Some Like It Hot Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Some Like It Hot - Movie Review Example crime and the thought of same sex marriage would be enough to run any rumored homosexual couple out of town, that does not excuse the disrespect for the underground gay community of its time. The film made fun of a topic that is taken quite seriously in our era and I am sure that just like me, those who are aware of the need to be politically correct, gender sensitive, and same - sex friendly will also find the way that the homosexuals were treated and portrayed in the film. The cross-dressing and homosexuality in the movie is played for laughs. It made fun at the homosexuals of the time and regarded them as nothing but funny people who should not be taken seriously. I understand that the film was made during an era when homosexuality was a taboo topic and no self respecting male would ever be caught dead admitting to being a homosexual. However, I do not believe that these closeted individuals deserved to have their sexual preference ridiculed in this manner. It was insensitive and hurtful, even if the homosexuals of the era never admitted to it. This film shows us how much Hollywood and our society has changed over the decades. What our grandparents thought of as funny is now regarded as politically incorrect and gender insensitive. But it also asks us to think about how we treat the homosexuals in our own era. Perhaps we are giving them too much respect and credit where it is not really due? Think about it, this films proves that homosexuals of their era did not think much of their rights as gay people and simply lived their lives according to the unspoken code set about by society at the time. Everyone respected them and they got everything that they deserved in life. If they were doing anything illicit, people chose to pretend it did not exist because they respected the person too much to turn him into gossip fodder. Gay people of today make too many demands upon our society in terms of forcing us to accept them as a normal part of it. As the movie

The Evolving Shape of Elite Politics Essay Example for Free

The Evolving Shape of Elite Politics Essay This paper looks at four changes within China in the past decade that has contributed to the political changes emerging in China. First the generational changes within the top leadership of China, second the economic development and differentiation. Third the events of Tianenmen square in 1989 and their subsequent influence. Fourth the changing domestic and international political environments that have emerged post-Cold War. These four factors have interacted and impacted each other in creating the current political environment. While Deng Xiaoping, the paramount Leader considered he and many of his cohorts the second generation of leadership, in reality they were still from the first generation. With the passing of Li Xiannian (Jiangs closest political supporter), Hu Qiaomu, Chen Yun, and Dengs death in 1997, the revolutionary generation no longer dominated the political scene. Jiang Zemin and his generation were technocrats who were promoted through bureaucratic service. They were trained to focus on the many problems China was facing, rather than the ideological agendas previous leaders had focused on. Without revolutionary contributions these new leaders needed to legitimize their role. This was done through enforcement of norms and procedures, as well as a forge of policies and consensus. Because of these changes the National Peoples Congress (NPC) and special committees have been able to take a more active role as well as force some constraints. The role of law (or the need for it) has also found greater emphasis in Chinese politics. Since Tianenmen the economy in China has more than doubled its size. The structure of the economy has drastically changed with the growth of the private economy. There has been a continual growth in foreign trade. Utilizing Chinas comparative advantage they have developed labor-intensive industries and increased their international export markets. They are also developing high-tech/information industries. The township and village enterprise (TVE) sector was privatized and grew rapidly, but is currently suffering stagnation in job creation. State enterprises have performed poorly. With diversification of economic interests, reforms have created job loss (39 million between 1996-2000) both urban as well as rural. The government is facing more demands from various interest groups and finding a need to be more accommodating with society. The government expanded the role of intermediate associations to articulate the interests of various groups. But it is very limited according to western standards. There has also been an increase in the number of strikes and demonstrations, with better organization and more diverse groups participating than in the past. While the government will suppress these actions, they also must take them into account in order to avoid rebellion. Counterrevolutionary labels are no longer a feasible ploy to suppress protests. Interregional and intraregional income inequalities (thought to stem in part from the abuse of political power) have given rise to issues of social justice. These demands are represented by millions of workers and farmers rather than (as in the past) a small group of intellectuals. In the 1980s there were two political choices, conservatism and reform. Reformers tried to instigate two separations; enterprises from the government, and