Just about every aspect of sport which we find exciting today was present at the chariot races of ancient Rome Essay

I agree with this statement to an extent, some aspects of chariot racing are similar to that of today’s modern sport. In Ancient Rome’s chariot races there were four teams, red, white, green and blue. Every roman would support a team, and stay loyal to it. These teams became the focus of support among spectators. The Romans were always very loyal to which ever team they supported. Fights would sometimes breakout due to the supporting of different teams. There are lots of aspects that made these chariot races exciting for the Romans. By supporting a team they could feel more involved. Competitors from the same team / stable might work together / pull stunts and gang up on other teams to gain popularity, make the race more exciting. This is just like nowadays, in football, rugby, cricket and many more of our modern day sports resemble the Romans approach to their teams and their support for them. Most men nowadays support a football team and stay loyal and supporting that team. Going to a football match is a really exciting experience, everyone supporting the same team will be feeling in a similar way, the atmosphere and feeling that you are all there together supporting your team, taking part is a very exciting experience and one that both us and the Romans share. The anxiety of waiting what’s going to happen, is he going to push him off the track? Is he going to die? The excitement when someone does a trick. Is he going to score? Will they be able to score in time? Will he get the penalty? Will he get sent off? It unified people of all sorts of social ranks, and encourages them to socialise just like we have nowadays. Betting also would have been and exciting experience for the Romans, just like us and any human being they were money driven. So the prospect of wining some money would have been a very exciting experience, they could have won a lot of money. Just like nowadays when we place a bet on a team or a horse to win a race / match, it then gets us more involved in the match / race, we want the person / team who we have backed up to win so we win money in return, so you get very excited when maybe your charioteer does a very clever stunt and nocks someone of the track / they are battling it out for first position you almost feel as if you are taking part in the race. The structural features of the circus maximus would have also made it exciting for the Romans the seating meant that they could integrate with women, which they would not get to do often, there are several sources explaining the excitement the men had in checking the women out. Nowadays that would not really affect our excitement on the sport as we are much more integrated through daily life than the Romans would have been. Therefore these don’t really increase the enjoyment of our sport nowadays. The ‘spina’ would have also made the race very exciting for the Romans, especially the ‘metea’ or turning posts, these would have tested even the best charioteers to their limits, when the charioteers reached the metea they would try and cut in as close as possible to the metea as possible, this could have resulted in a very bad injury or death very easily, if they wear pushed into the metea or turned to closely into the metea, as the charioteers approached the metea the crowd would start to cheer more especially when stunts and tricks were pulled on other charioteers. The Romans also enjoyed the egg markers and dolphin markers; these would have shown them at what lap they were in the race, obviously it would have been important for the Romans to have been able to keep track of how many laps the charioteers were on. Every time a marker went down / up this would have signified it being closer to the end of the race, I think this would have made it more exciting for them because it is that time aspect for them, when time is applied to something it often means pressure, whether it be they only have so long to score a goal or to knock their component of the track / make them win. With every lap it would have made it more exciting for the Romans, as there would be less and less charioteers each time and the race would be getting more violent / heated. Although nowadays although we do have score boards to help us to keep up score I would not say it adds that much to the excitement , only really the time aspect that they have so long left to score / win this game. In the chariot racing most of the competitors would have been slaves, and of a low social status, they would get sold to other teams and made to compete in races. In a way the charioteers had their own status within charioteering – they had dual status’ if they were good charioteers they would start from nothing a built their way up the charioteers rank, and become well known every time a charioteer won in a race they would receive a percentage of the winnings the rest would go to the stables, they would receive quite a high pay.. This is sort of similar to what we have nowadays for example a footballer might start from nothing and is all of a sudden he is launched into a high status / idolised. In a way the footballers are owned like a slave would be the club / manager owns them and they are sold onto other teams. Just like the charioteers they also receive very high pays. This aspect of charioteering / modern day sport would have made it exciting because you could get to see well known really good charioteers, maybe that you idolised; it’s just like nowadays meeting a really famous footballer like David beck ham something that an average person would find really exciting, because they are iconic figures that people look up to, and you want to see them perform. With chariot racing there is a real danger aspect it seemed the Romans would do anything to try and make their sport more dangerous and exciting, teaching the charioteers to bash into each other, the crowd would cheer loudly if someone was Have a battle with another charioteer / killed them, the Romans were very blood thirsty. The got thrills out of seeing people hurt and pushing each other close to the edge. Nowadays I don’t think we share the Romans passion quite so much for fighting and death/ blood, although for instance in motor racing when the cars are racing and perhaps giving each other nudges I think we do find it exciting we like to see how far we can push things, and if some one crashed and it was quite a big one every one would sort of be talking about it – did you see that crash? Without realising we get a sort of buss out of it. I think now looking closely and examining this statement I do agree with it , most of the points I have brung up are connected to chariot racing we share that thrill and excitement the same as the Romans do maybe we just don’t realise it as much / it is a bit more toned down.

