Needs Analysis Greco Roman Wrestling Physical Education Essay

Needs Analysis Greco Roman Wrestling Physical Education Essay Introduction Greco-Roman wrestling is a style of wrestling that is practiced worldwide. Originating from Ancient Greece, it reappeared in the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and has been performed in every edition of the Olympic Games since then (1). Two wrestlers compete and are being evaluated by their performance in 3 two-minute periods, which can be terminated sooner by a pin. For this paper we are going to examine an elite 16 year old Greco-Roman wrestler who aims to improve lower body strength, lower body explosiveness, as wells as aerobic capacity to achieve satisfying values, compared to the median profile of an elite adolescent wrestler. Needs analysis Biomechanical analysis There is little biomechanical analysis on the sport of wrestling for the reason that it is a sport that involves every muscle group of the body, in their full range of motion. In wrestling due to the reason that athletes try to submit their opponents to the ground, fight against their opponents or keep balance so as to not to be thrown, their bodies can take every possible position to ensure that the opponent does not dominate (2). So specific motions do not are not a common phenomenon in a wrestling competition or training. Wrestling composes of whole body movements in full range of motion of the joints. All the muscles in the body are highly activated when wrestling intensively (3). All of the 3 types of contractions are often executed in wrestling, but there is a bigger amount of isometric contractions than other sports. Physiological analysis Wrestling is a demanding and complex sports field and an extremely dynamic activity, which requires high levels of anaerobic power, strength, agility and flexibility (4). Competitions are consisting of periods of maximal effort and maximum intensity anaerobic power, with submaximal effort periods between them. Studies indicate that the general physiological profile of elite wrestlers is: high anaerobic power and capacity, muscular strength, an above average aerobic power, flexibility, low fat percent values (typically 5-10% body fat) and a mesomorphic body type (5,6). Specifically for the needs of this paper detailed values are needed for maximum repetition values on bench press, squat and maximum oxygen consumption values. Norms for the selected tests The maximal oxygen uptake of Korean national and international wrestlers taking part in international competition has been shown to be about 53 to 56 (ml ·kg-1 ·min-1)(6). Those values are considered to be an acceptable profile of an elite wrestler. And have been used as a standard norm in many studies (7). The squat maximum repetition test (MR) has been used widely in wrestling for evaluation of lower body strength. In a study done in junior young students (16.05 ±1.09 years old) the Greco-Roman group that was tested in squat MR test had values of 101.94  ±23.83 kg (8). The international values, of weight lifted compared to bodyweight, for wrestling athletes is 1,79 kg*kg^-1 (7). Countermovement jump has been used extensively in the evaluation of lower extremity explosiveness. Lower-extremity muscular power can be important in a wrestling competition to lift an opponent or resist to a technique by the opponent (9). In wrestling, a study conducted U.S. Wrestling Team showed that Greco-Roman wrestlers had an average of 62.0 cm in vertical jump height after a countermovement phase (9). Injury prevention In the Greco-Roman style, athletes are not allowed to their opponents below the waist, while this is not so in the freestyle. However, in both types, the athletes must struggle extremely hard to dominate over the strength of their opponent and at the same time try to force and break their rivals defense once he is down on the mat. In this competition all parts of the body are involved in voluntary motions and involuntary motions in other times, which are focused at overpowering the resistance and strength of the opponent wrestler. During this process, bio-mechanical forces are affect both athletes, which in some occasions may induce undesirable consequences, including injury in different parts of the body (2). A research conducted on injured wrestlers, showed that the highest incidence of injuries were to the athletes skin (62%), followed by muscle (22%), bones (9%) and joints (7%), respectively (2). Focusing on the region of injury involvement, it was presented that 33.3% of the injuries occurred in the upper extremities. In another study carried out.in adolescent and preadolescent boys, the primary areas of injury were to the upper extremities (33%), and the neck and back (24%) (8). Those findings can be explained because in Greco-Roman style, most of the techniques are executed so as to bring the rival down and defeat him, use the trunk muscles. The results of such mechanical actions on the opponents body will be a crash fall on the mat, with the possibility of injurious involvement of the skin, followed by very high pressure to the trunk. Additionally, after the landing on the mat, additional pressure is put on the trunk by rubbing the body on the mat surface, which can cause to simultaneous injuries of the skin, neck and trunk, as well (2). Wrestling in general has its own risk of injury, as with any other type of sports. Nevertheless, the high occurrence of sports injuries in wrestling requires special attention and good preparation of the athletes and awareness and support by sports authorities, trainers and