The American industrial revolution essay

The American industrial revolution essay The American industrial revolution essay The American industrial revolution essayThe revolutionary nature of the last quarter of the nineteenth century impacted Native Americans, Immigrants and Farmers. In his speech, William Jennings Bryan placed emphasis on the economic development of the country, as well as on the commercial interests of the nation. He evaluated the Gold Standard as an important financial order (Bryan, W. J. (1896, July 8). It is known that the use of the Gold Standard in the nation’s currency occurred in the late19-th century.The most revolutionary social and economic developments of the last quarter of the nineteenth century include the American Civil War (1861-1865), the growth of the U.S. industrial power, the emergence of new technologies (interchangeable parts, the use of assembly line, the invention of the gasoline engine, etc.), expansion of domestic and foreign markets, transportation system (the building of railroads), transformation of agriculture sectors (sharecropping system), etc. (B owles, 2011). In Hawksworth’s The American industrial revolution, there is much important information on the effects of the revolutionary social and economic developments on people in the United States.Different groups of Americans responded to those changes in different ways. Native Americans encountered the annexation of their territories. They were removed to reservations. For Immigrants, the last quarter of the nineteenth century was a period of adaptation. The wave of immigration from Ireland, Italy and many other countries led to changing cultural context. Many Immigrants faced discrimination because of their religious beliefs. For example, â€Å"Catholicism and Judaism were foreign to the primarily Protestant Americans† (Gabbidon, 2010, p. 68). Besides, Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 prohibited mass immigration from Asian countries. Farmers faced the problem of unfair prices or price discrimination in the late 19-th century. The effectiveness of their responses w as obvious. People protested against discrimination and inequalities. Government played an important role in these developments because of legislation, which limited the rights of Native Americans, Immigrants and Farmers.

The Broken Window Fallacy

The Broken Window Fallacy If you read the news, you may have noticed that journalists and politicians often like to point out that natural disasters, wars, and other destructive events can boost an economys production because they create demand for rebuilding work. Granted, this may be true in specific cases where resources (labor, capital, etc.) would otherwise have been unemployed, but does it really mean that disasters are economically beneficial? 19th-century political economist Frederic Bastiat offered an answer to such a question in his 1850 essay That Which Is Seen and That Which Is Unseen. (This was, of course, translated from the French Ce quon voit et ce quon ne voit pas.) Bastiats reasoning goes as follows: Â   Have you ever witnessed the anger of the good shopkeeper, James Goodfellow, when his careless son happened to break a pane of glass? If you have been present at such a scene, you will most assuredly bear witness to the fact that every one of the spectators, were there even thirty of them, by common consent apparently, offered the unfortunate owner this invariable consolation- It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. Everybody must live, and what would become of the glaziers if panes of glass were never broken?Now, this form of condolence contains an entire theory, which it will be well to show up in this simple case, seeing that it is precisely the same as that which, unhappily, regulates the greater part of our economical institutions.Suppose it cost six francs to repair the damage, and you say that the accident brings six francs to the glaziers trade- that it encourages that trade to the amount of six francs- I grant it; I have not a word to say against it; you reason justly. The glazier comes, performs his task, receives his six francs, rubs his hands, and, in his heart, blesses the careless child. All this is that which is seen.But if, on the other hand, you come to the conclusion, as is too often the case, that it is a good thing to break windows, that it causes money to circulate, and that the encouragement of industry in general will be the result of it, you will oblige me to call out, Stop there! Your theory is confined to that which is seen; it takes no account of that which is not seen.It is not seen that as our shopkeeper has spent six francs upon one thing, he cannot spend them upon another. It is not seen that if he had not had a window to replace, he would, perhaps, have replaced his old shoes, or added another book to his library. In short, he would have employed his six francs in some way, which this accident has prevented. In this parable, the thirty people telling the shopkeeper that the broken window is a good thing because it keeps the glazier employed are the equivalent of the journalists and politicians who say that natural disasters are actually an economic boon. Bastiats point, on the other hand, is that the economic activity generated for the glazier is only half of the picture, and its, therefore, a mistake to look at the benefit to the glazier in isolation. Instead, a proper analysis considers both the fact that the glaziers business is helped and the fact that the money used to pay the glazier is then not available for some other business activity, whether it be a purchase of a suit, some books, etc. Bastiats point, in a way, is about opportunity cost- unless resources are idle, they must be shifted away from one activity in order to be shifted toward another. One can even extend Bastiats logic to question how much of a net benefit the glazier receives in this scenario. If the glaziers time and energy are finite, then he is likely shifting his resources away from other jobs or pleasurable activities in order to repair the shopkeepers window. The glaziers net benefit is presumably still positive since he chose to fix the window rather than carry on with his other activities, but his well-being is not likely to increase by the full amount that he is paid by the shopkeeper. (Similarly, the suit maker and book sellers resources wont necessarily sit idle, but they will still suffer a loss.) It is quite possible, then, that the economic activity following from the broken window merely represents a somewhat artificial shift from one industry to another rather than an overall increase. Add into that calculation the fact that a perfectly good window got broken, and it becomes clear that its only under very specific circumstances that the broken window could be good for the economy as a whole. So why do people insist on trying to make such a seemingly misguided argument regarding destruction and production? One potential explanation is that they believe that there are resources that are idle in the economy- i.e. that the shopkeeper was hoarding cash under his mattress before the window was broken rather than buying the suit or the books or whatever. While it is true, under these circumstances, that breaking the window would increase production in the short-term, it is a mistake to assume without sufficient evidence that these conditions hold. Furthermore, it would always be still better to convince the shopkeeper to spend his money on something of value without resorting to destroying his property. Interestingly enough, the possibility that a broken window could increase short-run production highlights a secondary point that Bastiat was trying to make with his parable, namely that there is an important distinction between production and wealth. To illustrate this contrast, imagine the world where everything that people want to consume is already in abundant supply- new production would be zero, but its doubtful that anyone would be complaining. On the other hand, a society with no existing capital would likely be working feverishly to make stuff but wouldnt be very happy about it. (Perhaps Bastiat should have written another parable about a guy who says The bad news is that my house got destroyed. The good news is that I now have a job making houses.) In summary, even if breaking the window were to increase production in the short run, the act cannot maximize true economic well-being in the long run simply because it will always be better to not break the window and spend resources making valuable new stuff than it is to break the window and spend those same resources replacing something that already existed.

