Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Dinosaur Extinction Theories

Though today the biggest theory on the extinction of the dinosaurs is that a meteor destroyed all of the dinosaurs. But it is always important to look into alternate theories no matter how ridiculed for many of the biggest breakthroughs in science and history were ridiculed.

Before I go into alternate theories I think I should talk about the major theory. The asteroid theory is simply that a massive meteor roughly 9 miles in diameter struck the earth. Were most meteors burn up in the atmosphere if even a small asteroid strikes then the devastation can be incredible so if meteor lands that is nearly 10 miles across then not only would it destroy everything around it but it would also affect the weather and climate. Scientists believe that the meteorite struck in the gulf of Mexico. It should be noted that the geography of the world was a different back then.

Then the second most accepted theory that global warming killed the dinosaurs. Wait what? Well you probably already know the basics of global warming (I'm assuming) and aren't things like cars nuclear power plants and factories supposed to release the green house gasses? Well yes that's true (I am subliminally telling you to recycle) but volcanoes also give out green house gasses as well as other chemicals that damage the environment and the biosphere. I personally believe that both this theory and the meteor are true. Because volcanoes can be activated by powerful earthquakes and the meteorite would release powerful tremors nearly throughout the entire planet which would then activate volcanic eruptions. It should also be noted that there were far more active volcanoes back then, than there is now.

Then there is another theory that the dinosaurs killed themselves, well sort of. I don't mean by fighting each other by killing themselves I mean their evolution brought them to a dead-end. As time went on studies of shown that older eggs had far thicker shells but the more recent eggs had thinner shells. This would's put the baby dinosaurs at a greater risk. Also another part of this theory is that they were out evolved by mammals. The reason for this is because they had really small brains. You have probably have heard of statistics of laterally being pea brained having a brain the size of a pea. But you need to remember that many of these dinosaurs were huge and having a brain a little bit bigger then a walnut control so much mass would make you pretty dumb.

Now this one is my favorite and though it seems ridiculous I implore you to give it some thought. Caterpillars killed the dinosaurs scientists have found that caterpillars went through several evolutionary changed during the time that dinosaurs died off. It is believed that the caterpillar in your back yard had ancestors that were able to reproduce at a rate that allowed them to eat huge amounts of vegetation which would in turn kill the dinosaurs as the herbivores would die followed by the carnivores.

Then another theory is that they died off of disease. During this time is believed that several land bridges had appeared which would allow dinosaurs to migrate. If you know the story of the Indians then you probably can guess where this ends. As the dinosaurs lost there long distant cousins they would exchange diseases that the other one would not be able to handle as their immune system would be unable to cope.

Now the last of the theories is the theory that a supernova destroyed the dinosaurs. It should be noted that there very little evidence that this theory is true if any at all. However many scientists argue that it is a very real possibility. The theory states that a distant star went supernova even though we were far away from the explosion itself we were still affected by the radiation. Which would destroy nearly everything on the surface of the planet.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Notifying Parents and Staff Of Snow Days

A school may organize an event like a PTA, sports day, price giving day et cetera. However, an unexpected state of weather may cause the delay or total cancellation of such an event. Some of the weather elements that can cause such disruption include snow, harsh winds, extremely heavy down pour amongst others. These elements, when they occur in great measures, can cause blockage of roads, power black out, cause unsafe conditions and may render some of the events like out door sports impossible.

In most systems of schooling, the authorities in the government dictate that students attend school for a minimum of certain days per annum. However, because of the great possibility of certain days being canceled out due to harsh weather conditions, then most schools schedule for some extra days during a time when they are almost certain that the A weather will be okay. Nevertheless, these extra days may remain unused when not all the days expected to be snow days have snow. Therefore, the school gives those days off to the school community.

The above conditions can sometimes occur unexpectedly demanding immediate communication by use of an emergency notification system to convey such school alerts to the parents, teachers, staff, students and any other relevant parties. without a reliable, fast and efficient method of conveying a message, snow days can quite bring about a lot of confusion. Hence the reason why installation and use of the automated dialing system is inevitable.

The above mentioned system is one through which one is able to relay voice or text messages to certain parties or groups at the same time, and with the capacity to get uninterrupted feedback from each of the recipients. This is as opposed to the old method of picking up the phone and literary ad manually calling every person you need to call. The automated dialing system is not only effective, efficient, fast but also cheap. The cost of making one call ranges between six to nine cents.

The other advantage with this system is that you have the choice of not installing any external hardware device or installing any software. All you need to do is to enlist the numbers you want to send the message to, then type in the text message or record the voice message,.. After this, press the * button on your keypad, and the messages will be relayed. The recipient is able to give you any response they may wish to. Also, this method gives you a fully detailed report of whether the message was received. If the message was not received, the system has a way of letting you know why the message was not received by the recipient.

the only limitation with this method is that the recipient must have authorized you to communicate to them through the automated dialing system. However, in such a case ( that of a snow day, parent notification or emergency notifications) the rule doesn't apply. the school administration is allowed to give any alerts even when there are certain incidences of crime, accidents, fire, changes, etc that have occurred in the school.