coaches (10). Proper strengthening of the muscles of the limbs and lower back is required prior high intensity training or competition to ensure durability of the tissue against forces and impacts. Tests There have been suggested numerous tests to evaluate the physical aspects relevant with wrestling (8). VO2max: Bruce Test is a test used for assessing Vo2max on treadmill (8). Work load is increased gradually by increasing speed and incline. The athlete eventually is exhausted and VO2max is estimated. Upper body strength: Maximum repetition test (RM) for bench press has been considered a valid method for evaluating a wrestlers upper body strength (8). Lying on the bench in a supine position, the subject holds the bear with overhand grip and with the hands approximately shoulder width apart. Lifting the bar from bench, he then pulls it down on the chest, and then extends the elbows fully, without locking them. For the warm up prior to the test the subject executes 5-10 reps with 30-40% of body weight and rest for 1 minute, then add 4-9 kg on the bar so that he can lift it in 3-5 reps and rest for two minutes, then keeps adding weight until he can lift the weight correctly just one time. Lower body strength: Maximum repetition test (RM) for squat has been considered a valid method for evaluating a wrestlers lower body strength. Using back squat test, the subject from a standing position, with feet shoulder width apart, goes under the squat device and puts the bar on his shoulders, and while keeping a straight back, sits 90 degrees and stands up. To prevent spine injuries, the spine can use a belt. For the warm up prior to the test the subject executes 5-10 reps with 30-40% of his body weight and rests for 1 minute, then performs squat adding 14-18 kg weight until he can lift it in 3-5 reps and rest for 2 minutes, then keeps adding weight until he can lift the weight correctly just one time. Leg explosiveness: Countermovement jump is a valid method to test a wrestlers lower extremity explosiveness (8). Instead of executing a countermovement jump with on a jump mat that automatically estimates the height jumped, a field test could alternate the lack of scientific equipment. A graded tape is attached to wall. With chalked fingertips, the subject stands in front of the wall with both arms extended overhead and with feet and chin touching the wall. The subject touches and marks the point where his fingertips touch the tape on the wall. For the jump, the subject jumps after executing a rapid squat so as to gain vertical momentum, and touches the tape at the highest point possible. The difference between pre and post jump touch marks is calculated as: VJ = maximal jump height initial reach height. An alternative method is for the subject to jump and push away vanes on an instrument, and the number of vanes pushed is assigned to a jump height. Hand grip strength: Perhaps the most common test conducted in the world of wrestling is the measurement of the strength of the hand grip by utilizing a hand dynamometer (4). The subject holds the dynamometer, with the arm extended and the elbow by the side of the body. Then the subject squeezes the dynamometer with maximum isometric effort, for about 5 seconds. No other movement is allowed. There should be strong encouragement to the subject to give a maximum effort. Selected Tests For the needs of this paper, the tests that evaluate lower-body explosiveness, lower-body strength and VO2max were selected. VO2max: Validity Bruce test is an sub-maximal protocol for the estimation of VO2max. Bruce et al reported Pearson product moment correlation coefficients (r) between predicted VO2max and measured VO2max of 0.94 for without cardiac conditions (n=292), 0.93 for women without cardiac conditions (n=509), and 0.87 for men with cardiac disease (n=153) (11). Reliability A comparison was carried out by Foster et al between predicted VO2max, and measured VO2max for the general equation and the population-specific equations (12). The average predicted error was -0.6 mL*kg^-1 * min^-1 for the general equation versus -2.0 mL*kg^-1 * min^-1 for the population-specific equations. The correlation between measured VO2max and predicted VO2max for the general equation was high (r=0.96), with a multiple correlation coefficient (R) of 0.98 and a standard error of the estimate (SEE) of 3.5 mL*kg^-1 * min^-1 (12). Squat test Validity Squat test has been used widely in athleticism for evaluating lower-extremity strength, and moreover, in numerous athletes of wrestling (8). Strength is the main characteristic in wrestling so evaluating and improving the strength is the main goal for many wrestling training protocols. Reliability Dong-il Seo after testing 15 males and 15 females on 1RM squat test, presented the following (13): males females total CV 0.345 0.53 ICC 0.992 0.973 0.994 Moreover McCurdy et al. and Tagesson and Kvist reported the reliability of 1RM testing on squat, and knee extension that each 1RM test was reliable (14,15). Countermovement jump: Validity The counter-movement jump is a performance test, which evaluates the power of the lower extremities (16). The counter-movement jump is has been used extensively in studies with plyometric sessions and in evaluation of sports that utilize the stretch-shortening cycle (16,17). Reliability The counter-movement jump, after reliability studying, has shown a high correlation coefficient with the explosive power factor (r = 0.87) (16). Along with squat jump it is the most reliable and valid field test for estimating the explosive power of the lower extremities.

