The Global Financial Crisis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Global Financial Crisis - Essay Example Firstly, the credit crisis played a significant role in determining the global financial crisis. Kolb (2010), brings out the point that, as at mid 2007, a great number of investors in the USA had lost trust in the value of mortgages as the government had offered loans to too many people that could not manage paying back the debts. In response, liquidity was evident, which resulted to the US disbursing more funds to the financial market. By 2008, the situation worsened, as the stock markets had totally disintegrated. Nanto (2009) argues that the stock markets were extremely unstable. For fear of the worst, the investors did not have any trust in the government and opted to withdraw. This argument concurs with that of Keynes theory that specified that, spending by the government is the major reason behind UK’s crisis. In the case of employment, Keynes (2006) reported that employment rates increase the amount of spending and that wages must be kept constant. Secondly, yet another factor that led to global financial crisis is that, the US government had granted loans to many individuals, even those who could not pay the debts, which put the market at a higher risk of collapsing. Igan et al (2010) uttered that the value of the mortgages dropped with the borrowers being left with losses to count. The banks were faced with a lot of deficits to deal with, forcing them to repossess their assets that were of lesser value. Chacko et al. (2011) attribute excessive lending to the major contributor of the global crisis, as the banks found it tasking to deal with the liquidity issue, and the low lending rates due to misappropriate lending by the banks. Lack of proper regulation measures in terms of lending - unethical behavior, cost the globe financial crisis that could not be solved in a day. It is vital that Fredrick’s thoughts are applied in the case of solving the crisis in UK. In his work, he notes prices must be well monitored so as to avoid inflation in a country. However, his thoughts do not match with those of Friedman (2004) who believes in a free market, devoid of barriers from the government. Thirdly, the collapse of Lehman Brothers on 14th September, 2008, marked a new phase of the financial crisis (Savona, Kirton & Oldani, 2011). Due to their collapse, net capital inflows in the financial market reduced, as well as in the domestic stock markets. Griffiths &Wall (2008) attest to the fact that, the concerned governments, just like business economics states, had to come up with solutions to rescue their financial institutions. The housing and stock markets were in a terrible situation. Furthermore, Doyle (2008) notes that, though the Lehman failure had no direct implication on the domestic financial status, massive changes were experienced in the external market status. Large capital outflows were experienced, external commercial borrowings decreased, and acquiring credits became more difficult. Statler & Shrivastava (2012) reve aled that by December 2008, the US reserves recorded losses of an approximate thirty three billion from fifty four billion. On another point of view, Aizenman & Jinjarak (2010) emphasized that UK is one of the countries at its peak in terms of spending on reducing the impacts of the 2008 crisis. The government employed the fiscal policy approaches in an endeavor to handle the crisis, as well as a free floating exchange rate to curb inflation. Maximilian (2009) accentuated that fiscal policies spare the country from a decrease in the demand for domestic goods. The UK government in addition, reduced its expenditures and increased the taxes from seventeen

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay Example for Free

Outline the objectives of economic management and analyse the role of fiscal policy Essay The Australian Government targets economic objectives that may provide equality and higher living standards throughout the country. For these benefits to reach Australian households, the Australia government has to overcome objectives such as economic growth, distribution of income, and external stability. To do so, the government uses the fiscal policy in order to influence the amount of government expenditure and revenue which can alter economic activity. The government’s fiscal strategy aims to ensure fiscal sustainability over the medium term; therefore the government is responsible for meeting its current and future spending commitments with revenue raised. Australia has had a low historical use of fiscal policy during the 1990s, however since the Global Financial Crisis; fiscal policy has been a powerful tool in maintaining Australia’s economy. Fiscal policy has a large influence over economic activity, through using the expansionary fiscal stance which involves a net increase in government spending, or a fall in taxation revenue. However, this was not the case during the period 1996-2007 as fiscal policy had a smaller role to play in the economy. As the Howard Government came into office, the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary. A contractionary stance occurs when government spending is reduced. An example of this stance is when the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the economic cycle, as fiscal policy was tightened in 1996-97, 1998-99, resulting in a surplus of $1171 million. This meant that fiscal policy was generally not a major role in influencing the business cycle, instead monetary policy had the central role in maintaining economic activity. Although fiscal policy was not greatly used from the mid-1990s to 2007, it has had a large impact on recessions. As the Global Financial Crisis hit Australia, the fiscal policy was introduced in order to increase the level of economic activity, instead of letting Australia plunge into a recession. The impact of the GFC dramatically changed the budget balance, through a decline in government taxation revenue and an increase in discretionary government spending. This led to the movement from a cash surplus of $19. 