Annotated Bibliography (fashion) Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

(style) - Annotated Bibliography Example The office makes light of her demise and denies that the model had a dietary problem. This article from the New York Times reports that numerous secondary young men that take steroids do it to upgrade their self-perception to pull in young ladies. It expresses that many are not associated with sports by any means. This is significant on the grounds that it expels the factor of the competitor utilizing them to improve a vocation. This article is proof that it is being finished by young people for vanity purposes as it were. The creator likewise records the high potential for various genuine reactions. This article will commend the Kroichick and Stephens article on a similar theme. Kroichick, Ron, and Mitch Stephens. All the more High School Athletes Risking Steroid Use. San Francisco Chronicle 2 Nov. 2003. 19 Mar. 2007 . This article covers the quantity of secondary school understudies who are assessed to be taking steroids. It cites the main expert on steroid use in youngsters. It will connect to the Egan article to show the heightening quantities of adolescents who take body improvement drugs. The Nowak article is a hotspot for the quantity of individuals who look for plastic medical procedure. It separates the numbers by sorts of medical procedure. It additionally covers the level of patients who experience the ill effects of a psychological issue. This will associate with the article in the American Journal of Epidemiology that reports high self destruction rates among plastic medical procedure patients.

Black and white people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Highly contrasting individuals - Essay Example Booker T. Washington comes into the open spotlight just because to introduce key note discourses as an incredible crusader for the progress of the Negroes. At first the minorities individuals imagined that his main impetus was enemies of whites campaign ,so the gave him love and cheered him with the desire that he would revile and put further belittling of the whites ,anyway he had shock for all, whites and the hued ,in light of the fact that his thoughts were unmistakably solidified on the need of kinship and backing from the two gatherings and the participation between the races. His fantasies and wants were that the hued and the poor be concurred equivalent possibility throughout everyday life and that they associate in equivalent measures as their white siblings and as individuals from an all inclusive race. The command of Booker T. Washington came when the nation was recouping from war and the fixation had moved to the improvement of the country’s economy and there was the feeling of unconscious and faltering on the best way to deal with the children of the freedmen. Mr. Washington comprehended the dealings of the south since his introduction to the world days and the entirety of his activities and thoughts were outfitted at the profiting of the populace from the south and the north in equivalent measure. The insight and love utilized by the training framework utilized by this Negro crusader left numerous his adversaries befuddled and created him and his thoughts into a faction. Despite the fact that there was the advancement of certain people turning out to be enemies of his belief systems and endeavoring all methods for changing the brains of individuals from him, the rationales and general advantages of his thoughts made his work to get colossal increases among the whites and the shaded. Notwithstanding the dangers to his prominence emerging from those against his philosophies to the whites for example eating with President Roosevelt, Mr. Washington proceeded with resolute to advocate for the settlement of each other between the northerners and the southerners. This prompted his acknowledgment in all the parts of the world

Animal Essays (1984 words) - Meat Industry, Animal Welfare

Creature Languishing At the point when you go out to eat and take a gander at your thick and delicious T-bone steak what do you consider? At the point when you take a gander at that ravishing mink coat in the division store what is experiencing your psyche? At the point when you here that tobacco smoke causes disease in lab creatures what is the principal thing that rings a bell? Odds are that in every one of these cases you were not considering how the dairy animals endured while it was being filled out, ho excruciating the snare was that gotten those mink, or on the other hand the conditions those lab creatures cap to suffer to build up that disease. Most individuals don't consider these things. Be that as it may, in this paper, you will be illuminated on the torment and enduring of creatures in three unique businesses furthermore, you will likewise get notification from the opposite side of this issue. Initial, one of the greatest offenders of creature enduring is the creature food industry. This is an industry in which individuals tend to shut out or overlook the creature abuse; this is finished by disassociating oneself with the immediate damage and overlooking the circuitous damage (Harnack 133). A decent beginning under this model in the instance of pigs. Regularly, pigs are keen creatures fit for