A Character Comparison: Nora Vs. Antigone Essay -- Dolls House Antigo

A Character Comparison: Nora Vs. Antigone In the novels A Doll's House and Antigone, Ibsen and Sophocles respectively create two lead female characters, Nora and Antigone, who confront society's expectations of women in fundamentally different ways. Nora goes against the grain of middle class society by first forging her father's signature and then deceiving her husband, Torvald, throughout their marriage; Antigone, on the other hand, openly challenges and defies the rule of men, including her uncle and King of Thebes, Creon. Although Nora and Antigone share some comparable personality traits, like being strong willed and motivated, they confront the men in their lives and their comparable societies in two distinctive ways, which, as a result, leads to two differing denouements. Nearly every society, Nora and Antigone's are no exception, dictates a specific place or purpose for women, and while Nora and Antigone's respective societies possess some similarities regarding women's place and purpose, they contain several important differences. In Antigone, for example, the relative worth and status of women in Thebian society seems clear; women are to submit to the rule of man. Ismene suggests this submissive attribute of women in Thebian society when she begs Antigone not to defy Creon's commands, "Remind ourselves that we are women and as such are not made to fight with men." (193) Evidently the Thebian society controlled by men has kept a lid on women's individuality so much so that even a member of the royal family, Ismene, speaks of the futility in attempting to clash with the rule of man. Furthermore, Creon asks Antigone if she is "ashamed to differ from such men [the Chorus]?" (212) This suggests that in Thebian society w... ...igone respectively. Both plays focus on women's place in society and the struggle of two women to discover the repression of women latent in society and to break free of that repression. Surprisingly enough the two societies maintain similar expectations of women, but Nora and Antigone break those expectations via different methods unique to their situations. Nora is repressed by her husband and society, whereas Antigone is repressed by Creon and Thebian society, and while Nora deceives her husband for the majority of their marriage, Antigone's strong will allows her to openly confront Creon's superiority. Thus, the conclusions or denouements of the plays are to some extent different; while Nora survives in theoretical 'perfect freedom' in her society, Antigone is given death, and in a way 'frees' herself from the repressive society in which she has been subjected to.

“by the Waters of Babylon” vs Epic of Gilgamesh.

â€Å"By the waters of Babylon† Vs Epic of Gilgamesh. A lot of stories concerning religions and cultures have lot of similarities and differences, despite the fact that they are not from the same era of time. Humans used these stories and writings to express their culture and religious views. â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† is very similar to the writings of the Mesopotamian writings in The Epic of Gilgamesh more specificlay â€Å"The story of the flood† and â€Å"The Return†.These similarities include many gods in both, a unique quality in the characters of both than can include â€Å"born to greatness†, people of both writings lead to their death themselves, John and Gilgamesh Come home with lessons. etc In most of all ancient influences, there are characters in the stories, who are born to some kind of greatness, or we can say, a special type of person.In â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† when John and his father goes to the dead places, Joh n, explains that only priest can touch metal and are believed to have special powers that no other normal human being would have , â€Å"and then he who touches the metal must be a priest or the son of a priest† (Benet 75). This shows how is John born to greatness, being the son of a priest and can touch metal wherever he wants. The priests are believed to have special powers that no other normal human being would have.This compares to the Epic of Gilgamesh, when Author of Epic of Gilgamesh said â€Å"Two thirds they made him god and one third man† (Prologue). This shows how Gilgamesh was born to greatness by having 1/3 characteristics of man and 2/3 of god and this compares the born to greatness in both the writings . Some religions and cultures believe in one god; monotheistic religions, and others believe in many gods; polytheistic religions.In â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† Benet’s main character, John, speaks of The Place of the Gods, â€Å"It is f orbidden to cross the great river and look upon the place that was the Place of the Gods –this is most strictly forbidden† (75). When speaking of gods house means multiple gods, this shows that the religion in which John follows is polytheistic and worships many gods. In The Epic of Gilgamesh, Gilgamesh speaks of the names of the gods, means a lot of gods ,â€Å"There was Anu, lord of the firmament, their father, and warrior Enlil their counselor, Ninurta the helper, and Ennugi watcher over canals† (N.K. Sandars 25). This shows that the Mesopotamians and people from â€Å"By the Waters of Babylon† were both polytheistic and believed in multiple gods. Almost in all writings there are lessons or message that characters learns in the end ,the same thing happened in our story, where ,Gilgamesh and John both learned lessons in the end of their voyage or journey . In â€Å"By the waters of Babylon† when john returns from the Place of Gods ,â€Å"But they are men who build the city, not dos or demons. †John says â€Å"They are men . I remember a dead man’s face† (Benet 85).This shows how John came home with a message, about the ,City of the Gods, that it is really New York City, and the gods were actually humans, so they have nothing to fear. And on the other side, Gilgamesh also comes home with a lesson which is that immortality is not obtained by some flower or going on a journey but you can be in hearts of the tourists and explorers but making your name fame , which Gilgamesh does but making Uruk’s walls and being in the hearts of people forever. And so, with that it proves a lesson learned in both writings.

