Are Dragonflies Evil 5 Myths About Dragonflies

The ancient insects we call dragonflies may be the most misunderstood insects of all. Some cultures revile them, while others revere them. Many myths have emerged over the centuries, and some still get handed down from generation to generation. Here are 5 myths about dragonflies, with facts to set the record straight. 1. Dragonflies Live Just One Day Dragonflies actually live for months or even years, if you count the entire life cycle from egg to adult. In some species, the aquatic nymphs molt up to 15 times, a growth process that takes several years to complete. People who think dragonflies live just one day are probably thinking only of the adult dragonfly stage. It is true that an adult dragonflys main objective is to mate before dying, and so they dont need to live very long. But most adult dragonflies will live for several months at least while eating, patrolling, and mating. Dragonflies dont usually die of old age, either – they tend to wind up in the bellies of larger predators, like birds. 2. Dragonflies Sting Nope, not even close to true. Dragonflies may look threatening to the entomophobes among us, but there isnt a dragonfly known to man that has a sting apparatus. Male dragonflies do bear claspers for holding the female during mating, and these could perhaps be mistaken for a stinger by an uninformed observer. Also, in some female dragonflies – the darners and petaltails, specifically – the ovipositor is designed to slice open plant stems. These dragonflies, as well as all of the smaller and less intimidating damselflies, insert their eggs into plant material and are thus equipped to incise plant tissue. Now, on very rare occasions, a dragonfly has mistaken someones leg for a plant and attempted to slice it open and deposit an egg. Yes, that hurts. But that doesnt mean the dragonfly can sting. There are no venom sacs to administer toxins into your body, and the insects intent is not to harm you. Only insects in the order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, and wasps) can sting. 3. Dragonflies Can Sew Your Mouth (or Ears or Eyes) Shut Although it is kind of fun to tell little kids they can. People perpetuating this myth refer to dragonflies as Devils darning needles, and usually offer it as a caveat to children who are misbehaving. If there was any logical origin of this not-so-urban legend, it probably lies in the same morphological features that make people think dragonflies can sting. Just because an insect has a long, pointy abdomen does not mean it can employ a running stitch to sew up your mouth. 4. Dragonflies Harass Horses The horses might feel as if they are being harassed when dragonflies persistently fly around them, but the dragonflies have no particular interest in the horses. Dragonflies are predaceous, feeding on other, smaller insects, including the flies that tend to hang around horses and cattle. In all likelihood, a dragonfly that seems to be fixated on a horse is simply improving its odds of catching a meal. People sometimes call dragonflies horse stingers, but as weve already established, dragonflies dont sting at all. 5. Dragonflies Are Evil For centuries, people have eyed dragonflies with suspicion and imbued them with evil intent. Swedish folk legends accused dragonflies of poking out peoples eyes and referred to them as blind stingers for this reason. From Germany to England, people associate dragonflies with the devil, giving them nicknames like water witch, hobgoblin fly, devils horse, and even snake killer. That one is particularly interesting since snakes themselves are often thought to be in cahoots with Satan. But truth be told, dragonflies are far from evil. They are, in fact, quite beneficent, if we consider how many mosquitoes they consume, both as nymphs (when they eat mosquito larvae) and adults (when they catch and eat them in flight). If were going to call the Odonates by any nickname, mosquito hawk is the one wed prefer to use. Sources Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies, University of California Museum of Paleontology. Accessed December 20, 2012.Do Dragonflies Bite or Sting?, Northwest Dragonflier blog, Jim Johnson. Accessed December 20, 2012.Here There Be Dragonflies, June Tveekrem, NASA. Accessed December 20, 2012.Odonata - Damselflies, Dragonflies, Anisoptera, Zygoptera, Dragonflies and Damselflies, Discover Life. Accessed December 20, 2012.Dragonflies and Damselflies | Iowa Insect Information Notes, Iowa State Univerity Department of Entomology. Accessed December 20, 2012.Animal Totems: The Power and Prophecy of Your Animal Guides, by Millie Gemondo and Trish MacGregor

Rachel Zeunik. Mr. Fisher. W131. 4/20/17. Killer Obedience.