appearing warmth. They have generally excellent faculties of smell, which is the reason pigs have been utilized as chasing creatures (Coats 31). This ordinary conduct is disturbed anyway in the food industry. Pigs are taken to butcher at around twenty a month old enough at the point when they are around 220 pounds (Coats 32). Pigs are generally mass-confined into bunches that comprise of different pigs of a similar sex and age. This can cause over the top forcefulness in the creatures because of the smothering of the common social requests, which are cultivated however blending (Coats 33). Due to idleness in confines, pigs become exhausted and do things, for example, chew on the bars of the enclosure or on the body portions of different pigs. Plant proprietors endeavor to cure this by doing things, for example, removing a piglet's tail not long after being conceived (Coats 33). There is additionally sex explicit savagery. To lessen forcefulness, male pigs are emasculated. More often than not, this is managed without sedative. This is a training seen in different divisions of the ranch business as well (Coats 33). A manufacturing plant rearing sow [pig] midpoints more than two litters a year and ten litters in an actual existence time. With ten or eleven piglets for every litter, she brings 100-110 piglets into the frameworks during the initial four to five years of her life (Coats 34). The pig industrial facility proprietors attempt to get the best sum of piglets at all measure of time. They do this by attempting to discover the ideal measure of time to leave a piglet with his mom. The later a piglet is weaned away from his mom, the better possibility it will live, anyway this is time that the mother isn't pregnant (Coats 34). Pigs kept in confines in processing plants have a high pace of illness and physical issues that go from respiratory illnesses to weak and broken legs (Coats 45). Next, we have cows. Cows have the opportunity to go into three diverse division of the cultivating industry: dairy cow, veal calf, or meat cow (Coats 7). Right off the bat, concerning milk bovines, the main time that a female cow produces milk is after she has had a calf, and she just delivers for whatever length of time that the calf nurses (Coats 50). To keep the dairy animals creating milk, they should be impregnated about once every year what's more, conceive an offspring (Coats 56). While a calf is as yet getting milk from its mom, it drinks little amounts around twenty times each day. The dairy animals renews itself varying. In the dairy ranch, a cow is sucked dry roughly two to three times each day. This powers a dairy animals to be over stacked and burdened with milk (Coats 50-51). At the point when an outstanding bovine is discovered, she is set aside for rearing. She is offered medications to actuate the creation of more eggs. These eggs are prepared with the sperm of super-bulls and the incipient organisms are embedded into various dairy animals. This can cause issues if the calf embedded is bigger than the mother can shoulder (Coats 56-57). Also, under cows, we have the veal calf. The principle asset for veal calves is the calves of dairy bovines (Coats 61). As indicated by David Coats, The idea is basic yet merciless; from birth, calves are

Technology is Bad for Us Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Innovation is Bad for Us - Essay Example Headways in innovation have rolled out numerous improvements throughout everyday life. It has made the life of individuals a lot simpler than previously. The advantages of these mechanical progressions are not constrained to a solitary field of life yet these progressions have acquired a total change lives of individuals. This paper talks about the helpful and unsafe impacts of a portion of these mechanical progressions on our lives. The most widely recognized gift of ceaselessly creating innovation is PC; PCs have made the life of people simpler than previously. They are utilized in organizations as well as in different fields of life. PCs are utilized in instruction and made it simpler for the understudies to complete data about any point without any problem. The utilization of PC and web has made it simpler for organizations and to accumulate information and data. Individuals are currently likewise allowed to move valuable data to one another utilizing this progression of innovati on. Emergency clinics, railroad stations, schools, universities, air terminals, organizations are altogether sort of relied upon PCs nowadays. I. Disadvantages of Common innovations like Computers A. I accept that the downsides related with PCs incorporate the time that understudies and youthful age squander messing around, visiting, tuning in to music and net surfing. B. What's more, the ceaselessly changing programming has made it unthinkable for more established representatives to keep working with the new mechanical progressions at their work places. This factor has prompted an expansion in joblessness. In any case, there is a strategy accessible to understand this issue which includes the interest of workers in preparing programs yet it would prompt greater expenses for the organizations. The security gives that are connection to the information put away in PCs are additionally considered a disadvantage of PCs (Fisher and Lezion 2009). II. Advantages of Common Technologies like Cell telephones A. PDAs are perhaps the quickest methods of correspondence today. They have acquired an incredible change the correspondence implies. Individuals are presently ready to convey each other from any piece of the world. The advantage of the PDAs is that it is quicker than other correspondence mediums and is accessible for the clients all the time paying little heed to the days. B. My point joined by different looks into, be that as it may, can't be overlooked. Individuals frequently abuse mobile phones. More youthful age squanders hours conversing with companions generally on futile subjects. This doesn't just burn through their time yet additionally cost them in fiscal terms. Individuals additionally use it to send messages which incorporate some disrespecting kids about religions, races and societies. This reality is making separations among the individuals and is representing a danger to the general harmony among the individuals having a place with various foundation s (Castells 2007). III. Innovation, People and the Environment A. Autos are a compelling method of transport on the planet today. These autos have truly made excursions and transportation simple. Due to it the separations recently went in weeks are decreased to a solitary day or even hours. Not just this, cars additionally have an appropriate arrangement the people going in it. This arrangement comprises of seats and cooling frameworks. In view of these components autos additionally give an agreeable domain. Along these lines, they are extremely successful for transportation and voyaging purposes. B. Nonetheless, then again, I contend that autos likewise have their terrible impacts. Right off the bat, the greater part of the autos planned on the planet expend fuel with the goal that they can work. The fuel which is utilized by it is rare and subsequently the use of fuel is causing shortage of significant assets of this world. In addition, vehicles likewise discharge diverse destruct ive gases in this world which can make a dangerous atmospheric devation increment. For instance it discharges Carbon Dioxide. This gas establishes a significant piece of the an unnatural weather change. Not just this, the gases additionally toxically affect the body of a person. Along these lines cars have their a lot of terrible impacts as well (Alters 1999 p 837). IV. Innovation Helps in Building and

About Salvador Dali - Free Essay Example

Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali I Domenech best known in his artistic name as Salvador Dali was a Spanish artist born on May 11, 1904 in Figueres, Catalonia Spain. Salvador Dali was an unconventional, introverted, and rebellious man who strove the shock of people by his unique, bizarre, and iconic works of art. He was a man who stuck with his ideas, he had no trouble expressing his opinions and what he felt. Despite that he tried to improve distinctive techniques of art such as Cubism, futurism, and Impressionism to name a few, Surrealism was what predominated his work which gave him worldwide recognition, popularity, and fortune. Masterpieces such as The Persistence of Memory, on 1931 and The Great Masturbator on 1929, were one of his main contributions towards his success in the art Surrealism industry. Dali tried to capture objects and situations with a vision without prejudice, which lent his works somewhat strange and extravagant. His paintings showed images with his dreaming full influence that materialized with his life itself. Dalis experience with art was shown in his younger years as a child, but his eccentric personality was always in the way which caused him troubled throughout his whole life. He had two siblings, a sister named Anna Maria and an older brother born by nine months before him. Salvador Dali was named after his brother past away. His parents will always tell him that he was the reincarnation of his death brother. Dalis parents were strict, therefore he didnt have the quiet pleasant childhood he expected. His father refused Dali to do art, on the other hand, her mother encouraged him to follow his passion as an artist. His teenage years didnt show up so well when his mother past away from breast cancer which led Dali devastated. The first step towards his art career was joining college named Colegio de Hermanos Maristas, in Figueres, Spain. Salvador absolutely had tremendous talent in drawing but somehow his particular bizarre characteristic behavior declined his abilities to succeed in co llege. Learning from his emotional life, I perceived that Salvador Dali wasnt satisfied with the whole idea of his parents comparing him to a reincarnation of his death brother. He wanted to be known as him and not by the shadow of somebody else. Later, having his mother die; the only person that believed in him as an artist, was truly a devastating disaster. This greatly affected him which led his introverted, rebellious and bizarre attitude against people and his surroundings. Salvador was a man that followed his instincts and what he stud for, therefore in 1926, he decided to move to Madrid and pursue his art career in the Academia de San Fernando. He was recognized for his practices with cubism such as his 1927 painting apparatus and