Human Papilloma Virus in Teens Essay

Teenagers in the United States are becoming sexually active at an earlier age and have more exposure to sexually transmitted diseases. Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is one of the leading causes of sexually transmitted diseases in the United States (Center for Disease Control, 2012), and the age group with the highest prevalence of HPV are teenagers. With the growing number of teenagers exposed to HPV, the incidence of cervical cancer is increasing in the US. The study of epidemiology focuses on the interventions and preventions available to decrease the prevalence and incidence of HPV, cervical cancer, and genital warts in teenagers. This paper will evaluate the role of epidemiology in HPV by utilizing the epidemiological triangle, methods and types of epidemiology, the population affected, and the levels of prevention in the HPV disease. â€Å"Epidemiology is the study of populations in order to: monitor the health of the population, understand the determinants of health and disease of communities, and investigate and evaluate interventions to prevent disease and maintain health† (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). Epidemiology is a science that includes both infectious and chronic diseases and influences clinical medicine and public health through research. Epidemiology focuses on evidence-based practice and the outcomes are utilized to guide a change in practice. The influence of the research is community wide and focuses on the services provided in the community. The purpose of epidemiology is to find the causes of disease, the prevention of morbidity and mortality, and to predict the occurrence of disease in the populations at risk. Nurses use epidemiology as a data tool in designing, implementing, and evaluating the health problems in the community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2008). Human Papilloma virus is the primary cause of sexually transmitted disease among teenagers and can result in co-morbidity such as cervical cancer and genital warts. Research has indicated that the vaccines available are effective in the prevention of cervical cancer and genital warts caused by HPV. HPV in teens can be affected by lack of education about safe sex practices, and the lack of access to healthcare facilities executing medical screening. Legal consideration involving vaccine administration, in the state of Tennessee, is parental consent. The public health nurse can play a role in the community by advocating and communicating with government officials for the vaccine to be required for entrance into school. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention have significant implications towards HPV management, cervical cancer, and genital warts. Prevention of HPV through education, screening, and vaccinations is the most effective technique to decrease the prevalence and incidence cervical cancer, and genital warts in teenagers.

Misrepresentation of african american women Essay

African American women have historically been viewed as hyper-sexual creatures, due to unique anatomical features not often seen in other races. This hyper-sexualized view of Black women dates back as early as the days of slavery when European imperialists traveled to Africa and were excessively intrigued by (and abashedly attracted to) the women in the tribes. Europeans were in awe of the physique of African women, comparable to none, as well as their dancing and traditional garments. Europeans unfamiliarity with a body type that is not unusual amongst African women resulted in a projection of hyper-sexuality onto Black women that did not truly exist and has been hard for Black women around the world to rid themselves of. Saartjie [Sara] Baartman, also known as the â€Å"Hottentot Venus,† became the blueprint for degrading and humiliating the Black woman on a worldwide level. Saartjie Baartman was a South African born woman who was enslaved by a Dutch farmer near the city of Cape Town. Her master was approached by traveling Europeans to travel to Europe to have her body examined and put on display. In 1810, Saartjie’s master informed her that she would be free and assume fortune and fame in order to persuade her to leave his plantation for the sideshow act she would unknowingly become in. It was this promise that led to Saartjie’s willingness to travel to Europe. Saartjie traveled to England and upon her arrival, she was placed on public display, often times in a cage, so her large buttocks and breast could be observed by hundreds of curious Englishman. These invasive spectators were recorded as laughing at her, calling her names, and throwing items at her. Saartjie’s body was so spectacular and strange to Europeans that medical students were able to use her for scientific research. She was again sold from England to a French circus to dance in the nude as entertainment and was one the main attractions. Saartjie never enjoyed the freedom she was promised and turned to alcohol to cope with