Are you looking for more information regarding emergency notification system? Visit http://www.dialmycalls.com today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Lismo

Saturday, March 5, 2011

How Photography Impacted the Civil War?

The death toll during the Civil War fought through 1861 to 1865 exceeded the death toll that occurred collectively in all other wars that the US has fought until now. Historians believe information regarding civil war is more perceptible just because of the photos that the country possess. Known famously as the 'Brothers War' as family members fought on opposite sides, people have profound memories of the Civil War due to the evidences in the form of photos that bring alive the entire event in front of everyone.

During the Civil War photography was merely twenty years old. It needed almost thirty minutes for capturing one single image using the best of technology available during that period. Photography required glass plates of chemicals and assistants for putting these plates in front of the camera. The army used to have a complete team of courageous photographers who moved along with soldiers up to the battle fields to capture the rare images and shots. Since capturing images was a long drawn process, most of the shots that have been taken depict the aftermath of the battles. The captured images were mostly of massacres, the equipment used for battles, and the images of soldiers and senior officers from both sides.

The most prominent influence of these photographs was noticed among the general public. It completely changed the perception of common man about how and what happens in a war. These photos staged themselves as eyewitnesses that reflected the reality of any war - the torn and ripped bodies all along the battle field, worn out faces, filthy battlefield clinics, and the bloodbath. It created a horrific image amongst the common man. The war, thus, became a reality for people. The relatives and the friends of the soldiers and officers were exposed to the atrocities of this war through the plethora of photographs of the battlefield.

About Author:
Kum Martin is an online leading expert in history and education. He also offers top quality articles like:
Saint Patrick Day, President Day Information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kum_Martin

The Causes of the Cold War

The strenuous period from mid 40s till the late 80s between the U.S and erstwhile Soviet Union is termed as the Cold War. It immediately began after the termination of World War II.

The term Cold War was coined because of the fact that there was no actual war in the form of battlefield, but there was the fear of use of nuclear weapons by either country. This war nevertheless included many secondary conflicts such as those experienced in Vietnam as well as Korea. The 1962 Cuban missile crisis needs a special mention because it nearly resulted in a nuclear war between the 2 countries.

American spy planes gauged the Russian intermediate ballistic missile through certain photographs. These ballistic missiles had the capacity of carrying nuclear payloads. A total of 64 missiles were sent to Cuba. Out of these 62 missiles, 42 were of medium range and 24 were intermediate range missiles. The Russians were finally forced to remove these missiles due to pressure from America. The US had said that it would invade Cuba if the missiles were not taken away at the earliest.

Another factor which created discord between these to nations was the China. In 1949, the Soviet Union and China surfaced as great partners. This partnership saw a gradual decline and America took the advantage of this downfall. In 1971, the U.S formed a strategic alliance with China in order to corner the Soviet Union. In 1980, the Russians attacked Afghanistan. The U.S cleverly financed Afghanistan and trained the guerillas to take up arms against the Russian troops. A huge shift of armaments and military equipment took place in Afghanistan. This led to a major set back for the Soviet Union.

The Americans always feared that the Soviets would spread their communal ideology across the globe and will take over the entire Eastern Europe and parts of Asia. These two factors lead to a kind of resentment within Americans. The Soviets, on the other hand, feared the American acquisition of atomic power. The Soviets suspected that the Americans would use Western Europe as a base to counter them.

At last, after the downfall and collapse of the Soviet Union in the year 1991 the Cold War was finally called off.

About Author:
Kum Martin is an online leading expert in history and education. He also offers top quality articles like:
Saint Patrick Day, President Day Information

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kum_Martin

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Gladiators - Famous Battles Of The Ancient Roman Arenas

In the days of ancient Rome, there were battles that were not for the recreational use of the fighters but for the viewers and these were battles to the death. These battles were fought by the gladiators, they were the bloodiest battles that were every held. Two or more people would fight to the death; the ones that won still weren't winners, as they would normally unleash lions on them to finish them off.

They normally were given a choice of what they wanted to fight with, a lot of them took swords and shields but you could have seen some people fight with different kinds of weapons like flails, spears, maces, etc. So being a gladiator was something that most people did not want to be. Most often you did not choose to be gladiator, but you were told to become one. They were mainly war criminals, slaves, and prisoners and were taken by what they call a lanista. This lanista was a person who would buy these people and turn them into gladiators.

