More Words That Turn on the Root Vert

More Words That Turn on the Root Vert More Words That Turn on the Root Vert More Words That Turn on the Root Vert By Mark Nichol A recent post dealt with many of the English words based on the Latin verb vertere, meaning â€Å"turn,† focusing on those that precede the root vert with a prefix, and their various grammatical forms. This follow-up post defines some additional words in the vertere family: those beginning with vert. Those with the variant stem vers rather than vert will be outlined in a subsequent post. Vertigo originally meant â€Å"a spinning or whirling movement† and later came to refer to a form of dizziness in which the sufferer has a sensation suggestive of spinning or whirling. The related adjective is vertiginous, which also applies neutrally to any spinning motion or judgmentally to frequent and unnecessary change. A vertebra (plural: vertebrae) is a segment of the system of bones that constitute the spine, or backbone, of vertebrates; that last word refers to two classes of animals, the higher and lower vertebrates, possessing a spine of bone or cartilage or a similar process. It also serves as an adjective, as does vertebral- the spinal column is also called the vertebral column- and as an adjective, vertebrate also means â€Å"well formed or â€Å"well organized,† though this usage is rare. The connection to vertere is of the spine’s hinge-like quality, which allows animals to turn or bend their bodies. An invertebrate is an animal lacking a spine or a similar process. In Latin, vertex and vortex both mean â€Å"whirl,† but in English the terms are distinct: Vertex applies to the top of the head, the highest point (such as a summit), or a point farthest from the base of an object or shape. (It also applies in geometry to the point at which two lines or curves meet.) A vortex, meanwhile, is a literal or figurative whirlpool. The adjective vertical is related and in one sense means â€Å"located at the highest point† but usually means â€Å"upright† or â€Å"lengthwise† and is an antonym of horizontal. In economic and sociological contexts, it can refer, respectively, to the scope of activity in the production of goods or to hierarchy. 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 Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsFlier vs. FlyerDozen: Singular or Plural?

Actuar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation and Examples

Actuar Conjugation in Spanish, Translation and Examples Actuar is a common Spanish verb that means to act in most senses of the English verb, such as to take an action, to behave, and to perform a role. It can be used in a wide variety of contexts. Actuar Conjugation Actuar is conjugated the same way as other -ar verbs,  but with a twist: When a regular conjugation of actuar would end up putting the accent on the first syllable, the u gets an accent mark to shift the accent to the second syllable. Under the rules of strong and weak vowels, placing the accent on the à º makes the vowel into a separate syllable. So, I act becomes actà ºo,  and is pronounced ahk-TOO-oh. The accent is required on some of the indicative present, subjunctive present, and imperative forms. The other forms- indicative preterite, indicative, and future; the imperfect subjunctive; the gerund; and the past participle- are unaffected. About two dozen verbs ending in -uar are conjugated the same way. Among the most common are continuar (to continue), evaluar (to evaluate), fluctuar (to fluctuate), situar (to situate), and valuar (to value). Present Indicative Tense of Actuar Yo acto I act Yo acto con impunidad. T actas You act T actas en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella acta You/he/she acts Ella acta como una dictadora. Nosotros actuamos We act Nosotros actuamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuis You act Vosotros actuis con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actan You/they act Ellos actan con entusiasmo. Actuar Preterite The preterite is a past tense that is used for actions that concluded at a definite time. It contrasts with the imperfect tense, which is used for background actions or actions that didnt have a definite ending. Yo actu I acted Yo actu con impunidad. T actuaste You acted T actuaste en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actu You/he/she acted Ella actu como una dictadora. Nosotros actuamos We acted Nosotros actuamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuasteis You acted Vosotros actuasteis con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaron You/they acted Ellos actuaron con entusiasmo. Imperfect Indicative Form of Actuar The imperfect indicative in Spanish is equivalent to  the used to verb or was/were verb -ing forms in English. Yo actuaba I was acting Yo actuaba con impunidad. T actuabas You were acting T actuabas en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actuaba You/he/she was acting Ella actuaba como una dictadora. Nosotros actubamos We were acting Nosotros actubamos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuabais You were acting Vosotros actuabais con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaban You/they were acting Ellos actuaban con entusiasmo. Actuar Future Tense Yo actuar I will act Yo actuar con impunidad. T actuars You will act T actuars en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella actuar You/he/she will act Ella actuar como una dictadora. Nosotros actuaremos We will act Nosotros actuaremos para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros actuaris You will act Vosotros actuaris con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuarn You/they will act Ellos actuarn con entusiasmo. Periphrastic Future of Actuar Although it is colloquial, the periphrastic future has become so common that it  has come close to replacing the simple future tense in everyday speech in some regions. It is formed by using the indicative present of ir followed by a and an infinitive. Yo voy a actuar I am going to act Yo voy a actuar con impunidad. T vas a actuar You are going to act T vas a actuar en la pelcula de terror. Usted/l/ella va a actuar You/he/she are/is going to act Ella va a actuar como una dictadora. Nosotros vamos a actuar We are going to act Nosotros vamos a actuar pronto para prevenir una emergencia. Vosotros vais a actuar You are going to act Vosotros vais a actuar con violencia innecesaria. Ustedes/ellos/ellas van a actuar You/they are going to act Ellos van a actuar con entusiasmo. Present Progressive/Gerund Form of Actuar The gerund is used in the progressive or continuous tenses to emphasize  the ongoing nature of an action. Gerund:  actuando  (acting) Ella est actuando como una dictadora.   Past Participle of Actuar The past participle is used with haber to form the perfect tenses. Participle:  actuado  (acted) Ella ha actuado como una dictadura.   Conditional Form of Actuar The  conditional tense, sometimes known as the hypothetical future, is used for actions that would take place if some other condition is met. Yo actuara I would act Yo actuara con impunidad si no tuviera conciencia. T actuaras You would act T actuaras en la pelcula de terror si no tuvieras miedo a las serpientes. Usted/l/ella actuara You/he/she would act Ella actuara como una dictadora, pero es demasiado agradable. Nosotros actuaramos We would act Nosotros actuaramos si hubiera una emergencia. Vosotros actuarais You would act Vosotros actuarais con violencia innecesaria si no fuera peligroso. Ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaran You/they would act Ellos actuaran con entusiasmo si tuvieran buenos papeles. Present Subjunctive of Actuar Que yo acte That I act La corte no permite que yo acte con impunidad. Que t actes That you act El director quiere que t actes en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella acte That you/he/she act Es lamentable que ella acte como una dictadora. Que nosotros actuemos That we act La alcaldesa quiere que nosotros actuemos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuis That you act Es triste que vosotros actuis con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas acten That you/they act Samantha quiere que ellos acten con entusiasmo. Imperfect Subjunctive Forms of Actuar Either of these forms of the imperfect subjunctive can be used without a difference in meaning. The first option is used more often. Option 1 Que yo actuara That I acted La corte no permita que yo actuara con impunidad. Que t actuaras That you acted El director quera que t actuaras en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella actuara That you/he/she acted Era lamentable que ella actuara como una dictadora. Que nosotros acturamos That we acted La alcaldesa quera que nosotros acturamos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuarais That you acted Es triste que vosotros actuarais con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas actuaran That you/they acted Samantha quera que ellos actuaran con entusiasmo. Option 2 Que yo actuase That I acted La corte no permita que yo actuase con impunidad. Que t actuases That you acted El director quera que t actuases en la pelcula de terror. Que usted/l/ella actuase That you/he/she acted Era lamentable que ella actuase como una dictadora. Que nosotros actusemos That we acted La alcaldesa quera que nosotros actusemos para prevenir una emergencia. Que vosotros actuaseis That you acted Era triste que vosotros actuaseis con violencia innecesaria. Que ustedes/ellos/ellas actuasen That you/they acted Samantha quera que ellos actuasen con entusiasmo. Imperative Forms of Actuar Imperative (Positive Command) T acta Act! Acta en la pelcula de terror! Usted acte Act! Acte como una dictadora! Nosotros actuemos Lets act! Actuemos para prevenir una emergencia! Vosotros actuad Act! Actuad con violencia innecesaria! Ustedes acten Act! Acten con entusiasmo! Imperative (Negative Command) T no actes Dont act! No actes en la pelcula de terror! Usted no acte Dont act! No acte como una dictadora! Nosotros no actuemos Lets not act! No actuemos para prevenir una emergencia! Vosotros no actuis Dont act! No actuis con violencia innecesaria! Ustedes no acten Dont act! No acten con entusiasmo!

