How to Obtain a Security Clearance

How to Obtain a Security Clearance Ever wanted to get into a building, especially a government building and was asked for security clearance? Maybe you saw someone flash a card and go in while you got stopped at the door.Perhaps your case is different. You saw a highly-paying job and wanted to apply.But one of the requirements listed was a “security clearance,” something you don’t have. But you want the job.So what is a security clearance and how do you obtain it?Much can be derived from the name and the examples given above. A security clearance is an approval to grant access.More specifically, it is an eligibility to access classified information.Since classified information is not for everyone, then access to it must be limited.You’ll notice that this only applies to certain government agencies.Examples of these are the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, the military and the like. Basically, any agency or department dealing with security matters will always employ access control.This is for a good reason. These departments, agencies and contractors working with them, handle sensitive information. The kind of information which touches on national security.Such information is intended only for those working on specific projects.This is why when you apply for a job in such agencies, you will be required to have security clearance.TYPES OF SECURITY CLEARANCESecurity clearance is divided into three types.These differentiate the level of sensitivity of the information whose access is being requested.At the same time, the type of clearance you have will determine which documents you can access.The three types are:ConfidentialConfidential is the lowest classification of sensitivity.This however does not mean that the information is available to anyone with a clearance. It is possible to have the security clearance of a higher level but still be denied access to confidential information.More on this in the classification categories section.Confidential clearance gives you access to confidential information.By definition, confidential information is that which when divulged, could cause damage to the national security of the US.SecretThe marker Secret is used to denote information which when disclosed, could cause serious damage to the national security of the country.Information classified as Secret is usually more confidential than that labeled Confidential.For access to such material, you will need the “Secret” security clearance .Top SecretThis is the highest level of confidentiality that can be labeled on any document or work environment. This is the label for controversial projects or government programs not intended for the general public.Examples include nuclear weaponry, local and foreign intelligence and covert military operations. As such, the “Top Secret” clearance is undoubtedly the one which gives access to the most secretive and sensitive material.The divulgence of “Top Secret” information would cause exceptionally grave dam age to the national security of the country.CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIESThere are other special classifications which are more appropriately referred to as categories. These are often at the “Top Secret” level of classification since they refer to information requiring special handling.These categories can also be found in departments dealing with “Confidential” or “Secret” information. These are not so much of classifications as they are categorization of confidential information. There are two main categories of classified information.Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI)Work environments or documents under this category are highly-sensitive. In many cases, this is higher than “Top Secret” though resides in that classification. The distinction comes in what is known as “Need To Know.”“Need To Know” describes data or material whose access is so sensitive that it can only be granted if necessary.If your work or the task you are working on needs this informat ion, then you will be given access to it. Otherwise, you should not have the knowledge of it.Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) is mostly used within the intelligence and military circles. Having a “Top Secret” badge does not automatically grant you access to such information. You will have to be approved for the access by someone in charge of the information.Often, these materials are accessed through code words. Code words are special words known only to a few people and they are used to allow individual access to sensitive information.Special Access Programs (SAPs)Special Access Programs are labels used to distinguish highly-secretive government projects. These are not open to all and require special badges to access.Access to such is also controlled on a “Need To Know” basis.The existence of these programs may not be acknowledged publicly due to their sensitivity.These programs will usually be found in the Department of Defense though other security agencies may h ave them too.OBTAINING A SECURITY CLEARANCEThe basics aside, how do you then obtain a security clearance? Where do you start and what is the process involved?These are the questions we will answer in this section. You will learn the steps to follow and what happens in every step of the process.Basically, there are four stages in obtaining a security clearance.Find a Job Which Requires a Security ClearanceIf you thought that a security clearance can be acquired by anyone for whatever reason, you are wrong.As you may have noticed from the introductory part of this article, security clearance is only given to the person who needs it.This means that you have to prove that you need it.And how do you do that?By showing that it is required