Case Study (Prepare a professional public relations plan and two PR Essay

Case Study (Prepare a professional public relations plan and two PR tools. Based on a real case) - Essay Example In 2012, Tesla’s founder and CEO Elon Musk declared that in the year 2013, Tesla will start becoming profitable and central to this ambition is the launch of Tesla S car model (Tesla 2013). The Electric Vehicle market is estimated to steadily expand in the near future. The forecast is approximately 0.6 – 0.9 percent increase in the year 2015, 9 percent in 2020 and 22 percent in 2030 (JP Morgan 2010; Bloomberg 2010). The market expansion is partly attributed to US government support and the increase in the interest of the consumers in green technology. The U.S. Department of Energy, for instance, has introduced the Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program, has increased public charging stations and supported the drive to reduce battery pack costs (DOE 2010). Tesla, as a brand, is identified, with the luxury market and is viewed as a high technology automobile manufacturer in the business of selling EVs and electric powertrains. It sets itself apart from the competition by delivering environmentally-friendly/green/sustainable vehicles alongside the all the features of a luxury car such as design, materials, speed, handling, comfort and experience. The Tesla S car enjoys all these benefits. The Tesla S model is expected to compete with EV products that are just being developed by carmakers like Audi, BMW, Lexus and Mercedes and would also directly compete with hybrid cars are already in the market such as Toyota with its Prius car, which is the so-called â€Å"unofficial greenmobile of Toyota and the world† (Siler 2012). Again, it is important to note that Tesla S seeks the luxury market and, hence, could also go head to head with non-green luxury cars. All in all, Tesla S technology will be challenged by Audi and BMW: Audi has an ambitious plan to be the leading electric vehicles by 2020. It is integrated in its recent electric mobility strategy and underpins its recent plan to