Final research proposal Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Final proposal - Research Paper Example An endeavor has been made to underline the causes, impacts, and statistical data about the domestic violence against women in Australia as well as the need of better services and safety measures towards the supreme authorities of policy and strategy makers in the country. Statistical data of past 15 years shows a devastating situation for the women in Australia. The most significant problem among all is the domestic violence against them. The situation gets worse day by day due to socioeconomic, cultural, and domestic violence. â€Å"It is very difficult to measure the true extent of violence against women as most incidences of domestic violence and sexual assault go unreported† (Phillips, 2008, p.1). The problems comprise of both domestic violence as well as sexual assault. The government and some private organizations have started to provide comforts to those women that experienced the domestic violence. Safe Home program is one of them. It was jointly launched the National Foundation for Australian Women (NFAW), University of Melbourne, and The Salvation Army in 1973. The program has shown great results for the establishment of good future for the women in rest of their lives. The program serves any woman who has been experiencing the domes tic violence, homelessness or some other personal crisis. It not only serves them with food and shelter but also gives them peace of mind and body by giving counseling and health practices like Yoga. These organizations are on their way of providing money by means of outdoor jobs that include services for the country. This research mainly deals with the possible outcomes which could come about by providing better living services and safety to the Australian women. The paper elaborates the research design, methodology and analysis of data. A brief literature review has been provided to illustrate the importance and current situation of the problem. In the end the researcher has defined the estimated timeframe and financial

An Exploration of the Attributes of Organized Crime Research Paper

An Exploration of the Attributes of Organized Crime - Research Paper Example n American countries like Mexico and Colombia are commonly regarded as organized crime aspects as they explicitly violet the legal administrations of the respective countries so as to gain monetary wise. Some of the international organizations referred to as the mafias include the Albanian Mafia, the Black Mafia, the Russian Mafia, the Japanese Yakuza and the Chinese Triads (Abadinsky, 2010). The United States Organized Crime Control Act in 1970 defines organized crime as an unlawful activity carried out by highly organized and disciplined association. Statistics have it that the number of people involved in organized crime in the United Kingdom is approximated to be over 38, 000 involving more than 6000 groups (Haller, 1991). Organized crime is normally associated with several illegal activities such as illegal gambling, assassination, bombing, blackmailing, oil smuggling and arms trafficking. This type of crime also has extreme effects on political corruption mostly in areas experiencing political instability like the Middle East. Such criminal organizations are normally associated with large amounts of money some of which is used to bribe government officials in an effort to avoid prosecution. Organized crime has also been linked with massive roles in people smuggling and human trafficking. The Yamaguchi-Gumi, the Russian Mafia and the ‘Ndrangheta have been identified as the most powerful and prolific organized crime groups all over the world (O’Kane, 1992). Despite the Russian being the largest criminal group, the main problem being faced by the existing law enforcement is its ability to point out the members of such organizations now that most people engage in organized crime activities claiming they are members of these mafia groups yet in the real sense they are out to gain respect and spread fear. Latin America has been identified as the base to the most violent and influential drug cartels all over the world. This area has been heavily associated

Funding my used book store Essay Example for Free

Funding my used book store Essay This will be an outlet that deals in second-hand or used books. Literacy of a people is the foundation of a nation. We wish to encourage the culture of reading in order to eliminate illiteracy. We have chosen to go this route due to affordability. The shop’s name â€Å"Daily Books† is bound to be a crowd puller. The service will be targeting the thousands of shoppers and those whiling away window shopping or taking casual walks. Considering the hard economic times we are going through as a nation, this idea could not be timelier. Concept Funding my used book store Business Statement SBA loans are available and we are going for the lowdoc that addresses needs below $150k. This is part of the 7(a) loan program. The loans not only come with low interest rates and minimum hassles but also with entrepreneur education. This is a very helpful resource. Since some banks allow one to access funds for the business from relatives, then your proposal is well within all legal requirements. Competitive edge Products and services: Ease of getting classical novels and writings which may not be available from the conventional book shops. These may as well be collectors’ items. Inexpensive: All our books will be way below the market prices. Organization: The arrangement and placement of books will make it easy for shoppers to locate what they want and hence save valuable time. The lighting will be artistic and professional. Location: -. The shop’s strategic location is a sure winner. The university and schools’ readership will come in handy. Public relations: This is one of our greatest strengths as my partner is deep and wide reader, not to mention that I am an excellent people person and marketer. We have been careful to hire committed staff whose vision is similar to ours. Market / Industry information While the knowledge search continues to expand, there is stiff competition in the horizon. New players are joining the market not to mention new technology. The government is putting in place structures that will aid in the growth. Product/Service Information The crucial service on offer is the provision of an accessible, unique product, convenient, and a cheap service facility which promises easy access to the avid reader. The county council has been of great support since we shared our idea with them. On the launch, they have offered the parade grounds at no charge at all. They will also be sending word out to the local dwellers. Goals and strategies In the short term, we will be focusing on getting people to see the big picture. What has all along been thought of a rich man’s hobby that owning a rich home library is their preserve will now be common place. Due to our strategic location, we are assured of traffic. Our goal then, will be to focus on those walking in and around the complex. We aim to serve at least 50 walking customers per day. The tills in the stores around the town will be offering discount vouchers to all their customers in the first month after launching. The next level and secondary goal will entail advertising by use of flyers and banners. We shall also do rounds in the offices. Our marketers will visit every school in the area and the university as well. For these students, we intend to offer a discounted price especially for the course books. We shall introduce membership to all our customers with an aim of giving away bonus gifts and discounts. This will see our customer base grow from 50 to 100 after 6 months of business. In the long term, we are looking at electronic sales. This will entail a website that will advertise as well as offer on-line sales. A delivery van will come in handy for those members who may be a little out of town. The bookshop should have a readability of 500 plus faithful customers after a period of 2 years. As a backup plan for the above strategy, we will be liaising with the local bookshops as well as those in the nearby towns. We shall introduce a partnership programme that should see their sales soar as well. The idea is to bring about symbiosis and cut unfair competition. We plan to have stock lists of al the other outlets and when customers make enquiries, referential sales will be seamless. We shall encourage book owners to exchange or deposit old books that they no longer use. This idea will go along way in reducing our capital requirement for re-stocking. Payback As per the bank’s requirements, we have negotiated a very low payback interest rate. We have a 60 days initial grace period after which we shall be required to pay only 1. 5% PA on a reducing balance. This arrangement will go along way in helping us repay you within a comfortable period. It will not stretch the business neither will you be strained financially while it gives you peace of mind that your investment is secured. References Advani, A. (2005). SBA loans for your startup. Entrepreneur. com. Retrieved November 18, 2008 http://www. entrepreneur. com/money/financing/startupfinancingcolumnistasheeshadvani/article79254. html