Post-Modern Analysis Of Hr Gigers the birth machine Essay examples --

A Postmodern analysis of H.R. Giger's: "The Birth Machine" Contents 1. Introduction to Essay: Premodern, Modern and Post Modern Art 2. The Artist, Hans Rudi Giger and "The Birth Machine" 3. "The Birth Machine" 4. Picture: "The Birth Machine" 5. The Philosophical Narrative a. My chosen philosophical narrative (Postmodernism) b. Analysis of the piece through postmodernism 6. The Poem: "Der Atom Kinder" 7. Critical Evaluation 8. Conclusion 9. Picture: "Bullet Baby" and "Iron Cast Copy" 10. Bibliography Introduction: Premodern, Modern and Postmodern art forms Various styles of art change and mould to fit the times, as do their artists. It then follows that a number of eras are identifiable in history with the previous style or form of art usually being a catalyst for the next. The art often reflects not only the time in which it was created, but also the influence of the great thinkers of that time. The Premodern The premodern philosophy in relation to art can then be divided into two separate and distinct areas, namely the Hellenistic and the Medieval. The latter saw art as a mimetic actively or a second-hand reflection of the original source of meaning; that which is above man. In the biblical sense, this would refer to Yahweh or God (Kearney, 1994:115). This was followed by the belief that the imagination (and therefore that which came from the imagination) was a mere counterfeit of the original being (Kearney, 1994:117). As art could never be perfect and was always an interpretation of the imagination, the iconography (representational paintings) of Christ and the Saints had to therefore follow strict rules in order to show no emotion. This was no ensure that the icon which was being represented was being worshiped and never the painting itself. In the Hellenistic imagination, although man can be seem as an original creator of physical art pieces, the artists can never escape the feeling that it is an imitation of th... ...beautiful and artistic at the same time. Where the premodern art forms may have been too limiting on the artist and modern art a lot more reserved, postmodern art enables the artist to explore endless possibilities when it comes to expression. Perhaps too many as a lot of postmodern artists can start to claim almost any replicated image as a work of art. The imagination should be able to run freely, but should still, even in today's world on the monotonous, try to avoid too much replication. Nonetheless, Hans Rudi Giger remains a living legend along with his tortured artworks. Bibliography †¢ Kearney, R. The Wake of the Imagination Towards a postmodern Culture. London 1994 †¢ HR Giger. Giger's Necronomicon. Morpheus International. Beverley Hills. 1980 †¢ Stanislav Grof, Review of Necronomicon Mill Valley, California, January 2001. (www.ajlardim.com.br) †¢ http://webpages.charter.net/jspeyrer/necron.htm †¢ http://www.littlegiger.com/limited/ †¢ www.hrgiger.com †¢ www.giger.com

Acts of Kindness Essay

Category: Community Description of Act: Today I went to portage Park (which is very close to my house) and I picked up garbage with my pink gloves in a trash bag around the whole Park. Reflection: Since I live close to portage Park I go there a lot and when I go there I see that there’s a lot of trash around and nobody picks it up. So I decided that the nice thing that I would do would be to pick up the trash and put in a trashcan. I know I’m not helping that much because people are going to keep putting trash on the ground but at least I know that I can help a little bit. At first it was a little weird because people started wondering why I was wear pink gloves and picking up trash but then this one older woman came up to me and thanked me for picking up trash because she didn’t like it when the park was dirty and after that I felt really good about what I was doing and I felt like what I was doing had purpose. Act of kindness #2 Category: Community Description of Act: Me and my family decided that we should do something good for the community and we decided that we should make sandwiches for homeless people around the neighborhood and give them out to soup kitchens and other places like that. Reflection: So one day my family decided that they wanted to help the homeless people around my neighborhood since we have all this food and a roof over our house to be thankful for we should help those that were in need. When I was making the sandwiches I thought what I was doing was really positive and was a good thing but then I also thought what if they don’t want to be helped or pitied what if they have too much pride? But after we went around and gave around the sandwiches to homeless people and  soup kitchens and felt like it was still was kind of a rude but people need other people to help them sometimes and we were those people. The homeless people were very thankful for the sandwiches and were happy that we did what we d id. Act of kindness #3 Category: Teachers Description of Act: After school one day I went to one of my math teacher’s class and I helped them out with organizing papers, grading quizzes, and whatever else he needed. Reflection: Sometimes the only time I help teachers of the schools because of extra credit or they give me candy but this time I went because I wanted you guys out there that knew that he had a lot of work that he had to do but little time. When he saw me come