Protecting the Environment

After consideration, I would have thought deeper before making a decision. One of the examples is that I will think of other possibilities and ways of disposing an unwanted item. This is because our actions might seem little and can do much harm to the environment but as time passes by and all our actions are added up together and this might cause chaos in the future. Damaging the environment is not a petty issue. Planet earth as we all live in seems to be the only planet that is capable of supporting human life. Once it is damage beyond repair, it might wipe out our species. In the effort of protecting the environment, we will consider the effect of our actions before making decisions. Will our actions do any good to the environment or will it continue to harm the environment? This is the question that must be thought of when taking actions. As we all know, we do not have centuries to go anymore. Scientist around the globe is already complaining about the effect of global warming and the unstable environment that we all have nowadays. We have only a few more decade to go before we totally wipe out the ice berg at the north and south pole. Once the ice is melted, all sort of extreme and outrages weather will occur. Recycling is a very basic but important action that everyone should adopt now. In the wake of global warming right now, it is important that we recycle. The needs to recycle is base on the fact that our natural resources are diminishing . If we do not recycle, factories will have to process the raw material and this will result in more heat release into the environment. A very basic way to recycle is to separate our rubbish into papers, metal and glass. Others waste such as food can be use to make compose. Besides recycling, we will also reuse thing that can be use again such as food containers and shopping bags. Food containers can be kept and put aside. It can be use to keep food when needed. Shopping bags can also be use to carry things when we go shopping. Using shopping bags will eliminate the needs for plastic bags. Many of the plastic bags that most of the shops offer are non biodegradable. This material will not be eliminated unless burned. Once it is burned, it will release a poisonous gas which will cause air pollution. Open burning is also an important issue relating to the environment. It will cause air pollution and also release great amount of heat and carbon dioxide into the environment. Open burning is really unnecessary for household because if we manage our garbage well and put it in the plastic bags, the rubbish collector will just bring those garbage away. Burning the forest to open new lands is also unacceptable. This action will cause discomfort to many people and if it is not manage well, the fire will spread and unwanted accident might happen. We should all prevent using the air conditioning at home because it will release a type of gas which will destroy the ozone layer. Once the ozone is destroy, people that stay in that area will get skin cancers. To keep our body cool, we should use fan instead. It does not consume that much electricity as air conditioner and it does not harm the environment. We should also drink more cold water or take cool bath to warm our body when the weather is hot. We should also educate our friends and family about ways to protect the environment. If possible, everyone should get educated. If everyone is focusing to protect the environment, many unwanted disasters will be prevented. In the deontological theory point of view, it can be easily seen that it is everyone’s duty to protect the environment. Everyone must do his part to protect the environment so that the next generations to come will have a better place to live in.

Distance Education Versus Face-to-Face Learning Essay

December 1 , 2009 Persuasive Essay – Game Theories Has Virtual Reality Taken Things Too Far? Distance Education versus Face-to-Face Learning In Clive Thompson’s â€Å"Game Theories†, the author illustrates how virtual worlds, such as Everquest and Second Life, have surprisingly become much like the real world. Everquest is an online virtual reality video game that allows individuals to create fictional characters to â€Å"generate goods as they play, often by killing creatures for their treasure and trading it† (Thompson 332). This has created an economy-like setting in he game but has eventually evolved to leak into the real world economy by exchanging real money for the purchase of virtual characters and their winnings. Thompson’s article shows how the line between virtual reality and real world reality often becomes blurry, encouraging people to consider ways where virtual technology can enhance and possibly replace the current systems already in place. However, not everything done through computers and virtual technology are as effective as one thinks. Sometimes, the traditional way of doing things are perfectly fine and more effective Just the way they are. Distance education, in particular, is a phenomenon that has been a growing popular alternative to traditional face-to-face education. I am here to argue that learning behind a computer at home cannot effectively replace the traditional face- to-face education offered at colleges and universities. Difficulty in self-directed learning and instructional misunderstandings can occur in any online course, a lack of a set schedule allows for distractions and procrastination, non-existent interaction inhibits growth and learning, and the probability of cheating is greater among online tudents versus campus students. Although there are many people who favor the online-learning alternative, this paper will challenge their confidence and counter- arguments on the issue. Distance education can be quite difficult. There are several courses that have concepts that can be quite tricky and complicated to understand, especially if one is learning on their own using a textbook. Shelia Tucker, an assistant professor at East Carolina University, stated that â€Å"students learn far too little when the teacher’s personal presence is not available because the student has far more to learn from he teacher than texts† (par. 2). For example, an accounting teacher can easily explain the advanced calculation of earnings per share and diluted earnings per share through the use of their own methods and organizational charts. Learning the same topic but reading texts from a course book can be quite challenging without a teacher to provide tips and tricks for remembering the formulas. As I am an accounting student aspiring to be a CGA, I am tremendously afraid of entering their factors influencing completion and non-completion of community college online ourses, â€Å"students indicated that online learning did not fit their learning style preference. Comments were received from students that they could not get a response from their instructor, the materials were not available, and the course was confusing† (Aragon & Johnson 155). Because of the difficulty experienced in online courses, â€Å"some community colleges are reporting drop-out rates 20% higher than in face-to- face classrooms† (Aragon & Johnson 146). Another drawback of online learning is the lack of a set schedule. Without a fixed timetable, the opportunity for distractions and procrastination often presents itself. These online courses require motivation and self-discipline to complete the courses and programs in a timely manner. This will be especially hard for those who tend to procrastinate and need the extra push from teachers to complete the work or require constant reminders of assignment due dates and examination dates. Because the online courses are quite flexible, these courses can often be put on the â€Å"backburner†, because the students are aware that some of these courses are self-paced. One major downfall of distance education is non-existent interaction that results from learning and working behind a computer. Communication with the teacher is limited to text correspondences and even replies to the emails may be delayed. Comparing this scenario to a classroom course, questions are answered and uncertainties are clarified immediately after the teacher is asked. There is no personal attention given to students and these learners are expected to find their own resources for completing assignments. Not only is interaction limited with teachers, but interaction with other students is limited as well. Randy S. Hanson, Ph. D. , made a point that the only interaction with classmates are through email, chat ooms and discussion boards. Parties and offline get-togethers [were] rarely experienced among online students (par. 17). In her article about the controversy of distance education, Roda Joanna Abaya asserts that â€Å"students do not learn only on formal and educational conversations. As social beings, it is important that they too interact with others and have informal talks or converse with lighter topics† (par. 8). Another concern that Abaya has about distance education is the lack of hands-on training in online courses (par. 7). Interaction with people and objects are vital in the earning process and because of these missing components in online courses, the effectiveness of education falls short when compared to the traditional face-to-face classes. According to an article about academic honesty in online courses, â€Å"some claim that because students and faculty do not interact directly in such classes, online classes will invite more cheating than traditional classes† (GriJalva, Therese C. et al. par. 2). This is certainly true in that distance education is being carried out at home, away from teacher supervision. Anne Mullens exclaims that â€Å"cheating appears to be ncreasing at universities, especially at the larger campuses and impersonal classes†¦ † (23). In an examination of cheating in both traditional and online criminal justice and legal studies courses, Lanier (2006) found the behavior to be more common in online courses† (Dobbs, Rhonda R. et al 13). Who knows how many students cheat during an online exam, having their books open in front of them while actual student writing the exam? Cheating is unethical and universally wrong but there are many students who cannot help themselves from get ting all the help they can get to score the good grades. There are several counter arguments that can be raised against the thesis of this paper. After â€Å"googling† and researching the pros of distance education, the recurring and most significant point was the flexibility of online courses. There are no set class times and it is the student’s discretion when to complete the assignments and readings so those with busy schedules are able to accommodate education. Stephen Downes states that there is â€Å"more work in the distance ed version†¦ simply because it tries to make up for the lack of any class contact† (par. 1). I have heard students and riends complain about the amount of work required for the online LIBS 7001 course at BCIT, where as the in-class version compares much favorably. With the course load being heavy for online courses, the flexibility to dedicate time to other priorities is hindered with the stress of work to be done for distance education. Some argue that online learning benefits those who requires more time, are language challenged, or are introverted. But on the contrary, it hinders rather than allows growth and learning. Those who require more time will always have that excuse to fall back on. Next thing they know, a year has passed since having started the course. The things learned at the beginning of the on-line class will have been forgotten and time would have been wasted. Those who are foreign students that struggle with the language barrier would benefit much more with an available teacher who is able to give them personal attention and needed help. To leave them on their own, trying to understand the course concepts from a textbook or a set of written notes can leave them overwhelmed and confused. Even those who are shy do not gain any benefit for enrolling in online courses. In fact, it is more of a detriment to their development and knowledge. Attending campuses and universities allows students to interact with classmates, and even encourages group projects to develop team buildings skills for individuals. At BCIT, students are often required to do presentations in front of the class and even in lecture halls. This is because the real world will often put people in similar situations and the training for that is attained easily when attending school on campus. This will also develop individuals’ interpersonal skills, and will help them overcome any shyness they may have. Another counter argument that can be raised is that costs are reduced when taking distance education. Not only are travel costs and commuting time decreased, but the necessary housing costs and meal plans are also saved if one is required to move to campus for attending university. However, the â€Å"cost of training teachers, the cost of hardware and software, human resources such as technicians and other people involved are to be considered, we can say that establishing online education is not as cheap as it may seem for others† (Abaya par. 6). These costs will certainly rickle down to the students, eventually having them pay through the increasing course fees.

