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Saturday, August 31, 2019

The Intergenerational Differences

The Intergenerational Differences of the Japanese canadian issei, nisei, and sansei In the wake of World War II, The Japanese Issei and Nisei both experienced extreme racial prejudices brought about by pre-existing anti-Asian racism and fear driven panic from the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and as a result became enemy aliens. However, pre-war intergenerational differences between the Japanese Canadian Issei and Nisei such as; traditional values, education, language, and age directly influenced the differences of the reactions that the Issei and Nisei had during the prooting and internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II. The racism and prejudices against the Japanese Canadians can be traced back to when Japanese Immigrants first began to settle in Canada. This hatred was mainly triggered by the Canadians em. y of the Japanese Canadians hard work, discipline, and contempt with the low pay and living standards that were pushed upon them. l Many of the Japanese Canadian Issei sp ent an average of 30 years working as fisherman, small business owners, and farmers, and due to the looming racism were declared to be unable to assimilate into Canadian Society.As a result Japanese Canadians Formed small communities in which they lived. Ken Adachi best summarizes the effects of this pre-war racism of the Japanese Canadians in this passage from his book The Enemy That Never Was: Canadian society all at once totally rejected the Japanese, confronted them with negative sanctions, and apparently doomed them and their Canadian born children to remain, in essence, a permantley alien, non-voting population.But at the same time, few immigrant Japanese wanted any part in the larger society. 3 This passage helps explain why the Canadian-born Nisei children experienced the same prejudices as their Japanese- born parents despite the fact that they were Canadian-educated and had little if any to the Japanese way of life. 4 It is important to note the generation differences that existed among the Canadian Japanese Issei and Nisei prior to World War II.The Japanese Canadian Issei continued to practice traditional Japanese values, ideals and authoritarian parenting style in their adopted homeland. The Issei tried to pass these ideals down to their children, however the children's involvement in the Canadian school district had a greater nfluence on the Nisei children and pushed them away from the Japanese ideals of their parents, and towards that of the Western Cultures. In fact, the majority of Japanese Canadian Nisei and Sansei disliked the forced Japanese teachings so much that Muriel Kitagawa explained that when the three Japanese newspapers and Japanese schools shut down following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Nisei and Sansei were overjoyed because they had more time to play6 Immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7 1942, the Canadian Government began the persecution and suspicion of all Japanese Canadians.On December 8 1942 t he Royal Canadian Navvy impounded 1,200 vessels owned by Japanese Nationals. 7 The Issei willingly obliged to the confiscation despite the fact that their income relied on the vessels8. It is important to note that when the decision to evacuate all males of Japanese descent between the ages of 18 and 45 from the West Coast into the interior, there were only 5,000 of the 13,600 Nisei who were over twenty years of age. 9 The effects of the evacuation, tore the Japanese community apart.As a result of the uprooting and incarcerations, Japanese schools nd newspapers were shut down, which had a huge effect on the Japanese Canadian Issei because many had a very small knowledge of the English language so they relied on the Japanese newspapers for information on the war. After the shutdown of Japanese newspapers and the confiscation of radios and other communication devices, the Imprisoned Issei had little means of knowing what was going on, and mainly relied on circulating rumors.The effect of the uprooting and evacuation caused the Japanese Canadian Issei to be torn between their mother country Japan and their adopted country Canada. During this time many Issei chose to turn toward Japan for comfort and reacted to the expulsion by following their Japanese principles of cooperating with the Canadian Government, and accepted their punishment and had faith in Japans victory. 0 This excerpt from the diary of Koichiro Miyazaki explains his feelings during expulsion, â€Å"We Japanese who are overseas, have been isolated in enemy countries and our families are scattered. But despite our hardships we believe that everything is for our native country's future. This faith keeps me going. I believe that I am not the only one filled with confidence. † 1 1 The Nisei generation had little to no traditional ties to their parents mother land Japan, and thought themselves to be completely Canadian.Many Nisei such as Muriel Kitagawa tried to maintain a positive outlook when th e expulsion of Japanese Canadians first went into effect and tried to rationalize the Canadian Governments actions and had faith that they would protect the loyal Japanese Canadian Nisei. 12 Like the Issei many Nisei encouraged Japanese Canadians to cooperate with the government, and have faith in the RCMP. However political and age differences within the Nisei society, caused some Nisei to react differently to the expulsion. Many younger Nisei tried to fght against the Canadian Government and refuse to obey.These Nisei experienced severe backlash from the Government and were immediately imprisoned or beaten. 13 As the war continued the expulsion of the Japanese Canadians from the West Coast was no longer Just for the men but now for people of all people of Japanese origin, including women and children. At this point the Canadian Government has full control over Japanese Canadians property and can sell it without the owner's consent, and many Japanese Canadian families have been sep arated from the uprooting.On August 4 1944 Prime Minister King states that it is desirable that Japanese Canadians are dispersed across Canada. Applications for reparation† to Japan are sought by the Canadian ernment. Those who do not apply must move east of the Rockies to prove their loyalty to Canada. The Issei faced the difficult decision to apply for reparation and be back in their familiar homeland where some still had family, however the Issei who had been separated from their family during the expulsion faced the fear of their family being left behind to suffer in camps.Some Issei who chose to apply got their application denied and were orced to move across the Rockies, this caused many Issei to lose all hope of ever returning to Japan. 14 The Nisei, even those who initially trusted the Canadian Government to take care of the loyal and innocent citizens, felt that they had been absolutely betrayed by the country that they loved. They were being forced to give up everyth ing that they own and had worked so hard for Just to prove their loyalty to Canada.Some younger Nisei reacted to the move with an adventurous spirit, however many Nisei that had families of their own were faced with a very difficult decision with very uncertain outcomes. 5 Muriel Kitagawa voices her concerns in a letter to her brother: And the Nisei, repudiated by the only land they know, no redress anywhere. Sure we can move somewhere on our own, but a Job? Who will feed the family? Will they hire a Jap? Where can we go that will allow us to come? The only place to go is the Camp the Government will provide when it gets around to it.Ah, but we are bewildered and bitter and uncertain. 16 The expulsion of the Japanese Canadians from the West Coast during World War II Shattered the strong communities that existed among both the Japanese Canadian Issei and Nisei. Hard-working people were fired from their Jobs by employers that they had worked many loyal years for solely because of thei r race. The property that they worked for and and rightfully owned, could be taken away from them with as little as 24-hour notice, and sold by the Canadian Government without the need of consent from the owner.Families were torn apart and sent to camps where they were forced to work and live in harsh and extreme conditions. Despite the fact that both Japanese Canadian Issei and Nisei experienced these hardships as a result of he uprooting and expulsion during World War II, intergenerational differences such as traditional values, education, language and age, directly influenced the different and changing reactions that the Issei and Nisei had throughout their experience of expulsion from Canada's west coast during World War II.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Hunters: Moonsong Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bounce Bounce Bounce Swish Catch Bounce Bounce Swish Catch Stefan stood on the free-throw line of the empty basketbal court, mechanical y dribbling and throwing the bal through the net. He felt empty inside, an automaton making perfect identical shots. He didn't real y love basketbal . For him, it lacked both the satisfying contact of footbal and the mathematical precision of pool. But it was something to do. He'd been up al night and al morning, and he couldn't stand the endless pacing of his own feet around the campus, or the sight of the four wal s of his room. What was he going to do now? There didn't seem to be much point to going to school without Elena beside him. He tried to block out his memories of the centuries of wandering the world alone, without her, without Damon, that preceded his coming to Fel ‘s Church. He was shutting down his emotions as hard as he could, forcing himself numb, but he couldn't help dimly wondering if centuries of loneliness were in store for him again. â€Å"Quite a talent you got there,† a shadow said, stepping away from the bleachers. â€Å"We should have recruited you for the basketbal team, too.† â€Å"Matt,† Stefan acknowledged, making another basket, then tossing the bal to him. Matt lined up careful y to the basket and shot, and it circled the rim before dropping through. Stefan waited while Matt ran to get the bal , then turned to him. â€Å"Were you looking for me?† he asked, careful y not asking if Elena had sent him. Looking surprised, Matt shook his head. â€Å"Nah. I like to shoot baskets when I've got some thinking to do. You know.† â€Å"What's going on?† Stefan asked. Matt rubbed the back of his neck, embarrassed. â€Å"There was this girl who I kind of liked, who I've been thinking about for a while, wanting to ask out. And, uh, it turns out she already has a boyfriend.† â€Å"Oh.† After a few minutes, Stefan realized he ought to respond with something more. â€Å"I'm sorry to hear that.† â€Å"Yeah.† Matt sighed. â€Å"She's real y special. I thought – I don't know, it would be nice to have something like what you and Elena have. Someone to love.† Stefan winced. It felt like Matt had twisted a knife in his gut. He flung the bal at the basket, not aiming this time, and it bounced back at them hard off the backboard. Matt jumped to catch it, then moved toward him, holding out a hand. â€Å"Hey, hey, Stefan. Take it easy. What is it?† â€Å"Elena and I aren't seeing each other anymore,† Stefan said flatly, trying to ignore the stab of pain from saying the words. â€Å"She – I saw her kissing Damon.† Matt looked at Stefan silently for what felt like a long time, his pale blue eyes steady and compassionate. Stefan was struck sharply by the memory that Matt had loved Elena, too, and that they had been together before Stefan came into the picture. â€Å"Look,† Matt said final y. â€Å"You can't control Elena. If there's one thing I know about her – and I've known her for our whole lives – it's that she's always going to do what she wants to do, no matter what gets in her way. You can't stop her.† Stefan began to nod, hot tears burning behind his eyes. â€Å"But,† Matt added, â€Å"I also know that, in the end, you're the one for her. She's never felt the way she does about you for anyone else. And, y'know, I'm starting to discover that there are other girls out there, but I don't think you're going to. Whatever's going on with Damon, Elena wil come back to you. And you'd be an idiot not to let her, because she's the only one for you.† Stefan rubbed the bridge of his nose. He felt breakable, like his bones were made of glass. â€Å"I don't know, Matt,† he said tiredly. Matt grinned sympathetical y. â€Å"Yeah, but I do.† He tossed Stefan the bal and Stefan caught it automatical y. â€Å"Want to play Horse?† He was tired and heartsick, but, as he dribbled the bal , thinking that he'd have to take it a tiny bit easy to give Matt a chance, Stefan felt a stirring of hope. Maybe Matt was right. â€Å"Are you crazy?† Bonnie shouted. She had always thought that â€Å"seeing red† was just a metaphor, but she was so angry that she actual y was seeing the faintest scarlet touch on everything, as if the whole room had been dipped in blood-tinged water. Meredith and Elena exchanged glances. â€Å"We're not saying there is anything wrong with Zander,† Meredith said gently. â€Å"It's just that we want you to be careful.† â€Å"Careful?† Bonnie gave a mean, bitter little laugh and shoved past them to grab a duffel bag out of her closet. â€Å"You're just jealous,† she said without looking at them. She unzipped the bag and started to dump in some clothes. â€Å"Jealous of what, Bonnie?† Elena asked. â€Å"I don't want Zander.† â€Å"Jealous because I'm final y the one who has a boyfriend,† Bonnie retorted. â€Å"Alaric is back in Fel ‘s Church, and you broke up with both your boyfriends, and you don't like seeing me happy when you're miserable.† Elena shut her mouth tightly, white spots showing on her cheekbones, and turned away. Eyeing Bonnie careful y, Meredith said, â€Å"I told you what I saw, Bonnie. It's nothing definite, but I'm afraid that the person who attacked that girl might have been Zander. Can you tel me where he was after you two left the party last night?† Focusing on stuffing her favorite jeans into what was already starting to seem like an overcrowded bag, Bonnie didn't answer. She could feel an annoying tel tale flush spreading up her neck and over her face. Fine, this was probably enough clothes. She could grab her toothbrush and moisturizer from the bathroom on her way down the hal . Meredith came toward her, hands open and outstretched placatingly. â€Å"Bonnie,† she said gently, â€Å"we do want you to be happy. We real y do. But we want you to be safe, too, and we're worried that Zander might not be everything you think he is. Maybe you could stay away from him, just for a little while? While we check things out?† Bonnie zipped up her bag, threw it over her shoulder, and headed for the door, brushing past Meredith without a glance. She was planning to just walk out but, at the last minute, wheeled around in the doorway to face them again, unable to bite back what she was thinking. â€Å"What's kil ing me here,† she said, â€Å"is what hypocrites you two are. Don't you remember when Mr. Tanner was murdered? Or the tramp who was almost kil ed under Wickery Bridge?† She was actual y shaking with fury. â€Å"Everyone in the whole town thought Stefan was responsible. Al the evidence pointed at him. But Meredith and I didn't think so, because Elena told us she knew Stefan couldn't have done it, that he wouldn't have done it. And we believed you, even though you didn't have any proof to give us,† she said, staring at Elena, who dropped her eyes to the floor. â€Å"I would have thought you could trust me the same way.† She looked back and forth between them. â€Å"The fact that you're suspecting Zander even though I'm standing here, tel ing you he would never hurt anybody, makes it clear that you don't respect me,† she said coldly. â€Å"Maybe you never did.† Bonnie stomped out of the room, hitching the strap of the duffel bag higher on her shoulder. â€Å"Bonnie† she heard behind her and turned to look back one more time. Meredith and Elena were both reaching after her, identical expressions of frustration on their faces. â€Å"I'm going to Zander's,† Bonnie told them curtly. That would show them what she thought about their suspicions of him. She slammed the door behind her.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Economical and Biological Importance of Rice Research Paper

