Lessons of a Child Entomologist
The screaming began after someone on the playground killed a stinkbug. With looks of horror and disgust on their faces, my classmates who had been near the insect fled, pinching their noses as they shouted, "Ew! Stinkbug!" I witnessed the chaos from another section of the playground, where I had been kicking the sand around in search of colorful rocks. I watched the scene with curiosity. Did stinkbugs really smell so vile? I wanted to find out, but I couldn't very well rush towards the scene as the others raced away, otherwise I would be nicknamed Stinkbug Lover forever and ever (at least a week in kid years). I waited until my peers were distracted with some other activity, when I could safely study the creature without attracting attention. But when I got there, I was disappointed to discover that it no longer smelled foul. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed that oozing out of its cracked exoskeleton was an opalescent substance. How pretty, I thought.
Like any other eight-year-old child, I was enthralled by beautiful colors. I built Lego houses with bright blocks of red, yellow and green; I drew butterflies with pastel pencils; and, when my mother wasn't looking, I covered my eyelids with the frosty blues and pinks found in her makeup palettes. To discover a shimmering substance hiding inside an otherwise drab beetle was indeed a treat. And so began my rampage: for weeks I stomped on nearly anything that crawled, hopped, or wriggled, all to get a look at its innards. The bottoms of my jelly sandals had accumulated a fair amount of bug parts before I began noticing that the insides of insects were nearly always either white or dark brown—not the wide array of colors I had expected. This realization reduced my eagerness to squash immediately whatever insect I encountered, and instead I slowed down enough to make observations about my prey before I killed them.
On one occasion, I watched a trail of ants carrying off the remnants of a dead insect I had squished a few days earlier. The ants marched in a single-file line up to their meal, and then, after collecting a tasty portion of it, circled back around in the opposite direction. I flicked one of the ants off its path and observed its reaction. Ordinarily, I would have thoughtlessly pressed down on the ant with my thumb, but that day I waited, fascinated, as I saw it skitter this way and that, frantically waving its antennae in the air.
... organization's management. The ratios were broken down into classifications of liquidity and asset utilization, debt and interest coverage, profitability and market-based ratios.
Some research has reported finding insects fossilized in amber, containing species such as a termite (30 million years ago), and a weevil from approximately 130 million years ago. These are extraordinary findings, but of course disputed. ...
What happen to the caffeine when it is ingested, and what are its consequences? In addressing these questions, there have been many contributors spent much time to prove that caffeine has been shown to behave as an adenosine antagonist to stimulate motor activity, mood and behavior. This antagonist behavior is the basis for an increase in cholinergic and dopaminergic behavior after caffeine intake. Beside of that, the acute administration of caffeine has been reported by several laboratories to elevate brain level of serotonin (5-HT) and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). This increase of serotonin may be associated with the improvement in good mood. Recent studies also show the higher caffeine intake to a lower suicide risk. In this paper, I will investigate the caffeine at a biochemical level and relate its effects on physiological behavior of human with information from the recent research.
Tom and Daisy Buchanan originally show how careless they are by deciding to get married and having love play a very small role in the decision. Daisy’s love for Jay Gatsby is undeniable, but as he spent many years away from her, the pressure to do something with her life grew. She grew tired of waiting for Gatsby to return from the war and: “She wanted her life shaped now, immediately – and the decision must be made by some force” (Fitzgerald 144). Daisy felt a burden to get married and the feeling of loneliness from Gatsby’s absence gave Tom the opportunity to come into her life. She was careless in her decision to get married and similarly, Tom was careless in his decision ...