ECommerce application for Computer Hardware Sale Essay

ECommerce application for Computer Hardware Sale - Essay Example It likewise details what prior investigations have proven and how the current research relates or differs from past efforts. Unanticipated consequences may also be indicated by previous research, whose one's own investigation can investigate (Cooper, 1998, p. 3). To understand where ASP fits into the big picture of Web development, it is necessary to understand the concept of a server-side scripting language. The regular, non-ASP Web pages works when the Web browser on the client computer (the computer belonging to the user) makes a request for a page, say file.html. Assuming the requested file exists on the Web host computer where the Web Server software can find it, that software replies to the request by sending the file back to the browser. Any additional files (images, for example) required to display the page are requested and received in the same way. The protocol used for this exchange, and indeed for all communication between Web browsers and Web servers is called Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) (Liberty, Jesse. Hurwitz, Dan, 2005). This literature is important in the research since the details are able to present a scenario of how ASP is used. In addition to plain HTML code, small programs written in JavaScript can also be run by the web browser while the page is displayed in the browser. Therefore, the Web browser must understand not only how to read HTML and display text and images, but it must also be able to run JavaScript programs appearing inside Web pages. This arrangement, where the Web browser runs the script after receiving it from the Web server, is called client-side scripting (Edwards and Adams, 2006). The Web server is completely oblivious to whether the file it is sending contains a script or not; it is all up to the browser (the client) to handle execution of the script. ASP fits into a different category of technologies, called server-side scripting, where it is no longer the browser running on the client that is responsible for running the script. Instead, it is the Web server that runs the script. In this case, however, the filename ends with .asp (file. asp, for example), branding it as a file containing an ASP script that needs to be processed by the server. The server recognizes this, and instead of directly sending the requested file back to the browser, it sends the file to the ASP scripting engine. The engine is a component of the Web server software that can interpret ASP scripts and output the results as HTML. Just as when the page contained client-side JavaScript and the server was completely unaware of this fact, when the page contains server-side ASP script, the browser does not know this at all. The ASP code contained in the page is interpreted and converted to plain HTML by the ASP engine before the browser gets to see it; so as far a s the browser is concerned an ASP page looks just like any normal Web page. All the work is done on the server-side; thus the name, server-side scripting. (Murach and Boehm, 2006). Jones (1999, p. 368) states that one must make a means to create a table that can accept the rows from many remote databases if a task is given to write the local order-entry application and an ASP.NET page to accept the orders through a secured connection. Changing the data from the laptops is not allowed in this process. Jones views this as a tough problem

Ratings on Risk Priority Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ratings on Risk Priority - Assignment Example Most of the materials to be used were: Pneumatic nailers, Scaffolding, Power hand tools, Cleaning agents, Sandblasters, Hammers, Hoisting equipment and Paint Sprayers. The project entails repairing a 4 story building using the above-mentioned materials. The renovation will see the building have a new look with most of the facilities being modern. The renovation process makes it possible for its users to have access to most of the equipment and services efficiently. Most nailers were found to have hazardous effects mostly on the users. Most of them are connected to a compressed air stream by a long hose, which is a nimble hazard as workers do move and climb up in the construction site. Power hand tools become hazardous if improperly used. There are several power tools based on the source of energy they are used. For instance, it becomes hazardous to use power hand tool while holding the cord or the hose. All equipment should be used appropriately and in a timely manner to avoid such effects. It is the responsibility of the project management team to ensure that the aim of the renovation is achieved in a safe and sound manner.  

Encounter Point Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Encounter Point - Movie Review Example The movie shows Israel having a strong army, though it itself is most of the times at the receiving end of the Palestinian violence. In one scene Roni Hirschenson, a former soldier, says that Israel has become an army with a state and not state with an army. This is a very strong statement by someone who has lost two of his son’s directly or indirectly in the war. Another reason there seems to be inequality between Israelis and Palestinians is that violence from Israel comes in a very sophisticated manner. There is usage of modern technology and unfortunately many ordinary people are killed in the attacks. The backing of United States as mentioned in the movie also shows Israel to be a stronger side. a- I don’t think that the movie has taken any sides. I think that the movie is very neutral and the purpose of such movies should be to raise a debate over the existing conditions. There may be people who think that this movie takes sides but I think that they feel that only because of the resentment that resides in them regarding the opposite side. The film shows destruction from both the sides. It takes interviews of victims from both Israelis and Palestinians. b- I think a balanced film is a film which shows reality in a non-provocative manner. This means that the reality on ground may be different but the film has to present facts in such a manner that it doesn’t offend either party. Each side believes that they are absolutely right and in this case each side believes that god is on their side. The film cannot comment on the reality or possibility of god taking any particular side in the future. But what a balanced film can do is raise the issue and spark a healthy debate. c- I will definitely recommend the video to other viewers. The movie is very informative but most importantly it clearly shows the destruction caused by violence. People are