Deception Point Page 95

The communications device on the man's belt crackled. The voice coming out was robotic. â€Å"Delta-Three? Come in. I heard a shot.† The man made no move to answer. The device crackled again. â€Å"Delta-Three? Confirm. Do you need backup?† Almost immediately, a new voice crackled over the line. It was also robotic but distinguishable by the sound of a helicopter noise in the background. â€Å"This is Delta-One,† the pilot said. â€Å"I'm in pursuit of the departing vessel. Delta-Three, confirm. Are you down? Do you need backup?† Tolland pressed the bang-stick into the man's throat. â€Å"Tell the helicopter to back off that speedboat. If they kill my friend, you die.† The soldier winced in pain as he lifted his communication device to his lips. He looked directly at Tolland as he pressed the button and spoke. â€Å"Delta-Three, here. I'm fine. Destroy the departing vessel.† 115 Gabrielle Ashe returned to Sexton's private bathroom, preparing to climb back out of his office. Sexton'sphone call had left her feeling anxious. He had definitely hesitated when she told him she was in her office-as if he knew somehow she was lying. Either way, she'd failed to get into Sexton's computer and now was unsure of her next move. Sexton is waiting. As she climbed up onto the sink, getting ready to pull herself up, she heard something clatter to the tile floor. She looked down, irritated to see that she'd knocked off a pair of Sexton's cuff links that had apparently been sitting on the edge of the sink. Leave things exactly as you found them. Climbing back down Gabrielle picked up the cuff links and put them back on the sink. As she began to climb back up, she paused, glancing again at the cuff links. On any other night, Gabrielle would have ignored them, but tonight their monogram caught her attention. Like most of Sexton's monogrammed items, they had two intertwining letters. SS. Gabrielle flashed on Sexton's initial computer password-SSS. She pictured his calendar†¦ POTUS†¦ and the White House screensaver with its optimistic ticker tape crawling around the screen ad infinitum. President of the United States Sedgewick Sexton†¦ President of the United States Sedgewick Sexton†¦ President of the†¦ Gabrielle stood a moment and wondered. Could he be that confident? Knowing it would take only an instant to find out, she hurried back into Sexton's office, went to his computer, and typed in a seven-letter password. POTUSSS The screensaver evaporated instantly. She stared, incredulous. Never underestimate the ego of a politician. 116 Corky Marlinson was no longer at the helm of the Crestliner Phantom as it raced into the night. He knew the boat would travel in a straight line with or without him at the wheel. The path of least resistance†¦ Corky was in the back of the bouncing boat, trying to assess the damage to his leg. A bullet had entered the front part of his calf, just missing his shinbone. There was no exit wound on the back of his calf, so he knew the bullet must still be lodged in his leg. Foraging around for something to stem the bleeding, he found nothing-some fins, a snorkel, and a couple of life jackets. No first-aid kit. Frantically, Corky opened a small utility chest and found some tools, rags, duct tape, oil, and other maintenance items. He looked at his bloody leg and wondered how far he had to go to be out of shark territory. A hell of a lot farther than this. Delta-One kept the Kiowa chopper low over the ocean as he scanned the darkness for the departing Crestliner. Assuming the fleeing boat would head for shore and attempt to put as much distance as possible between itself and the Goya, Delta-One had followed the Crestliner's original trajectory away from the Goya. I should have overtaken him by now. Normally, tracking the fleeing boat would be a simple matter of using radar, but with the Kiowa's jamming systems transmitting an umbrella of thermal