Economical and Biological Importance of Rice - Research Paper Example Rice is found in different varieties, with each variety responding to certain species of weather and climate. In essence, rice has often been used by different civilizations to determine their degree of cultural influence over others. In the course of history, some communities have used Rice as a means of exchange by trading it with other material goods and services with other communities (Rost, 1997). For instance, the long-distance traders in West Africa and Central Africa relied on rice as a means of exchange during the Trans-Saharan trade. In terms of nutrition, rice is a carbohydrate that nourishes the energy requirement of humans at all ages. Its consumption varies in terms of accompaniments just as the cooking methods vary across communities and individuals. Modern agricultural systems have engaged in value addition practices meant to increase the nutritional value of rice. However, nutritionists have linked unbalanced consumption of rice to diseases such as pellagra and other diseases of malnutrition. Nevertheless, rice remains one of the most common and most important foods for the global population, times, cultures, and geographical spaces. The earliest consumption and cultivation of rice has been traced to the year 2500 B.C., (Chang, 2001). Historians have explored multiple sources of evidence, which show that rice was first cultivated and consumed in China. It was from China that this food commodity found its ways to places such as Sri Lanka and India (Rost, 1997). It remains imprecise as to the exact nature of influence and contacts that contributed to the spread of Rice from its original land to other geographical regions of the world.  

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Invasion of Privacy in the UK Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Invasion of Privacy in the UK - Coursework Example Remedies for the invasion of privacy are limited to informational privacy against private parties and broadly against public authorities.   It, therefore, follows that invasion of privacy is not a well-developed remedy in British law as it is restricted as this paper demonstrates.   An examination of the interpretation of Article 8 of ECHR demonstrates that the right to protection from governmental invasion is limited. Moreover, remedies for invasion of privacy under the Data Protection Act are of little use to the ordinary citizen.   Thus there is a need for the Supreme Court to declare a tort of invasion of privacy in the same manner as a right for infringement of other Convention rights can be claimed in tort. The law of privacy is not as developed in the UK as it is in the US.   However, there are remedies for invasion of privacy in the UK against government officials. The Younger Committee first recommended a tort for invasion of privacy in 1972. But the recommendation was rejected primarily on the grounds that imposing a tort for protection against invasion of privacy was difficult when balancing personal privacy against the wider public interest in protecting freedom of expression and the free exchange of information.   However, it is suggested that in a private situation, the free exchange of information and freedom of expression has little public utility as the value obtained from invading the privacy of an individual in private settings is limited. For instance, if an individual takes a photograph of his neighbor without his neighbor’s permission for his own personal use, there is no public benefit for the public and thus, there is no need to balance free expression with the protection of personal privacy.  

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Discussion Board Question Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion Board Question - Assignment Example The policies before and after 1986 had a uniform naturalization rule of setting a residence requirement of two years. Policies were expanded for exclusion and deportation of subversives whereby all aliens had to report their address every year. In 1988, a mandate was made to increase border patrol agents. The agents increased by twice as much by 2004. Also, there was provision to enhance national and border security by increasing border fencing, surveillance and detainment of unauthorized border crossing. Religion has influenced me in such a way that I am now able to work and get along with other people. Religion has enabled me to avoid engaging in unhealthy activities such as drug abuse. People are reluctant to talk about religion because some individuals have mystical experiences whereby, they tend to think that their relationship with religion is intimate and should not be divulged to others (Schaefer, 2011). Religion reflects conservative and liberal positions on social issues as it describes people’s views. For example, the conservative rules describe views of various Christians on specific issues unlike liberalism. Another example is that liberalism can support homosexuality in a society while conservative religion can reject

Monday, August 26, 2019

Stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Stress - Essay Example In general, stress comes in numerous forms. Working individuals may experience work-related stress whereas other people may have to go through physical stress related to illness or hormonal changes and emotional stress such as grievance due to the death or loss of a special someone. Stressors are commonly classified as external or internal. (Ward et al., 2003) External stressors may come from extreme physical condition like chronic pain and hot or cold temperatures as well as stressful psychological environments caused by poor working environment or being in an abusive relationship. On the other hand, internal stressors can be related to physical abnormalities related to inflammation or infection. It can also be caused by psychological factors such as excessive worrying. Even though the role of emotional regulation between stress and hypertension remains unclear (Gerin et al., 2002), several studies show that negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and frustrations could increase the physiological stress which normally causes a person to experience hypertension. (Lawler et al., 1998; Miller et al., 1998) These internal or external stressors, regardless of whether the stress occurs over a short- or long-term period, could negatively affect people physically, mentally, and emotionally. Regardless of age, several studies show that a stressful condition could cause a person to experience a significant decrease in the performance of their declarative memory (Lupien et al., 1997; Kirschbaum et al., 1996; Newcomer et al., 1995) aside from the fact that it could increase a person’s risk of developing type II diabetes (Harris and White, 2007). Stress has also a huge impact on a person’s heart and circulation system especially among postmenopausal women. (Kivimà ¤ki et al., 2002; Bairey Merz et al., 1998) In some cases, stress causes a person to experience

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Exploring the Integration of Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions Dissertation

