The Life of a Praying Mantis: Nature's Stealthy Predator
The praying mantis, an intriguing insect named for its prayer-like posture, has a life cycle that showcases the marvels of nature. Here's an in-depth look into its journey from egg to adult.
Egg Stage:
A praying mantis's life begins inside an ootheca, a frothy mass created by the female to safeguard her eggs. The ootheca hardens, providing a secure environment for the developing embryos. Depending on environmental conditions, the eggs hatch within weeks to months.
Nymph Stage:
Upon hatching, mantis nymphs resemble miniature adults but lack wings and reproductive organs. From the start, they are voracious predators, hunting small insects. They go through several molts, shedding their exoskeletons as they grow larger.
Adult Stage:
The final molt marks the transition to adulthood, during which the mantis gains wings and reproductive capability. Adult mantises are solitary and skilled hunters, using their excellent camouflage and swift reflexes to catch prey with their raptorial forelegs.
Reproduction:
The mating process is notable for the potential cannibalistic behavior of the female, who may consume the male after or during copulation, providing her with additional nutrients for egg production.
Ecological Role:
Praying mantises are vital in ecosystems, controlling insect populations and serving as prey for larger animals. They are valued in gardens for their role in natural pest control.
Conservation:
Though not endangered, mantises face threats from habitat loss and pesticide use. Conservation efforts focus on preserving natural habitats and reducing chemical use.
Conclusion:
The life of a praying mantis is a testament to adaptability and survival. From egg to adult, each stage reveals the mantis's role in maintaining ecological balance. Their presence in nature reminds us of the intricate beauty and complexity of the natural world.
Md. Naeem Aziz is a Bangladeshi Author, Writer, Poet, Engineer and Photographer. He is best known for his writings and photography. He was born on 10th December 1998. He is from Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Alkada and his men rode hard and adamantly, circumventing Captain Hammer about two days back in the Barren Canyons. It took every ounce of discipline Alkada possessed not to confront Hammer and settle up on owed blood. However, catching up with NoLove and the Mob took precedence at the moment. Shyne loyalty must be upheld, he thought to himself when he made the decision. Besides, they were hot on their quarry’s trail by not even a half day's ride behind.
Alkada reached out to Skully. Vexed by what he saw, he signaled for everybody to stop. "They're already in Freedom Compound," Alkada announced. "Are you sure? The trail is still fresh," countered StreetLife, pointing down at the newly made hoof marks on the ground. "Yeah, I'm positive, and there's a lotta activity goin’ on. People are movin’ all about there. But I'm not sure how this is gonna play out if we gotta rock the bells."
"So, let's post up here and wait them out," StreetLife suggested. "No, that's no good. Whatever has brought them here has brought many others from all around. I guess that meeting the soldier told us about is pretty big. So, I'm sure our arrival won't be a total surprise.
Besides, waiting here may go from laying on three enemies to being greeted by a battalion, and having Republic soldiers at our backside don't sit proper with me. Not to mention, I don't believe Baron Black will take too kindly to us jus’ kickin’ grass so close to his compound. He and my father go way back, and that alone will warrant me payin’ him the respect of a visit. And it's a good bet we're bein’ watched right now." "Rahhhhh," Skully screamed overhead, confirming Alkada's statement.
Alkada reached out to the bird with connection and awareness and saw that several sentries from Freedom Compound were watching them. A moment later, Alkada snapped out of the connection he harbored with the bird. "Yeah, we're bein’ watched. But, right now, it’s just curiosity as to why we are clustered here talkin’ without proceedin’ to the compound. So many others have passed through here recently. We're just one of many, but it won't be much longer before mild curiosity turns to violent interest."
About Avery Brown
Avery Brown is a native of Brooklyn, New York currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia. As a first time author, Brown was inspired to write this story due to the passing of a dear friend at the hands of police. The Blood Sagas came about in hopes of keeping the memory of his friend alive for generations to come. He understands the beauty and passion necessary to create a space in which characters can explore complex issues in a fantasy world. He is now currently working on his second book in 4-part the Blood Sagas series. Passionate about his craft, Brown is also hard at work on his next project, Manimal, a fantasy thriller, that illuminates the magic of the Indian Nations.