Tourism, Leisure or Events Organisations in Attempting To Improve Essay

Tourism, Leisure or Events Organisations in Attempting To Improve Service Quality - Essay Example In this paper, two tourism companies have been discussed which include the GTi Travel Goup and Thomas Cook Group plc that provide tourism services in the market segment of the UK. In this regard, certain strategies are recommended to the companies with the motive of improving their performances substantially. Moreover, these strategies will assist these two companies in improving their brand image as well as to develop their offered service quality. Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Table of Contents 3 1. Introduction 4 2. Critical Evaluation of Strategies 5 2.1 Positioning Strategy 5 2.2 Communication Strategy 6 2.3 Supply Chain Management 8 2.4 Human Resource Management (HRM) 10 3. Conclusion 12 4. References 13 5. Bibliography 16 1. Introduction Tourism is determined to be one of the largest industries worldwide and it is also considered to be one of the major elements towards the development of economic conditions and employment opportunities for both developing and developed countries. Service quality in tourism industry is considered to be a vital factor in order to acquire competitiveness in the provided services. The main objective of service quality is to determine the expectations as well as the preferences of customers and to provide services in accordance with their needs and preferences (Mohamed, 2006). The GTi Travel Group is one of the principal companies in tourism sector for overseas visitors in the United Kingdom (UK). The company is recognised to provide professional as well as value for money services for overseas visitors. In this regard, the international visitors are able to have a better outlook of Europe and Britain and the tour packages of the company range from one to thirty days (GTi Travel Group, 2013). Thomas Cook is a travel company in the UK and it is developed with the merger of MyTravel Group plc and Thomas Cook AG. It is one of the renowned tourism companies with having customers of around 23 million who travelled with the group in the previous year i.e. 2012 (Thomas Cook Group plc, 2013). The paper intends to discuss the strategies which could be adopted by GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook Group plc with the intention of enhancing their service quality. 2. Critical Evaluation of Strategies The strategies that can be adopted by the GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook Group plc are required to be analysed with the intention of determining the actions undertaken in order to improve the performance of these tourism companies with regard to service quality. These companies are identified to be famous packaged tour offering companies in the UK. In keeping with changing scenario of the global industry, the aspects of customer satisfaction, customer relations, service design and most importantly service quality have gained immense significance. Therefore, companies such as GTi Travel Group and Thomas Cook require to ensure that they abreast with requirements of the customers with superior quality of offerings. In this regard, the recommended strategies are described as follows: 2.1 Positioning Strategy The GTi Travel Group can adopt a positioning strategy with the objective of improving the brand image as well as competitive position of the company in the UK tourism market. The positioning strategy comprises three methods which include market analysis as well as internal analysis along with competitor analysis. In this regard, the GTi Travel Group should analyse the market conditions with respect to the preferences as well as needs of customers with regard to destinations (Alford, 1998). It has been recognised that the demand for the services offered by tourism companies has increased considerably in recent times. With the increase in the amount of disposable incomes of a large section of

Labor Boss Sees Racism in Romney Welfare Attacks Essay - 1

Labor Boss Sees Racism in Romney Welfare Attacks - Essay Example In preparation for the upcoming presidential election in the United States, Schlesinger has purposely written and published this article to make his target audiences realize that racism still exists in the U.S. politics. According to Schlesinger, Hoffa revealed that the Republicans’ â€Å"race baiting† attack on President Obama is just one kind of political strategy used to manipulate the voters’ decision on who to vote for in the upcoming presidential election (Schlesinger). By letting the target audiences know about the racism strategy used by the Republicans, the author could somehow remind the people to disregard the presidential candidates’ color and race when choosing the best candidate for the upcoming U.S. presidential election. To be able to determine what racism is really all about, it is necessary to define the term â€Å"racism†. According to Fredrickson (189), racism can be defined as â€Å"the doctrine that a man’s behavior is determined by stably inherited characters deriving from separate racial stocks and usually considered to stand to one another in relations of superiority and inferiority.† It means that racism is all about developing an ideology that makes men become prejudiced against another person due to their racial differences. During the class discussion, it was mentioned that there is a strong racial discrimination that is going on between the white and black Americans. In most cases, it is the white Americans that are considered more superior as compared to the black Americans. Since it is the white Americans who have a higher status in the society, it is the black Americans who are often at a disadvantage when it comes to political agenda. This partly explains why James Hoffa has been defending President Obama from the Romney-Ryan’s group and the Republicans. In class, it was mentioned that the U.S. historical trend, common beliefs, and practices have something to do with racis m. For example, based on the U.S. history, it is the African Americans (blacks) who once became the slaves. For this reason, a lot of the white Americans have developed the wrong perception that the African Americans are less superior in terms of knowledge, power, and financial capabilities as compared to them. In reality, there are some African Americans who are better than the white Americans in terms of knowledge, fame, and financial capabilities. Despite the continuous promotion of diversity in the school, there are still people who are unconsciously being racist. With regards to the case of Obama’s administration, a lot of people are continuously blaming him for the downfall of the U.S. economy. Is the U.S. experiencing a slow economic growth simply because America is being ruled under the leadership of the first black American president? Would the process of having a white American president be enough to make this country regain its economic stability in both the domest ic and international market? Or is it because most people in America have failed to develop their knowledge and skills in accordance to what is being in demand in both domestic and the world market? Based on the real-life scenarios presented in this paper, it is clear that the presence of racism could only disrupt the peace and order in our society.  

Literature Review Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Literature Review - Research Paper Example A majority of practitioner also do not use the recommended thiazide for managing hypertension (Deshpande, Patel, Godbole, Champaneri, & Patell, 2014; Drawz, et al., 2009). The non-adherence by physicians could explain patents’ lack of knowledge of non-adherence to treatment (Chiazor & Oparah, 2012). Non-adherence to guidelines could be a factor of years of practice and specialty area (Axon, et al., 2010). Educational programs, however, helps physicians to manage barriers to practice, improves their knowledge and confidence in approaches to care, and can therefore improve their adherence to recommendations towards better outcomes (Dacey, Arnstein, Kennedy, Wolfe, & Phillips, 2013). Evidence suggests that practitioners do not implement available guidelines in managing hypertension and this could be a factor to high incidence and prevalence of the condition. Identified effects of continued education, such as awareness of existing and new guidelines can improve outcomes and the current study seeks to ascertain possible effects of awareness initiatives. Framework/Theory: measurement of blood pressure, â€Å"diagnosis of prehypertension and hypertension,† new cases of hypertension, non-pharmacological approaches to treatment, threshold blood pressure level for treatment, and use of antihypertensive agents are the concepts that formed the study’s framework (p. 5). Concepts: blood pressure, â€Å"diagnosis of pre-hypertension and hypertension,† new cases of hypertension, non-pharmacological approaches to treatment, threshold blood pressure level for treatment, and use of antihypertensive agents Dependent Variable: blood pressure, â€Å"diagnosis of pre-hypertension and hypertension,† new cases of hypertension, non-pharmacological approaches to treatment, threshold blood pressure level for treatment, and use of antihypertensive agents A significant percentage of the

Interracial Marriages As Phenomenon In Modern Society Essay

Interracial Marriages As Phenomenon In Modern Society - Essay Example Landry has spent five years with the African American husband who was her college fellow. After the divorce, she married the Caucasian husband and has been living with him for four years. When she reflects back upon the two experiences, she realizes that race was never a strong issue. Landry parted ways with her ex-husband because there was the communication gap between them and he was disloyal to her. Besides, they had issues related to money. Therefore, when Landry searched for a husband the second time, she placed more emphasis upon his commitment towards budget and his tendency to exchange views frequently and maintain loyalty to her in marriage than the race he belonged to. Landry spent twelve years as a single after her divorce. In those years, she spent time with numerous men from different ethnic origins. Having dated men of different professions and racial backgrounds, Landry reached the conclusion that two people’s resemblance in the level of intelligence, personal i nterests, aspirations, and values were much stronger determinants of their compatibility with each other than race could ever be. Landry has evaluated the potential advantages and disadvantages of interracial marriages in this article. Discussing the pros of interracial marriages, Landry first discusses personal growth. The successful marriage requires the partners to grow together with the passage of time. Marital partners can enhance their growth by sharing with each other and appreciating the challenges arising from their cultural and racial differences. Landry has noticed that her Caucasian husband’s behavior is changed for the better after marrying her. He has started to understand how people of color may feel like strangers in settings where the others don’t look like them. He had a new experience of going to church with an African American wife as a lone white man.