Then the lanista would rent them out or sell them to rich people so they could watch them fight in the arenas. One thing that a lot of people wonder today is whether or not a woman could become a gladiator. You may find this odd, but women were often chosen to be gladiators as well. They could become gladiators if they wanted to; which would have been rare. It was far more likely that they would have been chosen just like most male gladiators. This ended during the reign Emperor Septimus when he banned them from being gladiators because he didn't feel right putting woman in harm's way and watching them die.

To become a gladiator you had to go to a school this school was known as the gladiator school where they taught you how to defend, attack, and fight with many different weapons. Even though most gladiators were killed at the end because they were mainly criminals it was important that they knew how to fight so that they didn't die immediately when entering the arena. There were also people who volunteered to become gladiators to gain prizes for winning and to increase their fame by winning battles. When you became a gladiator there was no turning back, you fought until you died or the audience would vote for you to be set free to live your life or die. There were times that prisoners could get this but for the most part they were killed by lions or locked back up to fight again.

For more information and a look at some battle ready swords follow this link. You'll find many interesting things there including Japanese samurai swords as well as other information and collectible weapons.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jo_R_Green

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Facts About Texas

The Lone Star State. That is the term used when referring to the state of Texas. Aside from being known as a big state because of its size, making it the second largest state in the entire United States, what other things do you known about Texas?

• Do you know that the state of Texas had six different national flags flown over its territory before? That is true for Texas was once governed by six different countries - France, Mexico, Spain, The Republic of Texas, The Confederate States, and the United States of America.

• Texas finally became part of the United States as a part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a treaty between the US and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American war. It was in 1936 that Texas gained its independence from Mexico.

• The state of Texas had also changed its capital city for seven times. Its previous capital cities were Columbia, Velasco, Galveston, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Houston, and Harrisburg. In 1839, Austin was declared the state capital of Texas and has been the capital of said state until now.

• Austin's capital building was built in 1888 by using Sunset Red granite and its foundation is limestone. The building has the largest square footage than any other state capital building in the US.

• When it comes to sports, Texas has the most number of professional sports teams in the whole of US. This includes two teams for National Football League, two teams for Major League Baseball, three teams for National Basketball Association, and one team for National Hockey League team.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Texas Flag and buy inexpensive Texas Flag.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pollux_Parker

Junot Diaz - Pride of Dominican Republic

The Dominican-American writer Junot Diaz was born in Villa Juana, a neighborhood in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic on December 31, 1968. He was a middle child, being the third out of five children. He lived in the Dominican Republic with his grandparents and mother while his father worked in the United States. In 1974, at the age of six, Diaz went to live with his father in Parlin, New Jersey.

They lived very near to one of the biggest landfills in New Jersey. The young Diaz devoured books as a child. He would walk four miles to the local public library just to borrow books.

Diaz went to Madison Park elementary and graduated from Cedar Ridge High School. Apocalyptic movies and books caught his interest. These were authors like John Christopher, the BBC miniseries Edge of Darkness and the original Planet of the Apes movies.

Diaz first attended Kean College in Union, New Jersey. But after only one year, he transferred to Rutgers College, where he majored in English. During his stay in Rutgers, he was an active member of Demarest Hall, which focused on creative-writing and living-learning. This is where he read Toni Morrison and Sandra Cisneros, the authors who motivated him to become a writer. He was also a member of many student organizations.

Coming from a poor family, Diaz worked his way through college by pumping gas, washing dishes, delivering pool tables and holding down a job at Raritan River Steel.

Diaz is the Pulitzer-prize winning author of Drown and The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Dominican Republic Flag and buy inexpensive Dominican Republic Flag.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pollux_Parker

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Facts About Texas

The Lone Star State. That is the term used when referring to the state of Texas. Aside from being known as a big state because of its size, making it the second largest state in the entire United States, what other things do you known about Texas?

• Do you know that the state of Texas had six different national flags flown over its territory before? That is true for Texas was once governed by six different countries - France, Mexico, Spain, The Republic of Texas, The Confederate States, and the United States of America.

• Texas finally became part of the United States as a part of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, a treaty between the US and Mexico that ended the Mexican-American war. It was in 1936 that Texas gained its independence from Mexico.

• The state of Texas had also changed its capital city for seven times. Its previous capital cities were Columbia, Velasco, Galveston, Washington-on-the-Brazos, Houston, and Harrisburg. In 1839, Austin was declared the state capital of Texas and has been the capital of said state until now.

• Austin's capital building was built in 1888 by using Sunset Red granite and its foundation is limestone. The building has the largest square footage than any other state capital building in the US.

• When it comes to sports, Texas has the most number of professional sports teams in the whole of US. This includes two teams for National Football League, two teams for Major League Baseball, three teams for National Basketball Association, and one team for National Hockey League team.

Pollux Parker is an adventurer who loves discovering secret island getaways in each country he visits. Pollux also likes to collect Texas Flag and buy inexpensive Texas Flag.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pollux_Parker