Gender Inequality and Discrimination in America Essay -- Essays Papers

Gender Inequality and Discrimination in America What is your first memory of a child? Was it blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, or was it playing a game with a friend? Was it riding a bike or making a snowman? Many of these events will most likely be remembered of your childhood, but the memory of how you were socially biased will not be. The memory of being wrapped in a socially acceptable colored blanket depending on your gender either boy or girl. How your mother spoke to you, with a soft voice of understanding or concern if you were likely a boy, and how if you were a girl you were likely given a baby doll to play with instead of a truck. Throughout history gender differences have been exemplified given a particular culture. In the USA the role of the female has endured much discrimination as with racial discrimination. Many factors contribute to the problem of gender inequality [1]; two of these factors will be discussed, social structural factors and social psychological factors. Attitudes and values of both men and women perpetuate gender inequality. Past attitudes have reflected the traditional role of the female within society: the notion that women are less capable and competent as men. Within this traditional role, a woman's place is in the home, as the guardian of the social order. Gender roles are evident within any society. Not all roles follow these traditional roles of male dominance and submissive women. Such societies take on roles, which are the betterment of the community. An example would be the study performed by Margaret Mead (1969), of three primitive New Guinea tribes. Mead states that the meaning of being male and female is determined not only biologically but also... ...without gender differences we would all be as robots cohabitating in a fantasy world of equality. I took on this topic because of the strong emotion I feel as a women living with such discrimination in our society. As subtle as some discriminations are, there is no denying the definite battle of inequality women face daily within our society. Even with the economic, social, political and educational inequality that women must overcome, I will accept the fight, rather than conform to a non-gender society as stated by Bem. The desire of most women, including myself, is not to be the same as men but to be given the same opportunities and options in life. I believe in the philosophy that you can be whatever your heart desires. If a women strives hard enough, the trials and tribulations she may face along her chosen path will only make her stronger in the end. Gender Inequality and Discrimination in America Essay -- Essays Papers Gender Inequality and Discrimination in America What is your first memory of a child? Was it blowing out the candles on your birthday cake, or was it playing a game with a friend? Was it riding a bike or making a snowman? Many of these events will most likely be remembered of your childhood, but the memory of how you were socially biased will not be. The memory of being wrapped in a socially acceptable colored blanket depending on your gender either boy or girl. How your mother spoke to you, with a soft voice of understanding or concern if you were likely a boy, and how if you were a girl you were likely given a baby doll to play with instead of a truck. Throughout history gender differences have been exemplified given a particular culture. In the USA the role of the female has endured much discrimination as with racial discrimination. Many factors contribute to the problem of gender inequality [1]; two of these factors will be discussed, social structural factors and social psychological factors. Attitudes and values of both men and women perpetuate gender inequality. Past attitudes have reflected the traditional role of the female within society: the notion that women are less capable and competent as men. Within this traditional role, a woman's place is in the home, as the guardian of the social order. Gender roles are evident within any society. Not all roles follow these traditional roles of male dominance and submissive women. Such societies take on roles, which are the betterment of the community. An example would be the study performed by Margaret Mead (1969), of three primitive New Guinea tribes. Mead states that the meaning of being male and female is determined not only biologically but also... ...without gender differences we would all be as robots cohabitating in a fantasy world of equality. I took on this topic because of the strong emotion I feel as a women living with such discrimination in our society. As subtle as some discriminations are, there is no denying the definite battle of inequality women face daily within our society. Even with the economic, social, political and educational inequality that women must overcome, I will accept the fight, rather than conform to a non-gender society as stated by Bem. The desire of most women, including myself, is not to be the same as men but to be given the same opportunities and options in life. I believe in the philosophy that you can be whatever your heart desires. If a women strives hard enough, the trials and tribulations she may face along her chosen path will only make her stronger in the end.

World Pollulation Concerning Problem

Living in Arkansas, † the natural state† we don†t really think of our world as overpopulated, but instead often wish there was more going on. We need to be thankful though. Did you know that if your standing on a street in India and you look into a home and notice that a kitchen fire looks brighter than normal it†s probably not because of too much greese, but instead due to a burning child? Your probably thinking that sounds bizarre and how does this tie into overpopulation. Well as crude and barbaric as burning or cremating children in a kitchen may sound it happens all too often in the overpopulated country of India. If you are a hardheaded optimist you might be saying to yourself well that†s in India where they†re crazy, but you would have to be pretty crazy to argue that overpopulation in the U.S. isn†t a problem. Considering the overcrowded classrooms, used up soil and agricultural resources, lack of energy and the damage done to the air and wildlife that we are surrounded by. So what I†m getting at is that from the Phillapenes to New York to Africa our world is being used for all it†s worth. Not only will I speak about the problems with overpopulation far and wide throughout the world but also I would like to emphasize the time issue in correlation with the growth of the birth rate and death rate. Now I know that graphs are about as exciting as chapel, but this graph really simplifies the explanation of the â€Å"Malthusian Theory† which is simply a theory that was developed by Thomas Malthus in 1798 arguing that populations grow geometrically which just means that MORE PEOPLE PRODUCE MORE PEOPLE. (Explain graph.) World War 2 death rate did not effect the population climb. In result of this steadily rising population rate, India†s population exceeded 1 billion this past May. According Christian Century, India†s one billionth baby was lucky if it was a boy, because girl†s survival rates are much lower. Girls in India are commonly victims of feticide, infantcide or later, forced suicide. On the other hand sons in India can generate prosperity in a family; that is if they aren†t among the 110 out of 1000 that don†t live to see their first birthday. A lot of infants have fatal encounters with diarrhea, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, and malnutrition. This most likely has something to do with the fact that in villages over 800 million people don†t have access to safe drinking water. In China and Africa similar problems can be found due to overpopulation. There†s has been an out break of AIDS in China, because farmers† have run out of fertile soil and have began giving blood to blood dealers in exchange for money. The blood dealers are evidently not the most sanitary practicioners after reading in Washington Post that they use the same infected needle on as many farmers as possible. In Africa we all know of the famines that have devastated the country. Again we have to turn to the lack of resources for an overpopulated country where there isn†t enough food , doctors or educational oppurtunities for the society. When you take all of those factors and put them together you†ll also likely find political instability in a country. As O. Henry fittingly stated, â€Å"there are not many troubles in the world more alarming than those caused by the fire in the pit of an empty stomach.† The direct effect that overpopulation has on our agricultural development isn†t neccessarily felt by us, but of course we are effected. With a concern that we will be left providing food for the rest of the world when overpopulated countries like China run out of food is sort of scary. Despite new technology that has been developed to renourish soil after it†s been used there are side effects on our earth. The Green House effect may be one that you†ve heard of. These green revolution technologies can bring along pollution of natural waters, soil contamination and overall degradation, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. And no this isn†t a Indian, African, or Chinese problem, this pollution is occuring all over the US on many farms where the technology is rooted. Other than agricultural problems the US is also battling a energy crisis that only seems to be getting worse. Just last week the EIA announced that gas prices are at a new record high in America, climbing to $1.53 cents on average up nearly 40% from just last year. And if you†ve been watching the news at all for the past couple of months your! aware of the energy crisis in California and Oregon that has been causing blackouts for millions. Reprecussions of the same old case where there isn†t enough resources for so many people. The worst part about it is that the situation only seems to be getting worse unless scientist figure out how to create fossil fuels at the same rate that humans give birth. Our regional wildlife are suffering also due to overpopulation. According to a survey done by the U.S. Geological Survey suggest that rapid human population growth of the areas surrounding the Lake Pontchartrain Basin has put the habitat in serious danger. By the way I live only about three hours north of the basin, but internationally our wildlife has suffered without a doubt also. Now I†d like to mention, for a final grim reminder, the numerous degrading factors that overpopulation has on our earth, but as I name these factors I want you to listen to each factor and ask yourself if you have a problem with any of these situations. Famine, political instability, agricultural set backs, pollution, inhumane treatment to children, overcrowded streets and schools, and damage to wildlife. If you had a problem with any of those factors I named then you might as well go to the foundation that those problems stand on, †¦. the problem of overpopulation.

