The Mango: Asias King of Fruits :: Botany

The Mango: Asia's King of Fruits The genus Mangifera is one of the 73 genera belonging to the family Anacardiaceae in the order Sapindales. The greatest number of Mangifera species are found in the Malay Peninsula, the Indonesian archipelago, Thailand, Indo-China and the Philippines. Edible fruit is produced by at least 27 species in the genus, primarily species found in Southeast Asia. The mango's scientific name is Mangifera indica. Asia has held the mango with high esteem and has been considered to be the 'king of fruits'. Other areas of interest are the Borobudur Buddhist temple where sculptures were erected to depict the mango tree as a concept of royalty. The center of origin and diversity of the genus Mangifera is now firmly established as being in Southeast Asia. However, the origin of Mangifera indica has been a matter of speculation for years. Fossil records provided few clues. Mangifera indica is believed to have first appeared during the quaternary period. Some believe the mango originated from several related species, primarily located in the Malay Archipelago. Others believe that the mango originated in India and spread outward from there to southeast Asia and then to the New World and Africa. The Fruit and Nutritional Value The mango fruit is a large, fleshy drupe, containing an edible mesocarp of varying thickness. Fruit color is genotype-dependant and range from green, greenish-yellow, yellow and red blush. The exocarp is thick and glandular. The mesocarp can be fibrous or fiber-free with flavor ranging from turpentine to sweet. The endocarp is woody, thick and fibrous. No part of the fruit is wasted. The seed is used for extraction of the starch 'amchur', and the peels have been used as a source of anacardic acid. The mango wood is of low quality and the bark of the tree is an important source of tannins for curing leather. Mango fruit contains amino acids, carbohydrates, fatty acids, minerals, organic acids, proteins and vitamins. During the ripening process, the fruit are initially acidic, astringent and rich in ascorbic acid. Following fruit set, starch accumulates in the mesocarp. Free sugars, including glucose, fructose and sucrose generally increase during ripening giving the fruit a turpentine to sweet tasting flavor varying with species. The fruit is picked from the tree prior to ripening for export to other market places throughout the world. The fruit will turn colors during the ripening stage even after its removal from the tree.

Imperial Presidency

Richard Nixon’s presidency is labeled as ‘imperial presidency’[1] due to its hunt for and utilization of regal authority and supremacy. Certain other presidents in American history like Andrew Jackson and Theodore Roosevelt sought kingly control but that expansion in the executive power manifested the merits of that extension. During his presidency, Nixon and his administration put forward legislations to get the maximum control over such areas that remained exclusive domains of Congress like the power to declare war, the power of the purse, and the power of immunity from legislative oversight. This style of administration, absolute authority and legal privileges capacitated Nixon to involve Watergate scandal. Immunity from legislative oversight helped him to cover up his involvement in this scandal. His craving for a absolute authority and measures taken in this regard is best described by his attorney general, Elliott Richardson. He said that â€Å"a government of laws was on the verge of becoming a government of one man.† Despite these absolute powers, his government miserably failed in the domestic arena as he was unable to address the issues facing the American people. Notwithstanding his failure in the domestic affairs, Nixon attained extraordinary progress in the international affairs and explored new horizons for American foreign policy. He established reciprocal and positive relationships with china and was first American president to visit communist China. It goes to the credit of Nixon that he not only developed commercial relations with Russia but also succeeded in signing the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. This marked the beginning of steadier and constructive relations between the two super powers. [1] This term was first used by Arthur M. Schlesinger in his book ‘The Imperial Presidency’ in 1973.   

Lane Freeborn. Senior Seminar. 2 May 2017. The Horror Of

Lane Freeborn Senior Seminar 2 May 2017 The Horror of Homoeroticism: Homoerotic Encounters in Edgar Allan Poe’s Writing Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. – from â€Å"The Narrative of Arthur Gordyn Pym† One of Edgar Allan Poe’s greatest contributions to literature is the attention he brought to the short story. It can be argued that Poe was the inventor and also the perfector of this genre in American Literature, which has since rose to popularity with teachers and readers in present. Henry James first applied the term in 1883 when he called his book Daisy Miller: A Study; and Other Stories, but Poe is the propeller of its creation. The beginnings of the short story are closely†¦show more content†¦There is something odd and strange about a Poe story, satisfying in the way it often leaves the reader uncertain over whether what has just been read was a character’s real or imagined experience or whether one can actually call a Poe ending its end of the story. This is in large part due to the fact they linger in a reader’s mind with an intriguing idea of â€Å"unfinished business. There is much unclarity in Poe’s own life as there are in his chara cters’ thoughts, and that is he has the ability to hypnotize his readers with the heart-thumping curiosity of unmentionables or omitted detail in Poe’s work. The indulgence in a fantastical tale of forbidden romance like â€Å"Ligeia† there exists an unexpected touch of magicness in Poe’s stories about madness, death, and deception. This obviously due to Poe’s exploration of the bizarre and perverseness of human nature. In Michael Wood’s essay, â€Å"Poe’s Tales: The Art of the Impossible,† he argues that Poe â€Å"could see being buried alive, for example, both as a gag and a nightmare. Odd changes take place in a nightmare once you have seen its potential as a gag† (16-17). Going along with Wood’s suggestion, one can consider the tragic moment of revenge and justice in Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† where a drunk Fortunato has battle with his entrapments and screams for release before recogn izing in a defeated voice to the murderer that he has been a part of â€Å"a very good joke indeed–an excellent jest†