Eusmilus - Facts and Figures

Eusmilus - Facts and Figures Name: Eusmilus (Greek for early saber); pronounced you-SMILE-us Habitat: Plains of North America and western Europe Historical Epoch: Early Oligocene (30 million years ago) Size and Weight: About six feet long and 200-300 pounds Diet: Meat Distinguishing Characteristics: Six-inch-long canines; weak jaw muscles About Eusmilus Even though its technically classified as a false saber-toothed cat, Eusmilus had truly gigantic canines for its size, which at six inches or so were almost as long as its entire skull (when they werent in use, this cat kept its big teeth cozy and warm in specially adapted pouches on its lower jaw, a trait it shared with the distantly related Thylacosmilus). However, Eusmilus also had comparatively weak jaw muscleswith its huge canines, it didnt need to inflict a powerful biteand it was strangely lacking in supplementary teeth, sporting a relatively paltry two dozen or so. What this indicates is that Eusmilus hunted in traditional saber-tooth style, lying in wait in the low branches of trees, jumping and digging its lethal canines into unsuspecting prey, and then idling its time as its dinner bled to death. Technically, Eusmilus is classified as a nimravid cat, meaning it was closely related to the contemporary Nimravuswith which it competed for prey in early Oligocene Europe and North America, along with yet a third nimravid, Hoplophoneus. In case youre wondering how all of these big-toothed cats could have hunted for megafauna mammals without getting in each others way, the fact is that they didnt: one Nimravus skull bears tooth marks that exactly match the size and shape of Eusmilus canines (however, this particular individual healed from its wounds and lived to hunt another day). We even have evidence for cannibalism, or at least intra-species combat, among saber-toothed cats: another identified Nimravus skull is embedded with the canines of a fellow pack member!

The History of the Freedom Riders Movement

The History of the Freedom Riders Movement In 1961, men and women from throughout the nation arrived in Washington, D.C. to end Jim Crow  on interstate travel by embarking on what were called â€Å"Freedom Rides.†Ã‚  On such rides, racially mixed activists traveled together throughout the Deep South- ignoring signs marked â€Å"for whites† and â€Å"for colored† in buses and bus terminals. The riders endured beatings and arson attempts from white supremacist mobs, but their struggles paid off when segregationist policies on interstate bus and rail lines were struck down. Despite these achievements, the Freedom Riders aren’t the household names like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., but they’re civil rights heroes nonetheless. Both Parks and King would be heralded as heroes for their roles in ending segregated bus seating  in Montgomery, Ala.   How the Freedom Rides Got Started In the 1960 case Boynton v. Virginia, the U.S. Supreme Court declared segregation in interstate bus and rail stations unconstitutional. But the high court’s ruling didn’t stop segregation on interstate bus and rail lines in the South from persisting. Enter the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a civil rights group. CORE sent seven blacks and six whites on two public buses headed for the South on May 4, 1961. The goal? To test the Supreme Court ruling on segregated interstate travel in the Confederate states. For two weeks, the activists planned to flout Jim Crow laws by sitting on the front of buses and in â€Å"whites only† waiting rooms in bus terminals. â€Å"Boarding that Greyhound bus to travel to the Deep South, I felt good. I felt happy,† Rep. John Lewis recalled during a May 2011  appearance on â€Å"The Oprah Winfrey Show.† Then a seminary student, Lewis would go on to become a U.S. congressman. During the first few days of their trip, the mixed-race group of activists traveled largely without incident. They didn’t have security and didn’t need it- yet. After arriving in Atlanta on May 13, 1961, they even attended a reception hosted by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but the celebration took on a decidedly ominous tone when King alerted them that the Ku Klux Klan was organizing against them in Alabama. Despite King’s warning, the Freedom Rides did not change their course. As expected, when they reached Alabama, their journey took a turn for the worse. A Perilous Journey On the outskirts of Anniston, Alabama, members of a white supremacist mob showed just what they thought about the Freedom Riders by bashing in their bus and slashing its tires. To boot, the Alabama Klansmen set the bus on fire and blocked the exits to trap the Freedom Riders inside. It wasn’t until the bus’ fuel tank exploded that the mob dispersed and the Freedom Riders were able to escape. After a similar mob attacked the Freedom Riders in Birmingham, the U.S. Justice Department stepped in and evacuated the activists to New Orleans. The federal government did not want more harm to come to the riders. The Second Wave Due to the amount of violence inflicted on Freedom Riders, the leaders of CORE had to abandon the Freedom Rides or continue sending activists into harm’s way. Ultimately, CORE officials decided to send more volunteers on the rides.  Diane Nash, an activist who helped to organize Freedom Rides, explained  to Oprah Winfrey: â€Å"It was clear to me that if we allowed the Freedom Ride to stop at that point, just after so much violence had been inflicted, the message would have been sent that all you have to do to stop a nonviolent campaign is inflict massive violence.† On the second wave of rides, activists journeyed from Birmingham to Montgomery, Alabama in relative peace. Once the activists touched down in Montgomery, though, a mob of more than 1,000 attacked the riders. Later, in Mississippi, Freedom Riders were arrested for entering a whites-only waiting room in a Jackson bus terminal. For this act of defiance, authorities arrested the Freedom Riders, housing them in one of Mississippi’s most notorious correctional facilities- Parchman State Prison Farm. â€Å"The reputation of Parchman is that it’s a place that a lot of people get sent . . . and don’t come back,† former Freedom Rider Carol Ruth told Winfrey. During the summer of 1961, 300 Freedom Riders were imprisoned there. An Inspiration Then and Now The struggles of the Freedom Riders garnered nationwide publicity. Rather than intimidate other activists, however, the brutality the riders encountered inspired others to take up the cause. Before long, dozens of Americans were volunteering to travel on Freedom Rides. In the end, an estimated 436 people took such rides. The efforts of the Freedom Riders were finally rewarded when the Interstate Commerce Commission decided on Sept. 22, 1961, to ban segregation in interstate travel. Today, the contributions the Freedom Riders made to civil rights are the subject of a PBS documentary called Freedom Riders. In addition, in 2011, 40 students commemorated the Freedom Rides of 50 years before by boarding buses that retraced the journey of the first set of Freedom Riders.

