Best (and Cheapest) Summer Destinations

Best (and Cheapest) Summer Destinations Summer is finally here and it’s your opportunity to give your mind and body a well-earned rest from the rigors of college life. Sure, you could spend your precious vacation running the never-ending mouse-wheel of work, television, and family reunions. Or, you could keep doing school throughout the summer and run the risk of complete burnout when September arrives. Take a little advice from the pros: use your vacation to go somewhere that will rejuvenate your body, mind, and spirit. These 5 vacation destinations will inspire you without leaving you in financial ruin. 1. Blake Island, Washington If you have a hankering to get off the mainland but you can’t afford that Hawaiian airfare, look no further than the beautiful Native American respite of Blake Island. Just across the Puget Sound from bustling Seattle, you can take the ferry to Tillicum Village for just $40. You can explore the 400+ acres of natural beauty, attend the traditional salmon bake, or bring your tent and camp out next to the ocean. And, if you are looking for more exciting night life, you can always head back over to the city where you can check out the clubs, comedy, and shows that are sure to entertain on a budget. 2. Miami Beach, Florida At airfare of under $500 per person, going to Miami is all about adventure on a dime. Not only is the beach covered in attractive and available college vacationers, but the city offers benefits for every type of traveler. Stay in one of the modern hotels in the Art Deco District of South Beach or take in the beautiful camping sites at the Miami Everglades Resort for just $31 per day. In addition, the U.S. has just reopened the ferry service from Miami to Cuba. For just $300, you can literally leave the states behind and party Havana-style. 3. San Diego, California Why spend all the money to go to Mexico when you can recreate a South-of-the-border adventure right here on U.S. soil? San Diego is not only an inexpensive choice (less than $400 per flight), but the ocean city is full of low-cost fun that will leave you relaxed and tan. Visit the acclaimed San Diego Zoo ($48), Seaworld ($35), or get a Go San Diego card ($189) that gives you access to those attractions plus Legoland, San Diego Safari Park and 35 other attractions. Or, if you don’t want to spend a dime, drive up the coast to beautiful Huntington Beach. You can take a free stroll up the boardwalk, browse the amazing art galleries, or just enjoy some of the best surfing in the USA! 4. Louisiana Scenic Byways Getting to Louisiana is the easy part, with airfare ranging from $350 and down. But, if you want to avoid the craziness and expense of New Orleans, a great option is to rent a car and drive the spooky back roads that act as a time vortex. You’ll be amazed at the gorgeous greenery and shocked at the tiny towns along the way where everyone still sits on their porch and waves to passersby. Enjoy Zydeco music, amazing food (like Boudin), and drive-through alcohol stands in tiny towns like Beaux Bridge, Bogalusa, and Ville Platte – where all the road signs are still in French and the radio announcers still speak Creole. 5. Denver, Colorado At some of the best plane ticket prices on this list (between $100 and $300), Denver offers everything a college student could want except for free beer. The mile high city touts amazing camping, hiking, and rock-climbing as well as all the big-city amenities you could want. In addition, for those who are cannabis-friendly, the city offers a budding collection of growers, bakers, and dispensaries for you to peruse. If that’s not your speed, take a trip south to the small town of Castle Rock for one of the most amazing renaissance fairs in the west. Or, just hole up in Denver proper and visit the Denver Aquarium, Denver Aviation Museum, or Six Flags Elitch Gardens – all for under $50 each!

The Impact of Raising Taxes on essays

The Impact of Raising Taxes on essays The Advantages and Disadvantages of Increasing Cigarette Tax Rate 1 The Effect of Increasing Tax on US Cigarette 2 - Demand 3 - Supply 4 Government and Cigarette Tax 5 Own price elastic of Tobacco 7 Cigarette advertising and promotion 9 What is the right level of tax? 12 Cigarette industry and Oligopoly 12 References 14 The Impact of Raising Taxes on Cigarette This paper is primarily focused on the impact of price increases on cigarette that have a positive effect on the U.S. economics. According to Federation of Tax Administrators (FTD) 2002, there is an increasing excise tax on US cigarette in many states, which affect directly to consumers behavior and supplier. Many critics believe that the U.S. government may address the effectiveness of the excise taxes as a regulatory instrument. On the other hand, the government may use excise taxation by increasing tax rate of US cigarette as a tool for gaining more revenues and saving cost of financial part of medicates and national health care. A significant impact of proposed cigarette price increases is a big economic issue that will impact on every side: consumers, suppliers, and the government. One of economists name, Eric Lindblom, from the National Center for Tobacco indicated that an increases cigarette tax, it would directly affect to the price of cigarette. In other words, the price of cigarette will increase causing the impact in the supply and demand of cigarette in the market. The Advantages and Disadvantages of Increasing Cigarette Tax Rate State governments generate revenues. (www.nytimes.com/2002) Every state that has significantly increased its cigarette tax has ...

Technology in our Lives Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Technology in our Lives - Essay Example However I still believe that technology has a big impact on our lives nowadays. The newer generations can’t think about living without technology. Ask a teenager what their most prized possessions are and you will come up with answers such as laptop, iPod, digital camera, PlayStation and many more such technological devices that have taken the world by storm and have become a necessary part of many people’s lives. Many of the technological inventions such as cars, airplanes and bullet trains have made transportation easier. Gone are the days when people commonly used horses and camels as modes of transportation. With the invention of modern modes of travel it is possible to reach far off places in a very short time. Most of us use these modes while travelling to work or school. A person travelling on a horse to go to their office is a rare sight now thanks to technology as people prefer faster modes of travel. With technological advancements came the inventions such as television, cell phones, and internet. All these inventions have led to the world becoming a global village. With their help we can communicate over long distances and know what is happening anywhere in the world just by clicking a button. Technology has even led to advancements in medicine. With the help of technology new medicines are being developed that can cure many diseases. As a result many lives can be saved. Electricity is another invention without which we cannot dream to live now. Imagine if there is no electricity the country. There is a total blackout. The world will come to a halt. Most of people’s work requires electricity. Be it as simple as for running the AC or as complex as running a power plant both require electricity to function. I believe that now it is impossible to live without technology. We are so dependent on some of the technology that we use today that it

Personal Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Personal Ethics - Research Paper Example Acculturation forms a key component when studying the ethical aspects of a certain group of people such as the Hispanics. It is described as cultural modification usually among individuals, group of people in terms of borrowing, adaption and the merging of different cultures resulting from prolonged contacts (Noble, 1991). The underlying precept of ethical competence entails valuing and respecting the various differences in practice among cultural consumers. Originating from several groups, the Hispanics have differing, economical, physical and social attributes that are likely to make them posses varying ethics. They share values that are Hispanic in nature integrated with indigenous cultures and languages. In the United States, some groups have clung to their traditional rituals and language. Under Hispanic ethics, the mother is responsible for family and home while the man is regarded as family head. Within a family and to the community, the children have moral responsibility that entails good manners, respect for the elderly and authority. It should be noted that the Hispanics take great value in preserving their traditional language through education. Formal tendency is a common practice among the Hispanics. They highly regard firm handshake as an expression of greetings. This is also applicable when leave taking. The Hispanics men and women always give a light peck on the cheek or a hug as a way of greeting to their friends and loved ones. The traditional language expresses both non-formal and formal ways of addressing people. This includes the use of titles to show respect or use of some pronouns to issue polite commands. Gestures and body language are important conversation gestures as they enable one to better convey his points. Emphasis is given on appearance and looks as a connotation of dignity, honor and pride. Hispanics wear special attires when attending parties, church, work and other social gatherings. It has been documented that they are flexi ble and relaxed when it comes to punctuality and keeping of time than other groups in the United States. They have a tendency to avoid public speaking which has been attributed to their foreign accent. Every individual operates within a given confinement of ethical system. From my background, ethics are derived from diverse cultural practices within the community. Culture to do with family values, work rules and finding solutions for disputes form the underlying ethical systems we subscribe to. The primary principles of these ethics are to foster cordial relationships when interacting with other individuals or group of people. The school, family and the religious institution I attended shaped my ethics especially the mode of dressing.However, this changed with time after being able to go through school into the corporate world. The numerous evening’s parties made me change my dressing styles to more short dresses which showed most parts of the body. Personal ethics play a sig nificant role especially at the work place. As a customer relations manager, the choice of dress communicates a lot about my personality. Too long dresses or too short dresses may not reflect well with the diverse groups of the clients who are of different age groups. Greetings play a critical role with clients since its one of the best ways to begin negotiation which then translates to a business deal sealed. Ethics are vital in every organization. It enables acceptable relationships and