Textin while driving Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Textin while driving - Research Paper Example The most important body parts that are involved in driving are the hands, legs, and eyes. When texting, a person is also using hands and eyes for maximum attention. When driving and texting are mixed, it implies that the concentration of the driver is on one thing. In most cases, it is usually on texting, considering the need to respond or convey a particular message. Driving while texting is a traffic offense, punishable by the law. It is, in fact, a form of attempted murder considering the dangers and risks that the person is exposing other passengers and pedestrians into. Various cases of accidents have been reported due to the negligence of the driver as they were texting. Apart from the loss of concentration, in the process of browsing and replying to text messages, a driver is likely to be exposed to some news that may ultimately take away their attention and even make them unable to drive (Klauer 56). Texting is sometimes considered a harmless activity for drivers especially when they have to reply to an important message. They feel it will only take a few seconds of their time, and they will; be done with it. However, within those few seconds on a busy road, the driver is likely to lose control or not notice a pedestrian crossing or an oncoming vehicle. It is understood that drivers also need to communicate and get in touch while they are driving, yet doing it while in the action of driving is risky. Instead, drivers are advised to pull off the road and carry on with the necessary communication instead of risking the lives of other commuters. In most cases, passengers watch driver’s texting as they drive without raising their voices and hence contributing to the risks and dangers they are being exposed to. Even though it is the driver involved in the risky affair of texting, once an accident happens, it will not just be for the driver but also other commuters. Passengers

Sophies World Outline Essay Example for Free

Sophies World Outline Essay The idea that nothing can come from nothing is introduced. Sophie questions whether all things come from a basic element. She learned that things in nature are in a constant state of transformation. Is there a beginning of everything? What do you believe it to be?introduction: The idea that nothing can come from nothing is introduced. Sophie questions whether all things come from a basic element. She learned that things in nature are in a constant state of transformation. Is there a beginning of everything? What do you believe it to be? Yanotan Zelink I. event one A. Sophie receives a letter containing three new questions. Which she contemplates an entire day before getting another packet with a letter explaining to her that the philosophy course will be going from ancient Greek philosophy up to present day philosophy. B. She learns that the ancient Greeks believed the world was eternal. â€Å"The earliest Greek Philosophers are sometimes called natural philosophers because they were mainly concerned with the natural world and its processes† (30). So, they never asked about where it came from. Instead they were interested in the question of change. C. The Tao of Physics. II.event two A. The debate â€Å"what are we made of?† is raised. Early philosophers shared a belief that there had to be a certain basic substance at the root of all change. B. While some natural philosophers believed that everything was made of water, others believed they were made of air. â€Å"Earth, air, and fire were all necessary the creation of life† (33). C. Human-Aesthetic Perfection Song Lyrics. III.event three A. All Things Flow- â€Å"Everything is in constant flux and movement, nothing is abiding. Therefore we ‘cannot step twice into the river.’†(34)- Heraclitus B. Heraclitus states the world is made of opposites- we would not appreciate one thing if we did not experience the other. C. A Healthy Transformation by Dr. Jeffery McCombs. IV.conclusion A. As Sophie thinks about all of this, she concludes that one cannot learn philosophy. They can only learn how to think like a philosopher. V.journal questions A. If you were to come up with your own philosophy about life and what we’re made of, what would it be? Explain your philosophy. B. Other than physical aspects of a human, such as bones or basic elements, what would you say humans are made of emotionally or philosophically? Why? C. If there was only good in the world and no bad, how would it be and how would the outcome affect the world?

Walmart and Government in China Essay Example for Free

Walmart and Government in China Essay When Walmart decided to expand into China, a countless number of hurdles stood in its place. They knew that the store model that has made them the number one retailer in the world was not going to work within Chinese culture, but just how much different would they have to be from the cookie-cutter stores that are found all across the United States? In order to dominate the retail market in China as successfully as they have in other markets across the world, dynamic change and the ability and willingness to work with the Chinese government would be crucial to their success in China. Faced with the strict rules and regulations that would hamper their growth and general operations, Walmart had to find a way to make and keep China and her people happy. Along with all the excitement, pomp, and circumstance that Walmart would bring into China, certain blemishes would follow as well. Low wages, discrimination, and utter dominance over an area it occupies left many questions as to whether Walmart would be accepted or rejected. But the first stumbling block that Walmart would have to face upon entering China would be one of its most challenging: The Government of the People’s Republic of China (Naughton). Upon entering any foreign market, one of the biggest problems facing Walmart and its expansion is government regulation and government worry over the massive company’s monopolization and impact on local markets. Moving into China, Walmart was going to have to assure the Chinese government that they were there to give the Chinese people a better retail alternative, provide abundant employment, and help China’s economy by establishing healthy competition, all while providing the Chinese people with an increased range of products and increased product quality available at the lowest possible prices (Huffman). Walmart in the United States is a very powerful company. In other countries, however, they are not viewed the same. This became very clear when they entered into China. Walmart faced problems that couldn’t be fixed with quick solutions. Finding suppliers, dealing with unions, rigid local competition, and cooperating with a communist government are examples of such problems. Once it found solutions to the above problems, Walmart opened a Supercenter  and Sam’s Club in Shenzhen in 1996 (Foreman). Walmart China, as it is known today, actively participates in communities by providing funding for charities, education and medical care. In fact, in April of this year, Wal-Mart launched its third annual nationwide community service week: â€Å"Keeping the Traditional Virtues – Walmart Filial Piety Activity†. For a period of one week, community service for the elders of each specific community holding the event was performed. This government and community involvement is necessary for Walmart and the trust it needs to gain from the Chinese people (Walmart). When Walmart first opened its doors back in 1996, they first felt the restraints from the government while trying to put products on their shelves. As an result of Mao and the period when every village and community was designed to be self sufficient, Walmart could not set up conventional distribution centers such as are found here in the United States. Products that would move from one city to another would require the approval of local officials, a task of staggering proportions. Instead, Walmart has had to set up buyers in each community and city that it operates in to purchase items that have to be bought locally through government and state approved vendors. Because of this, there are not very many national brands that can be found inside of Walmart China. This is gradually changing as China evolves and her people become more influenced by western culture and style. An example would be with cosmetics. When Walmart China first opened, the cosmetics available would not sell. It wasn’t until demonstrations were given and the local Chinese ladies were given makeovers that the make-up started to sell. As a result, not only did the cosmetics started selling fast, Walmart was able to bring in more expensive, higher-end brands (Trunick). When Walmart China bought initial products from suppliers back in the first few years in operation, for every purchase order issued, there were twenty-one documents that went along with it, simply to comply with central and local government regulations. Each individual store had to write the purchase orders by hand and issue their own checks. There could be no  central ordering or payment systems. Hard paperwork was required, and still is today although not as much, which resulted in having to pay additional employees to process the paperwork, subjects documents to human error, and is simply inefficient. Today, although the rules are definitely felt and abided by, regulations are slowly easing up. Walmart is slowly becoming able to centralize more and more of its processes (Trunick). Walmart is a well-admired company today in China. Just as employee songs and Walmart chants can be found in sites in the United States, they can be found in the Chinese locations as well. Adjusting to operating under the People’s Republic of China wasn’t the only thing Walmart had to get used to. They also had to get used to local customs and preferences. When Sam’s club first opened, it didn’t do as well as the Sam’s clubs here. The simple fact was that the Chinese didn’t have storage available to them such as we take for granted here in the States. The Sam’s Club in Shenzhen had to evolve to fit the needs of its customers and not vice-versa if it was to succeed. It did and it has, respectfully (Huffman). In every country, city, and community around the world that Walmart operates in, they constantly strive to be an asset to the area they are in. Not only do they provide numerous jobs to the areas, including employment to disable persons, they enable families to be able to afford things that they may not otherwise be able to afford. The contributions that Walmart makes to every community its in are numerous, and Walmart China is no exception. A few examples of the awards Walmart has won in China, according to the Walmart China website, are as follows: †¢Supplier Satisfaction by Business Information of Shanghai for five consecutive years. †¢Best Employer for University Student. †¢Leading Multi-National Enterprise in Asia by Asian Wall Street Journal. †¢Best Employer in China Retail Industry by CCFA. †¢China Most Valuable Brand by Fortune Chinese Version. †¢2008 Top 10 Best investing Fortune 500 Companies in China by Southern Weekend Magazine. †¢Excellent Employer by Fortune Chinese Version. †¢Multi-Nation Company Charitable Donations by Forbes Chinese Version. †¢Most  Admired Company by Fortune Chinese Version. †¢Best Community by Guangming Daily. Today, Walmart serves more than 28 million customers each month in 89 cities throughout China. It employs over fifty thousand people in China alone. Along with improving the way of life for the people and towns it serves, Walmart China is also helping the environment in the areas it operates in. In the mountainous regions of China, it is building water reservoirs in order to help solve water shortage problems facing the farmers and residents residing there. To help villagers reduce their carbon footprint and provide hot water to their village, Walmart is supporting the installation of solar panels. They also have implemented a direct farm program that works to eliminate the amount of time fruits and vegetables take to get to the store. Not only does this help to ensure the best possible quality of produce, it helps sustain the local farms and villages who produce the goods. It ends up being a win for the consumer as well as the grower (Walmart). Despite the governmental control that China has on Walmart versus other countries that Walmart operates in, China as proven to be a goldmine for Walmart’s growth, especially since their expansion has slowed in markets such as the United States due to such factors as saturation and slowed economy. Emerging economies, such as what China is experiencing, is extremely promising for Walmart’s continued growth and development. Walmart China has taken problems and turned them into opportunities. By working heavily with the local and national government, they have been able to overcome barriers to ensure their continued success. The biggest challenge that Walmart has faced in China is the acceptance of organized labor. In every market but China, Walmart has aggressively worked to keep unions out of their store. But unlike labor unions such as we have here, the unions in China are different. Chinese unions don’t negotiate labor contracts as they do here. In China, they are considered an arm of the government, they help secure social order, and they provide funding to the Communist Party. After several years of unrelenting persistence by the government, Walmart China finally buckled and unions were established across the nation (Naughton). Works Cited Foreman, William. â€Å"Wal-Mart’s New Market: Small Town China†. Huffington Post. 18 Oct. 2008. 1 Dec. 2009 . Huffman, Ted. â€Å"Wal-Mart in China: Challenges Facing a Foreign Retailers Supply Chain†. China Business Review. 1 Dec. 2009 http://www.chinabusinessreview.com/public/0309/wal-mart.html. Naughton, Keith. â€Å"The Great Wal-Mart of China†. Newsweek. 30 Oct. 2006. 5 Dec. 2009 . Trunick, Perry. â€Å"Wal-Mart Reinvents Itself in China†. Logistics Today. 6 Jan. 2006. 5 Dec. 2009 . Walmart. â€Å"A Brief Introduction to Wal-Mart in China†. Wal-Mart China. 7 May 2009. 5 Dec. 2009 .

