves and other ocean-dwelling species) subsist on plant matter dissolved in the water, which they ingest by filter feeding. The most advanced cephalopod mollusks—octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish—feast on everything from fish to crabs to their fellow invertebrates; octopuses, in particular, have gruesome table manners, injecting their soft-bodied prey with venom or drilling holes in the shells of bivalves and sucking out their tasty contents. Behavior The nervous systems of invertebrates in general (and mollusks in particular) are very different from those of vertebrate animals like fish, birds, and mammals. Some mollusks, like tusk shells and bivalves, possess clusters of neurons (called ganglions) rather than true brains, while the brains of more advanced mollusks like cephalopods and gastropods are wrapped around their esophagi rather than isolated in hard skulls. Even more weirdly, most of the neurons of an octopus are located not in its brains, but in its arms, which can function autonomously even when separated from its body. The mouth of a limpet. Getty Images Reproduction and Offspring Mollusks generally reproduce sexually, although some (slugs and snails) are hermaphrodites, they still must mate to fertilize their eggs. Eggs are laid singly or in groups within jelly masses or leathery capsules. The eggs hatch into veliger larva—small, free-swimming larvae—and metamorphose into different stages, depending on the species.   Evolutionary History Because modern mollusks vary so widely in anatomy and behavior, sorting out their exact evolutionary relationships is a major challenge. In order to simplify matters, naturalists have proposed a hypothetical ancestral mollusk that displays most, if not all, of the characteristics of modern mollusks, including a shell, a muscular foot, and tentacles, among other things. We dont have any fossil evidence that this particular animal ever existed; the most any expert will venture is that mollusks descended hundreds of millions of years ago from tiny marine invertebrates known as lophotrochozoans (and even that is a matter of dispute). Extinct Fossil Families Examining the fossil evidence, paleontologists have established the existence of two now-extinct classes of mollusk. Rostroconchians lived in the worlds oceans from about 530 to 250 million years ago, and seem to have been ancestral to modern bivalves; helcionelloidans lived from about 530 to 410 million years ago, and shared many characteristics with modern gastropods. Somewhat surprisingly, cephalopods have existed on earth ever since the Cambrian period; paleontologists have identified over two dozen (much smaller and much less intelligent) genera that plied the worlds oceans over 500 million years ago. Mollusks and Humans Wayne Barrett Anne MacKay / Getty Images Over and above their historical importance as a food source—especially in the far east and the Mediterranean—mollusks have contributed in numerous ways to human civilization. The shells of cowries (a type of small gastropod) were used as money by Native Americans, and the pearls that grow in oysters, as the result of irritation by sand grains, have been treasured since time immemorial. Another type of gastropod, the murex, was cultured by the  ancient Greeks for its  dye, known as imperial purple, and the cloaks of some rulers were woven from long threads secreted by the bivalve species Pinna nobilis. Conservation Status There are over 8,600 species listed in the ICUN, of which 161 are considered Critically Endangered, 140 are Endangered, 86 are Vulnerable, and 57 are Near Threatened. One, the Ohridohauffenia drimica was last seen in 1983 in springs feeding the River Drim in Macedonia, Greece and was listed as extinct in 1996. Additional surveys have failed to find it again. Threats The vast majority of mollusks live in the deep ocean and are relatively safe from the  destruction of their habitat and depredation by humans, but thats not the case for freshwater mollusks (i.e., those that live in lakes and rivers) and terrestrial (land-dwelling) species. Perhaps not surprisingly from the perspective of human gardeners, snails and slugs are most vulnerable to extinction today, as they are systematically eradicated by agriculture concerns and picked off by invasive species carelessly introduced into their habitats. Just imagine how easily the average house cat, used to picking off skittering mice, can devastate a near-motionless colony of snails. Lakes and rivers are also prone to the introduction of invasive species, particularly mollusks which travel attached to international seagoing ships. Sources Sturm, Charles F., Timothy A. Pearce, à ngel Valdà ©s (eds.). The Mollusks: A Guide to Their Study, Collection, and Preservation. Boca Raton: Universal Publishers for the American Malacological Society, 2006.  Fyodorov, Averkii, and Havrila Yakovlev. Mollusks: Morphology, Behavior, and Ecology. New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2012.