More about the Blood Sagas on Avery Brown's website.
DEMYSTIFYING THE IDEAS OF GOOD AND EVIL: HUMANIZING PHILOSOPHY
Dr Jernail S. Anand
Whenever we think of the idea of good and evil, we tend to invite higher forces into play. Good has a vast penumbra, so does Evil and it takes no time that the scenes of heaven and hell start dancing in our imagination. Life is not such a serious matter that every moment we try to jump into the vortex of philosophy, and our forehead remains furrowed with lines of care and anxiety. It is another thing the lovers of mystery want us to remain on tenterhooks, always in the fear of gods, always keeping not only fingers but our minds crossed. In fact, life is not a simple mathematics in which 2 plus 2 becomes 4. Life tends to mystify us, and it is this mystery which fills us with incertitude, so that there is a lot of suspense which keeps the eyes winkless and minds, restless.
Loss of Simple Joys
It is not essential every time to turn our eyes up, and feel we are being watched. If we know there is a CCTV camera overseeing us, it makes us cautious, and we tend to lose the naturalness of our actions. This is what corporate systems want to make of us: lose our naturalness, lose our natural joy, they want us to become fear-filled puppets, dancing to the remote dictates of an invisible master sitting far away. It is this simple joy whose loss has cost us dear. We are living under the shadow of two great forces. One is the divine schemata, which has been kind to human beings. And the other is the corporatia, which is essentially unkind and based on human exploitation. Workings of both the systems tend to mystify humanity, and keep them on tenterhooks. We are afraid of gods, and we are afraid of the demi-gods of the earth, displeasing whom can be an instant disaster.
Giving the go by to Philosophy
I started with the idea that it is possible to lead simple and happy lives without referring to higher philosophy all the time. We can come down to simple equations in order to find out what to do and what not to do. Although it appears our actions are super directed, yet we should not forget that we may not be the directors of our destiny, we are actors. Even if we have been given a written text, yet something has been left to us. It is how well we can perform. Here, it all depends on our powers of delivery. All the men are equal. The only difference is how they deliver.
It is important to see how an ordinary man acts in his life. He does not bring in Mahabharata or Ramayana, nor does he remember Upanishads. He only remembers simple lines from Baba Farid and Guru Nanak, and performs his daily tasks. At the most he justifies what has been done to him, by the theory of ‘Karma’ without reference to what Lord Krishna said, because it is too much of steam for ordinary intelligence. It may be surprising, but it is a fact that ordinary men are a happier lot, than people like you and me, who are always obsessed with philosophy. We are always scared of the falling skies, while these people know how to survive when skies have fallen. They have survived through centuries. Philosophy has no other source than the story how these common people have suffered and survived. They not only understand the philosophy of good and evil in their very simple ways, rather they are the fodder of philosophy. There would be no philosophy if the ordinary people cease out of existence.
Demystifying Human Life
I am talking of demystifying human life and de-philosophizing human actions. There is one philosopher after millions of men who have really suffered this life. The philosophers are men who are essentially unhappy souls, who fail to find any happiness in the systems which afflict mankind. Happiness, joy, certitude, - all are absent from the combined forces of the philosophizing squad. The thoughts of evil, and lack of joy are permanent guests in the yellow tents. While on the contrary, happiness knows it is the simple hearts of ordinary men where it can have its joyful stint. No philosophy can disturb them when things go wrong. If the wheel of a car is punctured, the most normal act for an ordinary man is to get it mended and move on. But, it can be a cluttering moment for a philosopher, who would start on a journey into the stars, and try to see, why he had to face such a tragedy.
Resting Philosophy Under the shade of a Banyan Tree
Let us now leave philosophy to itself. Let it have some rest under the shade of a banyan tree. Let us move into the people who are busy in their workaday life. They leave high philosophy in the temples where they shed a penny or two from their pockets. Now, it is for the gods to keep pondering over their destiny while they are out to script it out in their actions. I would call it the Krishna Squad or the ‘Vasudhaiva Katumbakam’.
