Sea Sponges Facts

Sea Sponges Facts When you look at a sponge, the word animal  might not be the first that comes to mind, but sea sponges are animals. There are over 6,000 species of sponges; most live in the marine environment, although there are also freshwater sponges. Natural sponges have been used by humans to clean and bathe with for at least 3,000 years. Sponges are classified in the phylum Porifera. The word Porifera  comes from the Latin words porus (pore) and ferre (bear), meaning pore-bearer. This is a reference to the numerous pores or holes on a sponges surface. It is through these pores that the sponge draws in water from which it feeds. Fast Facts: Sponges Scientific Name: PoriferaCommon Name: SpongeBasic Animal Group: InvertebrateSize: Various species range from under a half inch to 11 feet in lengthWeight: Up to approximately 20 poundsLifespan: Up to 2,300 yearsDiet:  CarnivoreHabitat: Oceans and freshwater lakes the world overPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: One species is classified Least Concern; most are Not Evaluated. Description Sponges come in a wide variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Some, like the liver sponge, look like a low-lying crust on a rock, while others can be taller than humans. Some sponges are in the form of encrustations or masses, some are branched, and some look like tall vases. Sponges are relatively simple multi-celled animals. They do not have tissues or organs like some animals do; rather, they have specialized cells to perform necessary functions. These cells each have a job. Some are in charge of digestion, some reproduction, some bringing in water so the sponge can filter feed, and some are used for getting rid of wastes. The skeleton of a sponge is formed from spicules which are made of silica (a glass-like material) or calcareous (calcium or calcium carbonate) materials, and spongin, a protein that supports the spicules. Sponge species may be most readily identified by examining their spicules under a microscope. Sponges do not have a nervous system, so they dont move when touched.   Placebo365/Getty Images   Species There are an enormous number of species in the phylum Porifera, broken into five classes: Calcarea (Calcareous sponges)Demospongiae (Horny sponges)Hexactinellida (Glass sponges)Homoscleromorpha (Includes about 100 species of encrusting sponges)Porifera incertae sedis (Sponges whose classification has not yet been defined) There are over 6,000 formally described sponge species, measuring from under a half inch to 11 feet. The largest sponge discovered to date was found in Hawaii in 2015, and has not yet been named. Habitat and Distribution Sponges are found on the ocean floor or attached to substrates such as rocks, coral, shells, and marine organisms. Sponges range in habitat from shallow intertidal areas and coral reefs to the deep sea. They are found in oceans and freshwater lakes throughout the world. Diet and Behavior Most sponges feed on bacteria and organic matter by drawing water in through pores called ostia (singular: ostium), which are openings through which water enters the body. Lining the channels in these pores are collar cells. The collars of these cells surround a hair-like structure called a flagellum. The flagella beat to create water currents. Most sponges also feed on small organisms that come in with the water. There are also a few species of carnivorous sponges that feed by using their spicules to capture prey such as small crustaceans. Water and wastes are circulated out of the body by pores called oscula (singular: osculum). Reproduction and Offspring Sponges reproduce both sexually and asexually. Sexual reproduction occurs through the production of egg and sperm. In some species, these gametes are from the same individual; in others, separate individuals produce eggs and sperm. Fertilization occurs when the gametes are brought into the sponge by currents of water. A larva is formed, and it settles on a substrate where it becomes attached to the rest of its life. Asexual reproduction occurs by budding, which happens when a part of a sponge is broken off, or one of its branch tips is constricted, and then this small piece grows into a new sponge. They may also reproduce asexually by producing packets of cells called gemmules. Threats In general, sponges arent very tasty to most other marine animals. They can contain toxins, and their spicule structure probably doesnt make them very comfortable to digest. Two organisms that eat sponges though are hawksbill sea turtles and nudibranchs. Some nudibranchs will even absorb a sponges toxin while it eats it and then uses the toxin in its own defense. Most of the sponges have been evaluated by the IUCN, as Least Concern. RainervonBrandis/Getty Images Sponges and Humans The modern plastic sponge in our kitchens and bathrooms are named after natural sponges, living animals which were harvested and widely used as long ago as the 8th century BCE as implements for bathing and cleaning, as well as in medical practices such as assisting in healing and to cool or warm or comfort a body part. Ancient Greek writers such as Aristotle (384–332 BCE) suggested the best sponge for such tasks was one that is compressible and squeezable but not sticky, and holds great quantities of water in its canals and expels it out when compressed.   You can still buy natural sponges in health food stores or on the Internet. Artificial sponges were not invented until the 1940s, and long before that, commercial sponge harvesting industries developed in many areas, including Tarpon Springs and Key West, Florida. Sources Brusca Richard C. and Gary J. Brusca. Phylum Porifera: the sponges. Invertebrates. Cambridge, MA: Sinauer Press, 2003. 181–210.Castro, Fernando, et al. Agalychnis The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: e.T55843A11379402, 2004.  Ã‚  Coulombe, Deborah A. The Seaside Naturalist. New York: Simon Schuster, 1984.Denoble, Peter. The Story of Sponge Divers. Alert Diver Online, 2011.Hendrikse, Sandra and Andrà ©Ã‚  Merks, A. Sponge Fishing in Key West and Tarpon Springs, American Sponge Diver, 2003Martinez, Andrew J. Marine Life of the North Atlantic. New York: Aqua Quest Publications, Inc., 2003.UCMP. Porifera: Life History and Ecology. University of California Museum of Paleontology.Wagner, Daniel, and Christopher D. Kelley. The Largest Sponge in the World? Marine Biodiversity 47.2 (2017): 367–68.  Voultsiadou, Eleni. Sponges: An Historical Survey of Their Knowledge in Greek Antiquity. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 87.6 (2007): 1757 –63. Print.