Exploring the Integration of Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions Within Supply Chain Management - Dissertation Example It was able to attain this position through vigorous investment in technology to ensure that its continuous improvement is not only based on intent but founded on empirical data as well. Tesco’s direction is on the right path towards its goal by using the latest of what Information Technology can offer to assist it in gathering historical data of its operation and at the same time being provided real time reports of its operation. The ability to move its inventory as efficiently as possible to all its stores either from the owners of the labels or from its own distribution center is one of the lifeblood of Tesco thus its employment of a Supply Chain Management System is mandatory. However, it is also imperative that information technology should not only assist its operation it is also essential for Tesco to be ahead of its competitor by ensuring that its information is built into an essential knowledge base for use in developing its business intelligence framework. Integratin g an Enterprise Resource Planning Solution into a Supply Chain Management System would provide the infrastructure to achieve this. The integrated system would be able to project demands and issue orders ahead of time to ensure that the shelves of Tesco’s retail stores scattered all over the United Kingdom do not go empty. To stay ahead of its competitor within the same industry the knowledge that will be built in the integration of the two systems would translate to the provisioning of valuable information to label or product owners. Information such as demands based on geography and time will aid label owners on how to time their production and delivery to Tesco stores. Introduction Enterprise Resource Planning Solutions have considered and taken into consideration all information that can be gathered pertinent to the operation of the organization and convert them into knowledge that companies can use to meet the demands of the industry (Monk & Wagner, 2012). Supply Chain Ma nagement system takes into account all relevant information that can be collected for purposes of making the production and inventory process efficient, cost effective and responsive to market demands (Hugos, 2011). The implementation of both solutions would enable the company to meet its production targets while at the same time it will be informed in real time of the operational position of the organization including its financial situation (Karni & Shtub, 2009). Tesco plc is a retail and general merchandise organization headquartered in Cheshunt, United Kingdom (Tesco, 2012). The nature of business of Tesco requires that it keeps track of all inventories to a point wherein it is aware of when an item in its inventory is received up to the time on when it is sold. A Supply Chain Management System would be able to track inventories in this same manner as described. An Enterprise Resource Planning System would be able to provide Financial and Controlling systems, Human Resource Mana gement, Production Planning, Treasury systems and the planning of all other company resource.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Relevant Information for Decision Making Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Relevant Information for Decision Making - Essay Example packing with this eventual end in mind would be something that the company would be losing money on in the short run; yet something that it was willing to doing order to both see to the needs of the environment as well as engage the customer with the idea that it was a primary focus of the brand to seek to develop a degree of sustainability. Naturally, as with any key decision, relevant and non-relevant costs both factors into such an implementation. As such, this brief analysis will consider the relevant and non-relevant costs associated with management’s decision with regards to aforementioned issue. The change mechanism which will be discussed herein took place over a period of two weeks during the beginning of September 2012. Of course the relevant costs associated with such a change will necessarily be those associated with the differential between the cost of continuing to provide the old form of packaging as opposed to the new. With respect to this differential, as has been noted, it will be more expensive for the firm to engage in the new form of packaging due to the fact that it will require new and emergent technology to be utilized in seeking to reduce the overall amount of waste generated as well as seeking to ensure that the waste that is generated is both photosynthetically degradable as well as biodegradable in enhanced ways. Similarly, the key non-relevant cost associated with this decision is the manner and degree to which the customer will readily embrace the new packaging and/or find themselves unhappy with the changes that have been wrought. This concern is of course highly relevant and important in an industry that is oftentimes subject to the dissatisfaction of consumers based on no other rational than a key component of expected value that they have grown accustomed to has changed or is slightly differentiated than before (Argawal et al 2011). Implementing such a change was not especially difficult from the employee approach as

Friday, August 23, 2019

To what extent are the different economic reform outcomes in China and Essay

To what extent are the different economic reform outcomes in China and Russia (or plus Eastern Europe) due to the pace of reform - Essay Example Thus, with the help of liberal policies, these economies significantly progressed and grown to match up the growth of the western developed nations. The reform in China had taken place in 1978 but in Russia it took place in 1991. This essay tries to enumerate the contrasting reforming strategies undertaken in Russia and China. The essay will also elaborate the economic outcomes of the reforms. The reforms of China and Russia were both considered to be Communist reforms but the outcomes of the reforms were different in the two countries. After the demise of communism, the reforms of Russia took place at a relatively faster rate. However, in China, the free market oriented reforms took place gradually over years (Eich, Gust and Soto, 2012, p.5-8). The communist government of China has tackled these reforms over years. Thus, it is highly rational to analyze the causes and outcomes of the different pace based reforms in the two countries (Hanson and Teague, 2013, p.3-4). The centrally framed Five-Year plan model of China (1953-1957) was gradually abandoned in 1978, when the country transformed itself into a free market economy. The reforms were undertaken by the Chinese Communist Party for improving the competency of the Chinese economy in terms of a fourfold modernization path. The head of the Communist Party, Premier Zhou Enlai, had claimed that the reforms had aimed to improve the agricultural, industrial, service and technology sectors of the country (Eich, Gust and Soto, 2012, p.9). The first reform in China took place from 1966 to 1976, it was known as the Cultural Revolution. The reform was undertaken for improving the social status of the people of China. Ruthless political power and control imposed on the Chinese individuals were removed through this reform. The second phase of reform took place in 1970, when the officials of the central planning system complained about the inefficiency and weakness of the system (Joshua,

What are fundamental points of conflict between Confucianism and Essay

What are fundamental points of conflict between Confucianism and Legalism How were these ways of thought blended into the Chinese theory of empire - Essay Example These people propagated the ideas of Confucius as a philosophy in the human race. This is not only done as guidance for living up to the ideas of Confucius but also as a direction in politics and a sense of morality. Confucius strongly affected the historical make-up of East Asia, the neighbors of China, especially Japan and Korea. Considering the Chosen dynasty in Korea, the influence of Confucius took over much of what we can see. The Yi dynasty accredited for introducing the Chinese examination system during the Tang dynasty. During this critical era, Chinese people adhered to the principles of Confucianism. Legalism, the so called â€Å"school of law", rose as one of the mainstreams of Chinese philosophy though it never lasted for long. Legalism is quite different from the ideas of Confucianism. The rationale behind legalism was law, which is a main principle in legalism. Because legalism has a mistrust of human nature, which was regarded as a lazy and cowardly creature, like the view of Xunzi, the law should create order and eliminate chaos. Both the thoughts and practices of Confucianism and legalism have expanded to become a tool for the betterment of individuals. The Chinese had put much interest on both philosophies which subsequently became deep rooted into their culture. There are similarities and comparisons between the great philosophies, Confucianism and Legalism to the principal values or norms of conduct. Confucius favorable view on human nature and its optimism were more persuasive to people of during that period, although in China today there still exists a legalist society but not as severely and strict as in Qin dynasty. In the third and second century B.C.E., when rivalry among the Warring states was getting more complex and competitive, legalism had risen as a new ideology that was in opposition to Confucianism. One of Confucianism thoughts was to

Thursday, August 22, 2019

John Steinbeck and his book Of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

John Steinbeck and his book Of Mice and Men Essay John Ernst Steinbeck was born on February 27, in 1902 in Salinas, California, He came from a reasonably well off family. He worked his way through college at Stanford University, but never graduated, so in 1925 he set off to New York where he tried to start his career as a writer, but he failed to have any of his writing published and returned to California. He then published a few books and short stories. His first novel, Cup of Gold was published in 1929, but attracted little attention. The readers also poorly acknowledged his following two novels, The Pastures of Heaven and To a God Unknown. Steinbeck then married his first wife, Carol Henning in 1930. But he still wasnt recognised in the world of literature until 1935 when Tortilla Flat was published. It received the California Commonwealth Clubs Gold Medal for best novel by a California author, and then his work became recognised far and wide. Steinbeck then went onto produce some of his greatest novels, including Grapes of Wrath, which was a Pulitzer Prize winner in 1939. The greatest prize Steinbeck was awarded for his writing was the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 1962. John Steinbeck died on December 20th, 1968, in New York. The first book I read by John Steinbeck was Of Mice and Men and it is about two men who are immigrant American labourers. Together they have a dream to settle down and farm their own land rather than work for other people. So they join a group of farmers to earn the money, so that they can buy the farmland for themselves. These two friends are completely unlike each other. One of them, who is called George, is a small intelligent man, and the other, Lennie, is a big, clumsy, caring, but child-like man. The two men have been friends since they were children. But Lennie was not always stupid, but became like this after an accident that happened when he was young. George is always with Lennie for comfort, friendship, but mainly as he is very strong and can work on a farm better than most people. George supports him, helps him and puts thoughts into his head, to try to him motivated. Lennie trusts George with everything and really values their friendship. When the two friends finally get the money to make their dreams come true George takes advantage of Lennie and kills him, so that his dream is secured. In this book you are made to feel sorry for Lennie, as he was very caring, and even when he killed the animals, and bosss sons wife, you know that he was only being friendly and caring, and just wasnt aware of his own strength. At the beginning of the book George seems to be Lennies friend, but by the end you realize that he is only using Lennie to fulfil his own dreams. The second book by Steinbeck I read was East of Eden. This book was set in the period between the American Civil War and the end of World War I. It is about the conflicts of two generations of brothers. The opening chapters describe Samuel and his family, and what living in Salinas Valley is like for them. The first generation is the kind, gentle, caring Adam Trask and his wild brother Charles. Adam eventually marries Cathy Ames who is a wicked, manipulative, but very beautiful prostitute. Cathy betrays Adam, with his brother Charles on the very night of their wedding. Later, after giving birth to twin boys, she shoots Adam and then leaves him to return to her former job. With the help of their Chinese servant Lee, Adam raises their sons, the fair-haired, charming, yet stubborn Aron, and the mysterious, clever Caleb, without telling them about their mother. The second generation of brothers compete for their fathers approval. In resentment Caleb reveals the truth about their mother to Aron, so he then leaves to join the army. At the end of the story, Lee makes a great effort to help keep the Trask family together, when Adam is lying in his bed dying, Caleb is overwhelmed with guilt because Aron has been killed in the army. Lee believes that if Adam gives Caleb his blessing for indirectly killing his own brother, he will able to move on in life, and not always feel so guilty. In this novel, although he is not a main character, Lee, their servant is a good friend to Adam, and helped him at his worst times, and managed to hold the family together, so the story wouldnt have turned out the same without him. The third book I read by John Steinbeck was The Grapes of Wrath. The book is set in California and it follows the terrible misfortunes of the Joad family, who like many others have given up their lives in Oklahoma in search of employment in California. The book follows both their hopes and setbacks creating a true account of the American dream of the 1930s, as we observe their struggle to try to get by with what little money and possessions they have. When the Joad family leave the Hooverville, which is an independent migrant camp and move to a government camp, because they cannot find a job at Hooverville. This camp is clean and has a local government made up of migrant workers. For the first time since arriving in California, the Joads find themselves treated as human beings. However, when the work runs out they had to move on. Tom ends up killing a man who is responsible for the death of is good friend John Casey. They have to flee and find work picking cotton, and Toms presence there is soon spotted, and Tom has to go into hiding. The ending of this book, even though not dreadfully clear, does suggest a little hope for the Joads, but more so hope for humanity. I enjoyed this book because I saw a lot of things that all of these books have in common, and the most obvious thing was that each book was about underprivileged people who were fighting to keep their lives and families together through many misfortunes. In Steinbecks books there is always an inferior character that keeps the people together, for example in The Grapes of Wrath Ma Joad tries as hard as she can to keep her family together, but apart from that you dont know much about her. And also in East of Eden the servant, Lee, holds the family together, and helped to bring up Adams children. The struggle between good and evil is the most dominant theme in these books. John Steinbeck shows that everyone has the potential to be a good person, or completely immoral. An example of this theme is in East of Eden, as Adam is a very kind and caring person, but Cathy is nasty and pitiless. Also in Of Mice and Men, Lennie is a gentle loving man, whereas his friend George turns out to be a horrible, ruthless person. Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath have a connection between the type of work the people do because they are both about people trying to make ends meet working on farms, trying to fulfill their own dreams. Love is another issue that all these books have in common, because whenever love is missing from a specific part of the story, the results become disastrous. The three of Steinbecks books that I read all have a very detailed and descriptive writing style, which adds to your satisfaction of his books, as you are given persuasive glimpse into the lives of others. The characters in Steinbecks books seem to come to life because of the vast understanding of human courage to be able to choose between what is right and wrong Steinbeck has. I enjoyed reading all of these books, because even though in some ways they were very similar, they all had a different storyline, so I didnt find the second and third story boring after reading the first one.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Application of Wave Technology in Military Aspect