They know life is short, and will not be repeated. So, they think men should do good deeds. An action which gives you happiness, is always good. Sometimes, their goodness is waylaid, and, in that black hour, they are made to turn greedy. Even then, they do not turn the pages of scriptures. They suffer for their follies. Sometimes they fight also, they are sent to prison, from which, they emerge without learning any lesson. They again indulge in morally unsound practices. This is ordinary humanity. The way it is. They act and suffer and that sets the equations right. And nothing more. They do not bother about happiness. They do not bother about suffering. They have no idea there are angels hovering over them, or devils working inside them. They are just human. Good or Evil. They don’t mind. The education which they got was full of flaws. It talked about honesty, goodness, and happiness. But, the real life made heroes of fraudsters and politicians. They are confused what to accept : the scriptural truths which lie unproved, or the bare facts of life which stand in front of them in brutal truth.
No Thinkers, Only Actors
Ordinary men are no thinkers like us. They are actually actors. So, it is only in their actions that they have to make or break their destiny. They know what is happiness. And they also know what is good and what is not good. As I have said earlier, happiness has the longest stay in poor quarters. It signifies the fact that it is among the ordinary people that the idea of happiness sustains. It has no interest in philosophers, mystery makers, and even demi-gods who keep pontificating on goodness and happiness ad inifinitum.
Author:
Dr Jernail Singh Anand, President of the International Academy of Ethics, is author of 161 books in English poetry, fiction, non-fiction, philosophy and spirituality. He was awarded Charter of Morava, the great Award by Serbian Writers Association, Belgrade and his name was engraved on the Poets’ Rock in Serbia. The Academy of Arts and philosophical Sciences of Bari [Italy] honoured him with the award of an Honourable Academic. Recently, he was awarded Doctor of Philosophy [Honoris Causa] by the University of Engg and Management, Jaipur. Recently, he organized an International Conference on Contemporary Ethics at Chandigarh. His most phenomenal book is Lustus:The Prince of Darkness [first epic of the Mahkaal Trilogy]. [Email: anandjs55@yahoo.com Mobile: 919876652401[Whatsapp] [ethicsacademy.co.in]
Link Bibliography:https://atunispoetry.com/2023/12/08/indian-author-dr-jernail-s-anand-honoured-at-the-60th-belgrade-international-meeting-of-writers/
bookish coppery elvis natural settee
—
militant salmon scythe wolven martian
—
controlled surf italia seatingly
—
aloof goodgreen spider crystalline middlebox
—
J. D. Nelson is the author of eleven print chapbooks and e-books of poetry, including *purgatorio* (wlovolw, 2024). His first full-length collection is *in ghostly onehead* (Post-Asemic Press, 2022). Visit his website, MadVerse.com, for more information and links to his published work. Nelson lives in Boulder, Colorado, USA.
Student life, my golden age, A time of brilliance, turning the page. You are the springtime of life’s embrace, You are the summer, a joyous space.
It is no coincidence that student life is compared to the golden era of a person’s existence. During their meaningful lives, everyone is fortunate to be a student, once a pupil, once a college student. Student life is an irreplaceable and unforgettable spring in the life of a person. Behind every difficulty, there is a reward. Behind every darkness, there is a light. The many hardships you faced from your school days to becoming a student are rewarded with the most beautiful balm for your soul, bestowed by Allah – the gift of student life. This blessing is not given to everyone…
Student years bring a wealth of joy. This stems from the realization of long-awaited feelings of youth, the start of a promising future, the ability to build one’s own path brick by brick, and to shape a new life as they desire. Most students get to study at their chosen university, in their chosen field. However, many are unable to score high enough or luck isn’t on their side, and they find themselves studying in a field they didn’t desire. This can be a source of disappointment. But a person should always be grateful. Even if they study in a different field due to insufficient scores or unforeseen circumstances, they must remember that they are students by Allah’s grace and mercy. Without His will, they wouldn’t be fortunate enough to be students. Look back, how many people couldn’t achieve this, and you too could have been among them.
