Declining bee populations and its global impact Research Paper

Declining bee populations and its global impact - Research Paper Example â€Å"The findings place a massive question mark over the increasingly controversial compounds, now the fastest growing family of insecticides in the world† (McCarthy). Exposure to the neonicotinoid insecticides is harmful for both the wild bumble bees and the honey bees. The compounds affect the bees by attacking their central nervous system. The quality of neonicotinoids that makes them potentially harmful for the bees is that these pesticides are systemic in nature, which is why they are consumed up by every part of the plant rather than just sitting on the plant’s surface. Like every part, the pesticides are also absorbed by the plant’s pollen as well as nectar. Accordingly, the bees ingest the pesticides as they carry the pollens despite they were not meant to be the original targets. Over the last decade, use of these compounds has caused a â€Å"colony collapse disorder† in the USA which is a condition that causes full beehive population to vanish i n no time. One of the two studies was conducted by the researchers from the University of Stirling. In the year 2010, almost 30% of the total cropland in the UK was treated with pesticides. The second study was conducted by the researchers belonging to the National Institute for Agronomic Research in Avignon in France under the leadership of Mikael Henry. These researchers studied the effects of the bees’ exposure to thiamethoxam which is a neonicotinid product. As a result of their research, the team found that even sub-lethal doses of the neonicotinid product have a serious impact on the homing abilities of the bees of the level that the bees developed a two to three times higher tendency of dying as compared to the untreated bees. The French researchers said, â€Å"Non-lethal exposure... causes high mortality due to homing failure, at levels that could put a colony at risk of collapse† (The French researchers cited in Rose). Since the researches are very recent and no subsequent results have surfaced to support or contradict the findings of these studies, this stage is preliminary to develop an utmost belief in the fact that neonicotinids are harmful for the health of the bees. Nevertheless, they should be avoided until proven harmless by future research. Professor David Goulson from the University of Stirling shares his view about this matter in these words, â€Å"I personally would like to see them not being used until more research has been done. If it confirms what we’ve found, then they certainly shouldn’t be used when they’re going to be fed on by bees† (Goulson cited in Zimmer). Many biologists attribute the decline of bee population to the increase in global warming as it creates the environmental conditions suitable for the growth of such pathogens as fungi, mites, and viruses which are potentially harmful for the bee colonies. In the recent years, frequent fluctuations between the hot and cold weather have been experienced. These weather fluctuations wreak havoc on the bees since they are used to living in the patterns of consistent seasonal weather. The weather sensitive bees cannot survive in the rapidly changing environment. More research is being conducted in order to find the causes of decline of the bee population. According to Galen Dively, an entomologist from the University of Maryland, â€Å"We’re going to see a lot of money poured into this problem. What we’re looking for is some commonality which can lead us to a cause†