Application of Wave Technology in Military Aspect â€Å"Hide and Seek† in the World of Wave Student name: Choi Ho Lam Thank you for giving this valuable chance for me to investigate on this topic. As this topic involves military technology, it gives a deeper understanding of wave principle and usage in daily life. However, in normal settings, such kind of topic is not included, as it can be quite controversial. Fortunately, in this CCST course, I am allowed to choose this topic and enrich my engineering knowledge to a deeper extend. National geographic After watching the show â€Å"Hilter’s Stealth Fighter†, it gives me a clearer direction on starting the research on this topic. It enriches my knowledge on the use of RAM in relation with RF wave properties. Teaching assistants of the course The teaching assistants in the course are helpful. Their opinions help me to narrow my direction in investigating to specific topics like radar and specific technology related to radar. Without their help, I would still wonder in the wild world of military and aimlessly searching for a suitable topic. 2. Introduction Radar detection and stealth technology are like a game of â€Å"hide and seek† with the application of wave technology. They share the opposite aims, either finding one or avoid from being found. In the world of military, this is a game that changes the fate of the world and losing is not an option. During the World War II, the deployment of radar in British had changed the tide of battle in the English Channel. Fighting against 2550 German fighters and bombers, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was able to attack strategically and stopped German invasion with just 1963 planes. After this battle, British served as the last stand among European nations against Nazi Germany. With such important history, the military value for radar as well as its counterpart, stealth technology were deeply investigated. Nazi Germany had suffered from a direct defeat from this battle. Since then, Nazi Germany carried out various researches on stealth aircrafts. Just one month near the end of WWII, the first prototype stealth bomber, Horten Ho 229 was developed. Recent research from National Geographic show that such plane decreases the detection range of British radar by 37%, which is already enough for wiping out the entire RAF. It was so fortunate that the plane wasn’t in mass production or the course of history would have been change completely. This paper aims at studying the application of wave technology in the use of radar, as well as the principles in some of the counter radar measures. Since it is a CCST coursework, some of the complicated mathematical procedures and modern method of radar jamming would be omitted. Nevertheless, by studying such technology, we can establish a better understanding of different wave phenomena and know how they change our life. 3. Content 3.1 Radar Radar stands for Radio Detecting and Ranging. In general, radar detects a far object by sending a pulse of EM wave and measures the time and frequency for the reflected pulse. By analyzing these factors, the speed and the distance of the far object can be found. In a macroscopic view, radar consists of 3 basic parts, a transmitter, a duplexer and a receiver. The transmitter emits a short-duration high-power radio frequency (RF) pulse. The pulse will travel through the transmitter antenna and emit outwards. The antenna can give appreciate space for efficient distribution of RF pulse. When the RF pulse hit an obstacle, the RF pulse is reflected back to the receiver. The receiver antenna will receive the signal and analysis the time of travel as well as the frequency of reflected pulse. Since the receiver antenna is very sensitive as it is assumed to be receiving the small pulse reflected back from far distance, a duplexer is installed to switch the between two antenna. This can ensure only one antenna is in use and prevent receiver antenna receiving signal directly from the transmitter antenna, which can potentially damage the receiver antenna. In a microscopic view, an alternating current (AC) is supplied to the antenna. It then produces a perpendicular alternating magnetic field around the antenna. By Lenz’s Law, for a closed loop carrying a current, it would produce a magnetic field perpendicular to current around the loop. In reverse, for a closed loop experience a change in magnetic field, a current perpendicular to magnetic field is generated to oppose the change. The combination of alternating current and magnetic field produces the electromagnetic wave that used for detection. The frequency of the EM wave can be changed by modifying the AC frequency. The frequency of the electromagnetic wave is usually set to between 3 kHz to 300 GHz at radio frequency (RF). It varies depends on the usage. With a higher frequency, using relation with speed of light (C) and wavelength (ÃŽ ») C=FÃŽ », the wavelength of RF wave is shorten. This decreases the electrical length of the antenna to and makes it easier to build. In military use, the RF pulse would set to lower frequency portion in the RF spectrum, usually between 7 to 11.2 GHz, which is called the X band. Being in RF spectrum, the high frequency radar pulse can create a radar cross-section of aircraft with a higher resolution, which helps identify aircraft more accurately. In more advance use, a much lower frequency is used to reveal stealth aircraft since it can give a much more sensitive signal. With a low frequency, the wavelength of radar pulse is comparable to size of stealth fighter and creates a scattering in resonance region instead of optical region, turning it more visible on radar. However, the frequency of the radar pulse cannot be lower than 800 MHz, otherwise the EM pulse would have insufficient penetrating power and easily be absorbed by raindrops. Other than that, the resolution of low frequency radar is relatively poor, and gives a poor display. It is only effective against stealth aircraft of length comparable to wavelength . When the radar pulse is bound back to the radar, the antenna experience an alternating change in magnetic field. This will produce an alternating electrical field and thus an AC current to flow in circuit. Since the returning signal is weak, it would pass through an amplifying circuit to increase the amplitude. In analyzing the signal, the frequency and time of travel would be taken to find the speed and velocity of detection target. When the radar pulse reaches an object, it is reflected and the frequency is shifted by Doppler Effect. Since the speed of RF wave is always the speed of light (C), the distance (S) can be express as a time (t) function, S = Ct/2. It is divided by two since the radar pulse travel through the same distance twice. To calculate speed of moving object, we can find out the change in frequency (Doppler frequency) of the returning wave. If the far object is moving, the object would create a Doppler shift to the radar pulse. This Shifted frequency () can be expressed by original frequency (), the moving speed (V) and speed of light (C). , which gives us the Doppler frequency () . For convenience, one assume, such that, and simply the equation as . 3.2 Radar jamming and deception Radar jamming and deception usually refer to the intention of saturating the radar with noise and false information, lowering the detection range of radar as well as the accuracy of the radar. There mainly two types of jamming, either mechanical jamming or electronic jamming. Mechanical jamming Mechanical jamming usually refer to use of physically existed thing to reflect and re-reflect RF signal back to radar, causing the radar to be saturated with false return signal. The commonly used mechanical jamming methods that adopt wave principles are chaff and corner reflectors. Chaff is bundles of reflective aluminum strip of various lengths. The aircraft drops these strips in air. When radar pulse reaches these strips, the radar pulse is reflected and scattered in all direction, creating huge return signal to the receiver. This could deceive the radar as â€Å"seeing† huge plane and deplete enemy resources like ammunition on shooting down the false target. Corner reflector reflects incoming radar pulse at other angle. Corner reflector is composed of either two or three reflective planes, perpendicular to each other. This configuration allows the incoming radar ray fully reflected back to the source. Yet this also increases special occupation of corner reflector, making it harder to carry by aircraft. The tails of the stealth fighter are designed to be acute angle, such that it avoids forming corner reflector, allowing radar to identify the airplane. Electronic jamming Electronic jamming refers to the active emission of RF pulse to the radar, saturating the radar with false return and noises. It includes spot jamming, sweep jamming, barrage jamming, cover pulse jamming and digital radio frequency memory jamming. Spot jamming, sweep jamming, barrage jamming uses the same principle, occupying the radar with high energy pulse and causing destructive interference of the RF wave. Spot jamming refers to jamming one specific frequency with high energy signal. Sweep jamming refers to jamming one specific frequency with high energy signal when the radar is switching from one frequency to another. Barrage jamming refers to jamming all specific frequency with high energy signal, however since it cover full range of frequency, each frequency are partially jammed. Cover pulse jamming refers to false return signal as noise. As radar receives certain amount of ambient noise, for example, like scanning through eagle and other types of bird, so it could be used as disguise for fighter to hide from radar. With pulse jamming system installed, the aircraft analysis the incoming radar signal and find suitable frequency for false noise return. Digital radio frequency memory is a repeater technique that analysis the incoming radar pulse and changes the returning frequency as well as time of return. The signal would be delay and diminish. This gives a false sign of far distance between aircraft and radar. Moreover, the frequency would also be shifted and produce a false Doppler shift on radar signal. This returns with false information about the velocity of aircraft. 3.3 Use of RAM Besides of active jamming and deceiving radar, the military develop RAM to avoid radar detection from the enemy. RAM stands for the Radar-Absorbance Material. According to the detecting radar frequency, different types of RAM are used to build stealth aircrafts. Iron ball paint absorber Iron ball paint is one of the mostly used RAM. It contains tiny spheres coated with carbonyl iron and ferrite. As radar waves induce molecular oscillation in this paint, the energy would dissipate as heat. This can absorb the radar and reduce the reflection of radar wave. Re-entrant triangles The structures of re-entrant triangles in between the surface foam absorber layer help reduce reflection of radar ray back to radar transceiver. Inside the foam absorber layer, the foam was cut into tiny square pyramid. This structure reflect incoming wave several times and reduce the energy of the radar wave. In practice, the width and height would change according to the incoming radar wave. The main purpose of adjusting height and width ratio is to achieve maximum internal reflection within the plane surface as possible. Jaumann absorber The wave principle deployed by Jaumann absorber is destructive interference. Gerneally, Jaumann absorber consist of two equally spaced layer and a ground metal plate. It cancels out the incoming wave by producing destructive interference. When a radar signal strikes on to the surface of Jaumann absorber, the wave split in to two waves, one is reflected at glossy surface of the Jaumann absorber, while the other enters the layer. The ray will then reflect back by the metal ground plate. The two layers having a total spacing of ÃŽ »/4 will allow the wave reflected back to surface at anti-phrase compare to incoming ray, where the ray have travelled a total of ÃŽ »/2 distance. Conclusion Radar principle make use of various wave property in tracing the enemy. In engineering, there is a sub-discipline for radar analysis, for a more precise interpretation of radar signal. This paper includes only few example and it was just a corner of iceberg. However, in just a brief analysis, we can see advancement of technology as people know more about wave and using this knowledge to build stealth aircraft. This game of â€Å"hide and seek† can be devastating to world as it brings a much higher casualties in war, however this game has also proven to be saving life war and pushing the advancement of technology. Would this game be beneficial to human? It would be an unanswered question waiting for the people to decide. Reference Radar. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar ODonnell, Robert. RES.LL-001 Introduction to Radar Systems, Spring 2007. (MIT OpenCourseWare: Massachusetts Institute of Technology), http://ocw.mit.edu/resources/res-ll-001-introduction-to-radar-systems-spring-2007 (Accessed 28 Nov, 2014). License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA Wolff, C. (n.d.). Radar Principle. Retrieved from http://www.radartutorial.eu/01.basics/Radar Principle.en.html Toomay, J., Hannen, P. (2004). Radar Principle for the Non-Specialist (3rd ed.). SciTech Publishing. Hitlers Stealth Fighter [Motion picture]. (2009). United State of America: National Geographic. Garcia, L. (n.d.). How Waves Helped Win the War: Radar and sonar in WWII. Retrieved from http://www.ww2sci-tech.org/lessons/lesson3.pdf Deb, N.N. (2006). Telecommunication Engineering (1st ed.). New Age International. Bole, A., Wall, A., Norris, A. (2014). Radar and ARPA Manual Radar, AIS and Target Tracking for Marine Radar Users. Elsevier. Varshney, L. (2002). Technical Report Radar Principles (3rd revision.). NY: Syracuse Research Corporation. Lorell, M. (2003). The U.S. Combat Aircraft Industry, 1909-2000. National Defense Research Institute. Radar jamming and deception. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_jamming_and_deception Radar-absorbent material. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar-absorbent_material Zikidis, K., Skondras, A., Tokas, C. (2014). Low Observable Principles, Stealth Aircraft and Anti-Stealth Technologies. Journal of Computations Modelling, Vol.4(No.1, 2014), 129-165. Retrieved from http://www.scienpress.com/Upload/JCM/Vol 4_1_9.pdf Stealth Technology. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/search/slideshow?searchfrom=headerq=stealth technology