Gay Marriage in China Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Gay Marriage in China - Research Paper Example This paper examines the positions of those who deny gay rights as well as those who claim that these rights should be recognized with a view to establishing whether these rights should be recognized. Drawing on an international survey of basically English language literature, the paper will conclude that the Chinese government has no reason whatsoever not to recognize gay rights and then finally examine the role of the government in the gay debate. There are many reasons that are presented on the need to legalize gay marriages in China. To begin with, those who support gay marriages claim that recognizing marriage rights is a pointer of the realization of human rights and equality in China. This means that recognizing these rights is the only sensible thing to do. This reality has been epitomized by the Taiwanese President Ma, who once said that Gay rights are a part and parcel of human rights. This claim has also been supported by human rights activists who point out that the struggle for the recognition of gay rights is the remaining major human rights struggle. In the nations where gay rights have been recognized, the association between gay marriage and full citizenship rights for gay men and women has been the driving force (Harvey 101). In addition to this, given that marriage is seen as an attractive institution in the society and the ideal thing for grown ups to do, for gays couples to be able to marry makes their relationship normal and as a result, enables positive recognition of their unions. Analysts have continuously pointed out that lesbians and gay operation comes as a result of the condition of lesbians and gays as outcasts especially in relation to marriage and family. The ability to enter the marriage and family institution without a doubt raises their status in a considerable manner and as a result may improve the strength of those bodies (Harvey 102). Another argument that has been presented as a reason why China should recognize gay