her humiliation and entered prostitution to support her when she was no longer necessary as a side show attraction. She died in 1815, only five years after her arrival to Europe. Saartjie’s humiliation did not end with her death. She died of unidentified disease in France and her body was turned over to a museum. Her brain, vagina, and her skeleton were removed from her body, preserved and put on display. Her frameless body was then preserved in such a way that she stood erect as well. Her body was eventually buried in France but the parts removed from her body remained on display in a French museum until 1974. The displays were removed that year and replaced with casts of Saartjie’s confiscated body parts. Saartjie Baartman’s humiliating enslavement marks the beginning of the Black woman’s degradation. She could be considered the first â€Å"video-vixen model. † However, culture has changed such that women willingly dance erotically while scantily clad or totally nude, whereas Saartjie was forced. This willingness has transformed the way the Black woman is viewed and the way the Black woman views herself. The manner in which Saartjie Baartman was treated is indicative of European attitudes about Black women and African standards of beauty. Saartjie was renowned for her physique, which Europeans responded to Saartjie as an object with disgust, intrigue, sexual attraction, and condescension. The removal of her organs indicates a perverse obsession with the body of the African woman. This attitude about the Black woman’s body has persisted, taking on new faces as culture changes and pop culture emerged. Media images of Black women have long been degrading, unflattering, and/or extreme. Black women have specific functional roles in the media: typically and most often as Jezebel, Mammie, and the welfare mom. The Jezebel stereotype of the hyper-sexual, manipulative Black woman is more prevalent and more widely seen in the media from television, movies, magazines, and music videos. It is the Jezebel who is the African American woman who is not ashamed to take off her clothes in exchange for things she may need. The music industry especially popularizes strippers and video models as an acceptable and desirable occupation for a Black woman. Not only do majority of hip-hop lyrics degrade women to the lowest level that a woman can be degraded, but the music videos take special care to degrade the black woman even more. Rap music videos depict a false image of what a real woman looks like in reality: â€Å"music videos have gotten so raunchy they might as well be pornography, presenting a hyper-sexual depiction of women that distorts and demeans the image of black women in particular. Even in the tamer videos, women might as well be prostitutes. They are objects, part of the bling-bling, like the platinum chains and diamonds sported by rappers† (Daily Review 7/4/04). It is just in this way that Saartjie Baartman was displayed and responded to and it is in the way Black women have been consistently considered: as objects of sexual exploitation. Hip hop music has become explosively popular in the US and much of the rest of the world in the last twenty years. Hip hop music influences larger society in powerful ways and has become a subculture that has transcended race, socioeconomics, and gender. Its popularity and ability to transcend across many social lines that are usually impenetrable is the biggest threat to the perception of Black women by others and by themselves. When leaders like President Barack Obama and other prominent politicians reference lines from popular rap songs, they are often received with admiration and excitement by the media and larger public. Such a response from a pop culture reference reveals hip hop music’s ability to influence culture on a magnanimous level. Hip hop music is an industry run by men, with overwhelmingly male artists who provide entertainment for other men. In this understanding of the industry, the images of women presented through this massively popular music are exclusively chosen by men. Additionally, hip hop music tends to sell a lifestyle and not just a song or beats. As was previously discussed in the quote from Daily Review, expensive material things and several beautiful and naked women are things to achieve and obtain. An object is for use of some kind and the hip hop music industry has single handedly crystallized the developing notion that women in general are objects for sexual pleasure exclusively. This idea is particularly harmful for Black women and girls in the face of a media that has very few other images of Black women. White women are of course objectified and hyper-sexualized in the same manner, but the damage of such objectification is buffered by other images of a range of professional White women, heroines in film and television, prominent White actresses, politicians, businesswomen, journalists, etc â€Å"Historically, white women, as a category, were portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, and modesty – even sexual purity, but black women were often portrayed as innately promiscuous, even predatory. This depiction of black women is signified by the name Jezebel† (Pilgram, 2002). Black women and girls have very few other images to measure themselves against or look to for motivation or encouragement. These pervasive images of the Black woman as a promiscuous and manipulative Jezebel juxtaposed with the lack of other, more positive images, is extremely damaging to the Black woman’s self-esteem. These images also inform others of how to perceive and ultimately treat Black women, which is further corrosive to the Black woman’s self-esteem. As if the power that images tend to have on the human psyche were not enough, hip hop music also incorporates lyrics that correspond to the tone of disrespect for Black women. Negative epithets that refer to a woman’s sexual and social behavior like â€Å"ho† and â€Å"bitch† are common, frequent, and acceptable in hip hop lyrics and serve to further denigrate Black women. Often, rappers and fans alike make excuses for the disturbing images and lyrics featured in songs and videos, expressing that the women featured in the videos are working of their own volition and are not being objectified. While the women of these videos are participating of their own volition, the degrading lyrics and the degrading images are not negated just because the women are choosing to participate. The message being sent is still clear and ubiquitous: Black women are objects of sexual gratification that do not have to be spoken to or spoken of as human beings. Viewers are influenced by these images and lyrics and are encouraged to develop erroneous ideas about and monolithic perception of Black women. Additionally, because other, more positive images of Black women are missing in the media, viewers are left with little real information about the Black woman’s experience, life, and character. Hip hop music has also set the standard of presentation for female rappers as well. Female rappers who have debuted in the last 20 years invoke the power the same sexual images and presentations as the male rappers do. More recent female rap artists like Nikki Minaj have amplified the hyper-sexual stereotype about Black women with her sexually charged lyrics, provocative style of dress, and various implants to enlarge her breasts and buttocks, looking not unlike Saartjie Baartman and the many beautiful women of Africa. Artists who pre-date Nikki Minaj, like Lil’ Kim and Foxy Brown, debuted in a similar fashion, using their sexuality through lyrics and risque media poses in which they were almost always scantily clad, to propel their careers. These female rappers only serve to further push the music industry’s agenda to denigrate women, Black women in particular, by buying into and proudly displaying the very stereotypical behaviors that function to keep hyper-sexualized images of Black women in the minds of viewers. Female rappers serve the same purpose as those women dancing in hip hop videos: to push the sexual agenda of a sexist music industry. However, the message delivered through female rappers is pronounced solely due to the fact that the artist is a female who is promoting a hegemonic patriarchal message. The sexual nature of hip hop in general is made more acceptable if the objects of sexual exploitation, women, also become hip hop stars. Lastly, the current female hip hop stars are adopting images of beauty from childhood icons such as Barbie, as is the case with Nikki Minaj. The adaptation of Barbie for the purpose of hip hop is a clear indication that there is an agenda to capture all viewers’ minds to believe the images they are presented with about Black women. The most effectual approach to challenging the erroneous and negative images of Black women in the media is for those who are aware and knowledgeable to expose the falsehoods of the pervasive stereotypes and ideas about Black women. Bibliography Frith, Susan. â€Å"Searching for Sara Baartman. † Johns Hopkins Magazine, June 2009. http://www. jhu. edu/jhumag/0609web/sara. html (accessed April 20, 2013). â€Å"The Hottentot Venus. † Accessed April 22, 2013. http://whgbetc. com/mind/hottentot_venus_emory. html. Payton, Brenda. â€Å"Sorority Sisters Combat Explotiative Rap Images. † Daily Review (Hayward, CA). 4 July 2004. Pilgrim , David. â€Å"Jezebel. † Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia. . http://www. ferris. edu/jimcrow/jezebel. htm (accessed April 23, 2013). Clemlyn-Ann , Pollydore, and Jennifer A. Richeson. â€Å"Affective Reactions of African-American Students to Stereotypical and Counterstereotypical Images of Blacks in the Media.. † Journal of Black Psychology. no. 3 (2002): 261-275. Simmonds, Felly Nkweto. â€Å"’She’s Gotta Have It’: The Representation of Black Female Sexuality on Film. † Feminist Review. (1988): 10-22. http://www. jstor. org/discover/10. 2307/1395143? uid=3739936&uid=2129&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21102132644181 (accessed April 22, 2013).

