People s History Of The United States By Howard Zinn Essay

The book People’s History of the United States by the author Howard Zinn represents the history to the readers in a different perspective, making the readers look into the history in a difference lens making it insightful. What is a history? To answer this question, we must first establish a commonality in language: namely, what is history? It is a continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, person which is usually written as a chronological account. The author discusses about how the major events were recorded and mainly the stories which were untold to the people and were left out of the mainstream history books. In the first few chapters he gives critical details about how America was founded by Christopher Columbus and gradually moving into detail about how he killed hundreds of native Indians in the process of capturing the country. The author then moves into giving the readers about hidden class struggles and the p eriod of time where racism was affecting a majority of the people. Howard Zinn also mentions about the wars, the Vietnam war and the Civil war that had changed the lives of many in the past and how it has made a major impact in the past and today to the people. Some of the details in the book are real life experiences by the author, because he is not only a writer but had also served in the army in the world war two as a pilot, which makes the readers understand every detail of some events as it is toldShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of Howard Zinn s A People s History Of The United States 2266 Words   |  10 Pagessettlers. After the Revolutionary War in the late 1700’s, matters only got worse for the Native Americans. Population was skyrocketing due to a great deal of immigration of white settlers in the early to mid 1800’s, and there wasn’t enough space for everyone. With this came expansion, and to reach the goals they had set out for it, the Native Americans ha d to go. A prime example of this is shown in Howard Zinn’s â€Å"A People’s History of the United States,† where in chapter seven he talks about the forcedRead MoreThe Patriot s History Of The United States1589 Words   |  7 PagesAfter the Civil War, the United State began to experience an industrial growth that was unparalleled to any nation. There were new advancements among America’s transportation, manufacturing and agriculture industries. While an economic growth was occurring in the nation, the national government was inactive, almost forgotten between all the new innovations achieved during the late 19th century. Looking back at the Industrial Revolution, there are many perspectives of the events that occurred duringRead MoreAnalysis Of Howard Zinn s The United States 1224 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"There is an underside to every age about which history does not often speak, because history is written from records left by the privileged.† ― Howard Zinn, A People s History of the United States Zinn once remarked, â€Å"Objectivity is impossible and it is also undesirable. That is, if it were possible it would be undesirable, because if you have any kind of a social aim, if you think history should serve society in some way; should serve the progress of the human race; should serve justice in someRead MoreAnalysis of A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn696 Words   |  3 Pagesteaches and inspires. Howard Zinn has offered us a perspective of the real story of American history heretofore unavailable to us – history from the perspective of real people – immigrant laborers, American women, the working poor, factory workers, African and Native Americans. A Peoples History of the United States, originally published in 1980, as a work of non-fiction by the political scientist and American historian, Howard Zinn. Zinn seeks to show us American history through the eyes of commonRead MoreHistorical Contridictions in Slavery1494 Words   |  6 PagesThe history of American Slavery has been recounted by many scholars, taking into account different perspectives. During the 1850’s an abolitionist movement began, gaining momentum to pass anti-slavery legislation. Slave owners concerned about the growing movement, decided to take the matter into their own hands and fight for their property rights. Now as historians look back and analyse slavery, many different ideologies are constituted. While the depiction of philosophy in history is a way to analyzingRead MoreAnalysis Of Howard Zinn s The Mind Behind Dozens Of Books 1381 Words   |  6 Pages History can be defined as the study of past events, focused particularly in human af fairs. Historians must research and infer to propose educated guesses to correctly document events of the past, which leaves a lot up to personal interpretation of limited facts. People often forget there is not just one sole history of something. Rather, a history of a people is composed of many different individuals living in the same time. Perspective can skew what history becomes. The past does not changeRead MoreAnalysis Of Howard Zinn s Indians History Of The Us And Larry Schweikart s, Patriots1516 Words   |  7 PagesHistory 2112 Critical Analysis Paper #1 Dr. Pitts James Hamby Monday-Wednesday 8:30pm Patriot’s vs. People’s Howard Zinn’s, Peoples’ History of the US and Larry Schweikart’s, Patriots’ History of the US are two analytical views on history that most people would consider politically conflicting. Zinn’s Marxist book was widely praised by liberal activist and Schweikart’s book is greatly