Robots in Ophthalmology Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Robots in Ophthalmology - Article Example Sociologist Alvin Toffler may have travelled through time and witness the future when he said, "Technology makes more technology possible". He is right, as after thirty-seven years of rapid technological advancement here were are facing a what he called "abrupt collision with the future" (Toffler 1970), and practically living with these amazing technologies created to make life easier in our homes, built to run our industries, and designed to perform medical care to save lives. Technology in the medical field has come along way; molecular and biometrics, wave technology, nanotechnology, and robot aided surgery is now possible (Combs 2005). As nanotechnology makes it possible to build up materials and systems to produce new physical, chemical and biological properties out of existing common materials, robotics are all about computer controlled mechanical devices built to mimic human movements and intelligence (Woods 2007).Advanced robotic products such as surgical robots are now commo n in operating rooms of large medical centres, and it is recognized as a dynamic surgical tool for enhancing human surgeon's dexterity in less invasive surgical procedures Although their high cost prohibits general use, initial applications of these robots considerably prove their clinical benefits and surgical potential. In general, intelligent surgical robots main advantages are its ability to register medical images accurately, to move consistently without exhaustion and tremor, work in a hazardous environments unsuitable to human surgeons, and their ability to reposition instruments swiftly and precisely through complicated trajectories or on top of numerous targets. The precision and steadiness of these robots is what makes them ideal for surgical procedures particularly in delicate eye surgery (Webster and Li 2003). Although robots are precise and steady, there is no evidence that they can perform cataract removal surgery alone or perform any surgery independently. They merely serve as robotic mechanical arms for ophthalmologist performing remote surgery through a three dimensional virtual-reality console. With hands and head partly inserted inside the console, the surgeon moves his hands as if he is directly performing the surgery while the robot is simultaneously imitating the movement of the surgeons arm and physically performing the operation. Surgical robot now is more like an interventional piece of technology than a self-sufficient intelligent machine. For instance, the popular surgical robot, the da Vinci Surgical System (see Fig. 1), priced at more than one million dollar, is just a three arm (with 4th optional arm) mechanical machine equipped with a variety of electronic hardware who perform surgery by following instantaneous instructions from a surgeon while imitating his hands and ar ms movements. There is no known technology yet that is capable of virtually emulating a human surgeon's competence and senses particularly in the field of ophthalmology. Although ophthalmic surgery with a robot can increase precision, speed, and eliminate tremor, they do not have substantial or convincing advantage similar to robots in other surgical fields (Roach 2007). For instance, using the same da Vinci Surgical robot in heart surgery provides a better alternative to customary chest cracking technique, lengthy incision, bone cutting, and ripping of the ribs. Since "cutting people open is no longer the focus of modern surgery" ( Darzi 2007).The success rate of robot assisted closed chest surgery approach and less invasive surgeries shows significant positive results particularly in patient's health and quick recovery; since they do not have to endure the excruciating traditional surgery procedures with large incisions involved (Goldschmidt 2007). However, surgical robot in general is still in a transition stage and used primarily as a tool. They still do not have the capability and intelligence of a real surgeon who can perform surgery independe

The study of physics has had Essay Example for Free

The study of physics has had Essay Introduction The study of physics has had a large impact on the development of road safety. The study of Newtons Laws, impulse and momentum help to reduce initial momentum or decrease impulse (rate of change of momentum) to protect passengers. Technological advances and studies of vehicle crashes increase the automobile industrys understanding of the forces involved and ways of reducing effects of collisions. Within vehicles, many car safety devices are installed, such as seat belts, air bags, crumple zones and head rests. Modern road design reduces the initial or rate of change of momentum and consequently the impact of collision through crash barriers, speed zones and speed humps. Car safety devices Seatbelts Seatbelts are designed so that passengers are restrained instead of continuing to move forward at the cars speed when the brakes of a moving vehicle are applied. In this situation, there is a tendency for a body to resist changes to its motion, called inertia. (Newtons first law) The stopping force is applied to the more durable parts of the body such as hips, chest and shoulder. This is instead of the human head crashing into windshield if no seat belt is worn. Inertia reel seatbelts Inertia reel seatbelts have a cylinder that stores extra belt material on a spool. The spool turns freely normally for movement. In the event of a sudden change in velocity, a pendulum in the reel plunges forward to lock and restrain the occupant. It is named inertia reel due to the inertia of the pendulum to cause belt locking. Different types of seatbelt The lap seatbelt is tightened over the pelvis and absorbs force over a sizeable area. However they do not prevent the head and upper body from lurching forward in response to deceleration and are inadequate especially for front passengers, who risk hitting the windscreen. The lap sash seatbelt combines a lap seatbelt over the pelvis as well as over one shoulder across the chest. This greatly limits movement of the upper body and head as well as spreading the stopping force over a larger area. Shoulder harnesses restrain upper torso movement even further. Two are belts fall over the shoulders and an optional strap lies over the sternum. It is effective in the way force is spread over both shoulders compared to one shoulder in lap sash. Shoulder harnesses are usually used in child restraint systems and racing cars. The nylon webbing material in seatbelts is slightly flexible so that the stop is not as abrupt. Airbags Airbags provide an extra degree of protection in a collision by cushioning passengers in a collision, greatly limiting fatalities and serious injury. They are designed to increase the time interval during which the drivers momentum decreases in a collision to decrease the net force of the driver. They inflate when crash sensors detect large deceleration. Sensors then ignite the sodium azide, producing sodium compounds and nitrogen gas for a reactive explosion. The airbags inflate rapidly to cushion the impact of the passenger against the steering wheel, dashboard or windshield. Airbags are to be used with seatbelts, not as a replacement. A disadvantage of airbags is they provide no protection against side-on hits, only frontal collisions. More expensive cars are developing side airbags to combat this. Head rests Padded headrests provide protection in rear end collisions. When a car is rear-ended, a large net force pushes the car and it accelerates forward. The inertia, based on Newtons first law, pushes the passenger into the seat. Without a head rest for support, the head remains at rest until the spine pulls it forward. This sudden, sharp acceleration for the head causes it to fling back and results in hyperextension and whiplash injuries. Crumple Zones Many cars are designed to crumple at the front and rear. Crumple zones increase the time interval during which the momentum of the car changes during a collision, thus lessening the forces. Newtons second law (f=ma) can be applied, as increased ? time will result in a decreasing rate of deceleration a and consequently reduce force. Crumple zones are built using the integration of steel and fiberglass in the front and rear end assemblies of the automobile. Rigid structures between crumple zones protect the passenger compartment. In a collision, the crumple zones deform to slow the actual impact. The car doesnt regain all its original kinetic energy, as some of this is converted to heat and sound energy to reduce damage to passenger area through smaller forces. As crumple zones are placed in strategic locations, the collapse is controlled and energy from impact is directed away from passenger area. Road design Speed humps and low speed zones. Local councils introduced Speed Humps to reduce the overall speed of cars. Evidence shows that slower moving cars cause less damage to occupants if a crash results. It has been estimated that risk of death or serious brain damage doubles with every 16km/h over 80km/h. Speed humps restrict drivers from speeding as hitting the hump too fast can cause car damage. Low speed zones also reduce the speed of cars. A reduction of speed will reduce the chance of an accident as drivers have more time to react as well as decreasing the change in momentum and associated inertial forces in collisions. The police enforces speed signs and limit zones and speeding is monitored by speed cameras. In NSW, the general urban limit is 60 km/h for roads in built up areas where there are pedestrians. Crash Barriers Crash barriers are road design features that absorb the impact of collisions. They are constructed out of steel, concrete or wire. Some types of rigid crash barriers cannot absorb much of the kinetic energy of the vehicle, but keep the vehicle on the road and prevent crashing into more dangerous roadside hazards or cars from opposite direction. Crash barriers should be relatively weak with energy absorbing structures so that they can deform easily and transfer large amounts of kinetic energy to them in collisions. For barriers shielding against hazards such as trees, they need to be a fair distance away, as space is needed for it to deform. When a vehicle collides, the barriers deform and stop the vehicle through a plowing action, keeping the reaction forces relatively low. The impulse (change in momentum) is reduced, as the vehicle takes longer to slow down. The disadvantage of crash barriers is they may cause vehicle damage (crumpling) and rigid ones may deflect a car into the opposite lane. The advance of road safety The development of vehicles with greater size, power and momentum has resulted in the need for improvements in car safety devices and modern road design. The study of physics has allowed safety features in both the interior and exterior of cars to prevent large forces acting on passengers in collisions. This is why researchers and engineers are continually turning to laws of physics for advice. Road design features reduce initial velocity to reduce the risk of accidents as well as its impact on the passenger. Automotive safety companies are continuing to develop devices to improve vehicle safety, including inflatable seatbelts, 4-point seatbelts and knee airbags to name a few. With the large percentage of the population driving forces, momentum, impulse and energy are all factors that must be controlled as our lives depend on it.