Ps I Love You Film Review Essay Example for Free

Ps I Love You Film Review Essay â€Å"Finding someone you love and who loves you back is a wonderful, wonderful feeling. But finding a true soul mate is an even better feeling. A soul mate is someone who understands you like no other, loves you like no other, will be there for you forever, no matter what. They say that nothing lasts forever, but I am a firm believer in the fact that for some, love lives on even after were gone.† This quotation comes from book â€Å"PS I love you†, written by Cecelia Ahern, and perfectly describes the novel. This book is definitely for women, when you read this you can find yourself laughing and crying all at once. Holly and Gerry had a perfect life. They are happily married, they lived in Dublin closed to their friends and family, the world lies at their feet. When Gerry dies, Holly is devastated. At the day of her 30th birthday, the man who was her soul mate, her lover, has left her. The only one who can help her is the person who is no longer there. But before he died, Gerry wrote a series of letters, some kind of guide includes a mission for Holly to get her life back on track. Over the years which they were together Garry has always been the organized one and long before he became sick he joked with Holy that if he died before her, he would leave her a special list of things to do to assure her life ran smoothly without him. And he kept his promise. Holly discovers that her mother has a large envelope for her. One for each of the remaining months of the year. Letters are delivered in surprising ways, each contained a new adventure or challenges and each signing of in the same way: â€Å"P.S. I Love You†. Its a bittersweet tale that not only focuses on death but also celebrates life and the joy that is found in living. And although Holly eventually finds peace through the letters that Gerry has left behind, its her family and friends that play the biggest part in helping her to let go and move on from grief. Hollys mother and best friends begin to worry that Gerrys letters are keeping Holly tied to the past, but in fact, each letter is pushing her further into a new future. Gerrys first instructions are not only to Holly, but also to her best friends, to get out and celebrate Hollys birthday together. Denise and Sharon seem to represent two aspects of life, Sharon is married and is on her way to building a family, while Denise is still single. She is looking for the right guy, but she does not want to waste time, so she has her checklist. She is definitely not shy but the most importantly, she is a good friend. Hollys friend Sharon is married to John, who, as often happens with couples, was Gerrys best friend. John is in a bit of a strange position because he loved Gerry, too, and maybe he is feeling a little left out. John thinks he will never have another friend like Gerry. The next character is The new bartender in Patricias pub, Daniel meets and forms an instant attraction to Holly at, of all places, Gerrys wake. Is interesting, and spontaneous and he says things that are unpredictable, and does not feel the need to apologize if people are taken aback. He becomes a shoulder for Holly to lean on because he is the one person among her friends who didnt know Gerry so theres no reason for him to tread lightly or walk on eggshells when his name comes up, which she finds refreshing. Daniel is brave enough to speak his mind, and I think that is helpful to Holly in dealing with her loss. With Gerrys words as her guide, Holly embarks on a journey of rediscovery in a story about marriage, friendship and how a love so strong can turn the finality of death into a new beginning for life. The tasks range was different, from getting a new job to singing karaoke in front of a nightclub audience. With some help from her friends, and her noisy and loving family, Holly aversely embraces each of the tasks and discovers along the way that she has more inner strength than she could ever have imagined. She also struggle with feelings of guilt when she meets a handsome man who is clearly attracted to her. The love story is told in a unique way. The main character must started to live without her husband. He was the earth she lived, the ground she stepped and air she breathes. She did not have a proper job, she was not ambitious, she did not have any hobbies. Everything she did in her life revolved around Gerry. They were talking about how unpredictable life could be as one didn’t always get what one expected. No matter how many times you read this book, it will always brings you a smile on your lips with tears in your eyes. This is one of those books that make you cry from the time it starts, then later on lifts you up with some comedy, proceeds with an aura of hope and some heart-warming flash-backs. Cecelia Ahern has written this book brilliantly, she describes the emotions and struggle of life. Author also has taught me a valuable lesson about the true meaning of living and the divide between life and death, and gave the lesson about what it takes to lead meaningful and purposeful life. I really enjoyed it book. It is a romance, but it explores a hard issue. I would recommend this book to anyone that loves a good dramatic, and funny fiction story. Of the front of the book you can find a quote: Everyone needs a guardian angel and I hope we all do.

The Many Signs of Dance :: essays research papers

The many signs of Dance "To learn the language of dance, one must perform." That quote is taken from C. Nicholas Johnson, director of dance. In the following paper, I will review the Wichita Contemporary Dance Theater performance that took place April 8-9 at 7:30. I will be reviewing Friday nights performance. As C. Nicholas Johnson said, "In doing so, we hope to encourage personal growth beyond the art itself. Ever since I heard about the Spring Dance Concert, I was very excited to go and be part of that. For some reason that night I thought I was going to be seeing a Ballet concert. So when the first piece came on "Dear Me" choreographed by Cheyla Cabrales, I was in for a real shock. Soloist Stephanie Davis started the show out with a very modern dance, by doing all her moves by simply sitting in a chair. The audience was then surprised with a outburst of dancers right beside them. All over the room there were breaths that were taken at the same time and complete surround dancing. I enjoyed this piece not just for the uniqueness, but for the music and the openness affect it had on me and the audience. The second piece, "Warfaring" choreographed by Janice Garrett, was much more different from the first piece. It was much more brighter, the girls wore green dresses, and the music was fiddles and guitars. It involved 4 dancers, but it seemed like more because they were doing so much work throughout the movement. I liked this piece, it made me smile, because the girls had smiles on their faces as they were dancing. They looked as if they could have danced all day and be completely satisfied. The third piece "Inside Out" choreographed by Nick Johnson, was one of my favorites. "To all my female dance majors...I understand!" That was the quote that was under the piece's title. In my head I was thinking that this was probably going to be a slow emotional dance with soft music. But instead it was very humorous. Nick Johnson was half a women and half a man. The costume was perfect, it was literally haft women and half man. I thought of the act as a "dating" scene. The man being all nervous and wanting the women, but the women showing that she likes him, but making sure he knows that she is in charge.