Information System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Information System - Essay Example In spite of maintaining a high performance on the business parameters, Comair was simply grounded for a full 3 days during the peak holiday season because it faced a highly damaging IT risk issue on December 24, 2004, when the company’s Information system for managing the scheduling of the crew and flights crashed. It is impossible for an airline to fly when its mission critical crew scheduling system fails. In case of Comair, this IT failure resulted in a loss of approx $20 million which was actually wiping out it previous quarter earning of $25.7 million. This report is a study in the Comair Information systems and highlights the gaps between the IT strategy and business strategy. The report also attempts to suggest an information system which can take care of the gaps between business and IT strategy so that such failures as mentioned above are prevented as much as possible as well as identifies the people, technology and organization issues which Comair must take into account before building a resilient information system. Comair information system was purchased from SBS international in the year 1986 after union and federal regulations forced Comair to meet higher standards in its management procedures. To comply with the regulations, Comair leased software from SBS International to track & schedule its flight crews. The system worked admirably and was a welcome relief for the staff who were managing the schedule using the pen & paper until then. As the business started growing, Comair felt a need to upgrade its information system as the existing system was written in FORTRAN for which there was no in-house expertise available. Moreover it was the only system using old IBM AIX platform compared to current HP UNIX. Following table lists down the milestones in Comair’s IT journey until Dec 24, 2004 against their business strategy. As can be clearly seen from the comparative

Christian and Bible Fundamentalism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Christian and Bible Fundamentalism - Essay Example Christian and biblical fundamentalism refers to aspects based on ideologies that oppose the other theories that explain the nature. Scientific theories have been developed to explain the origin of life and the earth. Christian and Bible fundamentalists believe that the earth was created in seven, twenty-four hour days. In addition, they believe that the other theories that explain the origin of the earth are based on false ideologies. They focus on the creation account contained in the book of Genesis in the Old Testament of the Bible. They oppose biological theories of life and consider the people who formulate them as being directed by the evil. Christian fundamentalists argue based on the literal interpretation of the Bible. In this essay, Christian and Bible fundamentalism will be analyzed in detail. Fundamentalism refers to the total adherence to the values and doctrines of Christianity with respect to the literal interpretation of the Bible (Barrett & Kurian 45). Fundamentalism developed from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, when the Protestant movement strictly opposed the application of Christian doctrines to the current theories of science and philosophy. Fundamentalism has resulted in social and economic problems. The development of Christian fundamentalism was accelerated by the Protestant movements in different countries. The aspect of fundamentalism developed from the United Kingdom and the United States of America in the 20th century. Christian and Bible fundamentalism started with the development of the social Gospel which was associated with the name of Walter Rauschenbusch in the United Kingdom (Gifford 2).