for a job you have been hired to do. This is where some get confused. This is not similar to a letter of recommendation which you look for in advance before applying for a job. Neither do you get clearance so as to be a more attractive job candidate.Sure enough, having a security clearance will make you a more attractive candidate. But that clearance can only have come from a requirement of a previous job. An example of this is the military.Those coming from a military career often have a security clearance that is still active. For that reason, they easily get security-related jobs because there is no wait for clearance to be obtained.The process of getting clearance is itself a lengthy one because of the big number of applicants.Fill the SF-86 FormWith a job which requires a security clearance, the next thing to do is apply for the clearance. You will do this by filling the Standard Form 86 (SF 86).This questionnaire will be used to conduct background investigations to ascertain whether you should be allowed to hold a national security position.It is required that you fill the form with truthful information.Wherever you may not be sure what to write, it is advisable to check with an attorney. This is especially important if you f eel like some questions are too personal.The Investigations StageBeing a security access badge, you can be sure it won’t be given without some background check being done on you.It has to be determined that you are indeed a safe person to allow access to sensitive information.Once your application is received, an investigation will be carried out. This will mostly be in the form of interviews with you and those close to you.Those to be interviewed may also include neighbors, former classmates as well as former spouses or lovers where applicable.Note: Investigations can be quite intrusive. They will seek to unearth any detail of your life which may pose a threat to your handling of sensitive information. More than any other details, those about former relationships rank highest in sensitivity.Whereas you may prefer that such information remains unknown due to its embarrassing nature, you are required to be completely honest. Withholding information may cause you to be denied the cl earance. And in some cases, you may be charged for perjury.The Adjudication StageAfter the investigations have been carried out, next is the adjudication stage. This is the phase where your application is considered for approval.Investigations are used to provide information and verify the truthfulness of the information submitted on the SF-86 form.The adjudication stage has its own guidelines to be followed.There are a total of 13 guidelines for this. Your application will be checked against these to ascertain your eligibility.The guidelines are:1. Guideline A: Allegiance to the United StatesYou must be of unquestioned allegiance to the United States. This primarily determines how willing you would be to cause harm to the country.Involvement, associations or sympathy with activities touching on espionage, sabotage, treason, terrorism etc will deny you clearance.2. Guideline B: Foreign influenceThis covers a broad range of concerns including having family members or relatives who ar e not citizens of the US. You also risk denial if you live with someone connected to foreign governments.Having financial interests in foreign countries which could make you vulnerable to foreign influence is also a concern.3. Guideline C: Foreign preferenceDo you have a liking for another country other than the US?This can be evident through usage of foreign passports, voting in foreign elections, serving in foreign military, residing in a foreign country to meet citizenship requirements etc.4. Guideline D: Sexual behaviorThis can point to many ways in which you may become subject to coercion, exploitation or duress. It also checks for sexual behavior of a criminal nature, addictions and behavior which reflects lack of discretion or judgment.5. Guideline E: Personal conductChecks on your reliability, honesty, willingness to comply with rules and regulations, trustworthiness etc.Red flags could include refusal to cooperate with security processes, omission or falsification of materi al facts, association with people involved in crime etc.6. Guideline F: Financial considerationsIf you don’t meet financial obligations, have been involved in employee theft, tax evasions and the like, you may not be cleared.This means you are not financially stable and may engage in criminal activity.At the same time, unexplained affluence is usually connected to financially profitable criminal activity.7. Guideline G: Alcohol consumptionIf you take too much alcohol then you often exercise questionable judgment, don’t control your impulses and easily disclose information.In that case, you cannot be entrusted with confidential information. 8. Guideline H: Drug involvementUse of drugs (mood and behavior altering substances) can easily impair social or occupational functioning.This can lead to inappropriate disclosure of confidential information. Evidence includes drug possession, cultivation, distribution etc.9. Guideline I: Emotional, mental and personality disordersTesting by a n approved psychologist or psychiatrist will show signs of deficit in your psychological, social and occupation functioning.Patterns of proof of high-risk, irresponsible, aggressive, anti-social or emotionally unstable behavior will work against your application. These are taken to indicate a defect in judgment, reliability or stability.10. Guideline J: Criminal conductHave you committed a single serious crime or multiple lesser offenses? Are there recent allegations of criminal conduct against you? Such will lead to a conclusion that you cannot be relied upon or