7 billion in 2007-08 to a cash deficit of -$27 billion in 2009-10. Economic growth decreased to 1. 4% of GDP, which gave the government the incentive to introduce the fiscal stimulus, while the Rudd Government used an expansionary fiscal stance to support aggregate demand. The stimulus package involved a $77 billion package, with a $42 billion Nation building plan and Jobs Plan in the 2009 budget to support infrastructure and investment and the Economic Security Strategy package of $10 billion in spending on cash transfers to low and middle income households. The result of expansionary fiscal policy helped Australia avoid a recession, as these stimulus measures were estimated to boost Australia’s economic growth by 2. 75% of GDP in 2009-10. In addition, fiscal policy can influence the objective of inequality in income distribution. The government is committed into try to use a progressive taxation system which will provide a fairer distribution of income. The progressive taxation system is when higher income earners pay a larger proportion of tax compared to low income earner, leading to a redistribution of income to low income earners. An example of the progressive tax system can be seen in the ‘personal income tax thresholds’, where the highest income bracket of $180,001 and over has an effective tax rate of 30. 3-44. 9%. However, the structure of the progressive system of personal income tax changed when the Gillard Government announced it would increase the tax-free threshold to $18,200 on 1st July 2012 as part of the Clean Energy Future Package from the carbon tax and will rise again to $19,400 the following year. This threshold bracket changed from the previous 2009 and 2010 Personal Income tax threshold as all taxpayers where given a tax free threshold of $6000. Between 1996 and 2008, the Federal Government used fiscal policy in order to maintain external stability. External stability is an aim of government policy that seeks to promote sustainability on external accounts so that Australia can service its foreign liabilities in the medium to long run. External stability can be managed by the government achieving fiscal consolidation, which is running a budget surplus over the course of the business cycle. One of the main ways to run a budget surplus is to eliminate public debt, which in turn can help reduce the part of net foreign debt owned by the Australian Government. For instance, when the Howard Government was in power, there was a series of consecutive surplus budgets to retire a significant amount of public debt. From 1996-2007 the stance of fiscal policy was largely contractionary, since the Howard Government was committed to achieving a balanced budget over the course of the business cycle. It was tightened throughout the years of 1996-1999, and thereby, eliminated Commonwealth general government debt from the peak of $96 million (17. 6% of GDP) in 1996-97 to -0. 5% of GDP by 2005-06. This in turn increased Australia’s national savings and resulted in low net foreign debts. Subsequently, the fiscal policy has an effective role in achieving the economic objectives of economic growth during downturn economic activity, equal distribution of income and maintaining external stability. Australia was successful in using fiscal policy to avoid recession in 2009, when it implemented one of the largest fiscal stimulus packages in its history, as well as changes to the personal income threshold that gave a more equal distribution of income to lower income earners. By aiming to achieve fiscal surplus the Australian economy can achieve its economy objectives rapidly.

Causes of Dreams and Nightmares

Causes of Dreams and Nightmares Evangjelos Danaj Abstract What are nightmares they are dreams bad ones that affect us every people sees dreams but not all of them see nightmares. We see nightmares most of the time when we are affected in a negative way in our life our when we ourselves have done something bad we tend to overthink it and that is one of the reason as to why we see it in our dreams in a bad way. Nightmares generally when happens periodically is the result of the person who sees it of lack of sleep or for people who are afraid of a scare movie or something most common nowadays due crises of humanity people tend to get stuck on a particular upsetting thought. On the other hand if it happens systematically then that is when people say that they have nightmare disorder this is dangerous for people because nightmares may lead to people jeopardizing their own safety or another human beings safety and because during nightmares people have rapid eye movement or REM they do not remember as to what they have done. Introduction Nightmares are dreams that happen during sleep and during when humans have rapid eye movement that is one of the reason as to why when we are having nightmares we have strong feelings of fear, distress, terror and anxiety. This is most likely to happen at a person’s later part of sleep. Nightmares become a disorder when it has affected our social life, our occupation and many more other important areas in our everyday life or if a someone keeps on seeing the same nightmare with the same topic meaning something that we have experience in our everyday life or an experience that we over tend to think about it then at this point if a person experiences this sort of nightmares then this this