Agriculture in the Amazon Rainforest Essay Example for Free

Agriculture in the Amazon Rainforest Essay Throughout a hundred centuries people have worked hard to sustain productive agriculture and dense human populations. Certain forms of agriculture are possible, and should be considered sustainable, for the economic development of tropical rainforests. For thousands of years humans have created a disturbance in the rainforests by creating areas of concentrated diversity of species within the landscape. The Indigenous people of the Amazon fostered palm forests, groves of Brazil nuts and fruit trees, and vine forests near ancient Amazonian settlements. Environmentalists could argue that rainforests can be â€Å"saved† by through the restriction of economic growth, but it is vital to realize that the local communities will not approve parks and reserves, as it is in their interest to conserve the rainforest. The shifted cultivator who forces small farmers into the forest to begin new farmlands causes about 60% of deforestation in Amazon. Researchers have warned if we continue to change the use of the land it can affect the region’s climate, and the absorption of carbon dioxide in the Amazon. By converting forests into cropland there is a pronounced ecological and climate impact than land conversions because it involves the complete removal of land biomass, including tree trunks, stumps and woody roots. † (Mike Bettwy of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center). A better approach to addressing the increasing problem of deforestation in the Amazon is to follow the methods that have been used by indigenous forest dwellers for thousands of years. Many cleared forest areas used for agriculture can be salvaged by cultivation techniques. Annual crops, pasture land, are some examples of what can be done to increase agricultural productivity and to reduce the destruction in many rainforests. Effects of human population on the Ecosystem Over 20% of the Amazon Rainforest has been destroyed, in addition to the Amazon Rainforest is gone forever. Unfortunately with human population, the Amazon Rainforest has had effects with loss and harm to the population of wild species. A lot of the land is being clear for cattle ranches, mining operations, logging and subsistence agriculture. According to Raintree (1996) â€Å"Experts estimates that we are losing 137 plant, animal and insect species every single day due to rainforest deforestation. That equates to 50,000 species a year. As the rainforest species disappear, so do many possible cures for life-threatening diseases. Currently, 121 prescription drugs sold worldwide come from plant-derived sources. While 25% of Western pharmaceuticals are derived from rainforest ingredients, less that 1% of these tropical trees and plants have been tested by scientists. If this was happening in 1996, we can only imagine that in 2012 it is so much worst. Sustainability and Conservation Overpopulation causes many problems to the Amazon rainforest. More than 20% of Earths oxygen is produced in this area. As the area is reduced more carbon dioxide will be found the atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is important to this issue because plants need it to give off oxygen, which humans need to survive, not only for oxygen but also for food and nutrition for out health. Carbon dioxide is not necessarily a bad thing unless a large amount pollutes the air we need to breathe. Not only can overpopulation of the Amazon affect the air we breathe, but it will also affect the wildlife, water, and food we need to survive. There are over 200 species of trees in on hectare of the Amazon. This is important because there are so many possible cures for life threatening diseases. The Amazon is home to mare species of plants and animals than any other terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. Some interesting animals live in the Amazon and a lot of them are very rare. For example, a new species of freshwater fish, brown-spider monkey and a frog called â€Å"cowboy frog†, were some of the amazing animals discovered in the Amazon. The animals found in the Amazon are endless. It is amazing the new discoveries that have happened over the years and the new ones to come. The animals in the Amazon have live there longer that humans have lived on this planet. The Amazon is one of the largest natural resources and with overpopulation more and more rainforest are becoming non-existent.

The Importance Of Work Environment Construction Essay

The Importance Of Work Environment Construction Essay 3.1 Introduction This chapter reveals the importance of work environment and gives an over view on different types of office designs and its applications. Unit also provides an insight in to the evolution of the modern offices. Workplace and Its Importance A workplace is the physical work environment and it is very important to a person. The physical work environment is ranked one of the top three factors employees take into account when deciding to accept, decline or leave a job according to research carried out by the American Society of Interiors (ASID, 1999). Employee comfort, flexibility, access to equipments and privacy all depends on the physical work environment. Thus an unsatisfactory physical environment can lead to occupant dissatisfaction. The prime factors the employees value in a work environment (ASID, 2001); Comfort of the work environment, which includes the climate, ergonomics, lighting, noise, privacy, cleanliness and the overall atmosphere. Communication, which is the effective means of communicating internally and externally with co-workers and customers. Easy access to people, equipments and things needed in a workplace. Functionally Efficient making the employees perform their task in an easy and efficient manner and with the effective utilization of space. Workplace Productivity According to Clements-Croome (2000) workplace productivity depends on the following variables; Personal characteristics- the job itself Characteristics of indoor climate- lighting, acoustic, temperature, air quality and workplace layout Social factors- coworkers and the relationships with them Organizational characteristics- structure of the organization and the management Office productivity is a composite of the physical environment and the behavioural environment (Barry P. Haynes, 2007). Physical environment of productivity falls into two main categories: office layout and office comfort. The components distraction, interaction and informal interaction points relate more to the behavioural environment of productivity. Fig 3.3 Validated Theoretical Framework of Office Productivity (Barry P. Haynes, 2007) Factor Name Attributes 1 Comfort Ventilation, heating, natural lighting, artificial lighting, dà ©cor, cleanliness, overall comfort, physical security. 2 Office layout Informal meeting areas, formal meeting areas, quiet areas, quiet areas, privacy, personal storage, general storage, work area-desk and circulation space. 3 Interaction Social interaction, work interaction, creative physical environment, overall atmosphere, position relative to colleagues, position relative to equipment, overall office layout and refreshments. 