Mayan Astronomy Essay Example for Free

Mayan Astronomy Essay Who were the Mayans? The Mayans were part of the Mesoamerican civilization and they lived around 2,000 BCE and lasted through to the time when the Spanish explorers arrived. From 250 CE – 900 CE was when they reached the peak of their development. They are well known for a fully developed written language, numerical system, mathematics, art, architecture and astronomy. Where did the Maya civilization thrive? They inhabited parts of Central America such as Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and also in areas of Mexico. What were the Mayans views on astronomy? When they viewed and studied the heavens the Mayans mainly focused on Venus and the Sun. They had a calendar, which predicted both solstices and equinoxes and is infamous for ending at December 21st, 2012. The calendar was also very precise and could anticipate eclipses and the revolution of Venus give or take a day for every 6,000 years. The reason for this accuracy was that astronomical observations made by priests were passed down by generations. Venus: No civilization knew more about Venus than the Mayans. Venus was thought to be the companion of the Sun because it is one of the brightest objects on the night sky and because it is always near the Sun before sunrise and after sunset. The time it took for Venus and Earth to line up in their position correlated to the Sun was 584 days. The Mayans also timed their wars based on where Venus and Jupiter were at the time. Sun: But they obviously gave some considerance to the Sun. They not only noted down equinoxes and solstices but Zenial passages as well. They also had a god who symbolized the Sun during a Zenial passage called the Diving God. And the Ecliptic, the path the Sun follows in the sky, was depicted by a double-headed serpent. Also, to signal the changing of season, a ball game was played that re-enacted the Sun’s orbit around the Earth. Earth: The Earth was believed to be flat with four corners. At each corner was a jaguar called a bacab. They were all different colors. The Northern jaguar was White, East-Red, West-Black, and South-Yellow. At the center was green that stood for Earth. Each bacab held up the sky. The Mayans furthermore divided the universe into thirteen layers with a god for each one. Milky Way: It was called World Tree by the Mayans. The star clouds in the Milky Way were believed to be the tree of life from where all life originated. And in the World Tree was a monster called the Kawak Monster which took form of a giant head. On the monster’s head was a sacrificial bowl that had a flint blade to exemplify sacrifice and a Kimi glyph symbolizing death. At the top of the World Tree is a bird named Itzam Ye, or the Principal Bird deity. During winter the part of the Milky Way that dominated the sky was the White Boned Serpent. The Mayans spiritually thought of the Milky Way as a road on which souls travelled to reach the Underworld. So, ultimately, the Mayans were a very advanced and intelligent civilization and were super precise in their calendar and predictions.

Introduction to Ethics Essay -- essays research papers

Ethics â€Å"What are we like, and what should we do?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As humans we are faced with many decisions in life, which in and of itself, distinguishes us from the animal kingdom. I’m sure other animals make decisions, but as humans we take into account our values and morals. In choosing which path to take with some of life’s decisions, ethics, are often at the center; heavily influencing our choices between what is right and what is wrong. Which are usually defined by society, as to what is acceptable and what is not. As time goes on, society evolves, so do the right and wrongs, our values and morals, and ethics. In philosophy, there were three ethical theories by Aristotle, Kant, and Bentham & Mill and they were the â€Å"Golden Mean†, â€Å"Categorical Imperative†, and â€Å"Greatest Good for the Greatest Number† respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle believed the one goal everyone strived for was â€Å"happiness† for one’s ownself. If you were a happy person, that would eventually lead to being a good person. He also believed that all living things had certain capacities, and that if one lives up to their full capacities, they will have lived well and had a fortunate life. He went on to state that the perfection of reason leads to the development of two desirable â€Å"virtues†, Moral and Intellectual. Moral virtues dealt with emotions. A person must keep these in balance, to go in either extreme of too much and too little, would be called â€Å"the excess† and â€Å"the defect†, respectively. The balance would be the â€Å"mean†. For example, courage is the mean between rashness (excess) and cowardice (defect). The golden mean is further analyzed in NICOMACHEAN ETHICS. The RHETORIC, is where Aristotle sums up the three categories in an analogical description of life with the Youthful Man (excess), the Elderly Man (defect), and the Man in His Prime (golden mean).