noise for several miles, his radar was worthless. Turning off the jamming system was not an option until he got word that everyone onboard the Goya was dead. No emergency phone calls would be leaving the Goya this evening. This meteorite secret dies. Right here. Right now. Fortunately, Delta-One had other means of tracking. Even against this bizarre backdrop of heated ocean, pinpointing a powerboat's thermal imprint was simple. He turned on his thermal scanner. The ocean around him registered a warm ninety-five degrees. Fortunately, the emissions of a racing 250 hp outboard engine were hundreds of degrees hotter. Corky Marlinson's leg and foot felt numb. Not knowing what else to do, he had wiped down his injured calf with the rag and wrapped the wound in layer after layer of duct tape. By the time the tape was gone, his entire calf, from ankle to knee, was enveloped in a tight silver sheath. The bleeding had stopped, although his clothing and hands were still covered with blood. Sitting on the floor of the runaway Crestliner, Corky felt confused about why the chopper hadn't found him yet. He looked out now, scanning the horizon behind him, expecting to see the distant Goya and incoming helicopter. Oddly, he saw neither. The lights of the Goya had disappeared. Certainly he hadn't come that far, had he? Corky suddenly felt hopeful he might escape. Maybe they had lost him in the dark. Maybe he could get to shore! It was then he noticed that the wake behind his boat was not straight. It seemed to curve gradually away from the back of his boat, as if he were traveling in an arc rather than a straight line. Confused by this, he turned his head to follow the wake's arc, extrapolating a giant curve across the ocean. An instant later, he saw it. The Goya was directly off his port side, less than a half mile away. In horror, Corky realized his mistake too late. With no one at the wheel, the Crestliner's bow had continuously realigned itself with the direction of the powerful current-the megaplume's circular water flow. I'm driving in a big friggin' circle! He had doubled back on himself. Knowing he was still inside the shark-filled megaplume, Corky recalled Tolland's grim words. Enhanced telencephalon olfactory lobes†¦ hammerheads can smell a droplet of blood a mile away. Corky looked at his bloody duct-taped leg and hands. The chopper would be on him soon. Ripping off his bloody clothing, Corky scrambled naked toward the stern. Knowing no sharks could possibly keep pace with the boat, he rinsed himself as best as he could in the powerful blast of the wake. A single droplet of blood†¦ As Corky stood up, fully exposed to the night, he knew there was only one thing left to do. He had learned once that animals marked their territory with urine because uric acid was the most potent-smelling fluid the human body made. More potent than blood, he hoped. Wishing he'd had a few more beers tonight, Corky heaved his injured leg up onto the gunwale and tried to urinate on the duct tape. Come on! He waited. Nothing like the pressure of having to piss all over yourself with a helicopter chasing you. Finally it came. Corky urinated all over the duct tape, soaking it fully. He used what little was left in his bladder to soak a rag, which he then swathed across his entire body. Very pleasant. In the dark sky overhead, a red laser beam appeared, slanting toward him like the shimmering blade of an enormous guillotine. The chopper appeared from an oblique angle, the pilot apparently confused that Corky had looped back toward the Goya. Quickly donning a high-float life vest, Corky moved to the rear of the speeding craft. On the boat's bloodstained floor, only five feet from where Corky was standing, a glowing red dot appeared. It was time. Onboard the Goya, Michael Tolland did not see his Crestliner Phantom 2100 erupt in flames and tumble through the air in a cartwheel of fire and smoke.