The Limitations Of High Rise Buildings Environmental Sciences Essay

The Limitations Of High Rise Buildings Environmental Sciences Essay The purpose of this report is to illustrate the limitations faced when planning, designing or constructing a high-rise Building. This report will explore the background of high-rise buildings, including their origins and technological advancements. It will bring to light any technical aspects pertaining to the limitation of high-rise buildings, such as materials and available technology. This report will also inform the reader of any professional involvement of both engineering and non-engineering careers, as well as bringing to light any social, cultural or heritage issues such as Indigenous participation. Furthermore this report will demonstrate any Ethical or Economical issues which may have an impact on the planning, designing or construction of a high-rise Building. Lastly it will discuss where High-rise Buildings may take us in the future and give insight to changes that may occur due to High-rise Buildings. Report Introduction Since man first started building high-rises, there has always been a limit on how high we can build them. As the years go on and as technology improves the limits to high-rise buildings height has been constantly broken and higher buildings have been made, BUT limits still exist. It is important to know why we have limits to building high-rise buildings and it is just as important knowing just what some of these limits are. Therefore research has been conducted and compiled and a report has been put together. This report is about the limits to building high-rise buildings the report will outline: The involvement of both engineering and non-engineering professionals Social/cross cultural/indigenous issues Ethical issues Economic issues These are the 4 topics that will be discussed in the report, along with a brief background of the limits and some technical aspects of topics. The report will also make sum conclusions as to what is believed to where the limits may lead us in the future or high-rise buildings. Unfortunately the report will not be covering many other issues to limits in high rise buildings as there are many, many reasons limiting high rise buildings. 1.0 Background to High-Rise Limitations Abstract The construction of high-rise buildings has been and always will be greatly limited. The provision of this section of the report is to provide the background information on why construction was so limited. Several major limits that were broken will be discussed. Also discussed will be the inventions and/or processes which were used to break them. Introduction There are many factors that limit man from building great structures however many of these limits have already being broken and will continue to be surpassed. Throughout history man has built some great structures like The Great Pyramid of Giza and the Two Towers of Bologna. The Pyramid of Giza built in the 26th century BC was formally known as the tallest structure in the world. Standing 146m above ground its height was not exceeded for thousands of years. Although these great structures existed for thousands of years, tall buildings that were continuously habitable did not exist until the late 1800s. After the late 1800s buildings that blew the minds of men began to appear. These buildings include; Empire State Building of New York, The Q1 on the gold coast, and now the tallest building in the world, The Khalifa Tower of Dubai which stands 828m above ground. Significant Changes to Highrise Buildings The worlds first iron framed building was the Oriel Chambers in Liverpool built in 1864; it was only five stories high as elevators had not yet been invented yet [4]. This was a reason why construction was so limited before the mid 1800s. It seemed that the higher the office building the cheaper it was to rent because it was impractical for inhabitants to walk a great number of stairs. The first building to include an elevator was the Equity Assurance Building of New York built in 1870. Once the elevator was implemented, suddenly the top stories were more valuable than the lower stories. And now you can get higher rents on the top stories because they are quieter, there is better light, and they are away from the noise and dirt of the street [1]. The invention and inclusion of the elevator in construction greatly influenced the skylines of every major city in the world. Vertical architecture would be impossible, first of all, without the elevator, the great equalizer of civilization, which . . . by excessively rapid express service, makes the twentieth floor scarcely more difficult to access than the third. . . . Without [the elevator] its chief merit [of the tall building] would be gone; without it its upper stories would be as inaccessible as a mountaintop. [2] Skelton and Conventional Construction Methods Even though the elevator now eliminated the hassle of stairs and allowed for growth of buildings the height of buildings was still limited because of the method of construction used. In ordinary methods of building, the higher the wall the thicker it must be at its lower parts, a hefty area of a valuable lot in the tight inner-city must be surrendered to enormously thick walls [3]. Architect William Le Baron Jenney was the first to use a load-bearing structural frame which supported the entire weight of the walls. This was the beginning of the Steel Skeleton Construction method of building. This development led to the construction of the first skyscraper being ten stories high. The Home Insurance Building in Chicago, built in 1885. Even though the building stood tall many people were scared and didnt believe in the idea at all. Four years later an architect named Bradford Gilbert believed in the idea and designed the Tower Building in New York using the skeleton method. There were al ready buildings which were taller than the tower building however they were not built on block of land which seemed greatly inadequate. With the construction of the tower building Bradford Gilbert convinced people and architects in New York that this method of construction was feasible. The Skeleton method of construction solved the problem of economizing space in the lower floors of high and narrow buildings and was used all over the world. As land diminishes in the inner-city the tend is to build upwards. Lack of land in the inner city is great factor which limits the construction of high rise buildings. The skeleton method of construction helped solve this problem to a certain extent however with todays knowledge and understanding the lack of land in the inner-city will always limit the height of construction. Construction There are still many limits which man has not yet surpassed, however as seen from this section of the report some inventions came along which completely changed the standard of construction. With the invention of the elevator the corporate world was turned on its head as tall buildings were now accessible and now the higher you go the more expensive it is, where as it used to be the opposite. The higher you went the cheaper it was. The skeleton method of construction revolutionised the construction world. It allowed for buildings to grow hundreds of metres in the air while using minimal area on the ground. 2.0 Technical Aspects Pertaining to the Limitations of High Rise Buildings 2.1 Introduction High rise mega structures have forever plagued the thoughts of mankind, from the beginning of the technological age we have marvelled at our own achievements forever striving to build bigger, better and higher in an effort to reach for the stars. Tall buildings in modern society bestow many great attributes however as we continue to construct a more cumbersome empire of mega structures we will face many new technical obstacles to overcome. 2.2 Possible Risks Many technical factors influence our ability to build greater structures. Environmental and human disasters such as; earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and terrorism supply great difficulty while scientific breakthroughs in materials, mechanics and methodology prove to be either impractical, ineffective or unachievable at this time [4]. External forces are a major concern we must face when designing our high rises. One of the most important concerns to consider when designing high rises is their ability to withstand lateral forces imposed by things like strong winds, hurricanes and earthquakes [5]. 2.3 Strengths and Technologies The strength of modern materials surprisingly is not a major factor in the development of high rise buildings. Steel is strong enough to support structures 10 km or taller while advanced composites can support structures much greater again. Certain mechanical implementations such as massive suspended tuned pendulum dampers can be utilised in tall buildings to counteract the environmental rigors of high wind and impending earthquakes [6]. High rises are not only a distinguishing symbol of prestige but they also prove to be excellent at accommodating a large mass of people in a relatively small area. In commercial terms this allows businesses to maintain close proximity with the central district of inner cities while reducing pressure on already densely populated urban localities [7]. 2.4 Threat of Terrorism As iconic and essential as these high rise structures may be, sometimes they can become the target of terrorism. One of the most historical events of this manner occurred on September 11th 2001 When the World Trade Centres in the United States were demolished after airliners were hijacked and sent on suicide missions killing over 3000 people [8]. 2.5 Conclusion To overcome these problems various technical innovations such as; security cameras, vehicle detection equipment and computer identification checks can be utilised as well as organic, inorganic and metal x-ray detection systems. While technical defence and prevention systems such as these do help to prevent terrorism, modern security systems are still limited by current technologies. 3.0 The Involvement of both Engineering and Non-Engineering professions 3.1 Introduction As this project will effect many individuals in the aspect of employment and work it is vitally important to specify who will be effected and how. Although a big project such as a high-rise building will provide a large scale of jobs, there is always the risk that the construction/finished project could permanently damage someone elses business. As a result careful planning must be taken to ensure minimal harm is done to private business. 