Sycamore - Not Just a Planetree

Sycamore - Not Just a Planetree The sycamore tree (​Platanus occidentalis) is readily identifiable with broad, maplelike leaves and a trunk and limb complexion of mixed green, tan and cream. Some suggest it looks like camouflage. It is a member of one of the planets oldest clan of trees (Platanaceae) and paleobotanists have dated the family to be over 100 million years old. Living sycamore trees can reach ages of five hundred to six hundred years. The American sycamore or western planetree is North Americas largest native broadleaf tree and is often planted in yards and parks. Its hybridized cousin, the London planetree, adapts very well to urban living. The improved sycamore is New York Citys tallest street tree and is the most common tree in Brooklyn, New York. Champion The record American sycamore, according to The Urban Tree Book and the Big Tree Register, is 129 feet tall. This Jeromesville, Ohio tree has a limb spread that spans 105 feet and the trunk measures 49 feet in circumference. Threats Unfortunately, sycamore is susceptible to anthracnose fungus which makes leaves turn brown and contorts stem growth. Witches brooms or leafless sprout clusters form and grow along the limbs. Most urban plantings are of the hybrid London planetree because of its resistance to anthracnose. Habitat and Lifestyle The deciduous sycamore is fast growing and sun-loving, growing seventy feet in seventeen years on a good site. Very often it divides into two or more trunks near the ground and its massive branches form a wide-spreading, irregular crown. Mature trees usually develop hollow portions and areas of decay making them vulnerable to wind and ice. The outer bark peels away to create a mottled patchwork of tans, whites, grays, greens and sometimes yellows. The inner bark is usually smooth. The leaves are very large with 3 to 5 leaf lobes and are often 7 to 8 inches long and wide. Stalked unisexual flowers of both sexes appear on the same tree when leaves emerge. Fruits dangle from long stems and are aggregates of feathery seed nutlets (achenes). The tree is a very aggressive stump sprouter. Lore The tree was probably named by early colonists who noted a resemblance to the English sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus). The sycamore tree of the Bible is actually the sycamore fig (Ficus sycomorus).The tree is not very good for construction but is highly prized as butcher blocks.A hybrid developed from the American sycamore, called the London planetree, has become the urban tree of choice in North America and Europe.Sycamore seeds accompanied the lunar orbit of Apollo 14 in 1971 and were planted across from Philadelphias Independence Hall.

Essay on President’s right to indefinite detention of enemiesEssay Writing Service

Essay on President’s right to indefinite detention of enemiesEssay Writing Service Essay on President’s right to indefinite detention of enemies Essay on President’s right to indefinite detention of enemiesThe provision of the US President with the right to detain enemies without the definite time and opportunity of judicial review raises the problem of the violation of their basic human rights and liberties as was the case of Guantanamo. In such a case, even individuals detained as prisoners of war have the right to have access to the judicial review to take decision on their crime or innocence respectively to the existing legal norms and practices. In this regard, the US Congress should determine clearly how far should the right of the US President to detain enemies without the definite time and opportunity of judicial review should extend. The Congress should clarify the issue to prevent the possible violation of human rights of detainees by the US President and the military and law enforcement agencies that are under the President’s command.At the same time, the introduction of the clear regulation of this r ight of the US President is essential to â€Å"prevent the possible misuse of power by the US President† (Dworkin, 2002, p.149), who may just misuse this right to eliminate those individuals, who are dangerous for the interest group the President represents. The experience of Guantanamo proves that such â€Å"limitations and regulations are essential† (Levin-Waldman, 2012, p.183). In fact, such a right is too controversial from the standpoint of human rights to let the US President to exercise this right without any limitations.Therefore, the right of the US President to detain enemies without definite time and opportunity of judicial review has to be limited and clarified by the US Congress, which should regulate the time and procedure of judicial review to prevent the misuse of this right by the US President.

Media affects Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media affects - Research Paper Example Notable cases are; the media-coverage of Iraq war, various terrorist attacks all over the world and the media influence on the belief that all Muslims are terrorists. The media has also been accused on many occasions to be bias since it tends to support some groups while others are struggling. Although the media claims it handles tragedies well, offers a positive picture in regards to Muslims and terrorism and that it is not bias, is not convincing enough because evidence to the contrary lies all over an example being the Iraq war. BACKGROUND Back in the World War II the media seemed not to be aware of a great deal of horrifying events that occurred. It was quite serious that â€Å"we did not know† was coined to mean the media all over Europe. This was mostly in respect to concentration camps that littered Germany where people were tortured and even killed (Petren, Clinton and Nyama 2). Such information could not have gone off the media’s radar. Despite this, the media insisted that it was as surprised to find out the truth about the existence of concentration camps just like the rest of the people. The modern era of heightened technology a great deal of information can be gathered and disseminated as news but using the same technology the media can gravely manipulate the truth to serve certain purposes and interests. The current revolutions happening in the Middle East and North Africa are a good indicator of how modern technology can be used to transmit information. Egypt and Tunisia are countries whose presidents, Hosni Sayyid Mubarak and Ben Ali respectively, were ousted by the general public (Howard). Mubarak blocked the internet as his regime considered it as one of the most reliable links among the protesters. The sites useful in sharing information and escalating the protesters’ messages of anti-Mubarak and Ali’s regimes were Twitter, YouTube and Facebook. Yemen, Jordan, Bahrain and Libya among others are undergoing same revo lts and the same digital media is proving helpful in relaying the actual scenario on the ground. It is even noted that aides to the Libyan leader Muammar Muhammad al-Gaddafi have advised him to tender his resignation on Twitter (Howard). The media has done a good job in publicizing the Iraq war and terrorism activities in Afghanistan but the truth value of these publications is largely questionable. The media was quite keen to offer live coverage on events as they unfolded in the Iraq war but when it was over and the country was on its path to reconstruction, media attention became scarce (Sydney 482). The media has oversimplified the reality in the post-war Iraq and as it now unfolds a great deal of corruption and poor governance is going on. It is clear that the media covering the war in Iraq followed the Bush administration’s advice of failing to reveal the extent of the damage and loss of lives that the war was causing (Kuypers 68). Many restrictions in the name of urging the media for restraint were initiated by the administration. The press was not allowed to cover funerals of fallen soldiers nor the arrival of their caskets at the Dover Air Force base (483). Although the government claimed it was not censoring the media in coverage of Iraq, the media should not necessarily have complied as their mission is to get the story right by bringing forth the actual footage and photographs without letting their impact or shock lure their judgment