4 Distraction Interruptions, crowding, noise Table 3.3 Components of Office Productivity (Barry P.Haynes, 2007) The primary goal in building design is designing spaces that are conducive to the tasks being performed in these spaces and to operate building systems in an efficient manner. The indoor air quality (IAQ) deteriorates and energy is wasted when the building systems that regulate and control indoor environmental conditions do not function properly. Conflict in performance requirements between several attributes, such as ventilation, lighting, or temperature can result from poor building performance. The cumulative effect of less than satisfactory performance culminates in environmental stresses perceived by the occupants. Building integrity depends on satisfaction of various factors (Preiser, 1989); Functional/ Spatial Quality Thermal Quality Air Quality Acoustic Quality Visual Quality The researchers have, for the most part, ignored the effects of building indoor environment on productivity and job satisfaction considering the great importance of the workplace, and the stresses related to it. The field studies were usually carried out by industrial organizations to determine the effects of extreme temperature and humidity conditions on workers. Most of the occupants in recent case studies have been highly dissatisfied with an environmental attribute even though some of the technical measurements indicate that current standards are being met. This shows the need to reassess the measurements and standards as they apply to more specific and newly emerging functional requirements. 3.4 Evolution of Modern Office Office is where people come to engage in activities for enterprise persevere and prosper. Office buildings in mid 1800s where rooms rented to a single company or to several firms for clerical and executive business. With a single purpose office building the workplace evolved with advances in construction technology, improvements in office equipment, and developments in organization theory. As the workforce grew, they were accommodated in larger general-purpose office spaces. Bullpens were the placement of enclosed offices on the perimeter created sizable interior spaces where hundreds of clerical workstations were placed in these expansive interior spaces. Fig 3.4 Open bullpen office space in 1926 (Adopted from Denice Jaunzens, 1997, RICS browsed on 09-07-09) It consisted of a rigid arrangement of desks in rows. With no visual or acoustic privacy, noisy, poorly lit environment they provided individual workers uncomfortable places to work. Ergonomics was not considered. A new office design called the Burolandschaft was developed in the late 1950s in Germany, which provide flexible office. Spacious layouts and high-quality furnishings were used. Space was divided into individual work areas tailoring to the occupants needs. Robert Propst, in 1960, developed an unconventional approach to furnishing offices by replacing traditional office furniture as desks and credenzas with furniture components and panels that could be assembled into a wide range of work settings. Storage units, work surfaces and other elements were hung on freestanding panels, which could be arranged as needed to form a complete office work setting. This was the beginning of systems furniture (GSA). Changes occurring in the organization, communication techniques as well as functional conceptions of office space are presented in table. Conventional Contemporary Pattern of Work Routine Individual tasks Isolated 9-5 Creative Group, project work Interactive Extended Occupancy Own desk/office Low utilization Low density Shared as needed High utilization High density Settings Status based Single setting Task based Multiple/varied Settings Table 3.4 Changes in functional concepts of office space (Adopted from Denice Jaunzens, 1997, RICS) 3.5 Types of Office Layouts in Modern Buildings 3.5.1 Closed Plan/Cellular Office In closed plan, full height walls or partitions divide the space into offices and support space by floor-to-ceiling partitions (walls) with doors. It usually has a desk and chair. The people (one or two) working in a cellular office use the same office everyday and leave their working material there. Private offices are situated along the window wall. Administrative support is housed in workstations along corridors or in shared rooms. 3.5.2 Open Plan Office (More Working in Less Space) Open plan office has a large open space and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices. An open plan office saves spaces as compared to cellular offices. Cost, efficiency and communication are the major advantage of open plan. Fig 3.5.2 An open plan office in Abu Dhabi, UAE Open plan provides greater opportunity to maximize the utilization of space than closed plan and minimizes the circulation space required because workstations can be modified slightly to fit available space. The use of systems furniture in open plan can also improve space utilization because a job function can normally be accommodated in less space in a systems furniture workstation than in a closed-plan office. Most of the modern buildings in UAE are implementing open plan offices. This design saves money, promotes teamwork and improves flexibility for future renovations. But many employees view this design as a series of compromises in terms of space, prestige and privacy. As employees consider changing from closed plan to open plan cubicles, they often have concerns about their abilities to work productively in what they anticipate to be noisier, more distracting workplace. The most overwhelming complaint about open plan office design is the lack of acoustic privacy. New Environments for Working The behavioural component of productivity, interaction signifies the importance of work interaction with the functional spaces such as hive, den, club and cell and link analysis which relates to the position relative to the equipment. 3.6.1 Francis Duffy Theory Francis Duffy, chairman of international architectural practice DEGW and one of the leading thinkers and practitioners in the field of office design theorized that office design is closely related to increasing productivity at work through work-based layouts. Francis Duffy bases his theory on two organizational needs privacy and teamwork. This explains the dynamics of change in office design and throws light on the ways in which office layouts are likely to differ and to change. Privacy and teamwork are interrelated with many aspects of office design because they affect workers expectations about the layout and work settings. Duffy identified organizational types as hive, cell, den and club in a way to capture the distinct work patterns and distinctive design features of each. The implications of modern working practices for the specification and performance of building form and environment systems were studied in 1997 by DEGW in collaboration with the Building Research Establishment (BRE) (Laing et al, 1998). This led to the development of a model for design logic in new office comprising of four alternative office layout topologies according to the activities they support. These were designated as; Hive Hive office is characterized by individual routine process work with low levels of interaction and low autonomy. The user sits at the workstations for continuous periods of time. Examples are call centre, customer support offices, BPOs etc. Den Den office is associated with group work, interactive but not highly autonomous. This office is for group working in a simple setting, typically arranged in the open-plan or group room example, workstations in Advertising agency, Sales offices etc Cell Cell offices are for individual concentrated work with little interaction. Individuals occupy the whole office in an intermittent irregular pattern with extended working days, working elsewhere some of the time. This space is highly autonomous for example, CEOs cabins, lawyers Office etc. Club Club offices are for knowledge workers and are highly autonomous and  Ã‚   interactive. Occupancy is intermittent and over an extended working day. For example, conference rooms, meeting area, break-out areas and cafeteria where there are one off meetings, not ongoing interaction between the same people. ` Fig.3.6.1a Arrangement space based on functionality (Adopted from Denice Jaunzens, 1997, RICS) Cell Hive Den Club Fig:3.6.1b Typical arrangement in modern offices according to functionality (Source: http://ergo.in/paw_funatwork.html browsed on 08-08-2009 original source: unknown) 3.6.2 Spaces for Performance For the performance of workers three types of spaces are identified (BCO, 2008); Spaces to concentrate This is to provide space for workers for performing tasks, which require high levels of privacy and attention. These can be separate rooms, designated areas or rooms separated from noise and distraction of the office. These spaces are equipped with furniture and adjustable settings. Spaces to collaborate A collaborate space is a dedicated area for the teams to work and communicate freely. It should be well equipped with white boards, pen, paper, AV equipment etc. Movable furniture and flexible work settings should be there for personalized use. To suit the task and time of day, the lighting should be adjustable. Spaces to contemplate Contemplate space provide a space for the people to recover from stress and noise of the office environment. It should provide calm and noise free environment. Plants and adjustable lighting can make the contemplate space more relaxing. 