hand. (Surrealists and Surrealism, page 135). In this painting, I could already perceived how Dali began to use Sigmund Freuds ideas about dream analysis in the way the female figures represent erotic thoughts from the apparatus. Dali later was expelled from the Academia for boldly stating that no one could examine his art work. Salvador realized that he had to gain control of his life and find his inspiration. He then made trips to Paris where he met Pablo Picasso who because of him, started creating his style of art which would later put him in the spotlight of fame and glory. He also let his mustache grow as an inspiration to the painter Diego Velasquez. Dalis mustache was a reflection towards his unusual personality that would stay forever with him. The next following year in 1928, Salvador Dali Associated with the Surrealist movement which was defined as the belief in the superior reality of certain forms of previously neglected associations, in the omnipotence of dream, in the disinterested play of thought. (Surrealist Manifesto page, 22). He discovered his passion towards releasing his most hidden thoughts and subconscious imagination now known as the most important surrealistic paintings such as The Great Masturbator, 1929, (dailipaintings.com, 2011.) and The Persistence of Memory, 1931 (Dalis Optical Illusions, page 39). Just by looking at the title of The Great Masturbator, I could see that it had something to do with sexual content. The image seem randomized with a number of variety things displayed in the background like tree branches, desserts, ice cream, and a cricket. Looking closely, there is also the outline of a horse, and the sunlight that shines directly into the body. What I perceived from this painting is that Dali had an obsession with sex and perhaps his painting was the result of a wet dream. The persistence of memory shows the melting of clocks placed unfamiliar that describe the persistence of time in the eyes of a dreamer. Ants appear crawling on a left copper pocket watch which makes me think that is symbolizes the decay and death of life that nobody escapes from living. Dalis art work themes seem to be categorized as sexual symbolism and ideographic imagery. He wanted to represent himself in the paintings because he characterizes not just as a surrealist painter but as a surrealist person that was difficult to understand. Artist Salvador Dali was an icon that was the pure representation of the era of Surrealism, physically and in regard to art. His authentic bizarre personally and paintings was what caught the attention of millions of people. He was a man who wasnt afraid of expressing his ideas which was why he was so drawn towards making art through a subconscious state. His art work was a reflection towards his authentic emotional life, and the creative potential he possessed.

College Party Survival Guide

Irrespective of where you decide to go to college, it would be a lie to say that you are not thinking of that first college party you will soon be attending. Even if you are not a party person, as an incoming freshman, college parties might still pique your curiosity. It might come across your mind that mindless college parties only involves drinking, cool students having too much fun for petty reasons, and nerds are left abandoned in some corner. Blame all these preconceptions on the endless supply of college movies and the careless, tasteless and stereotypical manner in which they portray the college party. To be honest, the college party is a mishmash of everything - hilarity, awkwardness, adventures, acquaintances, friendships, romance, a celebration of youth, intellectual and emotional growth, and of course, the inevitable various states of drunkenness, but it offers a little more than that.College is a pivotal phase in your life and can be described as a joyous yet challenging initiation to adulthood. College means you will surely be swamped with academic courseworkyou never could have imagined and you are going to have to study harder than ever. So if you are wondering about the connection of the rigors of academics to that oft-raved about college party, allow us to break it to you: college students party just as hard as they study, and for good reason. A college party is a much-needed respite from tons of essays, research papers, presentations, reaction papers, deadlines, and sleepless nights that college life shoves down students throats. Keep in mind, all work and no play makes you a dull person.Remember, you are now in college, far from home, and your parents or guardians are probably time zones away. Not to say that the college party is the chance for you to get uncontrollably wild, but surviving your first college party may very well serve as your first real foray into responsible adulthood, as you will need to take thorough care of yourself before , during, and after your first college party. Furthermore, in attending college parties, your social skills will be developed and honed, your intellectual horizon will expand, and you are likely to forge lasting friendships, or even stumble across a potential romantic relationship. Bottom line: indelible memories are waiting to be made.Anyway, its time to deliver the goods. Take to heart all these tips on how to survive your first college party:Eat and