Coyote Blue Chapter 12~13

CHAPTER 12 Cruelly Turn the Steel-Belted Radials of Desire Crow Country – 1973 In the six years since his vision quest Samson had endured almost daily interpretations of the vision by Pokey Medicine Wing. Again and again Samson insisted that it wasn't important, and again and again Pokey forced the boy to recall his experience on the mountain in detail. It was Pokey's responsibility as a self-proclaimed medicine man to bring meaning to the symbols in the vision. Over the years, as Pokey read new meanings, he tried to change his and Samson's lives to fit the message of the medicine dream. â€Å"Maybe Old Man Coyote was trying to tell us that we should turn our dreams into money,† Pokey said. With this interpretation, Pokey dragged Samson into a series of entrepreneurial ventures that ultimately served no purpose except to confirm to the people of Crow Country that Pokey had finally gone full-bore batshit. The first foray into the world of business was a worm ranch. Pokey presented the idea to Samson with the same blind faith with which he told Old Man Coyote stories, and Samson, like so many before him, was captivated with the idea of turning religion into money. Pokey's eyes were lit up with liquor and firelight as he spoke. â€Å"They are building that dam up on the Bighorn River. They tell us that we will prosper from all the people who will come to the reservation to fish and water-ski on the new lake. That's what they told us when they put the Custer Monument here, but whites opened stores and took all the money. This time we will get our share. We'll grow worms and sell them for fishing.† They had no lumber to build the worm beds, so Pokey and Samson went to the Rosebud Mountains and cut lodgepole pines, which they brought down by the pickup load. Through a whole summer they hauled and built until the Hunts Alones' five acres was nearly covered with empty worm beds. Pokey, convinced that their success depended on getting a jump on other prospective worm ranchers, instructed Samson to tell everyone who asked that they were building corrals to hold tiny horses that they were raising for the Little People that lived in the mountains. â€Å"It's easier to keep a secret if people think you're crazy,† Pokey said. With the beds finished, they were faced with the problem of filling them. â€Å"Worms like cow shit,† Pokey said. â€Å"We can get that for free.† Indeed, had Pokey asked any of the ranchers in the area, they would have let him haul away all the manure he needed, but because most of the ranchers were white and Pokey did not trust them, he decided, instead, that he and Samson would steal the cow pies in the dead of night. So it began: sunset, Samson and Pokey driving the old pickup into a pasture, Pokey driving slowly along while Samson followed on foot with a shovel, scooping piles into the bed of the truck, then the two of them stealing away with their reeking load to dump it in the worm beds, then out again. â€Å"The Crow have always been the best horse thieves, Samson,† Pokey said. â€Å"Old Man Coyote would be proud of the trick we have played on the ranchers.† Pokey's enthusiasm mystified Samson, who couldn't muster the same self-satisfaction at stealing something that nobody wanted. Nevertheless, after a month of pasture raids the beds were full and they drove to the bait store in Hardin to buy their breeding stock: night crawlers and red worms, five hundred each. Pokey burnt sage and sweet grass and prayed over the beds and they released the worms into the beds of manure. Then they waited. â€Å"We shouldn't disturb them until spring,† Pokey said, but many nights Samson spotted him sneaking out to one of the beds with a trowel, turning over a patch, then skulking away. One night Samson was sneaking out with his own trowel when he saw Pokey on his knees with his face pressed to a bed. He stood up when he sensed the boy behind him. â€Å"You know what I was doing?† Pokey asked. â€Å"No,† Samson said, hiding his trowel behind his back. â€Å"I was listening to the sound of money.† â€Å"You have shit on your ear, Pokey.† From that time forward they were both more careful about their nocturnal progress checks, but neither found worm one. They waited through the cold Montana winter, sure that come spring they would be waist deep in worms and money. Never mind the fact that Yellowtail Dam wouldn't be completed for two more years. After the thaw they marched to the beds together, shovels in hand, to turn over their squirming horn of plenty, but shovel after shovel turned up empty. Into the third bed they began to panic and were wildly slinging shit in the air when Harlan pulled up. â€Å"Digging for horses?† he asked. â€Å"Worms,† Pokey shouted, lifting the veil of secrecy with a single word. â€Å"Where did you get the manure?† â€Å"Around,† Pokey said. â€Å"Around where?† â€Å"The ranches on the res.† Harlan began to laugh and Samson was afraid for a moment that Pokey would brain him with the shovel. â€Å"You were trying to grow worms?† â€Å"Old Man Coyote told us to,† Samson said defensively. â€Å"We let go a thousand worms in here to breed so we could sell 'em to fishermen.† â€Å"I guess Old Man Coyote didn't tell you that cattle ranchers put a wormer in their cattle feed, huh?† â€Å"Wormer?† Pokey said. â€Å"That manure was poison to your worms. They were probably dead ten minutes after you put them in there.† Samson and Pokey looked at each other forlornly, the boy's lower lip swelling with disappointment, the man's temples throbbing with pain. Some people believe that hard work is its own reward and a job well done is a tribute to a man's character; fortunately, none of those people were around or they would have been ducking shovel blows. Pokey and Samson decided to get drunk. Harlan stayed on to coach the boy through his first hangover and run interference with Grandma, who would have skinned the two men had she known they were giving liquor to a twelve-year-old. It was the end of summer, a summer spent in sulking and speculating, before Pokey brought home the goats. He'd obtained the pair, a male and a female, from a dubious source in a Hardin bar by winning a bet that had something to do with a pineapple, a throwing knife, and a waitress named Debbie. Samson had difficulty putting the story together from Pokey's drunken ravings, but he gathered that because Debbie had survived, and the pineapple had not, Pokey had two goats on his hands. â€Å"We could breed 'em and sell 'em for meat,† Pokey said. â€Å"But I got a better idea. Them lawyers and doctors are flying into Montana from the city and paying a thousand bucks a head to shoot bighorn sheep. I say we go to the airport in Billings and wait for one of them to get off a plane, then tell 'em they can come to the res and shoot one for two – three hundred. I can be the faithful Indian guide and lead them all over hell and back, and you can take the goats up into the mountains and tie them up where they can shoot 'em.† Despite Samson's objections that even a city lawyer might know the difference between a bighorn sheep and a nanny goat, Pokey insisted that come morning they would be on the road to riches. Come morning, however, when Samson went outside to look at the goats he found them lying on their backs, legs shot stiff to the sky with rigor mortis, dead as stones. In his excitement Pokey had tied the goats next to a patch of hemlock, and the goats, perhaps sensing what was planned for them, munched their last meal and joined the ranks of Socrates. Not all of Pokey's quests for spiritual capitalism were complete failures. He and Samson made a little money with the ;authentic; Indian fry-bread taco stand they set up outside of the Custer Battlefield National Monument, until the health department objected to the presence of marmot and raccoon meat in their all-beef tacos. And they did make forty dollars selling eagle feathers to tourists (actually the feathers of two buzzards that had dined on tainted goat carcass), which they used to buy marijuana seeds that produced a respectable crop of grape-sized casaba melons. (Harlan referred to this as the magic beans incident.) And finally, while Samson was busy with school and basketball and a developing obsession with girls, Pokey turned to prostitution and made five bucks from the owner of the Hardin 7-Eleven who paid the shaman to take his sandwich sign and go stand somewhere else. Samson was fifteen by the time Pokey decided that perhaps they were not meant to turn their dreams into money. Once again he sat the boy down in the kitchen to recount the vision. â€Å"Pokey, I don't even remember much of the vision, and besides, how important could it be? I was only nine.† Samson's friend Billy Two Irons was waiting outside to drive them to a  «forty-nine » party at the Yellowtail Dam and Samson was not in the mood to be cross-examined about an event that he was trying desperately to leave behind, along with the rest of the trappings of childhood. â€Å"Do you know why the Crow never fought the white man?