Several people rely on caffeine to wake them up or give them a boost of energy when they feel down. Acting as a stimulant, caffeine not only improves concentration and focus, but also stops fatigue (Staff 1). Considered the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world, approximately 90 percent of adults consume it daily (“MedicineNet.com” 1). But do caffeine buyers really stop to evaluate the possinle harmful effects on their body? Health scares similar to this are not recent. In fact, they have been going on for over 100 years. In 1911, the US Government sued the Coca-Cola company for making their drinks hazardous to other’s health (Lovett 2). Although the Coca-Cola company won, it proves that people worry about what they put into their bodies, even if it does help them stay up to finish their homework. Not everybody will experience the same effects from caffeine. Some people seem more sensitive to caffeine than others (Staff 1). While some will express unwanted effects after only one cup of coffee or tea, others will not notice these same effects until after maybe four or five cups. Although caffeine does include benefits, many downfalls exemplify the stimulant as well. Drinking even small amounts of caffeine daily develops harmful effects on most people’s body and health.
The driving force behind life is the constant process of change. We see the process of metamorphosis on all levels. We see days turn into nights, babies grow into adults, caterpillars morph into butterflies, and on an even grander scale, the biological evolution of species. The process of metamorphosis connects two completely diverse entities, serving as a bridge between the two. Day and night are connected by evening, the slow sinking of the sun in the sky. In a typical life cycle, birth and death are bridged by various life stages, including infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and finally old age. Black can be morph into white through a series of graduations of shades of gray. The artist M.C. Escher was very aware of the effects of this most prevalent process, and drew attention to not only the aesthetic value of metamorphosis, but also the symbolic and larger contextual meaning it carries. In Escher’s work, we can trace his own personal metamorphosis, his evolution as an artist, and his acute talent for bridging concepts such as the realms of science and art and aspects such as fantasy and reality.
Caffeine, commonly found in coffee and many other beverages, and containing certain chemicals compounds leading to the constant necessity of fidgeting, jitters, sleepless hours, and health hazards as though being tormented by a hobgoblin with the irresistible sweet aroma and multiple flavors trapping you into a path, not being able to truly quit as desired or consequences attached, but is it the world’s most used legal drug addiction or something enjoyable, you decide? “The delicious chemical in caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine”(Linn). “Caffeine is made by pressuring cooking beans with CO2 to produce the drug in powder form”(Linn). “In caffeine the consumption breakdown in Coffee is 54%, Tea it’s 43%, Food and misc it’s 3% and used as a common mood-altering drug in the world, most popular way of ingesting is through coffee”(Linn). The issue with drinking coffee is due to the fact that caffeine can cause some troubling effects like insomnia activity in the brain that prevents sleep, constant need to urinate leading to dehydration due to the lack of fluids in the body, and diarrhea causing the food right out because it accelerates the digestion in the stomach. The consumption of too much caffeine can cause damage in human health also causing an overdose leading to death. The impact in society is through how much caffeine Americans consume daily, and the effects it causes in human health and sleep patterns. Throughout the years past caffeine consumption in America has increased jarasicaly, about 90% in some form daily. “On average Americans have been known to consume 280 mg of caffeine per day or 2-3 cups of coffee”(Linn). Strangely enough, caffeine is still contained and found in decaffei...
The insect keeps the meat fresh by not immediately killing its prey. Instead, it cuts carefully around body parts integral to life, first eating the ones least necessary to survival and ending with vital ones. Gould likens this process to that of drawing and quartering; an antiquated execution procedure practiced by humans, writing, “As the king’s executioner drew out and burned his client’s entrails, so does the ichneumon larvae eat fat bodies and digestive organs first… preserving intact the essential heart and central nervous system” (Gould 2). Gould refers to the human victim as a “client,” a word which connotes partnership and consent, making it seem as though the person in question agreed to their own death. As Gould extends the executioner metaphor to the wasp through his use of analogy, one is lead to believe that the victim of the wasp willingly consents to his death as well. Furthermore, the grisly process detailed in the passage seems quite ordinary, as the reader is desensitized to the violent actions of the wasp through Gould’s cold, clinical word choice, or lack thereof. The stark contrast between the wasp’s brutal actions and the lack of descriptive language denys one an opportunity to fully comprehend the agonizing death of the insect’s victim. This portrayal of the wasp plays directly into the religious perspective by depicting it as an insensitive being with a shocking lack of compassion for its victim. As morality is defined by the ability the determine right from wrong, the wasp appears to be totally immoral as it mercilessly murders another creature for its own
As America quickly become the most unhealthy nation with approximately sixty-eight percent of adults over twenty classified as overweight or obese, citizens still choose to not find out what they are consuming and how their eating choices can affect their bodies (United States, Behavioral Effects of Caffeine in Children). When examining health, aspects such as calories, weight, and fitness levels are all inspected. Other factors such as the everyday drug that up to ninety percent of people around the world consume in one form or another need to be addressed in an inspection of the national health (“Caffeine” Health Education). Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant than modifies mood and can be found addictive (“Caffeine” Health Education). American’s average daily intake of caffeine is two hundred and eighty milligrams (“Caffeine” Alcohol and Tobacco). Many people consume much more than that; they are addicted. Caffeine is a drug common in our society that brings negatively affects the the consumer both mentally and physically and the true facts of the substance’s affects stay concealed such as how it affects the heart, brain, and other organs of adults, children, and animals alike.