3.6.3 Integrated Workspace The result of a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to developing and providing workspace, bringing together the organizations strategic real property plan with strategic business goals is Integrated Workplace. It provides the people in a workplace the physical space and tools needed for their success. Integrated workplace provides a flexible, efficient and cost-effective office environment that enhances productivity and retains quality work force. 3.7 Functional arrangement of office space 3.7.1 Link Analysis Link analysis is a technique used to represent relationships between elements in a design. It assesses the links or connections between areas, such as the frequency of peoples movements between two spaces. Applying this technique to the existing office environment will contribute to a conclusion of who needs who for the new office floor layouts. Avoiding any unnecessary movement around the office shall free up any possible hint of congestion. This technique will indicate where links are and most useful, but will not give the frequency. Therefore, an observational study of the current office structure will be concluded to see the frequency of events within the linking system. (Brooks, 1998) Link Analysis before reorganisation Link Analysis after reorganisation layout Fig 3.7.1 Link Analysis (Adopted from Brooks, 1998) Avoiding unnecessary journeys around a workplace can ease areas of congestion and reduce annoyance levels for workers seated near walkways. 3.8 Conclusion The selection of the work place is truly based on the work culture, work style and nature of the job. Workplace selection should be primarily based on the job demands. Each Job has its own requirements and if the facilitator is not able to meet the job demands that will lead to a decline in the productivity of the office workers. Chapter-4 Factors Affecting Workplace Satisfaction and Productivity 4.1 Introduction Before analysing the satisfaction level of the occupants we need to understand the factors related to workplace. This chapter provides and insight to the factors affecting the workplace, sick building syndromes (SBS) and indoor environment quality (IEQ) parameters. 4.2 Common Complaints in a Workplace Key aspects affecting workplace satisfaction and productivity (Hilary Davies, 2005, RICS ): Workplace layout: Most of the modern offices are open-plan to increase flexibility and allow changes in organization size and structure. Open-plan was intended to allow more communication among the co-workers. But according to study conducted by Pekala (2001) the work-success ratio for those who worked in open-plan was 74% less than those in enclosed offices. Thus the occupants were not satisfied with their work environment affecting their productivity. Distractions: In most of the modern offices, noise is more because of workstation density and use of more office equipments. Workplace grids create more distraction. Workers in open plan are 65% more distracted than in private offices (Olson 2000). Increased errors and stress is generated as a result of working in a noisy environment. Thus noise impacts productivity (Leaman and Bordass 1999) and 70% of the occupants agreed that productivity can be increased by decreasing the office noise (Carsia 2002) . Comfort, Health and Well-being: Air quality and ergonomics are the major areas which affect the occupants health and work environment. Repetitive strain injuries affect the health of the occupants leading to back pain and rehabilitation. Studies conducted by Kruk (1989) showed that an ergonomically designed chair can increase the occupant satisfaction in an office by 15%. Indoor air pollution also affects the occupant productivity which inturn can cause sick building syndrome (SBS). Indoor Environment: Indoor environmental factors such as insufficient day-light, lighting, smelly air, acoustics causes occupant dissatisfaction and discomfort. Occupant satisfaction and productivity is inter-related. 79% of the employees surveyed in a Steelcase survey (2003) believed that the physical environment had an impact on occupant satisfaction. Frequently reported unfavorable conditions in UK offices were: high/low temperatures, stale air, noise problems, low quality lighting and insufficient day-light (Clements-Croome and Kaluarachchi , 2000). Personal Control: This is one of the major problems affecting occupant satisfaction. Most of the occupants can be satisfied with individual control over their environment and when they are allowed to participate in the design decisions. Efficiency and morale increases when occupants are allowed to reconfigure their workplaces (Stern, 1991). The difference between a tolerable and intolerable workspace is the ability to fine-tune locally. The ability to control climate, reducing glare by able to move the desk, able to open the window, quiet space, storage space all boost employee satisfaction and productivity according to the survey by Knoll. Employee Stress: Stress affecting the occupants can be various. This can be work-related stress due to increased workload or inadequate resources or less time, stress from home and life aspirations. High stress office environment can result from unsupportive, monitoring supervisors and low levels of job control (Kaplan and Arnoff, 1996). An open plan office with less privacy, increased noise and disturbances can also lead to low levels of psychological privacy. Thus dissatisfaction with the physical environment lead to decreased job performance. 4.3 Spatial Comfort Productivity As the offices shrink in size, dimensions of the office furniture become more important to the worker. Occupant in a building evaluates spatial comfort in terms of the amount of space they have, storage and ergonomic comfort of furniture. Key aspects of office furniture, such as work surface dimension, file storage; partition height and choice of accessories also affect spatial comfort. Smaller offices and workstations at higher densities cause users to be more aware of the amount of work surface they have. All these have a direct impact on the functional comfort and performance of work in an office. Although modern office furniture is physically comfort, corporate tendency to standardize office and workstation layouts (one size fits all) and to density layouts at the cost of spaces to meet and work together makes a certain percentage of users functionally uncomfortable. Factors such as proximity to co-workers, varying partition height to enable contact with some colleagues and protect from contact with circulation areas and other workgroups, proximity to spaces to meet and work together and convenient access to shared storage and equipment all have a direct effect on how well people work. Spatial comfort affects productivity of the occupants in a building as workspace size, configuration, storage and shared work areas directly affect the performance of individual and team tasks. Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a term used to describe a situation where the occupants in a building experience acute health or comfort problems during the time spent time in a particular building. The complaints can be widespread in a building or confined to a particular room or zone. The condition is temporary and most of the occupants find relief once they are out of the building. But some buildings can have long-term problems. According to the World Health Organization (1984 Committee Report) 30% of the new and re-modeled buildings may be the subject of excessive complaints related to indoor air quality (IAQ). Frequently reported symptoms or complaints of SBS are (Thad Godish, 1995); Sensory irritation in eyes, nose and throat Neurotoxic or general health problems such as headache, sluggishness, mental fatigue, dizziness, reduced memory Skin Irritations Nonspecific hypersensitivity reactions as running nose, asthma-like symptoms Odor and taste sensations 4.4.1 Causes of Sick Building Syndrome According to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) investigation, the primary contributor to SBS is inadequate ventilation. Air contamination from sources within the building such as copying machines was reported to be major cause of contamination. Other indoor sources like adhesives, carpeting, upholstery, manufactured wood products, pesticides, and cleaning agents may emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) including formaldehyde, which can affect the health of the occupants, and at high concentrations be carcinogens. Chemical contaminants from outdoor sources which can enter the building through poorly located air intake vents, windows, and other openings and biological contaminants like bacteria, molds, pollen, and viruses can also cause sick building symptoms. 4.5 Indoor Environment Quality (IEQ) The IEQ in a building can affect the health, comfort and well-being of the occupant and intern the productivity of work. Indoor Environment Quality is used to describe air quality and the attributes of enclosed spaces. The key components of IEQ are; Indoor air quality Thermal comfort Acoustic environment quality Luminous and visual environment quality 4.5.1 Indoor Air Quality Indoor air quality is a major concern as it can have a major impact on occupant health, .90% of the people spent their time indoor and most of their in an office environment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency studies show that there can be more indoor pollutant levels than found outside which can increase the risk of illness. Indoor air pollution is ranked the most important environmental health problem. An improved indoor air quality can result in higher productivity. The factors that affect indoor air quality are; pollutants or odors; building ventilation systems; moisture and humidity occupant perceptions and susceptibilities Fig 4.5.1 Under floor air distribution system (Source:http://www.cbe.berkeley.edu/underfloorair/typicaloffice.htm browsed on 10-07-09) 4.5.2 Thermal Comfort Thermal comfort is defined as the subjective satisfaction with the thermal environment (Bligh and Johnson, 1975). Thermal comfort is the psychological state of mind and affects the overall morale of a person. Productivity decreases in a workplace as employee complaints may increase and in some cases people may refuse to work in a particular environment. Air temperature, radiant heat, humidity and air movement are factors of thermal environment which may also contribute to the symptoms of sick building syndrome.(HSE Guidance) 4.5.3 Acoustic environment quality An important attribute of commercial office building design is acoustics. One of the most prevalent annoyance sources in offices is noise which can lead to stress for occupants to maintain a high level satisfaction and moral health among occupants a good acoustic environment is very essential. The major sources of dissatisfaction include: Speech interruptions, such as people talking over the phone, in adjacent areas and corridors Equipment noise Excessive background noise from HVAC and lighting systems Lack of conversational privacy Lack of personal control over noise levels Space being acoustically too lively or too dead Fig 4.5.3 An open plan office with no acoustic privacy (Source:http://www.rockwool.com/acoustics/acoustical+comfort/acoustic+in+special+buildings/offices browsed 10-07-09) The levels of background noise and speech privacy and separation between particular types of spaces have important implication for the work environment and productivity of building occupants. Distractions due to the sound of speech have been found to be significantly problematic especially in open plan offices. This is because speech is more distracting than unintelligible speech or sounds with no information content. Conversely, office spaces with low background noise can have poor levels of speech privacy, which can also hinder communication. (Peter Newton, Keith Hampson, 2009) 4.5.4 Luminous and visual environment quality The luminous and visual environment quality is the totality of the characteristics of a building, which affects the occupants visual perceptions. The occupants abilities to perform tasks will be affected by the luminous and visual environment if they are visually intensive. Occupant perceptions can be affected by the following (Peter Newton, Keith Hampson, 2009): Luminance levels (ambient and task) for different task and their uniformity Glare levels and reflections in computer screens Levels of personal control through task lighting, shading or dimmers Access to daylight and views Lighting characteristics, such as color temperature and ballast flicker Visual appeal and color scheme of interior design Fig 4.5.4 An Office with abundant daylight for the entire office to gather (Source: http://images.businessweek.com/ss/06/12/1201_idea_factory/source/8.htm 12-07-09) Dissatisfaction with the visual environment can be due to limited access to daylight, inappropriate light levels, glare levels and lack of control over the environment. Appropriate task lighting and integration of day lighting and electric lighting systems for ambient lighting wherever feasible can be introduced for improving the luminous and visual environment and maximizing occupant comfort,. 4.6 Office Ergonomics Ergonomics incorporates the scientific and engineering disciplines that are concerned with the humans at work. An ergonomically designed workspace enhances peoples well-being, make work easy to do and allow people to perform efficiently (Kroemer, 2001). The elements of ergonomic assessment include general physical activity, lifting and handling, work postures and movements, accident risk, job content, job restrictiveness, worker communication and personal contacts, decision making, repetitiveness of the work, the need for attentiveness, lighting and vision, thermal environment and noise. Ergonomic parameters which are required in the design of a workstation are (Craig A. Langston, 2003); seat height with feet flat on the floor height to top of thigh when seated (for desk height) eye height above seat level (for use of computer) height from seat to underside of elbow (for arm rest height) near reach when seated and far reach when seated, affecting spread of equipment and functions on a desk and adjacent surfaces Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI) is the common type of injury due to poorly designed workstation. The RSI develops slowly and affects many parts of the body. An ergonomically designed workstation can reduce the possibility of RSI. Fig 3.8 An Ergonomically designed Workstation (Adopted from David A. Madsen, 1990) 4.7 Conclusion Every workstation has pros and cones while comparing openness, flexibility, privacy etc. While analysing the workplace satisfaction level the selection of type of workstation is an important factor. Furniture, accessories, flooring, ceiling, HVAC System, lighting, sound insulation, color schemes, interior design themes and corporate identity are the other ]factors affecting the satisfaction level of the occupants. Low Quality building design or interior design and poor maintenance will lead to sick building syndromes (SBS). Next chapter elaborates the method of research conducted to identify the facts.