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Intellectual virtues dealt with foresight and wisdom. Aristotle stated the attainment of these virtues could only be done by a select few. For one to be highly intellectual, is to be practically divine, next to the gods. With that being said, it discouraged a lot of people of that era. That’s when his theory was challenged and questioned. What about the artists or craftsmen? Are they denied happiness, because they haven’t attained intellectual perfection? Is in... ...ame-sex marriages and so on. It seems we’re in a shift of paradigms with the myriad of societal changes and acceptances. Is the solidarity of the human race degrading or evolving. Will today’s ethics, be the same tomorrow or in the future? Will they evolve? It seems the chaotic world we live in, the right and wrong seem to favor those in power, or at least be influenced by those people. It also seems, we lower our standards to suit the masses. For example, the carrying of back packs in uniform, before it was prohibited for a Sailor to throw a bag over their shoulder. Only if it was a seabag and only if both straps were on the shoulders. That standard has been altered, to allow plain black back packs to be carried with both straps over the shoulders. There are too many people carrying the backpacks with one strap on the shoulder, presenting a relaxed unprofessional appearance. Is the same happening to society with what is right and wrong? Are we lowering our standard s? References: THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY 5TH EDITION, S.MORRIS ENGEL ARISTOTLE ON THE MEAN, G.ZINIEWICZ KANT, DUTY, AND RESPECT, P.STRATTON-LAKE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY ROUTLEDGE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY VOL. 7, C.L. TEN Introduction to Ethics Essay -- essays research papers Ethics â€Å"What are we like, and what should we do?†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As humans we are faced with many decisions in life, which in and of itself, distinguishes us from the animal kingdom. I’m sure other animals make decisions, but as humans we take into account our values and morals. In choosing which path to take with some of life’s decisions, ethics, are often at the center; heavily influencing our choices between what is right and what is wrong. Which are usually defined by society, as to what is acceptable and what is not. As time goes on, society evolves, so do the right and wrongs, our values and morals, and ethics. In philosophy, there were three ethical theories by Aristotle, Kant, and Bentham & Mill and they were the â€Å"Golden Mean†, â€Å"Categorical Imperative†, and â€Å"Greatest Good for the Greatest Number† respectively.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Aristotle believed the one goal everyone strived for was â€Å"happiness† for one’s ownself. If you were a happy person, that would eventually lead to being a good person. He also believed that all living things had certain capacities, and that if one lives up to their full capacities, they will have lived well and had a fortunate life. He went on to state that the perfection of reason leads to the development of two desirable â€Å"virtues†, Moral and Intellectual. Moral virtues dealt with emotions. A person must keep these in balance, to go in either extreme of too much and too little, would be called â€Å"the excess† and â€Å"the defect†, respectively. The balance would be the â€Å"mean†. For example, courage is the mean between rashness (excess) and cowardice (defect). The golden mean is further analyzed in NICOMACHEAN ETHICS. The RHETORIC, is where Aristotle sums up the three categories in an analogical description of life with the Youthful Man (excess), the Elderly Man (defect), and the Man in His Prime (golden mean).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Intellectual virtues dealt with foresight and wisdom. Aristotle stated the attainment of these virtues could only be done by a select few. For one to be highly intellectual, is to be practically divine, next to the gods. With that being said, it discouraged a lot of people of that era. That’s when his theory was challenged and questioned. What about the artists or craftsmen? Are they denied happiness, because they haven’t attained intellectual perfection? Is in... ...ame-sex marriages and so on. It seems we’re in a shift of paradigms with the myriad of societal changes and acceptances. Is the solidarity of the human race degrading or evolving. Will today’s ethics, be the same tomorrow or in the future? Will they evolve? It seems the chaotic world we live in, the right and wrong seem to favor those in power, or at least be influenced by those people. It also seems, we lower our standards to suit the masses. For example, the carrying of back packs in uniform, before it was prohibited for a Sailor to throw a bag over their shoulder. Only if it was a seabag and only if both straps were on the shoulders. That standard has been altered, to allow plain black back packs to be carried with both straps over the shoulders. There are too many people carrying the backpacks with one strap on the shoulder, presenting a relaxed unprofessional appearance. Is the same happening to society with what is right and wrong? Are we lowering our standard s? References: THE STUDY OF PHILOSOPHY 5TH EDITION, S.MORRIS ENGEL ARISTOTLE ON THE MEAN, G.ZINIEWICZ KANT, DUTY, AND RESPECT, P.STRATTON-LAKE THE NINETEENTH CENTURY ROUTLEDGE HISTORY OF PHILOSOPHY VOL. 7, C.L. TEN

Global Economic Cost Essay