† Pokey asked gravely. â€Å"Oh, fuck, Pokey, not now. I've got to get going.† â€Å"Do you know why?† â€Å"No. Why?† â€Å"Because of the vision of a nine-year-old boy. That's why.† As much as Samson wanted to leave, he had spent too many years listening to the Cheyenne and Lakota call his people cowards to walk out now. â€Å"What boy?† he asked. â€Å"Our last great chief, Plenty Coups. When he was nine he went on his first fast, just like you. He cut pieces from his skin and suffered greatly. Finally, his vision came, and he saw the buffalo gone and then he saw the white man's cattle covering the plains. He saw white men everywhere, but he saw none of our people. The medicine chiefs heard his vision and said that it was a message. The Lakota and the Cheyenne had fought the white men and lost their lands. The vision meant that if we fought the white men we would lose our land and be wiped out. Our chiefs decided not to fight and the Crow survived. We are here because of the vision of a nine-year-old boy.† â€Å"That's great, Pokey,† Samson said, having gained nothing useful from the story. He was not going to quell any ridicule from non-Crows by telling them that his people had changed their way of life over a mystical vision. It was hard enough trying to live down the reputation of his crazy uncle as it was. â€Å"I have to go now.† He grabbed the drum that Pokey had made him and took off through the living room, high-stepping over his eight younger cousins, who were sprawled on the floor watching cartoons on televsion. â€Å"‘Bye, Grandma,† he tossed over his shoulder to his grandmother, who sat in a tattered easy chair among the kids, adding the final touches to a beaded belt she was making for him. In front of the Hunts Alone house a tall, acne-speckled Billy Two Irons was pouring a jug of water into the radiator of a twenty-year-old Ford Fairlane. Most of the water was draining out of the bottom of the engine onto the ground at his feet. â€Å"That thing going to make it up to Yellowtail?† Samson called. â€Å"No problem, bro,† Billy said without looking up. â€Å"I got twenty milk jugs of water in the backseat for the trip up. Coming home's downhill most of the way.† â€Å"You fix the exhaust leak?† â€Å"Yep, tomato can and a hose clamp. Works fine as long as you keep the window down.† â€Å"How about the brakes?† Samson was staring over Billy's shoulder into the greasy cavern of the engine compartment. Billy capped the radiator and slammed the hood before he answered. â€Å"You let it coast down to about ten miles an hour and throw it in reverse it'll stop on a dime.† â€Å"Then let's do it.† Samson jumped into the car. Billy threw the empty milk jug into the backseat, climbed in, and began cranking the engine. Samson looked back to the house and saw Pokey coming out the front door waving at them. â€Å"Hit it, man,† Samson said. â€Å"Let's go.† The car finally fired up just as Pokey reached the window. He shouted to be heard over the din of the damaged muffler. â€Å"You boys watch out for Enos, now.† â€Å"We will, Pokey,† Samson said as they pulled away. Then he turned to Billy Two Irons. â€Å"Is Anus working nights again?† Anus was the name they used for Enos Windtree, a fat, meanspirited half-breed BIA cop who liked nothing better than to terrorize kids partying at some remote spot on the res. Once, at a forty-nine party near Lodge Grass, Samson and Billy and nearly twenty others were drinking and singing with the drums when Samson heard a distinct, sickening series of mechanical clicks right by his ear: the sound of a twelve-gauge shell being jacked into a riot gun. When he turned to the noise Enos hit him in the chest with the butt of the gun, knocking him to the ground. Then Enos shot the lights and windshields out of two cars before sending everyone on their way. When Samson told the story, people just said he was just lucky Enos hadn't hit him in the face, or shot somebody. There were rumors that it had happened before. And people were dying on the Lakota r eservation at Pine Ridge, killed by the tribal police in what amounted to a civil war. â€Å"Enos works whenever he can find someone to fuck with,† Billy said. â€Å"I'd like to hang that fat fuck's scalp from my lodgepole.† â€Å"Oooooo, brave warrior, heap big pissed off,† Samson chided in pidgin – speaking Tonto, they called it. â€Å"You telling me you wouldn't want to see Anus's head through a rifle scope?† â€Å"Yeah, if I thought I could get away with it. But a rifle would be too quick.† For an hour and a half, between stops to add water to the radiator, they theorized on the best way to do away with Enos Windtree. When they finally arrived at the party it had been decided that Enos should have his entire body abraded with a belt sander and a two-inch hole saw slowly driven through his skull with a drill press. (Samson and Billy had just finished with their first year of shop class and were still fascinated by the macabre potential of every power tool they had used; this fascination, of course, was fed by their shop teacher, a seven-fingered white man who described in detail every accident that had mangled, mutilated, or murdered some careless shop student since the turn of the century. The teacher had been so successful in instilling respect for the tools in the boys that Billy Two Irons had taken to skipping two classes after shop to mellow out and would have had a nervous breakdown had Samson not finished building his friend's birdhouse for him.) Billy pulled the Fairlane slowly onto the dam and up to a dozen cars that were parked haphazardly on the three-hundred-foot structure. He threw the car into reverse and gunned the engine until the transmission screamed in protest and the car stopped in a jerking, squealing mechanical seizure. Samson was out of the car in an instant and a warm wind coming off the newly formed reservoir washed over him with the scent of sage. Twenty people were gathered at the rail of the dam, beating drums and singing a song of heartbreak and betrayal in Crow. Samson scanned the faces in the moonlight, recognizing and dismissing each until he spotted Ellen Black Feather, and smiled. She was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Her long hair was blowing in a black comet tail behind her, her shirt was wrapped tight around her in the wind, and Samson noticed, to his delight, that she was braless. She saw Samson and returned his smile. It was perfect. Just as he had envisioned it on a dozen nights while he lay in the dark with his cousins sleeping around him. They would sing and drink for a while, maybe smoke a joint if somebody had one, then he and Ellen would finish the evening in the backseat of the Fairlane. He walked to Ellen and sat beside her on the rail of the dam, oblivious to the three-hundred-foot drop behind him. As he started to beat his drum and sing he looked back to the car to see Billy adding water to the radiator. It suddenly occurred to him that if he were going to enjoy the favors of Ellen Black Feather in the back of Billy's car, it would be a good idea to move the twenty jugs of water first. He excused himself with a pat on her knee and returned to the car. â€Å"Billy, help me get these jugs into the trunk.† â€Å"They're all empty, don't worry about them.† â€Å"I'm going to need the space. Just open the trunk, okay?† Billy handed him the car keys. â€Å"Hunts Alone, you are a hopeless horndog.† Samson grinned, then took the keys and ran around to the back of the car. He was loading his first armload of jugs into the trunk when he heard a car pass by and the singing abruptly stopped. Samson looked up to see the green tribal police car stopping in the middle of the partiers, some thirty yards away. â€Å"Fuck. It's Anus,† Billy said. â€Å"Let's get out of here.† â€Å"No, not yet.† Samson eased the trunk lid down and joined Billy at the front of the car. They watched Enos Windtree climb out of the car and reach back in for his nightstick. The partiers stood stock-still, as if they were standing near a rattlesnake that would strike at the first movement, but their eyes were darting around looking for possible lanes of escape. All except for Ernest Bulltail, the biggest and meanest of the group, who met Enos's gaze straight on. â€Å"This is an illegal gathering,† Enos rasped as he swaggered up to Ernest. â€Å"You all know it, and I know it. The fine is two hundred dollars, payable right now. Cough it up.† Enos punctuated his demand by driving the end of his nightstick into Ernest's solar plexus, doubling the big man over. Ernest made an effort to straighten up and Enos hit him across the face with the nightstick. One of the other men stepped forward but froze when Enos dropped his hand to the Magnum strapped to his hip. â€Å"Now for my fine,† Enos said. â€Å"Fuck you, Anus!