publicized by conservatives like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. These two widely known historians turned theirRead MoreExploring Howard Zinns Life 1575 Words   |  6 PagesThis paper explores Howard Zinn’s life as an influential historian and public intellectual. It argues for his critical, singular position as an academic who left a mark on generations of Americans as well as international persons by guiding us all to critically view various institutions and structures of power, particularly in the realm of government. By looking at four major aspects of his life, as radical historian, civil rights crusader, anti-war activist, and labor rights activist, the p aperRead MoreHoward Zinn s The United States997 Words   |  4 PagesHoward Zinn s A People s History of the United States has been highly influential since its initial publication in 1980. It spawned adaptations for young readers (a two-volume adaptation by Rebecca Stefoff: A Young People s History of the United States) and The People Speak, a History Channel documentary based on Zinn s work. Zinn himself was until his death in 2010 a heroic figure to many, especially for this book and for his ongoing teaching and social activism, which were directly relatedRead MoreA People s History Of The United States2575 Words   |  11 PagesSujay Deshpande Mr. Lifland AP US History 1 August 2015 A People’s History of the United States: By Howard Zinn Chapter 1: Chapter one of Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States discusses the differences between the culture and attitudes of the Europeans and the Native Americans. It further describes how the Europeans came to the New World and committed genocide against the Native Americans in order to get land and gold from them, which displayed the cruelty and greed of the European

Their Eyes Were Watching God - 1268 Words

Zora Hurston focuses on many themes throughout her novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, one of them being the development of gender roles. While it may seem that the novel is a story of one woman discovering herself on her own, an underlying theme is how people’s identities are determined by their relationships. Through a multitude of relationships in the novel Hurston develops the different roles of men and women within a relationship. In Zora Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Hurston emphasizes the development of gender roles to suggest that society views the people involved based on the role they play in their various relationships. Throughout the novel Hurston establishes the stereotypical gender roles within relationships. Nanny has many expectations for Janie given that Janie is a grown woman. â€Å"‘Yeah, Janie, youse got yo’ womanhood on yuh. So Ah mout ez well tell yuh whut Ah been savin’ up for uh spell. Ah ants to see you mar ried right away† (Hurston 12). Being a woman, Nanny expects Janie to be married off early and stay in that relationship for the rest of her life. Hurston also establishes common male roles, one being that the man is in charge. In Janie’s marriage to Logan, Logan provides Janie with everything she needs- food, shelter, and land. ‘â€Å"And, Janie, maybe it wasn’t much, but Ah done de best Ah kin by you. Ah raked and scraped and bought dis lil piece uh land so you wouldn’t have to stay in de white folks’ yard and tuck yo’ head befo’ otherShow MoreRelatedTheir Eyes Were Watching God1064 Words   |  5 Pagessignificant than death. In Zora Neale Hurston’s famous novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, the main character Janie Crawford is plagued by the deaths of loved ones. Janie moves from caregiver to caregiver searching for true love and happiness, only to have it stripped away from her once she finds it in her third husband Tea Cake. At the end of the novel, having realized true love and loss, Janie is a whole woman. Their Eyes Were Watching God portrays the growth of the human spirit through both the emotionalRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God1780 Words   |  8 Pagesshort story â€Å"Sweat† and novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, the focus is on women who want better lives but face difficult struggles before gaining them. The difficulties involving men which Janie and Delia incur result from or are exacerbated by the intersection of their class, race, and gender, which restrict each woman for a large part of her life from gaining her independence. Throughout a fair part of Zora Neal Hurston’s novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God, Janie’s low class create problemsRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God932 Words   |  4 PagesJanie Crawford: The Woman Whose Clothing Conveys Her Relationships In Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, the protagonist, Janie, endures two marriages before finding true love. In each of Janie’s marriages, a particular article of clothing is used to symbolically reflect, not only her attitude at different phases in her life, but how she is treated in each relationship. In Janie’s first marriage with Logan Killicks, an apron is used to symbolize the obligation in her marriage. â€Å"Read MoreAnalysis Of Their Eyes Were Watching God 1061 Words   |  5 PagesDivision: Janie Crawford in Their Eyes Were Watching God Their Eyes Were Watching God was written in 1937 by Zora Neale Hurston. This story follows a young girl by the name of Janie Crawford. Janie Crawford lived with her grandmother in Eatonville, Florida. Janie was 16 Years old when her grandmother caught her kissing a boy out in