trusted.11. Guideline K: Security violationsDo you comply with security regulations? Are you on record having violated such regulations deliberately or due to negligence?These points to potential lack of trustworthiness, willingness and ability to safeguard classified information.12. Guideline L: Outside activitiesThese include volunteer or employment with foreign countries or nationals or association with people of foreign citizenship involved in matters like defense, foreign affairs or protected technology.Such may be an influence on you, thus posing a threat to the confidential information which may be in your possession.13. Guideline M: Misuse of Information Technology SystemsThis is all about hacking activities which include illegal or unauthorized access to IT systems and removal of hardware, software or media of this nature.It also covers illegal or unauthorized modification, destruction or denial of access to information residing in an IT system.STATUSES IN THE APPLICATION PROCESSIn the course of your application review, different statuses may be assigned to your file. These indicate where your application stands in the process of approval or denial.These are mostly used internally to determine what action is currently being taken on the application. The statuses include the below.Action PendingThis label shows that the investigation to your application has not yet started. You are among those waiting in line for an available investigator to take up your file.Alternatively, you may have been assigned an investigator but he is yet to start working on your application.Often, this is simply due to the backlog since the applications received before yours have to be dealt with first.You will therefore have to exercise some patience before it’s time to handle yours.Eligibility PendingThis is a more favorable state for your application to be in compared to the “action pending” state. This label on your file indicates that the investigations to your application are complete.With that completion, what remains is a review which happens in the adjudication stage.The information provided by the investigations will be considered against the guidelines above.This is what will inform the eligibility of your security clearance. It is likely that there are some applications to be handled before yours but the backlog here might not be as big as that in the investigations stage.No De termination MadeIn the event that the adjudicator requires more information before giving a determination on your application, this is the label which will be on your file.More information may be sought from the investigator or it may simply be a case of a suitable determination being awaited.Position of TrustThis label indicates that you have been granted access to classified information. The grant is usually at the level requested. This could be Confidential, Secret or Top Secret.The full process of investigation and adjudication have shown that you are capable of being trusted with sensitive information.THE INTERIM SECURITY CLEARANCEIt might interest you to know that there is also an option of obtaining an interim security clearance.This option exists for those situations in which you need to start working in a short time and cannot wait the usual duration of the process.This comes in the backdrop of the fact that clearance approval normally takes a lot of time.There are also man y pending applications and newer applicants may end up waiting for some time. Source: Clearance JobsSince clearance is necessary before you start working, your new employer may require that you start working soon. For this reason, you will need an interim security clearance.This may or may not be granted. There is no guarantee.If granted, it will be during the early days of the investigation stage. The clearance will last until the adjudication of your application is done.If clearance is granted to your application, then the interim becomes nullified as you get the confirmed security clearance. If security clearance is denied, then you lose the interim clearance.Interim clearances are provided for the level requested in your application. If you applied for Secret security clearance, then it will granted for that level of sensitivity.There are some limitations to the interim clearance too.If you have an interim clearance for the Confidential and Secret levels, then you cannot access Restricted Data, NATO Information, and COMSEC information.An interim clearance for the Top Secret level will give you access to these types of material, but only at the Confidential and Secret levels.PERIODIC INVESTIGATIONSIf you finally get the clearance, feel free to celebrate. Congratulations.The government deems you trustworthy enough to handle sensitive information.Keep in mind though that your clearance is subject to re-investigations.This may come from your own application so as to keep the clearance current. It can also be as a result of implementing policies.Such policies seek to ensure that those with clearance remain eligible to hold them.The Confidential clearance is re-investigated after every 15 years. The Secret clearance is re-investigated after 10 years while re-investigating the Top Secret clearance is done after 5 years.CONCLUSIONObtaining a security clearance is not difficult, but may take time. The clearance however is often a gateway to a well-paying job.Nonetheless, you should remember that honesty in the process is key. Do not lie about anything asked about.In case you find it challenging and need help clarifying on anything, especially at the SF-86 form stage, it is advisable to consult an attorney.He can also advise on any information you feel you wouldn’t want to reveal. This will help you explain things in case it comes up later as an omission.

