Angonoka Tortoise Facts

Angonoka Tortoise Facts The angonoka tortoise (Astrochelys yniphora), also known as the ploughshare or Madagascar tortoise, is a critically endangered species that is endemic to Madagascar. These tortoises have unique shell colorations, a characteristic that makes them a sought-after commodity in the exotic pet trade. In March of 2013, smugglers were caught transporting 54 live angonoka tortoises- nearly 13 percent of the entire remaining population- through an airport in Thailand. Fast Facts: Angonoka Tortoise Scientific Name: Astrochelys yniphoraCommon Names: Angonoka tortoise, ploughshare tortoise, plowshare tortoise, Madagascar tortoiseBasic Animal Group: ReptileSize: 15-17 inchesWeight: 19-23 poundsLifespan: 188 years (average)Diet: HerbivoreHabitat: Baly Bay area of northwestern MadagascarPopulation: 400Conservation Status:  Critically Endangered Description The angonoka tortoises carapace (upper shell) is highly arched and mottled brown in color. The shell has with prominent, ridged growth rings on each scute (shell segment). The gular (foremost) scute of the plastron (lower shell) is narrow and extends forward between the front legs, curving upward toward the neck. Habitat and Distribution The tortoise inhabits dry forests and bamboo-scrub habitats in the Baly Bay area of northwestern Madagascar, near the town of Soalala (including Baie de Baly National Park) where the elevation averages 160 feet above sea level. Diet and Behavior The angonoka tortoise grazes on grasses in open rocky areas of bamboo scrub. It will also browse on shrubs, forbs, herbs, and dried bamboo leaves. In addition to plant material, the tortoise has also been observed eating the dried feces of bush pigs. Reproduction and Offspring The reproductive season occurs from approximately Jan.15 to May 30, with both mating and egg hatching occurring at the onset of rainy seasons. The courtship begins when the male sniffs and then circles the female five to 30 times. The male then pushes and even bites the females head and limbs. The male literally overturns the female in order to mate. Both the males and female can have several mates during their lifetimes. A female tortoise produces one to six eggs per clutch and up to four clutches every year. The eggs incubate from 197 to 281 days. Newborn turtles are generally between about 1.7 and 1.8 inches and are completely independent once they are born. Angonoka tortoises reach maturity and become sexually active at about 20 years of age. Threats The greatest threat to the angonoka tortoise is from smugglers collecting them for the illegal pet trade. Secondly, the introduced bushpig preys on tortoises as well as its eggs and young. Additionally, fires employed to clear land for cattle grazing have destroyed the tortoises habitat. Collection for food over time has also impacted the angonoka tortoise population but to a lesser degree than the above activities. Conservation Status The IUCN classifies the northern leopard frogs conservation status as Critically Endangered. There are literally only about 400 angonoka tortoises remaining in Madagascar, the only place they are found on Earth. Their unique shell colorations make them a sought-after commodity in the exotic pet trade. It is the worlds most endangered tortoise, tortoise advocate Eric Goode said to CBS in a 2012 report on the  ploughshare. And it has an incredibly high price on its head. Asian countries love gold and this is a gold tortoise. And so literally, these are like gold bricks that one can pick up and sell. Conservation Efforts In addition to its IUCN listing, the angonoka tortoise is now protected under the national law of Madagascar and listed on Appendix I of CITES, prohibiting international trade in the species. The Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust created Project Angonoka in 1986 in cooperation with the Water and Forests Department, the Durrell Trust, and the World Wide Fund (WWF). The Project performs research on the tortoise and develops conservation plans designed to integrate local communities in the protection of the tortoise and its habitat. Local people have participated in conservation activities such as building firebreaks to prevent wildfire spread and the creation of a national park that will help protect the tortoise and its habitat. A captive breeding facility was established for this species in Madagascar in 1986 by the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (now the Durrell Trust) in cooperation with the Water and Forests Department. Sources Fishbeck, Lisa. â€Å"Astrochelys Yniphora (Madagascan (Plowshare) Tortoise).†Ã‚  Animal Diversity Web.â€Å"The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.†Ã‚  IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.Nelson, Bryan. â€Å"13 Percent of Entire Tortoise Species Population Found in Smugglers Bag.†Ã‚  MNN, Mother Nature Network, 5 June 2017.â€Å"Ploughshare Tortoise | Astrochelys Yniphora.†Ã‚  EDGE of Existence.â€Å"The Race to Save the Tortoise.†Ã‚  CBS News, CBS Interactive.