the yard. After seeing this her grandmother told her she was old enough to get married, and tells her she has found her a husband by the name of Logan. Logan was a muchRead More Eyes Were Watching God Essay711 Words   |  3 Pages Their Eyes Were Watching God provides an enlightening look at the journey of a quot;complete, complex, undiminished human beingquot;, Janie Crawford. Her story, based on self-exploration, self-empowerment, and self-liberation, details her loss and attainment of her innocence and freedom as she constantly learns and grows from her experiences with gender issues, racism, and life. The story centers around an important theme; that personal discoveries and life experiences help a person findRead More Their Eyes Were Watching God Essay1757 Words   |  8 Pages Their Eyes Were Watching God Book Report 1. Title: Their Eyes Were Watching God 2. Author/Date Written: Zora Neale Hurston/1937 3. Country of Author: 4. Characters Janie Mae Crawford- The book’s main character. She is a very strong willed, independent person. She is able to defy a low class, unhappy life because of these factors, even though the environment that she grew up and lived in was never on her side. Pheoby Watson – Janie’s best friend in Eatonville. Pheoby is the only towns person whoRead MoreWhose eyes were watching God?1400 Words   |  6 PagesWhose eyes were watching God? In the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God, Oprah Winfrey manipulates events that happened in the book by Zora Neale Hurston. Oprah morphs many relationships in the movie Their Eyes Were Watching God. She changes the role of gender, and also makes changes in Janie’s character strength. Oprah also changes the symbolism in the movie to where some important symbols in the book change to less important roles. Oprah changes many important events in the book Their Eyes WereRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God Essay724 Words   |  3 PagesTHEIR EYES WERE WATCHING GOD ESSAY  ¬Ã‚ ¬ Janie Crawford is surrounded by outward influences that contradict her independence and personal development. These outward influences from society, her grandma, and even significant others contribute to her curiosity. Tension builds between outward conformity and inward questioning, allowing Zora Neal Hurston to illustrate the challenge of choice and accountability that Janie faces throughout the novel. Janie’s Grandma plays an important outward influenceRead MoreEssay on Their Eyes Were Watching God921 Words   |  4 PagesTheir Eyes Were Watching God An Analysis So many people in modern society have lost their voices. Laryngitis is not the cause of this sad situation-- they silence themselves, and have been doing so for decades. For many, not having a voice is acceptable socially and internally, because it frees them from the responsibility of having to maintain opinions. For Janie Crawford, it was not: she finds her voice among those lost within the pages of Zora Neale Hurston’s famed novel, Their Eyes Were WatchingRead MoreTheir Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Hurston Essay1233 Words   |  5 PagesHurston In the novel â€Å"Their Eyes Were Watching God† by Zora Neal Hurston is about a young woman named Janie Crawford who goes on a journey of self discovery to find her independence. The book touches on many themes like gender roles, relations, independence and racism however racism isn’t mainly focused upon in the book which some writers felt should have been. Some felt that the representation of black characters should have been better role models. Zora Hurston’s novel wasn’t like other black literature

MGT 448 Final Exam free essay sample

1. While workers in manufacturing industries are considered to be vulnerable to the negative effects of globalization, workers in service industries are relatively secure. a. True b. False 2. Which of the following was set up to promote economic development globally? a. World Bank b. International Monetary Fund c. United Nations d. World Trade Organization 3. Companies hope to lower their overall cost structure or improve the quality or functionality of their product offering which allows them to compete more effectively by engaging in a. predatory pricing practices. b. outsourcing of core functions. c. dumping. d. globalization of production. 4. In the early 20th century, the social ideology split into two broad categories – communism and social democracy – both of which were still going strong at the beginning of the 21st century a. True b. False 5. Political systems can be assessed according to two dimensions. Which of the following is one among them? a. The degree to which they are socialist or capitalist. We will write a custom essay sample on MGT 448 Final Exam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page b. The degree to which they are democratic or totalitarian. c. The degree to which they are based on religious principles. d. The power orientation of the society. 6. Individualism lays emphasis on the importance of guaranteeing individual freedom and self expression a. by letting some collective body dictate what is in the societys best interest. b. by viewing the needs of society as a whole. c. by restricting anything that runs counter to the good of society. d. by letting people pursue their own economic self-interest. 7. Norms are abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable. a. True b. False 8. _____ are the routine conventions of everyday life b. Values b. Folkways c. Culture d. Mores 9. Norms are? a. abstract ideas about what a group believes to be good, right, and desirable. b. social rules and guidelines that prescribe appropriate behavior in particular situations. c. routine conventions of everyday life. d. an association of two or more individuals who have a shared sense of identity. 