Thursday, March 19, 2020

The Question Mark

The Question Mark The Question Mark The Question Mark By Sharon The question mark is used at the end of a direct question. Example: What is your name? she asked. It may also be used at the end of a tag question, which changes a statement into a question. Example: He left early, didnt he? Question marks should not be used at the end of indirect questions, such as: I asked my mother whether there were any messages. In a sentence which contains multiple questions, you may include a question mark after each. Example: Who saw the victim last? Her husband? Her son? Her daughter? Question marks are also used to denote missing information. This punctuation mark was first seen in the 8th century and was called the punctus interrogativus. There are many theories about the origin of the symbol, which has changed several times before settling on its current form in the 18th century. The Latin for question was quaestio, which was abbreviated to Qo in the Middle Ages. Its thought that the modern symbol represents the Q placed over the O. The term question mark dates from the 19th century. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Punctuation category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:5 Uses of InfinitivesBody Parts as Tools of Measurement75 Synonyms for â€Å"Hard†

Tuesday, March 3, 2020

Meet the Celestial Bull and his Angry Red Eye

Meet the Celestial Bull and his Angry Red Eye Theres a starry bull in the sky called Taurus, the Bull that is visible from late October through March each year in the evening and pre-dawn skies. The face of the bull actually shows up in a vee-shaped  star cluster  in the sky that you can observe pretty easily. Its called the Hyades (pronounced HIGH-uh-deez) and is a naked-eye object for most people. Its also visible to stargazers from almost anywhere on the planet. To find it, search out the constellation Taurus using a star chart or digital astronomy app.   Thank the Ancients for Their Astute Observations We owe our ancient stargazing ancestors a great deal when it comes to exploring fascinating things in the sky. For example, Greek astronomers identified the Hyades and its nearby neighbor - the Pleiades star cluster - thousands of years ago. Other cultures noted it, too, seeing everything from the face of a bull to the figures of gods and goddesses in the structure. There are star tales for just about every object in the sky, from every culture that has lived on our planet. The Hyades were thought to be the daughters of the god Atlas, and sisters to another group of daughters portrayed by the Pleiades. The Greeks werent the only ones to tell tales involving these clusters. The Maori, for example, also told tales of the Hyades and Pleiades, as did cultures in ancient North America, China, and Japan. They were a popular sight and topic for mythology.   The Stars of the Hyades In reality, the Hyades are more closely related to another star cluster called Praesepe, or the Beehive, which is an early spring object for Northern Hemisphere observers. Astronomers have long suspected that these two clusters had a common origin in an ancient cloud of gas and dust. The Hyades stars lie about 150 light-years away from us and formed some 625 million years ago. They travel together through space in the same direction. Eventually, even though they do have a slight gravitational attraction for each other, they will go their separate ways, just as the Pleiades will do. At that point, even though their stars may have unlinked from the cluster, theyre still traveling along the original trajectory. Astronomers call them moving group or a moving cluster.   There are about 400 stars in the Hyades, but we only see about 6 or 7 with the naked eye. The four brightest Hyades stars are red giants, types of stars that are aging. Theyve run through their nuclear fuel and are heading toward old age and eventual destruction. These stars are part of the V shape that ancient stargazers thought made up the face of a celestial bull named Taurus.   Meet the Eye of the Bull: Aldebaran The brightest star in the Hyades really isnt in the Hyades. Its called Aldebaran and its name was, like so many other star names, based in mythology. It happens to lie on the line of sight between us and the Hyades. Its an orange-hued giant that lies only 65 light-years away. Aldebaran is an old star that will eventually exhaust all its fuels and could eventually explode as a supernova before collapsing to form a neutron star or a black hole. Unlike Betelgeuse (the supergiant star in Orions shoulder, which could explode anytime as a supernova), Aldebaran will likely be around for millions of years. Both the Hyades and Pleiades are open clusters. There are many of these groupings of stars in the Milky Way and other galaxies. They are associations of stars born in the same clouds of gas and dust but are not tightly bound together by gravity as stars in globular clusters do. The Milky Way contains at least a thousand of these collections of stars and astronomers study them to understand how stars of similar ages evolve over time. From the time they form together in their birth clouds to the time they die, cluster members show us how stars of roughly the same age, but different masses, can change over time. Those changes are what lead to the astonishing diversity of stars in the universe.   The highest-mass stars in the Hyades will use up their nuclear fuel very fast and die after a few hundreds of millions of years. Those same stars use up tremendous amounts of the original cloud as they form, which reduces the supply of star-making material available to their sibling stars. So, like the Hyades, many open star clusters contain members that are the same age, but some look older than others.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