How to Conjugate the Italian Verb Ricevere (To Receive)

The Canadian Jazz Scene By John Sherwood - 1196 Words

It’s not every day that you’ll have a concert that starts off with a fire alarm and ends in a fire alarm as well. With the Brock U Encore! Concert â€Å"The Canadian Jazz Scene† presented by John Sherwood, on February 10th, 2017 that is exactly how it went. You could say that it was letting you know that the night was going to be an interesting one ahead. Alongside John Sherwood, his co-musicians were Kevin Turcotte (trumpeter), Patrick Collins (bassist), Terry Clarke (drummer), and Mike Murley (saxophonist). Before the concert started there was the sound of the fire alarm filling the FirstOntario Performance Art Center. Once the fire alarm was turned off we could enter the theater and take our seats. Once the concert began, Sherwood came out†¦show more content†¦Which makes sense that Turcotte and Murley would be able to get along so well with their music because they have played music together before in the past. One of which was back in Toronto at The Rex in 2013, who also had Clarke playing the piano. When the song was finally done, the quintet stopped for a bit to discuss which song that they would want to play next, which fit into the concert because Sherwood did say at the beginning of the concert that the entire concert would be improvised. Once they concluded together, Sherwood came back to the mic and explained that they will be doing a B-Bop version of Charlie Parker Ornithology. He then gave a bit of history of B-Bop, explaining that it is a song or songs written over older songs, to give them a new and refreshing sound to them. The song started off extremely powerful the drum coming forward as one of the main instruments being heard when the middle of the song came from everyone slowed down before only the drum was the only instrument to be heard by the audience. Clarke slowed down and created a new tempo, that almost seemed misplaced from the previous half of the song, once he started to gain the tempo from the previous half, all the other musicians started to join in al ong with the song, regaining speed matching the harmony that they had created at the beginning of the song. Once the third song was

Prototype Free Essays

Prototype Theory Rosch (1976) has proposed an alternative to the view that concepts are com ¬posed from sets of features which necessarily and sufficiently define instances of a concept. Rosch proposes that concepts are best viewed as prototypes: a ‘bird’ is not best defined by reference to a set of features that refer to such matters as wings, warm-bloodedness, and egg-laying characteristics, but rather by reference to typical instances, so that a ‘prototypical bird’ is something more like a robin than it is like a toucan, penguin, ostrich, or even eagle. This is the theory of prototypes. We will write a custom essay sample on Prototype or any similar topic only for you Order Now As we saw in the preceding section, individuals do have ideas of typical instances of colors, and these ideas are remarkably similar among vari ¬ous cultural groups. Such similarity in views, however, is found not only in reference to birds and colors. A variety of experiments has shown that people do in fact classify quite consistently objects of various kinds according to what they regard as being typical instances; for example, (1) furniture, so that, whereas a chair is a typical item of furniture, an ashtray is not; (2) fruit, so that, whereas apples and plums are typical, coconuts and olives are not; and (3) clothing, so that, whereas coats and trousers are typical items, things like bracelets and purses are not (Clark and Clark, 1977, p. 64). The remarkably uniform behavior that people exhibit in such tasks cannot be accounted for by a theory which says that concepts are formed from sets of defining features. Such a theory fails to explain why some instances are consistently held to be more typical or central than others when all exhibit the same set of defining features. Hudson (1996, pp. 75-8) believes that prototype theory has much to offer sociolinguists. He believes it leads to an easier account of how people learn to use language, particularly linguistic concepts, from the kinds of instances they come across. He says (p. 77) that: a prototype-based concept can be learned on the basis of a very small number of instances– perhaps a single one– and without any kind of formal definition, whereas a feature-based definition would be very much harder to learn since a much larger number of cases, plus a number of non-cases, would be needed before the learner could work out which features were necessary nd which were not. Moreover, such a view allows for a more flexible approach to understanding how people actually use language. In that usage certain concepts are necessarily ‘fuzzy,’ as the theory predicts they will be, but that very fuzziness allows speakers to use language creatively. According to Hudson, prototype theory may even be applied to the social situations in which speech occurs. He suggests that, when we hear a new lin ¬guistic item, we associate with it who typically seems to use it and what, appar ¬ently, is the typical occasion of its use. Again, we need very few instances — even possibly just a single one — to be able to do this. Of course, if the particular instance is atypical and we fail to recognize this fact, we could be in for some discomfort at a later time when we treat it as typical. Prototype theory, then, offers us a possible way of looking not only at how concepts may be formed, i. . , at the cognitive dimensions of linguistic behavior but also at how we achieve our social competence in the use of language. We judge circumstances as being typically this or typically that, and we place people in the same way. We then tailor our language to fit, making it appropriate to the situation and the participants as we view these. (Wardhaugh, Ronald. 1998. An Introduction to Sociolinguistics. 3rd ed. Blackwell Publishers Ltd. pp. 232-2 33. ) How to cite Prototype, Essay examples

