Africa essays

Africa essays Rainforest covers a mere 6 percent of the worlds land mass, yet contains a more varied plant, insect, and animal life than other remaining 94 percent. In addition, the rainforest provides more than 20 percent of the worlds oxygen, and 80 percent of the world's basic foods ("Passport to the Rainforest"). The plant life contributing to these statistics is a particularly interesting aspect of the climate zone, namely those plants indigenous to Africa. The African rainforest is composed of many layers containing thousands of exotic plants, many of which are close to extinction, or that offer valuable medical considerations. The African rainforest is a composite of many different plants, living at varying heights simultaneously. The highest layer of the rainforest is the emergent layer. Here trees tower 200 feet or more from the forest floor. Plant life at these heights mostly consists of hardwood evergreens. The Canopy is the next highest level, consisting of plants from 60 to 90 feet off the ground. Plant life is extremely varied at this level, but consists manly of top-heavy trees with tight leaf formations near the upper 90 percent of the trunk. In addition to trees there are many vines and other "air plants," that do not touch the ground, but entwine themselves in canopy tree branches and trunks. Below the Canopy is the Understory. Plants in this layer receive little light, and as a result rarely grow above 12 feet from the forest floor. These plants mostly consist of shrubs, bushes, and dwarfish trees. The final level in the rainforest is the forest floor. Here there is little to no growth due to an almost complete lack of light. Most plant life in this level consist of the remains of fallen trees, root systems from plants in various other levels, and fruits and berries fallen from higher up plants. Thousands of plant varieties have very different existences in the extremely varied layers of the A ...

Hollywood Ten and Crucibal essays

Hollywood Ten and Crucibal essays In 1947 the House Un-American Activities Committee, or HUAC, started a trial and investigation of communism in the Hollywood motion picture industry. The Committee, including Chairman J. Parnell Thomas a young Congressman from California, and Richard M. Nixon tried many celebrities asking them question about what they knew about communism and who they knew that were involved. Here is a quote from the trial. SPOKESMAN: Do you recall the names of any of the actors in the Guild who participate in such activities? ROBERT TAYLOR, Actor: Well, the one chap I am thinking of currently is Mr. Howard DeSilvahe always has something to say at the wrong time. Karen Morley also usually appears at the guild meetings. This was very much the same as times in Salem because many people were being accused of being witches because young girls were giving out the names of people responsible for their pain. All the people that were named would be on trial for witchcraft, a crime that would be paid for by death. In Hollywood, people would be put in prison if they were convicted of communism. After the celebrities and studio bosses testified, seven writers two directors and one producer were called before the committee. They were questioned about membership in the Communist Party. They did not cooperate, but challenged the committee's right to judge their personal opinions. They became known as the "Hollywood Ten. The Ten tried to fight the anti Communist committee, but in 1950, their time ran out. All ten had to leave their families and spent one-year in the prison. This was very similar to Salem because, like John Proctor and others, when they would not give names of other witches, they would be hung. This is what happened here. The Ten did not give out any names so they were put in prison. In l951, they started a second set of hearings both in Washington and in Hollywood. Over 100 people were call...