Essay about Esrm the Botany of Desire - 2013 Words

1/30/2011 The Botany of Desire | By Michael Pollan | ESRM 100 | The Relationship Of Humans and Plants | Review of The Botany of Desire – By Michael Pollan Michael Pollan opens the book questioning the relationship of humans and nature. Who is the subject and who is the object? Who really is domesticating who? From a plant’s eye, he challenges the traditional relationship of human and nature and presents the argument that the four plants- Apples, Tulips, Marijuana and the Potato have shaped human evolution just like we shaped theirs. He calls it â€Å"co-evolution†. Nature plays a part in controlling us. It is what the plants know about our desires that made them grow, survive and spread around the world until†¦show more content†¦Potato cultivation has become a major crop for many American farmers and nearly all potato farmers raise the monoculture Russet Burbank. Due to their nature of being non fungus and non disease resistant, they are heavily chemical dependent. â€Å"Organic† is an alternative farming technique presented in the book. Large varieties of cultivars are grown and insects are not eliminat ed while using organic methods of farming. Yet, using organic farming requires on a lot of labor, and the product is somewhat limited to certain market. The author suggests that modern America monoculture in potato farming may collapse in its agricultural methods, just like what happened with the Irish Potato Famine. The main point is while the European history of potato cultivation through agriculture demonstrates political control, the transgenic NewLeaf demonstrates human desire to control life. The author particularly and uniquely writes through the eyes of the plants and, in doing so, lets us see from a different perspective. This book is written with a very personal touch and passion for nature. The wisdom of gardening explains why we grow certain types of apples, tulips, use marijuana, and why we doubt eating genetically-engineered potatoes, yet, within the context of human-plant relationship, it brings the uniqueness out of this book. One main theme from the book is that humans have manipulated plants in agriculture and cultivation throughout history. Humans

Essay about 8th Amendment - 1153 Words

The Eighth Amendment The 8th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States prohibits cruel and unusual punishment, as well as the setting of excessive bail or the imposition of excessive fines. However, it has also been deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States (according to the Eighth Amendment)to inflict physical damage on students in a school environment for the purpose of discipline in most circumstances. The 8th Amendment stipulates that bail shall not be excessive. This is unclear as to whether or not there is a constitutional right to bail, or only prohibits excessive bail, if it is to be granted. The Supreme Court has never directly addressed this interpretation problem, because federal†¦show more content†¦(Sundquist 230) The first factor to be considered is the gravity of the offense compared to severity of the penalty. The second is penalties imposed within the same jurisdiction for similar crimes. The third item to be considered is penalties imposed in other jurisdictions for the same offense. (231) As far as capital punishment is concerned, the Eighth Amendment has been used to declare the death penalty invalid in numerous cases. Mandatory death penalties have repeatedly been found to violate the Eighth Amendment, and were first found to be unconstitutional in the cases of Roberts vs. Louisiana and Woodson vs. North Carolina. Arbitrary death sentences with no established criteria for application also violate the Eighth Amendment, as was ruled in the case of Furman vs. Georgia. In Furman vs. Georgia three cases had been brought to the Supreme Court concerning the death penalty and the racial biases present in the selection process. Three juries had convicted and imposed the death penalty on their accused without any guidelines to go by in their decision. This case (Furman vs. Georgia) represents the first time the Supreme Court ruled against the death penalty. The dissenting Justices argued that the courts had no right to challenge legislative judgment on the effectiveness and justice of punishments. The majority however held that the death penalty was cruel and unusualShow MoreRelated8th Amendment658 Words   |  3 PagesCriminal Justice JUS-250 March 28, 2014 Michael Strauch 8th Amendment: Protection for Domestic and Foreign Terrorist Our forefathers who wrote the Declaration of Independence and served the people from their states came together to form ideas and write a Constitution that would protect the people, property and their rights as citizen of the United States. These two documents are what we were founded on. The simple version of the 8th Amendment, â€Å"Prohibits the federal government from imposing excessiveRead MoreImportance Of The 8th Amendment1109 Words   |  5 Pagespeople to ratify the constitution, the founding fathers agreed to add a Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights added 10 amendments to the constitution. 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For instance, a convicted murderer may have gotten thrown in jail, however a man who may have sneezed on the king would have been burned at the stake for â€Å"Crimes against the Kingdom.†   In modern times it seems nearly impossibleRead MorePros And Cons Under The 8th Amendment Essay1935 Words   |  8 Pagesunder the 8th Amendment 1. Introduction The U.S. Constitutional Rights are laws that guarantee the basic rights for the citizens.There are twenty-seven Constitutional Amendments in total, but 10 of them represent The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights ensures the basic individual protections such as freedom of speech and religion. The Bill of Rights became part of the Constitution in December 15, 1791 by George Mason. In my opinion, the 8th amendment is important because this amendment givesRead MoreEssay The 8th Amendment1201 Words   |  5 PagesThe 8th Amendment In the United States Constitution, the 8th Amendment prohibits the use and practices of cruel and unusual punishment. What exactly is considered to be cruel and unusual punishment? This question is a hot topic among Americas many different current controversies. Many people are saying that the use of capital punishment (to be sentenced to death as a penalty in the eyes of the law [a capital crime]. An execution [capital punishment]) is a direct violation of the 8th AmendmentRead MoreAre Solitary Confinement and Super-Max Prisons Violating the 8th Amendment?1935 Words   |  8 PagesSince the introduction of solitary confinement and the construction of super-max prison there has an on going debate on whether using these punishment is violating the 8th amendment and also explaining all the health risk caused by solitary confinement. Solitary confinement is when a prisoner is held in a cell alone and they spend between 22.5 and 24 hours a day. Prisoners have no contact with othe r inmates and guards are also have limited contact with inmates. Solitary confinement was first introducedRead More Gender and Our Judicial System Essay2349 Words   |  10 Pagesincorporate our societies changing paradigm that was dissimilar to our founding fathers’. Interestingly so, the rights they deemed as inalienable are the ones that have required a clear distinction in order for them to apply to all. The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a necessary requirement for women as well as others who are subject to sex-based discrimination. Although the rights of women are somewhat protected by the constitution, without the clear diction of the ERA, those who face this type of discriminationRead MoreThe Cell Phone Education Regulation Act872 Words   |  4 Pagesschool officials’ decision to keep the cell phones which are confiscated during the random searches, violate the 5th Amendment of the Constitution which guarantees that before any power or authority can take a person’s life, liberty or property, there must be constitutional safeguards set in place? 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The intent of the 14th amendment was to prevent state governments from denying African Americans in the U.S. from their citizenship. At the time Africans were unable to attain citizenship because of their skin color. The Framer’s objective in formulating the 14th amendment was to grant citizenship to everyone born in the U.S., regardless of skin color. The 14th amendment expanded the protection of civil rights to all citizens in