Acme Motors- is currently one of the primary US automobile producers in Mexico, aiming to become one of the world’s largest automobile producers in the international market. Aside from the said goal, Acme is also striving to provide their customers with more and better vehicles not to mention the eagerness of the management of Acme to experience high profitability and greater market share. In order to fulfil the said goals, one possible avenue would be to have a comparative advantage over their competitors through investing to developing countries which could supply the company with needed resources. Currently, the company has a manufacturing plant in Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas in Mexico that produces the â€Å"Quattro engine†- known for its lightness and high efficiency performance (Associatedcontent. com, 2007). Acme Motors uses one process to develop cars instead of having each engineering center operate under different process. The reason why Acme established the manufacturing plant of automobile engine in Mexico would be for them to utilize the cheap cost of labor of the said country not to mention the lax policies of the Mexican government in terms of workers’ security. With the cheap labourers available in the economy of Mexico, Acme was able to minimize their operational cost, thus, improving their profitability or the level of potential production that they could execute. At the end of the day, Acme will have a comparative advantage over their competitors in the domestic and international market since they could either lower down the prices of their automobiles to attract more customers or offer incentives to loyal customers as well as further expand the operation of the business with the aid of the capital that the management saved from the cheap costs of labor in Mexico. In this regard, the operation of Acme in Mexico has been of great help for the company to enjoy impressive growth for the past years of its operation in the market. Globalization made a great avenue for multinational firms to acquire comparative advantage that later on benefits their consumers and stakeholders in a general sense (The Globalization Website, 2001) But the big question would be; did the company consider the welfare of their workers in Mexico in terms of salary and working hours? How about the benefits of the workers, did they receive any benefits from the management? These are the questions that are currently being thrown over the management of Acme. Are they true? Let us find out. Acme belongs to the so-called Maquiladora which means Mexican industrial plants that assembled imported components into finished products for export. Maquiladora has been known for abusing their workers through paying a very low wage on the latter not to mention the long hours that they have to work which is equivalent to 14 hours a day (Bacon, 2000). This kind of practice already abuses the human rights of their workers as well as violates the Mexican labor law for not allowing workers to establish unions. With the said above issue, Acme has a different case for, even if they are one of the Maquiladora, they value the relationship of the management and their workers. Acme do not allow the workers to work 14 hours a day just like any other ordinary members of Maquiladora do to their employees in order to give way for those who are working student and/or to give ample rest for their workers. Moreover, Acme pays their workers right based on what is dictated by the law as well as based on the company policy which is also being implemented to other branches of Acme around the globe. At this point, the management of Acme ensures to every constituents of the company that they put premium on the welfare of their workers and employees for they believe that the latter is not a tool of the company in reaching their goal, rather, a partner in every step of the way to achieve the goals and objectives of the management. With regards to the formation of labor union, based from what I have observed from the given situation, it would be beneficial on the part of the management to allow our workers there in Mexico to establish a labor union in order to put back their morale and productivity. If the management will not consider this alternative, then, there is a great possibility that the productivity of the entire production area will significantly down. Furthermore, there is no room for the management to get afraid of the formation of the said labor union since we are all confident that we abide on any government policies of our host country as well as we put value on our relationship with our workers. By the time the productivity of our workers improves, the adverse effect of the policy of the Mexican government regarding the purchasing of the majority of our raw materials should come from Mexican suppliers on our profitability level will be neutralized. With the aid of NAFTA, multinational companies like Acme could now select the location of their production area based on the influence of various business factors. This only tells us that NAFTA made it easier for us to find strategic locations for productions that would give the company competitive advantage over our competitors as well as to meet the market demand of our target market. In the short run, operational cost of the company will surpass the revenue level since the company has to invest on fixed asset in order to establish a manufacturing plant in Mexico. But in the long run, this investment of Acme in Mexico will surely give them an