Characteristics of Tilapia Fish

Characteristics of Tilapia Fish Tilapia is generic name of an African cichlids endemic group. This group is composed of three aquaculture important kind of Oreochromis, Sarotherodon and Tilapia. Various characteristics differentiate these three genera, but the main critical concerns to reproductive conduct. All species of tilapia are nesting in builders; a brood parent guards the fertilized eggs in the nest. Both species of Sarotherodon and Oreochromis are mouthing incubators; eggs gets fertilized in the nest but the parents instantly pick up those eggs in mouths and keep them through brooding and for many days after hatching. Brooding in mouth is found only in Oreochromis species, while in case of Sarotherodon either male or both female and male are holding brooders (SRAC, 2005). During the last half of 20th century fish farmers all over the tropical and semi-tropical world have commenced farming tilapia (FAO, 2000). Today, commercial production of important tilapia goes to genus Oreochromis beyond Africa, and more than 90 percent of the farmed tilapia are Nile tilapia outside of Africa. (Balarin and Haller, 1982) reported that Nile tilapia is the most popular tilapia species for aquaculture and is widely distributed in many countries other than native Africa. Adaptability: Oreochromis niloticus is a quickly growing species which can live in various types of waters. It is extremely adaptable and can use a wide range of various food sources (along with plants), but feeds mainly on phytoplankton along with benthic algae. Even though Nile tilapia is assumed as a freshwater species it has shown a great margin towards salt and can survive in briny situations (Beveridge et. al., 2000). Stickney et al., (1979) reported that Nile tilapia can tolerate to a wide range of environmental conditions, fast growth rate, efficient to convert organic matter into high quality protein and have a favorable taste. Feeding Habits: Tilapia has broad variety food organisms that are natural, along with plankton, some aquatic benthic invertibrates, macrophyte, plank tonic and benthic larval fish, breaking up organic matter, and detritus. With heavy auxiliary feeding, natural food beings typically account for 30 to 50 percent of growth of tilapia. Tilapia is often referred as filter feeders as they can efficiently reap water plankton. The gills of tilapia release a mucous which traps plankton. Then mucous rich with plankton or bolus, is swallowed (EL-Sayed A.F.M., 2006). Tilapia is an omnivore; means feeds on both plants and animals food sources. However, feeding behavior depends with size and age. Larvae usually feed on phytoplankton (algae), fingerlings feed on zooplankton (artemia, moina, and rotifer), and while adults consume both plants and animal food sources near the surface because are floating feeders. In this regard, Caulton 1976; Saha and Dewan 1979; Brummett 1995; Turker et al. 2003 bumped that little tilapia filtered substantially more phytoplankton regarding than larger ones. In addition, Azim et al. (2003) looked into consequence of periphyton quantity and size of fish (7 and 24 g) on ingestion rate by Nile tilapia, and they observed that ingestion rate between small fish significantly increased with density of periphyton, but not for fish with medium size. Protein Requirements: Including Tilapia Proteins are important nutrients for all living organisms for their structure and function. Continual use of protein is being used for maintenance, growth and reproduction. Therefore, continuous supply of proteins or their component amino acids are necessary. Many studies indicated that fish does not have true protein necessity, but instead needs a well equilibrized mixture of dispensable and indispensable amino acids. Insufficient intake of protein will result in retardation of growth due to withdraw of protein from fewer vital tissues to maintain the function of critical parts. Too much supply of protein, however, only part will be used to synthesize new tissues and remainder will be converted to energy (NRC, 1983). Many findings have been carried out about the optimum dietary protein level for tilapia. This level for tilapia appears to be influenced by size or age of the fish and ranges from 28% to 50%. For fry dietary protein levels ranging from 36 to 50% have been shown to produce best level growth (Davis and Stickney, 1978; Santiago and Laron, 1991; El-Sayed and Teshima, 1992). That for juvenile 29 to 40% has been determined to produce optimum growth (Cruz and Laudencia, 1977; Teshima et al., 1978); for young adult fish up to 40g 27.5 to 35% appears to be maximum (Jauncey and Ross, 1982; Siddiqui et al., 1988; Wee and Tuan, 1988; Twibell and Brown, 1998). Practical diets for grow out of tilapia usually contain 25 to 35% crude protein. In ponds, however, fish may have access to natural food that is rich in protein, thus dietary protein levels as low as 20 to 25% have been estimated to be adequate (Newman et al., 1979; Lovell, 1980; Wannigama et al., 1985). Proteins are made up of amino acids. Arginine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan and valine are the amino acids have been shown to be necessity for fish (Moyle and Cech 1982). The main problem is that quantity for each type required differs from species, and excessive quantity might be damaging a fishs health (Moyle and Cech 1982). Scoliosis (curvature of the spine) can result due to lack of amino acids in fish (Moyle and Cech 1982). Proteins are vital in the fish growth. Research has shown that due to certain proteins lack, growth will be scrawny. In the nature, omnivorous fish generally feed on ample alive organisms, protein enriched, that provide a valuable energy source (Moyle and Cech 1982). However, many commercial foods lack ample protein as it is expensive. Fish use large amount of energy to crush large and complex proteins. Due to this, carbohydrates and lipids are replaced as energy sources (Moyle and Cech 1982). Lipid requirement: On other hand, lipids are found in tissues of both animal and plant and are digestible completely (Moyle and Cech 1982). Symbiotic bacteria are present in guts of many herbivorous fish that helps to digest the carbohydrates and liberate its energy to fish. Lipids supply higher energy than do carbohydrates, and also render fatty acids, that are used for the energy construction reserves in fish. Predaceous fish normally have a maximum growth rate due to their diet of live fish, which are naturally high in lipids (Moyle and Cech 1982). Dietary lipids are the main source of essential fatty acids needed by fish for normal growth and development. They are vital carriers and assist in absorption of vitamins with fat-soluble. Lipids, especially phospholipids, are important for cellular structure and maintenance of membrane flexibility and permeability. Lipids serves as precursors of steroid hormones and prostaglandins, improve the flavor of diets and affect the diet texture and fatty acids composition of fish (Webster I. et al., 2002). Takeuchi et al. (1983) reported that essential fatty acid requirement of Nile tilapia was found to be 0.5% linoleic acid (18:2à Ã… ½6). Complete diets and Feeding Levels: Complete diets are important in semi intensive culture systems of Nile tilapia, for a provision of all essential nutrients to the fish. In order to develop such diets it is also necessary to know the specific nutrient requirements of the animal and optimize feed formulation in order to obtain fast growth of high quality fish at low costs, (Moore, 1985). Nutrient requirement of supplementary feed for Nile tilapia: Many studies have been done to find out the suitable optimum nutrient level for tilapia. Fineman and Camacho (1991) observed that 30% protein with 3500 kcal was better than 30% protein with 3000 kcal for supplementary feed for Oreochromis niloticus in brackish water ponds. Watanabe et al. (1990) found that final mean weight were high in 28% protein to 32% protein under all densities. Hanley (1990) found that increasing dietary lipid has no significant effect on growth rate, feed conversion ratio and protein gain. De Silva and Perera (1985) and Siddiqui et al.(1988) cited by Zonnveld and Fadholi (1991) found that optimum protein levels for fry and young Nile tilapia reared at maximum growth should be 28-30% respectively. Water Quality Requirements: Nile tilapia would grow well in water with a temperature range of 20-35 °c and optimum between 28 ° and 30 °C and productivity can be assumed at a maximum within this temperature range (Ballarin and Haller, 1982). Tilapia cannot survive at a temperature below 10 °c for more than few days. When it exposed to cold water, disease resistance is impaired and death may result in only few days (Lovell, 1989) The tolerance level of DO for Nile tilapia is as lower as 0.1 mg/L (Magid and Babiker, 1975). Chevrvinski (1982) reported that O. niloticus could survive by using atmospheric oxygen when dawn DO concentration drops to less than 1 mg/L. Colt (1987) demonstrated that Nile tilapia growth reduces as DO level reaches below 5mg/L.. However, its survival depends on the duration of low dissolved oxygen in the culture system. In tanks, fish survive at the oxygen level of 1.2 mg/L by gulping oxygen from the atmosphere for up to 36 hours if other water quality parameters remain at an optimum level (Balarin and Haller, 1982). Nile tilapia has a lethal pH limit at approximately 4 and 11 respectively and pH between 6.5 and 9 is the desirable range for fish culture (Swingle, 1969) Nile tilapia is more tolerant of high ammonia level than any other species of fish. The lethal ammonia level for tilapia is 2.3 mg NH3-N/L., but it was reported that by prolong exposure, it can tolerate levels of up to 3.4 mg/L (Stickney, 1985). A level of unionized ammonia above 0.5 mg/L frequency results in mortality when fish are further stressed by low oxygen, handling (Ballarin and Haller, 1982). Nile tilapia is not directly affected by alkalinity and tolerance level as high as 700 to 3,000 mg/L CaCo3 (Morgan, 1972). A total alkalinity range of 20 400mg/L is considered satisfactory for most aquaculture purpose (Tucker and Robinson, 1990 cited by Lawson, 1995). Phosphorous requirement The dietary requirement for phosphorus in tilapia varies from 0.9% (Watanabe et al., 1980), 0.45-0.6% (Viola and Arieli, 1983), 0.3-0.5% (Robinson et al 1984, Robinson et al., 1987) to 0.46% (Haylor et