3.2 Engineering/Tradesmen Professions High-rise buildings are great opportunities for steady work for hundreds of professions. Some of these professions include engineers, builders, architects and various tradesmen jobs. As the specific project looks to challenge the limited heights of high-rise buildings it can be assumed that it would provide a great deal of jobs throughout the construction and development. As this is a field of work which has been hit reasonably hard by the recent global economic crisis, this project would be greatly beneficial to the workers and contractors involved. 3.3 Non-Engineering Professions Small business has an important role in local and regional economies, and collectively they contribute to the Australian economy. Many small businesses exist in inner city networks, which are areas prone to expansion and development, such as high-rise buildings. Many depend on easy access from roads as the primary means to transport goods and services and to link to other small businesses. Small businesses need to know about construction in the area which could impact on their profession [9]. Before construction takes place it is the responsibility of the engineering company to ensure a community liaison contacts and notifies the surrounding businesses of the high-rise plans. It is also then the community liaisons task to answer any concerns or queries, as a result of development, regarding the businesses viability. These could include; loss of revenue, loss of customers, loss of/or restricted access for customers, disruptions to the delivery of goods and services, noise, visual and air pollution and lastly the potential for increased crime due to loss of visibility. It is vitally important to gain the support of private businesses, so any contact must be carefully planned first. 3.4 Construction and Development During construction there is always the possibility of complaints regarding noise levels, obstruction and inconvenience. To ensure these matters are dealt with appropriately, engineering/construction firms provide adequate signage around the worksite referring the public as to whom to contact. Companies are also required to display signage before construction takes place, to allow time for any complaints or queries to be dealt with. By taking these steps engineering/construction companies can not be held accountable for any future complaints. 3.5 Conclusion The construction of large high-rise buildings can have impacts on both engineering and non engineering professions. It is vital to take precautions, before initiating construction, to notify any and all non-engineering professions effected of the possible changes which will be taking place. For this reason liaisons must be employed to establish an effective working communication and to answer any concerns private business could have. 4.0 Social/ Cultural/ Indigenous Issues 4.1 Introduction In every instance of construction it is vitally important to thoroughly cover the issue of public and cultural negotiations and communications. Careful precautions must be taken from the very start of planning the project, to ensure that everyones opinion is heard and concern answered. Both governmental and private corporations employ teams of people to guarantee that community engagement is correctly achieved. 4.2 Cultural Heritage Overview A primary concern is that of cultural heritage, specifically towards indigenous peoples. Under that heritage protection act, engineering firms must take care that they do not damage or disturb any landscape that could be considered of indigenous importance. Indigenous Australians make up for about 2.7 percent of the population (77.4% aboriginal and 22.6% Torres Strait islanders) [10]. Land and sea are very important to their cultures and connectivity to country is central to peoples lives. Legislation requires companies to engage with Aboriginal and Torres Strait islanders on indigenous cultural heritage matters. When engaging with indigenous Australians, it is important to plan a communiquà © before addressing the community. Past experiences with public officials has left many indigenous communities with a sense of frustration and powerlessness. As a result certain communities may not want be supportive and or cooperate with the company. The main steps in planning and engagement activity are imperative. Theses steps include, researching and knowing about the community, understanding its history and acknowledging their diversity and connection to land and sea. 4.3 Construction and Development During the development and construction stage of the high-rise it is essential to make certain that no elements of indigenous importance are damaged. This is achieved by taking several precautionary measures. As Indigenous peoples have a right to oversee the project, a monitor, whose primary concern is recognizing and evaluating artifacts of importance must be hired. Indigenous Monitors have the authority to postpone and hold up projects for extended periods of time, until the landscape can be deemed safe to build on [11]. Another measure which must be taken under the Heritage Protection Act is notifying the Contractor that he or she shall be responsible for the management of indigenous cultural heritage artifacts while construction is underway. It is also the Contractors duties to ensure that all staff related to the project has attended a Cultural Heritage Induction Course. 4.4 Social/Community Issues As well as being considerate to Indigenous peoples it is equally important to be considerate towards the general public. Before Building a High-Rise building it is the companies responsibility to notify the public that construction is going to be underway. This can be achieved using tools such as; flyers, TV advertisements, letterbox drop/direct mail and or website information. After the public has been properly alerted, they have the option to notify their city council about any concerns or complaints that they might have regarding the project. 4.5 Conclusion Before commencing any construction project it is vital to deliver all necessary information to the key stakeholders and if possible gather their support. Adequate planning and preparation must be done before the project initiates and planning must be relevant to the community which is to be engaged. Care must also be taken to guarantee not to damage or violate any potential places of importance regarding indigenous Australians, during construction. 5.0 Ethical Limitations to High-Rise Buildings 5.1 Introduction With todays population only ever increasing the trend is to build upward. Throughout the planning and construction stages of high-rise buildings there are many limitations that affect the end products in which we see today. One of these limitations is the ethical issues involving high-rise building which revolve around the safety, the environment and the community. These issues must be carefully thought about and investigated before the building can begin. 5.2 Community A limiting factor in the production of high-rises can often be the community. When plans go into council, the community also gets a say. Allowing the community to get a say in what goes ahead and what doesnt can bring about large restrictions to high-rise buildings. Some issues that limit high-rise buildings, due to the community may include the use of the building and the look of the building. These two issues can become entwined in a communities decision making process, where depending on the ethical view point expressed by the community as a whole, these viewpoints include, Kantianism, Utilitarianism, human rights, environmental ethical. A community might take a utilitarianism point of view when approving a high-rise if the building does not fit the council guidelines although brings about beneficial use to the community. Some council departments have put in place restrictions on buildings to stop them being built past a certain height in order to keep a community in a certain man ner. As stated in the Byron Environmental Planning and Assessment act 1979, Byron Local Environment plan 1988, [12] The council must not consent to the erection of any building if the floor of the topmost floor level of the building exceeds 7.5 metres above the existing ground level, or, the vertical distance between the topmost part of the building and the existing ground level below exceeds 11.5 metres. This shows that Council departments have 5.3 Environmental Issues When considering high-rise buildings the effects that the high-rise would have on the environment must be thoroughly investigated, as it would have limitations as to how high the building can go. The waste produced by the building as a day to day product will impact greatly on the environment. The higher the building is generally means the more people it can accommodate for, although with the number of people that would use the building rising, so does the waste they produce. With things such as rubbish and sewage it is important that there is adequate systems in place, where the building is going to be located that are able to deal with these issues. Such as that the sewers will be able to accommodate for the amount of sewage that is produced. Due to the amount of people that would use a high-rise building there is a lot of energy needed to keep the building running. This impacts on the environment as with the creation of energy comes the creation of green house gasses and the waste produced in making the energy. With the trend to build upward increasing, there are various strategies being invented and put into action to accommodate for the need for energy, these strategies are to limit the amount of environmental impact a building would have, there for allowing buildings to be built higher and higher. Studies have shown that through using energy conserving measures on a 20 story building can cut its energy consumption down to less than half its original usage. The issue with using these measures is that they often require some investment throughout the building stages, as materials can often cost more and take longer install, although in the long run would save owners and occupants of the building a lot of money. Taking a Utilitarianism view on this would allow the energy conserving measures to be put in place throughout construction, knowing that it would cost more but work out better in the end (end justifies