How to Get Into an Ivy League School

How to Get Into an Ivy League School If you are hoping to attend one of the Ivy League schools, youre going to need more than good grades. Seven of the eight Ivies made my list of the most selective colleges in the country, and acceptance rates range from 6% for Harvard University to 15% for Cornell University. Applicants who are admitted have earned excellent grades in challenging classes, demonstrated meaningful involvement in extracurricular activities, revealed leadership skills, and crafted winning essays. A successful Ivy League application is not the result of a little effort at application time. It is the culmination of years of hard work. The tips and strategies below can help make sure your Ivy League application is as strong as possible. Develop the Foundation for Ivy League Success Early The Ivy League universities (and all universities for that matter) will consider your accomplishments in 9th through 12th grades only. The admissions folks will not be interested in that literary award you got in 7th grade or the fact that you were on the varsity track team in 8th grade. That said, successful Ivy League applicants build the foundation for an impressive high school record long before high school. On the academic front, if you can get into an accelerated math track while in middle school, this will set you up to complete calculus before you graduate from high school. Also, start a foreign language as early as possible in your school district, and stick with it. This will put you on track to take an Advanced Placement language class in high school, or to take a dual enrollment language class through a local college. Strength in a foreign language  and completing math through calculus  are both important features of the majority of winning Ivy League applications. You can get admitted without these accomplishments, but your chances will be diminished. When it comes to extracurricular activities in middle school, use them to find your passion so that you begin ninth grade with focus and determination. If you discover in middle school that drama, not soccer, is what you truly want to be doing in your after school hours, great. Youre now in a position to develop depth and demonstrate leadership on the drama front when youre in high school. This is hard to do if you discover your love of theater in your junior year.   This article on college preparation in middle school can help you understand the numerous ways in which a strong middle school strategy can help set you up for Ivy League success. Craft Your High School Curriculum Thoughtfully The most important piece of your Ivy League application is your high school transcript. In general,  youll need to take the most challenging classes available to you if you are going to convince the admissions folks that you are prepared to succeed in your college coursework. If you have a choice between AP Calculus or business statistics, take AP Calculus. If Calculus BC is an option for you, it will be more impressive than Calculus AB. If you are debating whether or not you should take a foreign language in your senior year, do so (this advice assumes that you feel you are capable of succeeding in these courses). You should also be realistic on the academic front. The Ivies dont, in fact, expect you to take seven AP courses in your junior year, and trying to do too much is likely to backfire by causing burn out and/or low grades. Focus on core academic areas- English, math, science, language- and make sure you excel in these areas. Courses such as AP Psychology, AP Statistics, or AP Music Theory are fine if your school offers them, but they dont carry the same weight as AP Literature and AB Biology.   Also keep in mind that the Ivies recognize that some students have more academic opportunities than others. Only a small fraction of high schools offer a challenging International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum. Only larger, well-funded high schools can offer a wide breadth of Advanced Placement courses. Not all high schools make it easy to take dual enrollment courses at a local college. If youre from a small rural school without many academic opportunities, the admissions officers at the Ivy League schools take your situation into consideration, and measures such as your SAT/ACT scores and letters of recommendation will be even more important for evaluating your college readiness. Earn High Grades Im frequently asked which is more important: high grades or challenging courses?  The reality for Ivy League admissions is that you need both. The Ivies will be looking for lots of A grades in the most challenging courses available to you. Also keep in mind that the applicant pool for all of the Ivy League schools is so strong that the admissions offices are often not interested in weighted GPAs. Weighted GPAs play an important and legitimate role in determining your class rank, but the reality is that when  admissions committees are comparing students from around the world, they will consider whether or not that A in AP World History is a true A or if it is B that was weighted up to an A. Realize that you dont need straight A grades to get into the Ivy League, but every B on your transcript is lessening your chance  of admission. Most successful Ivy League applicants have unweighted GPAs that are up in the 3.7 range or higher (3.9 or 4.0 is more common).   The pressure to earn straight A grades can sometimes cause applicants to make bad decisions when applying to highly competitive colleges. You should not  write a supplemental essay explaining why you got a B in one course in your sophomore year. There are, however, a few situations in which you should explain a bad grade. Also keep in mind that some students with less-than-stellar grades get admitted. This can be because they have an exceptional talent, come from a school or country with different grading standards, or have legitimate circumstances that made earning A grades extremely challenging. Focus on Depth and Achievement in Your Extracurricular Activities There are hundreds of endeavors that count as extracurricular activities, and the reality is that any of them can make your application shine if you have demonstrated true depth and passion in your chosen activity. This article on the best extracurricular activities shows how any given activity, when approached with enough commitment and energy, can become something truly impressive. In general, think of extracurriculars in terms of depth, not breadth. A student who acts a minor role in a play one year, plays JV tennis one spring, joins yearbook another year, and then joins Academic All-Stars senior year is going to look like a dabbler with no clear passion or area of expertise (these activities are all good things, but they dont make for a winning combination on an Ivy League application). On the flip side, consider a student who plays euphonium in County Band in 9th grade, Area All-State in 10th grade, All-State in 11th grade, and who also played in the school symphonic band, concert band, marching band, and pep band for all four years of high school. This is a student who clearly loves playing her instrument and will bring that interest and passion to the campus community.   