10. There may be benefits to trade even for products a country can produce for itself. a. True b. False 11. When a country is more efficient than any other country in producing a particular product it is said to have a. an absolute advantage. b. mobile resources. c. a comparative advantage. d. diminishing returns. 12. Which of the following theories stresses that some countries specialize in the production and export of particular products not because of underlying differences in factor endowments, but because in certain industries the world market can support only a limited number of firms? a. New trade. b. Trade bloc c. Free trade d. Balance of trade 13. Both government and consumers realize significant gains as a result of tariffs, while domestic producers typically see a negative effect. a. True b. False 14. This is a quota on trade imposed by the exporting country at the request of the importing countrys government. a. Tariff rate quota. b. Quota rent. c. Voluntary export restraint. d. Embargo. 15. How does a subsidy influence international trade? a. By competing against foreign imports. b. By favoring consumers. c. By requiring that some specific fraction of a good be produced domestically. d. By imposing a quota on trade at the request of the importing countrys government. 16. FDI flows were steadily increasing from 1975 to 2000, but have been decreasing ever since. a. True. b. False. 17. All of the following are reasons why firms prefer to acquire existing assets rather than undertake greenfield investments EXCEPT a. mergers and acquisitions are quicker to execute than greenfield investments. b. foreign firms are acquired because those firms have valuable strategic assets. c. they believe they can increase the efficiency of the acquired unit by transferring capital, technology, or management skills. d. there is evidence that most mergers and acquisitions realize more than anticipated gains. 18. Which of the following is NOT a factor that drives the shift to services in recent times? a. Reflects the general move in many developed economies away from manufacturing and toward service industries. b. Many services can be traded internationally. c. Many countries have liberalized their regimes governing FDI in services. d. Rise of Internet-based global telecommunications networks has allowed some service enterprises to relocate some of their value-creation activities to different nations. 19. The Single European Act committed EU countries to adopt a single currency, the euro. a. True b. False 20. The level of economic integration is highest in a a. common market. b. political union. c. customs union. d. free trade area. 21. An economic union involves all of the following EXCEPT a. free flow of products and factors of production between member countries. b. the adoption of a common external trade policy. c. a central political apparatus which coordinates the economic, social, and foreign policy of the member states. d. harmonization of members tax rates, and a common monetary and fiscal policy. 22. Exchange rates are determined by the demand and supply of one currency relative to the demand and supply of another. a. True. b. False. 23. This involves the short-term movement of funds from one currency to another in the hopes of profiting from shifts in exchange rates. a. Liquidity risk b. Exchange rate c. Currency speculation d. Risk mitigation 24. Amber, a French distillery exports its whisky to the U.S. The distillery is paid in dollars, but it cannot be spent in France until they are converted to Francs. So the foreign exchange market is used by this business to a. pay a foreign company for its products or services in its country currency. b. invest their spare cash for short terms in money markets. c. convert payment it receives from its exports or foreign investments into home currency. d. speculate on currency. 25. It is impossible for late movers to compete once the early entrants have become well established. a. true b. false 26. Choosing which markets to enter depends on all of the following factors EXCEPT a. the size of the market. b. the value an international business can first create in its home market. c. the future wealth of consumers. d. the political climate of that region. 27. Which among the following is a first-mover advantage? a. Ability to create switching costs that tie customers into their products or services. b. Ability to avoid the often substantial costs of establishing manufacturing operations in the host country. c. Ability to avoid incurring pioneering costs. d. Ability to side-step regulatory risks, especially in developing countries. 28. Issued by the importer, the letter of credit represents a promise of payment. a. True b. False 29. Which of the following is true of reactive firms? a. They may not even consider exporting until their domestic market is saturated. b. They create excess productive capacity and actively hunt for opportunities in foreign markets. c. Almost all large firms fall under this category. d. They systematically scan foreign markets for profitable export opportunities. 