the Party from the government. These moves had weakened the Partys political dominance. The Tiananmen demonstrations and crackdown made leaders realize the importance of social stability. This and the break-up of the Soviet Union forced the leadership to recognize a third possibility, social, political and economic collapse. Intellectuals and reformers tempered their desire for rapid political change. A push for a multi party system and electoral democracy declined; there was still a demand for social or economic democracy or equality however. The 15th Party Congress report emphasized their desired direction of separating enterprises and the government; its pursuit of membership to the WTO reinforces this direction. The Party has managed to keep within bounds the conflict of social stability and enterprise reform from creating a divide and possible leadership crisis from occurring. The end of socialism in Eastern Europe had many intellectuals in China rethinking their economic and political reforms. They saw Russia face economic and political decline with social disorder, corruption and crime. This caused some in China to question neo-liberal economics, political democracy, and other Western practices. This allowed the government more freedom to reject Western models and bring in incremental reform. In the early 1990s relations with the U.S. became tenser. The U.S. was opposed to China hosting the 2000 Olympics. Many Chinese perceived the country they admired not only reject their government but also oppose them as a nation. The American political and economic model became less appealing to Chinese and demand for democratic reform was reduced. Generational transformations of leadership, the growth and diversification of societal interests, and changes in domestic and international political context have strengthened the role of political norms, diminished the role of ideology, enhanced institutions and begun to forge a new state-society relationship and a new sense of nationalism. While ideology has played a diminished role in Chinese society, the leaders ideology still exists, it forms and shapes his style of leadership, and distinguishes him from other leaders eras. Mao was seen as a central political leader able to instill unity; Dengs role was seen as decentralizing and getting the economy going. Jiang has not been able to portray a strong vision, often a weakness of technocrats whose main strength is to fix problems. He must also contend with problems at home and abroad. When Jiang engages with the world, domestically he is seen as moving away from Chinese interests. To establish legitimacy Jiang was determined to form an ideological system. This system he believed would increase his present influence and also his future influence and power. (Only he would have the ability to decide if policy is being followed or not). There does not appear to be an evolution of leadership from individual leader to institutions. In 2000 Jiang introduced Three Representations these being the Party represents the broad mass of the population, advanced culture, and advanced forces of production. Jiangs push for improving the construction of Party style brings into question Marxist ideology. The plenum views Marxism as a methodology for understanding the world rather than a set of conclusions. Jiang went further and declared class struggle dead, and there by opening up the door for capitalists to enter the Party. He also called for a re-evaluation of Marxist theory on labor and labor value. Fewsmiths logic follows; if wages are determined by supply and demand (neoclassical view) there cannot be exploitation. If the exploitation idea is not Party doctrine, there leaves little need for a Communist Party. Jiang called for inner-Party reform to further democratic reform, it was thought by some that Party reform was needed to increase its legitimacy. (But a democratic opening any time soon shouldnt be expected). With an absence of revolutionary legitimacy, ideology has lost its persuasive influence, and Party discipline has declined, personal power and ties appears to be more important. Tang Tsou identified the central characteristic of 20th century Chinese politics as monistic, unified and indivisible. We can see examples of this in Jiangs reshaping of an ideology, marking it as his, and securing his authority through promoting his protà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s. There exists a cultural framework, a personalistic system and ideological system to support the Party line. Factionalism is not tolerated so efforts to thwart that line are a threat to enter into a game to win all. It is more than one leader replacing another, it is a re-orientation of Party policy and often occurs during a period of crisis such as following Tiananmen, where a redefining of the Party line was done in a way to weaken and marginalize Deng. Another example was a 10,000 character manifestos that challenged Jiang to define his line. Jiang s agreement to step down as general secretary of the 16th Party Congress while alive and well is an unprecedented step in the transition of power. His replacement Hu Jintao is not considered a Jiang loyalist. Jiangs only hope of continuing to exercise power after Hu replaces him is by consolidating his ideological vision and promoting those loyal to him that will keep him in the loop. Jiangs only hope of maintaining influence is through informal politics. Other top leaders also participate in informal politics as manifested when Jiang tried to