avenue to increase their sales, profitability and market share. With the few months of hands on observation regarding the degrading performance of our workers, I have realized that it would be detrimental on the part of the company to ignore the voices of the workers and deprive them of expressing what they feel regarding the current policies that the management implements. Meeting halfway would be the best solution to boost again the morale of the workers as well as their productivity. It would also be beneficial for the company to give them the intended wage rate to inspire them to work hard and have the feeling of being part with the progress of the company. Through this, workers and the management itself will surely have a harmonious working relationship that later on contributes to the attainment of goals and objectives of the company. At this point, let me stress out that at the end of the day, the safest and effective way of having a profitable, efficient and effective business operation would be to hear the voices of workers and consider their welfare so as to give them the message that the management treasures their workers. References Associatedcontent. com (2007). Acme Automotives: The Objectives and Interest. Retrieved January 28, 2008, from http://www. associatedcontent. com/article/507171/acme_automotives_the_objectives_interests. html Bacon, D. (2000). The Story of a Maquiladora Worker. Retrieved January 20, 2004, from http://detagreens. tripod. com/maquiladora. htm The Globalization Website (2001). Globalization Debates. Retrieved January 7, 2004, from http://www. sociology. emory. edu/globalization/debates. html#cultural

Ethics and Placebo Trials Essay

Placebo trials are experimental trials that involve the administration of a substance that does not really have any effect on the individual’s system. This means that it is a neutral trial that will have neither positive nor negative effects on the physiology of the person it is administered on. Whatever positive benefits may be derived out of placebo trials are merely therapeutic and may arise from the potency of the power of suggestion. These trials are most often used in randomized control trials in investigating the effectiveness of a specific treatment. (Miller and Brody, 3) However, with the rise of the use of such trials, there have been many more questions raised. Are these placebo control trials indeed necessary? What ethical issues are raised with the implementation of placebo trials? The debates regarding the ethicality of placebo trials in investigative research continue to rage across the scientific community. The discussion has become so complex that the sides taken regarding the matter have evolved to more than just â€Å"yes† or â€Å"no† to the question of placebo ethicality. There have been numerous aspects of placebo trials that have undergone the scrutiny of those directly involved with fields utilizing these trials. The main aim of this paper is to understand the obligations of medical practitioners who are employing placebo trials in their own scientific investigations of the effectiveness of various treatments. What ethical standards should these individuals, physicians and the like, take into consideration when conducting investigative researches with placebo trials? Glass and Waring The main problem with a physician’s utilization of placebo trials for investigative purposes is the fact that they are part of the profession that involves the assurance of optimal health for their patients. Some of the researchers and critics exploring the ethical holds on medical practitioners with regards to placebo trials have looked at it from a legal standpoint. Glass and Waring (582) indicate that they have foundâ€Å"no legal precedent allowing physicians to ‘opt out’ of their professional obligations because they are researchers in addition to being physicians†. It is emphasized that the physician must do all in his power in order to insure that the client receives all possible modes of treatment that would maintain or enhance his or her health. As a researcher, the physician is viewed as a fiduciary, a person delegated with power that will be used for the benefit of another person and who is held legally against the highest standards of conduct. The physician-researcher as a fiduciary, then, has a moral ascendancy over his or her patient-subject. (Glass and Waring, 578) This means that a placebo trial that would involve having the physician-researcher observe the null effect on the health of a patient-subject and at the same time have knowledge of the betterment of the health status of patient-subjects in the other experimental trials. (Glass and Waring 579) Thus physician’s are now ethically compromised and even legally liable for their utilization and continuation of the placebo trial. Knowing that there is a treatment that could improve the health of those in the placebo arm of the experiment but not applying that treatment on the participants in that arm indicates their sacrifice of the health of those participants for the scientific progress afforded by research data. The ethical responsibility of the physician-reseracher, therefore, is in the fact that clinical studies of treatment effectivity make use of participants who have been diagnosed with the specific medical condition hoped to be treated by the experiment’s procedure. Hawkins Hawkins (484) states