Rappaccinis Daughter Fall From Grace Essays - Bereshit, Adam And Eve

Rappaccini's Daughter Fall From Grace Analytical Essay: Rappaccini's Daughter In the literal sense, Nathaniel Hawthorn's Rappaccini's Daughter is the story about the rivalry between two scientists that ultimately causes the destruction of an innocent young woman. However, when the story is examined on a symbolic level, the reader sees that Rappaccini's Daughter is an allegorical reenactment of the original fall from innocence and purity in the Garden of Eden. Rappaccini's garden sets the stage of this allegory, while the characters of the story each represent the important figures from the Genesis account. Through the literary devices of poetic and descriptive diction, Nathaniel Hawthorne conveys the symbolism of these characters, as well as the setting. The story takes place in mid-nineteenth century in Padua, Italy and revolves around two major settings; the mansion of an old Paduan family, and Rappaccini's lush garden. The mansion is described as, high and gloomy?the palace of a Paduan noble? desolate and ill-furnished? This description establishes a dark mood throughout the story. Hawthorne writes, One of the ancestors of this family?had been pictured by Dante as a partaker of the immortal agonies of his Inferno? The allusion of Dante refers to The Divine Comedy and the Inferno describes the souls in Hell. Furthermore, Baglioni converses with Giovanni in this mansion chamber and tries to manipulate him in his attempt to destroy Rappaccini. In a sense, the dark and gloomy mansion symbolizes the domain of evil. The second major setting is the garden. The author uses poetic diction to describe Rappaccini's garden. Hawthorne writes, There was one shrub in particular?that bore a profusion of purple blossoms, each of which had the lust er and richness of a gem?seemed enough to illuminate the garden, even had there been no sunshine?some crept serpentlike along the ground or climbed on high? In this passage, the author depicts the liveliness and beauty of the garden in an almost fantasy-like way, a fantasy too good to be true and destined to end tragically. Hawthorne directly compares this beautiful garden to Eden when he writes, Was this garden, then the Eden of the present world? Thus, Rappaccini's garden symbolizes the setting of the initial fall of man. In Rappaccini's Daughter, the original sinners, Adam and Eve, are represented by Giovanni Guasconti and Beatrice Rappaccini. Giovanni symbolizes Adam in the sense that he is shallow and insincere. When Giovanni first sees Beatrice, he is love struck. Hawthorne uses poetic diction when he writes, ?the impression which the fair stranger made upon him was as if here were another flower?as beautiful as they, more beautiful than the richest of them. This passage describes Giovanni's feelings towards the beautiful Beatrice. However, later we see that Giovanni's love was actually lust when the student discovers that he has been infected by Beatrice. The author writes, Giovanni's rage broke forth from his sullen gloom like a lightning flash out of a dark cloud. 'Accursed one!' cried he, with venomous scorn and anger Giovanni becomes enraged and blames Beatrice of this accidental infection. Similarly, Adam blames Eve of their disobedience when he is confronted by God. Adam does not show compa ssion towards his wife but instead, like Giovanni, lashes out with anger against Eve. Hawthorne's critical and unsympathetic tones toward Giovanni are evident when he uses descriptive diction to explain him. Hawthorne writes, ?his spirit was incapable of sustaining itself at the height to which the early enthusiasm of passion had exalted it; he fell down groveling among earthly doubts, and defiled there with the pure whiteness of Beatrice's image. In this passage, Hawthorne shows that Giovanni's love was actually lust and his tone toward Giovanni is critical. In contrast, Hawthorne portrays sympathetic and reverent tones towards Beatrice. The author uses poetic diction to describe the beautiful young woman. He writes, ?arrayed with as much richness of taste as the most splendid of the flowers?bloom so deep and vivid that one shade more would have been too much?redundant with life, health, and energy? Beatrice is described as a part of nature and vivacious. She has been isolated from the world and the world she lives in only consists of the garden. She has a child like innocence and is very na?ve. She even states, I

Mind Travel