into the classroom after school use a little surprised because he didn’t ask for any help for extra credit but I told him that I was there because I just wanted to help and be nice. He thought that it was very thoughtful me to help him with his grading and organizing and I felt really happy afterwards because I did something good without needing to have credit extra credit be a motivation. Act of kindness #4 Category: Teachers Description of Act: Today I saw a teacher going up the stairs with a lot of books and I came over and helped out and grab some of the books which were very heavy and helped her put them in the classroom that they needed to be in. Reflection: Even if I wasn’t doing this project which is pretty cool project if I do say so myself I would’ve still helped her out because of the kind of person I am and it just feels really nice when you help someone out without having them ask you. I know that if I was going to stairs with heavy books I would want someone to help me out too. When I asked if she needed help she smiled which made me smile made me feel good to help her. Act of kindness #5 Category: Parent/Guardians Description of Act: Today I woke up early in the morning I went into the kitchen and started cooking some breakfast. I cooked eggs, bacon, and hash  browns. I talked a lot so everybody my house could eat some and believe me they ate some. They didn’t ask me to cook and they were surprised that I cooked. Reflection: My Mom and Dad when I was little always used to cook me breakfast with eggs and bacon and all that other good stuff but since they work more often didn’t have the time to cook for us which was sad because I love bacon in the morning. So I decided I should make breakfast for them this one time because I’m terrible at cooking so I did and I did pretty well for my first time. They loved it and they loved that didn’t have asked me they love that it was a surprise they loved that it was actually good LOL. I felt really good inside and felt really nice to see my family together eating and it made me feel like I brought the family together. Act of kindness #6 Category: Parent/Guardians Description of Act: Again I woke up early and decided I would do a nice thing and clean house and when I meant clean the house I mean clean the HOUSE. I went all around the house cleaned every corner in every dusty place until it was spotless or close enough to spotless. And no one asked me to do it. Reflection: My mom always bugs me about cleaning my room and yells at me when I don’t so I thought to myself in the morning at 7:00 AM when everybody was sleeping why don’t I just clean no one else will do it and then she would never yell at me ever again just kidding. But I know I would make her happy so that’s the main reason why did it. I clean the house so good that I think I will never have to clean the house ever again. When my parents came home and saw the house I think they fainted cried almost there were happy that I did it without them having to ask. It made me happy that they were happy. But my arm still hurts though. Act of kindness #7 Category: Classmates/Friends Description of Act: Yesterday there was a friend at my rehearsal and she was crying and I asked her why she was crying and she responded to she felt uncomfortable and didn’t want to do something. I told her that she didn’t have to do anything that she didn’t want to and that she can talk to me anytime if she has any problems with anything or if she just wants to talk  and helped her back to rehearsal. Reflection: When I saw her crying I immediately went over and asked her what was wrong because I never like it when people are crying I like it when people are happy. I know and I was crying I would want someone to comfort me as well and that the cheapo uncomfortable with something even made it worse because no one should feel uncomfortable ever. When she was crying I felt like I just needed to help her in any way I could and so I talked to her and let her know that she can talk to me anytime because of space that I am free all the time and I just like to make peo ple feel better. She said she was happy that she had me as a friend and it made me feel all good inside will Act of kindness #8 Category: Classmates/Friends Description of Act: I spent some time with my friend when they were feeling lonely and they really needed some company. So I went over to the house and we played to videogames talked about politics and the world (not really we were just worrying about the ACT). We ate some stuff and had I had a really good time. Reflection: When my friend asked me to hang out I didn’t really feel like it but I didn’t want her to feel all alone and stuff so I got my butt over to her house as fast as possible and I hung out with her. She was really glad that I came over and I was glad that I came over to because to bored people make for a really interesting and weird time. Again I felt like a really good for spending some time with my good friend and the really nice to make someone feel better. Act of kindness #9 Category: Strangers/Random Description of Act: Today I was on a bus and I have going on I saw that the person behind me was viciously looking into her purse for money and for the life of her could not find it and I saw that in my purse I had an extra card for the bus that had one more ride on it. So I decided to give it to her so she can get on the bus because she really looked like she needed to