drink waterYou may ask why? Is there a need? You need to read closely for you to survive your first college party. You may think that you would get bloated with drinks and finger food anyway, so why eat? Ladies, maybe that you are too conscious to sport a puffed belly even before the party starts, and guys, restrain your excitement, lay off the drinks first. Rule of thumb: drinking on an empty stomach will make you drunk before you know it. Between endless conversations, laughter, and bottomless drinks, you will get drunk early if you dont eat. And eat a carb-heavy meal, preferably. No salads or biscuits, please. A medium-sized hamburger or thick sandwich with fries would be best, because carbs sop up alcohol, slowing down its effects, reducing the likelihood of premature drunkenness.And of course, you dont want to wake up the next morning feeling like your head was mortared by an army of miniature minions and your throat as dry as the Sahara, so do not forget water. Drink before, during, and after the party. To give you an idea, drinking 6 ounces of water after every bottle of beer would counter and significantly lessen, or even ward off a hangover the next morning. You might have to go to the restroom more frequently, but at least, you will not end up hating yourself the next day. And its healthy.Pre-gaming (for planning)This is preliminary drinking prior to the real college party drinking. Liken it to warm-ups before the game, or the necessary stretching so you can slide to game mode if you will. This is some what necessary for valid reasons. Normally, this is the little drinking session that only includes you and a few of your closest friends or dormmates, rather than the whole campus, so the alcohol was surely bought by your own circle. Pre-gaming is the opportunity for you and your friends to make your game plan once the time has come to go join the big party later in the night. Which part of the venue you will hang together, the common people you would like to meet, what you plan to do in case you want to meet different people, and of course, how, where, and what time you plan to call it a night. In a way, pre-gaming is also a way for you and your friends to not get too excited about the alcohol that will be served at the party. Remember, after pre-gaming, you are now warmed up. So once you arrive at the party with that delightful alcohol buzz, it is not so much about getting your alcohol fix as it is about meeting new people and making new friends.Pre-gaming (for safety)A college pa rty is for everyone, yes, but lest you forget, you are a freshmanentering unfamiliar territory. Pre-gaming is vital such that you and your friends can stick together and avoid getting into trouble. What trouble, you might ask. As with any function, there are always bad guys who will pounce on every opportunity to make fun or take advantage of people. When you and your friends were pre-gaming, you knew where the drinks came from. Now that you have arrived at the college party, you and your friends cannot afford to be too trusting. Dont go around drinking everything that is handed to you. That sweet and harmless looking colorful juice may be tempting, but you have not the slightest idea about the amount of alcohol that is in there, or worse, the possibility of date rape drugs. This is not to shoo you from having a good time, but it is best to be smart while still having loads of fun. So now that you are enjoying the slight buzz that pre-gaming induced, it is in your best interest to b e cautious of any ambiguous-looking drink that is offered to you. Of course, you will encounter insistent squiffy people, who despite possessing no bad intentions, just want you to feel at home. Just hold that cup to avoid any confrontations. The good that pre-gaming gives is that it enables you to control the drunkenness or ideal lit-ness that you want.Bring friendsThis is a no-brainer. Chances of getting pranked, awkwardness, isolation, boredom, and untimely drunkenness all increase when you go to the party by yourself. Whether it is eating before the pre-game or in navigating your way through the party itself, being around friends you can fully trust is essential. If that friend is an upperclassman, even better. They will be able to supply you with knowledge on how to survive your college party, or your next college parties, or simply help you get home safely, or treat your hangover the next morning if you had too much to drink. Your circle should look after one another. Go toget her, leave together. Dread the thought of you or any of your drunk friends leaving the party with a dubious person. If you have true friends, it is all but guaranteed that you are going to survive your college party without scratching your head the next morning. Having trusted friends at your first college party is not only for fun, but it is also for safety. Its safe to say that there are no disadvantages.Politely refuse if you dont want to drinkYou know your tendencies best, so dont be under the impression that you ought to drink against your will. You have probably watched college movies wherein there is always a person whos scoffed at by many at the college party for not drinking. For whatever the reason is, medical, personal, or even if you are just not in the mood if you dont feel like