30. Which of the following helps explain why exporters still account for only a tiny percentage of U.S. firms? a. Tariffs; FDI restrictions b. Lack of export opportunities; buoyant demand within U.S. c. Unfamiliarity; intimidation by the complexities d. Regulatory burden; barriers to free trade 31. Source effects and country of origin effects always have a negative impact on the firm. a. True b. False 32. This refers to identifying distinct groups of consumers whose purchasing behavior differs from others in important ways. a. Marketing mix b. Market distribution c. Market segmentation d. Market niche 33. According to the text, this is probably the most important aspect of cultural differences in a global market. a. Impact of tradition. b. Impact of class systems. c. Impact of social structure. d. Impact of education. 34. Problems of limited liquidity are limited to less developed nations, which tend to have smaller domestic capital markets. a. True. b. False. 35. Which of the following capital market players typically earn profits from the interest rate spread? a. Investment banks b. Commercial banks c. Insurance companies d. Mutual funds 36. Which of the following observations is true of an equity loan? a. Repayment is made at regular intervals regardless of how much profit a firm is making. b. The amount of the dividends is fixed in advance. c. Dividends are determined by management. d. It includes cash loans from banks and funds raised from the sale of corporate bonds. 37. The return that a firm makes on its invested capital is its profitability. a. True b. False 38. What is profitability? a. Increase in a firms sales over a period of time. b. Rate of return that the firm makes on its invested capital. c. Percentage increase in net profits over time. d. Value of product to an average consumer. 39. This focuses primarily on increasing the attractiveness of a product. a. Low-cost strategy b. Positioning c. Differentiation strategy d. Resource allocation 40. Management decisions on where to locate an operation or facility can include considerations in political economy and national culture, but international trade theory is usually beside the point. a. True b. False 41. What are the three characteristics of manufacturing technology that are pivotal to location decisions? a. minimum efficient scale; level of fixed costs; flexibility of technology. b. level of fixed costs; economies of scope; exchange rate movements. c. informal trade barriers; flexibility of technology; level of variable costs. d. flexibility of technology; level of variable costs; exchange rate movements. 42. Which of the following statements about Six Sigma is true? a. It is a statistically based philosophy. b. It is easily possible for a company to achieve Six Sigma perfection. c. At six sigma, a production process will have 66 defects per million units. d. At six sigma, a production process would be 100 percent accurate. 43. Failure rates for American expatriates sent to developing countries run as high as 70 percent a. True b. False 44. Identify a reason for the firm to pursue an ethnocentric staffing policy. a. It believes the host country lacks qualified individuals to fill senior management positions. b. It is less expensive to implement. c. It is less likely to suffer from cultural myopia. d. It enables the firm to make the best use of its human resources. 45. All of the following are functions of HRM EXCEPT a. staffing. b. performance appraisal activities. c. culture. d. basic RD. 46. When evaluating foreign investment opportunities, the parent should be concerned with its cash flows, not those of the subsidiaries or projects. a. True b. False 47. This quantifies the benefits, costs, and risks of an investment from a given location. a. Capital budgeting b. Flexible budgeting c. Working capital d. Operations budgeting 48. Identify the incorrect statement regarding cash flows that a firm must estimate, to decide if it should go ahead with a project. a. In most cases, the cash flows will be negative at first, because the firm will be investing heavily in production facilities. b. Once the cash flows have been estimated, they must be discounted to determine their net present value using an appropriate discount rate. c. After some initial period the cash flows becomes positive as investment costs decline and revenues grow. d. If the net present value of the discounted cash flows is less than zero, the firm should go ahead with the project. 49. The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act was ultimately proved to be disadvantageous to American firms. a. True b. False 50. Which of the following is NOT a source for ethical concern for international businesses? a. Employment practices b. Human rights c. Environmental pollution d. Currency movements 51. Which of the following observations is true of facilitating payments? a. They are also known as bribes. b. They are payments to secure contracts that would not otherwise be secured. c. They are the payments to obtain exclusive preferential treatment. d. They are sometimes known as speed money or grease payments.. 52. Companies with a low degree of diversification and a domestic structure based on functions tend to favor the worldwide area structure. a. True b. False 53. This stands for the totality of a firms organization, including formal organization structure, control systems and incentives, processes, organizational culture, and people. a. Organizational architecture b. Control systems c. Organizational culture d. Processes 54. Which of the following is one of the main arguments for decentralization of an organization? a. It can help ensure that decisions are consistent with organizational objectives. b. It can facilitate coordination. c. It can give top-level managers the means to bring about needed major organizational changes. d. It permits greater flexibility.