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

Transportation and Distribution Management

Transportation and Distribution Management Transportations and distribution industry plays an important role in bridging the gap between the producer and the consumer. Forms of transportation available include air, water, rail and land. The transport industry is one of the driving forces for economic development. The cost of transportation is a major cost that all firms in this industry would like to reduce (Markowitz, 2011). The economic benefits of reducing transportation cost are notable and are a direct way of improving profits for any firm. According to Hines (2004) the question of how to reduce these cost remain one of the constantly explored by many transportation firms. Each firm desires to develop an effective strategy to reduce the costs. Distributions is important since it ensures production and needs are in balanced thus it is an important part of the economy. Moving products from producers to the consumers regionally, nationally and internationally can account for more than half of the total cost of the products. Therefore, the management of transportation and distribution should focus on the economic aspects (Rodrigue, et al. 2010). Efficiency and effectiveness of the transport system is vital in reducing the costs. Subsequently, management of the operations includes analysis of the costs of everything involved. Operations administration is carried out depending on the nature of the products or services that the organization is dealing in. Discussion and Analysis On 31 November 1981, I and five other partners came together and initiated a privately own a transport company Swift world transport Ltd. The company provides innovative, cost effective and reliable transportation of food products. Swift world transport Ltd specializes in food products shipment and carriage between various states and towns. After realizing that an opportunity exists in coordinating of food products, we launched a strategy to fill the void. Our trucks and carriers deliver food products to one destination and return with another load to another destination. The company desires not only to meet customerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s expectations but also to exceed it every time. Currently we have over 500 trucks operating around five states. Since transport costs account for a considerable portion of the selling price of food products, we put emphasis on making smart economic decision (Rodrigue, et al. 2010). Swift world transport Ltd. Deals with a wide range of food products. The products range from cereals, soft drinks, biscuits and cookies, baked goods, ready meals and frozen foods. Other products that we transport in smaller quantities include dairy products, honey and seafood. Swift world transport Ltd. Is ISO-certified and will be celebrating 30 years in existence late this year. Though the company began from humble beginnings, it has grown to be one of the market leaders in transportation of food products. It has more than 300 employees and is strategically located with its head office in New York. Swift world transport Ltd upholds integrity and abides by the rules and regulations in the transport industry (Markowitz, 2011). At Swift world transport Ltd we value the customers hence we use the latest technology and equipments in handling the products to meet customerà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s needs of quality. We have refrigeration services to keep perishable products from being spoilt. The ministry of health officials has approved our warehouses as safe for storage of edible products. Our trucks are monitored via satellite hence we have an error free billing system (Rodrigue, et al. 2010). Swift world transport Ltd. Has three main departments. The first department deals with the transport infrastructure. These include the trucks and the sea vessels. The second department includes the food handling facilities such as refrigerators and warehouses. Finally, the last department ensures that there is always adequate supply of the products depending on the demand. Physical distribution involves the transportation of the food products from the various sources to the customers. The manager directing the physical distribution has the responsibility of assessing and controlling the cost of transport. He is also charged with the responsibility of ensuring the most efficient way of storing them. This in some cases may require warehouses hence inventory control. A manager should thus ensure that the right goods arrive at the proper destination in the right condition and to the correct client. As explained by Halldorsson et al. (2003) the goods should be in the right quantity. The transportation strategy adopted by the Swift world transport Ltd swiftly responds to all aspects of our operations with priority on customers and suppliers. The strategy acknowledges customer requirements as an important aspect of all its activities. The supply chain is a involves movement of products from suppliers to the customer. The transportation activities should focus on meeting customer needs. Transportation and shipment must therefore progress according to the timings (Rodrigue, et al. 2010). Customers require that products be delivered at their premises on a particular day and time. This needs to be accomplished in order to provide customer satisfaction. Being able to meet these deadlines has given Swift world transport Ltd a competitive advantage over other firms. The size of our firm also causes our customers to trust in our ability to be reliable. They believe that small firms are not reliable. Comparing performance is important for the firm to know how well our stra tegies are working (Larson, Halldorsson, 2004). In order to remain economically sound, we measure our expenses every now and then in order to have tight control over them. Estimation of general expenses and freight costs assists the company in budgeting. A supply chain is a system that brings organizations, people, information and other resources in bridging the gap by ensuring that goods and services move from supplier to consumers. Supply chains ensure that goods are delivered to the end user. The management of a supply chain involves planning and management of activities ranging from sourcing, procurement and the logistics. At Swift world transport Ltd. coordination and collaboration with the suppliers and customers and other third party service providers is our priority. The company has created a supply chain that integrates all activities with the main responsibility of linking our suppliers and the customers (Rodrigue, et al. 2010). A model of a supply chain begins from receiving the products from producers and suppliers and ends with the delivering to the consumer. Swift world transport Ltd adopted the model whose framework is developed on business processes that are not only cross firm but also cross functional. A team manage s the cross-functional processes with representatives from purchasing, finance, logistics and research and development (Halldorsson, et al. 2003). Since each process interacts with customers and suppliers at some point, customer relations and supplierà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s relations form an important part in the supply chain. The company must make the right decision when moving products from one point to the other. Distributing products faster and cheaply leads to higher profits and more satisfied customers. In order to do this, Swift world transport Ltd stays informed on the current trend within the industry. For illustration, most companies are moving in the southern states because where doing business is more cost effective. The company has been analyzing facts and trying to make a decision whether to move south. In 1990, Swift world transport Ltd. adopted the supply chain management (SCM). This was adopted after realization that most food products require integration of many business processes, from the original supplier to the customer (Halldorsson, et al. 2003). The suppliers provide the company with products, services and important information that boost our business. SCM enables us to exchange information with other stakeholders regarding market fluctuation. After realizing the importance of information, we adapted the SCM to enable us access relevant information. This is made possible since all the companies in the supply chain help optimize the entire chain. The company can therefore plan its distribution activities better hence leading to customer satisfaction. In addition, incorporation of SCM leads to reduction of competition (Hines, 2004). This is because the competition is not from one company to the other but on supply chain and supply chain. The aim of supply chain management is to uphold customer satisfaction by using the available resources efficiently. It seeks to keep the demand and supply at equilibrium. Since many food products are perishable, it pays to liaise with producers to minimize bottlenecks. The products are obtained from farmers and suppliers at the lowest cost (Hines, 2004). Transporting is followed by distribution and finally delivering the products to customer markets. Conclusion One of the main challenges that Swift world transport Ltd faces is the presence of congestion in our road system. The causes of congestion come from higher requirement for mobility, which many times go beyond the facilities that support it. Other causes can be random events like accidents, which normally disrupts the flow of vehicles. Congestion is not only present on the roads, concentration of traffic is observed even on maritime transport. This is so common especially in terms of weight. Traffic concentration is causing many problems at the ports. In the past few decades, international trade has been experiencing higher growth than the global economy resulting in congestion at the ports. Congestion has the effect of delaying products on the road hence causing late Deliveries. Late deliveries in turn lead to loss if business opportunities and dissatisfied customers. Recommendation As a major stakeholder in the transport industry, we have joint hands with other like-minded firms to put pressure on government to build more road network. A transport policy that will provide solutions to congestion problems should be developed. This requires long term planning to build of more roads and ports in order to ease the congestion. States with port facility should apply for grants from the federal government in order to improve their inadequate facilities. These are the solutions to preventing the constant congestion.