when we may call Nightmare disorder. This has been most commonly seen to happen at the age ten and has been seen as normal unless they interfere with sleep with their development or with their psychosocial development. This is most commonly shown to girls than boys and may last until they matur e into adulthood. Adult’s nightmares are something entirely different than at that which was for children because it does not affect them as much as it affects the children and will not affect their development psychology them much and in addition to that unlike children most of adult’s nightmares are commonly based on the fact that they either be anxious about something with external stressors or external trauma. Biology Biology is mostly connected with our DNA or our Genes that make up our DNA which are mostly connected with our behavior. Because Nightmares affect our sleep meaning that we feel them up to a certain level and that they do not allow us to sleep because of the shock that we receive because nightmares are dreams that frighten us. The most affected ones are the children who are unable to nurture the right way because they are afraid of nightmares for example if a children who is ten years old and his parents break for many different reasons then the children may have one of the many symptoms which differ from children to children, nightmares that will affect him in many ways. One of the most common effects that this kind of nightmare will have on children in the nurture sector may be Growth Hormone Deficiency. This problem has most commonly been seen to happen to children for adult’s nightmares don’t affect their biology directly but indirectly. Meaning that they are affect ed by post-traumatic stress and that they may be affected by other psychiatric illnesses. Since they are receiving medication for these problem that medication may affect their biological system which can cause the human to go crazy. Another disorder which affects human’s dreams and results at them having nightmares may be due a birth problem and feeling since the people who tend to feel more and are affected by it more may overthink most actions and that will result in him having nightmares. With the help of technology and research medicine has been made for people who are facing these problem to help them overcome it also psychologist has found method that enables them to help the patients overcome problem that affect them indirectly through the help of talking it out or with the help of interaction and communication with one another. In addition to the above stated Breathing disorder can cause nightmares this disease can cause sleep aupnia which will result in the little s leep that we get to have nightmares this disease together with nightmares can cause severe effects on the human mind like falling asleep without realizing it a high fever which will be hard to treat children will have a Hyperactive behavior, depression and if it is severe then we will notice that our legs will have swelled. Emotions Most people do not know this but emotions are affects very much from nightmares. Emotions meaning our mood, which result in us not waking up in a rather refreshed mood but waking up and leaving us with the feeling that the sleeper who has just seen a nightmare has been in a battle with something all night long. Furthermore this abstract can lead us to seeing more disoriented dreams meaning nightmares and can increase our anxiety which will lead to seeing more nightmares. People have become clinically depressed because they have not been able to identify what it is that has leaded them to having nightmares. Based on research that has been done by unknown researcher’s people that are clinically depressed and that they have not been born with any biological problem and that these symptoms are shown when a person cannot identify the origins of the nightmare disorder have a tendency to three to four time more than the average person. Another hypothesis may be that nightmares are a way for your unconscious mind telling us that we are not dealing with our stress as we should be. Another hypothesis about nightmares may be that because we are having difficulties accepting some facts that we as people do not accept for many different reasons then that means that the nightmare that we see is our mind overanalyzing it and showing it to us so in other words we can say that it is our mind telling us as to what we should fix. Taking all things into consideration we can safely say that nightmares as in general are not things that come out of nowhere but they are the products of our brain telling us and indicating to us as to what it is that is under our minds so nightmares are not problems that descended upon us from above or from below as most people tend to claim when they are having nightmares. Social life Nightmares generally in social life aspect affect adult more than they affect children due to the fact that they have a lot more social interaction than children have. Adults due to the fact that most of them work overtime or sometimes even 24 hour straight they tend to eat late at night that affects their brain and the metabolism which result in signaling the brain to have a higher activity rate. Through nightmare through our everyday life we may want an object that we will get up do get it through sleep walking. In other words Nightmares can cause us to have other problem mostly psychological problem. In looking at how our nightmares affect our social interaction with other people it is important to take note that nightmares play a vital role in our life. Another aspect here may be that because during our everyday moment we have no time to process our thought and so that leads to the brain processing it throughout the night and at most times resulting into us seeing it as a bad nig htmare. Recent measurement’s show that most common people that have nightmares are the one who have done a crime and even though they have been judged for the crime that they have by the government and not by someone who is of the law because people tend to think that if they are judged by the law then there sins are forgiven but that is not the cause because even and after they do jail time for the crime that they themselves have committed and they still see that through nightmare because those are experience that have left them at a traumatic state of mind that is for those who have done crimes but for those people who have not done crimes but they have just experienced shocking thing like war veterans see and see again from time to time themselves at the frontline because they know sub-consciously that what they are doing is wrong so in other words nightmares may also be cause by actions that we ourselves know subconscious are wrong and still we go through with it. Conclusion In the end taking all things into consideration Nightmare disorder is an illness that can be treated through many ways without the help of specialist meaning a therapist. One way to do this is to alleviating stress with in your home your personal life this will result in us eliminating anxiety the individuals most likely course of action as to have a relaxing sleep and not to see nightmares. Another course of action that someone may do may be through the help of fitness and in corporation with relaxation therapy which will result in the individual have a more relax and a more complete sleep. In addition to this one skill trough training and everyday exercise can be through yoga and in through with meditation techniques which help in a person’s a sleeping atmosphere. Patients can also choose to do this through the help of a specialist meaning psychotherapy so that they can learn as how to deal with and cope with stress and find different ways to deal with it. Most patients tend to select the route of medication but the ones who can be provided with medication and diagnosis are the ones who have report that they are having reoccurring nightmares over and over again more than four times a week. Prazosin is a commonly used medicine to treat people who are having problems with Posttraumatic stress disorder. Therapy has helped a lot of people to deal with frightening themes and has helped them alleviate from the nightmare recurrence. Usually a large amount of the patients will improve as the patient gets older and older. Based on the latest research a treatment is under way that at this point is currently weak but its main point is that the patient who is suffering from nightmares to be able to benefit from it but currently it is still weak. On the other hand there also the people who tend to think that they are having nightmares those people are given a placebo pill a pill of sugar so as to think that they are cured. REFERENCES Ernest Hartmann, The nightmare: the psychology and biology of terrifying dream, 21 Jan. 2010, University of Michigan, Basic Books, 1984 Joanne L. Davis PhD, Treating Post-Trauma Nightmares: A Cognitive Behavioral Approach, Springer Publishing Company, 2008 Paul R. Carney, Richard B. Berry, James D. Geyer, Clinical Sleep Disorders, Lippincott Williams Wilkins, 2012

Jazz Dance :: essays research papers

Afterreading the article on jazz dance, I had found out a number of interestingthings that I hadnt known before. I thought it was a dance form that wasfairly new, starting in the early 1900s. I then found out that it actually pre-dates all the way back to theseventeenth century. I also thought itcame from the United States, when it really originated in Africa and wasbrought here by the slaves. The dancingand drumming was such a part of their lives; it was eventually continued by theslaves on the plantations with dancing and the clapping of their hands forrhythm. It was used as a form ofentertainment, as well as enjoyment, and sometimes, even for competition. It wasaround the 1830s when the song and dance of the Africans began being performedin theaters, called Minstrel shows,but the dancers were actually white. Then in the 1860s, blacks were finally aloud to perform in these shows. They became very popular and then diedout in the early 1900s, which lead the way for new shows. The most popular of these being the Vaudeville show. The Vaudeville show, presented a numberof different acts with all different cultures of people and dance, whichencouraged diversity. It served as aprofessional school, a training ground and an experimental station for dancersdestined for Broadway, nightclubs and film.-Richard Kislan. The Vaudevilleera began the emergence of jazz music, which mixed ragtime and blues. The dancers would then begin to connect tothe condensed rhythms of jazz music. Nowjazz incorporates a gathering of styles and movement, which can mean a lot ofdifferent things to different people. When welearned jazz dance in class, I found it hard to keep up at first. I liked the way it looked, when someone whoknew what they were doing, was dancing. I remember changing directions a lot. I also noticed while dancing that you use pretty much every part of yourbody. I thought I would be good at it,considering I am an athlete, and I am tune with my body. But I wasnt, I just felt like so manydifferent things to remember. Maybe if Ipracticed it more, I could pick it up. What I didlike about jazz dance, is how free it is. It really gives you the opportunity to express yourself. Even the guy who came in to instruct us wastelling everyone to perform the moves in your own style. Since we didnt really have any jazz music, Ifound it hard to keep rhythm.