Ethics Essay Essay Example for Free

Ethics Essay Essay There are similarities and differences, which exist between virtue, utilitarianism, and deontological ethical theories. I will provide an explanation of each theory as well as a description of the differences in how each theory addresses ethics and morality. From childhood to adulthood, People have lived through many experiences. I will touch briefly on a personal experience to show the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts as they relate to one of the theories. Beginning with Virtue ethics, â€Å"it is also called agent-based ethics. Its position is that we become good when we cultivate excellence (virtue) by pursuing the moderate course between excess and defect† (Boylan, Pg 208, 2009). An example of this is by saying that a person who has a certain job or career can achieve excellence if he or she make the conscious decision to do what it takes to get there. Utilitarianism defined is â€Å"the theory that suggests that an action is morally right when that action produces more total utility for the group as a consequence than any other alternative does.† Utilitarianism has an individual put the entity before his or herself, for the greater good of the team, work-center, or corporation. By understanding one’s position in that entity, realizing at the moment there is someone better suited to fulfill a task, the utilitarian willingly would offer the task to the more qualified person. The Deontological theory, suggest, â€Å"that an agents duty is based up principle. The theory bases its duties on the nature of human reason or on the nature of human action. It asserts the existence of moral facts and so is a moral realist theory.† An example of this theory would be the actions given to the police force. Policemen have a duty to uphold the law even if it means taking another persons life at will. Usually when warranted, the consequences of taking another persons life are justified by their duty to uphold the law. Under virtue theory, ethics and morality are addressed by asking how do we determine if a person is good or not. Do we give ourselves time to get to know a person or do we determine the good in a person based on their acts. Is it fair to judge a person on acts alone? Understanding that some individuals may view things different from others describes morality.  Morality is addressed by virtue to understand what one person thinks is ethically good or not may not be right or wrong to another. Utilitarianism addresses ethics and morality by placing the good of the group at the forefront. Utilitarianism would be a group of citizens believing in the same goal for the good of the team. For this to exist, each citizen in the group has the same beliefs and look for toward the same outcome. There is no question of right and wrong or the greater good. They all follow a set standard for what they perceive to be the best action for the team. Deontology Theory addresses ethics and morality by taking the command action as it asks the question, â€Å"when does recognition of moral duty begin?† (Boylan, Pg. 173, 2009). The commanding task for this theory applies to those with a duty to act upon. For example, the president of the USA has a duty to protect the nation from all enemies. His position would fall into this theory whereas his personal thinking may be as a utilitarian or of virtue. Based on the position there may be a requirement to fulfill a certain duty under the deontological theory. A personal experience that I could relate to one of these theories would be the legalization of abortion. Although I believe a person should have the right to an abortion, I do not believe the act itself is right. I also think it depends on the reason. I went through a situation in which a friend was pregnant and did not want to have an abortion, however, chose to do so because of her financial situation. Ethically she made a choice that was hers to do so but the moral to do so was wrong I feel based on her reasoning. Automatically I would say her values to the situation were about herself only and not about what she was destroying. Comparing the Virtue, Utilitarianism, and Deontology theories provided some similarities and differences. An explanation was given for these theories as well as a description of the ethical and moral differences of each. Last, a personal experience was provided detailing how the relationship between virtue, values, and moral concepts related to the theories. Reference: Boylan, M. (2009). Basic Ethics (2nd ed.). Retrieved from The University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.