Alfred Hitchcock :: essays research papers

Alfred Hitchcock   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a cinematographer, I see Alfred Hitchcock as one of the most influential people in the history of the silver screen. My synopsis of his films, however, will be through the eyes of a young man that has witnessed tragedy. I could sit and rant and rave about how Hitchcock was a great director, his films were awesome, etc., but I’ll spare you of that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would much rather discuss the attack, but since I must write this paper about his cinema work, I’ll try and compare the two movies we watched to the situation. I’ll start first with Rear Window. Rear Window is a film that deals not only with the human instinct of voyeurism, but also with the sheer animalistic sadism that can be found deep within our natures. Rear Window demonstrated both of these observances, by showing most of the film through the eyes of a innocent bystander, an injured man who was simply trying to pass the time. We could compare Jimmy Stewart’s character to ever American on the morning of September 11, 2001. We were all going about our business, when all of the sudden we noticed an outburst of xtreme brutality. In the end of the film, we see the group try and solve the puzzle by sending Grace Kelly’s character to investigate the apartment. We could also relate this to what the United State’s government is tr ying to do at this very moment; rummaging through the apartment of death to try and find anything that would be helpful in solving this catastrophe. All in all, I think Rear Window, one of the first of Hitchcock’s great films, is a picture that really somewhat contradicts it’s self by having two inconsistent themes: The innocence of the average human being, but also how that same supposedly innocent human being can be so cruel and vicious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hitchcock had a tendency to make contradictions in his films, not in the films themselves, but in the underlying messages that those films carry. Take Psycho for example; it shows that even though we may suspect that someone or something has malevolent intentions, we are still shocked when they/it actually does something malevolent (as in the case of Norman Bates’ mother). We can see this like the attack on the World Trade Center itself. We didn’t expect such a sophisticated attack, but we knew there was evil afoot. Alfred Hitchcock :: essays research papers Alfred Hitchcock   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As a cinematographer, I see Alfred Hitchcock as one of the most influential people in the history of the silver screen. My synopsis of his films, however, will be through the eyes of a young man that has witnessed tragedy. I could sit and rant and rave about how Hitchcock was a great director, his films were awesome, etc., but I’ll spare you of that.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I would much rather discuss the attack, but since I must write this paper about his cinema work, I’ll try and compare the two movies we watched to the situation. I’ll start first with Rear Window. Rear Window is a film that deals not only with the human instinct of voyeurism, but also with the sheer animalistic sadism that can be found deep within our natures. Rear Window demonstrated both of these observances, by showing most of the film through the eyes of a innocent bystander, an injured man who was simply trying to pass the time. We could compare Jimmy Stewart’s character to ever American on the morning of September 11, 2001. We were all going about our business, when all of the sudden we noticed an outburst of xtreme brutality. In the end of the film, we see the group try and solve the puzzle by sending Grace Kelly’s character to investigate the apartment. We could also relate this to what the United State’s government is tr ying to do at this very moment; rummaging through the apartment of death to try and find anything that would be helpful in solving this catastrophe. All in all, I think Rear Window, one of the first of Hitchcock’s great films, is a picture that really somewhat contradicts it’s self by having two inconsistent themes: The innocence of the average human being, but also how that same supposedly innocent human being can be so cruel and vicious.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hitchcock had a tendency to make contradictions in his films, not in the films themselves, but in the underlying messages that those films carry. Take Psycho for example; it shows that even though we may suspect that someone or something has malevolent intentions, we are still shocked when they/it actually does something malevolent (as in the case of Norman Bates’ mother). We can see this like the attack on the World Trade Center itself. We didn’t expect such a sophisticated attack, but we knew there was evil afoot.