Spain’s Golden Age Essay

Spain was at its most glorious stately topographic point in the seventeenth Century. at the clip when Miguel de Cervantes wrote his authoritative novel. â€Å"com/english-4-b-calpac/">Don Quixote† . The state had established its settlements all over the universe. commanding Mexico. Peru. Cuba. the Americas. and even traveling every bit far as Asia. in the Philippines. Silver and gold poured in to catapult Spain in economic and political luster. doing it the world’s world power at that clip. Historians call this period the aureate age of Spain. However. it was besides during this glorious epoch that Spain had ruthlessly suffered its inevitable licking. the most popular of which is the devastation of the Spanish armada in 1588. by English forces. Because of this. the state found itself in an untypical. conflicting period. a period wherein a new age was lifting to the surface. a period wherein the state was suspended between magnificence and debasement. While the cause of Spain’s diminution is problematic. one thing is historically certain: its male monarchs were holding problem with pull offing the huge districts. and legion counter events. like the pestilence in Castille that claimed many Spanish lives. contributed to the country’s saddening destiny. Catholicism. Spain’s dominant faith was besides on the diminution. spurring struggles against other faiths like Islam and Protestantism. stemming from the campaigns in earlier history. These notable historical happenings are apparent in â€Å"Don Quixote† . since the novel illustrates the extremely diverse Spanish sociological and political experience at that clip. However. it is Cervantes’ personal experience. sociological and political. that serves as the most powerful beginning of the novel. It contains elements in analogue with the novelist’s ain life ; for case. the Algerian plagiarists looking on the Spanish seashore. the Moors being exiled. the Spanish captives neglecting to get away are similar events in Cervantes’ ain life. Spain: The seventeenth Century Superpower Page 04 The sociological and political construction of seventeenth Century Spain had a direct. powerful influence in the authorship of Spain’s authoritative aureate novel. The Romances: Spain’s seventeenth Century Literary Tradition The dominant literary tradition in this â€Å"golden age† was the knightly love affairs. Spain’s Arts and Humanities were loaded with popular Hagiographas of knights continuing gallantry. The chief characters of these narratives and poetries were knights who set out protecting and salvaging those who are weak. who go from one topographic point to another to make good workss. The love affairs contained melodramatic tones and overdone heroic efforts that the emotions illustrated seemed to be excessively sentimental. and the events portrayed seemed to be excessively heroically impossible. The chief character of the fresh â€Å"Don Quixote. † was besides a knight who set out to salvage people. but he was portrayed in a humourous visible radiation. and his escapades were played out in such a pathetic manner that it was clear the novel is a lampoon. a jeer of the knightly love affairs so popular in Cervantes’ clip. The novel. in this context. was a vituperative commentary of the literary tradition of the love affairs. The upholding of knightly ideals in the novel. nevertheless. produced another commentary on Spain’s seventeenth century literary tradition. this one being rather positive. Cervantes was careful non to assault the codification of gallantry because he himself believed in it. The ideals may be communicated in a humourous mode. and through a humourous character. but the message was quite apparent: the belief in knightly ideals is ne'er incorrect. â€Å"Don Quixote† was a novel that educated its readers at the clip when they most needed such an direction. The diminution of Spain was evident. and yet its literati favored romantic literature which subscribed to impossible efforts and overdone Spain’s Golden Age Page 05 characters. The broad credence and phenomenal success of â€Å"Don Quixote† merely proved that Spain’s literary market genuinely appreciated the enlightenment provided by Cervantes. Springboard for the Novel. â€Å"Don Quixote† The historical context and the literary civilization of Spain in the seventeenth century served as major prompters for the authorship of â€Å"Don Quixote. † We can clearly see that Miguel de Cervantes was greatly influenced by the sociological. political and literary conditions in his clip that he incorporated and used these real-life elements in his novel. Cervantes relied on his societal and political experience to bring forth a literary work that reverberates with sociological and political subjects. subjects which are in perfect consonant rhyme with his real-life scene. Spain’s double status of magnificence and debasement in his clip prompted Cervantes to research the subjects of human individuality and morality. supplying a commentary on the societal mores. More significantly. the novel is rich with historical influences. of events that really happened in seventeenth century Spain. The literary civilization of seventeenth century Spain. on the other manus. played a cardinal function in the authorship of â€Å"Don Quixote. † for really obvious grounds. The knightly love affairs popular at that clip made the novel an interesting. extremist read because it departs from its expression. The characters. Don Quixote and his loyal squire Sancho Panza. embody the knightly ideals upheld by the love affairs. but they besides destroy the image of the impossibly heroic knight by being humourous imitations of gallantry. Furthermore. their pathetic escapades make a jeer of the overdone heroic efforts portrayed in the love affairs. These influences are strongly pronounced in the text of â€Å"Don Quixote† thereby turn outing that Miguel de Cervantes was a author who used his aureate age experience to compose a aureate novel. Spain’s Golden Age Page 06 References Barrio. J. F. ( 2007 ) . The aureate century. Si. Spain. Retrieved November 17. 2007 from SiSpain. org. & lt ; /http: //www. sispain. org/english/language/golden. html/ & gt ; Phillips. B. and Davidson. S. ( 2007 ) . SparkNote on Don Quixote. Retrieved November 17. 2007 from cgi. sparknotes. com. & lt ; /http: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/donquixote/ & gt ; .

