The Myth and Reality of the American West Essay Example for Free

The Myth and Reality of the American West Essay We have all heard the stories about the old west. There are the infamous gunfights, the cowboys that steal all of the women’s hearts, and the many stagecoach robberies. But how can we tell fact from fiction? Where is the line drawn between the reality of the American west and the myth portrayed in the numerous books and movies? Everything may not have been as adventurous as we believe, or as glamorous. But the real question is: what is true and what is not? ​It is shocking how many misconceptions are made about the old west. I for one, definitely picture what most people probably do. Cowboys are always the first that come to mind. Everyone loved a rustic, rugged, handsome cowboy. They saved the day on all occasions a nd at the end of the day, went and swept the woman off her feet and they rode off into the sunset on horseback together. The cowboys were the â€Å"good guys† who wore the cowboy hat and boots and fought the â€Å"bad guys† in gunfights right outside of the bat-wing door saloons. A mental picture is drawn of two men with their backs to each other taking ten paces in opposite direction, only to draw guns and fight â€Å"fairly† after turning around. Cowboys were the ultimate white, southern gentlemen who always won the lady’s heart. There are, of course, many other myths about the old west. For instance, the legal system; there is the town sheriff with the star badge and uniform worn at all times, who just happens to show up whenever there is trouble. The sheriff settles disputes that break out amongst townspeople and always makes the right decision, in putting the bad guy in jail to bring the ever-so unpredictable outcome of a â€Å"happy ending†. ​ The popular song, â€Å"Cowboy Take Me Away† by the country music group the Dixie Chicks, reinforces almost all concepts of the myth of the American west. The chorus is: â€Å"Cowboy take me away. Fly this girl as high as you can into the wild blue. Set me free oh I pray. Closer to heaven above and closer to you, closer to you.† This is a prime example of the misconstrued ideas about the west. This verse portrays exactly what every naà ¯ve person believes about this subject. The handsome cowboy comes to take you away to a place where you can forget all cares and troubles you have. He has come to carry you off into the sunset where the two of you will live together where only love and happiness matters. Living the simple life with the man of her dreams, who will treat her with respect and love her unconditionally, is the fantasy of every woman. The entire song portrays the beauty and simplicity of nature and life in the west, where the hustle and bustle of everyday life , elsewhere, doesn’t exist. Who wouldn’t want that? If it only existed†¦ What is the reality of the American west? Well contrary to popular belief, cowboys weren’t actually the heroes. Cowboys were of all races and were mostly poor farm boys. Cowboys were just what the name states which is, males who raised and herded cattle for a living. Most women fell for the wealthy men of a higher class than for mere â€Å"farm boys†. The west wasn’t peaceful, pleasant place that most people picture it as, except for the occasional bad guy. There were many problems in the west including lack of good food, lack of money, constant fighting with Indians over territory, and increasing violence (this was especially true when saloons, brothels, and gambling dens began to open). Another misconception of this time was that of the legal system. In all actuality there was not one at all. It wasn’t until much later, after problems increased even more, that a so called legal system was developed. This was the miners’ courts. Miners in the area served on a jury and settled disputes in that way. This was a very inefficient system, because the miners favored the powerful, popular, and wealthy. The poor, weak, and unpopular were often charged with crimes they didn’t commit. Hollywood has come up with many different ways to make the old west seem so exciting and adventurous. Whether it’s through a song, an old movie, or a fictional book, the myth of the American west comes across as the truth for most people. The truth is never as interesting, so we depend on made up stories to entertain us.