get on the bus. So I did. Reflection: I’ve never had that before like when I don’t have any money on the bus and someone’s like â€Å"Oh here I’ll give you money here you go â€Å"but the bus driver usually just let me go so that’s pretty  nice. I felt like this one time I should at least help this lady out because this bus driver does not look like the type to give free rides and I’m pretty sure she really needs to be somewhere by the way she is tearing up that purse. When I gave her the bus card I think in her point of view there was like a gleaming light behind me and a choir singing because her eyes got huge and I think she was about to kneel before me but she said â€Å"Thank you so much†. I always have extra money on me because my mom is always scared that something terrible is going to happen to me so if you ever need money look for me. I felt like a hero after I gave her the money just without the Cape. Act of Kindness #10 Category: Strangers/Random Description of Act: Today there was a woman who looked like she was lost so I went up to her and asked her if she was having any trouble finding something and she was trying to find Lakeview which is lucky for her because I know exactly where that is. So I gave her directions to Lakeview. Reflection: Sometimes I get lost a lot and I mean a lot and I know that I should know where everything is in Chicago because I’ve been here since I was born so I’m a true Chicagoan but let’s face it I am not a true Chicagoan because I’ve never really been around Chicago a lot like my whole life. But this lady is a lucky because I know exactly where Lakeview is because I’m a student there of course not because I have my phone with me with a map in it. Preposterous! So anyways I gave her the directions and she was very thankful that I was there to save the day. I knew what I did was a really good and patted myself on the back and went on to do whatever I was doing th at day which is probably nothing.

The Fall of Rome How, When, and Why Did It Happen

The phrase the Fall of Rome suggests that some cataclysmic event ended the Roman Empire which had stretched from the British Isles to Egypt and Iraq. But at the end, there was no straining at the gates, no barbarian horde that dispatched the Roman Empire in one fell swoop. Instead, the Roman Empire fell slowly as a result of challenges from within and without, and changing over the course of hundreds of years until its form was unrecognizable. Because of the long process, different historians have placed an end date at many different points on a continuum. Perhaps the Fall of Rome is best understood as a compilation of various maladies that altered a large swath of human habitation over many hundreds of years. When Did Rome Fall? 19th-century illustration of Romulus Augustulus resigning the Roman crown to Odoacer; from an unknown source. Public Domain/Wikimedia In his masterwork, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, historian Edward Gibbon selected 476 CE, a date most often mentioned by historians. That date was when Odoacer, the Germanic king  of the Torcilingi, deposed Romulus Augustulus, the last Roman emperor to rule the western part of the Roman Empire. The eastern half became the Byzantine Empire, with its capital at Constantinople (modern Istanbul). But the city of Rome continued to exist. Some see the rise of Christianity as putting an end to the Romans; those who disagree with that find the rise of Islam a more fitting bookend to the end of the empire—but that would put the Fall of Rome at Constantinople in 1453! In the end, the arrival of Odoacer was but one of many barbarian incursions into the empire. Certainly, the people who lived through the takeover would probably be surprised by the importance we place on determining an  exact event and time. How Did Rome Fall? Just as the Fall of Rome was not caused by a single event, the way Rome fell was also complex. In fact, during the period of imperial decline, the empire actually expanded. That influx of conquered peoples and lands changed the structure of the Roman government. Emperors moved the capital away from the city of Rome, too. The schism of east and west created not just an eastern capital first in Nicomedia and then Constantinople, but also a move in the west from Rome to Milan. Rome started out as a small, hilly settlement by the Tiber River in the middle of the Italian boot, surrounded by more powerful neighbors. By the time Rome became an empire, the territory covered by the term Rome looked completely different. It reached its greatest extent in the second century CE. Some of the arguments about the Fall of Rome focus on the geographic diversity and the territorial expanse that Roman emperors and their legions had to control. Why Did Rome Fall? Pont du Gard, Roman Aqueduct, France. Karoly Lorentey This is easily the most argued question about the fall of Rome. The Roman Empire lasted over a thousand years and represented a sophisticated and adaptive civilization. Some historians maintain that it was the split into an eastern and western empire governed by separate emperors caused Rome to fall. Most classicists believe that a combination of factors including Christianity, decadence, the metal lead in the water supply, monetary trouble, and military problems caused the Fall of Rome. Imperial incompetence and chance could be added to the list. And still, others question the assumption behind the question and