Minority Report: From Story to Screen Essay -- Movies Film Comparison

Minority Report: From Story to Screen Adaptations are never carbon copies. A prime example is Philip K. Dick’s short story and Steven Spielberg’s 2002 film, Minority Report. The structure of the storytelling is indeed different as well as other key elements. The narrative transforms its structure into a more episodic approach when brought to the screen. Words on paper take on a new identity when brought to life on a visual basis. Philip K. Dick’s Minority Report, written in 1956, was ahead of its time. The short story explores the consequences of technology and science and how the technology echoes the present state of society. Both the story and the film emphasize the same basic themes, however the actual plot is almost completely diverse. The film takes place around the year 2054. For five years (six in the film), the Pre-Crime Unit has successfully made murder a thing of the past. Their astounding technology is credited to three pre-cogs. These â€Å"idiot† pre-cogs identify killers before they commit their crimes, drastically cutting the crime rate by â€Å"ninety-nine and a decimal point eight percent† (in the film this rate was zero) (Dick 74). However, this infallible system runs amuck when Commander Anderton, played by Tom Cruise, is accused of a future murder. Anderton finds himself with only 24 hours (36 in the film) to discover who set him up and in the process, flee fr om the hands of the authority he once governed. If he fails, Anderton will fall victim to the perfect system he co-created. Both the story and the film are suspenseful and ask the question, â€Å"Is pre-crime justified?† The notion of innocent until proven guilty is virtually discarded. The accused murderers are based upon pure metaphysics... ...short story, it would be pretty dull. The timeliness of Minority Report is uncanny, given the current situation in politics. Philip K. Dick’s short story emerged in 1956. The script for the film, written by Jon Cohen and Scott Frank, was completed well in advance of the shock of the post-9/11 terror frenzy. Dick’s intuitions of pre-crime enforcement have been brought to the big screen at just the moment when his seemingly sixth-sense is starting to be seen in real life. Both the story and the film warn the future of society of the suffocating effects of an encroaching police state. Works Cited Dick, Philip K. Minority Report and Other Classic Stories. New York City: Citadel Press, 1987. 71-102. Minority Report. Dir. Steven Spielberg. Perf. Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton. DVD. Twentieth Century Fox and Dreamworks, 2002.

Graduation Speech -- Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Welcome fellow graduates and honored guests to the sixtieth anniversary of commencement for Stoll Community College. For those graduating, this day marks the culmination of a period of courage, commitment, and accomplishment. For these reasons, I am greatly honored to be chosen as student speaker for this outstanding class of graduates and I hope that my words will give a measure of justice to the significant event that has brought all of you here tonight. Hopefully, we will laugh a little, perhaps cry, and give some much-deserved praise. For the class of 2012, this is our night to shine, to pat ourselves on the back, to say "Well done. Good job." And as we take center stage to receive our degrees we are also going to lift the curtain and recognize the people behind the scenes. People like the three individuals I am now going to tell you about. Though you may never have personally met any of them, I am certain you have met people like them in your careers as students. They are the embodiment of why we are here tonight. Her name is Mary. She was born towards the end of the Great Depression and, while still very young, she contracted polio. Now, imagine if you can, what it is like to live in the shadow of an illness that substantially impairs your ability walk without pain or climb a flight of stairs without handrails or assistance. What would you do? How would you live your life? Mary stepped out of the shadow and endeavored to live life beyond any physical limitation. When her three children had grown and moved away, when her foster children had all found permanent homes, she enrolled in college. Reaching for what others said would be impossible, she graduated with honors from Stoll Community College 35 years ago. Two year... ... word. Most importantly, thank them for the unconditional love they continue to show. Mom, thank you for everything, I love you very much. Mi esposa, mi BeBe, te quero mucho. Feliz aniversario. Later, when all of tonight's excitement and nervousness has subsided, thank yourself. You have earned it. To graduate is a great accomplishment; whether you started ten or two years ago matters not, what matters is the determination and hard work that brought you to this moment. Your moment to shine. And so, as you prepare to walk through a new door, as you set new and challenging goals for yourselves, remember to keep your eyes focused forward because the future is sure to be adventurous, full of laughter, hope, achievement, gratitude, and inspiration. Congratulations to the class of 2006 on this, the sixtieth anniversary of commencement for Stoll Community College.

Mercedes :: essays research papers

The 1996 Mercedes E320 sustained crash damage to the passenger side front. After we set up and measured the vehicle on the caro-liner frame rack, we found there to be extensive panel, sub frame, and suspension damage. Including consequential interior damage, IE; Driver/passenger airbags deployed, dash panel assembly, and passenger airbags deployed, dash panel assembly, and passenger side mirror. After a complete damage assessment report, we then began disassembly of all damaged panels and assemblies. After the disassembly we decided which parts would be salvaged off of our 1997 Mercedes E320, which parts would be purchased new or those which would need to be straightened and refinished. Once the damaged panels were removed we were able to attach the 10-ton hydraulic ram assembly to the frame rack and began the frame straightening repairs. Our initial pulls were to fix the sway problem of the passenger side front sub frame. This was accomplished by wrapping a chain around the misaligned sub frame, pulling in a straight, level manner opposite the direction of the misalignment. We did several pulls in this manner, stress relieving, before and during, with a ball peen hammer before repositioning for the next pull until brought back into specification. We then positioned our 10-ton ram to the passenger front for repair of the frame rail mash and sag situation sustained on impact. We wrapped the chain around crash impact bar and used it as the hook up point for our pulls. Pulling and stress receiving until it also was within specifications. Our final pull was to the suspension passenger side A-arm. We simply attached our chains to the A-arm and pulled it back into positio n. At this point, we could now begin sectioning and panel removal. This was first done by deciding which panels were to be removed and which were to be repaired. Then all of the spot welds that needed to be removed were marked with a paint marker, so as to only to remove the necessary welds. Some spot welds were located underneath seam sealer and or insulation. We then removed the material with a hand torch to burn the seam sealer, then a steel bristled brush to scratch off the burnt material. We then center drilled all of the marked spot welds with an 1/8† drill bit, followed up by a 5/16† spot weld removal bit to drill out the spot welds along all of the panels to be removed.