Evaluation of Japanese free essay sample

At the first year of the program, three students from sister faculty has been accepted to study for 4 years. In the second year has received 3 students. Language is key factors of the successfully of the international program. As we know, language is a tool for learning and understanding. Language has a significant effect in the education process and cultural adaptation of the students. In the implementation of the International Dental Course, we developed a Japanese English dual linguistic education system where all the lectures given in two languages, Japanese and English.Using this dual inguistic system is expected the students can receive all course materials provided by the lecturer. Since English is not a mother language for both of the lecturers and students and the other hand Japanese is not mother language for the international students, there is a possible difficulty in delivering the material of lecture. In this study we want to evaluate the dual linguistic education system at Faculty of Dentistry Hiroshima University. We will write a custom essay sample on Evaluation of Japanese or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The participants in this study were 19 Japanese students and 3 international students, all of them were second grade students.At the end of semester hey filled a questionnaire that was design to provide information about the affectivity of dual linguistic program. The questionnaire including 5 points: 1) Did they prepare themselves before the lecture; 2) could they understand the lecture explanation (Japanese part and English part); 3) could they understand the lecturer s explanation totally; 4) did they review the lecture much than before and 5) could they finally understand the lecture after preparation, lecture explanation, and review process. The result of this study showed that almost all of the students (95. %) prepare themselves before the lecture. Using Japanese, 63. 64% of students could understand the lecture explanation, while 27. 27% of them depend on the subject, but almost all Of international students did not understand the Japanese explanation. Furthermore, if the lecture was given in English, 68. 18% of students did not understand the explanation, but in the whole lecture, 63. 64% of students understand the lecturer s explanation, 22. 73% were depend on the subject. Almost all the students reviewed the lecture materials; therefore all of them (100%) could understand the contents of the lecture finally. The results confirm the mportant of dual linguistic education system for international dental course. Preparations before the lecture and review or relearn after the lecture in dual linguistic education are the point for success. Although the students have problem in understand the lecture material because of difficulties with language (Japanese/English), they can they can cover up the problem with the preparations before the lecture and do a review after lecture.

Aristotle Refutes Platos Theory Of Ideas On Three Basic Grounds That

Aristotle refutes Plato's Theory of Ideas on three basic grounds: that the existence of Ideas contradicts itself by denying the possibility of negations; that his illustrations of Ideas are merely empty metaphors; and that they theory uses impermanent abstractions to create examples of perception. Though the theory is meant to establish concrete standards for the knowledge of reality, Aristotle considers it fraught with inconsistencies and believes that the concept of reality depends upon all forms' correlations to other elements. Ideas, Plato believes, are permanent, self-contained absolutes, which answered to each item of exact knowledge attained through human thought. Also, Ideas are in Plato's view concrete standards by which all human endeavor can be judged, for the hierarchy of all ideas leads to the highest absolute - that of Good. In addition, the theory claims that states of being are contingent upon the mingling of various Forms of existence, that knowledge is objective and thus clearly more real, and that only the processes of nature were valid entities. However, Aristotle attacks this theory on the grounds that Plato's arguments are inconclusive either his assertions are not al all cogent. Aristotle says, or his arguments lead to contradictory conclusions. For example, Aristotle claims that Plato's arguments lead one to conclude that entities (such as anything man-made) and negations of concrete ideas could exist - such as non-good in opposition to good. This contradicts Plato's own belief that only natural objects could serve as standards of knowledge. Also, Aristotle refutes Plato's belief that Ideas are perfect entities unto themselves, independent of subjective human experience. Ideas, Aristotle claims, are not abstractions on a proverbial pedestal but mere duplicates of things witnessed in ordinary daily life. The Ideas of things, he says, are not inherent to the objects in particular but created separately and placed apart from the objects the mselves. Thus, Aristotle says, Plato's idea that Ideas are perfect entities, intangible to subjective human experience, is meaningless, for all standards are based somewhere in ordinary human activity and perception. Thirdly, Aristotle assails Plato's efforts to find something common to several similar objects at once, a perfect exemplar of the quality those things share. Beauty is a perfect example; Plato considered Beauty both a notion and an ideal, isolated by abstractions and fixed permanently while its representatives fade away. Aristotle claims that abstractions like Beauty cannot be cast as absolutes, independent of temporal human experience; the Idea of Beauty changes with time and individual perceptions and cannot (as Plato felt) exist forever as a concrete standard. Plato and Aristotle reach some agreement, though, on the topic of reality. Plato believes that all reality was derived from his Ideas (which themselves dealt with concrete hierarchy of rational ideas. St. Ansel m, though, makes the most dogmatic and logically tortuous case for God's existence, relying not upon explanations of goodness, truth, or rational order of ideas but upon an absurd argument. He claims that everyone has some sense of God, and he claims that for one to deny God's existence is an invalid and contradictory assertion; therefore, God exists. Also, Anselm believes that those capable of understanding God cannot believe that he does not exist - as if the enormity of the idea was so clear than only a fool could not perceive it. His arguments seem the weakest of the four viewpoints here, for they are riddled with dogma and assume that God is a constant - using faith alone. Anselm considers faith paramount to logic or other forms of thought and asks no questions as to what powers the universe or what goodness is - he basically follows the Christian party line too closely to be valid. In general, St. Augustine combines Plato's idea of a moral hierarchy with his own rational obser vations of truth and goodness being embodied in their highest form by God. While Plato wavers on God's superiority, Aristotle views man as god's pawn, and Anselm uses tortuous dogmatic logic, Augustine's arguments seem to make the most sense from not only a Christian point of view but from a moral and rational one as well. The philosophies of Plato, Aristotle, St. Augustine, and St. Anselm on the existence of God all vary on the issue