Pronunciation Guide for Spanish Students

Pronunciation Guide for Spanish Students One reason many people pick Spanish as their choice for a foreign language is because theyve heard that its easy to learn its pronunciation. Indeed thats the case - even though some of the sounds can be difficult for foreigners to master. Its relative ease of pronunciation stems from the phonetic nature of Spanish: By knowing the spelling of a word, you can almost always know how its pronounced. The biggest exception is recent words of foreign origin, and in that case, you have a head start if you know English, because most such words come from English. The key, then, to learning Spanish spelling is to learn how each letter is pronounced. You can find guides to each of the letters on the following pages: Pronouncing the vowels: A, E, I, O, U, YPronouncing the easy consonants (ones pronounced roughly as they are in English): CH, F, K, M, P, Q, S, T, W, YPronouncing the difficult consonants (ones pronounced differently than in English): B, C, D, G, H, J, L, LL, N, Ñ, R, RR, V, X, Z Here are some general principles of Spanish pronunciation that you may find helpful: The vowel sounds of Spanish are usually purer than those of English. Although the vowel sounds of English can be indistinct - the a of about sounds much like the e of broken, for example - that isnt the case in Spanish.It is very common for sounds of words to blend together, especially when a word ends in the same letter that begins the next word. For example, helado (ice cream) and el lado are pronounced identically. This process is known as elision.Sounds of consonants tend to be softer or less explosive than they are in English. One notable example is the sound of the h, which has become so softened over the centuries that it is silent in modern speech.The rules on which syllable is stressed are clear and have limited exceptions. If a word has a nonstandard stress, a written accent  is placed over a vowel to indicate the correct stress. Unfortunately, although you can tell how a word is pronounced by its spelling, the reverse isnt always so. In fact, native Spanish speakers are often poor spellers. Thats because Spanish has a fair number of homophones   words that are spelled differently but pronounced alike.

Career opportunities- Sports information director and Media relations Essay

Career opportunities- Sports information director and Media relations coordinator - Essay Example should possess good verbal and written communications, interpersonal relations, good presentation skills, and ability to work a flexible schedule (Gresham, 2015). According to Gresham (2015), to become a sports information director, one needs to pursue a degree in marketing, communication or sports. Further, one needs to get certification from the College Sports Information Directors of America to show that one has knowledge and acumen to succeed. The media relations coordinator acts as the principal point of contact for all public and media relations efforts. They engage in shaping and propagating the broad communication strategies that will influence the audiences (Loughborough University, 2010). The entry level of a media relations officer includes a bachelor’s degree in communication, public relations or any other related field. One also needs knowledge and experience with media monitoring software, online media databases, excellent attention to details, and proficiency in computer skills, ability to work independently, excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills and good networking skills (Marketing Schools.org., 2012). To become a public relations coordinator, one needs to go through the general education. The person should have the ability to communicate fluently both in writing and in speech. One should also get training in marketing, communications and writing. Additionally one should be networked by joining the Public Relations Student Society of America. One should also get to go for internships while in school to gain the hands-on knowledge (Marketing Schools.org.,

Language Development Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Language Development - Research Paper Example At the age of four, a child’s speech should be 100% intelligible with minimal absence or exchange of consonants or sounds (Sax & Weston, 2007). Ella’s language is fully comprehensible; she uses phonological assimilation and elision as evidenced in her pronunciation of ‘want to’ [wÉ’nt tu] as ‘wanna’ [wÉ’nÃ"â„¢], and ‘going to’ [gÃ"™ÊŠÉ ªÃ…‹ tu] as ‘gonna’ [gÉ’nÃ"â„¢]; she also pronounces ‘because’ [bikÉ’z] as ‘cuz’ [kÊÅ'z], and fails to pronounce the final consonant of ‘yes’ [jÉ›s] and says [yÉ›Ã"â„¢]. It also seems that Ella is not aware of the difference in pronunciation of ‘know’ [noÊŠ] and ‘now’ [naÊŠ] because when meaning ‘know’ she said ‘now’. She is also able to use contractions as evidenced when she says ‘I’m’ [aim] rather than â€Å"I am’ and ‘that’sà ¢â‚¬â„¢ [É µÃƒ ¦ts] instead of ‘that is’.2.2   Morphology  Morphology, together with syntax make up the grammar of a language. Morphology is concerned with how words are made up of smaller morphemes; a morpheme is the â€Å"minimal linguistic unit of a language that carries meaning (Silzer, 2005, p.101) and can be used to change the meanings of words. Prefixes, suffixes and affixes can be used and fall within two categories – derivational   (changes word class) and grammatical (changes grammatical meaning) (Pence & Justice, 2008). In Ella’s language for example she proves to have acquired correct usage of the plural morpheme ‘s’ as in ‘cousins’, ‘friends’ and ‘millions’; she also shows good usage of the inflectional grammatical   morphemes ‘ing’ for present continuous as in ‘flying’, ‘finding’ and ‘going sailing’ and past tense ‘edâ€℠¢ as in ‘picked’. All such morphemes are usually acquired before the age of four (Pence & Justice, 2008) and are in accordance with Brown’s (1973) syntactic stages III and IV.