Affordable Care Act and Its Controversies

On March 23, 2010 President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA); this date is when the growing debate began. The Affordable Care Act is also commonly known as Obamacare. A large issue between the opposing sides is the future of small business under this bill. â€Å"Many small businesses are going to be absolutely crushed by the provisions in Obamacare that require them to provide expensive health insurance coverage for their employees.† (Snyder, Michael) â€Å"3.2 million small businesses — employing 19.3 million workers nationwide — were eligible last year for tax credits worth $15.4 billion or $800 per employee.† (LOLGOP)These separate articles counteract each other, one claiming that small business is doomed while the other promises a happy future for small business. Another issue between the sides is the fact that neither has a full grasp of the bill and therefore only builds their opinions upon what they like versus dislike of the provisions. T his debate seems to be based between Republicans, who are stereotypically anti-Obamacare and Democrats, who are stereotypically pro-Obamacare. This essay will use different sources to describe the largest provisions and the varying stances on these provisions between the two sides.In Snyder’s article he destroys the ACA and shouts the predetermined catastrophic problems America faces with the ACA. His article is entitled â€Å"15 Reasons Why The Obamacare Decision Is A Mind Blowing Disaster For America.† Through this article, Snyder lists reasons as to why the ACA is a poor decision. Quotes from this article include the likes of, â€Å"It is hard to have any faith in the U.S. Supreme Court,† and â€Å"Supreme Court that is dominated by judges that have very little respect for the U.S. Constitution.†Snyder’s article lists reasons ranging from governmental power, new taxes, and possibly most extreme: decrease in life expectancy in the United States. Finally, this article ends on the note that â€Å"Obamacare will add more than a trillion dollars to government spending over the next decade. Considering the fact that the U.S. government is already drowning in debt, how in the world can we afford this?† The largest issue that people have with the bill is the mandate, which was described by Reddit poster CaspianX2 in a comment thread.The rough description of the mandate is that  it requires a person to have healthcare, and if any person who can afford healthcare chooses not to have it, they can be fined. The Supreme Court tested the constitutionality and through changing the words around a bit, the Court declared it constitutional. (CaspianX2) The biggest anti-Obamacare points include: the increase in governmental strength, the new taxes upon the American people it will impose, the mandate, and governmental spending.â€Å"A Harvard study found that 45,000 Americans die every year for lack of insurance.† (LOLGOP) Thi s shows that though the individual mandate is debated, it shows the pro-ACA viewpoint saves American lives. This article on eclectablog.com gave 18 reasons as to why the ACA is an achievement for the middle class. The healthcare reform puts a vast construct on the changes of insurance companies themselves. â€Å"Insurance companies can no longer cap the dollar amount of care you can receive in a lifetime,† and, â€Å"Health care insurers will no longer be allowed to charge women more than men for their coverage,† are two examples of the changes insurance companies will be facing with this bill.This bill makes insurance more accessible for more people, as the same eclectablog.com article states, â€Å"Up to 30 million Americans who are currently not insured will be covered, saving thousands of American lives.† (LOLGOP) A different article by Joshua Holland, titled â€Å"Up to 30 million Americans who are currently not insured will be covered, saving thousands of American lives,† highlights the concept that people can build different opinions of the bill, depending on how much they know about it. This article offers 10 things the common person may not know about the Affordable Care Act ranging from, the richest Americans will be paying more taxes, to how this bill benefits women, to people getting checks to help pay for their insurance. This article offers these points in a positive-bias perspective.Holland discusses how people with an income over a certain amount will be having a higher tax rate, rather than the lower-than-average rate they have now. This bill, similarly to the article by LOLGOP on eclectablog.com speaks to the idea that insurers can no longer charge women higher than men. Those with an income lower than a certain mark will be getting tax credits and subsidies to help pay for their insurance, is another point of Holland’s in this article. The largest pro-Obamacare points include: the newly regulated equality b etween insurers charging men and  women the same price, the raising or lowering of taxes depending on income, and how much more accessible healthcare is going to be with this bill.Many of the controversies between the sides seem to cancel each other out, where one side says something, and the other says something that directly refutes it. An example of this is with the effect the bill will have on young people. In an article by Brian Klonoski entitled, â€Å"13 Reasons Why Obamacare Sucks So Far,† he states, â€Å"Obamacare is more formally known as The Affordable Care Act, so it should make healthcare more affordable, right? Well, sorta. It definitely makes healthcare more affordable for some people, but it also raises premiums for others — most notably, young, healthy Americans.†In a different article, by Todd Essig, he discusses why Obamacare is good for the young and healthy. The three reasons he lists are as follows: they will have health insurance should catastrophe strike, they’ll get prescriptions for routine care, and they’ll have more skin in the game of self-care. (Essig)Both sides of healthcare reform has extremist opinions, one being that of the tea-party conservatives and the other that of the radical liberals. However, not republicans are anti-ACA and not all democrats are pro-ACA; though, most do fit the stereotype. Whether a person is anti-ACA or pro-ACA, they should learn the in-and-out of the bill, and not just pick and choose which issues to argue and make decisions about. Doing that will lead to well-rounded opinions and eventually, decisions made on this largely debated healthcare reform.