that the true problem faced by physician-researchers is a moral one. The moral norms and societal dictates placed upon those in the medical profession involve the fact that they need to be able to give a sick person all the possible chances of being treated. However, Hawkins (484) points out that this moral responsibility is limited. She states clearly â€Å"researchers do not owe effective treatment to everyone around them. † (473) The obligations of a physician to his or her patient are enclosed within a given framework, that of the physician-patient relationship. In order for such a relationship to be established, the physician must come into agreement with the client that he or she will indeed act as one half of that relationship. The same agreement must be made on the part of the client. Although this agreement may not be explicit, it is nevertheless positively acknowledged by both parties. (Hawkins, 476) There is, according to Hawkins, no ethical dilemma in a physician-researcher’s use of placebo trials. Just because these researchers have had medical training and have taken a medical oath does not mean that they are always in the role of a physician. These are individuals that have many other different roles as fathers, mothers, non-practicing physicians, friends and the like. The role they take as a researcher, therefore, does not mean a continuation of their role as a physician. (Hawkins, 479) The obligations of an individual in the role of a researcher is separate from his or her role as a physician thus their obligation in placebo trials involves simple assurance that the participant will not be harmed by the procedure that will take place. Miller and Brody Some critics of placebo control trials state a weakness in therapeutic obligation of physician researchers as the main grounds of contestation of the ethical foundations of the said trials. Miller and Brody (8) state that even when based on the principles of clinical equipoise, an ethical basis of assigning participants in different experimental arms which involves disagreement among experts as to the effectiveness of either arm, therapeutic obligation is still a weak attack against the ethics of placebo trials. The individuals who knowingly participate in experiments with placebo arms are not exploited as long as no harm befalls them. Also, they are aware that they enter the experimental set-up as participants in a research and not as patients of the researchers who happen to also be physicians. (Miller and Brody, 5) Miller and Brody thus state that â€Å"placebo trials are not unethical just because they withhold proven effective treatment†. (6) It is thus seen that the responsibility and obligation of the researcher with regards to the ethicality of placebos is not in their therapeutic obligations as physicians. However, this does not mean that placebo trials are completely ethical. This also does not mean that researchers are devoid of ethical obligations to their participants assigned to placebo arms of the investigative experiments. The ethical obligation of the researcher in placebo trials is the same as that of researcher in any clinical trials. This involves the proper acquisition of informed consent from the participants. Also, researchers must be able to assure the fact that participants will not be exploited or put in harmful situations. Miller and Brody also insist that researchers must first establish that the investigation has scientific merit and that scientific merit is increased with the implementation of the placebo trial. (8) Analysis and Argument All three articles assessed above have merit and, at the same time, also have faults. Glass and Waring (582) stating that no legal precedents were found that indicated physicians were no longer tied to their professional obligations is faulty. In much the same way that a lawyer does not have to give counsel to every jaywalker he or she sees, the physician likewise does not have professional obligation over individual’s whose relationship to him is simply that which exists between researchers and participants. I also disagree with Hawkins’ statement that morality is what binds the physician thus the use of placebo trials is not unethical. What is ethics but a concept in the realm of morality? Yes, there are standards and regulations with regards to ethical conduct. However, as a whole, ethics is based on morality thus a moral problem is, in fact, an ethical problem. The middle ground taken by Miller and Brody also seems to be misled. A placebo trial is not equivalent to other clinical trials. It involves factors that are not present in other trials, such as the exposure of the participants to neutral treatment. In other clinical trials, there is still exposure to some form of treatment thus there is an effort to aid the participant. I believe, however, that physician-researcher’s obligations to the patient-participant, is limited solely to the relationship of researcher and participant. The role taken by the individual is not that of a physician but that of a researcher. The participants are also aware that they enter into the experiment not as patients but as participants. Although they are not given the chance to undergo possibly effective treatment, it is not the moral obligation of the researcher to insure that they do. Even if, for example, a person persists to smoke, I am not morally or ethically obligated to make sure that he or she stop. Placebo trials are valid research designs and should not be stopped simply because of a feeling that it is unfair to those who, in the first place, willingly submitted themselves to the experiment’s conditions. Works Cited Glass, Kathleen G. , and Waring, Duff. â€Å"The Physician/Investigator’s Obligation to Patients Participating in Research: The Case of Placebo Controlled Trials. † The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 33 (2005): 575-585 Hawkins, Jennifer S. â€Å"Justice and Placebo Controls. † Social Theory and Practice 32 (2006): 467- 496. Miller, Franklin G. , and Brody, Howard. â€Å"What Makes Placebo-controlled Trials Unethical? † The American Journal of Bioethics 2(2002): 3-9