Intel The Corporation :: essays papers

Intel The Corporation "A corporation is a business that, although owned by one or more investors, legally has the rights and duties of an individual. Corporations have the right to buy, sell, and own property. Corporations may make legal contracts, hire and fire workers, set prices, and be sued, fined, and taxed. A business must obtain a charter of incorporation from a state legislature or Congress to be legally recognized as a corporation."(Watson, p211) While corporations didn't exist until the mid to late 1800s, the idea of the corporation had existed since the early 1600s. It all started with English merchants who started trading companies to help fund the early colonies. If the colonies thrived, the stockholders reaped in the profit. (Watson, p211) A corporation is started when a sole proprietorship, a one-owner business, that is the most common form of business institution in the US, or a partnership, an association of two or more people in order to run a business, decides that they don't want to be personally responsible for any loss the company might have. (Watson, p211) Or they might decide that they want the company to "live on" after they die, that is for the business to have "unlimited life". Since neither of these goals can be reached with a sole proprietorship, or a partnership, the owner (or owners, as the case may be) decide that he (they) want to "convert" their business to a corporation. The owner(s) file a charter of incorporation from the government to be legally recognized as a corporation. (Boyd, March, 99) The owner(s) then sell shares of stock, documents representing ownership in the corporation, to investors. These investors buy and sell the stock to small investors, or stockholders. Since there is no li mit to the number of shareholders to a company, the investors vote (for every share you own you get one vote) on a board of directors. The board of directors are in charge of hiring the people responsible for the every-day running of the corporation. These positions include, but are not limited to: the president, vice president, and other chief administrators. (Watson, p211-212) If a corporation reaps a profit, investors may receive a dividend, or a share of the monetary gain made by the company. The elected board of directors choose whether the money will go towards profit, expansion of the company, modernization of the company, or research and development.