An analysis of Virginia Woolf’s Essay

During the time in which she wrote Mrs Dalloway, on June 19, 1923, Virginia Woolf made a diary entry which expressed a key thought she intended to incorporate in the novel: †In this book, I have almost too many ideas. I want to give life and death, sanity and insanity. I want to criticise the social system, and show it at work, at its most intense. † While some critics have insisted that Virginia Woolf did not care about social values, her husband later said that she was profoundly interested in the social issues of the world around her. This is borne out in Mrs. Dalloway, which does not turn away from the social and political issues of her time. Her characters turn to politics, questioning the status quo and the social order in which they lived. Woolf largely addressed these issues indirectly, showing her views in her works without the authorial interpretation that might be found in a traditional novel; she leaves final judgement to her readers. Mrs Dalloway came at a time when many social critics in England questioned the prevailing ideology. Prior to the war, England had stood at the head of a great empire, upon which the sun never set. When the war ended, England counted herself among the victorious powers, but the horrific losses of the war had destroyed the imperial confidence. In the wake of the war, many people sought to break out of the old thinking to find some new way of understanding the world. In the opening sentence of the novel, Clarissa Dalloway proclaims her independence: â€Å"Mrs. Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself. † (Woolf 3) She will do this because Lucy has so much work to do. First of all, â€Å" Mrs. Dalloway† and â€Å"Lucy. † Her maid has no last name, and her own name appends her to her husband. Further, while she feels she is taking on a part of the work that more properly is Lucy’s, her â€Å"work† is only a matter of buying flowers. Woolf injects similar irony throughout the novel, following on the idea suggested in this very first sentence, theme of social commentary. In Mrs. Dalloway, Woolf shows the abiding superficiality of the social order of which Clarissa Dalloway is a member. Early in this section, Clarissa Dalloway thinks of Miss Kilman, a Communist whom she regards as callous, because she brought out guilt feelings in Clarissa: Miss Kilman would do anything for the Russians, starved herself for the Austrians, but in private inflicted positive torture, so insensitive was she, dressed in a green mackintosh coat. Year in and year out she wore that cost; she perspired; she was never in the room five minutes without making you feel her superiority, your inferiority; how poor she was; how rich you were; how she lived in a slum without a cushion or a bed or a rug or whatever it might be, all her soul rusted with that grievance sticking in it, her dismissal from school during the War – (Woolf, 12) Doris Kilman is critical to this novel. She is an outsider, someone below the Dalloway’s class. In the mackintosh she wears almost as a uniform, she hates and resents them for the ease of their social graces, their wealth, and their class standing. She has been hired to tutor Miss Elizabeth Dalloway in history. While the Dalloways sought someone who could teach this subject â€Å"objectively,† in reality, she shows the meaning of â€Å"objectivity†: objectivity is built on objects, on the property that the rich have, and the poor do not. Miss Kilman covets what the Dalloways possess. She Clarissa Dalloway’s vanity and deceit, Miss Kilman has become convinced that she deserve their money or social position more than they do. In truth, however, she herself is vain, a reverse snob whose mackintosh smelling of sweat is her ensign, proof of her poverty, proof that she belongs to the lower orders, without the cushions and rugs. But her disaffection for that life is clear. Oddly, Miss Kilman turns to religion, ostensibly for solace and peace. although she uses the religiosity as a weapon against Clarissa Dalloway. She puffs herself up, comparing her sufferings with those of Christ, who warned of those who pray loudly in the public square that they already have their reward. She is dogmatic and self-righteous, the sacred messenger of a new faith. Ironically, Clarissa fears males, and looks most fondly for the companionship of women. Miss Kilman is a greater threat than any man in her life. However, it is more the idea that Miss Kilman represents than the woman herself. She has brought her destructive, envious force into the Dalloway house. Her target her is Elizabeth, Clarissa’s daughter. Even in this campaign, Woolf shows us the sides of Miss Kilman she would want to conceal: in the restaurant scene her wolfs her food, gulping down the sugared cakes and chocolate eclairs, a symbol of what she would like to do to the Dalloways, ready to eat their beauty, youth, money, and class. As she stuffs food into her mouth, Woolf focuses on her hands, opening and closing, like the convulsive stretching of the claws of a predatory cat. In the end, Miss Kilman finds no solace for her life, her church having turned arid on her.