Lust

Tana Broadway Mrs. Thomas EN 2000 Intro to Literature March 14, 2013 The Theme of Susan Minot’s â€Å"Lust† The theme of Susan Minot’s story â€Å"Lust† illustrates that in a space where love should be, there is emptiness and overwhelming sadness. Even though the girl realizes that happiness doesn’t come from sexual relationships, she continues to have sex with the boys anyway. Minot’s protagonists, mostly women, are in search of love. Romantic love is her aim. The young girl in this short story tries to fulfill that hole by having sex with multiple boys, in hopes of them caring and loving her.Minot was born in Massachusetts. Minot got her education at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island. She found love, and then was married six weeks after they meet and are now separated. So she is also looking for someone to love. At the beginning of the story she is just experimenting with sex, as the story goes on she starts not remembering the b oys names and progresses into an even deeper sadness and emptiness. To begin with, Susan Minot portrays the girl in the story as someone trying to find herself, but doesn’t know how.The boys show her attention that makes her feel good and that feeling only last for the time she is with them. This becomes a cycle with many boys. She gets so involved with boys that she put them before her own interests, as stated in the story,† I could do some things well. Some things I was good at, like math or painting or even sports, but the second a boy put his arm around me, I forgot about wanting to do anything else, which I felt like a relief at first until it became like sinking into muck. (Minot 230). Her sexual appetite left her feeling empty inside. She wondered if there was something wrong with her. When a guy would ask her to sleep with them, instead of saying no, she would do it because she didn’t have anything else to say. The girl would keep having sex just to pleas e the guy. In the story, she says, â€Å"So I’d go because I couldn’t think of something to say back that wouldn’t be obvious, and if you go out with them, you sort of have to do something. †(Minot 231)As stated in Minot’s biography, in â€Å"Lust†, the characters are wistful; they can’t quite understand what it is they stand to gain from their sexual relationships, even though they need them like bodies need water. Women pursue and are pursued by men in a fast- whirling social environment that includes cocaine-snorting and glamorous careers in film and journalism. Minot’s sure rhythms capture the hard-boiled verities of this party life. Susan Minot grew up in Manchester, Mass. , was in college when her mother was killed in an automobile accident.She kept a journal from the age of 13, and after graduating from Brown, moved to New York in 1980 so she could write. She waitressed while completing her master’s of fine arts d egree at Columbia University’s Writing Division. WORK CITED McCLURG, JOCELYN, AND Book E. Courant. â€Å"A Leap from Love and Lust to World of Repressed Love Susan Minot’s Variations on Theme of Love. â€Å"Hartford Courant: 0. Proquest. Nov 04 1992. Web. 11 Mar. 2013 Minot, Susan. â€Å"Lust† Literature to Go. Ed. Michael Meyer. Boston: Bedford/ St. Martin’s, 2011. 229-236. Print. â€Å"Susan (Anderson) Minot Biography. † – Love, York, Lust, and Walter. N. p. , n. d. Web. 21 Mar. 2013.

The British-German naval rivalry as a contributing factor to the start of World War One

Introduction One the main arguments that have been presented in order to understand the reasons for the beginning of World War One revolves around the growth of military capabilities in the European continent in the period leading up to the start of the conflagration. Among the immediate causes cited for the beginning of hostilities was the naval rivalry that unfolded between the United Kingdom and Germany, particularly in the 1960-1914 period (Churchill, 1923: 119). Upon the establishment of the German Kingdom in 1871, Britain was in possession of the biggest naval forces in the world (Kelly, 2011: 20). In order to entrench the position of Germany in the European political order, Emperor Wilhelm II launched a strategy that was centred around extending the projection of power of the German High Seas Fleet (Clark, 2012: 116). This policy was seconded by the German Imperial Naval Office which, under the stewardship of Admiral Alfred Von Tirpitz, became an influential force in expanding the countryà ¢â‚¬â„¢s naval fleet to 2/3 of the size of the Royal Navy (Von Tirpitz, 1920: 134). This essay argues that the British-German naval rivalry contributed the advent of the First World War due to the fact that it compelled London to enter the conflagration in order to maintain the balance of power in the European political order and to preserve its commercial interests in the wider world. These became seriously threatened by the expansion of German naval capabilities. The first part of the essay outlines the historical and geopolitical circumstances involved in the British-German naval rivalry. Particular attention is given to the way in which the United Kingdom reacted to the decision of the German Empire to extend its sea power to the wider world as well as the geopolitical implications involved in the decision to resist the expansion of Germany’s naval capabilities. The second part of the essay examines the way in which those considerations were brought to bear in the decision to enter World War One.The British-German naval rivalry during the period leading u p to the First World WarThe plan for the expansion of German naval capabilities responded to the geopolitical situation that was taking place in Southern Africa in the context of the Boer War (Weir, 1992: 81). When British forces invaded Transvaal at the end of the nineteenth century, plans were put in place in order to place a blockade on Germany, catering for the possibility that the imperial forces may try to intervene in the conflict (Kelly, 2002: 1048). This move would have potentially resulted in severe dislocations to the German economy, which depended on foreign raw materials and markets for its continued expansion (Kelly, 2011: 29). The extension of German naval capabilities was therefore geared towards securing the conditions for the country’s long term economic growth (Grey, 1925: 17). From a technical standpoint, the launch of HMS Dreadnought in 1906 exacerbated the intensity of the German-British naval race. The Dreadnought became the first battleship that opera ted a synchronised main battery (Churchill, 1923: 188; Weir, 1992: 39). In addition, it also possessed the highest speed of any other vessel commissioned for military service due to the fact that it ran on steam engines (Wilson, 1985: 55; Lambert, 2002: 22). It is worth mentioning that the naval hegemony possessed by the United Kingdom became a more costly exercise with the rise of Germany and other revisionist states in the late nineteenth century (Neilson, 1995: 99; Kelly, 2011: 46). This state of affairs had prompted the United Kingdom to adopt the ‘Two-Power standard’, which provided that the British naval forces had to be at least as powerful as the next two strongest navies (France and Russia) (Clark, 2012: 122; Steinberg, 1985: 59). In the period leading up to the advent of the First World War there was a great deal of popular support in both countries for a continuation of the policy of naval expansion. It is worth mentioning that in spite of the race for expanded naval capabilities, British sea power