Student life is a time for new acquaintances. In college or university, you meet a multitude of interesting and knowledgeable individuals. Some find lifelong friends, some discover love, and others find their place in the world. Many students work to support their studies and cover their tuition fees. Their time is limited, but they strive to balance their work and education. It’s a demanding rhythm, but they must build their future. During their studies, many students encounter injustices.
For students newly arrived in the capital, their first phase may not be about the educational institution, but rather about exploring the city’s landmarks.
Have you ever considered it? When we think of a student, we often visualize someone surviving on daily bread and instant noodles.
In conclusion, like everyone else, students face challenges. I don’t know about all students, but from those I’ve seen and observed, most eat bland, quick-to-prepare, calorie-deficient meals. Fruits and vegetables are only consumed when money arrives from home or when the mail comes. It’s true that studying in the city of Tashkent can be expensive for many families. But students today don’t go hungry or lack clothes. Instead, they’re learning to manage their money wisely. Learning about economics is quite useful in the bigger picture of life. When a person experiences hardship, they learn to appreciate other things.
Axmatova Shaxzoda Jaloliddin qizi was born on October 17, 2005, in the Syrdarya region. Currently, she is a first-year student of the Department of Textual Studies and Literary Source Studies, specializing in Persian and English, at Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies.
Uzbekistan, Uzbek
XXI century. After ages, times, centuries, we have reached these days. Mir Alisher Navoi, who recognized that world, "we are living in the age of mirror worlds, self-moving iron slaps brought by Farhad and Shirin. If we don't leave the house for a day, we feel as if we are not aware of the news happening in the whole world. Yes, because every day, every hour there is news, research, discoveries in some corner of the Earth. Today's demand is to keep pace with the world.
Indeed, the future of the country is in the hands of the young generation. Of course, there are no young people in our country who can introduce our country to the world. As a proof of my word, let's take Javahir Sindorovov. He is a chess master despite his young age. He grew up with chess from a young age. He is learning the secrets of chess and taking the milestones.
As a clear proof of this, let's remember the great success of the past year 2022. At the international chess competition held in India, five players from Uzbekistan won the highest positions and bravely defended the flag of our country. The President congratulated them on their victory by phone. Javahir Sindorov was among them, of course. We have many such young people. They are all worth being proud of. Another one of our youth, eighteen-year-old Parviz Tuksanov. He scored 8.5 points in the international assessment system of English language proficiency and managed to set a record among the youth of Uzbekistan by scoring 1560 points in the SAT exam. It will make your heart happy to hear such news! For information, the SAT exam is also one of the international exams. He is one of our young people. As long as we have such young people, Uzbekistan will never stop developing.
I envied my compatriots, got the best result in such exams, and intended to make my contribution to the development of our country, even if it is small.
Such achievements are, of course, a clear proof that the head of state pays close attention to the education system. Our President, who took the words "attention to education, attention to the future" as his motto, is making a lot of educational investments and innovations for our youth.
All these efforts are our future for the generation! Not only education, but also other fields are developing in our country. Examples of these are sports, art, and medicine. There is a wonderful saying in our people that "Nothing can make a country famous for sports". Our athletes are as usual
We have no choice but to admit that they are raising the national flag to blue.
In fact, at the root of all this is education, manners, concepts. There is a famous saying of Abdulla Awlani, one of our Jadids who made a significant contribution to the development of our nation. Let me quote below with your permission: "Education for us is a matter of life or death, salvation or destruction, or happiness or disaster." In our country, if you see a person with a smiling face and two hands on his chest, believe me, that person is an Uzbek! You say, the reason is that our grandparents and parents taught us this. By the way, drink green tea!
Aziza Karimjonova Sherzodovna was born in 2008. Now, she is 16 years old and 10th grade at Is'hakhan Ibrat creativity school. She can freely speak in English, Russian, and Korean languages. Her stories were published in many foreign journals.