Rachel Zeunik Mr. Fisher W131 4/20/17 Killer Obedience The American military prides itself on its devotion to loyalty, honor, brotherhood, and patriotism. Those in the military place the lives of their fellow men and country above all else. It is the most intense example of selflessness and self-sacrifice. This extended commitment to God and country is made possible through codes, vows, and unquestioned obedience. If a lieutenant is given an order, he will follow through with it because the lives of countless depend on his obedience. A soldier’s actions always contribute to the overall action of the military and work towards the greater good. If an order is questioned and not obeyed, the lives of those in his squadron will be endangered†¦show more content†¦Instead of transferring him off the base, Santiago’s commanding officer ordered Dawson and Downey to follow through with a â€Å"code red† on Santiago in order to eliminate the straggler. This code red involved the death of Santiago late in the night. When word got out of a possible â€Å"code red† in Guantanamo Bay that led to the death of Santiago, a law suit ensued, accusing Dawson and Downey of the murder of Santiago. Their commanding officer denied ever ordering the code red and instead insisted that he had ordered for the release of Santiago from Guantanamo Bay as soon as he read Santiago’s letter. Dawson and Downey were going to be given a life sentence until their main lawyer, Kaffee, proved that they were just fulfilling their jobs and being obedient to orders. Therefore, they should not be blamed for the death of William Santiago because they were obeying an order, which is the main basis of the American military. In 1973, in an attempt to understand the conformity to roles of guards and prisoners, Zimbardo launched a role-playing experiment that modeled prison life and reflected the environment of an American prison. The experiment was to see if prison guards are brutal and cruel because that’s thei r sadistic personality types that cause conflicts with the prisoners or if its due to the prison setting itself. In other words, there is a dispositional hypothesis that states that prison guards act the way they do because their personalities cause

Influence of Online Gaming System Among Filipino Youth free essay sample

Online gaming Main article: Online game Online gaming has drastically increased the scope and size of gaming culture, although this has much to do with the usage of the Internet itself as a communication medium. Online gaming grew out of games on bulletin board systems and on college mainframes from the 1970s and 1980s. MUDs offered multiplayer competition and cooperation but on a scope more geographically limited than on the internet. The internet allowed gamers from all over the world not just within one country or state to play games together with ease. One of the most groundbreaking titles in the history of online gaming is Quake, which offered the ability to play with sixteen, and eventually up to thirty-two players simultaneously in a 3D world. Gamers quickly began to establish their own organized groups, called clans. Clans established their own identities, their own marketing, their own form of internal organization, and even their own looks. We will write a custom essay sample on Influence of Online Gaming System Among Filipino Youth or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page essay writing service guardian Some clans had friendly or hostile rivalries, and there were often clans who were allied with other clans. Clan interaction took place on both professionally set competition events, and during normal casual playing where several members of one clan would play on a public server. Clans would often do their recruiting this way; by noticing the best players on a particular server, they would send invitations for that player to either try out or accept membership in the clan. Clan- or guild-based play has since become an accepted (and expected) aspect of multiplayer gaming, with several games offering cash-prize tournament-style competition to their players. Many clans and guilds also have active fan-bases, which, when combined with the tournament aspect, contribute in turning clan-based gaming into a semi-professional sport. Clans also allow players to assist each other in simulated combat and quests in game advancement, as well as providing an online family for friendly socialising. 3] From Quake, gaming grew beyond first-person shooters and has impacted every genre. Real-time strategy, racing games, card games, sports games can all be played online. Online gaming has spread from its initial computer roots to console gaming as well. Today, every major video game console available offers degrees of online gaming, some limited by particular titles, some even offer up entire virtual communities.

Geographical Information System Essay Example For Students

Geographical Information System Essay Geographical Information System originated in the 1960s. During the early daysof the technology the use was limited to a small group of practicioners. It is ainformation technology which analizes, stores, and displays both spatial andnon-spatial data. It is used in many different specializations. It is also veryuseful for engineers, which will be shown in this presentation. In environmentalengineering, GIS can be used for estimation of flooding risk and determiningwater quality, among others. The ability to calculate flood risk is a veryimportant feature of GIS, largely responsible for the increase of its use. The1990s have been affected by flooding around the world, especially in the UnitedStates. The Mississippi river floods were a great disaster, and some of thelosses may have bee prevented had the areas at high risk not been urbanized. Milwaukee was also hit by flooding a few years ago, causing much property lossand distress. After these, and other unfortunate instances, GIS was essentiallyrediscovered as a useful tool for the calculating flood risk. The ability tocalculate flood risk will help save future construction from destruction, andwill steer urbanization and development to areas where it will be safe.