The Significance of Cultural Differences for Foreign Companies

My essay is about significance of cultural differences for international companies which want to set up a business in China. To do a clearly demonstration, I break it down into 3 parts: First is an example that the culture differences affect international companies in China; Second is the significance of these cultural differences; Third is how the companies would overcome them. For the first part, there will be examples of international companies which set up a business in China. As we know, since China joined the WTO in 2001, many foreign companies were attracted by China’s huge market and lower labour cost. But some of them experienced hard times when they came into Chinese market. The unfamiliar of the cultural difference is a very important factor. From their experience, we can have a direct impression of how the culture differences would trouble for foreign companies in China. Second part is very important. As I choose China as the country. I will try to show some Chinese features, which are the Chinese cultural difference from others. I will to analysis why the cultural differences are significance and what effects they will cause. Real evidence will be given to support my idea. The third part is most critical, because it is not enough for us just know about the problems. We should find out ways to solve them. I will from four parts to demonstration, and try to cover the ways which can both improve the ability of foreign companies to deal with cultural difference in China as possible as I can. Example that the culture differences affect international companies in China: Looking back at past, we can find that China has been the first place of absorbing international capital in all developing countries for nearly 18 years. Since China joined the WTO in 2001, many international companies had been attracted by China’s huge market, lower labour cost, preferable government policies for foreign investors. But in fact, we can easily find some of them had come across a hard Why KFC had a better development than McDonalds? The reason is KFC was more careful to deal with culture difference in China. Before the year 2004, the McDonalds focus their customer group on children, and then parents and young people. Meanwhile, KFC focus on young people, then children and parents. We cannot say McDonalds strategy was wrong, because it brought great successful for it in USA. But it is not suitable in China. A survey made by China Chain Operation Association (CCFA) showed that no matter in the ratio of customers number or the ratio of money consume, the young people account for more than 60%. After 2005, McDonalds push-off its new series called â€Å"I just like it†, and changed their strategy to young people, the situation came better. This is an example of difference of the market positioning caused by the culture difference. [3] The McDonalds’ failure was not only because of this. It also ignored that people in different culture background may have different tastes. The GADLING website (2005) [4] showed that before 2005, while KFC began to create some news kinds of foods which were fit for Chinese people’s tastes, such as the Traditional Peking Chicken Loaf, Tomato and Egg Soup, the McDonalds still insisted on its western taste hamburger. In this period, the McDonalds had to cut half price to attract customers. And there was a thing which had a very bad influence about McDonalds. The Sina website [5] has some details about it. In June, 2005, McDonalds pushed a new advertisement. One scene of this advertisement is a man kneels down to beg the McDonalds lengthen the promotion period. This advertisement caused a very bad effect. Because in China, kneel down is very important and serious thing. Chinese people think kneel down to others is a sign of lost dignity. In some countries, people may regard it just as a funny advertisement. But in China, this kind of advertisement should be avoided. This is the difference of philosophy caused by different culture. It is also which the international company should be careful. The McDonalds’ example shows us how the cultural differences affect international companies in China. Then, in the following part, I will give a more clearly demonstration based on real evidence and shows what are the China’s specificity and why the culture differences is significance for international companies in China. Significance of cultural differences in China Culture is a very widely identity. For a company, we usually consider two main parts: the national culture, and the corporate culture. So when talk about Chinese culture’s influence to international firms, I will include both Chinese national culture and Chinese corporate culture. For Chinese national culture, we need to consider many parts, such as the philosophy. Because of the long history, China has formed very complete and complicated philosophy, which has a great different from western countries. Some traditional ideas are still kept in every Chinese people’s mind. A simple example is the advertisement of McDonalds mentioned above. Kneel down in China could never be a joke or used in an advertisement. Because of the influence of Confucianism, Chinese people in some parts are more conventional than western people. Some things which have a strong sex and violence implication may be forbidden by the government. The Techcn website (2009) [6] has showed that one of the reasons why Google suffer from a failure in China in 2007 is the Chinese most powerful media CCTV made it public that Google can link to some porn websites. It would be a common thing in some countries, but