† someone screamed, and Samson's heart sank as he realized that it was Ellen. Enos turned from Ernest and started for the girl. â€Å"I know how you're going to pay up,† Enos said to Ellen with a leer. Samson knew he had to do something, but he wasn't sure what. Billy was tugging on his sleeve, trying to get him to go, but he was fixated on Enos and Ellen. Why hadn't they brought a weapon? He moved to the back of the car and opened the trunk. â€Å"What are you doing?† Billy whispered. â€Å"Looking for a weapon.† â€Å"I don't have a gun in the car.† â€Å"This,† Samson said, holding up a tire iron. â€Å"Against a three fifty-seven? Are you nuts?† Billy grabbed the tire iron and wrenched it out of Samson's hand. Samson was almost in tears now with frustration. He looked back up the dam to see Enos, his gun at Ellen's head, putting his free hand under her shirt. Samson pushed Billy aside, then reached into the trunk and pulled out the spare tire. He began creeping up the dam, cradling the heavy spare in his arms. The others watched him, eyes wide with fear. Ten yards away from Enos he started running, the tire held out in front of him. â€Å"Enos!† Samson shouted. The fat policeman pulled away from Ellen and was bringing up his gun to fire when the tire hit him in the chest and drove him back over the railing. Samson followed, tumbling halfway over the rail before someone caught the back of his shirt and tugged him back. He didn't turn to see who it was, he just stared over the railing at the dam wall that disappeared into the darkness two hundred feet below. The others joined him at the rail and several minutes passed before the stunned silence was broken by Billy Two Irons. â€Å"I just had that spare fixed,† he said. Part 2 The Call to Action CHAPTER 13 Forget What You Know Crow Country – 1973 Of all the people who had seen Enos go over the side of the dam, only Billy Two Irons seemed to have avoided a state of stunned silence. While the others were still staring over the edge into the darkness, Billy was already formulating a plan to save his friend. â€Å"Samson, come here.† Samson looked back at Billy. He was beginning to shiver with unused adrenaline; a look of dreamy confusion had come over him. Billy put his arm around Samson's shoulders and led him away from the railing. â€Å"Look, Samson, you're going to have to run.† A moment passed and Samson did not answer until Billy jostled him. â€Å"Run?† â€Å"You have to get off the res and not come back for a long time, maybe never. Everyone here is going to think that they're going to keep this a secret, but when the cops start kicking ass, your name is going to come out. You've got to go, man.† â€Å"Where will I go?† â€Å"I don't know, but you have to. Now go get in the car. I'm going to try and raise some money.† Grateful that someone was thinking for him, and because he didn't know what else to do, Samson followed Billy's instructions. He sat in the car and watched his friend going from person to person on the dam collecting money. He closed his eyes and tried to think, but found that there was a movie running on the back of his eyelids: a slow-motion loop of a fat cop with a spare tire in his face going backward over a rail. He snapped his eyes open and stared, unblinking, until they filled with tears. A few minutes later Billy threw a handful of bills on the front seat and climbed in the car. â€Å"I told them you were going to hide out in the mountains and I was getting money for supplies. You should be able to get a long way before the cops figure out that you're not on the res. There's about a hundred bucks here.† Billy started the car and drove off the dam toward Fort Smith. â€Å"Where are we going?† Samson asked. â€Å"First we have to stop and fill up these jugs with water. I'll take you to Sheridan and you can catch a bus there. I don't trust this car to go any further. If we break down in the middle of nowhere you're fucked.† Samson was amazed at his friend's ability to think and act so quickly. Left to himself he knew he would still be staring over the dam wondering what had happened. Instead he was on his way to Wyoming. â€Å"I should go home and tell Grandma that I'm going.† â€Å"You can't. I'll tell them tomorrow. And once you're gone you can't call or write either. That's how the cops will find you.† â€Å"How do you know that?† â€Å"That's how they caught my brother,† Billy said. â€Å"He wrote a letter from New Mexico. The FBI had him in two days after that.† â€Å"But†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Look, Samson, you killed a cop. I know you didn't mean to, but that won't matter. If they catch you they'll shoot you before you get a chance to tell what happened.† â€Å"But everyone saw.† â€Å"Everyone there was Crow, Samson. They won't believe a bunch of fucking Indians.† â€Å"But Enos was Crow – part Crow, anyway.† â€Å"He was an apple, only red on the outside.† Samson started to protest again but Billy shushed him. â€Å"Start thinking about where you're going to go.† â€Å"Where do you think I should go?† â€Å"I don't know. You just need to disappear. Don't tell me where you're going when you figure it out, either. I don't want to know. You could try and pass for white. With those light eyes you might pull it off. Change your name, dye your hair.† â€Å"I don't know how to be white.† â€Å"How hard can it be?† Billy said. Samson wanted to talk to someone besides Billy Two Irons, someone who didn't make as much sense: Pokey. He realized that for all his craziness, all his ravings, all his drinking and ritual mumbo jumbo, Pokey was the person he most trusted in the world. But Billy was right: going home would be a mistake. Instead he tried to imagine what Pokey would say about escaping into the white world. Well, first, Samson thought, he would never admit that there was a white world. According to Pokey there was only the world of the Crow – of family and clans and medicine and balance and Old Man Coyote. The white man was simply a disease that had put the Crow world out of balance. Samson tried to look into the future to see where he would go, what he would do, but any plans he had ever made – and there hadn't been many – were no longer valid, and the future was a thick, white fog that would allow him to see only as far as the bus station in Sheridan, Wyoming. He felt a panic rising in his chest like a scream, then it came to him: this was just a different type of Coyote Blue. He was trying to look into the future too far and it was ruining his balance. He needed to focus on right now, and eventually he would learn what he needed to know when the future got to him. What did Pokey always say? â€Å"If you are going to learn, you need to forget what you know.† â€Å"Don't use all your money for the bus ticket,† Billy said. â€Å"Once you get out of the area you can hitchhike.† â€Å"Did you learn all this when your brother got in trouble?† â€Å"Yeah, he writes me letters from prison about what he did wrong.† â€Å"He put a bomb in a BIA office. How many letters can that take?† â€Å"Not that. What he did wrong to get caught.† â€Å"Oh,† Samson said. Two hours later Samson was climbing on a bus headed for Elko, Nevada, carrying with him everything he owned: twenty-three dollars, a pocketknife, and a small buckskin bundle. He took a window seat in the back of the bus and stared out over the dark countryside, really seeing nothing, as he tried to imagine where he would end up. His fear of getting away was almost greater than his fear of being caught. At least if he were caught his fate would be in someone else's hands. After an hour or so on the road Samson sensed that the bus was slowing down. He looked around for a reaction from the other passengers, but except for an old lady in the front who was engrossed in a romance novel, they were all asleep. The driver downshifted and Samson felt the big diesel at his back roar as the bus pulled into the passing lane. Out his window he saw the back of a long, powder-blue car. As the bus moved up Samson watched the big car glide below him, seeming to go on forever. He saw the back of the driver's head, then his face. It was the fat salesman from his vision. Samson twisted in his seat, trying to get a better look as they passed. The salesman seemed to see him through the blackout windows of the bus and raised a bottle of Coke as if toasting Samson. â€Å"Did you see that?† Samson cried to the old lady. â€Å"Did you see that car?† The old lady turned to him and shook her head, and a cowboy in the next seat groaned. â€Å"Did you see who was in that car?† Samson asked the bus driver, who snickered and shook his head. The cowboy in the next seat was awake now and he pushed his hat from over his eyes. â€Å"Well, son, now that you got me wetting myself in suspense, who was in the car?† â€Å"It was the salesman,† Samson said. The cowboy stared at him for a second in angry disbelief, then pushed his hat back over his eyes and slid back down in his seat. â€Å"I hate fucking Mexicans,† he said.