Brownfields Essays

Brownfields Essays Brownfields Essay Brownfields Essay Brownfields are abandoned, idled or under-used and industrial commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination. These areas are scattered all through out the nation and are more numerous in areas that are industrial centers. The redevelopment of brownfields are supported by all agencies of the government, the Department of Transportation made a policy that would enable the availability of funds for the redevelopment of brownfields, the DOT believed that brownfield redevelopment with transportation programs can bring new jobs, services and amenities to a neighborhood, reduce vehicle miles of travel, reduce time spent in congestion and increase the viability of transit, walking and biking. Brownfields and transportation are connected in ways that create opportunities to accomplish transportation, economic, community and environmental goals. Transportation facilities play a major role in commerce and industry, in the past industrial plants were always located near transportation facilities. However, transportation and economic changes have shifted number industrial operations away from centers of transportation. As the case maybe, transportation is key to brownfield redevelopment, as it gives access to people and goods, this would include fixing existing highways, waterways and public transportation and the other transportation related use of the land like intermodal terminals and bus barns. The local government together with the community are interested in the redevelopment of brownfields as an existing brownfield would lower property values, stifles local investment and be an environmental threat, in the same way the local government see redevelopment as bringing in jobs, increase in taxes and make use of taxpayer’s investment in infrastructure. Thus, the federal, state and local government coordinates to achieve these goals through the Transportation Improvement Program. To the communities, re-using brownfields through transportation investments would later on bring transportation benefits. The redevelopment of brownfields would also improve the environment by lessening or eradicating contamination in these sites. As well as reviving measures to control the quality of water and air and the conservation of open spaces. The protection of open spaces reduces conversion of land to impervious surfaces which is very critical in the maintenance of watershed health. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) has a projected budget of $198 billion for transportation spending for 1998 to 2003. The act supports brownfield redevelopment through a number of funding programs. For new highways, roads or bridge construction on brownfields, there’s the National Highway System, Surface Transportation Program, Bridges, Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program and the Transportation Enhancements. For the construction of new transit lines or station, there’s the Transit Capital Investment Grants and Loans, the Urbanized and Non-urbanized Area Formula Grant Program. The improvement of railroads in brownfields can be funded through the Rail Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program. In improving pedestrian and/or bicycle access can be channeled through the National Highway System and the Transportation Enhancements. For recreational trails a funding from Recreational Trails is available and innovative sust ainability projects can be pursued through grants from the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot Program. In order to receive TEA-21 funds to redevelop a brownfield site, a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) state must have a transportation clause in the project and should be included in the Long-Range Transportation Plan and its Transportation Improvement Program. In general almost all funds allocated under the TEA-21 are disbursed through the standard planning and TIP process. The MPO has the obligation to coordinate with air quality planning and encourage public involvement as required by federal law. The Long-Range Transportation plans are created to project a 20 year transportation development program. The project however needs to satisfy the following criteria to be included in the LRT, the project must help advance state or regional transportation objectives, it should be able to provide information about the financial resources of the project and the impact on air quality of the project should not violate National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Evaluating a brownfield redev elopment project proposal requires reviewing financial, environmental, social and legal considerations of the project. Another means of acquiring federal funding is for the organization or state to apply directly to the DOT for grants and loans provided under the TEA-21, wherein Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot grants and the Rail Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing loans are the most relevant to brownfield projects. The TCSP grants were given to innovative transportation projects which must meet the goals of TCSP which includes reducing the impacts of transportation on the environment, reducing the need for costly future public infrastructure investments, to ensure efficient access to jobs, services and centers of trade and lastly examining private sector development patterns and investments that support TCSP goals. In the TCSP program, public entities are eligible to get finds form the federal government without a state or regional MPO intermediary. Municipal governments, MPO’s, states