Black Plague essays

Black Plague essays In 1348, in the major Trade City of Florence, a ship from China docked on the port carrying the rat that would lead Europe through one of the greatest epidemics ever known to man, the Black Death. The virulent plague quickly claimed the lives of a third of the population. There was no escape, as a third of the population quickly perished the social impacts were tremendous. Society had three main options, to run away from the pestilence as many did, having a profound socioeconomic effect in the cities and causing a further spread of the plague. While others instead devoted themselves to God and the faith in hope that Gods wrath would spare their lives. Yet others did the complete opposite, knowing that life was uncertain and that not even those of the faith were being spared they opted to celebrate the joys of life. Instead they focused on the importance of the individuals wants and needs, as seen in the beliefs and ideals that governed the Renaissance movement. Under the stra in of social pressures caused by the Black Death the medieval Catholic Church went through a profound change, in its place a new morally corrupt church emerged encompassing the social ideologies and beliefs of the Renaissance, which had resulted as a consequence to the plague. The plague in Europe devastated the population; many of those most closely effected were members of the church. Their position as social caretakers of society placed them within close proximity of the people they were serving. As a result they were more often exposed to the plague. In The Decameron, Giovanni Boccaccio, a Florentine writer states, Even the reverend authority of the divine and human law had almost crumpled and fallen into decay for its ministers and executors, like other men had either died or sickened. In many instances the clergy was even greater effected by the plague than the common people. In The Black Death, Philip Ziegler states that n...

Characteristics of Heart Urchins, or Sea Potatoes

Characteristics of Heart Urchins, or Sea Potatoes Heart urchins (also called spatangoid urchins or sea potatoes) get their name from their heart-shaped test, or skeleton. These are urchins in the order Spatangoida. Description Heart urchins are relatively small animals that are usually not more than a few  inches in diameter.  They look a little like a cross between an urchin and a sand dollar.  The oral surface (the bottom) of these animals is flat, while the aboral surface (the top) is convex, rather than dome-shaped like a normal urchin.   Like other urchins, heart urchins have spines covering their tests.  These spines may be a variety of colors, including brown, yellowish-brown, green, and red. The spines are used for movement, including helping the urchin burrow into the sand.  These urchins are also known as irregular urchins because they have an oval-shaped test, thus they are not round like typical urchins - such as the green sea urchin.   Heart urchins have tube feet  that extend from petal-shaped grooves in their test called ambulacral grooves. The tube feet are used for respiration (breathing).  They also have pedicellariae. The mouth (peristome) is located on the bottom of the urchin, toward the front edge.  Their anus (periproct) is located on the opposite end of their body.   Heart Urchin Relatives Heart urchins are animals in the Class Echinoidea, which means they are related to sea urchins and sand dollars. They are also  echinoderms, which means they belong to the same phylum as  sea stars  (starfish) and sea cucumbers. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: EchinodermataClass: Echinoidea Order:  Spatangoida Feeding Heart urchins feed by  using their  tube feet to gather organic particles in the sediment and in the water around them. The particles are then transported to the mouth. Habitat and Distribution Heart urchins may be found in various habitats, from shallow  tide pools and sandy bottoms to the deep sea. They are often found in groups. Heart urchins burrow in the sand, with their front end pointing downward. They may burrow as much as 6-8 inches  deep.  So that the heart urchin continues  to receive oxygen, their tube feed can continuously move the sand above them, creating a shaft of water. Heart urchins live primarily in shallow waters less than 160 feet deep, although they may be found in waters of up to 1,500 feet deep.  Since these are burrowing animals, heart urchins are not often seen alive, but their tests may wash ashore.   Reproduction There are male and female heart urchins. They reproduce sexually through external fertilization. During this process, males and females release sperm and eggs into the water. After an egg is fertilized, a  planktonic larvae forms, which eventually settles to the ocean bottom and develops into the heart urchin shape.   Conservation and Human Uses Threats to heart urchins can include pollution and trampling by beach visitors.   Sources Coloumbe, D. A. 1984. The Seaside Naturalist: a Guide to Study at the Seashore. Simon Schuster. 246pp.Marine Species Identification Portal. Red Heart Urchin. Interactive Guide to Caribbean Diving.Marshall Cavendish Corporation. 2004.  Encyclopedia of the Aquatic World.Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce. Heart Urchins.

State and Society in 20th century China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

State and Society in 20th century China - Essay Example It was 1975 when Deng took the control of China – in just two years after Deng started a plan – which lasted for 10 years, i.e. from 1977 up to 1987, and became known as a ‘political structural reform’ (Gittings, 2006, 165); the main target of this scheme has been the extinction of old political ideas – referring mostly to those developed during the governance of China by Mao – and their replacement with new political principles – incorporated within the above scheme. The efforts for China’s political reform had many opponents; one of them has been Hua Guofeng – a successor of Mao, in terms of his political ideas and targets. The resistance of Hua and his supporters towards the political changes promoted by Deng proves the refusal of Chinese politicians to be aligned with the current political trends (Gittings, 2006, 167) and their preference towards the traditional principles of Communism – as expressed through Mao ’s political choices. It could be stated that political reform in China was imposed because of the need for an economic reform – which could not be achieved unless the political structure and principles in China were changed – after making this assumption Deng enforced the development of the country’s political structure through a licence granted in 1986 (Gittings, 2006, 197). Certain aspects of the attempted political reform attempted by Deng after 1986 are the following: a) change of the country’s political system to capitalism – even if communism has been the primary political system its structure has been changed showing similar characteristics with political systems that are based on capitalism (Gittings, 2006, 213), b) development of ‘patriotism’ – a concept that was not particular supported during the governance of the country by Mao (Gittings, 2006, 209), c) the increase of the political civilization in China (Git tings, 2006, 13), d) the improvement of the relationship ‘between intellectuals