promote Zeng and was thwarted. Many believe the reason had more to do with bureaucratic and individual interest than ideological concerns. Will Jiang be able to retain power and influence after he leaves office? That question reflects the change of era and the role of formal norms, and weakening ideology-taking place in China. We have seen changes in state/society relations, the role of ideology, and an increase in norms and institutions. All these have conditioned the rules of the game in Chinese politics. Social divisions have emerged, with corruption and advantages given to special interests at the expense of laws and institutions. Globalization and the entrance of China into the WTO is another potential for disrupting politics and society in China. The authors main arguments is that with a generational change, economic development, and the environment of Tianenmen Square; and the changing situation with other superpowers like the Soviet Union and the U.S., China is changing and becoming more economically democratic and showing signs of a softening toward political change as well. That being said, he points out that ideology is still an important factor in Chinese politics, and that there is a strong tendency in the Party to operate under a personalistic system. While it is a big change to have a leader step down in China while he is still alive, Jiang is trying to hold on to his power through his ideology and live on through his policies, much like previous leaders ideologies transcended their era. This paper helps us understand that change is a slow process and culture and values run very deep. It brings to mind the saying The more things change, the more they stay the same. The first half of the paper covered well the four changes that have occurred and interacted to create change within the political system. His introductory was good and gave a good overall view of the political climate that existed previously and also the new developments and there effect on Chinese politics. The second half of the paper however did not utilize those four factors well in making his case that these factors were influential in party politics. He mainly focused on the generational aspect and the importance of personal ties in Chinese politics. He also researched Jiangs legitimacy and steps taken to earn him influence after his tenure is over. While Fewsmith was able to provide a lot of information and overall history as well as emerging trends, his focus was too wide to give enough empirical evidence to support any of his ideas fully. I would like to have read more about the economic development changes and reforms that have created inequality and civil unrest; and how t he Party is managing those to maintain stability. He Jiang has struggled with his legitimacy much of his time in office. He didnt have revolutionary ties, the party discipline is not as strong as in previous years, and he did not have an ideology. He has had to resort to different measures to gain his legitimacy. By creating an ideology he also hoped to gain legitimacy in his position. He knew he was leaving office but as those before him he wanted to leave his mark and influence decisions for future generations. I wonder the intent behind Jiangs bold statements. Is it possible that by declaring class struggle dead and making an opening for capitalists, Jiang hoped to garner future support from potentially powerful allies; or is he really pushing for reform? His call for a party reform to be more democratic, his allowing more political participation or representation than previously are other ways he tried to gain legitimacy. Were those moves inspired by a need to gain more Party consensus, were they motivated by political pressure, we re they self motivated, was he testing the waters, or is change in the near future inevitable? The author proposes the new government is able to make changes and do things differently than the first generation of leaders because no one is around to enforce old party politics. The new generation is more technocrats and we have seen an increase of norms and procedures and consensus being followed yet party lines run long and deep. Is there really a generational change among Chinas leaders or are they being replaced with Protà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s from the past such as Deng Xi8aopias in Hu. Even with Deng being dead, he still lives on through his protà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½gà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ Jiang and now Hu. Hu is not a loyalist to Jiang, with Jiang being unable to promote his followers to high positions or to replace him it would appear as if Jiangs power is weak or is it that norms and institutions are becoming more powerful than the old personalistic system? The author mentioned Tianenmen demonstrations and the collapse of the Soviet Union being important factors in creating change in elite politics. Previously the only options available seemed conservative or reform but after these events, social, political and economic collapse seemed another option. For this reason stability is very important in Chinese politics. They will avoid any rapid political change to avoid chaos. There is a strong need to reform, especially government enterprises. With such a large percentage of people being out of work because of these reforms, and more potential changes on the way with membership to the WTO, how is the government going to be able to keep such tight control and maintain stability?