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck

Profile of World War II Colonel General Ludwig Beck Early Career Born at Biebrich, Germany, Ludwig Beck received a traditional education before entering the German Army in 1898 as a cadet. Rising through the ranks, Beck was recognized as a gifted officer and was tapped for staff service. With the outbreak of World War I, he was assigned to the Western Front where he spent the conflict as a staff officer. With the German defeat in 1918, Beck was retained in the small postwar Reichswehr. Continuing to advance, he later received command of the 5th Artillery Regiment. Becks Rise to Prominence In 1930, while in this assignment, Beck came to the defense of three of his officers who were charged with distributing Nazi propaganda on post. As membership in political parties was forbidden by Reichswehr regulations, the three men faced a court-martial. Angered, Beck passionately spoke on behalf of his men arguing that the Nazis were a force for good in Germany and that officers should be able to join the party. In the course of the trials, Beck met and impressed Adolf Hitler. Over the next two years, he worked to write a new operations manual for the Reichswehr entitled Truppenfà ¼hrung. The work earned Beck a great deal of respect and he was given command of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1932 along with a promotion to lieutenant general. Eager to see German prestige and power returned to prewar levels, Beck celebrated the Nazi ascent to power in 1933 stating, I have wished for years for the political revolution, and now my wishes have come true. It is the first ray of hope since 1918. With Hitler in power, Beck was elevated to lead the Truppenamt (Troop Office) on October 1, 1933. Beck as Chief of Staff As the Treaty of Versailles prohibited the Reichswehr from having a General Staff, this office served as a shadow organization that fulfilled a similar function. In this role, Beck worked to rebuild the German military and pushed to develop new armored forces. As German rearmament moved forward, he was officially titled Chief of the General Staff in 1935. Working an average of ten hours a day, Beck was known as an intelligent officer, but one that often became obsessed by administrative details. A political player, he worked to expand his posts power and sought the ability to directly advise the Reich leadership. Though he believed that Germany should fight a major war or series of war to restore its place as a power in Europe, he felt that these should not occur until the military was fully prepared. Despite this, he strongly backed Hitlers move to reoccupy the Rhineland in 1936. As the 1930s progressed, Beck became increasingly concerned that Hitler would force a conflict before the military was ready. As a result, he initially refused to write plans for the invasion of Austria in May 1937 as he felt it would provoke a war with Britain and France. Falling Out with Hitler When the Anschluss failed to cause international protest in March 1938, he quickly developed the needed plans which were dubbed Case Otto. Though Beck foresaw a conflict to eliminate Czechoslovakia and officially advocated for action in the fall of 1937, he retained worries that Germany was not prepared for a major European war. Not believing Germany could win such a contest prior to 1940, he openly began advocating against a war with Czechoslovakia in May 1938. As the armys senior general, he challenged Hitlers belief that France and Britain would allow Germany a free hand. The relationship between Beck and Hitler rapidly began to deteriorate aided by the latters preference for the Nazi SS over the Wehrmacht. While Beck lobbied against what he believed would be a premature war, Hitler chastised him stating that he was one of the officers still imprisoned in the idea of the hundred-thousand-man army imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. Through the summer Beck continued to work to prevent a conflict while also attempting to reorganize the command structure as he felt it was Hitlers advisors that were pushing for war. In an effort to increase pressure on the Nazi regime, Beck attempted to organize a mass resignation of senior Wehrmacht officers and issued instructions on July 29 