Show That You Are a Good Community Member The admissions folks are looking for students to join their community, so they clearly want to enroll students who care about community. One way to demonstrate this is through community service. Realize, however, that there is no magic number here- an applicant with 1,000 hours of community service may not have an advantage over a student with 300 hours. Instead, make sure you are doing community service that is meaningful to you and that truly makes a difference in your community. You may even want to write one of your supplemental essays about one of your service projects. Earn High SAT or ACT Scores None of the Ivy League schools are test-optional, and SAT and ACT scores still carry a bit of weight in the admissions process. Because the Ivies draw from such a diverse pool of students from around the world, standardized tests truly are one of the few tools the schools can use to compare students. That said, the admissions folks do recognize that financially advantaged students have an advantage with the SAT and ACT, and that one thing these tests tend to predict is a familys income. To get a sense of what SAT and/or ACT scores youre going to need to get into an Ivy league school, check out these graphs of GPA, SAT and ACT data for students who were accepted, waitlisted, and rejected: Brown  | Columbia  | Cornell | Dartmouth | Harvard | Penn | Princeton | Yale The numbers are rather sobering: the great majority of admitted students are scoring in the top one or two percentiles on the SAT or ACT. At the same time, youll see that there are some outlying data points, and a few students do get in with less-than-ideal scores. Write a Winning Personal Statement Chances are youre applying to the Ivy League using the Common Application, so youll have five options for your personal statement. Check out these tips and samples for the Common Application essay options, and realize that your essay is important. An essay that is riddled with errors or focuses on a trivial or clichà © topic could land your application in the rejection pile. At the same time, realize that your essay doesnt need to focus on something extraordinary. You dont need to have solved global warming or saved a bus full of 1st-graders to have an effective focus for your essay. More important than what you write about is that you focus on something important to you, and that your essay is thoughtful and self-reflective.   Put Significant Effort Into Your Supplemental Essays All of the Ivy League schools require school-specific supplemental essays in addition to the main Common Application essay. Dont underestimate the importance of these essays. For one, these supplemental essays, much more than the common essay, demonstrate why you are interested in a specific Ivy League school. The admissions officers at Yale, for example, arent just looking for strong students. They are looking for strong students who are truly passionate about Yale and have specific reasons for wanting to attend Yale. If your supplemental essay responses are generic and could be used for multiple schools, you havent approached the challenge effectively. Do your research and be specific. The supplemental essays are one of the best tools for demonstrating your interest in a specific university.   Be sure to avoid these five supplemental essay mistakes. Ace Your Ivy League Interview Youre likely to interview with an alum of the Ivy League school to which you are applying. In truth, the interview isnt the most important part of your application, but it can make a difference. If you stumble to answer questions about your interests and your reasons for applying, this can certainly damage your application. Youll also want to make sure that you are polite and personable during your interview. In general, Ivy League interviews are friendly exchanges, and your interviewer wants to see you do well. A little preparation, however, can help. Be sure to think about these 12 common interview questions, and work to avoid these interview mistakes. Apply Early Action or Early Decision Harvard, Princeton, and Yale all have a single-choice early action program. Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, and Penn have early decision programs. All of these programs allow you to apply to just a single school through the early program. Early decision has additional restrictions in that if you are admitted, you are obligated to attend. You should not  apply early decision if you are not 100% sure that a specific Ivy League school is your top choice. With early action, its fine to apply early if theres a chance you will later change your mind. If youre on target for Ivy League admission (grades, SAT/ACT, interview, essays, extracurriculars), applying early is the best tool you have for improving your chances significantly. Take a look at this table of early and regular admit rates for the Ivy League schools.  You are four times more likely to get into Harvard by applying early than applying with the regular applicant pool. Yes- four times more likely.   Factors That You Cant Control Everything Ive written about above focuses on factors that you can control, especially if you start early. There are, however, a couple factors in the Ivy League admissions process that are outside of your control. If these factors work in your favor, great. If they dont, dont fret. The majority of accepted students do  not  have these advantages. First is legacy status. If you have a parent or sibling who attended the Ivy League school to which you are applying, this can work to your advantage. Colleges tend to like legacies for a couple reasons: they will be familiar with the school and are likely to accept an offer of admission (this helps with the universitys yield); also, family loyalty can be an important factor when it comes to alumni donations. You also cant control how you fit into the universitys efforts to enroll a diverse class of students. Other factors being equal, an applicant from Montana or Nepal is going to have an advantage over an applicant from New Jersey. Similarly, a strong student from an under-represented group will have an advantage over a student from a majority group. This may seem unfair, and its certainly an issue that has been debated in the courts, but most selective private universities operate under the idea that the undergraduate experience is enriched significantly when the students come from a wide range of geographical, ethnic, religious, and philosophical backgrounds. A Final Word Perhaps this point should have come first in this essay, but I always ask Ivy League applicants to ask themselves, Why the Ivy League? The answer is often far from satisfactory: family pressure, peer pressure, or just the prestige factor. Keep in mind that there is nothing magical about the eight Ivy League schools. Of the thousands of colleges in the world, the one that best matches your personality, academic interests, and professional aspirations is very likely  not  one of the eight Ivies.   Every year youll see the news headlines heralding that one student who got into all eight Ivies. The news channels love to celebrate these students, and the accomplishment is certainly impressive. At the same time, a student who would thrive in the bustling urban environment of Columbia would probably not enjoy the rural location of Cornell. The Ivies are remarkably different, and all eight are not going to be a great match for a single applicant. Also keep in mind that there are hundreds of colleges that deliver exceptional educations (in many cases better undergraduate educations) than the Ivies, and many of these schools will be much more accessible. They may also be more affordable since the Ivies do not offer any merit-based financial aid (although they do have excellent need-based aid).   In short, make sure you truly do have good reasons for wanting to attend an Ivy League school, and recognize that failure to get into one is not failure: you are likely to thrive at the college you do choose to attend.

Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Discussion - Essay Example Life and Styles of the Two Artists Picasso Pablo Picasso was recognized as one of the most brilliant artist in his time. He was even referred to as the genius of the century in the book written by Walther (2000). This can be attributed to the fact that his works are exceptional not only in quality but also in number. He excels in different fields of visual arts such as painting, sculpture, etching, and ceramics (Walther 7). But in all the accomplishments that he had achieved in his life, one of the most noteworthy is his contributions to the establishment of Cubism, which was considered as the most influential artistic movement in the twentieth century because it had altered the development not only of the European art but all forms of visual arts. Cubism initiated the rediscovery and the modernization of the different art forms based on the liberal and avant-garde principles inculcated in the style (Cottington 3). Picasso can be equated to Cubism. This is not only due to the fact th at he can be defined as an artist who is free from any form of categories since he can express himself through any style of art. This is similar to the definition of Cubism, which had started a new culture in terms of visual art style, since it did not conform in the classical or traditional form of art. Due to the fact that Picasso is one of the founders and forerunners of Cubism, his most influential and most memorable art works had been produced during the period. One of the paintings that contributed to the onset of Cubism is Picasso’s 1907 painting entitled Les Demoiselles d’Avignon or The Young Ladies of Avignon. The painting shows five nude female figures in provocative poses. Three of the women were portrayed with Picasso’s signature faces while the other two were portrayed with African mask-like faces. There are different points on the painting that can be related to the style of Picasso. Based on experts, it is the time when the African communities wer e discovered, thus, the fascination for the savage depicted both by the masks and the nudity can be observed (Walther 26). On a personal note, the artwork is a bold move to challenge the traditional culture. The nudity and the topic exploring prostitution is a challenge to the closed minded and traditional perspective of the European society during that time. Parallel to the said objective is the challenge of a new visual arts technique that is cubism. Prior to the said art work, the form of the human body is not ordinarily distorted. But in the said painting, Picasso attempted to use a bold method that constraints the perspective of the audience to the two-dimensional form of the canvas or the paper. The second painting is the Three Musicians which was made in 1921 as a representation of the continuous development of Cubism. The said painting was recognized as a form of Synthetic Cubism. In the painting, there are three figures described as a (Source: Walther 35) Figure 1. Les Demo iselles d’Avignon (1907). Harlequin, a Pierrot and a monk known to represent Picasso and his two friends Guillaume Apollinaire and Max Jacob (Walther 56). Based on the aesthetic review of the painting, the style used by Picasso can be compared to animated form of Cubism. In this style, the figures of the characters in the painting are not as evident. This can be attributed to the fact that the shapes of the different parts of the body are only represented in 2

One Work of Art from Michelangelo Buonarroti and One work of Art from Assignment

One Work of Art from Michelangelo Buonarroti and One work of Art from Leonardo da Vinci - Assignment Example Through the art we are able to see how they have dressed and also in the picture we see one person at the center representing the religious leaders also being involved (Meyer, 2011). It’s seen as the last judgment presented to people on the account of their evil deeds in church. In the Mona Lisa art Leonardo tried to put across the beauty by her curves on her long hair with the color on her face being toned bringing out her beauty. Her hands joined together showed her being calm or relaxed. The clothing can be seen as an ideal woman from her decency showing how mature she is. Her skin color is evenly distributed through da Vinci’s painting. Buonarroti picture symbolizes the kind of activities in the society. The nude picture represents the church followers back scenes which are not in line with Christianity. Michelangelo was a religious person and through his artistic talent he portrayed human anatomy and movements in most of his arts. He was able to blend the colors well the blue shade and the brown shade. The blue showing the sky and the white clouds with people around with actions like asking for a favor from someone (Meyer, 2011). Leonardo da Vinci used blurred and dark outlines contrast of light and dark bringing an ambiguous effect. It has been able to convey an ideal woman as she is conservative and the looks on her face cannot be really told as blank expression as you cannot really determine if she’s smiling or not. Leonardo da Vinci used the technique in framing, use of lighting and composition (Perry, 2009).He used observations and understanding in coming up with his art. Mona Lisa’s eyebrows and eyelashes are visible portraying her beauty. Through glazing technique to show realism achieved through variation in color and shading. He tried to portray her inner beauty by using the dull colors portraying calmness (Perry, 2009). He also used the oil layering on wooden palette. The brush strokes can be seen as

