Name Micah Delo Essays - Harry Houdini, Spiritualism, Escapologists

Name: Micah Delo Title of Book: The Great Houdini; Magician Extraordinary Author: Beryl Williams and Samuel Epstein Publisher: Julian Messner Where Published: New York When Published: 1966 Number of pages: 178 1. Who is the subject of the book? The subject of my book is Ehrich Weiss, also known as the ?Great Houdini?. 2. What aspects of the book made it enjoyable? Well I really liked some of his tricks and famous escapes. I also liked the way he and his wife never quit trying to find a circus or act to play at. They never got down on themselves for not getting an act to play at. 3. State the subject's most outstanding personality trait. Cite evidence from the book to support your statement. Houdini's most outstanding personality trait was his perseverence. Once, when Ehrich was desperately trying to promote the act he called The Houdini Brothers, which was most unsuccessful. His failures were particularly discouraging with the death of his father, shortly after the new career was launched. He was left with increased sense of responsibility for his family and especially for his mother. He refused to give up. Another time he got an act at Tony Pastor's show. Just about the best show around. He performed better than he ever had. When he asked Mr. Pastor for an endorsement the man pulled out a sheet of paper and wrote, ?Satisfactory and interesting?. He took Mr. Pastor's statement to a dozen agents, but the agents just nodded and handed it back. He didn't give up, and several weeks later he got an invitation to perform with Welsh Brothers' Circus. Finally, he di dn't even get down on himself for having to run errands at a supermarket for most of his early life to get money to eat and pay the rent. 4. Give frank criticism of the story including reasons for your statements. In some parts of the book the sentences ran on forever. When I reached the end of them, I found them to be pointless. 5. Write a summary of the book. Highlight the person's successes and failures. Ehrich Weiss was born on April 6, 1874. Just a few months before the Weiss family had moved to the United States from Hungary. They settled in Appleton, Wisconsin. In Hungary his father was a highly respected teacher; but here in Appleton it was different. Here he was a stranger and ignorant of many things they themselves took for granted. Ehrich took his professional surname from that of the French magician Jean Eugene Robert- Houdin. Houdini began his career in 1882 as a trapeze performer. Later he became famous for his performances of feats of magic. He showed great ability in extricating himself from handcuffs, ropes, locked trucks, and bonds of any sort. At one time he had himself tied and them locked in a packing case, which was bound with steel tape and dropped into the harbor off the Battery in New York City. Houdini appeared on the surface of the water in 59 seconds. Houdini attributed all his feats of magic to natural, physical effects. He also explained how many of his tricks were performed. He exposed the tricks of fraudulent spiritualistic mediums, often producing ?spiritualistic? phenomena himself that he explained in nonmystical, physical terms. Before he died, Houdini arranged a definitive test of spiritualism. He devised a ten-word code that he would communicate to his wife, if possible, within ten years after his death. After he died, various mediums maintained that they were able to establish contact with him, but none was able to transmit to his wife the prearranged code. He left his library of magic, one of the most valuable in the world, to the Library of Congress. Among his writings are The Unmasking of Robert- Houdin, Miracle Mongers and their Methods, and A Magician Among the Spirits. A selection of his writings, Houdini on Magic, appeared posthumously in 1954. He performed until his death in 1926.

Ryan Buckley Essays - Neuroscience, Sleep, Biology, Insomnia

Ryan Buckley Essays - Neuroscience, Sleep, Biology, Insomnia Ryan Buckley Eng. 105 9:40-11:10 11/28/17 Sleep Deprivation of the 21 st Century In a rapidly evolving American society, people are sleeping less and less. Yet, due in part to the economic strength of the pharmaceutical industry, they are often not receiving proper treatment. And the larger cultural forces at work, crucial for understanding 21st century sleep, are rarely considered to be a causal factor. Sleep is very complex. In fact, scientist do not even understand why our bodies really need sleep. What is known is that there are many different individual and social factors that are related to the amount people sleep, including age, homeostatic traits, anxiety and depression, medical conditions, alcohol and drugs, and . While sleep deprivation and insomnia are both related to insufficient sleep, they are two qu ite different things. Increased sleep deprivation, or sleep deficit, has sometimes been described as a symptom of the recent decrease in leisure time in American society. Working hours have increased during the second-half of the 20th century, along with sharp growth in American productivity and growth. A doubling of productivity could have translated into both higher incomes and decreased working hours, yet today employees rarely have a choice between getting paid in time or money. Instead, Americans, rel ative to the past, work more, earn more, and spend more. This focus on work and consumption over leisure time has brought an increased "time squeeze." While this is especially true for the average American woman, the time squeeze cuts across gender , social class, and marital status. Moreover, the recent growth of digital media and smartphones has dramatically raised productivity expectations and blurred the line between work and personal lif e. This decrease in free time and increased pace of life and stress has brought with it reduced sleep, with real consequences for physical and mental health, performance at work, and quality of life. For example, in the 1960s, the average amount of time A mericans spent sleeping was between 7 and 8.5 hours a night, while today 50% of the population averages under 7 hours, and, according to a 2008 survey, 1 out of 3 Americans say they get a good night's sleep only a few nights a month or less. Research sho ws that negative consequences of sleep deprivation include increased risk of physical problems such as diabetes, infection, and cardiovascular disease; excessive daytime sleepiness; microsleep episodes during waking hours; lapses in concentration, attentio n, memory, and judgment; reduced creativity and mental flexibility; increased irritability; and decreased motivation, interest, and initiative. Additionally, automobile driving skills suffer and several major accidents have been linked to sleep deprivation , underlining the seriousness of the issue as a public safety hazard. Insomnia, as opposed to sleep deprivation, is defined by the World Health Organization as a problem in falling and/or maintaining sleep. Severity is usually determined by the amount of time it takes to fall asleep and the duration of awakenings, as well as frequency and duration of sleep difficulties. Most people, at some point or another, experience acute insomnia in life; this is normal and must be distinguished from persistent insomn ia that lasts more than a month. Hyperarousal and hypervigilance around sleep are key factors in persistent insomnia. Several psychological and quality of life symptoms appear to be caused by insomnia. These include daytime fatigue and emotional dis turbances such as irritability, anxiety, depressed mood, and helplessness. Longitudinal studies suggest that persistent insomnia may be a risk factor for developing clinical depression. Somatic complaints such as gastrointestinal and respiratory problems, headaches, and non-specific aches and pains are also linked with insomnia. Interestingly, cognitive impairments resulting from insomnia, such as those in attention, concentration, and memory, appear to be more limited than those resulting from sleep depri vation.