The Better Man Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The Better Man - Essay Example By examining the single most important feature of both candidates’ policy i.e. economic policy, the author argues that Obama is the better man because he has a comprehensive approach to solving the most pressing issue today: the American economy. As shown by a Times-Rockefeller Foundation poll, the biggest problem that 85% Americans want to see resolved is related to the economy in some way (Saporito, 2008). The current economic situation and its impact on middle class, working Americans is a sharp shift away from the expectations brought by living the American dream. A further classification of the TIME poll found that 96% black Americans and 88% latin Americans were unhappy with the economy. It does make sense that most Americans are extremely unhappy dealing with falling income, real-estate bubble burst, a shaky stock market and rising poverty (Saporito, 2008; FOX Business, 2008; Epstein & Gorzelany, 2008; Villaraigosa, 2007). In Michigan alone, unemployment has risen by 76% from 2001, Income has fallen 11.5% and poverty has increased by 30% from 2000 to 2006 (FOX Business, 2008). It is clear that the most pressing issue for Americans is in fact their own economy. As the author of this paper will continue to show, the Ame rican people, and more specifically the working class Americans deserve an economic policy that reflects their hard work and strength to survive the impending doom in their lives. According to Epstein and Gorzelany (2008), more than 5 million people will fall under the already large poverty line by 2010. The poverty rate would increase an average of 2 points to about 16%. More importantly, â€Å"the US stands second only to Mexico as having the worst rate of relative poverty among the world’s developed nations. Let us examine what this means for a lower-middle or lower income American: These figures are not being quoted

Sunday, February 2, 2020

Fetal Homicide in Florida Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Fetal Homicide in Florida - Research Paper Example In accordance with the issues discussed in the paper the law defines the death of a viable fetus as the death of unborn child and any fetus killed by a violent act against the pregnant woman is termed as manslaughter. Each person has the right to life and so is the fetus or the unborn child. The fetal homicide laws recognize all stages of the fetus as being victims of abortion and any abortion is termed as fetal homicide. The fetus is recognized as a developing human being from conception to birth. The killing of any unborn child has also been categorized as manslaughter in the fetal homicide laws just the same as the killing of the mother. Three standards are used in determining whether a fetus is a person. Born-alive standard is when the fetus is born alive, the viability standard is used when a fetus is capable of having a meaningful life outside the womb and the conceptions standard is that life begins at conception and that any conceived fetus qualifies to be a person. Under com mon law, a child is only considered as a person once it is delivered alive. However, life begins at conception and should any fetus should be considered a person. Death is the failure of the fetus to be born alive. The conception standard should be used in the modern statutes as this will prevent any abortion or homicide on unborn of the unborn child. Any unborn child should be left to grow in the mothers womb until it matures not unless there any medical conditions.