Mind Travel Free Online Research Papers Jamaica Kincaid’s â€Å"What I Have Been Doing Lately† and Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s â€Å"Kubla Khan† by comparison seem to share a similar theme. The narrators in both stories take the reader with them as they travel through a realm of delusion. Both authors give a depiction of a dream using vivid imagery, in which they both tell his or her story from a first-person point of view, giving the reader a fantastical description of the landscape. One of the most noticeable elements in kincaid’s short story is that of reality versus fantasy. The story begins with the narrator in bed, which perhaps implies that the story is a capricious dream. There are many details in this short story that depicts this idea. The narrator gives many descriptions that support this idea such as, the narrator describes how the landscape changes as the narrator passes through it and includes the detail that years passed as the narrator waited on the banks of the body of water. The narrator tells the reader of â€Å"Looking at the horizon again, I saw a lone figure coming toward me, but I wasn’t frightened because I was sure it was my mother† (244). The narrator discovered that the figure was a woman, and not the narrator’s mother. The woman said â€Å"’it’s you. Just look at that. It’s you’† (244). Although the woman recognized the narrator, the narrator did not recognize her. The woman asked, â€Å"’ and what have you been doing lately?’† (244). The narrator contemplated on how to answer the question and comes up with several different answers including, â€Å"I could have said,† â€Å"’I have been praying not to grow any taller’† (244), which implies that the narrator is tall. One answer in which the narrator contemplates finally tells the gender of the narrator, â€Å"I could have said,† â€Å"’ I have been listening carefully to my mother’s words, so as to make a good imitation of a dutiful daughter’† (244); this statement concludes to the reader that the narrator is a woman. Rather than answer the woman’s question using one of these answers she has conjured up in her mind, the narrator decides to tell the woman her story from the beginning, in which starts in the bed. The narrator essentially covers the same story twice: first when the recounted events ostensibly happen to the narrator and then when she answers the woman who asks her what it is she has been doing lately. However, the story does not place any of the events that take place within any specific time periods or national boundaries. The story carries the reader through diverse terrain, which may in fact exist only within a dream. In comparison, the narrator in Coleridge’s poem takes the reader on a drug-induced trip through Paradise in a dream. Referring to Paradise as Xanadu the narrator speaks of In Xanadu did Kubla Khan A stately pleasure dome decree: Where Alph, the sacred river, ran Through caverns measureless to man Down to a sunless sea. (1-5) This passage imparts that the narrator is describing a place he has imagined in his mind, a place that he has imagined in a state of euphoria. In the next passage the narrator uses vivid imagery to describe to the reader the landscape surrounding him: So twice five miles of fertile ground With walls and towers were girdled round: And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills, Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree; And here were forests ancient as the hills, Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.(6-11) Furthermore the speaker is repeating the contrasting images of the â€Å"sunny pleasure-dome†, and the â€Å"caves of ice† (36). The speaker gives his evaluation of the phenomenon depicted in the preceding lines; he terms it as a â€Å"miracle† (35), an unexpected event of a super- natural kind, and, at the same time, as based upon a very strange kind of design or plan â€Å"of rare device† (35). The poem contrasts a man-made, earthly paradise, which proves unable to resist demonic forces and is destined to be destroyed, with a true form of Paradise. The contradiction comes in the â€Å"sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice.† Because light is associated with heat, and ice with winter and death, this contradiction is both mystical and confounding. By using this fantastic image, the dome becomes once again a prison of nature, where the dome is warm, yet amidst the frigid caverns that lay beyond it or even as a part of it. From this point on, the pleas ure dome becomes a point of nostalgia for the speaker, and will be a point of reference to describe the extraordinary and ultimately unobtainable in the real world. In comparison both narrators speak of the beautiful landscape that surrounds them, however using vivid imagery they also describe dark places perhaps even demonic places that they visited in their dreams. In a sense the reader of Kincaid’s short story and Coleridge’s poem might get the impression that both authors are describing Heaven and Hell here on Earth. Both narrators’ language reflects a detachment from bizarre events in which they tell in a reportorial fashion. In the same way both authors use symbols and allegory to depict to the reader a fantastical dream. In Kincaid’s short story and Coleridge’s poem it is hard for the reader to pinpoint a specific theme, each tell a tale of supernatural events and describe mystical landscapes in which gives the reader a clear vision of surreal happenings. I have concluded that the only theme for both the story and the poem is that each author is describing a whimsical dream. In both the story and poem ea ch author take the reader on a journey through their imagination. Kincaid , Jamaica. â€Å"What I Have Been Doing Lately.