Literature Review of Risks Prevention of Pressure Sores

Literature Review of Risks Prevention of Pressure Sores A review of literature provides the concept to continue for the contemplated research, an understanding of the status of the research in the problem area includes research approach, method, instrumentation, and analysis. The literature review is organized under the following headings: Review related to the prevalence of pressure sore Review related to the etiology and risk factors of pressure sore Review related to the prevention of pressure sore Review related to the caregivers of pressure sore Review Related to prevalence of pressure sore Hendrichova.I et.al (2010) have done Retrospective analysis of 1414 clinical records of patients admitted over 6 months and found prevalence of pressure ulcers of 22.9 % and incidence of 6.7 % Forni C et. al (2009), conducted study regarding cohort study of the incidence of heel pressure sores in patients with leg casts at the Rizzoli orthopedic hospital and also the associated risk factors at Italy. He found that out of 216 patients 17.6% (38) developed a pressure sore: 16/124 in orthopedic wards; and 22/92 in cancer care units. The related risk factors of pressure sore were noted are administration of anti neoplastic drugs (p = 0.033) OR = 2.61; skin redness before cast application (p = 0.001; OR = 4.44), reported symptoms after the application (p = 0.000; OR = 7.86). Most of the pressure sores were mainly in the stage 1 and stage II was 6/216 (2.4%). Voweden KR and Vowden.P (2009) conducted study regarding the prevalence of pressure ulcer, management, equipment provision and outcome for patients with pressure ulceration and identified in a wound care survey within one English health care district on 1000 population in the tertiary referrals and prevalence of 53.7 % were classed as grade 2 pressure ulcers, 48 % were grade I and only 35 % of grade 4. Pressure ulcers were identified through the critical incident form are only about 11 % of pressure ulcers at hospital setup and gives the current Epidemiology of pressure ulcers. Harrow J.J et.al (2008) conducted study regarding pressure ulcers and occipital alopecia in operation Iraqi Freedom poly trauma casualties: retrospective review from 2004- 2006 to detect the prevalence and severity of pressure-related injuries and stated that 38% of admissions to this hospital had pressure-related injuries on the day of admission. In which Casualties from Iraq had a higher rate of pressure ulcers (53%) than other area (22%). Occipital lesions accounts 50% of non-stage I pressure ulcers and more severe than of the sacrum or in the extremities. Review related to risk factors associated with the pressure ulcer: Lahmann N.A.et. al (2010) done, study regarding impact of prevention structures and processes on pressure ulcer prevalence in nursing homes and acute care hospitals, by the method of prevalence survey among 7377 residents in 60 nursing homes and also 28,102 clients with 82 acute-care hospitals at Germany by annual point prevalence surveys. Results noted are nosocomial prevalence rates in hospitals decreased from 26.3% during the first year to 11.3% in the last year (mainly in nursing homes from 13.7% to 6.4%). The usage of pressure ulcer-related structures conspicuous more during each repetition to more than 90%. Fisher A.R et. al (2004) conducted cross sectional prevalence studies among 535 patients regarding f pressure ulcers in adults in acute care settings at university teaching hospital, Canada and found the prevalence of pressure ulcers was 27% (at 95% confidence interval, 23-31%). Total Braden score below 17 and increasing age were significantly associated with the presence of pressure ulcers and also found majority of the risk factors are increasing age, less activity level, friction and shear while seated or lying down were associated with hospital-acquired pressure ulcers, only increasing age, friction and shear were associated with the presence of pressure ulcers in the whole sample. Silva M.S et.al (1998) conducted exploratory- descriptive study to identify, in the specialized literature, which predisposing conditions and risks factors would be related to the development