al., 1988) depending on species, fish size, food composition or expression of a reported requirement, available or final dietetic phosphorus. The diet containing the complete mineral premix contained 0.9% total phosphorus, whereas the unbalanced calcium and phosphorus diet contained 0.5% overall phosphorus. Although fish could partly absorb phosphorus from its environment (Lall, 1979, Lall, 1989, Lall, 19911, dissolved phosphorus is usually at very low levels of about 0.005-0.05 Mg/L, which is inadequate to meet their requirement (Nose and Arai, 1979 cited in Lall, 1991). Hepher (1954) (as cited in Hepher and Sandbank, 1984) noted that even in fish ponds fertilized with phosphates, the level of phosphorus does not increase much above its normal low level due to absorption to soil colloid and precipitation as insoluble compounds. Phosphorus is a component of phosphoproteins, nucleic acids and phospholipids, which play important roles in energy metabolism. Addition of dietary phosphorus has been reported to decrease the lipid content of muscle and viscera, whereas muscle protein content increased (Murakami, 1970 cited in Lall, 1979; Takeuchi and Nakazoe, 1981 cited in Viola et al., 1986; Shu, 1987; Hung, 1989; Wee and Shu, 1989). Calcium requirement The requirement for calcium in tilapia reared in calcium-free water was found to be 0.65% for 0. areus (Robinson et al., 1984, Robinson et al., 1987). In the calcium and phosphorus uncomplemented diet, the calcium level was about 1%. At this level, even without supplementation, it appears that the calcium level in the soybean-based diet would be sufficient to meet the requirement. The availability of dietary calcium to fish has not been studied. Furthermore, under normal conditions, one cannot demonstrate a calcium requirement in fish (Cowey and Sargent, 1979; Robinson et al., 1984, Robinson et al., 1987; Yarzhombed and Bekina, 1987) because of calcium uptake from the water (Dabrowska et al., 1989; Luquet, 1991). In Nile tilapia, calcium uptake takes place in the skin, particularly by the opercular membrane (McCormick et al., 1992). In contrast to phosphorus, it seemed, therefore, that the calcium requirement could be met from the rearing water. Activities such as liming of ponds are likely sources of calcium. The similarity of calcium levels in the final carcass of fish fed the calcium supplemented, calcium non-supplemented diets and the non-fed fish further support the likeliness of calcium uptake. The calcium is a must in the fish diet for balancing the calcium and phosphorus ratio. Maintaining an optimum Calcium and Phosphorus ratio is important in diets for red sea bream, eels, and brook trout but not for catfish, carp, and rainbow trout (NRC, 1973, NRC, 1983; Ogino and Takeda, 1976; Viola et al., 1986; Hepher, 1988; Lall, 1991). In tilapia, the role of the Ca: P ratio is not well defined and merits further study (Robinson et al. 1987). However, noted that in freshwater fish, dietary Ca: P ratio does not generally impair growth or tissue concentration as long as dietetic phosphorus is adequate and calcium is present in the rearing water. Feeding standards of supplementary feed for Nile tilapia This is a set of tables, which include the quantity of each dietary component required for each age and species of fish for different levels of production and maintenance. When complemented by tables of feeds composition, then it is possible to formulate accurate rations for individual or fish groups, an essential process for a least-cost ration feeding program operation. Marek (1975) composed a feeding chart of common carp and tilapia. The chart was having estimation of natural food in the pond and subtracted from the calculated feed requirements for maintenance and expected growth. The charts are based on the weight of fish, and changes are adjusted according to the daily growth of fish. In most cases, therefore ration is fixed for a longer period of time (Hepher, 1982). Feeding rate of Nile tilapia Underfeeding of fish can result in production loss. Overfeeding will cause a costly feed wastage and a potential cause of water pollution in addition, a condition ensuing loss of animals or needing expensive corrective measures. Hence, both overfeeding as well as under-feeding has serious economic effects that affect the farm viability. Bard et al (1976) stated that most of the supplemented feed is not fully eaten by fish; some drop to the bottom of the water contributes to development of phytoplankton, hence promoting growth of fish both direct and indirect way. Sometimes a vague instruction might be read, like feed 5% of biomass per day as a dry feed. This might be applied during whole growing cycle. This would most likely result in near famishment in the early stages and gross excessive feeding and later water quality problems. Feeding rates must not be steady throughout the whole of the growth cycle till table size. They must be changed according to the fish age and its size to conditions of water. Brown et al (1979) demonstrated that it is uneconomical to balance diets fed to fish in ponds according to the absolute nutrient requirement of the fish. Stocking density and size Feeding level of fish in the semi intensifier system increases with the increase of density of fish. As t density of fish in the semi intensive culture increases per unit area, the food requirement of fish also increases. This increase of biomass does not relate with the increase of raw food and in many cases is associated with a decrease in the production of food from nature due to limited supply to the overgrowing biomass stated (1979) that when the biomass of fish increased, each fish gets a smaller amount of natural food, which may not meet its nutrition requirement. This deficit can be covered by supplementary feed. Natural Food in a semi intensive culture Algae or phytoplankton is an microscopic weeds form the base of the fish food chain. Adequate temperature, sunlight, and nutrients are basic for all green plants needed for growth. In presence of the sufficient light and proper temperature, chemical fertilizers (nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium) nutrients are readily assimilated by phytoplankton and increasing their abundance. Manure comprises the same nutrients, is released and present to phytoplankton during and after decomposition. As phytoplankton absorbs fertilizer nutrients and reproduces to create dense communities pond water changes to brownish or greenish color. This is known as phytoplankton bloom. There are three basic feeding pathways by which input of fertilizer in the pond provides nutrition for fish: Direct consumption of organic matter by fish Autotrophic productivity of algae pursuant to fertilization and their consumption by filter feeding fish. Heterotrophic productivity of micro organisms and benthic micro organisms from manure inputs and their successive consumption by fish. These three basic feeding pathways can operate in a single aquaculture system, even though their relative importance still a subject of intense debate Colman and Edwards, (1987). In Israel experimental work reported that the heterotrophic pathway of organic manure was found to be more efficient than an autotrophic pathway, Schroeder (1980). It was stated that low fish production by an autotrophic food chain was due to the sunlight limitations of phytoplankton with filter feeding fish mainly depend on heterotrophic organisms that are not light dependent. Therefore, the autotrophic food chain is required to provide the necessary DO which limit to the heterotrophic feed chain Colman and Edwards, (1987). The fertilized ponds with nutrients stimulate the microscopic plants growth in the water (phytoplankton). Phytoplankton is food for other water creatures (zooplankton and larger animals) that fish eat. Water becomes turbid or greenish color (called a bloom) Martin et al (1999) because of abundant growth of microscopic plants. Evaluation of the nutritional value of natural food is a difficult because each fish species has its own nutrition requirement from its diet Determination of biomass of phytoplankton, zooplankton and benthos in the fish pond must be related to the food requirement of fishes. Until now, there is not a reliable method developed for determination of secondary production, although primary production can be estimated. Spataru et al (1979) reported that supplementary feed can replace some of the natural food. Aquino and Neilso (1982) supported that Oreochromis niloticus grow well in cages on food. The primary producers which are sourcing of food to different type of fish are not digested equally by fish. Blue green algae Anabaena, Microcystis, Oscillator was reported to be indigestible because they have copious moulage, cellulose wall, or firm periblast, (Zhang, 1989). Recent research work in China indicated that Tilapia can digest green-algae (Zhang, 1989). Mellamena, (1990) reported that algae contain protein, fat, Carbohydrates varies 22% to 48%, 2% to 16%, and 14% to 24% respectively. Zooplankton has more protein and fat content than any other phytoplankton except one gabber. Diatoms which have the more silicious cell wall contain higher quantities of inorganic matter. Tamiya, (1975) found that the average protein content of algae is about 50% on a dry matter basis. The biological value of algae is about 81.5% meaning that 124gram of algal protein corresponds to 100 grams of egg protein. The amino acid composition of algae is similar to that of FAO reference protein except, there is a slight deficiency in cystine and methionine. Lipids found in phytoplankton are typical ester of glycerol and fatty acids having a carbon number from C14 to C20. The major acids in diatoms are palmitic (16:0), hexadecanoic (16:1), Becker (1989). Blue green algae have a larger amount of polyunsaturated fats (25% to 68%) oftotaltriglyceride up to 80% of the totalalgae lipids. Lipid content of Cyanobacteria and green algaein outdoor mass culture is 7% to 15% lipids (Becker, 1989). (Nostocsp., Calothrex sp., Oscallaria and Spirulina sp., Urenima sp.) and 20% to 25% lipids in green algae (Scenedesmus),to 10% in dry weight. All plankton feeders fish reported to digest diatoms such as Silver carp and tilapia (Power, 1960, 1966). Tilapia zillii in Israel revealed that it had a capacity to disintegrate after gelatinous matrix colonies of blue green algae, especially Microcystis (Spataru, 1978).