the means). Where as Kantianism ethical views wo uld possibly not put them in place as it would cost more throughout the building stages (means justifies the end). Plans are currently underway for extreme energy conservation measures in high-rise buildings, with a revolving tower planned to be built in Dubai see fig 5.31. This tower, powered by wind turbines, can not only generate enough energy to power itself but can also generate enough energy to power 10 other buildings similarly sized [13]. With such engineering advancements, in the future limits to high-rises caused by environmental ethical issues will be decreased. Although Personal ethical views often clash with environmental views, such as Energy generating high-rises versus wildlife reserve. Fig 5.31 A computer generated image of the towers ability to physically move 5.4 Congestion Issues One of the issues limiting high-rise buildings is congestion caused by the building. Most high-rises are planned to be built in already congested areas so whilst they are being built issues of space can impact on the construction of the building. As various cranes and machinery is necessary to construct them there must be adequate space to cater for such things. It is important that through the construction of high-rises that the effect on the public is kept to a minimum. Congestion can also be an issue once the building has been built such that various amounts of people may be trying to access the building, bringing in large amounts of traffic on the street. When the building is being designed it is necessary to make sure that building has adequate parking options to make sure it can accommodate for the influx of traffic that it would bring. There are also congestion problems with the amount of people that are around the building on a daily basis, footpaths and public transport must be able to accommodate for the influx of people on the already existing foot traffic. These issues must be accommodated for before the building is built and can often cause high-rises to be limited to how high they go, in certain areas. 5.5 Safety Issues Safety can limit high-rise buildings throughout both the construction stages and once again when the building has been built. The safety of workers is highly important when building such large building and can also limit the height of the building. If something cannot be done safely then it should not be done. All workers have the right to refuse a job if they think its unsafe, this comes under the basic human rights ethic. When working with heights the risk level rises immensely, and all aspects need to be looked at to ensure the safety of both the works and the public around the construction site. Safety is a big concern in high rise building, when they are being designed they need to be designed to withstand various natural disasters, such as earthquakes, storms and floods. It is necessary to design a building to withstand or minimally destruct through these disasters. Even if doing so means that they are limited to how high they can stand. Because it is impossible to make high-ri se buildings invincible, through the design process buildings are designed to keep their destruction to a minimal in the event of a disaster, this takes a Utilitarianism view, where actions are to be judged right or wrong solely on the virtue of their consequences, it would be better for a building get damaged in a disaster with human injury kept to a minimum. In 1978 shortly after construction the structural engineer behind the Citicorp building discovered a fatal floor in its design, realising that the building was vastly unsafe [14]. Whilst reviewing the design of the building in order to design one similar. This fatal floor was that the original butt weld designs used for the joints on the wind bracing system were replaced with a bolt design due to economic reason. After reviewing the forces that the joints were designed to withstand it was evident that they were only deigned to withstand a 16 year storm, whereas it was an understanding that the building was able to withstand a 50 year storm. William Le Messurier, of Cambridge, Mass., was lauded for his ethical conduct, as he proceeded to notify the architect, his client and the building owner that a remedial scheme must be undertaken immediately before the risk of high winds in the fall hurricane season in New York City. A solution was found and the building was brought up to scratch. See figure 5.51, it is evident that if this issue was not dealt with then if the building came down then it would have caused massive death and destruction. This shows good ethical decision making and a utilitarianism point of view. Safety often limits high-rise buildings, if correct ethical guidelines are not followed throughout the design and construction then it can often result in death and destruction. Fig 5.51 City Corp Building Circled in Red 5.6 Conclusion In conclusion it is evident that there are many Ethical issues limiting the construction of high-rise buildings. These issues can come from a range of reasons such as the community, environment, congestion and safety. It is through good ethical principles used by Engineers in todays society that these issues can be overcome and accommodated for in order to brake the boundarys that are holding our high-rises down, whilst still keeping everyone happy. 6.0 Economical issues associated with high rise buildings 6.1 Introduction High rise buildings are typically commercial, or residential. When building a high-rise building there are certain economical issues that arise, such issues are, Business, Financial, Health and Political just to name a few, this can be described as economic imperialism. 6.2 Business Economics Business economics, is closely linked to the economy, for a high-rise building to be made the business would be looking into making it in a city area rather than making one in a rural area, this is because not many people live in a rural area and getting jobs filled for the business can hinder the business growth of a high-rise. High-rise buildings are a standout and might be targeted by terrorists. A huge building being destroyed could have a major impact on the local business economy for example The World Trade Centre was a target for a terrorist attack. Another business factor into building a residential high-rise (apartments) would be the amount of people seeking accommodation [15]. The business economy relies on people consuming the product whether it be insurance or accommodation etc. Therefore this means building a high-rise building will create allot of jobs and boost the local economy a bit, if the product that is being sold is not in demand i.e. The high-rise is an accommod ation hotel built in a rural area with little visitors. The Business will lose money and eventually go bust. Therefore the business limits of the size of the high-rise are limited by the economy. 6.3 Financial Economics Financial economics is the allocation and deployment of economic resources, both spatially and across time, in an uncertain environment [16]. What this means is the way the resources of a company are spent to increase business is always a risk and the financial decisions made will have an affect over time on a business. The need to spend money to make money. For some companies that are investing in the future look into building a high-rise as a financial risk. Finance is the biggest limiting factor when building as high-rise out of all economical factors. This is because high-rise buildings cost allot of money to build, and once built allot of money to maintain. FMV(future monetary value), the nominal future sum of money that a given sum of money is worth at a specified time in the future assuming a certain interest rate, or more generally, rate of return, it is the present value multiplied by the accumulation function. Knowledge of the future can reduce, or possibly eliminate, the u ncertainty of FMV. When building a high-rise they cost a lot of money to a business and are generally a risk that is made to increase asset value, knowledge of the future will decrease the risk associated with building a high-rise. One such knowledge is the height of the high-rise. Another financial burden is safety, and implementing safety in a high-rise building can be very costly, and the cost to maintain safety is costly. With safety comes the cost of security to prevent such things like attacks. Security/safety can have a direct impact on the financial future as they are an ongoing cost. 6.4 Health Economics Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to scarcity in allocation of health and health care. In broad terms, health economists study the functioning of the health care system and the private and social causes of health-affecting behaviours such as smoking. Health economics is mostly concerned with ethics, it is not ethical to have no health/safety at a high-rise. Health can limit high-rises by a fair bit, as it financially costs money to maintain the health of the employees/patrons. When building a high-rise it is very dangerous and many safety precautions must be implemented. People can die when building a high-rise, ethically this can have a big impact of the building of the high-rise if one worker was to be killed on the work site [17]. Health also requires a safe work environment for the employees, therefore a fire safety and other measures such as security need to be implemented, and these have a direct impact on the future income of the high-rise . Disability measures must be taking for disable people, this means elevators and/or alternative steps etc. Lastly a big cost is toilet facilities, the cost to maintain and to implement toilet facilities is a very costly process and one of the top costs this therefore limits high-rise buildings due to financial costs. 6.5 Political Economics Public choice in economic theory is the use of modern economic tools to study problems that are tradictionally in the province of political science. From the perspective of political science, it may be seen as the subset of positive political theory which deals with subjects in which material interests are assumed to predonminte. Basically this means that political economy is mainly concerned with the behaviour of politicians and government officials. To build a high-rise it first must be approved by officials, then the height of the building may be limited by the officials to. A high-rise is a generally a very tall building and if the local