Monday, August 19, 2019

The Story of An Hour Theme :: Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† Kate Chopin wrote a short piece called â€Å"The Story of an Hour† about a woman’s dynamic emotional shift who believes she has just learned her husband has died. The theme of Chopin’s piece is essentially a longing for more freedom for women. Chopin reflects her rejection of the â€Å"postures of femininity† through her character’s descriptions. She describes her as â€Å"young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression.† Describing her as young and calm are what men looked for in a wife in the 19th century. They wanted a submissive woman to tend to their needs as Chopin’s description suggests. Furthermore, Chopin says of her character Mrs. Mallard, â€Å"she would live for herself.† Her character believes she will now be free of her marriage, and won’t be â€Å"repressed† as aforementioned any longer by her husband. Wives had a natural servitude towards their husbands as husbands worked and went about their lives. All in all, Chopin displays her character as having a joyous moment after the death of her husband because she is let go of being forced into her â€Å"femininity.† Chopin displays a need for more independent women in this piece, suggesting that wronged womanhood is the simple fact that society didn’t allow them to be on the same level with men. Mrs. Mallard realizes a â€Å"possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being.† This suggests a dying will for independence. Mrs. Mallard realizes that she can now rely upon her self for everything and it will become her number one driving factor in life. After she realizes this, Chopin says Mrs. Mallard thinks â€Å"spring days, and summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own.† When she has days to herself, she will have no one to tell her what to do, as this line suggests her husband used to.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

How Home-Schooling Really Got Started :: Essays Papers

How Home-Schooling Really Got Started People have often been known to find comfort in numbers and to therefore enter into social contracts with others living around them. People feel safer in groups and so they choose to give up certain rights and privileges for protection from their peers. This inevitably leads to domination of man over man. People choose leaders to make their decisions for them, or they do as the majority says. It is very rare for people to make rational decisions and carry to them to their full potential once they have entered into a social contract. The desire to follow the crowd which is created by this social setting is deplorable and is therefore the main object of critism in Henrick Ibsen’s play An Enemy of the People. The characters in this play all live together in a town ruled by what is known as the compact majority. This majority is led by a group of town officials who come up with plans and policies on which the people may vote. This system offers no chance for the freedom of individuals. Beginning with a speech discussing â€Å". . . the colossal stupidity of the authorities,† Doctor Stockmann deconstructs this appalling social system. This speech criticizes the lack of intelligence the authorities have shown and the need for their destruction. If freedom is to exist for individuals, the first step must be to do away with worthless officials and authorities that force the people to make a choice from the narrow selection they provide. What is right in one situation may not hold true in another, but the authorities force all people to live under the same laws with the same punishments instead of allowing for diversity. However, Stockmann does not stop there. In fact, he says t hat the authorities are not the main problem, but that instead â€Å"The most dangerous enemy of truth and freedom among us is the compact majority.† This majority follows its leaders blindly without ever giving thought to any alternative outside of the shielded path on which they are directed. â€Å"People that do that are . . . so very far from distinction.† These people have given up their won right to think and have doomed themselves to lives that can never meet the full potential of the human experience.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Policing History Essay

During the late 1700s and early 1800s, a breakdown in social control led to disorder, crime, riots, and public health issues in England. The 1780 Gordon riots brought a 50-year debate on how to provide better public safety. One man fighting to improve law enforcement was the home secretary, Sir Robert Peel. In 1822, Peel’s first task as home secretary was to meet the demands of Parliament for a reform of the criminal laws. During this time of rising crime statistics, Peel was convinced that legal reform should be accompanied with improved methods of crime prevention (Gash, 2012). It was not until Peel returned to the home office in 1828 with the Wellington government that he began working toward the creation of an adequate police force. In 1829, peel introduced a bill that was to improve the police in and around the Metropolis (Lyman, 1964). Fearing the introduction of a military-style force, Peel’s ideas were initially resisted. Eventually Parliament passed the bill as the Metropolitan Police Act and provided funds to establish a force of 1000 officers (Grant & Terry, 2012). The Metropolitan Police were different from any previous law enforcement. The officers were direct employees of the state and organized like the military. They were subject to clear chains of command and rules of conduct. Officers were to wear uniforms and carry badges with their identification number inscribed upon it (Grant & Terry, 2012). Peel believed it was important for the new police to win public acceptance. The moral character of the police had to be above suspicion (Lyman, 1964). Many officers were dismissed for non-appearance and drunkenness within the first few days (Metropolitan Police, 2012). Peel believed that prevention of crime could be accomplished without intruding into the lives of citizens. The principles supporting Peel’s theory on policing are as relevant today as they were in the 1800s. Faced with similar elements of social disorder, American leaders â€Å"borrowed† some of the fundamental tenets of the London police. The American forces were to model the London police with preventive patrol to be the major facet. The structure of political control of the police was very different. London residents had no direct control over their police and American citizens exercised direct control over government agencies. Instead of being disciplined and separate from the political machine, American police were serving the interests of the politically powerful. There were close ties between the police and public officials (University of Phoenix, 2011). Politics influenced every aspect of American policing, and is why the period from the 1830s to 1900 is called the â€Å"political era.† Officers were selected by their political connections. There were men with no education, in bad health, and some with criminal records hired. The officers were handed a badge, a baton, and sent out on patrol duty with little or no training. Officers had no job security and when an election was lost, an entire force would be replaced by the winning party (Williams, 2003). Many reports indicate that many police officers drank on duty and used excessive physical force. Citizens became disrespectful and often fought back when arrested (Walker & Katz, 2011). In response to increasing citizen violence, officers began to carry firearms. Police corruption was rampant. The police took payoffs for not enforcing laws on drinking, gambling, and prostitution. Officers paid bribes to get promotions but the promotion allowed greater opportunities of corruption. The New York commissioner, forced to resign in 1894, admitted he had a personal fortune of over $350,000 (Walker & Katz, 2011). In the early 1900s came the reform era where emphasis was put on solving â€Å"traditional† crimes and capturing offenders. The citizens calling for reform and removal of politics from policing brought the development of police professionalism and the professional organization of Fraternal Order of Police (University of Phoenix, 2011). In the 1970s, police departments realized that effective community partnerships help prevent and solve crimes. Known as the community era, police departments work to identify and serve the needs of their communities (University of Phoenix, 2011). Today there are many different law enforcement agencies in the United States. Policing organizations today have different roles and functions at the federal, local, and state level. The government plays a major role in assisting policing throughout the United States. The first federal agency established by the U.S. government was the U.S. Marshall Service. Since then there have been eight government departments with 21 agencies created that deal with issues of law enforcement (Grant & Terry, 2012). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) are the two most important federal departments involved with law enforcement. Each government agency provides policing organizations throughout the United States with assistance. When different organizations operate within overlapping areas, they can duplicate information. The two organizations may not readily share information or one holds the information creates linkage blindness. Since September 2011, the government restructured many agencies so that coordinating intelligence and law enforcement resources effectively. Today, police organizations model the principles established by Sir Robert Peel into their own mission statement. References Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. (2011). Sir Robert Peel. Retrieved from http://ebscohost Gash, N. (2012). Peel, Sir Robert, 2nd Baronet. Retrieved from http://ebscohost Grant, H. B., & Terry, K. J. (2012). Law Enforcement in the 21st Century (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Lyman, J. L. (1964). The Metropolitan Police Act of 1829: An Analysis of Certain Events Influencing the Passage and Character of the Metropolitan Police Act in England. Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology, & Police Science, 55(1), 141-154. Retrieved from http://ebscohost Metropolitan Police. (2012). History of the Metropolitan Police: Metropolitan Police 175 years ago. Retrieved from http://www.met.police.uk/history/175yearsago.htm University of Phoenix. (2011). CJi Interactive. Retrieved from http://ecampus.phoenix.edu/secure/aapd/UC/CJ/index.html Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The Police in America: An Introduction (7th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Williams, K. L. (2003). Peelà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Principles and Their Acceptance by American Police: Ending 175 Years of Reinvention. Police Journal, 76(2), 97-120. Retrieved from http://ebscohost

Outline and assess the view that the role of education system is to justify and reproduce social inequalities Essay

Outline and assess the view that the role of education system is to justify and reproduce social inequalities (50) The view that the role of educations system is to justify and reproduce social inequalities is one from a Marxist perspective. They believe that capitalism creates inequality and allows those with wealth to keep theirs. Bowles and Gintis argue that there is a very close relationship between education and work. This is called the correspondence principle. Bowles and Gintis argue that in a capitalist society they are known to give children different types of education based on the class than on their actual ability. Meaning that schools will give working class children a different type of education in comparison to middle and upper class children. Consequently allowing the working class to stay where they are on the class system, but they also allow the middle and upper class to stay where they are too. Capitalism reaffirms the idea that the working class are required to be hardworking and obedient therefore not resisting the teachers, as this is what they will be required to do when they enter the workforce. The education system creates a future workforce that have the desired qualities by passing on the hidden curriculum to school children. The hidden curriculum is the things you learn through going to school and the experiences you get there, and not those that you learn in class and through the formal curriculum. The hidden curriculum is there for working class schools to help shape them for the workforce. The hidden curriculum helps create a subservient workforce, meaning that workers will not challenge the system, and have an acceptance of hierarchy. Meaning that when teachers give directions the students will follow them without asking questions, this prepares them for later in life when they are in work. School subjects have very little reference to each other and that there is not much correlation between each subject. Much like the working class children’s future career as their job may be broken down into small, individual tasks. Whereas in more elite and private schools the children are learnt very different skills, and taught a different set of norms and values. Children at these schools are more likely to be taught to be more in command of the situation that they are in. Bowles and Gintis also reject the idea that the education is meritocratic, and providing equal opportunities for everybody. Middle class children will gain high qualifications and receive higher pad jobs because of their ability but also through their large quantities of cultural capital. Whereas working class children may not have the same opportunities to receive cultural capital this creating inequalities within the education system, much like the class system. This is called cultural reproduction. Bourdieu believes that education reproduces the culture and class system. It shows the importance of the upper class culture and therefore reinforces the power those have over the working class. They are allowed to do this by basing the education system off cultural capital, whilst the culture that the working class children are receiving is not on the education system and therefore they lose interest. Bourdieu believes that education has been developed by the bourgeoisie and therefore the working class have never had any real ownership on the education system they are forced to be a part of. However functionalists believe that the education institution is there and built for a reason, that it affects and benefits both the individual and society. Education allows students to learn and create a shared set of norms and values, therefore creating a similar attitude between everyone. Ultimately allowing a whole society to have values of achievement, competition, and equal opportunities created by education. This is confirmed by Durkheim’s, view that the shared norms and values create social solidarity, allowing the whole society to work in harmony. This can create a skilled workforce as everybody knows what is needed from them and is necessary for the future economy. According to functionalist Parson education is part of a meritocracy, being based on a person’s ability. He believes that education is a bridge between the family and society. Parson’s believes that education creates a set of values including competition, equality, and individualism. Within a meritocracy every student is given the same opportunity, and that achievements and rewards are based off an individual’s efforts and abilities, thus creating an achieved status. A functionalist like Parsons could state that this achieved status allows individuals to strive for more and as a result choose to work and have a career. Education allows students to be categorised and shown what skills they are best at. Role allocation, sorts through people according to their ability at different subjects. Davis and Moore stated that the education system was a meritocracy, and that it is based on the individual’s merit and ability, allowing staff to steer them towards the most suitable career for them. This suggests that everybody has an equal opportunity to gain the most important and best paid jobs, as everybody has had the same opportunity. From a functionalist perspective the most important jobs in society are those that require the longest periods in education and that you have spent a long time working your way there. Therefore Davis and Moore could argue that education is the most important factor in growing up as it is what allows people to be steered into a career. Although a functionalist theorist such as Tumin would argue that those in the highest paid jobs are being rewarded for how hard they have worked. This consequently maintains the meritocratic system, as it implies that we will accept inequality if we know that those with the highest wage are doing the most important jobs. Just as we can accept that it is okay for somebody to be on a higher wage as long as they have more talent and drive than what we do. In conclusion it can be argued that the education system is there to justify and reproduce social inequalities that has been created thus allowing students to be no further forward when trying to prosper in a system that does not want them to succeed. However from a functionalist perspective it can be seen that every child has an equal opportunity to succeed and that it creates an opportunity for working class children to move up the class system.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Cuban missile crisis Vietnam war