Thien Hau Temple, A Temple that is dedicated to Mazu

Thien Hau Temple, A Temple that is dedicated to Mazu Traditional Taoism is the oldest system that contained the past beliefs of the Chinese. During that period when this system was applicable when both the shamanism and pantheism were common. Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Thien Hau Temple, A Temple that is dedicated to Mazu specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Some of the components that were in this system include the repeated occurrence of seasons, life and death of conscious human beings and their continuous generations. Another major component of this system was the mystery of the life origin. In the traditional Taoism, there were some scriptures like the I Ching where most essential readings appeared. This scripture was composed of 64 hexagrams with each one of it carrying six yang lines. In this scripture, the readings included images, solutions of some problems, and the interpretations of the readings. Due to the challenges of the ever-changing world, the people who were responsible in to providing solutions started seeking for unity and continuity among the people. High expectations of finding solutions in Tao were among the traditional thinkers. There were three known sources of Taoism in the traditional china, the first source was the ancestor whose name was the yellow Emperor who came up with the use of traditional Chinese medicine. His wife was also famous through her act of teaching other women on how to obtain silk from silk worms. Through yellow emperor and his wife, there was introduction of the first Chinese characters. The second source of Taoism is the book â€Å"Tao Te Ching† the old book that contained supernatural issues, and its author was Laozi. The third source was Chuang Tzu together with his book that was eponymous. Apart from these three major sources, other sources came up later introducing other traditional aspects to the system. Taoism has influenced the culture of china for long period. The influence of Taoi sm came in different forms for instance, by philosophy, literature, and at times use of arts. Taoism also made some emphasize on getting the freedom for the human kind, understanding the human nature, and tried to obtain human retirement from the social works. Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Taoism as well tried to bring the mystery and many questions relating to religious into light for everyone to understand. By use of arts, Taoism divided the life of the educated people into two groups such as social group and a private one. The life of the educated people made use of the arts during their free time to pass different messages to other people in the community. For instance, a person may volunteer to make use of calligraphy or paintings to express a certain idea to the illiterate people in the community. The use of poetry by these people was also common to interp ret or clarify a certain aspect of life to their fellow leaned Chinese. Some educated Chinese went to an extent of conducting some researches on medicine that was useful for human use, and later passing the findings to the others through use of arts. Between 1940 and 1982, Taoism faced many challenges in china whereby most of its operations remained stack for a long period. Most of their priests and other men who were working in church found themselves working in odd places as casual laborers without receiving any recognition as priests. There were mass destructions of the infrastructure that were using, together with their holy sites. In 1982, some leaders started recognizing the importance of this tradition religion, and some of its aspects began restoration. Some of the Taoism temples started their operation, and continued to preach peace and unity among the Chinese people as it was doing before. Up to date Taoism is still a common belief in china because it has more than one bil lion followers. Globally, it is the second largest religion. There was a major debate about the Taoism whether being a philosophy or a religion. Most of the people from western see Taoism as a philosophical aspect because Lao Tse and Zhuang Zi did not talk anything about worshipping or performing rituals, and they are the major people in Taoism. On the other hand, some people refer it as a religion because the work of Lao Zi involved some rituals, and mentioning of works of gods. The debate leaves the relationship between the Taoist religion and Taiost philosophy being hard to understand. In this debate some sense of religious practices are present, and some arguments of philosophy are there. However, most of the religious practices originate from the background of Taoism.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Thien Hau Temple, A Temple that is dedicated to Mazu specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Thien Hau Temple is among the most popular places of worship in china, it mostly devotes its worshipping activities to Mazu who is the goddess of the sea, and other cultures that relates to the sea like fishing or sailing in a boat. This temple was originally a church but later became a temple for celebrations, receiving blessings, and giving offerings as well as performing rituals. The religious activities of this temple are also devoted to Guan Yu who is the famous god of resolving conflicts, righteousness and promoting a good relationship among people. The other god that is involved in the Thien Hau Temple is Fu De who is the god responsible of the earthly materials like wealth and other beneficiaries. In this temple, the Buddhists have a site of worship. The management of this temple is under Camau Association of America although it receives some other support from East Asian communities. One of the most important celebrations done in the temple is the celebration of the Mazu birthday on March 23 of eve ry Lunar Calendar. Many believers from all over the world come together, to share the happiness of this important day. The day is marked with different types of foods, lion dances, and other interesting games. Birthdays of Fu De, Guan Yu, and Dizang are also performed in this temple but not as big as of that of Mazu. Another difference between the traditional Taoism temple and Thien Hau Temple are the activities that take place in each temple. In Thien Hau Temple, members from different societies meet in the temple to receive blessings as they perform some religious rituals. Many people gather to praise deities, while lion dancers perform continuously as a way of chasing evil spirits. There are representatives from over 25 families who are supposed to gather with the rest of the community to light the firecrackers at midnight as a sign of celebrating Chinese New Tear.