Saturday, January 25, 2020

Essay --

Virginia Lash Professor Leedom Earliest Christianity December 2013 Nag Hammadi Library In 1945, two unsuspecting brothers stumbled upon a jar that contained thirteen ancient codices, or texts, in Upper Egypt that had been hidden away for centuries. Their discovery would reshape the world's understanding of religion in more ways than one. These codices, later referred to as the Nag Hammadi library, enlightened the world about an ancient movement known as Gnosticism. In addition, this library revealed itself to be the source that countless scholarly works had referred to for centuries. This chance unearthing has brought much attention and debate to the subjects of earliest Christianity and Gnosticism and its significance in the ancient world, The Nag Hammadi library brought forth a new understanding of Gnosticism, a way to reassess religions in the ancient world, and a new perspective on early Christianity. The unbelievable discovery and analysis of the Nag Hammadi Library also brings a sense of hope, faith that in time more historical discoveries will come about and we will be further enlightened about our pasts, and therefore further prepared for our future. The discovery of the Nag Hammadi library was an odd one. Two brothers Muhammad Ali al-Samman and Abu al-Majd were digging around the cliffs of Al-Oasr for a valuable fertilizer. As they were searching they came across a jar, hoping they had struck gold, the brothers smashed the jar open and instead of being filled with ancient treasures, the contents revealed themselves to be â€Å"thirteen books containing fifty-three texts, a total of 1,153 pages These books turned out to be an astonishing find with significant impact. They were found to be ancient mostly gnostic texts... ...put it â€Å"it helped liberate Gnosticism from the predominantly negative aura that surrounded it. It could be examined as a movement in its own right and on its own terms† . The discovery had a significant impact on how the modern world now viewed the previously unknown and misunderstood movement that was Gnosticism. The unearthing of these texts sparked a new interest in finding out what Gnosticism and how the early Christian Church operated. The texts provided the world a map showing the different perspectives and the lively debates that were happening around the Roman Empire. It showed how the ancient world was a very diverse place when it came to the different sects of all the religions. The Nag Hammadi Codices show how the Gnostics were truly part of that debate circulating their own works with what they thought was the truth, which others had deigned a heresy.

Friday, January 17, 2020

Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin Essay

Synopsis: A black and white comedy by Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times takes place in America during the Great Depression. It follows Little Tramp (Chaplin) while he struggles to survive as a factory worker in a modern and industrialized world. Though this movie does not take place during the Industrial Revolution, the problems and challenges faced by Americans during the Great Depression are similar to the ones faced by people in the Britain during the early 1900s. As mentioned, this movie is in black and white. It is also a predominantly silent film, and these two factors take this movie outside of most students’ comfort zones. Students tend to moan in disappointment when they learn what they are about to watch. However, the slap-stick, and physical humour wins high school students over and they seem to always enjoy the film. Activity After the Movie: Research Essay – Students are asked to take their knowledge of the Industrial Revolution and write a research paper comparing it to the Great Depression as depicted in Modern Times. Opinion Essay – Chaplin uses this movie to shed a negative light on Capitalism and modernization. Accordingly, students could write an opinion paper agreeing or disagree with Chaplin’s ideas of industrialization. Below are three examples of relevant scenes from the movie that correlate with both essay topics: The opening scene is of people marching to work and then it switches to a shot of a herd of sheep walking the streets. This is to portray Chaplin’s opinion that people are more like sheep in an industrialized society, losing their individuality. One may argue that this was also the case during Industrial Revolution with the switch from the cottage industry to factory work. After this opening scene the audience sees Chaplin in the factory, where he has a repetitive assembly-line job tightening screws together as products run by on a conveyor belt. Next his boss speeds up the machine, and it gets harder and harder for him to keep up. Eventually, this monotonous regime causes him to have a breakdown and lose his job. This scene is a great one to highlight to students because it is a clear example of an assembly line. Also, the fact that it gets harder and harder for Chaplin’s character to keep up, which then leads to a breakdown and consequent unemployment is a commentary on the quality of life that this assembly-line work creates and the risks and danger involved. There are many references to communism, which is an important ideology to know when learning about the Industrial Revolution. After Little Tramp becomes unemployed he ends up on the street where he finds a red flag and begins to wave it. This causes the police to believe that he is a communist and he is put in jail. There are also scenes where Little Tramp is seen dividing and sharing stolen necessities, such as food, with the working class. This may not be a direct connection to Communism, but is pointing out some of the disadvantages of Capitalism.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Who is the Inventor of the Pizza