drinking, then dont. Chances are you will still enjoy your first college party and meet new friends nevertheless. Anyhow, your experience at your first college party, whether you drink or not, w ill bestow you with valuable knowledge as to how to approach all the other future college parties.Dress accordinglySurviving a college party is not just about getting home safely and not having a hangover. It is also about dressing for functionality without losing your confidence and without looking under-dressed. When you are sober, you might be inclined to believe that a formal designer jacket is just what the college party crowd needs to see, but you must think long term. Think of how jolly you and your friends will be later on in the night, which more or less equates to paying no mind at all to theclothes you gathered from your wardrobe. Either food or drinks will dirty up your shirt, a surefire way to change your mood, interrupting the momentum of the revelry. You dont want a ruined look to play party buzzkill. Dress presentably, but wear something comfortable, something would not mind getting dirty.Be open to meeting new peopleIt is your first college party, and to survive you r first college party, you have to know how to navigate around people of different backgrounds. Outside of having a sound judgment of when to refuse a drink, when you and your friends are talking to new acquaintances and the conversation keeps getting bigger, unshackle yourself from the tendency to form premature judgments. If you are approached by someone whos apparently bad company, or a disaster waiting to happen, politely excuse yourself. If you happen to meet someone with whom you have common interests and whose demeanor you find favorable, dont hesitate to introduce yourself. True friendships dont spring up randomly, there is always the first encounter. And of course, college being college, whether it is academics or simply for the sake of good company, it would not hurt to expand your circle during your stint in the college jungle.Bring cashBe it for the cab ride home or an emergency, having cash on you is always a good thing at parties. Since this occasion determines if you can survive your next college parties, you would not want to be in a situation you cannot find your way out of. For instance, the drinks run out and the upperclassmen kindly request for donations from freshmen, you can chip in a little that will surely go a long way. This way, you will be introducing not only yourself but the qualities that you bring to the table, such as knowing how to be a team player.Additional tip: keep a little cash on your jacket or shirt pocket for insurance, in case you unintentionally become a little too generous.Participate in drinking gamesMaybe you are overhearing the boisterous laughter from the beer pong table, or that rowdiness in the card table. This is a college party, dear freshman. Drinking is not confined exclusively for conversationalists, but also for those who love to play games. If you are to survive your first college party, you must thoroughly familiarize yourself with drinking games as they are way more fun than they seem. Participating is a genuinely fun way to laugh, strike up a conversation, and meet new friends. Your teammate or opponent in these drinking games might be the new friend you are looking for.Of course, drinking games at your first college party are only fun if you are not dead-drunk. So pace yourself.Never mix alcoholIf you are not a veteran of drinking at college parties, its fine. Drink slowly and enjoy the buzz and always gauge yourself after every shot or bottle you consume. If you start with beer, stick to beer until the end of the party. If you start with cocktails, then remember the alcohol base by asking a reliable upperclassman; if the cocktail you like is rum-based, then stick to rum-based cocktails. Dont be a daredevil. Your proper alcohol buzz will surge to unhealthy and unsafe drunkenness if you mix drinks, and the result is a massive hangover or an upset stomach, or both.Enjoy yourselfIf you follow these first college party survival tips, then there is no reason for you to not look forw ard to the next college party, this time with a proud feather in your cap. But come to think of it, whether your first college party becomes an unforgettable one or a so-so affair with only glimpses of fun, the knowledge that you will acquire is priceless. The next college party will most certainly be a hundred times more fun.Writing services for studentsYou should know the purpose of college parties fun. Do not sweat the small stuff. Do your best to forget all the impertinent stuff and live in the moment. You and your friends ought to put down your phones and start interacting with people. College might be challenging because of the stress of academics, and if the college life is bogging you down, keep in mind the endless range with which companies like can help you, from the simplest essays to the most complex of dissertations. Remember, the college party is there is relieve you, to remind you to take it easy. You will not have too many college parties, so make the most out of t hem. College parties may seem like casual fun, but in the long run, they will prove to be a capable character builder, as well as a provider of pleasant memories.