Reproduction CASE free essay sample

As she reviewed her notes and prepared for todays class, she was thinking about her own reproductive dilemma. If only asexual production were the case for humans, maybe she wouldnt be in this mess. Or at least there wouldnt be questions about who was the father of her twins. Dwelling on it isnt going to help me prepare for class, and right now I have got to finish this chapter on animal reproduction, she thought.She tried to concentrate and forget about her current dilemma as she feverishly typed on her notepad: Asexual or sexual reproduction: 3 types of asexual reproduction: (1) fission: separation of a parent organism into two or more individuals of equal size, (2) budding: growth of new individuals from outgrowths of existing organisms, and (3) fragmentation accompanied by regeneration: the breaking of the body into several pieces, some or all of which develop into new complete individuals through the Rexroth of lost body parts. NOTE: Be able to explain the differences between sexual and asexual reproduction! She suddenly let out a long sigh. Itll be fine, she thought. l just hope that none of my family or friends watches the show. What was I thinking when I agreed to this? But thats what Xavier wanted, and will do whatever it takes to prove he is the father. Besides am going to need he money if I have to take care of these babies on my own! The next day in class she was feeling even more nervous and was becoming increasingly angry as she thought about her current situation. Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her professors voice: K, class, her teacher was saying, that wraps up asexual reproduction. Lets move on to reproductive cycles and patterns. Most animals exhibit cycles in their reproductive activity. Reproductive cycles are often controlled by hormonal and environmental cues. Animals may reproduce either exclusively asexually or sexually while there animals alternate between the two methods. For example, some animals can lay eggs of two types, depending on the environment and/or season.One egg type matures only if it is fertilized while the other type does not require fertilization for development, a process called parthenogenesis. Some animals, and in rare cases humans, have both male and female reproductive systems. Some hermaphrodites can fertilize themselves, but most must mate with a member of the same species. Please look over these handouts and answer the questions that follow. As the other students read wrought the assignment, Andrea was thinking: Im dealing with a case of sexual reproduction that no doubt started with the fertilization of my egg with, hopefully, Savers sperm.That reminds me, I need to make sure I go over internal and external fertilization again in my notes. Im not sure I completely understand it. All this started the night Xavier had come came over to talk to Andrea about their break-up. He had smelled and looked so good that evening. The events of that night had left Andrea wondering if there was really some truth to that stuff about pheromones, which Andrea has earned in her class were chemical signals released by one organism that influence the behavior Of another individual Of the same species.Even though Andrea had met someone else and had An Unusual Case of Animal Reproduction by Powell and Italian Page 1 been seeing Neo for a while, she hadnt been able to resist Xavier. Neither she nor Xavier had behaved like themselves that night. It was unlike them not to use some barrier method of contraception. As the class wrapped up, Andresens mind was still on her upcoming appearance on a daytime talk show. In some ways she was dreading it; but she was determined to prove what she believed he had known all along: That Xavier was the father of her twins. Questions 2. 3. 4. 5.What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction? List and define some types of asexual reproduction. Give one example of each. What is the difference between parthenogenesis and hermaphrodites? What is the difference between internal and external fertilization? What is the function of pheromones? Page 2 Part II The Pregnancy l cant believe it has come to this! Airing our dirty laundry on national television. I never thought Xavier would let things get so out of hand. It was late and Andrea was so upset she couldnt sleep. She tried studying for the upcoming exam, but she couldnt concentrate.She decided to get an early start on packing. She was so angry with Xavier. How could he have left her pregnant and alone, she thought, as she neatly added her new dress to the bag? How could he think that their babies might belong to someone else? She grabbed her journal, about to add it to the bag, but instead sat in her cozy corner chair and began to read: January 12, 2007 Im pregnant with twins! Sometimes its still hard to believe because it was so unexpected. I feel like I am about to pop! I know that Xavier is the father of y babies and I cant wait for us to be a family. But he has doubts about it all because he knows that met someone else during the brief time that we split up. And he wants to be sure that he is the father before we can move on. But what if it is Neo, the new guy I met? Theres a slight chance but doubt it. I know the exact time of conception. It was the night Xavier came over to talk about our relationship. It was a little over a week after that night that the pregnancy test detected the increase in HUG. Guess just missed him so much. Do regret that Xavier hasnt been around much during the pregnancy. He has missed the development of our babies.In the past months, I have heard the babies heartbeats and felt them moving around. I wish he would come back because its obvious that am pregnant now. Hopefully we can talk through our differences and get back together before the pregnancy gets difficult-?the frequent urination and back pain my 08/GUN keeps warning me about. Know there is no way he will ever let me go through labor alone. I only pray the contractions are not more than I can bear. Xavier seems committed to the idea of a paternity test. Hopefully it wont come to that, but f it does, were going to a daytime show to figure all this out. Wow! That seems like a lifetime ago, she thought. Now we have these beautiful twins and we dont seem any closer to becoming the real family I dreamed about. Well this will all be over in a couple Of days. I am 110% confident that the twins belong to Xavier, not Neo. I cant wait to see the look on Xavier face and hear him apologize once he sees the results of the paternity test! What does Andrea mean by time of conception? How is HUG used to determine pregnancy? List some changes that occur with the fetus/mother during the 1st, 2nd, and rd trimesters. What hormones are responsible for inducing and regulating labor? What trimester is Andrea in during this journal entry? Page 3 Part Ill The Results Andrea replayed the words over and over again in her mind: Xavier, you ARE the father! She was ecstatic. Finally, she could breathe, knowing that Xavier was the father of her babies. Then she heard what the host had to say next Neo.. . Yolk ARE the father! Andrea looked around in disbelief. She heard herself saying, What do you mean? You just said Xavier was the father! If Xavier is the father, how can he be the father? He asked as she pointed toward Neo. Well, this is a first, even for our show. But it appears that your twins were fathered by both of these men. I cant believe it. The first time do something like this and I end up with twins and two fathers! Not only did I expose myself potentially deadly SST Ads, but now I have two children, whom have no doubt that will be raising alone, and I have put my school career in jeopardy, Andrea thought. She still couldnt believe this was really happening to her. How was it possible that her TWINS have different fathers?What were the events that must have appended within her body that could lead to these circumstances? She grabbed her journal from her bag and flipped back to the entry describing her feelings the day she found out she was having twins: August 23, 2006 just came back from another Drys appointment. Dry. Blossom informed me that am having two babies-? twins-?fraternal. I dont know if they are boys or girls yet. One could be a boy and the other a girl. I still cant believe this has happened. Xavier has to be the father. He has to be! Will have to just play the hand I have dealt myself. How stupid was I? As going to practice abstinence after Xavier and I broke up And certainly wasnt planning on meeting and getting involved with Nell I cant believe that Neo and I didnt use a condom either. And its no excuse that we had been drinking. Just got caught up in the moment with Xavier-?going down memory lane and things got all sentimental. I could have at least thought to use the rhythm method and kept track of when ovulation may occur. This has to be the most irresponsible thing I have ever done! Why did stop taking my birth control pills anyway? And I have no idea where put that diaphragm.Undoubtedly, some people ill judge me as the type of woman who should have a tuba legation that would permanently prevent any pregnancy. Everything hit her at that very second. She closed her journal and just sat there for a moment. Andrea was reminded that she had stopped taking the pill the month before she became pregnant. She remembered that physicians recommend that a woman wait at least one cycle after she stops taking the pill before becoming pregnant because there is a chance that multiple ovulation may occur. Did it have something to with sogginess? Andrea was so confused she just couldnt keep things straight in her mind.She thought about it for a minute to let it all sink in. Andrea sat back and thought about the lecture on animal reproduction the week before. She pulled out her lecture notes on the menstrual cycle, the basic foundation of everything that she was going through. 1 . Describe the two types of cycles that occur in female mammals (menstrual vs. . Estrous). 2. Compare and contrast the sterilization technique uses (vasectomy and tuba legation) and the temporary and reversible methods discussed in the case. 3. What are the functions of Gnarl, FISH, L H, estrogen, and progesterone? 4. How can the paternity results be explained?