that as well as preparing for foreign wars the army should be ready for for an internal conflict which need only take place in Berlin. In early August, Beck suggested that several Nazi officials should be removed from power. On the 10th, his arguments against war were relentlessly attacked by Hitler at a meeting of senior generals. Unwilling to continue, Beck, now a colonel general, resigned on August 17. Beck Bringing Down Hitler In exchange for resigning quietly, Hitler had promised Beck a field command but instead had him transferred to the retired list. Working with other anti-war and anti-Hitler officials, such as Carl Goerdeler, Beck and several others began planning to remove Hitler from power. Though they informed the British Foreign Office of their intentions, they were unable to prevent the signing of the Munich Agreement in late September. With the beginning of World War II in September 1939, Beck became a key player in various plots to remove the Nazi regime. From the fall of 1939 through 1941, Beck worked with other anti-Nazi officials such as Goerdeler, Dr. Hjalmar Schacht, and Ulrich von Hassell in planning a coup to remove Hitler and make peace with Britain and France. In these scenarios, Beck would be the leader of the new German government. As these plans evolved, Beck was involved in two aborted attempts to kill Hitler with bombs in 1943. The following year, he became a key player, along with Goerdeler and Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, in what became known as the July 20 Plot. This plan called for Stauffenberg to kill Hitler with a bomb at the Wolfs Lair headquarters near Rastenburg. Once Hitler was dead, the conspirators would use the German reserve forces to take control of the country and would form a new provisional government with Beck at its head. On July 20, Stauffenberg detonated the bomb but failed to kill Hitler. With the plots failure, Beck was arrested by General Friedrich Fromm. Exposed and with no hope of escape, Beck elected to commit suicide later that day rather than face trial. Using a pistol, Beck fired but only managed to critically injure himself. As a result, a sergeant was forced to finish the job by shooting Beck in the back of the neck. Selected Sources World War II Database: Ludwig BeckJVL: Ludwig BeckGerman Resistance Memorial Center: Ludwig Beck

Buddhist Influence essays

Buddhist Influence essays During the Five Dynasties period, between the fall of the Tang and the beginning of the Song Dynasties (960c.e.), conditions of political and military decline greatly affected Chinese artwork. Many artists began associating much of their artwork to scenic and monumental images in nature. Guo Xi, acclaimed one of the greatest Chinese artists of this style, demonstrated these scenic and monumental images in his hanging scroll painting of Early Spring. Xis use of mist, trees, valleys, waterfalls and depth of an overwhelming mountain, which encompasses the piece, is greatly discussed in many of his writings. These historical writings set the framework for much of Xis scenic images. Although Xis images can only be seen through the creativity of his artwork, his writings explain the methods of creating these lifelike scenes. Some of Xis most important methods of creating lifelike pieces are the visual effect of his paintings, which is eminent in his writings on atmosphere and spatial recession. Xi explains three types of distances high distance, deep distance and level distance- that contribute to the continuity and realistic attributes of Early Spring. He also describes the different techniques of drawing from each distance. Looking from the base of the mountain, which Xi describes as high distance (figure 1.1) the viewer can appreciate the grandeur features of the houses, valleys and mountain above. The clear and bright features of the trees, rocks and water at the base give the viewer a sense of closeness. Deep distance (figure 1.2), which is viewed from the front of the mountain, gives the viewer a glance of the mountain from a distance. The mist in the middle of the piece obscures the intricate details of the houses and covers much of the valley entrance. This method of deep distance accom panied by the obscurity of the mist in relation to surrounding objects; giv ...