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Starting from the first day of the year to the fifteenth day, the ceremony continues out side the temple. Experts play drums and bells, as people specialize with vegetarian foods. On special days, people slaughters a big animal like a pig, roasted but they eat it away from the temple as a way of showing respect to the Buddhists. Once the first fifteen days are over, people from different communities come together again to show their money needs to Mazu, as they give her what they had promised towards the year-end. Thien Hau Temple hosts even other types of ghost festivals for the communities to celebrate. The honor given to Mazu in Thien Hau Temple is out of her silence, which came from the fact that she did not cry when she was born. Mazu was the seventh daughter in her family and her father and brothers were mostly fishermen. She was very courageous to take care of the fishing tools that her brothers were using. She used to guard even during the most risky moments. After her death , several fishermen and other sea workers decided to honor her acts. Her identification color is red, which she used to wear most of the time. During her celebrations in Thien Hau Temple, her courageous acts are an inspiration to many people within the community. Guan Yu is another god, a famous historical figure in East Asia, well known by his efforts during the civil war that resulted to the end of the Han Dynasty in china. His efforts and contributions assisted in setting up the kingdom of Shu. That is why people called him the god of war, and receives much respect as he showed loyalty and righteousness. His symbol is a warrior with long beard, and holding weapons with his face painted red as a sign of loyalty. His involvement in this royal fight did not lead to destruction of the kingdom but to the improvement of it. Some people expected the worst from this conflict but Guan Yu fought a fight of wisdom and full of righteousness. Many people honored him and that is why he is a celebrity in the Thien Hau Temple up to date. Fu De is a special earthly god worshipped by both the religion worshippers in the Thien Hau Temple and the Taoists. He is a god of wealth and riches and commonly found in every village to cater for the common affairs. The major challenges that faced most villagers were agricultural and weather related problems. Although his powers were minimal, villagers were nowhere to turn for help. During the hard times of drought and famine, Fu De was the only hope for the people within the community. To some extent, his powers saved people in several cases, and that is why people decided to be honoring his acts. Today his image is preserved in several altars, and house doors, where people go to beg him for wealth and their family wellbeing. His image portrays an elderly man, with white beard, executive hat, and a robe to show his administration aspects. The Taoism Temple devoted most of its activities to Laozi who was the known author of Tao Te Chi ng book. His popularity came because of the fact that his conception took place while her mother was looking at a falling star. Another extra ordinary fact about him is that people believe that he stayed in his mother’s womb for 62 years. There was also a super natural power during his birth as his mother was leaning against a tree. During that time, people knew him as a grown man, with grey hair and some physical appearances that showed his wisdom and ability to live long. Some people regarded this as being reborn. According to her famous traditional sources, he is referred as the keeper who took good care of the royal court records. Through keeping watch of this royal court, he learned a lot from the Yellow Emperor and other wise people. Although he was a man full of wisdom, he did not open a school but many people were seeking knowledge from him. He was a teacher to many students who were admiring his life, and wanted to be like him in their future lives. Even royal dis ciples followed him for some pieces of advice and knowledge. Laozi had a wife and a son who later became a famous soldier. Although a great debate took place over whether Laozi issues were true or force, he remained someone worth celebration. Most of people claimed that it was hard to prove his history, although some of his acts remained memorable up to date. Laozi is celebrated, as he was the founder of Daoism, a major religion that has many followers. During the time when Daoism became strong and gained some followers, people started recognizing his efforts and he became a god. A sector for Daoists that was performing religious rituals and worshipped god emerged through which the Daoist tradition grew and developed. It reached a place where people started seeing Laozi as a personification of Dao, but Laozi claimed to have gone through many challenges to reach to such a point. Despite all the arguments against Laozi, he became famous day after day especially because he founded th e Daoism. He is the major god in Daoism who these believers trust and solves much of their problems.