The Giant Panda Conservation Project

Although pandas are highly regarded and have a relatively low number of natural predators, they are an endangered species. Humans have severely threatened the panda's existence also so that now there are fewer than 1,600 of them left in the wild. This peaceful creature with a distinctive black and white coat is adored by the world and considered a national treasure in China (WWF, 2013). The bear also is of special importance to the World Wildlife Fund. The panda has been WWF's logo since its founding in 1961. This paper will examine the effectiveness of, and problems related to, the giant panda conservation efforts. The rarest member of the bear family, pandas live mainly in bamboo forests high in the mountains of western China, where they subsist almost entirely on bamboo. They must eat from 26 to 84 pounds of it every day. China’s Yangtze Basin region, which holds the panda’s primary habitat, is the geographic and economic heart of this booming country. An increasing number of roads and railroads are being created throughout the forest, which isolates panda populations and prevents mating. Forest destruction also reduces pandas’ ability to access the bamboo they need to survive. The Chinese government has established more than 50 panda reserves. However, only around 61 per cent of the country’s panda population is protected by these reserves. With the help of conservation organizations and other groups, they have protected more than 45 per cent of the last mountainous regions, equaling over 6,000 square miles of mountain and forest terrain known to be inhabited by wild pandas. They have also set aside corridors of new bamboo for their protection from domesticated animal grazing, and human interference (International, 2013). Chengdu is known for being the hometown of the giant panda. Back in 1987, when it became apparent that pandas were seriously endangered in the wild, the Chinese created the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding. Starting with just six pandas from the wild, they’ve successfully bred more than 100 pandas. The work done at Chengdu and other breeding centers costs millions of dollars a year. Experts believe that of all species in the world, the giant panda is the one species in which the most money is being invested in to save. This has lead some conservationists to argue that too much is being spent to save the giant panda. â€Å"I think we have to make tough choices,† British wildlife expert, Chris Packham, said. â€Å"I think that, ultimately, we have to be pragmatic as well as sentimental. You know, we can't allow our heart to rule our conservation head†¦ and if we channel this much into just one species, then many others which could be far better helped, many others not just species, but communities and ecosystems, could be better protected at the expense of one fluffy, cuddly bear† (Snow, 2013). Packham is in the minority here, but more and more scientists are starting to agree with him. The Chinese government has had much success in educating the public about the future of the giant panda, by setting in place protection against poaching, and even gun control for the reserves. By educating the public, more and more pandas have been brought to the Research Center for recovery and medical care due to injuries or illness. Logging has been banned in the reserves and the bamboo corridors. The roads providing access to the reserves are also being patrolled to help prevent anyone entering without express authority, for the care or study of the environment or the pandas. However, as Packham states, â€Å"Pandas are extraordinarily expensive to keep going. We spend millions and millions of pounds on pretty much this one species, and few others, when we know that the best thing we could do would be to look after the world's biodiversity hotspots with greater care. † His way of thinking is that without a habitat, there is nothing to work with. His suggestion is that we take all the cash we spend on pandas and buy rainforests with it. He realizes that it is the natural response to want to spend money and time on the panda because they are so cute and cuddly. They just pull at peoples' heart strings because of their appearance. The pandas are symbolic of what he refers to as single-species conservation: i. e. , a focus on one animal. This approach began in the 1970s with Save the Tiger, Save the Panda, Save the Whale, and so on, and it is now out of date. His belief is that pandas have had a valuable role in raising the profile of conservation, but perhaps ‘had' is the right word. Panda conservationists say that the panda is a flagship species. But we're also conserving Chinese forests, where there are many other species. As long as this conservation works, Mr. Packham states that he is all for it. But some species are stronger than others. The panda is not a strong species of bear in his opinion. It has gone herbivorous and eats a type of food that isn't ll that nutritious, and so is dying out little by little. It is susceptible to various diseases and, up until recently, has been almost impossible to breed in captivity. This species also has a very limited area of habitation, which is decreasing, since the Chinese population keeps finding ways to use their land. While Mr. Packham's points are valid, it seems he ignores the fact that pandas play a crucial role in the bamboo forests where they roam by spreading seeds and facilit ating growth of vegetation. Also, in the Yangtze Basin where pandas live, the forests are home to wildlife such as dwarf blue sheep, multi-colored pheasants and other endangered species, including the golden monkey, and various birds that are not found anywhere else in the world (WWF, 2013), making the panda a very effective flag ship species, which is something that Packham himself stated was worth preserving. One belief is that large animals can be extremely useful in the cause for conservation. Smaller creatures often don't need a big habitat to live in, so in conservation terms, it's better to strive to save something further up the food chain. By doing this, you are protecting a much larger area, which will also include the smaller animals. Pandas are a good example for the messages you want to put out on habitat conservation. We associate Borneo with the orangutans, the southern oceans with the blue whale, and the North with polar bears. So it is with China and the panda bears (Snow, 2013). Many revere the panda bear and their preservation is important to the Chinese culture. People respond to their situation, which does make a difference. References Benedictus, L. (2009). Should pandas be left to face extinction? | Environment | The Guardian. Latest US news, world news, sport and comment from the Guardian | guardiannews.com | The Guardian. Retrieved April 27, 2013, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/sep/23/panda-extinction-chris-packham International, C. (2013). Threats to Pandas. Conservation International. Retrieved April 28, 2013, from http://www.conservation.org/learn/biodiversity/species/profiles/pandas/pandas/overview/Pages/threats.aspx Snow, K. (2013). Are giant pandas worth saving? – Rock Center with Brian Williams. Rock Center with Brian Williams.