had been severely curtailed by the eve of the First World War. (Von Tirpitz, 1920: 136) There are a number of observations that can be made in order to explain this occurrence (Kelly, 2002: 1055). To begin with, Britain was under severe financial constraints due its ever decreasing share of word trade and political unrest at home, marked by the demands for social justice exerted by the trade union movement and the Labour Party (Weir, 1992: 33; Kelly, 2011: 190). In addition, the expansion of the American Navy as well as the efforts of the German Naval Office to extend the country’s sea power contributed to the diminished capacity of the Royal Navy to project its capabilities in the wider world. In spite of these developments, it is safe to argue that the United Kingdom had the greatest naval power upon entering World War One (Grey, 1925: 23). Furthermore, the country ensured the continuation of its relative superiority in the sea by entering into an alliance with Russia and France, geared towards counterbalancing the emerging central bloc constituted by Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy (Wilson, 1985: 59). The Entente Cordiale, signed between Britain and France in 1904, came about as a result of the willingness of the German Empire to enlarge their commercial reach to the wider world, particularly in Africa where both nations had substantial colonial interests (Von Tirpitz, 1920: 130; Clark, 2012: 124). The establishment and preservation of a German colonial system was to be carried out through the expansion of the nation’s naval capabilities (Lambert, 2002: 25). The British Foreign Office was aware of the grand geopolitical designs of the German Empire. Some of its most prominent members distinguished a distinct revisionist stance on the part of Germany, which they likened to the hegemonic drive of France’s Napoleon a century earlier (Grey, 1925: 44). The preservation of naval superiority and the establishment of political alliances with like-minded nations were conducive to abandoning the policy of neutrality in European affairs and to engage in an act of balancing agai nst Germany (Clark, 2012: 144). The threat of a German revisionist drive was outlined by Eyre Crowe, an official at the Western Department of the British Foreign office, in his famous memorandum of 1907. Crowe emphasised the need to maintain naval supremacy in order to preserve the freedom of the seas and international commerce, ‘In proportion as England champions the principle of the largest measure of general freedom of commerce, she undoubtedly strengthens her hold on the interested friendship of other nations, at least to the extent of making them feel less apprehensive of naval supremacy in the hands of a free trade England than they would in the face of a predominant protectionist Power’ (Crowe, 1907). The British diplomatic establishment was aware of the dangers of a revisionist Germany for world peace. At the same time, there was an expressed preoccupation with the possibility that the extension of German naval resources may result in a diminution of British sea power (McDermott in Kennedy (ed.), 1979: 81). This is what transpires from a statement made to the House of Commons in 1911 by Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary, ‘Germany is rightly proud of her strength. She is building a big fleet. Surely it is natural and obvious that the growth of that fleet must raise apprehensions, or at least make other nations very sensitive to apprehensions, lest the Power which is becoming strong should have aggressive designs towards themselves. I do not believe in these aggressive designs. I do not wish to have it interpreted in that sense, but I think it must be realised that other nations will be apprehensive and sensitive, and on the lookout for any indications of aggression. All we or the other neighbours of Germany desire is to live with her on equal terms’ (Grey, 1911). The geopolitical implications of the rise of Germany were tied to the establishment of a naval network capable of sustaining the growing commercial influence of the nation in the wider world. However, it should be mentioned that in 1912 the German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, approached the British authorities in order to put an end to the naval race between the two countries (Kennedy, 1983: 120). The Chancellor’s approach might have been motivated by the need to overcome the increasing isolation of Germany in the European political order. The British authorities responded by sending Richard Haldane, the Secretary of State for War, to negotiate the terms of the detente with Imperial Germany (Grey, 1925: 33). However, this mission failed due to the German proposal to accept the naval dominance of the United Kingdom in return for London’s neutral stance in the case of a general conflagration and the assurance that the Berlin would not be branded as the aggre ssor (McDermott in Kennedy (ed.), 1979: 86). The visit of Lord Haldane to Berlin revealed some of the geopolitical concerns regarding the revisionist stance adopted by Germany (Kennedy, 1980: 60). Winston Churchill, who had been a member of the Liberal Cabinet, argued that whilst for Germany the maintenance of naval capabilities was a ‘luxury’, for Britain it a was a ‘necessity’ (Churchill, 1923: 144). Here we see an attempt by a prominent British politician to downplay the importance of the construction of naval resources on the part of Germany (Kennedy, 1980: 67). This was done in order to reinforce the notion that British naval superiority was a feature of the European and international political order that was not to be challenged (Kelly, 2011: 173). As we will see in the next section, the geopolitical considerations pertaining to the possibility of German supremacy in the continent constituted a significant factor in the British decision to enter into the First World War (Epkenhans, 2008: 122). The impact of the British-German naval rivalry in London’s decision to enter into the First World War In regards to the outbreak of hostilities, it should be argued that the arms race that took place between the United Kingdom and the Germany drove both nations to enter into the war (McDermott in Kennedy (ed.), 1979: 99). Additionally, the inimical interests of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empires in the Balkans made their participation in the war inevitable. France embarked upon the pursuit of war as a consequence of the invasion by the German forces and its alliance commitments to Russia (Kennedy, 1989: 91). It could be posited that one of the most salient aspects of World War One is constituted by the British participation in the war in order to balance the revisionist drive of the German Empire. From this perspective, the British entry into the war may be regarded as an attempt to maintain an equilibrium of forces in the European political order. This balance of power was tilting towards Germany in a decisive manner, since the country adopted the decision to build up its nava l resources that severely threatened British supremacy at sea (Clark, 2012: 132). There is an established consensus on a segment of the scholarship that is centred on the idea that the United Kingdom had become increasingly wary about the intention of the German imperial government to increase its naval capabilities (Massie, 1991: 20). The Reichsflotte Doctrine, propounded by Admiral Tirpitz, revolved around the notion that Germany was impelled to prop up its naval