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Succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl) cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) is a non-cleavable and membrane permeable crosslinker. It contains an amine-reactive N -hydroxysuccinimide (NHS ester) and a sulfhydryl-reactive maleimide group. NHS esters react with primary amines at pH 7-9 to form stable amide bonds. Maleimides react with sulfhydryl groups at pH 6.5-7.5 to form stable thioether bonds The staining procedure starts by placing the slides in a slide rack, immersed in a staining dish containing PBS and incubated for 5 min. PBS was removed from slides by tipping the slides and allowing the PBS solution to drip out. Residual PBS around the samples was also removed by gently absorbing the solution with Kim wipes without contaminating and damaging the samples. Diluted antibody solution (1/10 v/v in PBS) were directly inoculated to the regions encircled with wax pen and incubated for one hour without letting the sections dry. The slides were washed in PBS solution for 10 min. This step was triplicated. One drop of prolong) media as an antifading agent was applied to each section and covered with a coverslip to preserve the QDs from photobleaching during fluorescence microscopy experiments. The edges of the coverslips were sealed with nail polish to prevent drying. Slides were placed in a dark room and we waited until the nail polish dries at room temperature for 12 hours. They were kept for another 12 hours at 4  ºC in a refrigerator.A confocal laser scanning microscope (Zeiss LSM 710, Carl Zeiss Micro imaging GmbH, Germany) was used to visualize dough sample microstructure. Starch granules were identified by simple polarized light .The excitation wavelengths of the QDs were 405 nm for the reflection and 615 nm for the fluoresce... ...mages of are illustrated in figure for†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. The results showed that antibody-quantum dots conjugates successfully diffused into the 3D matrix and were bound to gliadins. Distribution and location of gliadin at different focal planes in each section were found to show similar patterns for a given mixing time. Gliadins were evenly dispersed in dough sections and typically localized in the center of the sections. This supports the observation and hypothesis that the mobility of gliadin due to its lower viscosity enables gliadin to diffuse to the inner sections of the dough along with all other parts of the sample. Intensities of gliadins at top and bottom stacks were relatively low compared to ones located at center. It might be because of optical sectioning of starch molecules found at top and bottom surfaces of sections play a dominant part in the imaging process.

American Education vs Asian Education Essay

In the past 20 old ages the United States school system has been roll uping a spot of unfavorable judgment. Surveies have shown that the United States has been dawdling exponentially compared to about all the industrialised states. This specifically refers to Asiatic states that are statistically blowing the U. S. out of the H2O. In his article â€Å"New Math-Science Study Rates U. S. Students Mediorce At Best† William S. Robinson decusses study consequences after pupils from around the universe have taken a scientific discipline and math trial. The study consequences in the cosmopolitan topic of math show us that the U. S. 8th graders have fallen behind. while the 12th class degree showed merely little betterment. We would potentially look at these instruction systems as extremes of each other. Each instruction system being on the different side of the spectrum. Both systems holding mistakes and advantages. Taking the positive facets from both sides and unifying them together . a harmonious instruction system could be established. In the article â€Å" Strengths. Weaknesses. and Lessons of Nipponese Education† James Fallows tells us that in an Asiatic schoolroom pupils will experience an unbelievable sum of force per unit area get downing from grade school and up. while U. S. instructors are excessively afraid to raise the saloon because of possible disheartenment of the pupil ( 201 ) . In Japan. University admittances as opposed to classs earned in university. determines what sort of calling you can hold in Japan. Nipponese pupils will pass most of their clip analyzing in cram schools. unlike American pupils who spend most of their clip socialising. A negative of the Asian school system. is the conformance that must be upheld. This achieves better instruction because it becomes the â€Å"thing to do† . When everybody is on the same course of study there is no other pick but to follow the herd. While conformance creates better math pupils. it demises the facet of creativeness and individualism. The U. S. places a much bigger accent on creativeness and pick. Therefore supplying pupils with chances that help them larn about them egos. and develop original thoughts. An of import feature that the U. S. instruction system deficiencies. is the thought of attempt being straight correlated to success. In her article â€Å" Why Are U. S. Kids Poor In Math† Barbara Vobejda says that the American and Asiatic female parents have a diffrent position on what determines their child’s success in school. An American female parent thinks that her child’s academic accomplishment comes from unconditioned ability. while an Asiatic female parent thinks that her kids academic accomplishment comes from difficult work and attempt. An Asiatic female parent would demand her child spends hours after school making prep and analyzing. An American female parent would merely state that her kid is non good in their topic. Vobeja