in China, this let Google at the disadvantage. â€Å"Abstract, Characteristics of national cultures have frequently been claimed to influence the selection of entry modes† (Bruce Kogut) [7]. After these years of developing, Chinese market has formed its own potential market culture. It means the sales models which are successful in other countries may not work in China. To take Best Buy for an example, as the world chain electronics giant, the Best Buy didn’t have a satisfactory performance in Chinese market. An report on Netease website (2010) [8] shows that after Best Buy opened the first shop in China in 2006, it only opened 7 shops in the following 4 years. And in the 2009, while the Best Buy had done a good job in global market, which has about 45 billion dollars sales, it didn’t make a profit in Chinese market. One important factor is Best Buy insisted on its traditional model, decorated the shop and hired the sales promotion person by themselves. But in China, these things are always hand to the suppliers. This cause high cost for Best Buy and also caused for discontent of the suppliers. The suppliers in China were not like the ways which Best Buy play down the publicity of product brands, while enhance the publicity of its own brand. If Best Buy can not get the support of Chinese suppliers, its failure is an understandable result. This kind of potential market rules are critical but easily to be ignored. How to overcome cultural differences After discussed the significance of cultural difference, and the bad effects they will make, we should try to find ways to overcome them. To deal with this, I will from 4 parts to analysis. First is the foreign companies should find a suitable management mode. The reason of some foreign companies failed in Chinese market was their management mode didn’t adapt to Chinese market to a large extend. Like Best Buy I had mentioned above, even though its management mode had been proved successful in North America. It didn’t work well in China. In my personal view, the main advantage of foreign companies is their tremendous capital and their foreign background. So when the foreign companies enter Chinese market, they can learn the management mode which Chinese native companies have. Then they can use their advantages to have a foothold in the Chinese market, and continuing complete their management mode based on their improved understanding about Chinese market. Second is the companies should do clearly and comprehensive market research before they come into Chinese market. The researches which are just about the market prospect are not nearly enough. They should investigate other things like Chinese culture, government policies, the operating mode of market. These kinds of research can provide the companies much more clearly understanding about Chinese market. At least they will not make some silly mistakes when they enter Chinese market. Third is about the employ of staff. To employ staff, the companies can give priority to overseas students and the people who had the experience of working in other foreign companies. These kinds of people are more easily to adapt to the different kinds of culture in the companies. Meanwhile, they can deal with things based on Chinese practical situation, which means more efficient in sometimes. And in my opinion, the top level of the company’s Chinese branch should have at least one Chinese people, it is not only because he or she has a deeply understand about China, but his or her personal networking with others can bring some help for the company. It is also kind of Chinese specific culture, networking with others sometimes are as important as own strength. The last one is staff training and internal management [10]. The foreign company should pay attention on the training of staffs. For the Chinese staffs, the training should include the part of training them to adapt the company’s culture and ways to deal with things. For the staffs from the home country, the company should train them about the Chinese culture, at least the part in relation to their professional business. And the internal management should consider about Chinese people’s value view and norms, it should be more humanization and can provide the staffs a more stable life, that’s what most of Chinese people desirous. Conclusion: To summarise, the cultural different is a very important problem which troubles most of foreign companies. For these companies, the incomprehension of Chinese people’s and market’s view about value and norms is one of the factors which limit their development in China. Things like the potential market culture of China; the cultural conflicts inside and outside the company; the different taste and tendency for Chinese people had brought a lot of problems for the foreign companies. That’s why some foreign companies which are very strength didn’t perform well in China. To overcome those problems caused by the cultural difference, the companies should do clearly and comprehensive researches for different parts of China and Chinese culture, and they should not overconfidence about their management mode even they are successful in other countries. Meanwhile, the companies should try to employ the people who are familiar about China. It can help the companies blend in Chinese society and market. The companies should also enhance the training of both Chinese staff and staff from home country. It will reduce the conflict between two cultures in the company. A humanize internal management mode and treatment which can provide staffs more stable life will also be helpful to attract Chinese people and reduce the rate of job-hopping.