How Bugs Find Their Way Into Your Food

How Bugs Find Their Way Into Your Food Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has been getting a lot of media attention in recent years. Conservationists promote it as a solution to feeding an exploding global population. Insects, after all, are a high protein food source and dont impact the planet in ways that animals higher up the food chain do. Of course, news stories about insects as food tend to focus on the ick factor. While grubs and caterpillars are diet staples in many parts of the world, U.S. audiences tend to get squeamish at the thought of eating bugs. Well, heres some  news for you. You eat bugs. Every day. Even if youre vegetarian, you cant avoid consuming insects if you eat anything that has been processed, packaged, canned, or prepared. You are, without a doubt, getting a bit of bug protein in your diet. In some cases, the bug bits are intentional ingredients, and in some cases, theyre just by-products of the way we harvest and package our food. Red Food Coloring When the FDA changed food-labeling requirements in 2009, many consumers were startled to learn that manufacturers put crushed bugs in their food products for color. Outrageous! Cochineal extract, which comes from a scale insect, has been used as a red dye or coloring for centuries. Cochineal bugs (Dactylopius coccus) are true bugs belonging to the order Hemiptera. These tiny insects make a living by sucking the sap from cactus. To defend themselves, cochineal bugs produce carminic acid, a foul-tasting, bright red substance that makes predators think twice about eating them. The Aztecs used crushed cochineal bugs to dye fabrics a brilliant crimson. Today, cochineal extract is used as a natural coloring in many foods and drinks. Farmers in Peru and the Canary Islands produce most of the worlds supply, and its an important industry that supports workers in otherwise impoverished areas. And there are certainly worse things that manufacturers could use to color their products. To find out if a product contains cochineal bugs, look for any of the following ingredients on the label: cochineal extract, cochineal, carmine, carminic acid, or Natural Red No. 4. Confectioners Glaze If youre a vegetarian with a sweet tooth, you might be shocked to learn that many candy and chocolate products are made with bugs, too. Everything from jelly beans to milk duds is coated in something called confectioners glaze.   And confectioners glaze comes from bugs. The Lac bug, Laccifer lacca, inhabits tropical and subtropical regions. Like the cochineal bug, the Lac bug is a scale insect (order Hemiptera). It lives as a parasite on plants, particularly banyan trees. The Lac bug uses special glands to excrete a waxy, waterproof coating for protection. Unfortunately for the Lac bug, people figured out long ago that these waxy secretions are also useful for waterproofing other things, like furniture. Ever heard of shellac? Lac bugs are big business in India and Thailand, where they are cultivated for their waxy coatings. Workers scrape the Lac bugs glandular secretions from the host plants, and in the process, some of the Lac bugs get scraped off, too. The waxy bits are typically exported in flake form, called sticklac or gum lac, or sometimes just shellac flakes. Gum lac is used in all kinds of products: waxes, adhesives, paints, cosmetics, varnishes, fertilizers, and more. Lac bug secretions also make their way into medicines, usually as a coating that makes pills easy to swallow. Food manufacturers seem to know that putting shellac on an ingredient list might alarm some consumers, so they often use other, less industrial-sounding names to identify it on food labels. Look for any of the following ingredients on labels to find the hidden Lac bugs in your food: candy glaze, resin glaze, natural food glaze, confectioners glaze, confectioners resin, Lac resin, Lacca, or gum lac. Fig Wasps And then, of course, there are the fig wasps. If youve ever eaten Fig Newtons, or dried figs, or anything containing dried figs, youve no doubt eaten a fig wasp or two as well. Figs require pollination by a tiny female fig wasp. The fig wasp sometimes becomes entrapped within the fig fruit (which is technically not a fruit, its an inflorescence called the syconia), and becomes part of your meal. Insect Parts Honestly, theres no way to pick, package, or produce food without getting a few bugs in the mix. Insects are everywhere. The Food and Drug Administration recognized this reality, and issued regulations concerning how many bug bits are allowable in food items before they become a health concern. Known as the Food Defect Action Levels, these guidelines determine how many insect eggs, body parts, or whole insect bodies can get by the inspectors before being flagged in a given product. So, truth be told, even the most squeamish among us eats bugs, like it or not. Sources: The Truth About Red Food Dye Made From Bugs, LiveScience, April 27, 2012. Accessed online November 26, 2013.Scientists Make Red Food Dye from Potatoes, Not Bugs, National Geographic, September 19, 2013. Accessed online November 26, 2013.Calimyrna Figs in California, Wayne P. Armstrong, Palomar College. Accessed online November 26, 2013.Humans as Fig Eaters, FigWeb, Iziko Museums of South Africa. Accessed online November 26, 2013.Laccifer Lacca, Gwen Pearson (Bug Girls Blog), February 14, 2011. Accessed online November 26, 2013.Q A on Shellac, the Vegetarian Resource Group blog, November 30, 2010. Accessed online November 26, 2013.