The most dangerous passage to Cold War was the Cuban Missile crisis during the 1960’s. This is a confrontation between the Soviet Union and the United States in Cuba. Robert F. Kennedy’s Thirteen Days is the portrayal of the tensions surrounding the Cuban Missile crisis and the analysis of the said conflict. Two sides of the conflict was presented during the conflict between Union Soviet and United States. One side of the ordeal was the Communists of the Soviet Union desire to bring entire European countries under their supremacy and conquer the world.The other side of the conflict was the goal of Americans to the vindication of right and to stop the spead of Communism. During the Cuban Missile crisis, two significant people played important roles. They were America’s president John F. Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Krushchev. Both leaders were pressured with what is happening that time. They performed different tactics and strategies on how to deal with the sc enario. Drama took place and a lot of negotiations were arranged for the Cuban Missile crisis.The pressure was triggered after Berlin and Germany were separated and divided among the victorious countries, Allies were formed and three different blocs occured. Nations that has been established after the war remained neutral while western countries which were governed by America and Soviet Union together with their new allies had formed the other two blocs. Soviet Union established allied countries around them and spread and imposed communism to each and every country.America was alarmed and imposed the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan to control Soviet Union in spreading communism. However according to Robert F. Kennedy’s Thirteen Days; two things came to pass that sent threat and tension through the U. S. First was, the Chinese government was overthrown by Communism, which is a big alarm for the threat of superiority of Communism. And the second was the â€Å"CUBAN MISSILE C RISIS† â€Å"page # 2† knowledge and ability of Soviets when it comes to nuclear and atomic issues. There was a fear in the U. S. because of the threat of a nuclear war.The crisis began when Soviet Union Leader Nikita Krushchev plans to install missiles in Cuba because of the American’s Missile were installed in Turkey which is adjacent to Soviet Union and he did not want that America would take over Cuba and overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist government. The Soviet Union leader also considered newly elected John F. Kennedy’s reaction to his plans. Krushchev conclude that Kennedy was a weak, faulty and could not bear pressures and tensions. He (Krushschev) was a leader who based his premises on hasty generalizations because he pre-judged Kennedy because he was a newly elected president.On the other hand, John F. Kennedy was reluctant about what is happening around him. His administration issued a warning about the impending crisis in Cuba. This is t he Memo 181; it states study of probable military, poitical and social impacts in the installment of missiles in Cuba which could reach the United States. Kennedy made a decision which was effective because he first consulted people around him and querried for facts so that his plans would be perfect and would not lead onto decisions which will lead to more seroius problems like a world nuclear war.He also kept the informations for himself first before broadcasting it to the American nation because he wanted that his administrations plan would be a secret and would not leak for the enemies. When National Security Adviser McGeorge Bundy learned a bad news that Soviets were constructing an offensive missile in Cuba was positive. He did not first told the president about what’s taking place in Cuba. Instead he gets more information and he wanted the president to have a rest for a more challenging decisions for America. On October 16, the Thirteen Days had began, Bundy told the p resident about the construction of missiles and theâ€Å"CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS† â€Å"page # 3† president immediately ordered a meeting for the senior officials which he termed as Ex Comm. They planned secretly and develop their strategies on how to destabilize the construction of ballistic missiles. John F. Kennedy was a leader who wants everything to be clear and concise. After the deliberations and discussions were done, strategies were finally made and ready for execution. But first Kennedy briefed his people and made his first decision: to hold all military military equipment under ship to Cuba.This was the Proclamation 3504 known as the quarantine order. And during his speech on October 22 he said to the Soviets, â€Å"And one path we shall never choose, and that is the path of surrender or submission. † JFK exudes a leader whose strong and tough with his decisions which Krushchev miscalculated when he planned to test Kennedy with his plans. Then the crisis even worsens each day passed. Secret negotiations were made. And trying to avoid the war the two leaders resorted by changing of letters. A naval blockade was implemented by America in the Carribbean and Cuban coast which triggered the Soviet nation.Because of it, on the 26th day of October, Krushchev seemed to be willing to remove the missiles in Cuba in exchange for America’s commitment not to invade Cuba. But on the next day, Krushschev proposed a different argument and that is if Soviets will remove their missiles in Cuba, it follows that US must also remove their missiles in Turkey. This proposal from Krushchev was just, but he is so demanding about this matter. He was insistent about the matter because of the loss of arms and military equipment in Cuba which disband their operations and still he remained confident with his decision.Thus, Kennedy made the right decision. Kennedy did not support Krushchev’s second proposal, instead he wrote Krushchev and made a de al to remove the blockade and agree not to invade Cuba if Krushchev would remove the missiles in Cuba. JFK also secretly proposed the dismantling of US missiles in â€Å"CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS† â€Å"page # 4† Turkey. The Soviet leader agreed and the crisis ended. The result was Krushchev lost prestige while Kennedy gained. Cuba remained under communist dictatorship and US left it.Both Leaders were good leaders and have their own political and social will. They both fights for what they know what is right for their country and beliefs. I can say that John F. Kennedy was one of the best presidents of US because of his courage and making rational decisions. While Nikita S. Krushchev fights for what he believes in and his people but he failed. Essay2 (Vietnam War) United States played a big role in the Vietnam War and it was the biggest and longest military conflict of the nation. Many lives were affected not only in Vietnam but also in America.US army troops were sent to S outh Vietnam to fight against North Vietnam and National Liberation Front because they want to unify the North and South Vietnam to become a Communist Republic. And protesters from the US were greatly affected. The main issue during the Vietnam war was the opinion of the american people toeards the issue which had caused a lot of speculations in the government and also the US academic institutions. According to Turley (1986), even at the start of US escalatory moves in the beginning of 1965 there were limits to American public and congressional tolerance of the war's expenses and duration.Turley (1986) moreover explained that these limits were worsen by the administration under Johnson: its refusal to arouse popular emotion on the war's behalf, its failure to make an effective strategies for massive US intervention, its public misrepresentation of the war's denelopment and of its own political and social intentions, and its refusal to make solid and tough political choices. American s treated Vietnam War as unpopular and insignificant and yet it is the longest war americans fought for. To sum it all it is the most disastrous war that involved the Americanâ€Å"CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS† â€Å"page # 5† people. Many soldiers have lost their lives during those time. Many people in the United states protests on the intervention of US in the said war and also many americans supported the war for Vietnam not to be under a communist government. During those times US was so divided and turmoil and chaos happened, wounds that Vietnam caused will never heal for many of the more than two million American veterans life from the war was given to fight against communism in Vietnam (Herring, 2002).More or less sixty thousand Americans lost their lives in fighting for the war. The United States spent about $150 billion dollars. American got involved in the war during 1955 when the first american advisors arrived in Vietnam. Then, American combat troops arrives in 196 5 and had finished fighting for the civil war in Vietnam up to the end when cease-fire was ordered and reconciled on January of 1973. I can say now that Vietnam War was a story of the olden times for the new generation americans.Cambodian Invasion was a played a big scene in the Vietnam this is when President Richard Nixon ordered an attack against North Vietnam and NLF (National Liberation Front), the main goal why Nixon ordered an attack, according to Turley (1986), was to demolish bases of communism and provide arms and military support to the war in Vietnam, for the protection American troops, and to make sure of the withdrawal of America from Vietnam.Students and faculties in different universities in US that time who were not in favor of the Vietnam War felt that President Nixon had deceived them, that the hated war was to be expanded and be pursued (Turley, 1986). Students from Oberlin, Princeton, and Rutgers demonstrated against Vietnam War and Nixon that very night. Many ac ademic institutions had closed and a lot of organizations who opposed Vietnam war had formed demonstrations all over the country. â€Å"CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS† â€Å"page # 6†Different ways of expressing their sympathy for the Americans who catered their lives for Vietnam and dismay for the decision of the president was obvious by that time. Many protest across the country took every possible form and were carried out under every ban, slogan and chant. Strikes, boycotts, and shutdowns were carried out together with rallies in the campus, marches and convocations; across the country there was massive flag lowering, wearing of black armbands, several memorial services, portrayal of funerals and vigil; there were seminars with workshops, and research projects.Vigilant students have also had an interaction with the public especially with the residents and invited each and every household to come in their campus and talk about the issue of Vietnam War. American students and a cademic institutions played a big role in protesting against the Vietnam War. The heart of the young american people was awaken for the love of their country and countrymen. They displayed brotherhood, camarraderie and oneness during the Vietnam War protests.America stood as one in fighting for each and every american whose fighting for the right for Vietnam and all nations as well. Many lives were transformed during the war. And still many lives were taken. Vietnam War was an untold story for Americans. But it made United States a country with strong people and united nations. References: Herring, George C. (2002). America's Longest War: The United States and Vietnam, 1950–1975. retrieved April 21, 2007 from http://www. vietnamwar. com/ Kennedy, Robert F. (1969).Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis; ISBN 0-393- 31834-6. retrieved April 20, 2007 from http://www. lawbuzz. com/movies/thirteen_days/thirteen_days_ch1. htm Pope, Ronald R. , Soviet Views on the Cuban Missile Crisis: Myth and Reality in Foreign Policy Analysis; University Press of America, 1982. from http://www. lawbuzz. com/movies/thirteen_days/thirteen_days_ch1. htm Turley, William S. (1986) The Second Indochina War: A Short Political and Military History, 1954–1975.. Retrieved April 21, 2007 from http://www. vietnamwar. com/politicalprotests. htm.