Working More and Feeling Better – Journal Article Summary

Citation Schnittker, Jason. 2007. â€Å"Working More and Feeling Better: Women’s Health, Employment, and Family Life, 1974-2004. American Sociological Review 72(2):221-238. This study investigates the relationship between women’s employment and health unlike other studies, which have used mental health as the outcome. The research questions addressed in this study were: Has the health of women improved or declined? Has the gender gap in health altered and, if so, why?Does integrating long work hours with caring for a child diminish the relationship between employment and health and, if so, have current work-family patterns restrained any gains in health? Schnittker included changes in composition (e. g. , are more women suffering since more women are combining their jobs with raising a child) and changes in association (e. g. , do the marked improvements in health related to employment lesson with the birth of a child). The changes in composition and changes in associa tion were examined with cumulative trends in health.The independent variables in this study were women’s work hours, education and family income. The dependent variable was self-rated health. Reported work hours were separated into four categories and the reference category was â€Å"not working† for this study. Several control variables were, as well, that are related to understanding trends. Education was divided into four categories with â€Å"less than high school† as the reference category. Family income used a constant of $1, 986 dollars.Schnittker analyzed whether or not children were in the home instead of focusing how many children because of the various work-family adjustments and different levels of responsibility that come with children’s different ages. For this study, separate dummy variables were used having a child under the age of 6 and having a child between 6 and 17 years old with having no children under the age of 18 years old present ly in the home. The study used data from the cumulative General Social Survey (GSS) taken between 1974-2004. The GSS is represented nationally and uses an area-probability sample.The survey asked responders to self-rate their health as poor, fair, food, or excellent. Self-rated health predicts gender differences, is an indicator of morbidity and predictor of mortality. Findings from the GSS were checked using the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) taken between 1997-2004. The NHIS also provided data concerning the current health trends. Data from the NHIS was produced by personal in-home interviews. The trends in the gender health gap in this study used controls for year, gender, interactions between gender and year, and age and age-squared.Age and age-squared were used to account for the aging population, which is vital for this study since there are sex differences in life expectancy. Findings suggest that the gender gap closed significantly during the 30-year period. Womenâ €™s self-health has significantly improved and men’s self-rated health slightly increased until 1990. Men’s self-rated health has been on a steady decline ever since then. These results suggest a relation between the trends in women’s improving self-rated health and the gender gap closing.Once Schnittker used controls for education in his analysis it showed that the improvements in women’s health can be attributable to education. When education was replaced with employment status and family income it showed that some of the improvements in women’s health can be attributed to the rise in women’s employment, but not near as much as education. The relationship between work-family patterns and health were examined when Schnittker introduced whether the responder had a child. His findings also show that work hours and having a young child are very related.He found that having a child under 6 causes a decline in employments positive impacts on health. Controls for income slightly reduced the negative relationship. Findings concerning the relationship between work hours and having a child in the home show that fathers report improved self-rated health when working full-time and mothers’ self-rated health drastically decreased. More notably, the findings show that both men and women report worse self-rated health when the combine work with raising children.Out of all independent variables, the one that impacted the diminishing of the gender gap was employment. Education, work hours, and having a child all affected the closing of the gender gap, but not as significantly as employment. Schnittker’s findings also suggest that self-rated health for women would improve even more if their average work hours were the very same as men’s average work hours. Another notable finding comes out of the inclusion of family income. His findings suggest that if the wages of women were the same as the wagers of men thei r self-rated health would improve significantly.He also found that the emergence of the time bind has suppressed women’s self-rated health, especially in recent years. (Schnittker 2007; 233). He also found that the time bind only slightly suppressed women’s self-rated health and that in the long term, more women working and achieving higher levels of education have had much more of an impact on their self-rated health. Schnittker’s results show that education and employment are largely impacting the gender gap. Schnittker’s study shows that women’s health on average was reported to be worse than men’s.The factors which he attributes the difference self-rated health are the trends related to women’s increased presence in the work force and the increase in the number of women a higher levels on education. Schnittker’s study is remarkable. His findings are strong reasons for change to take place with the employment terms of women today. Self-rated health is questionable since it is â€Å"self-rated†. Also, the term â€Å"health† in the study could be physical health or mental health. Schnittker attributes the His work proves that more research is needed in this area of study.