READ THIS Before You Enroll in KDP Select!

READ THIS Before You Enroll in KDP Select! READ THIS Before You Enroll in KDP Select! We get it: writing a book requires a lot of your time, effort, and money. Taking a book from inception to completion is intense work, and by the time you’re ready to publish you might find yourself referring to your manuscript as â€Å"my baby.†Of all the big decisions you have to make in your journey as a self-publishing author, one of the biggest is whether or not to enroll your ebook in Amazon's KDP Select: a program which offers authors bonus incentives in exchange for granting Amazon exclusivity.But going exclusive is a big deal. Are you sure you want to let Amazon put a ring on it before your book has had a chance to test out the other options? Is Amazon's Select program the right choice for you? That’s what we’ll answer in this post, covering all the points in the table of contents (to your left).Let’s get started with the basics. The great "KDP Select or not" debate: where do you stand? What is Kindle Direct Publishing?Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is Amazon’s ebook publishing unit, which allows authors to sell their books directly to Amazon’s readers. The Kindle and KDP were launched concurrently in 2007, laying the groundwork for Amazon’s ebook empire which now holds more than 80% of the market in the United States and United Kingdom.Success stories from authors self-publishing through Amazon KDP began to roll out around 2011, with the popularity of Andy Weir’s The Martian and Wool by Hugh Howey. But they’re not without company: in 2018, Jeff Bezos revealed that over 1,000 authors had earned over $100,000 through Kindle Direct Publishing.While numbers like these are not the norm for the average writer, KDP has become the heavily preferred route for self-publishing authors - many of whom also decide to enroll in Amazon's Select program. Speaking of which...What is KDP Select?KDP Select is a program available to all authors willi ng to grant Amazon exclusive rights to sell their ebook through the Kindle store only.By agreeing not to sell the digital file of their book through any other retailers, authors are given access to a variety of promotional tools - the most significant of which is Kindle Unlimited -   and the opportunity to earn higher royalties (in some cases, more on that later).The KDP Select program lasts 90 days, after which authors can either choose to opt out of the program, or auto-renew for another 90-day commitment.While digital copies of the book must only be sold through Amazon:A 10% sample of the book can be made available outside of the Kindle Store;Print (or any other non-digital) versions can be distributed elsewhere; andCopies of the book can be emailed to reviewers for editing purposes.So, a higher percentage of sales and additional book marketing tools: sounds pretty good, right? Why would an indie author not want those things? Well, the question of whether to grant Amazon exclu sivity or to â€Å"go wide† is a constant talking point amongst self-publishing authors, as both options come with their own sets of pros and cons. The biggest and most important pro of enrolling in Amazon's Select program is undoubtedly the access to Kindle Unlimited. So before we get too far into discussing pros and cons, let's quickly cover exactly what Kindle Unlimited is.What is Kindle Unlimited?Kindle Unlimited (KU) is an â€Å"all-you-can-read† service that allows subscribers to read as many ebooks as they’d like for $9.99 a month (if you’re thinking â€Å"Netflix for books,† you’re on the money). When authors enroll in Amazon's Select program, their books are automatically made available to readers on KU. (For a comprehensive guide to KU, check out our post right here.) With all of this in mind, remember that whether you decide to go with KDP Select or open publishing, you’ll get out of it what you put into it. If you use KDP Select’s Countdown Deals or Free Promotions but don’t spend any time advertising your promotions, they won’t lead to much exposure - the whole point of these tools.If you decide to forgo the increased visibility that can come with Kindle Unlimited, make sure you spend time getting acquainted with the aggregators out there or developing various book marketing strategies - or else the benefits of going wide will end up falling flat.We hope this post has been helpful in considering the pros and cons of KDP Select vs. going wide, and that you feel more confident in leveraging the route you choose for your book’s success.Are you enrolled in KDP Select or considering it? Let us know your thoughts and questions in the comments below!