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Age of the Universe Essay

The age of the universe is said to be about 13.75 billion years old. The method used in determining this age would be attempting to find the age of chemical elements, oldest star clusters, as well as white dwarf stars. Scientists also try to find the universes rate of expansion, and behavior of globular clusters, which are spherical collection of stars. In order to find this, scientists can use radioactive decay to determine how old a given mixture of atoms is in rock samples. In order to find the rate of expansion of the universe, The Hubble constant was the basic cosmological model dependent on density and composition of the universe. Some formulas used by The Hubble Constant is that the earth is composed of primary matter and the age of the universe is 2/3(Ho) with Ho being The Hubble constant (1). Another formula is that the earth is said to have very little matter and the age of the universe is 1/ Ho, which is now considered to be more accurate (1). The age of the earth is approximately 4.54 billion years old, about 9.21 years after the universe was formed. The main theory of how the earth was formed is the Big Bang Theory, or a star explosion. Some also call is a supernova. This happens in the universe when the wreckage from an explosion crashed into a cloud of gas, bringing in the ingredients for our solar system. The formation of our sun came first from the collapse of a solar nebula. After about ten to twenty million years after this collapse, dust then clustered to grains, to lumps, to boulders, to planetesimas. Soon it became chunks of rock big enough to have their own gravitational field. So, some plantesimals became the embryonic form of planets in our solar system today. As more asteroids and other planets collided with planet earth, crust began to cool and water began to form and collect on the surface. References Age of the Earth . (2007, July 9). USGS. Retrieved January 16, 2013, from http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/age.html Age of the Universe . (2012, December 27). The Age of the Elements . Retrieved January 16, 2013, from http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/age.html How did the Earth form? | The Planets and our solar System. (2013, January 1). UK2Planets | The Planets in our Solar System. Retrieved January 16, 2013, from http://www.uk2planets.org.uk/how-did-the-earth-form/ How old is the Universe?. (2012, December 21). Universe 101 . Retrieved January 16, 2013, from http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/universe/uni_ag Life’s Origins Early earth was not a place for ideal living because it was a fire and hell-like environment. So much so, that scientists even called it Hadean eon, which is an ancient Greek word for down under. It was a place with many volcanoes and some scientists even say there were continental crusts and oceans. Even though it was extremely hot, scientists have found that some bacteria could survive these extreme conditions. According to Watson, by using zircon crystals, they could tell that early earth had a definite wet temperature. The atmosphere consisted of carbon dioxide, water, and volcanic gases. Today, not as many volcanoes exist. No one really knows when life was originated. Asteroids may have hit from time to time, having an effect on life’s atmosphere by causing organic molecules to synthesize. RNA and DNA are the genetic material for all life, and they are made up of long chains of nucleotides. Nucleotides are made up of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus atom s. An important step in the origin of life is the ability of all living things to reproduce. Starting with RNA being able to self-replicate itself, we then evolve into being able to pass genetic material onto offspring, and then natural selection. Miller and Urey built an apparatus filled with water, methane, ammonia, hydrogen, but no oxygen. They hypothesized that this was the mixture of the atmosphere of early earth and boiled and condensed the water to keep it circulating. Miller and Urey kept this going for a week and used paper chromatography to be able to show that many amino acids and some other organic molecules were now in the flask. Many other scientists have tested this experiment and found that amino acids, protein molecules, adenine, and other nucleic acid bases were present. Some theories suggest an electric spark could have helped generate these amino acids and sugars in the atmosphere, others suggest the first origins of life could have met on clay. Alexander Graham Cairns- Smith says clay could help the organic compounds become concentrated and organize into patterns similar to genes today. Some scientists theorized that life was brought from somewhere else in space rather than beginning on earth, which is also known as panspermia. In reality, no one is sure of how life began because no one was around to know, but these theories have helped us gain a sense of fascination and knowledge of how life was originated. References 7 Theories on the Origin of Life | LiveScience . (n.d.). Science News – Science Articles and Current Events | LiveScience . Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://www.livescience.com/13363-7-theories-origin-life.html Early Earth Not So Hellish, New Study Suggests | LiveScience . (n.d.). Science News – Science Articles and Current Events | LiveScience . Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://www.livescience.com/241-early-earth-hellish-study-suggests.html How did life originate?. (n.d.). Understanding Evolution. Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/origsoflife_04 Miller and Urey’s Experiment and Molecules of life. (n.d.). Anthropological Study of Workers, Occupational Health, Public Health, Textile Workers. Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://anthropologicalstudy.blogspot.com/2011/03/miller-and-ureys-experiment-and.html The Origin of Life. (n.d.). RCN D.C. Metro | High-Speed Internet, Digital Cable TV & Phone Service Provider. Retrieved January 14, 2013, from http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AbioticSynthesis.html Ancient Life Radiometric dating is used to date materials based on comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay rate (1). Some different types are radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating, and uranium-lead dating. They provide important information about fossil ages and the rate of evolutionary changes. Radiocarbon dating is used to estimate the remains of materials with carbon as of 58000 to 62000 years ago (2). Potassium-argon dating is used to measure the product of radioactive decay of an isotope of potassium into argon. This method works for calculating the age of samples a little over a few thousand years. Uranium-lead dating on the other hand, can estimate the age range of a sample from about 1 million to 4.5 billion years ago (3). This method has two separate decay chains, uranium series, and actinium series, occurring by a series of alpha decays. It is important to have different types of radiometric dating because the earth has b een around for quite some time and a lot of changes has happened in each era, epoch, and eons. There was not as much oxygen dependency in earth’s early atmosphere as there is today. The result of oxygen presence is mainly because of volcanic activity as well as oxygen producing organisms like cyanobacteria, in the oceans of early earth. Cyanobacteria as well as blue-green algae produced their energy anaerobically, releasing oxygen and taking in CO2, and releasing oxygen. Oxygen gained a permanent presence in earth’s atmosphere 2.45 billion years ago for the aerobic organisms that inhabited. When the plates of earth’s crust shift, along with their liquid layers below, this is called plate tectonics. This results in how our continent and land mass appears throughout time. Kenorland, one of the first supercontinents of early earth broke up about 2.6 billion years ago. Another supercontinent called Columbia then formed about 1.8 years ago, and after that Rodinia formed from Columbia’s remains, that broke 550 million years ago. The breaking of these supercontinents caused the earth to have freezing temperatures. Oceans broke out and then Pangea formed and split into two supercontinents called Laurasia and Gondwana. Laurasia consists of what is now North America, Asia, Europe, and Gondwana of South America, Africa, India, Antarctica, and Australia. These continents in time spread and broke to form what we have today. Mass extinctions are when a species has become wiped out. There have been about five mass extinctions that have occurred so far. The first that occurred was during the Paleozoic era which was the end of the Ordovician. Scientist found that 60% of terrestrial and marine lives had disappeared out of nowhere. The next mass extinction was the late Devonian. The environment no longer provided enough for the survival of these organisms. The third mass extinction was the end of the Permian during the Mesozoic era, where scientist found that 85.5% of all marine species became extinct. The Triassic extinction is the fourth one that happened in the Mesozoic era. Marine invertebrate’s population decreased by 50%. The last mass extinction caused the dinosaurs, as well as plants and other tropical marine life to die out during the Cenozoic era. Global temperature and oceans caused flooding for 40% of all continents. One theory is that because of the quick change of CO2 in the atmosphere, mass extinction occurred. While CO2 in the atmosphere changed, surface layers in the deep oceans began to sink. CO2 increased too rapidly for creatures to adapt in time. Some theories suggest an asteroid caused some mass extinction, hitting the earth. The asteroid might have blocked the sun’s rays or cause the earth’s temperature to rise too high. Periods of intense speciation happens because of mutations. Mutations come from ionizing radiation and other factors. Species that do survive, mutate and cause this speciation. Some researchers say that Earth is hitting the sixth mass extinction because many species are endangered and decreasing population. Researchers also found that major mammals have become more and more rare that they could be extinct in about 30 years. These endangered species, researchers found, may be the result of human activities like habitat destruction and hunting. So, we are b asically in a sixth mass extinction, because human play the main cause. References Biello, D. (2009, August). The Origin of Oxygen in Earth’s Atmosphere. Scientific American. Retrieved from: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=origin-of-oxygen-in-atmosphere Plastino, W.; Kaihola, L.; Bartolomei, P.; Bella, F. (2001). â€Å"Cosmic Background Reduction In The Radiocarbon Measurement By Scintillation Spectrometry At The Underground Laboratory Of Gran Sasso†. Radiocarbon 43 (2A): 157–161. Parrish, Randall R.; Noble, Stephen R., 2003. Zircon U-Th-Pb Geochronology by Isotope Dilution – Thermal Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ID-TIMS). In Zircon (eds. J. Hanchar and P. Hoskin). Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry, Mineralogical Society of America. 183-213. Wilkins, A. (2011, January). A History of Supercontinents on Planet Earth. io9. Retrieved from: http://io9.com/5744636/a-geological-history-of-supercontinents-on-planet-earth