Ever wonder who invented pizza? Although people have been eating pizza-like foods for centuries, the food as we know it is less than 200 years old. And yet, from its roots in Italy, pizza has spread across the world and today is prepared dozens of different ways. The Origins of Pizza Food historians agree that pizza-like dishes (i.e. flatbreads with oils, spices, and other toppings) were eaten by many peoples in the Mediterranean, including the ancient Greeks and Egyptians. When writing a history of Rome in the third century BCE, Cato the Elder described pizza-like rounds of bread topped with olives and herbs. Virgil, writing 200 years later, described similar food in The Aeneid, and archaeologists excavating the ruins of Pompeii have found kitchens and cooking tools where these foods were produced before the city was buried by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 72 CE. Royal Inspiration By the mid-1800s, flatbreads topped with cheese and herbs were a common street food in Naples, Italy. In 1889, the Italian King Umberto I and Queen Margherita of Savoy visited the city. According to legend, the queen summoned Raffaele Esposito, owner of a restaurant called Pizzeria di Pietro e Basta Cosi, to bake some of these local treats. Esposito  allegedly created three variations, one of which was topped with mozzarella, basil, and tomatoes to represent the three colors of the Italian flag. It was this pizza that the queen liked best, and Esposito named it Pizza Margherita in her honor. The pizzeria still exists today, proudly displaying a letter of thanks from the queen, although some food historians question whether Esposito actually invented the kind of pizza he served to Queen Margherita. True or not, pizza is an integral part of Naples culinary history. In 2009, the European Union established standards for what can and cannot be labeled Neapolitan-style pizza. According to the  Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana, an Italian  trade group dedicated to preserving Naples pizza heritage, a true Margherita pizza can only be topped with local San Marzano tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, buffalo mozzarella, and basil, and it must be baked in a wood-fired oven. Pizza in America Beginning in the late 19th century, large numbers of Italians began immigrating to the United States—and they brought their foods with them. Lombardis, the first pizzeria in North America, was opened in 1905 by Gennaro Lombardi on Spring Street in New York Citys Little Italy neighborhood. You can still dine there today. Pizza slowly spread through New York, New Jersey, and other areas with large Italian immigrant populations. Chicagos Pizzeria Uno, famous for its deep-dish pizzas, opened in 1943. But it wasnt until after World War II that pizza began to become popular with most Americans. Frozen pizza was invented in the 1950s by Minneapolis pizzeria owner Rose Totino; Pizza Hut opened its first restaurant in Wichita, Kansas in 1958; Little Ceasars followed a year later, and Dominos in 1960. Today, pizza is a big business in the U.S. and beyond. According to the trade magazine PMQ Pizza, the American pizza industry was worth a massive $45.73 billion in 2018. Worldwide, the market for this tasty food was $144.68 billion. Pizza Trivia Americans eat approximately 350 slices of pizza per second. Thirty-six percent of those pizza slices are pepperoni, making the cured meat the No. 1 choice of pizza toppings in the United States. In India, pickled ginger, minced mutton, and paneer cheese are the favorite toppings for pizza slices. In Japan, Mayo Jaga (a combination of mayonnaise, potato, and bacon), eel, and squid are the favorites. Green peas rock Brazilian pizza shops, and Russians love red herring pizza. Have you ever wondered who invented the circular piece of plastic that keeps the pizza from hitting the inside of the box top? The package saver for pizza and cakes was invented by Carmela Vitale of Dix Hills, New York, who filed for US patent No. 4,498,586 on February  10, 1983. Sources Amore, Katia. Pizza Margherita: History and Recipe. Italy Magazine. 14 March 2011Hynum, Rick. Pizza Power 2019 - A State of the Industry Report. PMQ Pizza Magazine. December 2018McConnell, Alika. 10 Fast Facts About the History of Pizza. TripSavvy.com. 16 January 2018Miller, Keith. Was Pizza Not Invented in Naples After All? The Telegraph. 12 February 2015Pizza – History and Legends of Pizza WhatsCookingAmerica.com. Accessed 6 March 2018