Ancient Remains †Fossil DNA of Former Life

Ancient Remains – Fossil DNA of Former Life News that scientists had recovered actual marrow from a dinosaur fossil aroused much amazement. But the achievement is not a surprise. In fact, it doesnt even set a new record for the oldest pieces of life. Most of us think of fossils as dead things that have been petrified, turned to stone. But that doesnt have to be. The actual bodies of once-living things can escape being petrified for a very long time under the right conditions. A fossil is defined as any evidence of life from the prehistoric or geologic past that is preserved in the Earths crust. A prejudice against preservation may have kept scientists from looking for meat in the ancient bones, but now we know better, and a race is on to find ever-older tissues. Creatures in Ice Ãâ€"tzi, the 5,000-year-old ice man found in an Alpine glacier in 1991, is the best-known example of a frozen fossil. Mammoths and other extinct polar animals are also known from permafrost. These fossils are not as pretty as the food in your freezer, as they undergo a kind of slow mummification in the frozen condition. Its a geologic version of freezer burn in which ice migrates out of the tissues into the surroundings. Frozen bison bones nearly 60,000 years old were analyzed in 2002, yielding DNA fragments and bone proteins that could be compared to existing species. Mammoth hair turns out to be even better than bones for preserving DNA. But Antarctica holds the record in this field, with microbes in deep ice that are 8 million years old. Dried Remains The desert preserves dead matter by desiccation. Ancient humans have been naturally mummified this way, such as the 9,000-year-old Nevadan known as Spirit Cave Man. Older material is preserved by various desert packrats, which have the habit of making piles of plant matter cemented into rock-hard bricks by their viscous urine. When preserved in dry caves, these packrat middens can last tens of thousands of years. The beauty of packrat middens is that they can yield deep environmental data about the American West during the late Pleistocene: vegetation, climate, even the cosmic radiation of the times. Similar middens are being studied in other parts of the world. Even the remains of extinct creatures still exist in dried form. Mammoths are most famous for their permafrost carcasses, but mammoth dung is known from desiccated specimens. Amber Of course Jurassic Park put amber in the public consciousness with its plot based on the idea of retrieving dinosaur DNA from blood-sucking insects trapped in amber. But progress toward that movies scenario is slow and possibly stopped. Lots of different creatures are documented from amber, from frogs and insects to bits of plants. But the published DNA retrievals have not yet been duplicated. Perfect Fossils In a few places plant matter has been preserved in sediment for many millions of years. The Clarkia beds of northern Idaho are between 15 and 20 million years old, putting their origin in the Miocene Epoch. Tree leaves can be split from these rocks still displaying their seasonal colors, green or red. Biochemicals including lignins, flavonoids,  and aliphatic polymers can be extracted from these fossils, and DNA fragments are known from fossil liquidambar, magnolias and tulip trees (Liriodendron). The current champions in this field are the Eocene dawn-redwood forests of Axel Heiberg Island, in the Canadian Arctic. For about 50 million years the stumps, logs, and foliage of these trees have been preserved almost totally unmineralized, thanks to swift burial in conditions that kept oxygen out. Today this fossil wood lies on the ground, ready to pick up and burn. Tourists and coal miners alike threaten this scientific treasure. Dinosaur Marrow Mary Schweitzer, the North Carolina State University professor who documented soft tissues  in Tyrannosaurus rex leg bones, has been exploring biomolecules in ancient fossils for several years. The presence of those in the 68-million-year-old bones was not the oldest of her finds, but actual tissues of this age are unprecedented. The discovery challenges our notions of how fossils form. Surely more examples will be found, perhaps in existing museum