Micro: Learning and Lesson Plan Essay

1.0 Introduction On 6 November 2012, corresponding to the last Tuesday, I have been conducting microteaching trials on the topic of learning â€Å"Needs and Wants† under chapter one, the Commerce Syllabus Form 4, on 30 prospective teachers who act as students in Form 4. My final microteaching was held on 3rd January 2013 with the same topic and objectives. This microteaching was carried out for 15 minutes under the supervision of my lecturers, Mr. Suthagar a / l Narasuman. Microteaching trial is compulsory for all prospective teachers who took this course. In determining the rotation and chapter that should be taught in microteaching sessions was determined by voting under the supervision of our chief, Nor Hafriza. We just called her as Fiza. She was the head that is very responsible and dedicated in solving our problems related to this course. After the voting, I found that I’m very fortunate to have had a first turn and first subtopic in syllabus Perdagangan Form 4 for trial and final session. After a few weeks, Fiza has received approval from our lecturer, Mr. Suthagar to choose our own sub-topics that will be taught during microteaching. This is very nice but I decided to keep the title was elected during the voting session. 2.0 Initial Feelings / Reaction I would be lying if I said that the microteaching was easy. To be honest, I was extremely nervous when it was assigned, not because of the work that would be required to get it done, but because of the actual teaching the class. I was more afraid to teach my own friends than the actual high school class that I have and will be assigned to. The reasoning behind this is that it is always said that standing up in front of one’s peers is quite possibly the hardest thing to do. They are the people that are around you the most and know you I bit more personally than say, a class. Yes, a class does get to know you as well, but it is not on the same level as in this microteaching. There is some sort of connection a class has because we all know exactly what to expect from one another and we judge, we cannot help it, it just happens. We may not necessarily be trying to judge, but it is in our nature and it should be when it comes to something like microteaching because we are all trying to learn a little something from one another. For trial, I have prepared a lesson plan that teacher-centred, where as I give a clear explanation of human needs and desires as well as the differences between them. After that, the students are asked to answer an exercise provided. After a few minutes, I choose students at random to give the right answer orally. I was the first students to run this trial and after hearing the comments from Mr. Suthagar, it clearly shows that my lack was regarding involvement of students in the process of teaching and learning. When beginning this trial microteaching journey, the first hurdle that I had to jump over was the dreaded lesson plans. Before this class, I had an experience to write a lesson plan during me as a backup teacher. However, during that time I’m just write the lesson plan based on my understanding and without the trustworthy knowledge. When talking about the lesson, I had practiced it in front of my roommates and some friends and I knew it just was not going to be the same as in the class. One of the biggest things that I had to worry about besides the discipline issue was my time management. I did not want to get into a situation where I would have so much time left over and then have nothing to talk about. So, my lesson did end up going as planned and I actually had more stuff that I could have said if the buzzer had not gone off. Other friends who are implemented their trial on the first day which is together with me also facing a lack and problem more or less the same. However, there is also a classmate who is able to provide activities that engage students and it is a very good example and can be an example for me in the future. Friends who implement micro teaching trial in the next weeks started to change and show the improvement to teach using students centred approach. However there is still a lack of attentive in a few friends and they are still continuing their micro teaching trial based on teacher-centred approach. 3.0 Process of Designing and Delivering Lesson Based on my experience, the process in designing to delivering my lesson is not too complicated. For me, the most important things were the lesson plan and activities that I will conduct during the microteaching. I realize that there is a strategy to planning a lesson. There were certain aspects of the lesson plan, such as the goals and objectives that helped me focus on my lesson, as well as making sure that each activity I had planned was relevant and effective. Writing a lesson plan gave me a chance to think through each aspect and make sure that there were no holes. Even though I felt prepared going into the classroom, there is only so much planning and preparation that is possible. There will always be things that will come up, such as random student responses or questions that I will not have prepared for. Learning how to deal with situations such as those will come with time and experience. Generally, there is many benefit of having a lesson plan. It allows you to manage your time, effort and resources efficiently. It also provides the teacher many ways to keep the teaching process not monotonous and redundant. We need to keep in mind that the attention of our students and pupils is just equivalent to half of their age and a lesson is the best way to keep the interests of students and pupils interests all throughout. Since it is like a script in movies, lesson plans makes teaching mundane and easy and it makes you organized whilst teaching. We can able to determine when to insert icebreakers and interesting facts and lessons to keep our student and pupils glued to their lessons. Other than that, the variations in the activities are easily whipped out which will benefit our students. Bear in mind that we are dealing with a class that has multiple intelligent and different activities will cater to all types of students and pupils. Lesson plans will easily help you to achieve your goals and objectives, and same can be said on the part of your students or pupils. It also gives us a reality check of our everyday performance and we can improve the habit and attitude of our students and our teachi ng skills. Lesson plans is vital in teaching, it gives us the guide we need to pull through. Bear in mind that teaching is a difficult since we are dealing with children or teenagers with raw skills, knowledge, and wisdom. It clearly shows that with lesson plans we will be able to impart the things they need to do the best of our abilities. When we are new to teaching, a detailed lesson plan is essential because it gives us confidence. By thinking of all the steps, all the procedures, all the materials needed, all the types of interactions that might take place along with predicting the time each activity will last, we get the feeling of being ready for the lesson. By thoroughly planning a lesson, we reduce the chances of being caught off-guard, something that can be very frustrating to any teacher, but that can be especially difficult to those new to the job. No matter how long we’ve been teaching, it’s always important to ask ourselves questions like these as we plan, reflect an d work to plan a lesson. What will my students have learned after this lesson is over? What will they be able to do by the end of it that they weren’t able to do before? How will this lesson help them progress in their learning? Most important, how will I help them to get there? When planning lessons, besides considering what I will talk about, how I will talk about it and what materials I will use as I talk about it, I try to predict possible difficulties and questions the students might have so I can be ready to address those. This helps me fit the lesson within the bigger picture of the term and the content I am supposed to cover. I reflect on the balance between types of activities and types of learners. That will makes me calmer before teaching. More than planned, I am prepared. In completing the lesson plan, I’m choosing to use a backward mapping design. Backward design is a method of designing educational curriculum by setting goals before choosing instructional methods and forms of asse ssment. Backward design of curriculum typically involves three stages which are identify the results desired, determine acceptable levels of evidence that support that the desired results have occurred and design activities that will make desired results happen. Backward design challenges â€Å"traditional† methods of curriculum planning. In traditional curriculum planning, a list of content that will be taught is created and/or selected. In backward design, I’m as a future educator starts with goals, creates or plans out assessments and finally makes lesson. My goals subtopic of needs and wants were express meaning of needs and wants, distinguish between needs and wants and sketch the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Supporters of backward design liken the process to using a â€Å"road map†. In this case, the destination is chosen first and then the road map is used to plan the trip to the desired destination. In contrast, in traditional curriculum planning there is no formal destination identified before the journey begins. The idea in backward design is to teach toward the â€Å"end point† or learning goals, which typically ensures that content taught remains focused and organized. This, in turn, aims at promoting better understanding of the content or processes to be learned for students. I’m able to focus on addressing what the students need to learn, what data can be collected to show that the students have learned the desired outcomes and how to ensure the students will learn. 4.0 Personal Reflection In my opinion, the skills I used during my session were regarding voice projection, communication and classroom management. I’m asked a few friends about my voice projection and I get a positive answer that my voice is very clear. I know that teacher’s voice needs to be effective in a variety of circumstances. As a teacher, I need to be audible. Students at the back of the class must be able to hear my voice as well as those at the front. I need a voice which projects well and appropriately in all these circumstances and which is also pleasant to listen to. I think that teachers do not have to shout to be heard or to make students understood. Good voice projection is more important than volume. Speaking too softly or unpleasantly loudly is both irritating and unhelpful for students. Expressive voices, used in an imaginative way, draw students in and make them want to pay attention and listen. If such a voice has quality and liveliness, they will be motivated to attend, participate and learn. Regarding communication skills, I’m sure that I’m good in that during my microteaching session because I’m able to explain the content of lesson using methods that my students can understand. Communication can help me better interact with students. A teacher’s ability to communicate on all levels will help students who progress at different paces. Actually, I think that I’m cannot fully utilize my teaching skills because the time provided only 15 minutes. However, I’m already trying my best to complete my microteaching. As an attention grabber or induction set, I’m using my bridal cloth and a medicine to show interconnection between needs and wants. During the microteaching session, I have seen that i can attract my students’ attention to the lesson. I’m prepared two activities to be completed in 15 minutes includes my intro and summaries. The activities were presentation that I’m already gives a week before and a game that I called as ‘spontan’. During the time provided, I’m able to complete all activities as planned and give a written exercise regarding the topic lesson. In completing this session, I’m choosing cooperative learning. Cooperative learning, which will be the primary focus of the class, is a specific kind of collaborative learning. In cooperative learning, students work together in small groups on a structured activity. They are individually accountable for their work, and the work of the group as a whole is also assessed. Cooperative groups work face-to-face and learn to work as a team. In small groups, students can share strengths and also develop their weaker skills. They develop their interpersonal skills. They learn to deal with conflict. When cooperative groups are guided by clear objectives, students engage in numerous activities that improve their understanding of subjects explored. In order to create an environment in which cooperative learning can take place, three things are necessary. First, students need to feel safe, but also challenged. Second, groups need to be small enough that everyone can contribute. Third, the task students’ work together on must be clearly defined. The cooperative and collaborative learning techniques presented here should help make this possible for teachers. The most important things that influence my teaching design and delivery were about instructional strategies and the induction set in order to attract students’ attention. I’m realizing that in this century, I need to focus more on students. So, I must prepare a lesson plan or activities that used students centred instructional strategies. Student-centred teaching methods shift the focus of activity from the teacher to the learners. Student-centred methods have repeatedly been shown to be superior to the traditional teacher-centred approach to instruction, a conclusion that applies whether the assessed outcome is short-term mastery, long-term retention, or depth of understanding of course material, acquisition of critical thinking or creative problem-solving skills, formation of posit ive attitudes toward the subject being taught or level of confidence in knowledge or skills. Induction set also importance in teaching. I know that set induction is the important part those teachers always do at the beginning of teaching and learning process. The objective of set induction is to encourage the students to attract and make them concentrate their attention towards teacher’s presentation. The most effective ways to present set induction by using teaching aids, related situation with the lesson, motivation, questioning technique, revision of related topic and much more. Then, we can relate with the topic that we will teach them at that day. In determine good set induction we must know it is suitable with their ability and also experience. Also the activity ought to relate closely to the lesson content that follows. 5.0 Conclusion From this microteaching experience, I have learned more than I could imagine. It gave me the practice I needed in constructing lesson plans and finally getting up in front of the class and teaching not just reading off a project. I am more aware of watching out for discipline issues because they are constantly in the back of my mind and I am constantly looking out for them. I feel that I am much more confident going my practicum now that I have completed the microteaching and it has allowed me to start thinking about what to expect in the class. I have come to find out that when in a classroom, anything is possible, so I have to be ready. References Burden, P. R., & Byrd, D. M. (2013). Methods for Effective Teaching (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice-Hall. Cruickshank, D.R.; Bainer, D.L. and Metcalf, K.K. (1999). The Act of Teaching, 2nd Edition. Boston: McGraw Hill College

