.... increased penetration of computers, particularly multi-media computers equipped with CD-ROM drives and modems, subscription-based services such as America Online (AOL), Prodigy, and Compuserve, where consumers are able to check airline flight schedules and make reservations, purchase a wide variety of products, and discuss product performance with other consumers, are becoming very popular. Households in Chicago and San Francisco can purchase groceries from home using computer software marketed by Peapod, Inc. This latter service allows consumers to search w .....

.... body heat from its own metabolism (Campbells,p899). Because ectotherms do not produce their own heat, they cannot actively ensure their ideal temperature for an ideal metabolic rate (aquacult.htp). In the following experiment, we will attempt to examine the relationship between metabolic rate and environmental temperature in both an ectoderm and an endotherm. I predict that for the ectotherm, the metabolic rate will increase as the outside environment temperature will increase. I also predict that the metabolic rate in the endotherm will remain relatively the .....

.... biological structures on the planet. The Great Barrier Reef, along the eastern coast of Australia, covers over 2000 kilometers and is said to be visible from the moon (Goreau, 1987). While the size of coral reefs can be enormous, their real impact is on a much smaller scale. Reefs function as food and shelter for fish and marine invertebrates. While the coral itself is an animal, through a symbiotic relationship with the unicellular algae, coral becomes the primary producer in its ocean ecosystem (Richmond 1993). The reefs are formed by calcium carbon .....

.... gold. Native platinum contains from 60 to 85 percent pure platinum. The small, irregular grains that contain the ore also contain other rare metals, such as iridium, osmium, palladium, rhodium, and ruthenium. The grains also contain small amounts of iron, copper, chromium, and titanium. A large nugget of platinum will be found only on occasion, like in 1843, a lump weighing over 21 pounds was found in Russia. Russia produces the worlds largest share of platinum-group metals. Other important sources of platinum are located in the Transvaal province in Sou .....

.... depressive illness, it is recognized by alternating depressed and manic episodes. This is an actual brain disfunction. In the major depression or the depressed phase of bipolar illness, a depressed mood predominates, even though the patient may not be aware of feeling sad. Typically, he or she loses all interest in activities. Symptoms include sleep disturbances, not able to concentrate or to make decisions, loss of appetite or greatly increased appetite, slowed thinking and decreased energy feelings of worthlessness, guilt, hopelessness, diminished sexual inter .....

.... how the new electronic technologies will change existing business practices, market structures, and the social habits of the workplace, marketplace, and home. Can we discern how electronic commerce adds value to conventional marketplace transactions, making the Internet a preferred venue for business? Will markets of the future be substantially more efficient, to the extent of being "friction-free?" Or will a new regime of dominant players arise to eliminate competitors and create "winner-take-all" marketplaces? As electronic commerce spreads internationally, .....

.... is referred to as hemp when it is grown for its fibers, stem, and seeds. Its leaves and flowers produce the drugs marijuana and hashish. However, sterile breeds of the plant are still illegal to grow in the U.S. Literally millions of wild hemp plants grow throughout the entire Midwest today. Wild hemp, like hemp used for industry purposes, is useless as an intoxicant. Yet U.S. drug law states that one acre of this can result in the owner being sentenced to death. The death penalty exists for growing one acre of perfectly harmless, non-intoxicating weeds! Hemp .....

.... large, shallow pits dug into the ground, where it is stored until it can be pumped out to irrigate fields. The solid manure sinks to the bottom of the lagoon and is broken down by anaerobic bacteria over several months. The liquid rises to the top and is collected and sprayed over nearby fields. Many problems come with the lagoons. North Carolina is one of the top hog producing states in the country. On June 21, 1995, North Carolina suffered the largest agricultural waste spill in its history: a 7.5-acre, 12-foot-deep lagoon leaked 25 million gallons of h .....