agencies, school boards, air and park districts and public transit agencies are eligible to apply for the TCSP loan. The Rail Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing Program give out loans and loan guarantees for acquiring, improving, developing or rehabilitating intermodal or rail equipment facilities, this is available to local governments, and government sponsored authorities, corporations, railroads and joint ventures with at least one railroad. In conclusion it was reported that transportations funds can be used to clean up environmental contamination on brownfields if it is a part of the transportation project. It can also be sued to stimulate private sector revitalization of brownfields, as well as provide an opportunity for the collaboration of stakeholders and meeting public goals. Funding is available for such projects but the application process takes a lengthy route and that limited funding is available directly form federal government. There have been a number of projects that involved redeveloping brownfields which ranged from the construction of roads, a new bridge, a parkway and an intermodal terminal. In Portland, Oregon a new road was built to improve access to deepwater port and cleaned up a 2,800-acre Rivergate Industrial District, it also increased the value of land in the industrial area and initiated the expansion of manufacturing and shipping operations. Portland encapsulated the contaminated soils at a former pesticide-formulating plant with new road surface. In Lawrence, Massachusetts a new bridge was constructed to improve transportation access and infrastructure, it supported economic development, it improved pedestrian traffic as well as remediation of environmental contamination.   The project not only will clean a downtown brownfield but also create a new park and pedestrian walkway. A parkway in Buffalo, New York linked the industrial areas of Buffalo and the regional road network which then im proved transportation and develop under-used areas which are also brownfields. The construction of the parkway also satisfied American Axle’s needs for access and re-engineering obsolete infrastructure. Since the project was privately funded it had significant support form federal and state governments. An intermodal terminal in Salt Lake City, Utah was funded by congress with a $40 million budget as part of the brownfield redevelopment. When the Interstate 15 was redesigned it opened an opportunity to develop an old rail yard to an intermodal hub. The city will also be participating in the Utah Voluntary Cleanup Program to serves as a protection form environmental contamination. These examples reiterate that developing brownfields are beneficial to the community although it entails a complex weaving of government and community efforts as well as the liability to ascertain that contamination can be eradicated or managed.

Need to find a trending topic in the field of civil engineering Research Paper

Need to find a trending topic in the field of civil engineering - Research Paper Example The production involves an additive process different from the machining techniques that uses subtractive processes such as drilling and cutting. 3 D printing is exclusively done from digital models. The impact of 3 D printing is enormous and continues to shape the civil engineering sector. 3 D printing is being used in civil engineering in two main ways. Firstly, the technology has taken toll in prototyping. Engineers, architects and contractors have relied on 3 D prototyping in the recent times to manipulate designs and digital models to materials that are used in construction. It has been established that 3 D prototyping is an efficient, fast and cost friendly method in the fabrication of complex designs when high definitions are required. Prototyping enables production of high quality maps and plans that have well defined terrain and surface features. Secondly, distributed production has been utilized in the industry in manufacturing some of the raw materials. It takes into use d ispersed facilities used in manufacturing and are coordinated using information technology platforms. This aspect has boosted the activities of civil engineering industries that have a wide range of geographically separated activities. It reduces shipment and freight costs for the company. Engineering jobs have and will be affected by the technology. 3 D printing technology has been reported to contribute to job cut in the engineering sector (Frick 1). The automation in printing of models and the efficiency that accompanies has made many clients to seek 3 D printing services. For the last twenty years, 3 D printing companies in the world have demonstrated tremendous growth. Materialise, one of the companies that has retained the convectional methods, has employed approximately nine hundred people of which around eight hundred and fifty are engineers who play the role of designing projects’ processes. This number of engineers is so big compared to the companies that have embra ced 3 D printing technology such as the New York based 3 D printing manufacturer, Shapeways that has less than one hundred employees (Frick 1). The customized design apps that are supplied by Shapeways make the role of engineers to be limited hence the smaller number of engineers that are required. In addition, the apps are capable of facilitating creation of more complex structural models. The additive strategy adopted by 3 D technology has many benefits over the convectional subtractive manufacturing methods. The results of the technology are evidenced by the ability to do local production; the only requirement is to have the digital designs in place. The designs are distributable through digital platforms, thereby can be retrieved through a networked computer system. Stocking is another problem that is avoided. Conventionally, engineering companies have been producing models that are kept in the stores, with 3 D technology, production is based on demand. Another advantage of the technology is the ability to print wholesome products instead of joining parts together; this reduces the need for assembling while facilitating the production to be made at the point of demand. A deviation from the convectional manufacturing where engineering products were made in a particular fixed way, 3 D printing technology allows for customization of a product according to the specific needs of the client. In addition, the speed of production is highly improved, hence saving on the time required for the