Bridge Collapse in Minnesota

The collapse of bridge I-35W in Minnesota during the rush hour of August 1put tremendous pressure on the reliability and safety of our bridges nationwide. Countless investigations and precautionary measures were done to make all bridges pass standard procedures and render it safe for both the vehicles and passengers. At the same time it gave dent to our structural designers ability to come up with a truly sound structure and bridge design. In this research paper we will try to dwell into the process involving bridge design, the different design loads, proper bridge repair and the type of bridge design used by engineers on the I-35W.After the collapse, we shall also try to decipher the expert opinion on the real cause and give credence to their theory on the failure of the gusset plate. We will also discuss the implication of the collapse of the bridge to the engineering profession, particularly if the failure was caused by defective design theories. And lastly after all is said and d one, I will try to give my assessment on the matter based on the materials culled from the different websites of the Internet. The Design Process The design of a structure (buildings or bridges) follows a tedious and complex process.Bridges for example needs extra meticulous observation because it carries moving loads and design flaws could only be accurately gauged if the sequence is subjected to a computer generated simulated stress diagrams. In this way structural designers can pinpoint the areas within the structure that is most likely to suffer fracture in extreme cases of bridge overload (BridgeArt). In the case of Bridge I-35W in Minneapolis, the designer may have been correct in all his assumptions as guided by the Design Manual of the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC).From the dead load to the perceived moving loads, to the snow load and impact loads and also the necessary factor of safety were all incorporated in his design observation. Proof of the matter is the said bridge continued to thrive since its erection in 1967 and only collapsed four decades later. What may have caused the collapse of the bridge? Serious design errors could not be faulted because it should have failed at the onset – when the bridge was first used by the commuting public. Certainly the culprit could be poor maintenance procedures or bridge repairs.The Bridge Repair Data gathered from MN-DOT reveals that the bridge underwent major deck paving in 1970 and 1990. This twin repairs has already added tremendous dead load to the structure. Prior to the collapse of the bridge another paving was underway and materials were stockpiled on the deck plus the various equipment doing the repair job (Obi-Akpere). The recent resurfacing of the bridge placed an additional deadweight to the structure, roughly about 300 tons and may have triggered the demise of bridge I-35W (Obi-Akpere).The Bridge Design Design Engineers from the University of Minnesota in its report, foun d the bridge to be a non-redundant structure – meaning that all structural components act together and if one member fails the entire structure would collapse. Besides, the arched structure rests on only four pylons and failure of one especially during tremors would be catastrophic (Week III). The bridge I-35W is a typical three span continuous deck truss with a jargon of steel members and with the roadway on top.To protect the bridge from lateral movement because of extreme temperature changes (expansion and contraction), bridge bearings were used to allow the structure free movement (Week III). The Investigation From the wreckage of the collapsed bridge, investigators found several fractured gusset plates. Calculations were made on the stress capacity of the gusset plates and were found to be way deficient and the loads applied on the bridge were over their design limit. But no design imperfections were observed on the structural members (Samuel).This goes to show that fail ure of the structure emanates from too thin gusset plates, which could have been a construction error rather than a design flaw. Common sense dictates that a gusset plate should not be lesser in cross sectional area to a particular member served. In this case if proper construction procedure could have been followed, then structural failure should have been evident in the structural members (Roy). Or structure failure could be manifested in the welded joints or on the construction rivets and bolts.But such is not the case, then blame should be shouldered by the contractor for possibly undertaking stringent cost cutting measures or on his failure to notify the design engineer of the undersized gusset plates. And the MN-DOT field engineers likewise for its failure to spot the defective components installed in the structure (Gilbert). Also inspections were made by MN-DOT personnel on the bridge, but sad to say that they were unable to spot the defective gusset plates.Any ocular inspect ion would be useless unless field engineers would dutifully check each structural member by using calipers, particularly the thickness of the structural members. All the data are feed to their computer design software and only then can they be certain about their structural assessment (ArtiFactor). Implication to Engineering The collapse of bridge I-35W is a slap to the engineering profession, because it will tend to show that structural designers failed to provide safety nets to our structures not only on bridges but also buildings.It will put into question and scrutiny the methods and theories put forth by icons of the industry. For over 100 years our structural designers have practiced the profession based on the tenets of the formulas perfected by pioneers of the profession and a miscue like the collapse of the bridge will render all of these to naught. This will have a global effect, because everybody will now put to test the safety of our structures. With a disaster of this ma gnitude, people will now question the relevance of our structural design principles.Have we really made an accurate engineering theory and formula that could be fundamentally applied to bridge design? Or do we need to further hone our skills in order to come up with a design principle that will truly address such structural deficiencies? Engineers will now be irrelevant because what they have studied and practiced through the centuries will be rendered useless. It will be back to square one since all structures will now be deemed unfit for human habitation.What will now become of the human population – probably live in tents and simple lean-to structures? Development will be in a stand still as everybody will be wary of building structures, much more live in it. But initial finding from investigators is a breath of fresh air to structural designers. They only found errors in judgment in the use of materials and components not on the structural design. This will prove beyond d oubt that they have practiced sound design principles and that resulting structures are safer than ever. ConclusionIn the ensuing investigation, it is my opinion that what caused the collapse of bridge I-35W is not the design flaws (although evident) but the haphazard repair on the bridge made by personnel of the MN-DOT. Take note that resurfacing was made on the bridge for three occasions, one in 1970, 1990, and the one prior to the collapse of the bridge. Each time the bridge was resurfaced, almost 15,000 cubic feet of material was poured over it. This is only for the longest span of 458 feet and a width of 113 feet or roughly 8 road lanes, the one span directly over the river.This alone constitutes over 2,500 tons added to the original design load, and since this is done three times, the additional deadweight is tremendous. At the time of the incident equipment and materials were stockpiled making the structure grossly overloaded, no wonder the bridge collapsed (Week III). By the way repairs have been made on the bridge, it was actually an accident waiting to happen. It was never the fault of the structural designer, not even the contractor for he knew his responsibilities.But had they followed the steel design manual on gusset plate design, the structure could have survived the additional deadweight imposed on it. References American Institute of Steel Construction, Inc. 1967. Manual of Steel Construction. sixth ed. American Institute of Steel Construction: United States. Artifactor. â€Å"I-35W Bridge over Mississippi River collapsed! † Science Buzz. 2 August 2007. Science Museum of Minnesota. 4 February 2008. .BridgeArt. 2007. Long Tail Group. 4 February 2008. < http://www. bridgeart. net/software_database/>. Gilbert, Steve. â€Å"Design Flaw caused MN bridge collapse. † Sweetness and Light. 15 January 2008. 4 February 2008. < http://sweetness-light. com/archive/design-flaw-caused-mn-bridge-collapse>. Obi-Akpere. â€Å"The Critical Factor Why Minneapolis Bridge Collapsed. † NowPublic. 16 January 2008. 3 February 2008. < http://www. nowpublic. com/environment/critical-factor-why-minneapolis-bridge-collapsed>. Roy, Jennifer.â€Å"Design Flaw Identified in Minnesota Bridge Collapse. † Design News. 15 January 2008. 4 February 2008. < http://www. designnews. com/article/CA6522883. html>. Samuel, Peter. â€Å"MN/I-35W bridge collapsed because several gusset plates were grossly undersized – engineering error the cause. † TollRoadsnews. 15 January 2008. 3 February 2008. < http://www. tollroadsnews. com/node/3346>. Weeks III, John A. â€Å"Old I-35W Bridge. † John Weeks Homepage. 2005. 3 February 2008. < http://www. visi. com/~jweeks/bridges/pages/ms16. html>.