says that a survey has shown that Asiatic pupils spend more clip in their seats than American pupils do. American pupils were out of their seats 21 per centum of clip. compared to Chinese and Nipponese pupils who were out of their seats 2 per centum of the clip. Though the American pupil may believe that they work hard. we find that the Asiatic pupil is at a much greater degree of force per unit area. As we saw in the old transition. serious force per unit area is put on the Asiatic pupil. In farther scrutiny of the article â€Å"Japan’s School System† . a protagonist of the catalytic force per unit area subject. we find many contrasts to the U. S. positions of seting force per unit area on pupils. Nipponese pupils attend school six yearss a hebdomad. The school twelvemonth consists of 220 yearss compared to the 180 yearss in the U. S. A 3rd grade Nipponese school hebdomad consists of eight hours of Nipponese. five of arithmetic. three of scientific discipline. societal surveies and physical instruction. two hours of music and art. For an U. S. pupil this might look like snake pit. Yet the lone ground this might look like to much force per unit area. is because we are judging their system with an ethnocentric point of position. Nipponese pupils think it’s rather All right. Worlds are a really dynamic and expert species. We ever look at things from our conditioned point of position. Therefore. if force per unit area is increased on the U. S. pupils. the lone 1s who would hold any ailments are current pupils. Bing dynamic and expert. they excessively would be able to carry through the new demands asked of them. The eastern thoughts of force per unit area could be used as a accelerator for consequences in the U. S. While every bit much as we are in demand of more force per unit area on the pupils. we must retain the originative single factor at all costs. We are non machines that have indistinguishable downloaded encephalons. In the article â€Å"We Should Cherish our Children’s Freedom To Think† . Kie Ho provides a critical inquiry. He asks. â€Å"If American instruction is so tragically inferior. why is it that this is still the state of invention? † Looking back at the regular Nipponese school hebdomad. we find that non much attending is brought to music or art. Creativity signifiers individualism. look of thoughts. and self-fulfillment. This could destroy all the conformance and control of thoughts in the Asiatic pupil. Our Asiatic friends could ne'er hold that go on now could they. Ho provides an illustration of an U. S. pupil taking a function of Lyndon Johnson and debating a pupil in the function of Ho Chi Minh. An Asiatic pupil would ne'er be given a opportunity to look at things from a different point of position. In all their mathematical glorification they have missed the indispensable human demand to show individualism. Most likely that is done with purpose. While many Americans yell and scream about their children’s math abilities. they have overlooked the fact why most immigrants come here. This fact is freedom. Which would non be possible without all the originative mercantile establishments provided by our school system. In unifying these two cardinal thoughts of both of the instruction systems. many new positive effects are felt by the pupils. An addition of force per unit area to actuate and speed up instruction. The development of thoughts and originative mercantile establishments. which lead to self-discovery and formation of original and advanced thoughts which. fuel our state. This guarantees freedom and a head to utilize it. Americans complain about the nucleus topic of instruction. That will alter with a harder course of study and more accent being placed on attempt. We will besides go on supplying our pupils with individualism. Asiatic instruction can besides see positive effects from the development of pick and travel off from conformance. The pupils who do can non or will non take part in the difficult course of study will now hold a pick to develop their originative side. These alterations will be difficult to do. U. S. pupils seting to a faster harder instruction. Asians might get down t o free control of the multitudes. In the terminal it will be good for both.

Things to Know Before You Get an Arthropod for a Pet

Few people think of bugs when they think of pets, but arthropods make surprisingly good companions to those who arent afraid of their creepy, crawly ways. Many arthropods are easy to keep in captivity, inexpensive (or even free) to obtain and care for, and relatively long-lived. Pet arthropods dont require much space, so theyre good choices for apartment dwellers. Do the Right Thing When Obtaining Arthropod Pets There are some important ethical and even legal issues to consider before obtaining and keeping pet arthropods. If you tire of caring for your pet arthropods, you cant simply let them go outdoors, especially if your pets are exotic species. Even arthropods that are native to North America may not be native to your region or state, and shouldnt be introduced to your local ecosystem. Some scientists even argue that the individuals of a species in one area are genetically distinct from those in another area and that activities like butterfly releases may change the genetic makeup of the local population. So before you get a pet arthropod, you need to commit to keeping it captive. To keep some pet arthropods, you may be required to obtain permits from the state or federal government. A silkworm enthusiast who imported gypsy moth caterpillars for his hobby accidentally introduced the dreaded pest to North America. A non-native arthropod introduced to a new environment can wreak havoc on the ecosystem. To prevent such catastrophes