Theories Of Ethical And Pshchological Egoism Essay Example for Free

Theories Of Ethical And Pshchological Egoism Essay Many feel that human nature drives people to deny all forms of altruism and the desire to help others; while an equal amount feels that it is the duty of every human to help others at all costs.   Because there is no way to really decide such a subjective argument, it seems personal preference is the best way to dictate such action.   The alternatives to such altruistic action are egoism, as described through ethical and psychological egoism. These options counter the utilitarian approach, which many find the preferable way for humans to act, and the greatest good for the greatest number of people should be in mind for every action a person makes.    However, the utilitarian approach often leaves open-ended questions on just how much help the fortunate should give to those who are not.   That is why the best approach is through ethical egoism, as if everyone looked out for his or her best interests, ideally, everyone would be able to support themselves and those for whom they care.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While utilitarianism seems to be an ideal way to exist, it leaves too many questions about morality and the limits of altruism.   Egoism is much more natural, as it fosters the will to survive with a distinct rationalism.   The distinction between psychological egoism and ethical egoism reflects the contrast of is verses ought, fact verses value, or descriptive verses prescriptive (Philosophy Lander, 2006). In layman’s terms, this means that ethical egoism is based on the idea that individuals should do only what is in his or her self-interest to achieve morality, while psychological egoism accepts the fact that all people act in their self-interests anyway, despite any appearance to the contrary.   This expresses the difference between the descriptive nature of psychological egoism and the prescriptive nature of ethical egoism, with the former stating humans do things in their own best interests, while the latter states that humans merely should do things in their best interest (Lycan, 2001). To a psychological egoist, human nature is being wholly self-centered and self-motivated, which basically renders all morality useless (Moseley, 2006).   To an ethical egoist, morality is still pertinent and there are strong and weak types of the theory, with the strong version holding it is always moral to promote one’s own good, and it is never moral not to promote it, while the weak version states although it is always moral to promote one’s own good, it is not necessarily never moral to not (Moseley, 2006).   The weak version allows that there may be situations where pursuit of self-interest is not the most important thing and may actually be contrary to the best interests of an individual when concerning morality.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The difference between psychological and ethical egoism cannot be fully understood without knowing the fallacy that exists with psychological egoism.   The fallacy is that people are always motivated by self-interest, when there may be a great variety of motivating factors affecting their decisions, especially emotions.   The concept of motivation has a great deal to do with each theory, as psychological egoism is motivated by individual selfishness, while ethical egoism is motivated by the idea that one must do what is right, even if against self-interests. Because of this, one can commit an altruistic act with ethical egoism, however, with psychological egoism altruism is impossible unless simultaneously serving the interest of the individual as well.   Selfishness and self-interest, while containing some similar attributes, are very different, in that selfishness focuses solely on the needs of the individual, while self-interest merely seeks advantageous circumstances to ensure success. Ethical egoism is a philosophical practice that encourages individuals to pursue their own self-interests.   While it is idealistic to think of helping unknown masses with one’s own hard earned money, it is also naà ¯ve to think that people should feel obligated to do so.   A person who works hard to make money to buy fine things is entitled to those things.   Just because a person is successful and can afford luxury items does not mean that they are obligated to help strangers because it serves some sort of utilitarian purpose. If anything, much of this altruism merely perpetuates a cycle in which those who are poor become accustomed to the aid of those who are not.   If they pursued their own self-interests, they would be better able to rise above their own struggles and create a successful world for themselves. Ethical egoism is not entirely without the concept of helping others, however it focuses not on people that an individual will never meet, but the people in his or her life and those that the person loves and touches personally.   Psychological egoism lacks the fundamental questions of morality to begin with, and helping others is only necessary if it benefits the helper.   While it is difficult to claim that either type of egoism is correct, or even preferable to a utilitarian approach, it allows individuals to remain independent and free of all illusions. REFERENCES Lycan, W. (2001). Morality. University of North Carolina. Retrieved April 26, 2008, from http://www.unc.edu/~ujanel/Morality.htm Moseley, A. (2006). Egoism. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/e/egoism.htm#SH2b Philosophy Lander. (2006). Psychological Egoism. Retrieved April 22, 2008, from http://philosophy.lander.edu/ethics/egoism.html

William Carlos Williams This is Just to Say Essay -- Poem Williams Th

William Carlos Williams' This is Just to Say poem (p m) – noun: 1. A verbal composition designed to convey experiences, ideas, or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way, characterized by the use of language chosen for its sound and suggestive power and by the use of literary techniques such as meter, metaphor, and rhyme. 2. A composition in verse rather than in prose. 3. A literary composition written with an intensity or beauty of language more characteristic of poetry than of prose. -- The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright  © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. According to The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, there are three different definitions of a poem. William Carlos Williams’ highly anthologized poem, â€Å"This Is Just to Say,† fits only one of those descriptions. The single reason it can be classified as a poem is that it is written in verse. In all else, â€Å"This Is Just to Say† fails not only as a poem, but as an interesting work of writing. â€Å"This Is Just to Say† makes absolutely no use of any literary techniques. It lacks rhyme, meter, metaphor, simile, symbol, analogy, allusion and any other device one can think of. The only alliteration present is in the second to last line and is otherwise so sparse as to make that bit seem accidental. Any person attempting to read the poem as a â€Å"metaphor for a variety of larger conflicts,† as the opponent of this particular paper claims, is making it up out of whole cloth and giving Williams far too much credit. True, there are three stanzas, each composed of four lines, but that hardly qualifies a piece as a genuine poem. There is no discernable pattern of syl... ...had been fooled. It’s about time that somebody called the emperor’s bluff. Not even Williams himself originally intended â€Å"This Is Just to Say† to be read as a poem, so any attempt to defend it as one is doomed to fail. Unless, of course, the person defending that position is of the belief that any set of words strung together with the proper line breaks is magically transformed into a poem. In that case, everyone with a Magnetic Poetry Kit deserves to be as famous. William Carlos Williams simply took two ordinary sentences, chopped them up into lines and stanzas, and called it poetry. The so-called poem â€Å"This Is Just to Say† is in reality nothing more than two thinly disguised, unremarkable lines of prose. The name of all poetry is cheapened when people call notes such as these â€Å"poems.† The truth is, â€Å"This Is Just to Say† says very little indeed.