Pope Julius II Biography

Pope Julius II Biography Pope Julius II was also known as Giuliano della Rovere. He also became known  as the warrior pope and  il papa terribile. Pope Julius II was known for sponsoring some of the greatest artwork of the Italian Renaissance, including the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel by Michelangelo. Julius  became one of the most powerful rulers of his time, and he was more concerned with political matters than theological ones. He  was enormously successful in keeping Italy together politically and militarily.   Important Dates Born: Dec. 5, 1443Elected Pope: Sept. 22, 1503Crowned: Nov. 28, 1503Died: Feb. 21, 1513 About Pope Julius II Julius was born Giuliano della Rovere. His father Rafaello was from an impoverished but probably noble family. Rafaellos brother Francesco was a learned Franciscan scholar, who was made a cardinal in 1467. In 1468, Giuliano followed his uncle Francesco into the Franciscan order. In 1471, when Francesco became Pope Sixtus IV, he made his 27-year-old nephew a cardinal. Cardinal Giuliano della Rovere Giuliano showed no true interest in spiritual matters, but he enjoyed considerable income from three Italian bishoprics, six French bishoprics, and many abbeys and benefices bestowed on him by his uncle. He used much of his considerable wealth and influence to patronize artists of the day. He also became involved in the political side of the Church, and in 1480 he was made legate to France, where he acquitted himself well. As a result he built up influence among the clergy, particularly the College of Cardinals, although he also had rivals... including his cousin, Pietro Riario, and future pope Rodrigo Borgia. The worldly cardinal may have had several illegitimate children, although only one is known for certain: Felice della Rovera, born sometime around 1483. Giuliano openly (though discreetly) acknowledged and provided for Felice and her mother, Lucrezia.   When Sixtus died in 1484 he was followed by Innocent VIII; after Innocents death in 1492, Rodrigo Borgia became Pope Alexander VI. Giuliano had been considered favored to follow Innocent, and the pope may have seen him as a dangerous enemy because of it; in any case, he hatched a plot to assassinate the cardinal, and Giuliano was forced to flee to France. There he allied with King Charles VIII and accompanied him on an expedition against Naples, hoping that the king would depose Alexander in the process. When this failed, Giuliano stayed on in the French court. When Charles successor Louis XII invaded Italy in 1502, Giuliano went with him, avoiding two attempts by the pope to seize him. Giuliano finally returned to Rome when Alexander VI died in 1502. The Borgia pope was followed by Pius III, who lived only a month after taking the chair. With the help of some judicious simony, Giuliano was elected to succeed Pius on September 22, 1502. The first thing the new Pope Julius II did was to decree that any future papal election that had anything to do with simony would be invalid. The pontificate of Julius II would be characterized by his involvement in military and political expansion of the Church as well as his patronage of the arts. The Political Work of Pope Julius II As pope, Julius gave the highest priority to the restoration of the Papal States. Under the Borgias, the Church lands had been notably diminished, and after the death of Alexander VI, Venice had appropriated large portions of it. In the fall of 1508, Julius conquered Bologna and Perugia; then, in the spring of 1509, he joined the League of Cambrai, an alliance among Louis XII of France, Emperor Maximilian I, and Ferdinand II of Spain against the Venetians. In May, troops of the league defeated Venice, and the Papal States were restored. Now Julius sought to drive the French from Italy, but in this he was less successful. During the war, which lasted from autumn of 1510 to spring of 1511, some of the cardinals went over to the French and called a council of their own. In response, Julius forged an alliance with Venice and Ferdinand II of Spain and Naples, then called the fifth Lateran Council which condemned the actions of the rebellious cardinals. In April of 1512, the French defeated alliance troops at Ravenna, but when Swiss troops were sent to northern Italy to help the pope, the territories revolted against their French occupiers. Louis XIIs troops left Italy, and the Papal States were increased by the addition of Piacenza and Parma. Julius may have been more concerned with the recovery and expansion of papal territory, but in the process he helped forge an Italian national consciousness. Pope Julius IIs Sponsorship of the Arts Julius wasnt a particularly spiritual man, but he was very interested in the aggrandizement of the papacy and the Church at large. In this, his interest in the arts would play an integral role. He had a vision and a plan to renew the city of Rome and make everything associated with the Church splendid and awe-inspiring. The art-loving pope sponsored the construction of many fine buildings in Rome and encouraged the inclusion of new art in several notable churches. His work on antiquities in the Vatican Museum made it the greatest collection in Europe and he decided to build a new basilica of St. Peter, the foundation stone of which was laid in April of 1506. Julius also developed strong relationships with some of the foremost artists of the day, including Bramante, Raphael, and Michelangelo, all of whom executed multiple works for the demanding pontiff.   Pope Julius II appears to have been more interested in the status of the papacy than his own personal fame; nevertheless, his name will be forever linked with some of the most remarkable artistic works of the 16th century. Although Michelangelo completed a tomb for Julius, the pope was instead interred in St. Peters near his uncle, Sixtus IV. More Pope Julius II Resources: Julius II: The Warrior Popeby Christine ShawVisit merchantMichelangelo and the Popes Ceilingby Ross KingLives of the Popes: The Pontiffs from St. Peter to John Paul IIby Richard P. McBrienChronicle of the Popes: The Reign-by-Reign Record of the Papacy over 2000 Yearsby P. G. Maxwell-Stuart