THE NECESSITY OF EUDAIMONIA essays

THE NECESSITY OF EUDAIMONIA essays Defining the Good Throughout history, many people have attempted to define what it is to be good. They have tried to explain what it is like to live a good life and what it means to be a good person. Many have tried to offer their own insights into what being good really is. Some philosophers have spent most of their lives pondering and arguing their idea of what being good really is. Some philosophers are thick headed about the subject and will refute anyone else's idea of what being good is. Other philosophers were more open minded about what being good is and would accept other's ideas and maybe even include other people's ideas in their own hypothesis. But, there really is no real answer to what being good is. The philosophers who listened to others and accepted other people's ideas might get a little closer to describing good, but even they could not fully define it. The word good is far too obscure to give one true definition to. Instead it will always live as a word with no true meaning. In order to find what the good and apply this, the primary concern of political theorists such as Aristotle whom will be the subject of this research, is to determine by what form of ordinance or law, would succeed the state. And he claims that unity of the Polis really leads to the Eudaimonia, which is the real happiness. Aristotle saw the pursuit of the good of the polis, the political community, as a branch of ethics, the pursuit of the human good as a whole. He called this ultimate goal for human beings eudaimonia, which is often translated as "the good life." He begins the Nicomachean Ethics with the claim that all human activities and pursuits aim at the good. He means for this to be understood as a claim about how human activities contribute to the human function. Ethics is therefore dependent upon theory of human nature, for to be a good person is to succeed in making actual in one's character the unique potential of being human. Fo...