from occurring, the government imposes certain restrictions on the importation and transportation of arthropods that could, should they escape, impact agriculture or the environment. Some popular pet arthropods, like giant African millipedes, require you to secure USDA permits before you can import them into the U.S. Arthropods from one region of the country may be prohibited in states where it isnt native. Do the right thing and check with your local, state, and federal government agencies before you obtain an arthropod pet. If youre planning to purchase an arthropod pet (as opposed to collecting it yourself), find a reputable supplier. Unfortunately, the arthropod trade enables unethical suppliers to profit from collecting animals from the wild, without regard for the environment or conservation of the species. Some species are protected by the CITES treaty (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). You should make sure the supplier you use adheres to CITES regulations and any permit requirements imposed by the country of origin and the country of import. Join online groups for arthropod enthusiasts to learn more about which suppliers they prefer. Call the entomology department of your local university for recommendations to obtain arthropod specimens properly. Its your responsibility to educate yourself about where and how arthropods in the commercial marketplace were obtained. Whenever possible, choose captive bred arthropods over those collected from the wild.  Some arthropods are difficult to breed in captivity, so this isnt always possible. However, some of the most popular arthropod pets, like tarantulas and scorpions, are usually bred in captivity. Always verify the source of arthropods in pet stores, of course. Most pet stores in the U.S. sell captive bred tarantulas and scorpions. Things to Consider When Choosing an Arthropod Pet In addition to ethical and legal considerations, you need to decide whether an arthropod is the right kind of pet for you. After all, they are living organisms with specific needs. If you arent willing to provide your arthropod pet with the appropriate care and living conditions for its species, you should indulge your love of bugs by visiting an arthropod zoo. Before you choose an arthropod to keep as a pet, learn everything you can about its biology, natural history, and life cycle. Make sure its a good fit for you. Most arthropods dont do well when handled frequently, and some can become stressed if you keep taking them out of their cage. Some will even defend themselves from the perceived threat. Millipedes exude defensive chemicals when threatened, which may give the handler rashes, blisters, or other allergic skin reactions. Scorpions do sting, and while common pet species like emperor scorpions have weak venom, its no fun to be stung by your pet. Tarantulas, although they appear to be tough, are actually rather fragile and care must be taken not to let them fall to the ground. Theyre known for flinging tiny hairs from their abdomens when threatened, and one tarantula owner suffered eye damage from his pets frantic attempts to defend itself while the owner was cleaning his cage. Make sure you can feed your arthropod pet appropriately. If you arent comfortable with the idea of feeding live baby mice, crickets, or flies to your arthropod pets, dont choose a predator for a pet. There are plenty of vegetarian arthropods that do well in captivity, like millipedes and bess beetles. Be sure you have a reliable and steady source for whatever food you need for your pet. Do you have a local pet store that sells live crickets for feeding? Can you find enough of the host plant for your phytophagous pet? Dry air is the enemy of many arthropods. The low humidity in our climate-controlled homes can cause invertebrates to desiccate and die. Most arthropod pets need plenty of moisture in their cages or tanks to combat the dry air of your home. Can you keep the substrate sufficiently moist for your pet? Some arthropods require a water dish, while others get their water from their food. Either way, youll need to stay on top of keeping the food fresh and the water supply full. As with any pet, you need to know how long its likely to live. Captive tarantulas can live for over 10 years. Giant millipedes can be a 5-year commitment, and even smaller insects like bess beetles can live two years if cared for appropriately. Are you willing to commit to your arthropods care for that long? What happens when you go on vacation? Arthropod pets need pet sitters, too. While some arthropods can survive a few days on their own, if left with sufficient food and water for the duration of your absence, others require constant care. Before you obtain a new arthropod, make sure you have someone willing to care for it when youre away. The pet sitter who cares for your dog or cat may not be comfortable caring for bugs. Fortunately, arthropods are fairly portable, so you can bring your pet to a friend or colleague if needed. Finally, make sure you have a plan in place for arthropods that reproduce in captivity. If youre adopting a few Madagascar hissing cockroaches, you may be surprised to find tiny cockroaches babies crawling around your cage one day. And those tiny cockroaches are remarkably adept at escaping if you havent provided the right kind of cage or tank to keep them corralled. If you keep darkling beetles, you may find your substrate crawling with mealworms. Again, its important to know the arthropods life cycle. If youre planning to keep an arthropod pet that is likely to reproduce, what will you do with the offspring? Do you know someone else interested in keeping arthropods? Do you have additional cages or tanks ready, if needed?