Discussion on Whether Stalin Was a Necessary Evil Essay

Discussion on Whether Stalin Was a Necessary Evil Marxism was a doctrine formulated by Karl Marx about the elimination of economic inequality and class conflicts. According to Marxism social and political relationships depend on economic factors because whichever group in society controls the means of production also has political control. Marx believed that historical change was a series of stages that were influenced by economic forces and that each stage had to be completed before the next could begin. In a classes and stateless society, co-operation will replace competition and this final and perfect stage of human history would be communism. In Russia the government was essentially feudal,†¦show more content†¦By the end of October 1917 the Bolsheviks, led by Lenin, seized power and began to establish a communist state. Lenin introduced in March 1921 the New Economic Policy (NEP) that allowed a temporary return to capitalist polices by relaxing government controls in order to stop rebellions, improve agricultural production, encourage trade and industry and end the desperate famine. Russia moved away from the principle of centralised government control but still by 1928 production levels barely approached pre war levels. Lenins death in 1924 began a period of debate over the direction the Revolution should take. Since Lenin gave no directions as to how the Soviet Union should move on from the NEP or how long it should last, similar to the situation crated after Stalins death, a debate arose that ultimately became power struggle for the leadership of the Party and the Soviet Union between Joseph Stalin and Leon Trotsky. Stalin felt intellectually inferior to others and so to differentiate himself he developed the idea of Socialism in one country, which was the antithesis of Marxism. He advocated that world revolution could only take place when the Soviet Union had strengthened its position through industrialisation because it was isolated and surrounded by hostile countries. The idea thatShow MoreRelatedThe Problem Of Evil : An Argument Against Religion Essay1497 Words   |  6 PagesThe problem of evil is a topic that has been argued by scholars and philosophers for centuries. Personally, I do n ot find it as the best argument against religion nor do I find it the best argument for atheism. I do believe that these discussions can be very effective towards the literalist points of view in religions. This is who I will be addressing in this discussion. Those that believe in the literal Adam and Eve story and the implications of what that means. Those that believe that theirRead MoreBooks That Continue To Thrive Centuries After Their Initial1578 Words   |  7 PagesBooks that continue to thrive centuries after their initial writing contain something that prompts continued discussion and analysis, such as wisdom and insight, or, in some cases, controversy. In the 15th century, Niccolo Machiavelli composed a political treatise that has persisted primarily due to the questionable morality and brutal practices it promotes. Readers have spent centuries wrestling with this small but powerful book, trying to discern Machiavelli’s purpose, as well as how his writingRead M oreThe Atomic Bomb Of Japan1548 Words   |  7 Pagestrue to say that is was alright for thousands of innocent Japanese lives to be sacrificed for the sake of showing the power of the United States to the then Soviet Union? Is the use of the atomic bomb something that can be justified even after it have killed and has a lasting effect on certain lands in Japan? This cannot be justified because of the way America used the sacrifice of Japanese lives, the diplomatic way that America did not decide to take, and the fact that Japan was not given time toRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Julius Caesar Essay1609 Words   |  7 PagesThe topic of leadership in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar has been discussed and argued ever since the play was written. The most prevalent discussion of leadership in the play revolves around Shakespeare’s tragic hero, Marcus Brutus, and the cause of his downfall. According to Shakespeare critic James Bundy, â€Å"Brutus... is a man whose affectio ns sway more than his reason, in whom there is this tragic confederacy of passion and imagination against reason† (qtd. in Palmer 402). Ernest Shanzer, howeverRead MoreThe Existence Of God And Theism2410 Words   |  10 PagesThere have been many discussions on how the world has been created and whether there is a true designer of the universe or rather it happened through a big bang. H.J. McCloskey â€Å"on being an Atheist† argues throughout his article that theism is not a belief that is rational, but a is something that should not exist, just as God he believes does not. Throughout this paper will be the discussion of the Cosmological, teleological, design arguments, and how he refutes these arguments to invalidate theRead MoreThe Ideas Of Machiavelli And Socrates1988 Words   |  8 PagesEssay #1 The ideas of Machiavelli and Socrates have influenced the leadership styles and approaches of leaders around the world. From Stalin to the founding fathers of the United States, Machiavellian influenced motives and ideals can be seen throughout modern history. Socrates is often referred to as the founder of Western philosophy, and his teachings have been passed on to leaders over the centuries. This paper will state both the Machiavelli’s concept of a ‘Prince’, and present Socrates’ perspectiveRead More The Fall of Socialism Essay3197 Words   |  13 Pagespassed years ago in other industrialized countries cannot even be mentioned in political discussion. In fact, there is a deliberate destruction of legitimate thought by equating it with a universal evil. Specifically, any reform which helps the lower classes - reforms such as welfare, universal health care, housing, and so forth ? are vilified as a socialist, and therefore communist, evil. For years, the system was far different. Starting early in the Industrial Revolution, and climaxing in the GreatRead MoreThe Atomic Bomb Of The United States Entered Into The Second World War1781 Words   |  8 Pagesattacks and the dangerous rumors sprouting of German bomb builders, the U.S. decided to put efforts towards constructing the ultimate weapon of mass destruction: the Atomic Bomb. With billions of dollars and over 100,000 people, the Manhattan Project was founded to affirm these efforts by U.S. military and scientists. By the Manhattan Project we saw the unfortunate destruction of Japanese cities, the incredible advances in the world of science, and the threats of the cold war resulting in measures toRead MoreMartin Buber5681 Words   |  23 Pagesworld. In fact, this dichotomy which began in the Renaissance and became a gaping wound in the 17th and 18th centuries as we embraced science and reason as our god, has allowed for 20th century aberrations like Hitler and his Aryan ubermenchen or Stalin and his totalitarian state. Clearly, the 20th century mind is in dire need of healing. But only reinventing a healthy vision of humans in the world, one which integrates both the rational bent and the mystic bent of every human mind, will effectRead MoreThe Evil of Politics and the Ethics of Evil10364 Words   |  42 PagesThe Evil of Politics and the Ethics of Evil Author(s): Hans J. Morgenthau Source: Ethics, Vol. 56, No. 1 (Oct., 1945), pp. 1-18 Published by: The University of Chicago Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2988705 Accessed: 21/09/2010 06:43 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTORs Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTORs Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior