Analyzing The Outsider An Metamorphosis English Literature Essay

Analyzing The Outsider An Metamorphosis English Literature Essay In The Outsider by Albert Camus and The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, both authors utilize the protagonist’s distinct characteristic and central theme to evoke sympathy in the readers for Gregor Samsa and Meursault, which will be explored in a deeper context in the essay. Both protagonists have their own characters which defines them as a person. Readers will be replete with sympathy knowing that the protagonists’ misfortunes were a result of their characters. Themes are used to express ideas and are employed by authors as a literary device to bring forth basic elements in any story. The main theme in both books bring into light the more significant context of what the story focuses on, hence drawing the readers closer to presiding events which affects the protagonist, and ultimately brings forth the sympathy we feel. When Meursault kills an Arab he is adjudicated not for his murder, but for â€Å"burying his mother like a heartless criminal† (p93) after discove ring he was enjoying and having fun on the day after his mother’s death. As it is common for people to mourn for the loss of a loved one, the lack of concern he has towards his mother’s death differ from the social norms. Meursault was punished for his insensitivity as the Prosecutor talked about Meursault’s attitude towards his mother â€Å"much longer† (p98) than â€Å"about his crime† (p98). He was tried for not expressing regrets or showing emotions during the trial simply because he did not feel any of it, staying truthful throughout even if it affected his fate. Therefore, this elicits sympathy in readers as he in incapable of relating to others, conveying how his nonchalance led to his downfall as the trial placed a sole focus on his character instead of the crime he committed. In The Metamorphosis, Gregor’s altruistic character is illustrated from the very beginning of the novella, portraying how he hates his â€Å"grueling job† (p3) as a travelling salesman, experiencing the â€Å"torture of travelling, worrying about changing trains, eating miserable food at all hours† (p4) when he actually desired to quit a long time ago. Yet, Gregor only has his job in mind as he has no intention of letting his family down. More notably, despite his sufferings he sacrifices his time and freedom of choice profusely by continuing with his job which he loathes so much just to provide his family with â€Å"such a life in so nice an apartment† (p21) and to pay off his parents’ debt. Sadly, when he transforms into a vermin, his family repays his devotion by neglecting him, and â€Å"swallow their disgust and endure him† (p38). His family feels the need put up with the revolting sight of Gregor and bear with his vermin form, thus exposing their ungratefulness. Gregor is no longer of any use â€Å"since his transformation forces him to stay in his room†Ã‚   [ 1 ]   He eventually dies from the guilt of burdening his family because of his inability to provide for them and also because he lost his final link to his family- Grete, his sister and closest family member-when she agrees Gregor is burdensome. Hence, we sympathize for him as Gregor is neither thanked nor appreciated for his selfless acts, but instead shunned by his family- his natural source of love and support.

Business Intelligence Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Business Intelligence - Research Paper Example mpares and contrasts IBM and Tableau business intelligence software while evaluating how large companies handle BI implementation; the role of BI in competitive advantage and organizational strategy; organizational management of change during new information system implementation; and a summary of a case study of a company that implemented BI Solution. Large enterprises using Cognos gain from using elements such as reports, analysis, scorecards, and dashboards for monitoring the performance of their businesses, analyzing trends, and measuring results. This way, businesses have the capability and information needed to make better decisions and approach their services with a service-oriented architecture that has both ease of management and deployment. Other benefits of Cognos business intelligence are mobile BI, collaborative BI, and real time monitoring. In terms of trend analysis and results measurement using Cognos BI, large businesses benefit from the software’s capability to be used with relational and multidimensional data sources from different vendors. For instance, Cognos BI products can integrate with NCR Teradata, Oracle, Microsoft, and SAP, to present web-based service oriented architecture (SOA). Though IBM Cognos is designed for large companies, Cognos Express is meant for mid-sized companies to allow companies to take advantage of features such as budgeting, forecasting, and planning functions. Furthermore, Cognos 10, integrates with Lotus Connect and SPSS predictive analysis, and mobile capability that allows users to access to full version of Cognos from their smartphones and tablets (Lodestar, 2013). However, IBM Cognos is known for very slow performance in preparing active reports with large datasets and one is required to only use small data sets, and apply query filters to return only the values of interest. Secondly, Cognos BI does not drill through functionality when applied in active reports viewed off line. Thirdly, active reports do not

Fiscal Policy Simulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Fiscal Policy Simulation - Essay Example In 2008, however, as the economy continues to expand, inflation has surged up to 10.05%. A very high figure from the previous years, to address the inflation is the major aim of the government. In order to address the inflation, the government has adopted a contractionary fiscal policy, which entails decrease in expenditure for infrastructure of 600 million, decrease in spending in the educational programs, and decrease in the income tax rate. The effects of these changes include a taming of the inflation rate, down to 5.30%. However, as what economics is about, there is always a tradeoff—because of the decrease spending, unemployment rate increases from 3.53% to 4.35%. Lastly, real GDP decreases from 42.00 billion to 41.32 billion in 2008. In 2009, as the economy continues to approach its potential output, inflation continues to be beyond the acceptable level. In order to curb down inflation and bring it down, the government has to adopt contractionary policy by decreasing spending in educational programs by 400 million. This change lowers real GDP from 42.00 billion to 41.35 billion. This aims to curb down inflation rate from 42.00 billion to 41.35 billion. However, due to decrease in spending, unemployment is expected to increase from 3.53% to 4.32%. b. Erehwon’s marginal propensity to consume is 0.8, which means that for every dollar the consumers receive, 0.8 cents are spent. Given this, the multiplier of the economy is computed by using the formula 1/1-mpc. With a computed mutliplier of five, for every change in the components of aggregate demand, the overall economy expands five times. Let us examine the first situation. In the first situation, the government spending for infrastrucue is 300 million, and 100 million for educational program. This increases the aggregate demand not by 400 million, but by the increase multiplied by the

A Day as a Physical Therapy Volunteer :: Community Service, Service Learning

As usual, John is late. Because the other two Physical Therapists (PTs) are busy on their rounds, I just wait, sitting on the therapy tables reading the assorted pamphlets that are available to the patients. Every part of the body is represented in these books on the shelf. A slight humming sound comes from the air conditioner. The freshly waxed tile floor reflects the light that shines from the ceiling tract lights. Since I am a volunteer, the lowest on the totem pole of health care, I have no specific duties. Mainly, I observe the work of the PTs. I also assist in cleaning the immaculate therapy room. As I wash down the tables with ammonia, trying not to inhale too many fumes, a Dr. Riddel is paged over the hospital intercom. Then someone else is paged, "Thomas Lykins to front desk. Thomas Lykins to front desk." Front desk actually means office, and usually social workers are paged to clear up some problem. I also stock the linen closet. Every patient who lies on the big brown therapy table has to be on a sheet with at least 2 or 3 towels nearby. The towels feel rough and course from years and years of reuse. Everything gets the ammonia treatment, including the silver parallel bars, the whirlpool and the giant rubber gym balls that are used with patients who have bad backs. Suddenly, the door swings open and all of the sounds from the nearby emergency room flood into the room. John has returned from his lunch break. He brings a patient to the gym to work on the bars. Hunched in her wheelchair, staring at the ground, her gray hair a mess, she shakes slightly. I think, "Can’t the PTs feel the coldness in this room? Maybe their white lab coats keep them warm." John says, "Paige, this is Mrs. Meyer. She is going to walk the bars today." He asks, "Aren’t you, Mrs. Meyer?" All that Mrs. Meyer can do is mumble "Yes, I hope." Mrs. Meyer had a stroke, her second. John tells me privately so that she can’t hear. She seems to be in a state of confusion about where she is and who we are. John wheels Mrs. Meyer to the silver parallel bars and helps her stand. Slowly talking very quietly, he assures her that he will not let her fall, if she can’t balance herself. I stand behind her, as instructed by John.

Is Routine Circumcision of Infants Ethical?

History of Circumcision: Reviewing the history of circumcision and the many misguided reasons for its practice will help form an understanding of the multifaceted issues concerning routine infant circumcision. Some of the earliest evidence of male circumcision comes from Egypt around the year 3000 BC. However, researchers studying this practice do not understand or agree on its purpose. Some researches believe that circumcision was a form of branding for slaves while others thought it to be from the priestly class as a form of religious ritual. But when is more pertinent to this argument is that the early Greeks and Romans outlawed male circumcision believing it to be a barbaric form of mutilation of male genitalia. The first documented purpose for circumcision is in the Old Testament Scriptures (Gen 17:10) concerning the covenant between Abraham and God, representative of the relationship between Israel and Yahweh. According to the governing doctrinal resource for Catholics worldwide, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the explanation for Old Testament circumcision is in section 1150. 1150 – †¦Among these liturgical signs from the Old Covenant are circumcision, anointing and consecration of kings and priests, laying on of hands, sacrifices, and above all the Passover. The Church sees in these signs a prefiguring of the sacraments of the New Covenant. † The circumcision of Jesus in the New Testament explains that when Jesus came, as the fulfillment of prophecy that the new covenant manifested through th e innocent blood of Jesus replaces once and for all the old covenant through Father Abraham. There is no longer a need for animal sacrifices and the early Christian community determined that baptism was to be the new sign of the covenant. â€Å"527- Jesus' circumcision, on the eighth day after his birth, is the sign of his incorporation into Abraham's descendants, into the people of the covenant. It is the sign of his submission to the Law and his deputation to Israel's worship, in which he will participate throughout his life. This sign prefigures that â€Å"circumcision of Christ† which is Baptism. Routine infant circumcision in the United States became prevalent in the Victorian age (1840) and reached its height during the Cold War (1940) when technology, hospitals, and modern medicine sought to institutionalize the birthing process. Including more than 90% of boys, infant circumcisions became so routine that doctors performed the procedure without actually receiving consent from the parents. Parents not desiring the process for their sons were considered negligen t. Given the history and the misguided reasons for practicing routine circumcision, â€Å"Why would a parent authorize, a doctor perform, or an insurance company pay for, the routine circumcision of infants? † A. Health Reasons- certainly it would be ethical to surgically remove the penis foreskin of a male infant if in some way it presented a health risk; there is no real argument here. B. Tradition-for generations, infants have undergone various procedures under the reasoning of â€Å"tradition. From binding feet in Japan (which has been banned) to piercing ears, and stretching necks, tradition plays a large part in the decision for circumcision. Many men, who like their own fathers were circumcised as infants, think that their child in turn might as well be circumcised too. However, is there any real thinking going on here at all? I argue that just because everyone else jumps off a bridge, is that any reason for you to jump off as well. Religious Beliefs- I would have to say yes, it is ethical to have a child circumcised if you are following a true religious belief. The parent who has legal authority over their child may choose (and in fact is morally obligated to choose) to do what they believe is in the best interest of the child. Therefore, for the Jews who believe that the outward sign of circumcision establishes their child in a covenantal relationship with God; they are well within their ethical right and responsibility to have their sons circumcised. Freedom of religion is one of the building blocks of our free nation. Circumcision mentality: Today thanks in part to our mass media; modern society is ruled by prevailing mentalities. These pervasive mindsets allure us to what appears to be the benefits of circumcision, while completely obscuring any possible negative ramifications. The mentality is permeated into societal norms, which are almost impossible to resist, and are most difficult to correct. An accepted societal mentality is further driven by force of habit. Among other things, we live in a society that assumes that a male infant in the United States is routinely circumcised. Seldom are discussions of the pros and cons of the procedure brought to the attention of the parent, unless the parent specifically requests it. Even then, the doctor may say, â€Å"It is not medically necessary but if the boys father has been circumcised, then you should probably have your son circumcised as well†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦or â€Å"you wouldn’t want him to look different than his friends when he becomes a high school student in the locker room. † Medical Ethics: When looking into medical ethics, the Oath of Hippocrates standard for medical professionals since 400 BCE shed some additional light onto the situation. From the Oath: â€Å"I do solemnly swear by whatever I hold most sacred, that I will be loyal to the profession of medicine†¦that I will exercise my art, solely for the cure of my patients and the prevention of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Therefore, considering the Hippocrates oath, a routine circumcision of an infant male does not fall into the category of â€Å"†¦curing a patient, and the preventing of disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Why then would doctors perform such an unnecessary procedure Catholic Theological Ethics: As a student of Theology, from a Roman Catholic perspective I have yet to hear a discussion concerning the morality of circumcision. However after researching the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) under the subtitle â€Å"Mutilation of body parts† section 2297 reads, â€Å"Except when performed for strictly therapeutic medical reasons, directly intended amputations, mutilations, and sterilizations performed on innocent persons are against the moral law. † VI. Personal Ethics: Each parent possesses the God given right to make certain decisions on behalf of their young children who cannot make these decisions themselves. A good example is immunizations; no infant has the capability to make this decision, so the parent, in the child’s best interest makes the decision to have the child immunized. I am a mother of four sons, born in the years 1983, 1985, 1991 and 1992. Although the father of the boys was circumcised however, none of our boys is circumcised. To this day, none of them has ever had trouble of any kind, nor has it been an issue in the locker room. The decision to leave the boys as they were born, uncircumcised, was based on the fact that it was not a medical necessity, that anesthetic was not used (they had just been traumatized in birth), and that there was a possibility of complications from the procedure. Parents need to take a more proactive stance in researching the pros and cons of the procedure, and should spend at least as much time and energy on this decision as they do in picking out a new car! VII. Objective – If the objective of the National Organization of Circumcision of Infants Resource Center is to reduce the number of routine circumcisions performed, I believe that to pursue this objective through legal channels alone would be fruitless. Big government has more than enough authority in dictating to families what they can and cannot do for their children. Your best bet would be to lobby the insurance companies. Perhaps you could demand coverage for an elective surgical procedure such as having your breasts enlarged and when they tell you no that it is just a cosmetic or optional procedure, sue them for discriminatory practices. The last thing an insurance company wants is a class action lawsuit. It would be simple for them to simply take routine infant circumcisions off their list of covered procedures. In addition, a non-covered expense for an unnecessary procedure may prompt parents to give this issue closer consideration. D. Moral Law: Next, one must consider which law is the governing authority in your life. The Moral Law operates under a set of religious beliefs. Found within the moral law are the Jewish Law, and the Christian Law (for the sake of brevity we will not mention other religious groups here). The Jewish Law of Circumcision establishes a covenant between God and Abraham (Gen 17:10), representative of Yahweh and Israel. The Christian Law comes into effect with the birth of Jesus. Jesus becomes the new sign of the covenant, with the Baptism of infants as the effective cause. Concerning Civil Law under which all persons are bound; it has little criteria for establishing ethical arguments. One may ask questions of the law: if allowing an un-anaesthetized circumcision is lawful, and what recourse would a child have if the procedure causes permanent damage to the male organ but these are considered civil, not ethical. Additionally, why would an insurance company pay for such an unnecessary procedure (when so many don’t pay for many true necessities)? Perhaps it should be regarded as â€Å"elective surgery† and therefore it would be a charge paid for entirely by the parent requesting the procedure, not as an â€Å"ordinary and customary† procedure paid for by the insurance companies. However, the Hebrew people alone practiced the circumcision of infants on the 8th day after birth. The child’s father, using a flint knife, preformed circumcision

Workability For Concrete Specimens Finance Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1354 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Finance Essay Type Research paper Did you like this example? The results of compressive strength for concrete reinforced by adding 2.5 of wastes cigarette butts (W.C.B) by volume are present in this chapter. In this study, three type of mixing concrete mixes will be designed for constant grade 30 but using different percentage of water to cement ratio (w/c). The w/c is 0.55, 0.60 and 0.65 were conducted. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Workability For Concrete Specimens Finance Essay" essay for you Create order In this present study, there are attempt in utilize of cigarette butts in fired clay bricks conducted by Aeslina et al., 2010. Four variables of mixing are using different percentages of cigarette butts which are 0%, 2.5%, 5.0% and 10.0% by weight. The compressive strength test shows that the strength decreases with the increasing proportion of cigarette butts. The compressive strength test determines the maximum load that the specimen could sustained over cross sectional area at ages 134 days. Workability for Concrete Specimens Workability test include slump test, vebe test and compacting factor test. In this study, each of the tests was conducted to test three types of mix which have w/c 0.55, w/c 0.60 and w/c 0.65 and a control mix of w/c 0.55. The results of all the tests were tabulated in Table 4.1, Table 4.2 and Table 4.3 respectively. Slump Test for Concrete Specimens Table 4.1 shows the result of slump test for three types of different w/c specimens with constant amount of W.C.B and a control mix specimen that without the W.C.B contents. Control mix specimen gave a 70mm of slump which is the lowest slump value compare to the other specimens that mixed with W.C.B. For specimens with w/c 0.55, w/c 0.60 and w/c 0.65, their slump values were 85mm, 120mm and 150mm respectively. It was shown that the w/c of 0.65 has the highest slump and highest workability in this study. Figure 4.1 illustrated the result of slump test for different mix specimens. Table 4.1: Results of Slump Test for Different Mix Specimens Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Slump (mm) Control Mix 70 0.55 85 0.60 120 0.65 150 Figure 4.1: Results of Slump Test for Different Mix Specimens Vebe Test for Concrete Specimens Table 4.2 shows the results of Vebe test for three types of different w/c specimens with constant amount of W.C.B and a control mix specimen without the W.C.B content. There was 3.20seconds of Vebe obtained for the control mix specimen, which is the highest among other specimens. For w/c 0.55, there is 3.05s while for w/c 0.60, 2.70s was obtained. Specimen with w/c of 0.65 has the lowest Vebe which has only 2.25s which has the highest workability. Figure 4.2 illustrated the result of Vebe test for different mix specimens. Table 4.2: Results of Vebe Test for Different Mix Specimens Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Vebe (s) Control Mix 3.20 0.55 3.05 0.60 2.70 0.65 2.25 Figure 4.2: Results of Vebe Test for Different Mix Specimens Compacting Factor Test for Concrete Specimens Table 4.3 shows the results of compacting factor for three types of different w/c specimens with constant amount of W.C.B and a control mix specimen without the W.C.B content. It was clearly shown that control mix has low compacting factor due to the large percentage of deviation 0.957% that is from 16.3kg to 15.6kg. Specimen with w/c 0.65 gave the lowest deviation 0.994% which is from 16.3kg to 16.2kg, hence it has highest compacting factor. For specimens of w/c 0.55 and w/c 0.60, their deviations were 0.982% and 0.988% respectively. Figure 4.3 illustrated the result of compacting factor test for different mix specimens. Table 4.3: Results of Compacting Factor for Different Mix Specimens Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Weight (kg) Percent of Compacting% Before After Control Mix 16.3 15.6 0.957 0.55 16.7 16.4 0.982 0.60 16.6 16.4 0.988 0.65 16.3 16.2 0.994 Figure 4.3: Results of Compacting Factor for Different Mix Spe cimens Compressive Strength for Concrete Specimens The compressive strength test is carried out to determine the strength of the concrete cube with additional of waste cigarette butts (W.C.B) at ages 7, 14 and 28 days. The compressive strength was calculated using Equation 3.2 as mentioned in chapter 3. Three different mix of water cement ratio (w/c) were considered namely as Mix A (w/c 0.55), Mix B (w/c 0.60) and Mix C (w/c 0.65). A control mix with w/c 0.55 and no cigarette butt content was tested in order to compare the results from the specimens with Mix (A, B and C). Effect of Water to Cement Ratio on Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 7 days Table 4.4 shows the result of compressive strength for different w/c mix with addition of 2.5% of waste cigarette butts (W.C.B) by volume at ages of 7 days. Figure 4.4 illustrated that the compressive strength of concrete due to different mix at age 7 days. The results show that the compressive strength was decreasing with the increasing of water cement ratio (w/c). Compressive strength of 14.53MPa was obtained for w/c 0.55, 14.51MPa for w/c 0.60 and 10.91MPa for w/c 0.65 while the control mix achieved 19.00MPa. It is noticed that the compressive strength for w/c 0.55 is 14.53MPa which is decreases by 23.5% compared to the compressive strength of control mix. For w/c 0.60, it decreases by 23.6% while for w/c 0.65, it decreases by 42.6%. Table 4.4: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 7 days Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Compressive Strength (MPa) 1 2 3 Average Control Mix 17.99 19.49 19.52 19.00 0.55 14.31 15.01 14.17 14.53 0.60 14.38 14.65 14.51 14.51 0.65 10.08 11.32 11.34 10.91 Figure 4.4: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 7 days Effect of Water to Cement Ratio on Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 14 days Table 4.5 shows the result of compressive strength for different w/c mix with addition of 2.5% of waste cigarette butts (W.C.B) by volume at ages of 14 days. Figure 4.5 illustrated that the compressive strength of concrete due to different mix at age 14 days. The results show that the compressive strength was decreasing with the increasing of water cement ratio (w/c). Compressive strength of 17.55MPa was obtained for w/c 0.55, 17.16MPa for w/c 0.60 and 11.81MPa for w/c 0.65 while the control mix achieved 20.37MPa. It is noticed that the compressive strength for w/c 0.55 is 17.55MPa which is decreases by 13.8% compared to the compressive strength of control mix. For w/c 0.60, it decreases by 15.8% while for w/c 0.65, it decreases by 42.0%. Table 4.5: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 14 days Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Compressive Strength (MPa) 1 2 3 Average Control Mix 21.22 20.38 19.52 20.37 0.55 19.61 16.5 5 16.50 17.55 0.60 19.76 15.82 15.89 17.16 0.65 11.26 12.35 11.82 11.81 Figure 4.5: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 14 days Effect of Water to Cement Ratio on Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 28 days Table 4.6 shows the result of compressive strength for different w/c mix with addition of 2.5% of waste cigarette butts (W.C.B) by volume at ages of 28 days. Figure 4.6 illustrated that the compressive strength of concrete due to different mix at age 28 days. The results show that the compressive strength was decreasing with the increasing of water cement ratio (w/c). Compressive strength of 19.11MPa was obtained for w/c 0.55, 18.07MPa for w/c 0.60 and 15.47MPa for w/c 0.65 while the control mix achieved 22.42MPa. It is noticed that the compressive strength for w/c 0.55 is 17.55MPa which is decreases by 14.7% compared to the compressive strength of control mix. For w/c 0.60, it decreases by 19.4% while for w/c 0.65, it decreases by 31.0%. Table 4.6: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 28 days Water to Cement Ratio (w/c) Compressive Strength (MPa) 1 2 3 Average