The Others-Movie Review Essay Example

The Others The Others-Movie Review Paper The Others-Movie Review Paper Nurul Hazwani Bt Hatta M12L THE OTHERS Movie Review The Others is one of the psychological horror movies that impress me with its good story plot and suspense elements. It was written, directed and scored by Spanish director Alejandro Amenabar, starring Nicole Kidman and Christopher Eccleston. It is inspired partly by the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw. Grace Stewart (Nicole Kidman) is a Catholic mother who lives with her two small children in a remote country house in the British Crown Dependency of Jersey, in the immediate aftermath of World War II. The war was playing vital role in being contributing factor that cause depression in Grace. The stress is the triggering element that cause phychology disorder in her. The children, Anne and Nicholas have an uncommon disease, xeroderma pigmentosa, characterized by photosensitivity, so their lives are structured around a series of complex rules designed to protect them from inadvertent exposure to sunlight. The new arrival of three servants at the house - an aging nanny and servant named Mrs. Bertha Mills ,an elderly gardener named Mr. Edmund Tuttle, and a young mute girl named Lydia - coincides with a number of odd events, and Grace begins to fear that they are not alone. Anne draws pictures of four people: a man, a woman, a boy called Victor, and an old woman, all of whom she says she has seen in the house. A piano is heard from inside a locked room when no one is inside. Grace finds and examines a book of the dead, which shows mourning portraits taken in the 19th century of recently deceased corpses. I was so shocked when the doors which Grace believes to have been closed are found mysteriously ajar. Grace tries hunting down the intruders with a shotgun but cannot find them. She scolds her daughter for believing in ghosts - until she hears them herself. Eventually, convincing herself that something unholy is in the house, she runs out in the fog to get the local priest to bless the house. Meanwhile, the servants, led by Mrs. Mills, are clearly up to something of their own. The gardener buries a headstone under autumn leaves, and Mrs. Mills listens faithfully to Annes allegations against her mother. Outside, Grace loses herself in the heavy fog, but she miraculously discovers her husband Charles who she thought had been killed in the war, and brings him back to the house. Charles is distant during the one day he spends in the house, and Mrs. Mills is heard telling Mr. Tuttle, I do not think he knows where he is. Grace later sees an old woman dressed up like her daughter. Grace says, You are not my daughter! and attacks her. However, she finds that she has actually attacked her daughter instead. Anne refuses to be near her mother afterward, while Grace swears she saw the old woman. Mrs. Mills tells Anne that she too has seen the people, but they cannot yet tell the mother because Grace will not accept what she is not ready for. Charles is stunned when Anne tells him the things her mother did to her. He says he must leave for the front and disappears again. After Charles leaves, Anne continues to see things, including Victors whole family and the old woman. Grace breaks down to Mrs. Mills, who claims that sometimes the world of the dead gets mixed up with the world of the living. At last, I know that actually, it is Grace’s family who is dead, not the intruders. The intruders are the living people who bought the house after the death of Grace’s family. Grace and her children cannot accept the fact that they are dead. Grace may have some mental illness when she killed her children with pillow and then kill herself with a rifle. She was suffering from stress as she was feeling isolated and lonely as her husband didn’t come back from war. I love the suspense element and the twisting plot story. At first, I thought that the intruders are the bad guy, but actually Grace’s family is the one that possess the house and reluctant to leave their mansion even when they are dead. From this story,I learn that it is important to control our emotion and be patient in facing any difficulties in our life to lead a healthy and happy life.

Aztec empire art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Aztec empire art - Essay Example Although there is no explicit evidence of bloodletting in the archeological records, there are strong beliefs that they practiced it. This is being proven by numerous ceramic spikes, thorns and artifacts which have been cited as blood letters. In Elmanati site, disarticulated skulls and femurs were found. In addition, the skeletons of newborn children were discovered. This leads to speculations that infant sacrifices were being conducted in these places. Nevertheless, it is yet unknown how these infants met their deaths. Innovation of writing by Olmec played a significant role in art and beliefs of later Mesoamerican cultures. In 2002, there was discovery of bird, speech scrolls and glyphs. These artifacts were crucial in enabling the Mesoamerican to organize their seasonal rituals. In addition, they were able to plan their activities that were significant in improving their religious beliefs. Hieroglyphs such as Epi-Olmec were also crucial in developing the Mesoamerican art. Chichen Itza and Tula have many similarities in art and architectural designs. Both cities had similar temples, an aspect that indicated that there was a close relationship between the two sites. People in these areas have similar religious structures that they used to appease their gods. In addition, the Sacred Cenote, which was a large cylindrical and natural sinkhole, had a religious importance to the local people. Tula copied some of the architectural designs from such structures. This is an indication that Itza was established before Tula. Major beliefs in Tula had some similarities with those of Itza. The artifacts indicate that the carvings and the writings had major similarities. For instance, both cities portrayed a close relationship with Plumed Serpent. The art and architecture includes different depiction of him. In addition, the carvings of big-nosed god had some relationship between

Review paper on three scientific articles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Review paper on three scientific articles - Essay Example In the short term, improving vehicle technology could reduce petroleum consumption by one third; reducing vehicle size could level off the 2% petroleum consumption annual growth rate, but it would take 20 years. In the long term, alternative fuels and new propulsion systems for hydrogen and electrical-powered cars may be developed; however, alternative fuels such as ethanol may have large environmental impacts, and hydrogen cars will require further advances in technology. The fourth option for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, changing the way vehicles are used, may include designing specific urban-use vehicles with improved gas efficiency. The article "A Plan to Keep Carbon in Check" (Socolow & Pacala 50) explores ways to reduce carbon dioxide emissions using available technologies. The authors state that the danger zone, in which irreversible climate changes take place, probably lies where the atmosphere has double the amount of carbon that it had before the Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. The article considers seven different "wedges" of the stabilization triangle (created from the difference in graphs of the carbon emission rates staying the same, and the emission rate leveling off in 50 years); each wedge represents lowering the carbon emission rate by 1 billion tons a year 50 years from now. For example, a wedge can be accomplished by not building 700 coal-fired power plants or by equipping 800 coal plants to capture and store carbon dioxide; two wedges can be accomplished by cutting buildings electricity use in half. Policies of setting a cost of $100-200 per ton of carbon emissions may help to yield seven wedges, but further policies may be needed, for instance, to encourage commercialization of renewable energy technologies and to prevent construction of high-carbon emissions plants. The article "The Rise of Renewable Energy" (Kammen 84) focuses on