Book Review of “Cheaper” by the Dozen

The autobiographical book Cheaper by the Dozen was written in 1949. Since then, it has been reprinted numerous times, most recently in 2003. The book, written by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, two of the twelve children of Frank and Lillian Gilbreth, is about Frank Jr. and Ernestine's recollections of growing up, in the company of ten other siblings and two high-powered engineers as parents, in a huge house in Montclair, New Jersey, around the turn of the 20th century. Much of the humor within this book is because the father of this huge family, Frank, is a good-hearted man who loves his twelve children and their antics, but is also an engineer (as is his wife Lillian) by profession, and an â€Å"efficiency expert†. Frank Sr. likes to believe problems and conflicts can be solved in a sort of mechanical way, and sometimes with just one quick solution for every problem (at least that is his theory). Many funny and ironic situations arise from this questionable premise. Still, as the authors of Cheaper by the Dozen recall, â€Å"Dad was happiest in a crowd, especially a crowd of kids† (p. ). But since, as an engineer, Frank Sr. owns a scientific management company, he continually tries to apply his various principles of â€Å"scientific management† at home, with mixed results. In one incident, he does so by taking motion pictures of his children washing dishes and doing other household chores, which he calls â€Å"motion study† (p. 3) in order to study their efficiency at these tasks (or the lack thereof), and then hopefully apply what he has learned from these homemade â€Å"motion studies† to other workplace situations. Frank Sr. lso has each of his twelve children chart their weights and other progress each day, on a â€Å"progress and weight chart† (p. 3) he has put up on the bathroom wall, as soon as they can physically write (which is early, since the father has high expectations of his children in every respect). There is sometimes disagreement between Frank Sr. and the children's mother, Lillian, which points out some of the differences between them. For example, Lillian wants to save a spot on the â€Å"progress and weight charts† for recording the children's daily prayers, but Frank Sr. ever the practical man of action rather than contemplation, insists there is no room for that. Many of the funniest episodes in the book derive from these types of conflicts (always rather gentle ones) between the parents, especially since their mother, Lillian, is more relaxed in terms of her personality, and sees everything more individually and perhaps, at times, more clearly as well (although Lillian never directly insists on this to Frank Sr. , but just lets things happen until the truth becomes apparent on its own). Although both Lillian and Frank Sr. re brilliant engineers, Lillian seems to have more personal insight into her children as individuals. And, despite Frank Sr. ‘s considerable â€Å"efficiency†, Lillian often has more common sense. This is perhaps reflected in the way Frank Sr. and his philosophies of â€Å"efficiency† are joked about, much more in the book, than Lillian or her actions or beliefs are joked about. Lillian was an early career woman, and one of the other themes of this book is how she handled, so well, especially for those times, a high-powered career and raising twelve children. Lillian Gilbreth herself, although not the main focus of this book, is very inspiring in that way. The main reason, overall, that I liked this book is because the humor within it is good natured, and the high-powered Gilbreth family, even though it is so large and chaotic, and has its own share of challenges and setbacks, is not â€Å"dysfunctional† in any way, like so many, even smaller, families today. That, in and of itself, is amazing. Whatever is happening, inside or outside the family, there is always love, solidarity, and teamwork within the family itself. The authors also mention how Frank Sr. would never criticize his family to anyone outside the family. Obviously, this book was set in far simpler times than today. For example, as the now grown up Gilbreth siblings first describe their father: â€Å"Dad was a tall man, with a large head, jowls, and a Herbert Hoover collar†¦ † (p. 1). This tells us right away that the book takes place many decades ago, since Herbert Hoover was President in the 1920's. Even the conflicts and disagreements detailed within the book, which are always described truthfully and in detail, seem humorous, good-natured, and reasonable, especially compared to many kinds of family conflicts today. Also, these conflicts are always agreeably resolved, without any lasting damage to any of the children or their egos. This, also, is truly amazing, since both parents are so busy, not only inside but outside the home. Also, the mother and the father are very different from one another by nature, but as the authors point out, they work well together and do everything well as a team. They are always supportive of each other and their children. Dr. Lillian Gilbreth seems the true hero of the Cheaper by the Dozen family. Frank Gilbreth Sr. died before any of his children had reached 20 years old. Lillian continued raising the children on her own, while working and lecturing full-time. Moreover, she managed to put them all through college. Lillian Gilbreth, amazingly, given both the time and the large number of children she had, also had a very distinguished career in her own right when few women had such careers, and even fewer were also mothers of such large families. Still, Lillian Gilbreth managed to be a loving and attentive mother to all of her children. I found Cheaper by the Dozen to be a very inspiring book, and always very honest and humorous. Cheaper by the Dozen conveys the message that family members who love one another, stick together, and have a sense of humor about things that happen in families, and in life, can make it through anything. Therefore, I highly recommend the book Cheaper by the Dozen as an excellent reading experience for everyone.