resources in order to be able to inflict damage to the Royal Navy in case of a war (Kelly, 2002: 1037). However, it should be mentioned that in 1912 the German Chancellor, Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, approached the British authorities in order to put an end to the naval race between the two countries (Kennedy, 1983: 120). The Chancellor’s approach might have been motivated by the need to overcome the increasing isolation of Germany in the European political order. The British authorities responded by sending Richard Haldane, the Secretary of State for War, to negotiate the terms of the detente with Imperial Germany (Grey, 1925: 33). This would force the United Kingdom to enter into an alliance with Germany. However, it may be stated that the position of the United Kingdom was one of the defiance, preferring the option of entering into the First World War in order to prevent the possibility that Germany may achieve geopolitical supremacy in the European continent and a broader projection of power into the wider world (Epkenhans, 2008: 101). During the decade that preceded the advent of World War One, the United Kingdom made considerable preparations in order to cater for the eventuality of hostilities against Germany (Kennedy, 1980: 109). In addition to the signing of diplomatic treaties with France and Russia, the United Kingdom also entered into an alliance with Japan, in order to devote their attention to the emerging geopolitical scenario in the European theatre (Modelski and Thompson, 1988: 19). The acceleration of the naval race that took place during the 1908-12 period left an indelible impression on the mindset of British foreign policy makers (Clark, 2012: 141). The shift from a naval to an army doctrine by Germany in 1812 did not assuage tensions between the two countries, as it became another instrument to exert potential domination over the British allies: France and Russia (Massie, 1991: 50). Some alternative explanations to Britain’s entry into World War One gyrate around the idea that London did no t just seek to contain the naval prowess of Germany but to attain a situation in which the other competitors would see their sea power diminished (Kennedy, 1989: 133). For example, the Russian Empire, which had experienced significant economic growth in the last two decades before the war, could have potentially threatened British interests in India (Kennedy, 1980: 11). The British Raj could not have been defended by its tiny armed forces in case of an overland Russian invasion. This prompted London to seek an alliance with Russia, which was duly effectuated in 1907 (Steinberg, 1973: 201; Kennedy, 1983: 50). From this perspective, confecting a German naval threat would be conducive to reassuring France and Russia that only the Royal Navy could provide an equilibrium of forces in the seas (Massie, 1991: 56). Therefore, the British-German rivalry also has to be assessed in the context of British diminution of power due to the rise of revisionist powers such as Japan and Germany (Kelly, 2002: 1036). In addition, the rise of the United States as the largest economy in the world also played into the geopolitical considerations of British foreign policy makers on the eve of World War One (Modelski and Thompson, 1988: 21).The antagonism regarding the naval race between the United Kingdom and Germany has to be appraised in the context of the actual erosion of British power (McDermott in Kennedy (ed.), 1979: 93). Consequently, British policy revolved around the principle of avoiding the rise of a naval competitor that could threaten its imperial possessions, rather than a revisionist power that could attain supremacy in the continent (Epkenhans, 2008: 55). It could be stated that the strategy that led to British entry into World War One was centred around the maintenance of naval supremacy through the introduction of ships that would be able to rise to the challenge of an attack against any of Britain’s imperial possessions (Kennedy, 1989: 139). It was known at the time that Germany did not pose an immediate threat to British Empire. However, the United Kingdom was compelled to enter into World War One in order to prevent a situation in which a victorious Germany would be in a position to reconfigure the geopolitical map through the accumulation of naval forces with France and Russia (Steinberg, 1973: 199; Neilson, 1995: 55). G erman supremacy in the European continent would have eventually resulted in naval dominance by an entente between Germany and the vanquished powers (Kennedy, 1983: 88). The British-German naval rivalry was a significant factor in Britain’s entry into World War One due to the potential ramifications of a German victory in the continent, rather than as a response to its potential supremacy over the European continent (Kelly, 2002: 1034). Conclusion By way of conclusion, it should be noted that the naval rivalry between the United Kingdom and Germany exerted a significant amount of influence in the decision to enter into the First World War. Prompted by Berlin’s accumulation of naval resources, the United Kingdom attempted to preserve its relative superiority in the sea by forging an alliance with Russia and France (Clark, 2012: 155; Steinberg, 1985: 59). This was geared towards counterpoising the looming threat constituted by the associative framework between Germany, Austria-Hungary and Italy. The Entente Cordiale originated from the need to counterbalance the German Empire’s to commercial and military reach into the wider world, especially in regions where both France and the United Kingdom had substantial colonial interests (Churchill, 1923: 213). The British political establishment was well aware of the geopolitical constructs of the German Empire, which was compared to the hegemonic drive instigated by Napoleon in the early part of the nineteenth century (Steinberg, 1973: 196; Kennedy, 1989: 129). It may be argued that the motivations that led to British entry into the First World War were centred around the need to preserve naval supremacy through the retrofitting of the Royal Navy’s capabilities in order to fend off the challenge of an attack against any of Britain’s imperial possessions (Epkenhans, 2008: 81). For all the reasons to be cited above, it could be concluded that the United Kingdom entered into the First World War in order to avoid a situation in which German supremacy in the European continent would result in an eventual naval alliance between Germany and its former enemies (Neilson, 1995: 61). Consequently, the British-German naval rivalry was an important factor in London’s decision to enter into World War One, as the potential geopolitical implications of a German victory would have involved an eventual threat to British possessions overseas. These were to be defended at all costs. Even at the expense of entering into a war that diminished the standing of the United Kingdom in world affairs and which did not manage to sort out the position of Germany in the European political spectrum. Bibliography Churchill, W. (1923) The World Crisis, 1911-1914, T London : Thornton Butterworth Limited Clark, C. 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(1992) Building the Kaiser’s Navy: The Imperial Navy Offi ce and German Industry in the Von Tirpitz Era, 1890-1919, Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, Wilson, K. (1985) The Policy of the Entente: Essays on the Determinants of British Foreign Policy, Cambridge Cambridge University Press,