Intriguing Giant Panda Mysteries Essay Example for Free

Intriguing Giant Panda Mysteries Essay While most adore their fluffy fur and round heads, which help give them their cuddly bear quality, others are fascinated by the many mysteries of the giant panda. Did you know that the giant panda may actually be a raccoon, they have an opposable pseudo thumb, and that they’re technically a carnivore even though their diet is primarily vegetarian? These things and more have baffled scientists and naturalists for hundreds of years. Opposable Pseudo Thumb A characteristic of the giant panda that has mystified scientists is their movable, elongated wrist bone that acts like an opposable thumb. This human-like quality that helps give them even more of a cuddly-bear appearance enables the giant panda to pick up objects and even eat sitting up. Quick Fact Giant pandas have five clawed toes and one pseudo thumb. Their pseudo thumb, along with pads of skin, help the giant panda strip the more nutritious small bamboo shoots and leaves while holding the stalk in their mouth. Small Bear or Large Raccoon? Giant pandas are generally referred to as bears and are typically called panda bears rather than giant pandas. Though we may think they look like bears, there has been a great deal of discussion for decades about where giant pandas actually fit in the animal kingdom. Much of the debate has been whether they are more closely related to the red panda, once thought to be a member of the raccoon family, than the bear family. While a giant panda has a body that resembles a small bear and climbs trees like a bear, it also has several characteristics in common with the red panda. For example, both giant pandas and red pandas eat bamboo and have the same pseudo thumb. The table below lists the main characteristics the giant panda shares with bears and red pandas. Panda Facts Researchers have recently discovered that the gene responsible for tasting savoury or umami flavours, such as meat, is inactive in giant pandas. For many centuries, giant pandas were thought to be a mythical creature, similar to a dragon or unicorn. Unlike other bears in the region, giant pandas don’t hibernate. Giant pandas can stand erect on their hind legs but rarely walk. The Qinling panda, another giant panda species with a dark brown and light brown coat, lives only in the mountains of Shaanxi. Giant pandas have very sensitive hearing and smell, but they have poor eyesight. A newborn giant panda is blind and looks like a t

Analysis of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw Essay -- Plays Geo

Analysis of Arms and the Man by George Bernard Shaw "Arms and the Man" starts with gunfire on a dark street in a small town. The romantic and willful Raina is about to begin her true-life adventure by sheltering the handsome fugitive Bluntschli, enemy of her equally handsome fiancà © Sergius The setting of the play is in war-torn Bulgaria, and focuses not only on the romance between the young people of the play, but the atrocities that go on during war times and the ability of people not so very far removed from these atrocities to ignore them completely. Shaw's purpose in this play is to attack the romantic notion of war by presenting a more realistic depiction of war, devoid of the idea that such death and destruction are both noble and romantic. These deconstructions make "Arms and the Man" a satirical comedy about those who would glorify the horrors or war. Shaw develops a perfectly ironic contrast between the two central male characters form the beginning to the end. At the start of the play we are given an account of Major Sergius Saranoff’s, a handsome young Bulgarian officer, victory in a daring cavalry raid, which turned the war in favor of the Bulgarians over the Serbs. In contrast, Captain Bluntschil, a professional soldier from Switzerland, acts like a coward. He climbs up to a balcony to escape capture, he threatens a woman with a gun, and he carries chocolates rather than cartridges because he claims the sweets are more useful on the batt...

Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay Guidelines

Writing Handout E-5: Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay Guidelines Structuring a Argumentative (Persuasive) Essay A persuasive essay is simply a writer’s attempt to convince readers of the validity of a particular opinion on a controversial issue. The following steps should help you write a persuasive essay. 1. Carefully select a topic Choose a topic that interests you. An argument does not have to be a burning issue, but it must be a debatable topic. It can be anything you feel strongly about. 2. Identify the controversy Your introduction should clarify the controversy or issue.Your thesis states your position on the issue. You must take a stand on the issue. 3. Provide support The body paragraphs of the essay should provide specific support. These supports may include personal experience, statistics, examples, facts, or experts’ opinions. They may be garnered from television shows, magazines, newspapers, textbooks, studies, or interviews. 4. Organization Include enough details to support your position; however, select only the facts that are relevant. 5. Consider differing opinions A persuasive essay may be strengthened by acknowledging conflict viewpoints and repudiating them. . Provide a forceful conclusion Restate your position in different words from the introduction. Do not introduce new material in the conclusion. You may want to conclude by encouraging some specific call to action (see the attached sample essay). Note to students: The following essay is a sample to illustrate format. Course instructors have copies. Duplication or near duplication would be regarded as plagiarism. E-5 Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Guidelines (July, 2011; g:ASC:EngRead) Page 1 Argumentative Sample Title An effective title should grab a reader’s nterest. Title is not underlined, boldfaced, or italicized. Introduction: An example provides an effective introduction to the topic. Thesis: Thesis statement identifies the argument. Body paragraphs: Each body paragraph contains a transition (bold) followed by clearly stated arguments (italicized), supported by specific facts or examples. Conclusion: Summarizes the main ideas, repeats thesis sentence, and draws conclusion. Boxing: Countdown to Injury A left hook smashes into the fighter’s jaw. A following right slams his head the opposite direction.An uppercut to the jaw snaps his head back, momentarily stopping the blood flow to his brain. The boxer drops, hitting the mat with a thud. His brain bounces off his skull for the second time in a matter of seconds. Is this what we should call a sport? Because of injuries, neurological damage, and ring deaths, the rules of professional boxing should be changed. Boxing has always been a brutal sport. The ancient Greeks used gloves studded with metal spikes, which slashed the face and body and split skulls. Although gloves are no longer spiked, boxers today sustain injuries ranging from cuts and bruises to broken bones.It is not uncommon t o see a boxer leave the ring with a cut on his face, an eye swollen shut, and a nose enlarged and bloody. Often, healing in is incomplete because these areas receive the same blows again and again in other matches. In fact, repeated blows almost cost Sugar Ray Leonard his sight when his retina detached in his left eye. Besides superficial injuries, boxers suffer short-term neurological damage as a result of staggering blows to the head. A knockout punch, for example, is often delivered with such force that the brain smashes against the skull, tearing nerve fibers and blood vessels, resulting in a concussion.Even a blow to the neck can close the carotid artery, the main artery to the brain, whereby oxygen and blood to the brain are disrupted, resulting in dizziness and confusion. Later, the boxers often have no memory of the moments before or after a knockout blow. In addition to short-term neurological damage, severe blows to the head can induce more serious injuries. For instance, Muhammad Ali now suffers from longterm neurological damage as a result of receiving repeated blows to the head. Evidence shows that Ali suffers from neurological damage caused by the blows that accelerated existing damage.As he aged, the boxer whom experts say was the â€Å"greatest of all† could not walk without the aid of a cane and could barely speak. Finally, the most serious outcome of continual beatings to the head is death. Ray Mancini retired from boxing after delivering such a crushing blow to the head of Duck-Kim that the end result of the match was death for Duck-Kim. The advent of gloves and protective headgear supposedly offers protection, but even a light punch can snap the boxer's head back explosively, causing severe injury or death.Thus, boxing has been a popular sport since the ancient Greeks reveled in watching one opponent physically beat another to death. To lessen the injuries, neurological damages, and deaths occurring from this sport, professional boxi ng rules need to be changed to those used in Olympic matches, where points are awarded for skill and precise landing of punches, not for physically maiming an opponent. To continue allowing the present, legalized assault of boxing to masquerade as another innocent challenge of skill is to remain in barbarism. E-5 Argumentative/Persuasive Essay Guidelines (July, 2011; g:ASC:EngRead) Page 2