Edible Candle - Fire Science Demonstration

Edible Candle - Fire Science Demonstration For this science magic trick, you light a candle, blow out the flame and then eat the candle. Its safe, fun and even nutritious. Edible Candle Materials This project requires a few simple ingredients from the home: bananapecan nutcandle stick or candle holder with wax drippingsmatch or lighter Set Up The Trick Cut a banana so that it resembles a small candle. You want a candle that you can eat in one or two bites.Set your banana-candle on a candle stick or holder. If the candle stick has white wax drippings, this will add realism to the trick.Cut the pecan into a wick shape and set it into the top of the banana.When you are ready to do the trick, light the pecan, just like an ordinary candle wick. Blow out the flame and eat the candle. How It Works Pecans, as well as other nuts, are high in oils. The nut can be lit like a candle wick and will burn for several minutes. You could even use nuts on a cake as birthday candles!

Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project

Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project Finding Experts Who Want to Help With Your Writing Project By Michael Youve probably read those acknowledgements at the back of a book: Special thanks to Nobel Prize winner Niels Ryberg Finsen for the many hours of medical advice and strong coffee he shared with me, without which this book would not be possible. And youve wondered what it takes to get a world-famous expert of your own, one who could answer the nagging technical questions that come up in your writing project. Now, unless youre working on a book for a major publisher, you probably wont get a Nobel laureate on your team, but knowledgeable experts can be found almost everywhere, at your local college or across the world through email. The good news is that experts are usually glad to help for free. They love finding someone who cares about their subject and they hate having their specialty misrepresented. The wife of one history professor joked that even if the university wasnt paying him, he would go door to door asking, Hi! Have you heard about World War I? Approaching an expert First, figure out what you dont know. As you write, add tags to your text such as [research] so you can search for them later using Control-F or Command-F on your computer. Make a list, in advance, of the most important questions you want answered. When you email an expert, show them that you didnt pick them at random. Show them you know who they are and what they do, that youve read something theyve written. Tell them a little about your writing project. The more reputable and stable it sounds, the more likely the expert will agree to help you. If you already have a book deal, thats good. If youre asking them to do your homework for school, thats not good. Limit your email to one or two brief, narrow, and focused questions. Include your contact information, especially if youre asking for a telephone or face-to-face interview. Give them lots of lead time; dont rush them. Ask for their help weeks or months before you need to submit your manuscript. If they dont reply to your email, stop there. Dont bug them again. You can find another expert. When you talk to an expert, be prepared; dont waste their time with fuzzy questions. Im reminded of a mock interviewer who asked Paul McCartney, Remember when you were with the Beatles? Yes, he did. Keep it open-ended: Is there anything else you want to tell me? An off-hand comment might give you a new story idea that transforms your old one. Ask about what you can ask for. If they answer one question, are they willing to answer more? To meet with you for lunch? To read over your manuscript and make suggestions? It all depends on their availability and interest which depends partly on your professionalism and courtesy. Seek viewpoints that disagree with you. For most writers, the most vivid parts are the points they support and the characters they like. That means your villains may be one-sided. Compensate for your weaknesses by learning about things you would ordinarily ignore. When I was writing a novel that included extremists, I read one of the key books written by their founder. Finding an expert Use your network. Ask people you know, Who do you know that knows about this subject? Reference librarians (often found at libraries) can help you find the answer to any question a sort of non-electronic Google, but without spam or fake news. If your local library doesnt have reference librarians, the U.S. Library of Congress does and you dont need to be a U.S. Congressman to ask them questions. Many