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed, Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2007. 243-245. Coleridge, Taylor, Samuel. â€Å"Kubla Khan.† Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. Ed. Edgar V. Roberts and Henry E. Jacobs. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River Pearson, 2007. 767-768. Research Papers on "Mind Travel"The Masque of the Red Death Room meaningsHip-Hop is ArtHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows EssayAnalysis Of A Cosmetics AdvertisementStandardized TestingComparison: Letter from Birmingham and CritoHonest Iagos Truth through DeceptionWhere Wild and West MeetCanaanite Influence on the Early Israelite ReligionThe Spring and Autumn

Blister Beetles, Family Meloidae

Blister Beetles, Family Meloidae Few North American species of blister beetles will actually cause blisters, but its still smart to be cautious when handling members of the beetle family Meloidae. Theres some debate over whether blister beetles are pests (because the adults feed on many agricultural crops and can be hazardous to livestock), or beneficial predators (because the larvae ​consume the young of other crop-eating insects, like grasshoppers). Description Blister beetles look superficially similar to members of some other beetle families, such as the soldier beetles and darkling beetles. Blister beetles, however, do have some unique features that will help you identify them. Their elytra appear leathery and soft, rather than rigid, and the forewings wrap around the sides of the beetles abdomen. The blister beetles pronotum is usually cylindrical or rounded, and narrower than both the head and the base of the elytra. Most adult blister beetles are medium in size, although the smallest species measures just a few millimeters in length and the largest can reach 7 centimeters long. Their bodies are generally elongate in shape, and their antennae will be either filiform or monofiliform. While many are dark or drab in color, particularly in the eastern U.S., some do come in bright, aposematic colors. Look for blister beetles on flowers or foliage. Classification Kingdom – AnimaliaPhylum – ArthropodaClass – InsectaOrder – ColeopteraFamily - Meloidae Diet Adult blister beetles feed on plants, particularly those in the legume, aster, and nightshade families. Although rarely considered a major crop pest, blister beetles do sometimes form large feeding aggregations in plants. Many blister beetles consume the flowers of their host plants, while some feed on the foliage. Blister beetle larvae have unusual feeding habits. Some species specialize in eating grasshopper eggs, and for this reason, are considered beneficial insects. Other blister beetle larvae eat the larvae and provisions of ground-nesting bees. In these species, the first instar larvae may hitch a ride on an adult bee as it flies back to its nest, and then settle in to eat the bees offspring. Life Cycle Blister beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, like all beetles, but in a somewhat unusual way. The first instar larvae (called triungulins) usually have functional legs, well-developed antennae, and are quite active. These young larvae need to move because they are parasitoids and must find their hosts. Once theyre settled in with their host (such as in a bee nest), each successive stage is typically less active, and the legs gradually diminish or even disappear. This larval development is referred to as hypermetamorphosis. The final instar is a pseudopupa stage, during which the beetle will overwinter. Depending on the species and environmental conditions, the blister beetle life cycle may last as long as three years. Most species will complete a full life cycle within one year, however. Special Behaviors and Defenses Blister beetles are usually soft-bodied and may seem vulnerable to predators, but they arent defenseless. Their bodies produce a caustic chemical called cantharidin, which they exude from their leg joints when threatened (a defensive strategy called reflex bleeding). Meloid species with high levels of cantharidin can cause skin blisters when handled, giving these beetles their common name. Cantharidin is an effective repellent for ants and other predators but can be extremely toxic if ingested by people or animals. Horses are particularly susceptible to cantharidin poisoning, which can occur if their hay feed is contaminated with blister beetle remains. Range and Distribution Blister beetles are most diverse in arid or semi-arid regions of the world, though widely distributed. Globally, blister beetle species number close to 4,000. In the U.S. and Canada, there are just over 400 documented blister beetle species. Sources: Borror and DeLongs Introduction to the Study of Insects, 7th edition, by Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson.Bugs Rule! An Introduction to the World of Insects, by Whitney Cranshaw and Richard Redak.Beetles of Eastern North America, by Arthur V. Evans.Family Meloidae – Blister Beetles, Bugguide.net. Accessed online January 14, 2016.Blister beetle, Texas AM University Department of Entomology website. Accessed online January 14, 2016.Blister Beetles: Pest or Beneficial Predator?, Washington State University Fact Sheet (PDF). Accessed online January 14, 2016.