West Side Story Essay - 766 Words

In 1961, West Side Story, a filmed version of the hit Broadway musical that was inspired by William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet, was released to viewers, who just could not resist the energy and excitement of the movie. Thirty-eight years later, viewers, like myself, still cannot resist it. I had never seen the film, which was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins, before, but I had always wondered why people loved this multi award-winning movie so much. After viewing the film, I think that it deserved the ten Academy Awards that it won because it has withstood the test of time and it truly is a remarkable film. It still has the same flair and ability to lure the viewer into the plot as it did when it was first shown in theaters.†¦show more content†¦I never knew when the actors were going to start singing and dancing, which added a delightful element of mystery to the film. The directors and cinematographer, Daniel L. Fapp, worked together to change the way musicals were traditionally shot. Instead of using traditional long shots, they used quick cuts and varied angles to enhance the appeal of the musical numbers. I was fascinated by the way the colorful costumes, which won the Oscar for Best Costume Design, fit together perfectly with the dance numbers to enhance the entire scene. The way the women tossed the skirts of their frilly, bright dresses around to fit the beats of the music truly made the scenes wonderful. The scenery in the film was perfect for the West Side of New York City. The rooftops, alleys, and secluded spots are what won West Side Story the Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Color Oscar. The songs are unforgettably beautiful, especially I Feel Pretty, Tonight, and America, and they can make anyone start singing and dancing along regardless of whether or not he or she actually knows the lyrics. In fact, one of the best examples of effective cinematography in the film involves a song. There is a split screen effect between several characters as they all sing the song, Tonight, as they march to the rumble. Even today, people rent West Side Story to see why it won so many awards and received so much acclaim. In myShow MoreRelated West Side Story Essay1120 Words   |  5 PagesWest Side Story 1. Point out how the general setting of the play is established. Give at least two examples. The play West Side Story takes place in a suburb on the West Side of New York City. We can conclude that we are talking about a socially disadvantaged suburb as the surrounding area is described with high brick walls, not very attractive and by the presence of the two gangs – the Jets and the Sharks. We are also able to say in which time period the actions take place. As anRead MoreWest Side Story Essay978 Words   |  4 PagesThe movie West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise is a reinterpretation of the famous play, Romeo Juliet. The movie associate producer Saul Chaplin, music by Leonard Bernstein, film editor Thomas Stanford, costume design by Victor A Gangelin, and production manager, Allen K. Wood. The actors playing in the movie are Richard Beymer, Natalie Wood, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris, Tucker Smith, Tony Mordente, David Winters, Eliot Feld, Bert Michaels, Robert Banas, CaroleRead More West Side Story Essay741 Words   |  3 Pages In 1961, West Side Story, a filmed version of the hit Broadway musical that was inspired by William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, was released to viewers, who just could not resist the energy and excitement of the movie. Thirty-eight years later, viewers, like myself, still cannot resist it. I had never seen the film, which was directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Rob bins, before, but I had always wondered why people loved this multi award-winning movie so much. After viewing the film, I thinkRead MorePrejudices in The West Side Story by Arthur Laurents Essay803 Words   |  4 PagesThe book West Side Story written by Arthur Laurents is set in the mid 1950’s, created as modern version of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. West Side Story is a romantic tragedy about two characters that are supposedly completely different and aren’t accepted when they fall in love. The â€Å"difference’s† between these characters is centered on the prejudice’s they had against each other. Prejudice is a harsh opinion or feeling formed previously without any knowledge or reason. The Jets and the SharksRead MoreWest Side Story by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim Essay1472 Words   |  6 Pagesperformance combining music, dance, acting and spoken dialogue. 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Although the theme of tragedy is seen in both stories as the time goes on fromRead MoreWest Side Story Analysis972 Words   |  4 Pagessocial status in culture is not only shown in history, it is also depicted in several films such as the original 1968 Planet of the apes, and 1961 West side story. Both films are unique in their own ways but go hand in hand presenting specific perspectives on race and social status from the beginning of history through today. In the reading West side story by Alberto Sandoval he explains how the film perpetuates the image of racial problems explaining that the film has its profound structure expressingRead MoreEssay on West Side Story731 Words   |  3 Pages West Side Story Day 4: 2-page essay nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The West Side Story portrays the lives of two different gangs living in America, as well as their beliefs and examples of living a good life. The expectations of what people consider the good life to be may vary on a person’s morals and their dreams of what life is truly about. In this movie, whether or not these characters were good people, lived a good life, or lived in a good society is a very controversial topic. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;TheRead MoreEssay on West Side Story549 Words   |  3 Pages West Side Story nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In this musical, it uses several types of narratives, for example, after the fight between the Jets and Puerto Ricans, after the police leave, they enter the ally and the girl is begging to join the gang saying how much she wants to fight is a part of narrative sexuality (B 34). The girl is more of a tom boy who wants to be like one of the guys. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Also, in the West Side Story, it uses many camera angles and distances. OneRead MoreThe Importance of West Side Story Essay980 Words   |  4 PagesWest Side Story is one of the great contributors to musical theatre, in particular Broadway where it originally opened on September 26 1957 at the Winter garden Theatre. The production ran for 732 performances before entering the world of film in 1961. However, I believe its significance lies in the heart of the theatre where the audience is subjected to different styles of music, dance and of course an adaptation of Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. In fact, Leonard Bernstein first decided to call