Comparing Prejudice in Native Son, Black Boy and American Hunger Essay

Exposing Prejudice in Native Son, Black Boy and American Hunger  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There have been many writings based on the mutual prejudice that exists between blacks and whites, especially in the era of slavery and during the Civil Rights movement.   Wright was the first black American author to address such an issue, relating it to ideas of alienation, the separation of blacks and whites in social ideas, communism, and separation from religious ideas.   Wright’s works (his novel Native Son, along with his autobiographies Black Boy and American Hunger) deal with many themes common in American literature, all the while maintaining sight of his intent to expose the unjust prejudice between blacks and whites.      Although Wright's characters often appear to be young blacks who have issues with white America, Wright is striking out against America in general.   Society’s treatment of blacks is a reflection of society itself, thus ensuring the black man’s hatred for the white man and everything he stands for.   The blacks feel totally justified by this.   They have had their identities taken from them, been forced to be second-class citizens if citizens at all, and they are not going to take this abuse sitting down.   In Black Boy, merely the title begins by showing the reader of the abuse of the African-American.   By referring to the young man, and even the old man, as "boys", Wright shows that these men have no identities and are lower class citizens not worth referring to by name.   These "boys" are human beings, yet they are seen as animals trapped forever in isolation an... ...gan, Rayford W. and Michael R. Winston.   Dictionary of American Negro Biography.   New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1982.   671-673. Marcus, Steven.   Appiah 35-45. McCall, Dan.   "Wright's American Hunger."   Appiah 259-268. Stepto, Robert.   "Literacy and Ascent: Black Boy."   Appiah, 226-254. Tanner, Laura E.   "Uncovering the Magical Disguise of Language: The Narrative Presence in Richard Wright's Native Son."   Appiah 132-146. Thaddeus, Janice.   "The Metamorphosis of Black Boy."   Appiah 272-284. Wright, Richard.   American Hunger.   New York: Harper & Row Publishers, Inc., 1977. ---.   Black Boy.   Ed. Ellen Wright.   New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1993. ---.   Native Son.   Ed. Ellen Wright.   New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.   1993.   

Volleyball Expectations

My expectations from the team this year are to be good teammates for one another and everyone on the team. This looks like welcoming, encouraging, and helping each other during workouts, practice, and games. It doesn't mean that everyone has to be best friends, but Just that the players treat each other as our motto: â€Å"It's a team thing†. My expectations from the coaching staff this year are to watch and correct individual mistakes and not to let bad habits go unnoticed. I like how the coaches will focus on what we are doing and talk to us about how to fix anything.The personal attention for everyone helps us all to become better players. Skill wise, I bring to the table for this team that I am able to get a good pass to the setter, can play serve receive, and I have a Jump serve. I focus on back row because it all starts with a pass. In terms of attitude and leadership, I bring to the table for this team a positive attitude. If a teammate gets discouraged about what they' re doing, I want to encourage them to play the next ball and not worry about their mistakes.For adhering, when we are out on the court and come together in the middle to talk, I tell the girls that what we need to focus on or add motivation to finish a game. At this time, I perceive my strengths are that I am a fast learner and work at correcting my mistakes after instruction. I feel that my weaknesses are that I haven't learned all of the plays. For example, I'm most comfortable with hitting a 4 as an outside, and although Vive been introduced to other hits I'm not as familiar with them.I see my ole on the team this year as an all-around volleyball player. My role is to be a more efficient hitter/blocker, play defense, and go after every ball as hard as I can. I am to keep the ball in play no matter what. My individual short term goal for the next week at practice is to work on my hitting. I need to get more power and load up on my step-close so I can Jump higher. I also need to ti me my approach better to the ball (depending on its tempo) because at practice I was either too early or too late.My worth term goal for our team for the next week at practice is to talk more on the court, because it was pretty much silent last time. We only really talked after coach pointed it out. And even then, we didn't keep it up. Also, to call for the ball as loud as we can when hitting so the setter can hear us. A lot of confusion can be avoided this way. My individual long term goal for this season is to be able to become a better-rounded volleyball player. I want to improve on my hitting?I am off on my timing and don't get low on my step-close to Jump higher.Also, I want to be more accurate on hitting certain areas on the court. I want to be able to set and pass more on target as well, especially on out of system. My long term goal for our team this season is to be a team that other schools don't want to play because of both our consistency on defense and offense. I want ou r team to dig up balls that has the other side wondering how we were able to manage to get the ball up and hitting the ball so hard that the other players are hesitant to go after it. Volleyball Expectations