of pressure ulcer, and to verify how often these predisposing conditions and risk factors would be present in bedridden patients, hospitalized in an institution and concluded that there is the need to construct an instrument to measure this risk must suit our reality and that incorporates risk factors identified with a significant frequency in this study and are not contemplated in most of the available scales in the literature. Review related to the prevention of pressure sore Baldi et .al (2010) conducted study regarding Studying factors related to pressure ulcers prevention: a marginal scale model for modelling heterogeneity among hospitals. in patients referred to several Italian hospitals, with the method of prevalence survey co ordinate through the European Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel among 12 000 hospitalized patients in Italy, and results shows that the prevention of pressure sore includes usage of Braden Scale, age and assistance- connected aspects, and usage of preventive equipment combined with a repositioning techniques. Wann-Hansson C et .al (2008) conducted study in sweedish University regarding Risk factors and prevention among clients with hospital-acquired and pre-existing pressure ulcers in an acute care hospital among adults in an acute care hospital compared with patients with pre-existing pressure ulcers present during admission with 535 clients and notified the prevalence rate of pressure ulcers were 27% (95% confidence interval, 23-31%). Shahin E.S (2008) conducted study regarding prevalence of pressure ulcer among intensive care cltients: a cross sectional study at German with the sample of 1760 clients in order to assess the pressure ulcer prevalence among intensive care clients, and also found clients characteristics and preventive measures related to prevalence of pressure ulcer clients and to assess the most common sites of pressure ulcers. A result shows a mean prevalence rate was +/-30% from 2002 to 2005. The pressure sore prevalence was decreased to 16.2% in 2006 and half of the pressure ulcers were in grade 1. He has stated the significant association between the age and pressure ulcer (P

Writing Is Hard :: Writing an Essay

For me, writing is frustrating. Many times I have trouble writing about anything. The main reason why I have so much trouble when writing, is because I don't concentrate on my work enough. Even when I try my hardest to concentrate, my mind seems to wonder around to a different direction towards another thought. After that, I forget all about my work and just think about various things such as people, places, and different times I've had in the past. For example, even while I'm writing this small paragraph, my mind keeps on slipping into other thoughts. I dont know if this happens to lots of people, but this is one problem that I have trouble the most in. Maybe this is why I'm a slow writer and don't like to write. When I write, I'm usually in my house sitting right where my computer is. One thing about me is that I hate writing anything with a pen and a paper. Most of the time when writing an essay, report, or anything else, I type it on my computer. I can probably type 50 times faster than writing by hand. I guess it's just something that I'm better at. I can type about 80-85 words per minute. If that isn't fast, then I dont know what is. When writing, I can write when it's quiet, loud, during the day, during the night, and during whatever atmosphere I'm in. Even if the whole house is quiet, I usually listen to music while typing an essay. However, the best time and the best atmosphere for me to write anything would be during late at night when everything seems pretty quiet around me. Another important thing to me when writing, is that I can not have any distractions near me or around me. Even the internet on my computer has to be disabled or else I would be tempted to surf online. †¢ Writing is like expressing my feelings onto paper. I can write songs, poems, quotes, stories, letters, and just almost anything that you could think of. You can learn a great deal about a person by the way they write or just by the way they express certain words on paper. Writing can also be a part of your life.