specimens. Salt Microbes A startling Nature paper in 2000 reported the revival of bacterial spores from a brine pocket in a salt crystal in a Permian salt bed in New Mexico, some 250 million years old. Naturally, the claim brought criticism: the laboratory or the salt bed was contaminated, and in any case, the DNA of the microbes (the genus Virgibacillus) was too close a match to more recent species. But the discoverers have defended their technique and raised other ​​scenarios  for the DNA evidence. And in the April 2005 Geology they published evidence from the salt itself, showing that it (1) matches what we know of Permian seawater and (2) appears to date from the time of the salts formation, not a later event. For now, this bacillus holds the title of Earths oldest living fossil.

Bestbuy's innovation opportunity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Bestbuy's innovation opportunity - Essay Example For example Kodak, that invented the digital camera technology but failed to capitalize and now struggling with possible extinction. One of the most important opportunities created by innovation is in the resultant potential of a company’s private brand. Private brand here refers to a brand placed on products that larger manufacturers have made for the smaller retailers (p 23). With innovation, the quality of the products intended to the smaller retailers has improved immensely. The percentage market power associated with these high-valued products has therefore increased the brand’s potential (p 28). More demand for these brands and job creation has surge high with innovation. Innovation also has increased brands’ competitiveness in the market. It is, therefore, evident that with innovation our brand at Best Buy & Apos has increased immensely both competitively and in quality. Apart from brand potential, another opportunity of innovation is ease of market access by our company (p 32). Through incorporation internet in our business operation, our touch with most customers has increased immensely. Our products have therefore reached even markets that were otherwise unattainable (p 36). Finally yet importantly, innovation has opened opportunity for diversity of products we can now

Summarize Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Summarize - Essay Example This resulted in the issuance of Basel II by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), which was set by the governors of the G10 countries. In the attempt of Basel II to increase the amount of capital held by banks, the concept of operational risk was introduced for the first time. Following this move, the Capital Requirements Directive was introduced in the EU, and shortly after the ICAAP was developed. The provisions of Basel II included the setting of the minimum capital to be held by banks, the risk types covered, the winding down requirement for businesses and company’s disclosure requirements. The application of Basel II started with the banks and insurers and then Asset management firms and brokerages. The approach towards the application of the Basel II by these institutions was determined by both the complexity and the size of the institutions. Thus, since 2000, the subject of risk management started to grow, and different approaches to the concept started to developed. The requirements of risk management are risk appetite, defined as how much risk a firm is ready to accept, the risk assessment process, KRI’s-the metric showing when a risk is about to occur, error management, risk technology and risk governance. Between 2002 and 2010 the setting up of risk management departments continued, while negative organizational culture also emerged as a big operational risk. The rise of operational risks was marked by noughties frauds valued at $22.31bn, followed by John Rusnak Allied Irish Bank fraud 2002 and then the Peter Young Morgan Grenfell trading fraud 1997. The collapse of the Lehman Brothers in 2008 continued the rogue trading and risk operational activities, causing a regulatory reaction by the EU, which pushed the limits on fund management higher. Subsequently, the Basel III, CRD 2 and 3 Solvency II were also developed to push up the industry understanding of the risk management. This was followed by