maintain that the Roman empire didnt fall so much as adapt to changing circumstances. Christianity 4th-century mosaic in the vault of a mausoleum built under Constantine the Great for his daughter Constantina (Costanza), who died in 354 AD. R Rumora (2012) Institute for the Study of the Ancient World When the Roman Empire started, there was no such religion as Christianity. In the 1st century CE, Herod executed their founder Jesus for treasonous behavior. It took his followers a few centuries to gain enough clout to be able to win over imperial support. This began in the early 4th century with Emperor Constantine, who was actively involved in Christian policy-making. When Constantine established a state-level religious tolerance in the Roman Empire, he took on the title of Pontiff. Although he was not necessarily a Christian himself (he wasnt baptized until he was on his deathbed), he gave Christians privileges and oversaw major Christian religious disputes. He may not have understood how the pagan cults, including those of the emperors, were at odds with the new monotheistic religion, but they were, and in time the old Roman religions lost out. Over time, Christian church leaders became increasingly influential, eroding the emperors powers. For example, when Bishop Ambrose (340–397 CE) threatened to withhold the sacraments, Emperor Theodosius did the penance the Bishop assigned him. Emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion in 390 CE. Since Roman civic and religious life were deeply connected—priestesses controlled the fortune of Rome, prophetic books told leaders what they needed to win wars, and emperors were deified—Christian religious beliefs and allegiances conflicted with the working of empire. Barbarians and Vandals 395 BC Visigoth King Alaric. Getty Images/Charles Phelps Cushing/ClassicStock The barbarians, which is a term that covers a varied and changing group of outsiders, were embraced by Rome, who used them as suppliers of tax revenue and bodies for the military, even promoting them to positions of power. But Rome also lost territory and revenue to them, especially in northern Africa, which Rome lost to the Vandals at the time St. Augustine, in the early 5th century CE. At the same time the Vandals took over the Roman territory in Africa, Rome lost Spain to the Sueves, Alans, and Visigoths. The loss of Spain meant Rome lost revenue along with the territory and administrative control, a perfect example of the interconnected causes leading to Romes fall. That revenue was needed to support Romes army and Rome needed its army to keep what territory it still maintained. Decadence and Decay of Romes Control The Mother of the Gracchi, c1780. Artist: Joseph Benoit Suvee. Print Collector/Getty Images / Getty Images There is no doubt that decay—the loss of Roman control over the military and populace—affected the ability of the Roman Empire to keep its borders intact. Early issues included the crises of the Republic in the first century BCE under the emperors Sulla and Marius, as well as that of the Gracchi brothers in the second century CE. But by the fourth century, the Roman Empire had simply become too big to control easily. The decay of the army, according to the 5th-century Roman historian Vegetius, came from within the army itself. The army grew weak from the lack of wars and stopped wearing their protective armor. This made them vulnerable to enemy weapons and provided a temptation to flee from battle. Security may have led to the cessation of the rigorous drills. Vegetius says the leaders became incompetent and rewards were unfairly distributed. In addition, as time went on, Roman citizens including soldiers and their families living outside of Italy, identified with Rome less and less compared to their Italian counterparts. They preferred to live as natives, even if this meant poverty, which, in turn, meant they turned to those who could help—Germans, brigands, Christians, and Vandals. Lead Poisoning Some scholars have suggested that the Romans suffered from lead poisoning. There was lead in Roman drinking water, leached in from water pipes used in the vast Roman water control system; lead glazes on containers that came in contact with food and beverages; and food preparation techniques that could have contributed to heavy metal poisoning. The lead was also used in cosmetics, even though it was also known in Roman times as a deadly poison, and used in contraception. Economics Economic factors are also often cited as a major cause of the fall of Rome. Some of the major factors, like inflation, over-taxation, and feudalism are discussed elsewhere. Other lesser economic issues included the wholesale hoarding of bullion by Roman citizens, the widespread looting of the Roman treasury by barbarians, and a massive trade deficit with the eastern regions of the empire. Together these issues combined to escalate financial stress during the empires last days. Sources Baynes, Norman H. The Decline of the Roman Power in Western Europe. Some Modern Explanations. Journal of Roman Studies 33.1-2 (1943): 29-35. Print.Dorjahn, Alfred P., and Lester K. Born. Vegetius on the Decay of the Roman Army. The Classical Journal 30.3 (1934): 148-58. Print.Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 12 volumes. New York: Fred de Fau, 1776. Phillips, Charles Robert. Old Wine in Old Lead Bottles: Nriagu on the Fall of Rome. The Classical World 78.1 (1984): 29-33. Print.