Final Assignment HUM

You are the news director of a local television station. The city council has Just voted to close city parks 3 days a week to save money. Meanwhile, a major celebrity has died. The park story has greater effect on your viewers, but the celebrity death will get bigger ratings? Which do you make your lead story and why? As a viewer I would normally say put the park story first 100 percent. This is local broadcast I want to hear about information that affects me directly.This is not the ease, though. As a news director I would put the story of the celebrity death in the lead position for the higher ratings. This may not seem like the best choice, but it is a numbers game. The good thing that may come out of leading with the passing of the celebrity is that more viewers will learn about the closures at the city parks, since they will be tuning in anyway. It is this channels responsibility to get the news out to the public, but it is the director's choice of what order that news will be s een.It is also likely that the national stations, internet, and radio will be reporting the story as well. This can mean some viewers may already be aware of celebrity death, but ultimately the city park story can run behind it. It is Just not as attention getting as the other story. This may not have been the case fifty or seventy-five years ago. Since the news traveled much slower then, the local happenings would be much more in the forefront, with national headlines taking longer to reach faraway places.This Just shows how media has changed over the last century. It will disappoint various viewers who may be tired of hearing about the death who then turn on the local station and see it again, but that is both the advantage and disadvantage of how the media is delivered in this day and age. We can learn about news almost instantly (advantage), but with every type of media outlet reporting on the most recent buzz, it can also become redundant very quickly as well (disadvantage).It is not an easy call to choose what the lead story will be because there will always be someone who has n opinion about what should have run first or could have been better, and there always will people to criticize the actions of others. Explain the effect of relationships among television, movies, and electronic games with culture. Television, movies, and electronic video games, and culture are all related and they all influence each other. Like the saying life does imitate art and are does imitate life.There are numerous television shows that relate to everyday life from the past to the present and most like will continue into the future – Just a few examples are: Friends, Sniffed, and Modern Family. The same goes for movies. The classic culture related film is: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy loses girl, and boy gets girl back in the end. Who has not had at least one relationship like this in the past? They also relate to each other. A television show hasn 't really become an icon until it is made into a movie these days, for example Sex in the City has had not one, but two movies spawned from the show.Electronic games are included as well. There are quite a few movies that have been created from video games, like Laura Croft: Tomb Raider for example; and there have been movies that seem almost specifically made to become electronic games like Torn. Whether a person watches a movie or television show because he or she can relate to it or if it is purely entertainment, it does affect culture because it becomes a part of each person. People quote funny lines from a movie or show, why, because it they connect with what they watched and share it with others.It can then catch on and become should slang – who can forget â€Å"don't have a cow man† or â€Å"you got it dude†? Some movies, television shows, and electronic games do depict violence and demeaning social situations. They often get blamed when people in real li fe commit violent crimes. This is a topic people feel strongly about on both sides, and is not easy to defend or condemn. The most important thing to do is to talk open with our children, teach them clearly what is right and what is wrong, and give them self-confidence and self-worth, so in a controversial situation they are able to make the right decision.

Subject-Verb Agreement

Subject-Verb Agreement Subject-Verb Agreement Subject-Verb Agreement By Guest Author This is a guest post by Jacquelyn Landis. If you want to write for Daily Writing Tips check the guidelines here. My copyediting students occasionally stumble when they see a sentence like this one: All the shirt needs is/are buttons. Which is it? The singular is or the plural are? Most of us know instinctively that the verb form must match the subject form in number. This is called subject-verb agreement. But sentences such as this one seem ambiguous since all can be either singular or plural when it’s used as an indefinite pronoun. It would be an easy choice if all were followed by a prepositional phrase to help us determine whether it’s singular or plural: All of the water is draining. (singular) All of us are tired. (plural) So, what many writers would do with the problematic sentence is turn to buttons to help them make the decision. And since buttons is plural, then the verb should be plural, too. Right? Well, not quite. Buttons in