Against Abortion (English Assignment) Essays

Against Abortion (English Assignment) Essays Against Abortion (English Assignment) Essay Against Abortion (English Assignment) Essay â€Å"Ive noticed everyone who is for abortion has already been born† (Ronald Reagan). How would you feel if you never got the chance to experience anything? Or never got the chance to live? Even though we go through some tough times, everyone has those moments they wish they could re-live, but what if you didn’t even have a chance to make it to those amazing moments in life all because someone chose to abort her pregnancy and you were the baby in her womb? What if that child was to make a difference in the world? People don’t think about these things when they go into the abortion clinic.Why should abortion be legal if murder is a felony? That is the question that gets people speechless. Although babies are not fully developed when this process is taking place, they are still a living thing with living cells in them and they deserve to have a chance at life. Abortion should be illegal because you are committing murder of a human being, it causes traumatizing dam age physically and/or emotionally, and you will look down upon the choice you made later on in your life. â€Å"Living- in actual existence or use; extant† (www. dictionary. com).The argument that comes up quite frequently is that the baby in the womb is not a human being and that it isn’t a living thing because it is just a fetus. Well, according to the definition of living the fetus in the mothers’ body is in existence inside of her, so that makes that fetus a living thing. Also, when people feel the baby kick they don’t say â€Å"the fetus kicked†, they already know it is a baby and it is living inside of them. All human beings matter and that baby matters whether you planned to get pregnant or if it was an unplanned pregnancy. Eventually, that fetus turns into a beautiful baby.Saying that the fetus isn’t alive is like saying that an adult was never a baby because that person is fully developed now. It is the same thing when you are sayin g that the fetus isn’t alive just because the baby hasn’t fully developed. One thing doctors don’t tell you about abortion is that sometimes it can be emotionally or physically damaging. There are times when women have had an abortion, but later on in life when they want children, they are unable to bear children because the abortion procedure did major damage on the woman’s body. Also, sometimes abortions don’t work.A movie came out this year called October Baby (Christian Broadcasting Network). It is based on a true story about a girl who survived an abortion. The mother went into the clinic to abort her child, but something went wrong with the process and the next day she went into labor and gave birth to two premature twin babies. The girl that was born prematurely and survived the procedure had bad health conditions because of that. It caused her major emotional damage once she found out she was adopted and had been an abortion survivor becaus e her own mother didn’t want her.The other baby died a few weeks after birth because the abortion caused him physical damage to his own body and his little self couldn’t take it. Abortion is a cruel thing and it’s bad for you mentally and sometimes physically. Abortion isn’t an easy thing either. Each procedure is different and gets worse and worse. The lowest procedure is called RU-486. In this procedure they use a drug to kill the baby and it lasts about a week until the baby is dead then the mother gives birth to a dead baby. You’re probably thinking, â€Å"Oh, that’s not too bad†, but it gets worse. In Suction-Aspiration they cut the baby into pieces while in the womb.In the procedure, Dilation and Evacuation (D and E), they use a pliers to grab a hold of each individual body part and twist it until it breaks off. They do this until all that is left is the head and then they crush the skull (Abortion Information You Can Use). Why would you want to do this to a baby that could have been someone great? It is very harsh and half the women that go into the clinic aren’t told what they actually do to the unborn baby. They deserve the right to know what is about to happen inside of their body. At the time, it seems like abortion is the only way to get through life when you are faced with an unwanted pregnancy.It really isn’t the only way and it’s just an excuse for people to fix their mistakes. People know that there are consequences to having sex and not every condom or birth control will actually prevent them from becoming pregnant every single time. Contraceptives have some flaws. Even if you strongly believe a baby will ruin your life and that abortion is the only option left, you will regret it in the long run. The whole reason why abortion was made legal in the United States was because of a woman named Norma McCorvey or otherwise known as â€Å"Jane Roe†. She wanted an abortion a nd wanted it to be legal so she pushed or legalization of the procedure and it worked. Then after that she legally got an abortion (Roe v. Wade). Years after all this happened, McCorvey converted to Christianity and found the God that has always loved her. She soon came to learn that the abortion she had, was wrong. Now she works with an organization called â€Å"Pro-Life† and spends every moment in her life trying to take all regret she had from having the abortion by helping other young woman that were just like her when she was their age by preventing them from getting abortions (Crowe, Janet M).McCorveys story is truly inspiring and proves that you will regret the choice of choosing to abort a human being. McCorvey came across two verses in the Bible that explained why abortion was wrong. In Exodus 20:13 it says, â€Å"You must not murder†, which explains killing someone who is in existence is wrong (Moses; Bible). In Psalm 139:16 it says, â€Å"You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book.Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed†, that verse tells you that God had a plan for that child within your body and he intended for that child to live life just the way the mother carrying the baby did (David; Bible). No matter what your reason is for an abortion you will always be killing a living thing, be damaging to your emotions and/or body, and you will not be happy with the choice you made. If murder is against the law then so should abortion. The baby is living inside of you, so it can come into this world and live just like the two people that created the baby.The certain procedures that are done to make the pregnancy terminated aren’t considered the most commendable things to do because of the way they are performed and the risks that are at stake. No one is ever going to be proud of aborting a child that could have grown up to be the next â€Å"someone† or actually make a di fference in someone’s life, so why do it? Each person deserves a chance at life and deserves a chance to go through the things people go through every day. Everyone is worthy of at least a shot at being in this world, not to be killed before they even enter this planet.

Analyzing an important futer goal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing an important futer goal - Assignment Example This sector is well developed, and there is a lot of market for its products. The government also has incentives for swine farmers and this endeared me to it considering that it is very easy start as long as one has a piece of land then he can quickly start it (Bensoussan and Fleisher 54). Some of the steps required to attain the goals entails reading content on swine farming, and this can take about one day. Looking for the market for the products, and this can involve 20 minute search on the internet. Setting up the structure that will host the swine can take about five hours. Ordering for its feeds from suppliers will take about one hour. It will also take approximately two hours to get the initial swine stock delivered to the pig sty. The venture will require a lot of sacrifices in terms of finances. I will have to forgo the money spent on entertainment so that I can direct it to

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to Gulf Coast Research Paper

Proposed Keystone XL Pipeline from Canada to Gulf Coast - Research Paper Example It summarizes key arguments for and against the pipeline presented by the pipeline’s developers, federal agencies, environmental groups, including other stakeholders’. Finally, this report points out the reasons why the remainder of this project has not been approved and how politics has influenced this approval. How likely the project is to be approved after the just concluded November U S presidential election? The Keystone Pipeline is a project designed for transportation of synthetic crude oil from North Alberta’s oil field in Canada, to various destinations in Texas US. The Keystone XL extension of this pipeline was proposed in 2008. In September 2009, the hearings started, with the extension project being approved on March 11, 2010 by the Canadian National Energy Board. However, the issue became politicized and has faced several lawsuits and rigorous criticism from citizens and environmentalists groups. The development of the pipeline came to a standstill in November 2011 as an ultimate decision was postponed into 2013. The pipeline is owned by TransCanada Pipeline- a Canadian energy company. Founded in 1951 in Calgary, the company is a leading North American energy company developing and operating energy infrastructure in North America. It has a pipeline network of approximately 59000km. TransCanada signed contracts with Bakken oil producers to carry oil from the keystone region through the keystone pipeline. This project would be operational by 2013 if the Keystone XL Pipeline received regulatory approvals. The project seeks to double the capacity of the initial keystone pipeline system by connecting it with the US gulf coast. This will make possible the delivery of an estimated 1.1 million barrels of Canadian crude oil to the US market daily (http://stateimpact.npr.org). The proposed route would start from Hardisty, Canada and connect to the existing network in Steele city, Nebraska until Cushing, Oklahoma,