Ball corporation Essay

1. How do you think a small margin for error affects communication on a project? I think that it can affect the zero error margins. By not listening and paying close attention to the information, room for error can occur. Also after knowing that there zero room for error the people working on the project will pay close attention to any communication. 2. In what ways do you act differently in a face to face meeting than you do during a telephone conference call? I have not have the experience, but may I feel that the difference would be that during a conference call, the person who is talking will not be able to see and body expression thus thinking that everything is okay. In a face to face call the person that relates the info can see anybody that might not agree and ask why they might feel this way. 3. Why is it written communication essential in some situations (such as conveying specifications), while oral communication is essential in others (such as technology interchange transfers)? Written communication sometimes is a necessity it’s like having an architect and telling the contractor what to do. It will be quite hard for the contractor, because he might know where to start; miscommunication and the architect might have other projects. So it might be easier to have the plans on hand and the contractor can go over it several times to ensure the building is coming along to specification. The oral communications are just simple decision that will be agreed upon not really giving any numbers because it will be harder to explain in detail than having the plan in front. 4. What listening hurdles do you find yourself facing as you listen to others? How do you handle it when you believe someone you’re speaking to is not hearing what you say? Some hurdles I find myself facing would be distractions, such as watching the T.V. and having a conversation with the family a lot of communication can be lost by trying to listen to both at the same time. I have found several ways to combat this issue, one that the text give is asking questions to see if the audience is listening. Another that I have learned from my supervisor were if there are people talking during a speech he brings the attention to the coworkers by asking everybody to pay attention to them because I guess there conversation is more important than the information that is being given, he then proceeds back to the information. I have seen this one work several times.

The Life History of Elvis Presley

Elvis Aaron Presley was born into a poverty stricken family on January 8, 1935. He and his twin brother (Jessie Garon who died at birth) were the sons of Vernon Elvis Presley and Gladys Love Smith Presley. Gladys Smith gave birth in two-room house built by her husband and her brother – in -law. His way of life was rough in Tupelo, Mississippi where he was born. He was born during the Great Depression. Elvis and his parents attended the Assembly of God Church; the music and preaching registered very deeply in Elvis. In 1945, ten year old Elvis stands on a chair at a microphone and sings † Old Sheep † in a contest at the Mississippi – Alabama Fair and Dairy Show, which was held in Tupelo. Elvis wins second prize, which was $5. 00 and free admissions to all rides at the fair. In 1946, Elvis's parents couldn†t afford the bicycle that Elvis wanted, so Gladys talked him into accepting a guitar instead. The guitar cost $12. 95 and was purchased at the Tupelo Hardware Company. He and his family moved to Memphis, Tennessee in 1948 to pursue a better life. They lived in low – income housing. He buys his clothes on the famous, Beadle Street, and he absorbs the gospel and blues that he hears there. Elvis graduated from Hughes High School in 1953. He recorded an album for his mother as a present at Sun Records in 1954. In late 1955 his recording contract was sold to RCA Records. The songs that he recorded was † My Happiness and â€Å"That's When Your Heartaches Begin†. Sam Phillips, finally calls him in to record â€Å"Big Boy† Crudup's † That's All Right† and song was backed by â€Å"Blue Moon of Kentucky†. By 1956, he was an international sensation. With a sound and style that uniquely combined his diverse musical influences and challenged the social and racial barriers of the time, he began a whole new style of music. He was highly criticized for his music that had African American roots and his swiveling hip movements. Elvis was a total original! August 15, 1955, Elvis signs a management contract with Hank Snow Attractions, which was equally owned by Snow and Colonel Tom Parker. Colonel Tom Parker will be Elvis' manager from this time to the time of his death. Snow, soon is no longer connected to Elvis. On November 20, 1955 Elvis signed his first contract with RCA Records, which will be his label to the time of his death. Colonel Parker negotiated the sale of Elvis's contract to RCA, which included Elvis's first five singles with SUN and unreleased material of SUN. The final price was a whopping $40,000 with $5,000 bonus. No artist at that time was paid that much. September 9, 1956 † Elvis Presley Day† was proclaimed in Tupelo, Mississippi. December 31, 1956, the front page of the Wall Street Journal reported that Elvis' merchandise had grossed $22 million in sales. This would be forever part of the market of Elvis Presley, and non- – stopping never ending demanded. Elvis buys Graceland Mansion for himself, his parents, and his great – grandmother