Effects of Job Rotation

Discuss the various issues of managerial behaviour and related matters raised by this case study Laurie J. Mullins argues that A fist step in the effective management of other people is confidence in your own ability, and awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses. Why is it then that managers find it difficult to admit their mistakes, to say sorry or to laugh at themselves? 1 In the building society case study, there are examples of bad managerial behaviour on the part of both Mary Rodgers, the branch manager and Jane Taylor, the senior branch assistant.Jane Taylor was clearly good at her job if, after four years, she was promoted to this new role, yet within a short period of time, she was having trouble with Tony Jackson. Looking back at what Mullins said, Miss Taylor doesn't appear to have confidence in her own ability or indeed awareness in her own strengths and weaknesses. According to Thompson ; McHugh â€Å"control is not an end in itself, but a means to transform the ca pacity to work established by the wage relation into profitable production†, and Jane is unable to control her sub-ordinate – what are the reasons for this?Part of the problem stems from the beginning of the case study and the relationship between Jane and her manager. Mary Rogers does not instil any confidence in Jane when she effectively ‘dumps' this new role. Up until now, Jane has been performing specific task functions and has no real knowledge of how to manage people as she has previously been performing the duties of a cashier and looking after mortgage advice accounts – more task orientated skills rather than managerial ones. The refresher course she attends includes nothing on this either and Jane immediately falls into what McGregor calls the ‘Theory X' assumption of human nature.The central principle of ‘Theory X' is direction and control through a centralised system of organisation and exercise of authority2 and Jane automatically tr ies to coerce and direct Tony Jackson. The inability of Mary Rodgers to provide effective support and development for Jane shows a clear ineptitude on her part. She admits herself that the reason for Jane's promotion is that â€Å"I [Mary] need someone to take some of the weight off my shoulders† and she seems to be reluctant to help intervene and solve

Degrees of Freedom in Statistics and Mathematics

Degrees of Freedom in Statistics and Mathematics In statistics, the degrees of freedom are used to define the number of independent quantities that can be assigned to a statistical distribution. This number typically refers to a positive whole number that indicates the lack of restrictions on a persons ability to calculate missing factors from statistical problems. Degrees of freedom act as variables in the final calculation of a statistic and are used to determine the outcome of different scenarios in a system, and in math degrees of freedom define the number of dimensions in a domain that is needed to determine the full vector. To illustrate the concept of a degree of freedom, we will look at a basic calculation concerning the sample mean, and to find the mean of a list of data, we add all of the data and divide by the total number of values. An Illustration with a Sample Mean For a moment suppose that we know the mean of a data set is 25 and that the values in this set are 20, 10, 50, and one unknown number. The formula for a sample mean gives us the equation (20 10 50 x)/4 25, where x denotes the unknown, using some basic algebra, one can then determine that the missing number,  x, is equal to 20. Lets alter this scenario slightly. Again we suppose that we know the mean of a data set is 25. However, this time the values in the data set are 20, 10, and two unknown values. These unknowns could be different, so we use two different variables, x, and y,  to denote this. The resulting equation is (20 10 x y)/4 25. With some algebra, we obtain y 70- x. The formula is written in this form to show that once we choose a value for x, the value for y is completely determined. We have one choice to make, and this shows that there is one degree of freedom. Now well look at a sample size of one hundred. If we know that the mean of this sample data is 20, but do not know the values of any of the data, then there are 99 degrees of freedom. All values must add up to a total of 20 x 100 2000. Once we have the values of 99 elements in the data set, then the last one has been determined. Student t-score and Chi-Square Distribution Degrees of freedom play an important role when using the Student t-score table. There are actually several t-score distributions. We differentiate between these distributions by use of degrees of freedom. Here the probability distribution that we use depends upon the size of our sample. If our sample size is n, then the number of degrees of freedom is n-1. For instance, a sample size of 22 would require us to use the row of the t-score table with 21 degrees of freedom. The use of a chi-square distribution also requires the use of degrees of freedom. Here, in an identical manner as with the t-score  distribution, the sample size determines which distribution to use. If the sample size is n, then there are n-1 degrees of freedom. Standard Deviation and Advanced Techniques Another place where degrees of freedom show up is in the formula for the standard deviation. This occurrence is not as overt, but we can see it if we know where to look. To find a standard deviation we are looking for the average deviation from the mean. However, after subtracting the mean from each data value and squaring the differences, we end up dividing by n-1 rather than n as we might expect. The presence of the n-1 comes from the number of degrees of freedom. Since the n data values and the sample mean are being used in the formula, there are n-1 degrees of freedom. More advanced statistical techniques use more complicated ways of counting the degrees of freedom. When calculating the test statistic for two means with independent samples of n1 and n2 elements, the number of degrees of freedom has quite a complicated formula. It can be estimated by using the smaller of n1-1 and n2-1 Another example of a different way to count the degrees of freedom comes with an F test. In conducting an F test we have k samples each of size n- the degrees of freedom in the numerator is k-1 and in the denominator is k(n-1).