Control Mix 23.00 23.60 20.67 22.42 0.55 19.19 19.1 7 18.98 19.11 0.60 17.49 17.52 19.19 18.07 0.65 15.42 15.47 15.51 15.47 Figure 4.6: Compressive Strength for Concrete Due to Different Mix at Ages 28 days t-Test Analysis for Compressive Strength at Ages 28 days The summary of t-test analysis for control mix is presented in Table 4.7. Since the null hypothesis stated that there was no statistically significant different between control mix and w/c 0.55, the analysis result failed to reject the null hypothesis as indicated by: tstat lt; tcrit (3.69lt;4.30) and P gt; Icirc;Â ± (0.07gt;0.05). Therefore it can be concluded, at 95% confidence level, there was no significant difference between control mix and the specimen which w/c is 0.55 as the alternative source material. Table 4.7: t-Test: Two-Sample Assuming Unequal Variances W/C C/M 0.55 Mean 22.42333 19.11333 Variance 2.395633 0.013433 Observations 3 3 Hypothesized Mean Difference 0 df 2 t Stat 3.693722 P(Tlt;=t) one-tail 0.033055 t Critical one-tail 2.919986 P(Tlt;=t) two-tail 0.066109 t Critical two-tail 4.302653 Acirc;

Facts and Figures About Plesiosaurus, the Long-Necked Marine Reptile

As you may already have surmised from its name, Plesiosaurus is the eponymous member of the family of marine reptiles known as plesiosaurs, which were characterized by their sleek bodies, wide flippers, and relatively small heads set at the end of long necks. These Mesozoic reptiles were once famously described as looking like a snake threaded through the shell of a turtle, although it was quickly established that they didnt have shells and were only distantly related to modern testudines. Plesiosaurs were closely related to, but distinct from, pliosaurs, contemporary marine reptiles possessing thicker torsos, shorter necks, and longer heads. The eponymous member of the pliosaur family was – you guessed it  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Pliosaurus. Like all marine reptiles, Plesiosaurus was not technically a dinosaur, having evolved from different antecedents in the reptile family tree. Theres a lot we still dont know about Plesiosaurus, which, like many name brand prehistoric reptiles, is much less well understood than the family to which it gave its name. (For a terrestrial parallel, think of the enigmatic Hadrosaurus and the well-known family of dinosaurs to which it belonged, the hadrosaurs, or duck-billed dinosaurs). Discovered very early in paleontological history by the pioneering English fossil hunter Mary Anning in 1823, Plesiosaurus created a sensation back in the early 19th century. Scientists at the time didnt quite know what to make of this 15-foot-long, 120-million-year-old beast. However, Plesiosaurus wasnt the first marine reptile to be discovered in England; that honor belongs to the distantly related Ichthyosaurus. The Lifestyle of Plesiosaurus Plesiosaurs in general, and Plesiosaurus in particular, werent the most accomplished swimmers, ​since they lacked the hydrodynamic builds of their bigger, meaner and more streamlined cousins, the pliosaurs. To date, its unknown whether Plesiosaurus and its ilk lumbered onto dry land to lay their eggs or gave birth to live young while still swimming (though the latter is the increasingly favored possibility). We do know, however, that plesiosaurs went extinct along with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, and have not left any living descendants. (Why is this important? Well, many otherwise well-meaning people insist that the putative Loch Ness Monster is actually a plesiosaur that survived extinction!) The heyday of the plesiosaurs and pliosaurs was the middle-to-late Mesozoic Era, especially the late Jurassic and early Cretaceous period; by the end of the Mesozoic Era, these marine reptiles had been widely supplanted by even more vicious mosasaurs, which likewise succumbed to the K/T Extinction 65 million years ago. The big fish/bigger fish template applies throughout evolutionary history; an argument has been made that mosasaurs partly went extinct because of the increasing diversity and dominance of sharks, the best-equipped marine predators yet evolved by Mother Nature. Name: Plesiosaurus (Greek for almost lizard); pronounced PLEH-see-oh-SORE-us Habitat: Oceans worldwide Historical Period: Early-Middle Jurassic (135-120 million years ago) Size and Weight: About 15 feet long and 1,000 pounds Diet: Fish and mollusks Distinguishing Characteristics: Long neck; tapered body; blunt flippers; small head with sharp teeth