to live in on March 1957. It would be ready for them to move into by April of 1957. After two successful films, Elvis began work on â€Å"Jailhouse Rock† for MGM in May 1957. October 17, 1957; † Jailhouse Rock † premiered in Memphis. Jailhouse Rock† would come to be known as the ultimate classic of all â€Å"rock opera† movies. The â€Å"Jailhouse Rock † production number in the film would be later be recognized as the grandfather of pop and rock music videos, a music format that would become a widely popular by the 1980's. Many women were crazy over him, and were saddened when he was drafted into the army in December of 1957. March 24, 1958 Elvis was inducted into the United States Army at the Memphis Draft Board and was assigned the serial number 53310761. In August of 1958, Gladys Presley dies of acute hepatitis. She was laid to rest at Forest Hill Cemetery, a few miles down the road from Graceland, but later her body was moved back to Graceland after Elvis' death. He was stationed in West Germany. That is where he met Priscilla Ann Beaulieu. March 1960, he was discharged from the army. After he was discharged, he missed Priscilla. He asked Priscilla to move in with him at his legendary home, Graceland in the year of 1963. They married on May 1, 1967 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They spent their honeymoon in Palm Springs, California. On their honeymoon Priscilla got pregnant with their only child, Lisa Marie Presley. Lisa was born on Feb. 1, 1968. The busy schedule of concert tours left very little time for his family. Priscilla filed for divorce and which went though on October 9, 1973. Elvis and Priscilla made a court appearance. Priscilla was awarded custody of Lisa Marie, there is no formal visitation, but Elvis and his daughter would spend time together regularly. He loved spending time at Graceland with family and friends having backyard barbecues and riding horses. He also enjoyed the times with his daughter, Lisa Marie, at Graceland has well. He loved driving his pink Cadillac†s and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycles. After years away from the stage, he final appears on television singing on December 3, 1968 on NBC – TV. This special would be known as the â€Å"Comeback Special†. It was the biggest television hits of the year. Elvis took his crown back as â€Å"The King of Rock and Roll†. You have to remember Elvis comeback during the time of Vietnam War and hippie movement, and Elvis had all things that were not popular. Elvis was against the hippie movement and the Vietnam War. He liked President Richard M. Nixon. During July 31 – August 28, 1969, Elvis was booked for a four-week engagement at the International Hotel in Las Vegas, which was just built, has the largest showroom in the city. The engagement did break all existing Las Vegas attendance records and gets rave review from the public. Elvis opens up what is called his â€Å"Vegas† period. January 1973, Elvis makes television and entertainment industry history with his † Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii – Via Satellite Special â€Å". It was the concert by a performer to be broadcast around the world by satellite. Elvis performed for free to help benefit for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund. Elvis was not know for his charitable events, but Elvis helped local organizations and pay off people's bill silently. The concert was seen by 1/4 of the world's population. It was saw by more American households has than man's first walk on the moon. Never has one performer held the world's attention in such awe. It was definitely one of the greatest moments in his career. He starred in 33 successful films, made history with his television appearances and specials, and knew great acclaim though his many, often breaking, live concert performances on tour and in Las Vegas. Globally, he has sold over one billion records, platinum or multi-platinum awards for 111 different albums and singles, far more than any other artist of group. Among his awards were the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received at the age of 36, from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and his being named One of the Ten Most Outstanding Young Men of the Nation for 1970 by the United States Jaycees. This award is giving to people who are bound for the Presidency of the United States of America. Without any special privileges, he honorably served his country in the United States† Army. Millions loved his talent and good looks, sensuality, charisma, and good humor. Known the thoughout the world by his first name, he is regarded as one of the most important cultural figures of the twentieth century. Elvis Aaron Presley (The King of Rock and Roll died in his legendary home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee on August 16, 1977 of cardiac arrest. Elvis Presley†s death sadden the world for years to come. Elvis also influenced many generations of entertainers and musicians. † Elvis Aaron Presley is one the biggest cultural figures of the twentieth century. With passion and integrity, he has reached the world like no else has. With talent and charisma, his heart and soul embraced it all. His music was diverse: country, gospel, rock, pop, soul, rhythm and blues. He obtains all these assets. He was the true King of Rock and Roll. Elvis sang it all†, said by his former wife, Priscilla Presley on the Elvis: The Tribute (It†s now or never), an ABC special.