colleges and universities have faculty experts lists that are searchable by topic. Many are especially skilled or specially trained as communicators, but all are eager to share their expertise. StackExchange.com is a family of websites where users can ask all sorts of questions and the most helpful questions and answers are voted up. The National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) website has its own Reference Desk in their forums, about which they say, What actually does relate to the price of cheese in China? How many cats can you fit in a coffin? Why does the ABC song and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star have the same tune? You have a research question. Someone in here has an answer. Sign up (you were planning on writing a novel someday, werent you?), log into the website and you can ask away. NaNoWriMo officially starts in November but the forum is open year-round. Showing your gratitude When youve finished your draft, send your expert the chapter or the article they helped you write. They may have more comments and corrections to offer. You can use all the help they can give. When deciding how to thank your expert collaborator, think about how much time and effort they spent, and how vital their contribution was to you. If you literally couldnt have done it without them, and youre making money from their contributions, you may want to offer them some of the money as payment or a tip. Like all of us, your expert has something they want to accomplish by working with you, so think about how you can assist them in accomplishing it. Do they enjoy helping others (you)? Let them know, in several ways, how much you appreciate it. Do they want to correct a misunderstanding, and give your readers an accurate view of their field? Make every effort to get their message across, without compromising your story. You might disagree with their perspective, but at least present it fairly. Do they want the prestige of working with a published author? Use their name prominently in your acknowledgements and publicity. They may want copies to give out. If they have worked with you extensively, they might deserve a co-authoring credit. Write a thank you note. You know, with pen and ink. Maybe on a note card. Send them an autographed copy of your story or article when its published. Bring or send an appropriate gift. If you ask to meet with them, buy them lunch. If youre a fiction writer, name a character or place after them. They will be tickled. Of course, mention them in the acknowledgments of your book. Everybody likes to be recognized. Unless theyre a spy and want to remain undercover. Writing can be a solitary occupation, and you may never have considered that someone important could be interested in working with you. But Joe Moore, a bestselling author of thrillers with Lynn Sholes, says, The most remarkable thing we’ve discovered is that expert advice is easy to get. Almost everyone we’ve approached has been eager to provide fictionalized theories and futuristic details that help make our often outlandish premises ring within the realm of possibility. 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 Freelance Writing category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comparative Forms of Adjectives7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewIs "Number" Singular or Plural?

Why can we only see one side of the moon Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Why can we only see one side of the moon - Essay Example Similarly, the moon’s gravitational force affects oceans causing low and high tides, while the earth, which is bigger than the moon, causes low and high gravitational pull on it. Additionally, as the moon rotates around the earth in its orbit, the earth exerts a torque on the rotating system of the moon. This causes the moon’s speed along its own axis to slow down, eventually revealing only one side of the moon as it completes its rotation (Pandian). The moon is also viewed as though facing only one side of it on earth through a concept known as libration, which occurs because of the spherical nature of the moon. Libration is the irregular motion of the moon in its orbit computed longitudinally and latitudinally from a fixed geographical location on the moon’s surface (Coffey). The earth affects the moon through its elliptical orbit, a process called longitudinal libration. This implies that when the moon is nearer the earth in its orbit, the earth’s gravitational pull is stronger. This makes the moon move faster on its axis, but since the moon’s rotational speed is constant, it causes a lag or a pull effect (Coffey). This pull effect on the moon’s surface causes the earth to view an extra portion of the moon’s surface up to 59% of it. When the moon orbit is farther away from the earth, the earth’s gravitational force on it is weak, causing it to slow down, even though its rotational speed remains the same. This makes the moon â€Å"spin† away from the earth and, as a result, it becomes only 41% visible (Miles). In addition, we view one side of the moon surface because of latitudinal libration caused because the moon’s orbit is tilted 5 degrees towards the ecliptic. Therefore, during the moon’s rotations around the earth, half of it is on the higher side while the rest of the revolution is on the lower side. This causes an extra part of the moon to be