this sentence is whats called a predicate nominative. Now, I know grammar terms like this are enough to send most people screaming into the night, but stick with me. A predicate nominative is simply a noun that is the same as the subject. It describes it further, just as buttons describes all. Predicate nominatives do not determine the verb form; only the subject can do that. And the subject of our puzzling sentence, all, is a singular pronoun even though what it substitutes for (buttons) is plural. It stands on its own with no help from a prepositional phrase. When this is the case, it’s singular. Thus, the correct verb form is also singular, so this is how our sentence should read: All the shirt needs is buttons. Follow the same logic when the subject is what: What he ordered was steamed clams. Whenever Im tempted to use a plural verb in sentences such as this, I remind myself of a song: All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. The songs authors were teachers, and they got it right. Jacquelyn teaches an online copyediting course to students from around the world Education to Go. Check it out. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Grammar category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Inquire vs EnquireList of Greek Words in the English LanguageUsing "zeitgeist" Coherently

Facts and Characteristics of Rodents

Facts and Characteristics of Rodents Rodents (Rodentia) are a group of mammals that includes squirrels, dormice, mice, rats, gerbils, beavers, gophers, kangaroo rats, porcupines, pocket mice, springhares, and many others. There are  more than 2000 species of rodents alive today, making them the most diverse of all mammal groups.  Rodents are a widespread group of mammals, they occur in most terrestrial habitats and are only absent from Antarctica,  New Zealand, and a handful of  oceanic islands. Rodents have teeth that are specialized for chewing and gnawing. They have  one pair of incisors in each jaw (upper and lower)  and a large gap (called a diastema) located between their incisors and molars. The incisors of rodents grow continuously  and are maintained through constant use- grinding and gnawing wears away the tooth so that is always sharp and remains  the correct length. Rodents also have one or multiple pairs of premolars or molars (these teeth, also called cheek teeth, are  located towards the back of the animals upper and lower jaws). What They Eat Rodents eat a variety of different foods including leaves, fruit, seeds, and small invertebrates. The cellulose rodents eat is processed in a structure called the  caecum. The caecum is a pouch in the digestive tract that houses bacteria that are capable of breaking down tough plant material into digestible form. Key Role Rodents often play a key role in the communities in which they live because they serve as prey for other mammals and birds. In this way, they are similar to hares, rabbits, and pikas, a group of mammals whose members also serve as prey for carnivorous birds and mammals.  To counterbalance the intense predation pressures they suffer and to maintain healthy population levels, rodents  must produce large litters of young every year. Key Characteristics The  key characteristics of rodents include: one pair of incisors in each jaw (upper and lower)incisors grow continuouslyincisors lack enamel on the back of the tooth (and are worn down with use)a large gap (diastema) behind incisorsno canine teethcomplex jaw musculaturebaculum (penis bone) Classification Rodents are classified within the following taxonomic hierarchy: Animals Chordates Vertebrates Tetrapods Amniotes Mammals Rodents Rodents are divided into the following taxonomic groups: Hystricognath rodents (Hystricomorpha): There are about 300 species of hystricognath rodents alive today. Members of this group include gundis, Old World porcupines, dassie rats, cane rats, New World porcupines, agoutis, acouchis, pacas, tuco-tucos, spiny rats, chinchilla rats, nutrias, cavies, capybaras, guinea pigs, and many others.  Hystricognath rodents have a unique arrangement of their jaw muscles that differs from all other rodents.Mouse-like rodents (Myomorpha) - There are about 1,400 species of mouse-like rodents alive today. Members of this group include mice, rats, hamsters, voles, lemmings, dormice, harvest mice, muskrats, and gerbils. Most species of mouse-like rodents are nocturnal and feed on seeds and grains.Scaly-tailed squirrels and springhares (Anomaluromorpha): There are nine species of scaly-tailed squirrels and springhares alive today. Members of this group include the Pels flying squirrel, long-eared flying mouse, Cameroon scaly-tail, East African springhare, and the South African springhare. Some members of this group (notably the scaly-tailed squirrels) have membranes that stretch between their front and hind legs that enable them to glide. Squirrels-like rodents (Sciuromorpha): There are about 273 species of squirrel-like rodents  alive today. Members of this group include beavers, mountain beavers, squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, and flying squirrels. Squirrels-like rodents have a unique arrangement of their jaw muscles that differs from all other rodents. Source: Hickman C, Roberts L, Keen S, Larson A, lAnson H, Eisenhour D.  Integrated Principles of Zoology  14th ed. Boston MA: McGraw-Hill; 2006. 910 p.