Hammer-Headed Bat Facts (Big-Lipped Bat)

Hammer-Headed Bat Facts (Big-Lipped Bat) The hammer-headed bat is a real animal, and its scientific name (Hypsignathus monstrosus) references its monstrous appearance. Indeed, websites and social media describe the hammer-headed bats appearance as the spitting image of a devil and even claim that its a cryptid known as the Jersey Devil. Despite its fearsome attributes, however, this bat is a mild-mannered fruit-eater. Nevertheless, you shouldnt get too close, because its one of three species of African fruit bat believed to carry the Ebola virus. Fast Facts: Hammer-Headed Bat Scientific Name: Hypsignathus monstrosusCommon Names: Hammer-headed bat, hammerhead bat, big-lipped batBasic Animal Group: MammalSize: Wingspan 27.0-38.2  inches; Body 7.7-11.2  inchesWeight: 7.7-15.9 ouncesLifespan: 30 yearsDiet: HerbivoreHabitat: Equatorial AfricaPopulation: UnknownConservation Status: Least Concern Description The hammer-headed bat is a type of megabat and the largest bat native to Africa. Both males and females are grayish brown, with brown ears and flight membranes, and tufts of white fur at the base of the ears. An adult bat ranges from 7.7 to 11.2 in body length, with a wingspan of 27.0 to 38.2  in. Males range in weight from 8.0 to 15.9  oz, while females weigh 7.7 to 13.3  oz. Male hammer-headed bats are larger than females and look so different from their mates that it would be easy to think they belonged to a different species. Only the males have large, elongated heads. Female hammer-headed bats have the fox-faced appearance common to most fruit bats. This hammer-headed bat looks unnaturally large because it is closer to the camera than its handler. Per Se, Flickr The hammer-headed bat is sometimes confused with Wahlbergs epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi), which belongs to the same family but is smaller. Wahlbergs epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) also has a hammer-head face. Michele DAmico supersky77 / Getty Images Habitat and Distribution Hammer-headed bats occur across equatorial Africa at elevations below 1800 m (5900 ft). They favor humid habitats, including rivers, swamps, mangroves, and palm forests. Hammer-headed bat distribution map. Chermundy Diet Hammer-headed bats are frugivores, which means their diet consists entirely of fruit. While figs are their favored food, they also eat bananas, mangoes, and guavas. The bat has a longer intestine than that of an insectivorous species, allowing it to absorb more protein from its food. There is a sole report of a bat eating a chicken, but no carnivorous activity has been substantiated. The bats are preyed upon by humans and birds of prey. They are also susceptible to severe parasite infestations. Hammer-headed bats are prone to infection by mites and Hepatocystis carpenteri, a protozoan that affects the liver. The species is a suspected reservoir for the Ebola virus, but as of 2017, only antibodies against the virus (not the virus itself) have been found in the animals. Whether or not the bats can transmit Ebola infection to humans is unknown. Behavior During the day, the bats roost in trees, relying on their coloration to camouflage them from predators. They pick and eat fruit at night. One reason large bats such as the hammer-headed bat are nocturnal is because their bodies generate considerable heat when they are flying. Being active at night helps keep the animals from overheating. Reproduction and Offspring Breeding takes place during dry seasons for some populations and at any time of the year for others. Most members of this bat species reproduce via lek mating. In this type of mating, males gather in groups of 25 to 130 individuals to perform a mating ritual consisting of wing flapping and loud honking. Females fly through the group to evaluate potential mates. When a females selection is made, she lands beside a male and mating occurs. In some hammer-headed bat populations, males perform their display to attract females, but do not form groups. Females usually give birth to one offspring. The time required for gestation and weaning is unclear, but females are known to mature more quickly than males. Females reach sexual maturity at 6 months of age. It takes males a full year to develop their hammer-head faces and about 18 months before they reach maturity. The bat has a life expectancy of thirty years in the wild. Conservation Status The conservation status of the hammer-headed bat was last evaluated in 2016. The bat is categorized as least concern. Although the animal is hunted as bush meat, it occupies a large geographic range and the overall population has not experienced a rapid decline. Sources Bradbury, J. W. Lek Mating Behavior in the Hammer-headed Bat. Zeitschrift fà ¼r Tierpsychologie 45 (3): 225–255, 1977. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1977.tb02120.xDeusen, M. van, H. Carnivorous Habits of Hypsignathus monstrosus. J. Mammal. 49 (2): 335–336, 1968. doi:10.2307/1378006Langevin, P. and R. Barclay. Hypsignathus monstrosus. Mammalian Species 357: 1–4, 1990. doi:10.2307/3504110Nowak, M., R.  Walkers Bats of the World. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp.  63–64, 1994.Tanshi, I. Hypsignathus monstrosus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T10734A115098825. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T10734A21999919.en