In the next essay, "On societies as organisms," Thomas points out that the writers of books on insect behavior go to great lengths to distinguish the uniqueness of insect life.
Hundreds of teens sat around in the blistering sun, full of energy and excitement. It was the homecoming game against Fort Zumwalt West, the score was 7:14, with Troy losing. I looked around me at my fellow classmates, and noticed that some people had little beads of sweat running down their foreheads, while others were sweating gallon buckets every minute. Sitting in a crowd of hot, nasty teens, I began to notice the pungent body odor coming from all around me. Unfortunately for me, the stench was so bad, that I felt as if I could taste it.
Any successful business owner or investor is constantly evaluating the performance of the companies they are involved with, comparing historical figures with its industry competitors, and even with successful businesses from other industries. To complete a thorough examination of any company's effectiveness, however, more needs to be looked at than the easily attainable numbers like sales, profits, and total assets. Luckily, there are many well-tested ratios out there that make the task a bit less daunting. Financial ratio analysis helps identify and quantify a company's strengths and weaknesses, evaluate its financial position, and shows potential risks. As with any other form of analysis, financial ratios aren't definitive and their results shouldn't be viewed as the only possibilities. However, when used in conjuncture with various other business evaluation processes, financial ratios are invaluable. By examining Ford Motor Company's financial ratios, along with a few other company factors, this report will give a clear picture of how the company is doing now and should do in the future.
Because sexual cannibalism is considered to be a social taboo both today, and during the times of Tarzan and Marlow, the creation of entertainment based on it has been limited, though the urges to expand on this topic may have been far more prevalent. There have been many films and novels created which depict the anthropophagy related to animals, most specifically, spiders. For example, films such as “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” and “Little Shop of Horrors” develop the similarities among human and insect anthropophagy (O’Connor).
Over the last months, volunteering in my church’s nursery has shaped my outlook and affected me by allowing me to watch how I impact individuals. Helping an adult lead a lesson, spending time with young children, and being a mentor to these children are the tasks of my volunteer role. We encourage the children to participate in activities involving the stories and lessons of Christianity. The importance of my role in this community is to influence the children to make beneficial decisions and understand the message God’s word is conveying to their hearts. Infancy is the stage of life where young children learn how to act by watching the actions of the elder individuals in their lives. My duty includes displaying an attitude and actions
At the crack of dawn I had to get ready for the interview with Ms. Bryant. Borrowing Cathy’s car to get to the interview otherwise I would have to catch the bus plus I had to find the place of which I had no inkling as to where it was. The job did not pay much but it was an open door for me and I took it something was better than nothing at all. Ms. Bryant met me at the door invited me in and asked all the usual questions in the interview process. She quickly let me know I was hired then asked for my resume and teaching certificate. She wanted me to start that Monday but I had an appointment to go to court with Cathy on that day as a witness. Hesitantly I explained I had to appear in court I could start the day after. Understanding she replied, alright I will see you Tuesday then. Pulling a copy of my resume and teaching certificate from my folder I give them to