The Atomic Bomb Essays

The Atomic Bomb Essays The Atomic Bomb Essay The Atomic Bomb Essay There has been a long standing debate on why the atomic bomb was used to defeat Japan.The threat of Russian advancement in Europe and in Asia was enough to worry the top officials in the United States and British governments. Wherever the Russians moved through they took for themselves.The imminent invasion of mainland Japan and the allied casualties that came with it were also a factor in the decision to drop the bomb, as said in document A.The dropping of the bomb was not entirely used to stop the Russian advancement. If the allied forces had invaded mainland Japan, many lives on both sides would have been lost.Most probably more than were lost in the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki put together.The tactics that the allies had used up to this point had cost hundreds of thousands of lives onboth sides.This was when the Japanese only had maybe two or three thousand men on an island; whereas on the mainland millions of people who would fight until their death to protect their cou ntry.Can you imagine if the Americans invaded mainland Japan where they had not only soldiers to fight against but the citizens of Japan loyal to Hirohito?Massive destruction, immense loss of life, and prolonging of the war until late 1946, as stated in document A, would result from invading on foot Revenge also played a role in the decision to bomb Japan.The Japanese were not following the Geneva convention in regards to treatment of prisoners of war.Which says that the prisoners are not to be put through torture of the psychological or physical nature. The Japanese did these things anyway, they would decapitate American prisoners, or they would shove bamboo shoots under their fingernails.The American government also wanted revenge for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor.No warning was given by the Japanese to the Americans and no war was declared until after the incident.

River Birch Is a Favored Yard Tree in the Southern U.S.

River Birch Is a Favored Yard Tree in the Southern U.S. River birch has been called the most beautiful of American trees by Prince Maximilian, the emperor of Mexico when he toured North America shortly before his short-lived reign. It is a favorite yard tree in the southern United States and is sometimes messy to maintain if you are not hands-on when dealing with your yard. Betula nigra, also known as red birch, water birch, or black birch, is the only birch with a range that includes the southeastern coastal plain. It is uniquely the only spring-fruiting birch in North America. Although the wood has limited usefulness, the trees beauty makes it an ornamental highlight, especially at the northern and western extremes of its natural range.  Most river birch bark peels in colorful flakes of brown, salmon, peach, orange, and lavender and is a bonus for regions deprived of paper and white birches.  Ã‚   In his book, The Urban Tree Book, journalist, novelist, and publisher Arthur Plotnik entices amateur arborists to go tree peeping in U.S. cities. He gives vivid descriptions of trees he spots along his trek: Only the shaggy brown river birch seems truly adapted to cities, holding its own with urban heat blasts and the deadly borer. River Birch Habit and Range River birch grows naturally from southern New Hampshire south and west to the Texas Gulf Coast.  River birch is well named as it loves riparian (wet) zones, adapts well to wet sites, and reaches its maximum size in rich alluvial soils of the lower Mississippi Valley. Even though it loves wet ecosystems, the tree is heat-tolerant. River birch can survive modest droughts and does not compete with your lawn for water. River birch transplants easily at any age and grows into a medium tree of about 40 feet and rarely to 70 feet. River birch occupies large eastern north-south ranges in North America from Minnesota to Florida. The tree needs direct sunlight and is intolerant to shade.   River Birch Varieties The best river birch cultivars are the Heritage and Dura-Heat varieties. The Heritage or Cully cultivar was selected in 2002 as the tree of the year by the Society of Municipal Arborists. The trees wood has very little commercial value but is extremely popular as an ornamental tree that features salmon-cream to brownish bark that peels to reveal a creamy white inner bark that can be nearly as white as the white-barked birches. It is hardy  in  all U.S. climate zones, it is fast-growing, nicely forked, wind and ice resistant.   According to Michael Dirr,  horticulturist and a professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, who praise the varietal in his book, Trees: Heritage river birch is an excellent selection with superior vigor, larger leaves, and greater resistance to leaf spot. Dura-Heat is a somewhat smaller cultivar that features creamy white bark color, better tolerance to summer heat, better insect and disease resistance, and superior foliage to the species. It typically grows 30 to 40 feet tall as a single trunk or multi-trunked tree. Leaves, Flowers, and Fruit of a River Birch The tree has male and female catkins, which are slim, cylindrical  flower  clusters that are grouped in 3s. The small cone-like fruit  opens and sheds small  nutlet  seeds in spring. What makes yard work a chore with the river birch are the falling catkins, fruit, and flaking bark that constantly litter the yard. The summer leaves have a leathery texture with a dark green upper side and light green on its  underside. The leaf edges are teethlike, with a double serrated appearance. The leaves are in the shape of ovals. In the autumn, the leaf color is golden-yellow to yellow-brown, and leaves have a tendency to drop quickly. River Birch Hardiness Zone River birch  is hardy through zone 4 on the U.S. Department of Agriculture zone map. The USDA Hardiness Zone Map identifies how well plants will withstand the cold winter temperatures. The map divides North America into 13 zones, of 10 degrees each, ranging from -60 F to 70 F. So, for zone 4, the minimum average temperatures are between -30 F and -20 F, which includes the entire U.S. with the exception of Alaska.