The Colossal Heads of the Olmec

The Olmec civilization, which thrived along Mexicos Gulf Coast from about 1200 to 400 B.C., was the first major Mesoamerican culture. The Olmec were extremely talented artists, and their most lasting artistic contribution is without a doubt the enormous sculpted heads they created. These sculptures have been found at a handful of archaeological sites, including La Venta and San Lorenzo. Originally thought to depict gods or ballplayers, most archaeologists now say they believe they are likenesses of long-dead Olmec rulers. The Olmec Civilization The Olmec culture developed cities -- defined as population centers with political and cultural significance and influence -- as early as 1200 B.C. They were talented traders and artists, and their influence is quite clearly seen in later cultures like the Aztec and the Maya. Their sphere of influence was along Mexicos Gulf Coast -- particularly in the present-day states of Veracruz and Tabasco -- and major Olmec cities included San Lorenzo, La Venta, and Tres Zapotes. By 400 B.C. or so their civilization had gone into steep decline and had all but disappeared. The Olmec Colossal Heads The Olmecs colossal sculpted heads show the head and face of a helmeted man with distinctly indigenous features. Several of the heads are taller than an average adult human male. The largest colossal head was discovered at La Cobata. It stands about 10 feet tall and weighs an estimated 40 tons. The heads are generally flattened at the back and not carved all the way around -- they are meant to be viewed from the front and sides. Some traces of plaster and pigments on one of the San Lorenzo heads indicate that they may have once been painted. Seventeen Olmec colossal heads have been found: 10 at San Lorenzo, four at La Venta, two at Tres Zapotes and one at La Cobata. Creating the Colossal Heads The creation of these heads was a significant undertaking. The basalt boulders and blocks used to carve the heads were located as much as 50 miles away. Archaeologists suggest a laborious process of slowly moving the stones, using a   combination of raw manpower, sledges and, when possible, rafts on rivers. This process was so difficult that there are several examples of pieces being carved from earlier works; two of the San Lorenzo heads were carved out of an earlier throne. Once the stones reached a workshop, they were carved using only crude tools such as stone hammers. The Olmec did not have metal tools, which makes the sculptures all the more remarkable. Once the heads were ready, they were moved into position, although it is possible that they were occasionally moved around to create scenes along with other Olmec sculptures. Meaning The exact meaning of the colossal heads has been lost to time, but over the years there have been several theories. Their sheer size and majesty immediately suggest that they represent gods, but this theory has been discounted because in general, Mesoamerican gods are depicted as more gruesome than humans, and the faces are obviously human. The helmet/headdress worn by each of the heads suggests ballplayers, but most archaeologists today say they think they represented rulers. Part of the evidence for this is the fact that each of the faces has a distinct look and personality, suggesting individuals of great power and importance. If the heads had any religious significance to the Olmec, it has been lost to time, although many modern researchers say they think that the ruling class might have claimed a link to their gods. Dating It is almost impossible to pinpoint the exact dates when the colossal heads were made. The San Lorenzo heads were almost certainly all completed before 900 B.C. because the city went into steep decline at that time. Others are even more difficult to date; the one at La Cobata might be unfinished, and the ones at Tres Zapotes were removed from their original locations before their historical context could be documented. Importance The Olmec left behind many stone carvings that include reliefs, thrones, and statues. There is also a handful of surviving wooden busts and some cave paintings in nearby mountains. Nevertheless, the most striking examples of Olmec art are the colossal heads. The Olmec colossal heads are important historically and culturally to modern Mexicans. The heads have taught researchers much about the culture of the ancient Olmec. Their greatest value today, however, is probably artistic. The sculptures are truly amazing and inspirational and a popular attraction at the museums where they are housed. Most of them are in regional museums close to where they were found, while two are in Mexico City. Their beauty is such that several replicas have been made and can be seen around the world.