The Story of George Crum, Inventor of the Potato Chip

The Story of George Crum, Inventor of the Potato Chip George Crum (born George Speck; July 15, 1824 – July 22, 1914) was a renowned African-American chef who worked at Moon’s Lake House in Saratoga Springs, New York during the mid-1800s. According to culinary legend, Crum invented the potato chip during his work at the restaurant. Fast Facts: George Crum Known For: Widely credited with inventing potato chips when he sliced an order of French fries extra-thin to spite a demanding customer. The story has since been debunked as a myth, but Crum achieved success when he opened  Crums, a popular restaurant in Malta, New York.  Also Known As: George SpeckBorn: July 15, 1824, in Saratoga Springs,  New York, USADied: July 22, 1914, in Malta, New York, USA The Potato Chip Legend   George Speck was born to parents Abraham Speck and Diana Tull  on July 15, 1824. He grew up in upstate New York and was hired at Moons Lake House in the 1850s. Moon’s Lake House was a high-end restaurant that catered to wealthy Manhattan families when Speck was hired. A  regular patron of the restaurant,  Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt, frequently forgot Specks given surname. Vanderbilt  often asked waiters to relay various requests to â€Å"Crum,† thus giving Speck the name he is now known by.   According to popular legend, the potato chip was invented when a picky customer (Vanderbilt himself, according to some reports) repeatedly sent back an order of  French fries, complaining that they were too thick. Frustrated with the customer’s demands, Crum sought revenge by slicing a batch of potatoes paper-thin, frying them to a crisp, and seasoning them with lots of salt. Surprisingly, the customer loved them.  Soon enough, Crum and Moons Lake House became well-known  for their special â€Å"Saratoga chips.†Ã‚   Disputing the Legend   A number of notable accounts  have disputed the story of Crums culinary innovation. Recipes for frying thin potato slices had already been published in cookbooks  by the early 1800s. Several reports on Crum himself, including a  commissioned biography of the chef published in 1893 and his own obituary, were curiously missing any mention of potato chips whatsoever.   Crums sister, Kate Wicks, claimed to be the real inventor of the potato chip. Wick’s obituary, published in The Saratogian in 1924, read, A sister of George Crum, Mrs. Catherine Wicks, died at the age of 102, and was the cook at Moon’s Lake House. She first invented and fried the famous Saratoga Chips. This statement  is supported by Wicks’ own recollections of the tale, which was published in several periodicals during her lifetime. Wicks explained that she had sliced off a sliver of potato that inadvertently fell into a hot frying pan. She let Crum taste it and his enthusiastic approval led to the decision to serve the chips. Crums Legacy Visitors came far and wide to Moons Lake House for a taste of the famous Saratoga chips, sometimes even taking a 10-mile trip around the lake just to get to the restaurant. Cary Moon, the owner of Moon’s Lake House, later tried to claim credit for the invention and began producing and distributing potato chips in boxes. Once Crum opened his own restaurant in the 1860s, called Crum’s, he provided every table with a basket of chips.   Crum’s chips remained a local delicacy until the 1920s when a salesman and entrepreneur named Herman Lay began traveling throughout the south and introducing potato chips to different communities throughout the country. At that point, Crums legacy was overtaken  by the mass production and distribution of potato chips on a national scale. Sources George Crum Dies at Saratoga Lake,  The (Saratoga Springs) Saratogian.  July 27, 1914.  Another Claims Potato Chip Idea,†Ã‚  Glens Falls Post Star.  August 4, 1932Barrett Britten, Elizabeth  [Jean McGregor]. Chronicles of Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, NY. Bradshaw 1947.Bradley, Hugh. Such Was Saratoga.  New York, 1940. 1940, 121-122.Dearborn, R.F.  Saratoga and How to See It. Albany, New York. 1871.  Gruse, Doug. Chipping Away at History.  Post-Star, Glens Falls, New York. November 25, 2009Kitchiner, William.  The Cook’s Oracle; Containing Receipts for Plain Cookery, on the Most Economical Plan for Private Families. 4th ed. A. Constable and Co. of Edinburgh and London.Lee, N.K.M.  The Cooks Own Book: Being A Complete Culinary Encyclopedia.  Boston, Munroe, and Francis. New York, Charles E. Francis, and David Felt. 1832.

Plato - Apology (Five Dialogues) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Plato - Apology (Five Dialogues) - Essay Example Therefore, the form is not a mere idea of roundness in the mind. It exists independently from the basketball and individual thinking of it. It then follows that all round objects, including basketball, copy or participates in this form of roundness. To enhance our understanding of the difference between the properties of forms and those of material objects, there is need to examine the first two properties of forms. Forms are transcendent, that is, they do not exist in time and space. However, a material object, like a basketball, exists in time and space. The roundness of a form does not exist at any particular time or place, thus forms subsist in different ways. This is important as it explains the unchanging property of forms. The roundness property of a basketball will never change: it remains the same at all places and times of instantiation. The form of roundness in present in many spatial locations, and the property or roundness would remain even after the destruction of all r ound objects (192). The second property of forms is purity. Any material object, like a basketball, has various properties: elasticity, roundness, and others, which combine to make the individual basketball. A form is one of the many properties, existing individually apart from time and space. Roundness is purely roundness, without any mixture of properties. The differentiation factors between forms and material objects are pure and transcendent properties, as materials incorporate complex conglomeration of properties in time and space. According to Plato’s principle, humans believe that the reality of a thing dependents on its objectivity. This is because humans tend to distinguish reality and appearance. However, forms are more objective than material objectives, thus forms are more real than the material objects. One of the properties of the soul is eternity. Drawing from the unchanging property of forms, then it means that the soul never dies, nor does it ever begin. It t hen follows that the soul is immortal, and thus exists before and after the â€Å"birth† of the body. Question Two In the Apology, there are four charges against Socrates. First, Socrates faces accusation for studying things in the heavens and below the earth. Second, he tends to make the worst arguments into better arguments, thus persuading others to follow him and his beliefs. Third, he is guilty of corrupting young people, and fourth, he does not believe in the gods of the city. The charge against studying matters of the skies and the ground below contradicts Socrates position as an atheist. Matters of heavens and beneath the earth primarily focus on religious belief of individuals and the gods, thus countering Socrates’ position as an atheist. The basic definition of atheism is the lack of belief in deities. It thus follows that the first charge against Socrates contradicts his position as an atheist. The charge that Socrates turns the worst arguments into stronge r arguments identifies him with the Sophists. Sophists were a group of people with techniques of persuasion that enabled them to influence people to adopt their beliefs and points of view, despite their ignorance on the subject matter of the topic. Athenians accused Socrates of being a Sophist. The charges against corrupting the youth came from Meletus. According to him, Socrates was responsible for corrupting the minds of the youth in Athens.