Leprechaun Trap - Green Slime St. Patricks Day Project

Leprechaun Trap - Green Slime St. Patricks Day Project Heres how to make green slime for St. Patricks Day leprechaun trap. We havent successfully caught any leprechauns using this recipe yet, but it does make a nice holiday chemistry project for kids! Leprechaun Trap Slime Materials 4-oz bottle school glue gelborax (not boric acid)watergreen food coloring Make the Leprechaun Trap Slime Solutions The leprechaun trap is made by mixing two solutions together, which cross-link or polymerize to make a gel or slime. First, make the solutions: Borax Solution Take about a half cup of hot water and stir in borax until it stops dissolving. It is fine if the solution is cloudy or if there is undissolved solid at the bottom of the container. Just add the liquid part to your slime recipe. Glue Solution You can make either opaque slime or translucent slime, depending on the type of glue you use for this project. White glue produces an opaque slime. Clear or translucent blue glue will produce a translucent slime. You can color either type of slime using food coloring. Stir 4-oz of glue into 1 cup of water.Add a couple of drops of food coloring. The radioactive chemistry green-yellow color is obtained by adding 2 drops of yellow or 2 drops yellow and 1 drop of green coloring, depending how green you want the slime. For a leprechaun trap, you can add a few drops of green food coloring and call it good. If youre a rebel, dye the slime blue! Blue was the traditional Irish color before green came into vogue. Make the Leprechaun Trap Simply mix together 1/3 cup of the borax solution and 1 cup of the glue solution. You can use your hands or you can use a spoon. Glowing Leprechaun Trap What leprechaun wouldnt be attracted to a glowing trap? You can make the slime glow very brightly under ultraviolet or light if you add a little yellow highlighter ink to either of the solutions. Highlighter ink is fluorescent, so it emits light when exposed to high-energy light. Note adding the contents of a glow stick will not work, because the other chemicals in the slime will interfere with the reaction that produces the glow. Cleaning Up the Leprechaun Trap Although regular slime doesnt stain most surface, the food coloring you added to make it green will stain clothing, furniture, and counters. You can remove the color from countertops using cleaner with bleach. Except for the food coloring, slime washes away with soap and water or in regular laundry. After St. Patricks Day Your leprechaun trap wont last until St. Patricks Day next year, but if you seal it in a covered bowl or a plastic bag, it will be good for several days. You can extend this to a couple of weeks if you store the bag in the refrigerator. The sealed bag keeps the slime from drying out while the refrigerator keeps it from developing mold. How Leprechaun Trap Slime Works When you mix the glue and the borax the polymer in the glue, polyvinyl acetate, undergoes a chemical reaction. Cross-linking bonds are formed, causing the glue stick less to your hands or spoon and more to itself. Feel free to experiment with the amount of glue, water, and borax that you use to make the slime. You can adjust the recipe to make the slime more fluid or more stiff. The molecules in the polymer are not fixed in place, so you can stretch the slime quite far before it will break or tear. More St. Patricks Day Science Projects Turn Pennies Gold for a Pot of GoldGreen St. Patricks Day FireGlowing Green FlowersMore St. Pattys Day ProjectsAnswers To Common Questions About Slime

Effectiveness of Three Classical Leadership Styles Essay - 10

Effectiveness of Three Classical Leadership Styles - Essay Example Differences between leadership and management entail the scope, nature, and objectives. While management may merely pertain to the administrative work and organization, leadership entails the guidance, the direction setting, leading from the front and setting examples. The domain of work of a leader is far broader than the management handling individual. Leader’s span of command and control may also be an expanded one as compared to management. A leader can be a manager, but a manager may not be necessarily a leader. Open systems and closed systems based organizations are the two broad line categories of organizational structure. The former pertains to the kind of organization where the interactive environment is observed and the stakeholders are invited from outside. The closed system, in contrast, comprises a substantially conservative and closed-ended system with little interactive environment and activities towards the outer world and other enterprises. The chances of progress and development are relatively higher in the case of open system based organizations. Closed organizations are often effective in case of small to medium scale projects and businesses (Tokoro, 2010 ¸p. 6). Theory X and Theory Y are two different terminologies and concepts used in the field of sociology as well as administrative management. It pertains to the leadership style, the individuals’ mindsets, their aptitude, and tendency towards the kind of environment they work in and they find themselves comfortable in. Theory X, in particular, is related to the kind of individuals who take risks, take initiatives and want to lead from the front. They do not have the fear element.  

Argument-Deliberative (4 pages) DIRECTLY addressing a specific Essay

Argument-Deliberative (4 pages) DIRECTLY addressing a specific audience who holds a proposition with which you Disagree) - Essay Example Perhaps, a rebellion against this standardized will open the door to the reshaping of our schools and the implementation of much more sophisticated and effective accountability measures.† (Marshak, David, 2003). He further adds that we need to reinvent education by teaching students how to be creative, which requires long term relationship between students and teachers. So the present system of changing teachers every 50 minutes should be stopped and teachers be appointed for one to two year to develop personal relationship with students. Students should also have common learning goals and individuals learning goals. Moreover, he believes that in future curriculum should include synthesis, problem solving, creativity, and analysis promote inventive thinking. Though some of his ideas seem to be good, it may not be practical one. In order to understand the hollowness in his arguments against standardized testing system, one should know how it functions. A test which is conducted in a standard manner is called a standardized test. This testing system gauges candidates against one another and a standard is fixed to assess progress in a school, aptitude to attend institutions of higher education and to put candidates in programs suited to their aptitude. These tests are designed in a special way that rules for conducting, questions, interpretations, and scoring pattern are reliable and conducted and scored in a prearranged, standard manner. United States enacted elementary and secondary education act, 1965 which made it mandatory standardized testing in public schools. In 2001, United States passed US Public Law 107- 110, which is also called ‘No Child Left Behind Act of 2001’, which binds public school funding to standardized testing. It consists of true- false and multiple-choice questions. Generally, it is a computer adaptive test. Some standardized testing have essay