Tallgrass Prairie

The tall grass prairie is an ecosystem native to central North America, with fire as its primary periodic disturbance. In the past, tall grass prairies covered a large portion of the American Midwest, just east of the Great Plains, and portions of the Canadian Prairies. They flourished in areas with rich loess soils and moderate rainfall of around 30 to 35 inches per year. To the east were the fire-maintained eastern savannas. In the northeast, where fire was infrequent and periodic wind throw represented the main source of disturbance, beech-maple forests dominated.Once this prairie covered approximately 140 million acres; now only isolated remnants exist. (Heat-Moon 261). The homesteaders saw it as a nuisance to be replaced as soon as possible with crops that paid their way. Within one generation a great majority of the native land was plowed under and developed. Currently, less than 4% remains, while the majority is located in the Kansas Flint Hills and surrounding areas. (Manning 76). Today, prairie is being brought back in places using a land management technique borrowed from the Plains tribes: controlled burning.Spring fires clear out non-native grasses before the later â€Å"sun-seeking† native grasses begin to grow. ( Heat-Moon 43-44). Fire also burns up dead plant debris on the ground, allowing the sun and rain to penetrate the soil, and releases nutrients, promoting growth and increasing seed yields. This and other prairie restoration methods help ensure that, at least in some places, we can look out over a sea of grass and feel the wonder of the first homesteaders.According to a long-term research study on tall grass prairies done at the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area by a trio of Kansas State University biology professors, bison grazing or mowing increases the species diversity or the number of plant species that exist at a particular site of grasses on the prairie. (KSU 1). Grazing and mowing keep plant diversity high even in annually burned or fertilized prairie where some plant species would otherwise be lost. Their research was published today in the journal Science.Alan Knapp, John Blair and John Briggs, along with two other colleagues have been conducting long-term studies on the effects of fire, grazing and climatic variability on tall grass prairies. This on-going research looks at these various factors alone and in combination. â€Å"One of the things we have learned in the past is that if you burn a prairie annually, species diversity tends to decrease,† Knapp said. â€Å"Grazing the prairie or removing part of the plant canopy, tends to offset the effects of frequent burning. Knapp said the re-introduction of bison, the prairie's native herbivores, over the past decade also has increased species diversity. (Cushman 13).â€Å"Bison, which were historically a very abundant herbivore on the tall grass prairies, played an important role in maintaining the plant species diversity in these systems,â €  Knapp said. â€Å"The increase in plant diversity we see at Konza Prairie after bison are re-introduced can be related to increases with bison grazing activities. (KSU 1). The bison that once roamed these prairies numbered close to 30 million, once settlers began to encroach on the area, and began to use the land for homesteading and agriculture the numbers dipped to nearly 500 individuals. As the bison left, the domestic cattle moved in with the homesteaders, once again disrupting the natural biodiversity of the land. In addition to the loss of the bison, fire on the prairie was a key element as well. (White 88).Typically, prairie fires were naturally occurring due to lightening strikes, and were in fact beneficial. As people began to settle and live in these areas these fires were seen as a hindrance, and were extinguished as quickly as possible. (Savage 124-26). These actions were not favorable for the grasses as these fires typically helped the natural species regenerate and helped to keep trees at bay as well. As time went on, the more human interaction that took place, the more it was destroying the natural tall grass prairie as it once was.

Cancer Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Cancer - Essay Example There are many different types of cancers originating in the human body owing to the different types of cells in the body. A few examples of cancers are skin cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer. Cancer is an abnormal multiplication of the cells which may originate in any cell of the human body owing to the lack regulatory processes and this pathological state can be treated by different treatment modalities (Kumar et al 2005). Under the microscope, cancer cells reveal different structural characteristics because of which they can be differentiated from the normal cells of the body. They are pleomorphic in nature, which means that they have a tendency to have a variable size and shape which is not in accordance with the normal cells. The cancer cells have different size and different shapes. Most of the cancer cells have large nuclei in comparison to the surrounding normal tissue cells and the nuclei of the cancerous cells contain abnormal number of chromosomes, a condition known as aneuploidy. The aneuploidy may occur due to a mutation or deletion of a chromosome. The cell membrane of the cancer cells produces surface enzymes which have the ability to damage the basement membrane of tissues. This characteristic assists in the spread of the cancer from its site of origin to the surrounding non-cancerous cells and damages them as well. The cancer cells show increased rate of mitosis. Mitosis is the process of the reproduction of the new cells and hence the cancer increases in its size and crosses its boundaries to spread out of its confines. The cancer cells have differences in metabolism in comparison to normal cells. Their metabolism is more anaerobic and therefore they may even combat hypoxic conditions. The cancer cells have the propensity to spread from the primary cancer site from where the tumor begins to grow to the adjacent normal tissues. This phenomenon is