Essay --

Handling Difficult Conversations Olatunji Sowunmi Walden University January 19th, 2014 Introduction Every now and then, we often find ourselves in different situations where we have to engage in a difficult face-to- face conversation. Most times it involves our loved ones, colleagues or managers. These conversations often revolve around relationships, money, job performances, and various expectations. There are moments as well when we have to engage in such conversations but for one reason or the other we choose not to do so. Perhaps, because we’ve had different experiences of a face to face conversation that didn’t go we way we planned, or maybe because we fear that such conversation would worsen the situation or fear of hurting someone’s feeling. But still, the urge of setting yourself free from that stuck sensation in your chest calls for more reasons to have a one on one talk. This paper will discuss few circumstances I had of a difficult face-to-face conversation, describing specific actions I took to resolve the situation and evaluates whether or not those actions were effective. I will also mention strategies that will help improve my communication skills which will help me in the further to prepare for similar situations. As an Associate Director of Quality Management in a Level 1 Trauma Center and a Teaching Hospital in Queens, NY, I have been working in this field for the past six years and I have had several employees that I’ve supervised and worked with over years. But one of my colleagues Mrs. D an older lady with over twenty years of experience has been a torn in the way I’d like to manage my team. Our responsibilities involve updating the hospital policies and guide... ...m solving, selfish, curious, or angry. Channeling our emotional energy into something meaningful is important to be aware off. Being able to know and understand the purpose of a difficult conversation and putting ourselves in their shoes will help us see things from their point of view. Three techniques that have been identified for handling stressful conversation are clarity, neutrality and temperance, and they are building blocks of all good communication, Weeks, H., (2001). References †¢ Yates, K., & Beech, R. (2006). Six crucial steps to effective global communication. Strategic Communication Management, 10(5), 26-29. †¢ Engels, J., (July, 2007). Delivering Difficult Messages. Tool to tackle dreaded conversations. P50-52. †¢ Weeks, H., (2001). Taking the Stress Out Of Stressful Conversations. Harvard Business Review. P114-119.

On the Futures of the Subject :: Philosophy Philosophical Papers

On the Futures of the Subject ABSTRACT: This paper is intended as an inquiry regarding contemporary critical assays of subjectivity. In response to the contemporary politics of representation, both in expressions of essentialist identity politics and in versions of social constructivism, and their implication of all pedagogical practices in transfers of power, I wish to project the question of the subject’s futures. I choose to discuss the limits of the interior, monadic subject for consideration not only its historical and contemporary effects in the politics of representation, but also for the possibility of thinking beyond it. In the spirit of Foucault’s ethical project only a special kind of curiosity and a thinking ‘otherwise’ could, if luck and wit permit, allow us as individual subjects to go beyond ourselves. Thinking otherwise, when possible, could also suggest going beyond ourselves collectively in the creation of provisional critical pedagogical and ethical community. The notion of a decentered subject, now affixed to postmodern thought and practice, remains elusive. As a sometimes notorious, sometimes vogue tenet of cultural politics, the multiple, positioned subject breaks from traditional anchorages, whether theological, philosophical and political and their cultivation of experience. Most difficult for public critical reception are accounts of fragmentation and centerless identity, fueling charges that a moral vacuum has been excavated. The risk of losing any guarantee to permanence, order and a planned purpose to life is too great a secular leap into the void for most modern individuals to accept. While the specters of social fragmentation have been recognized as modes of experience under reifying modern social relations, the split subject, from Descartes to Freud and, on into postmodernism's displacements, a nostalgia for a substantial, core self persists. This paper is intended as an inquiry regarding contemporary critical assays of subjectivity. In response to the contemporary politics of representation, both in expressions of essentialist identity politics and in versions of social constructivism, and their implication of all pedagogical practices in transfers of power, I wish to project the question of the subject's futures. I choose to discuss the limits of the interior, monadic subject for consideration not only its historical and contemporary effects in the politics of representation, but also for the possibility of thinking beyond it. In the spirit of Foucault's ethical project only a special kind of curiosity and a thinking `otherwise' could, if luck and wit permit, allow us as individual subjects to go beyond ourselves.

Greatness :: essays research papers

When a Jewish girl living in Krakow under false papers visits Schindler, she asks that he hire her parents to work in his factory. He is infuriated with the girl and she runs from him, fearing her life and liberty. Schindler expresses his rage at Stern, whom he accuses of harboring Jews in the "haven" of a factory. Schindler is not angry at the idea of his factory as a haven, but the fact that such activities are illegal. However, as the atrocities of the Nazis become more apparent, Schindler begins to see the great opportunity he is presented with. He hires the girl's parents. Although there is no dialogue to give the viewer any direct clues, the scene in which Schindler observes the liquidation of the ghetto at Krakow hints at the change that begins to overtake him. He appears to be gripped by the stark realization of what the Nazi's are actually doing. He watches from a hill overlooking the ghetto, as Jews are massacred and children are oblivious to what is happening. The horror of it all overtakes his mistress, and she begs him to leave the tragic scene. Later, the change that has overtaken Schindler becomes more apparent. In a conversation with Hauptsturmfuhrer Amon Goeth, Schindler expresses his feelings about the relationship between that Nazis and the Jews. Goeth states that the reason the Jews fear the Nazi's is because they have the power to kill. Schindler believes otherwise. He says that the power to kill is a punishment to be used in exercising justice, but the real power lies in exercising mercy. According to Schindler, to have every justification for killing someone and letting him or her go demonstrates real power. This idea leaves an impression on Goeth, who begins to practice "mercy" the next day in his dealings in the concentration camp. Unfortunately, practicing mercy does not leave Goeth with the same fulfillment as murder, and he reverts to his old habits. This demonstrates a fundamental difference in the way Goeth and Schindler see the Jews. Goeth views them in typical Nazi fashion. His deep-rooted resentments, hatred, and perhaps even sadism, do not allow him to treat the Jews in a humane fashion. He sees them as a scourge to be eliminated, and at the very least a means to an end. He finds joy in shooting innocent Jews from his hilltop villa, and from exploiting them in cruel and unusual ways. He even finds pleasure in beating his maid.

Catcher in the Rye Essay

Author’s Background: J. D. Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in New York City, New York. Jerome David Salinger was born to Sol Salinger and his wife Miriam (J. D. Salinger). Though he was a bright young man, when he attended McBurney School, he ended up flunking out and was soon after sent to Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania (J. D. Salinger). After graduating Valley Forge, a couple years later, Salinger finally found the right school, Columbia University, where he met Whit Burnett, who helped him take off in his writing career (J. D. Salinger). After returning to New York, his writings were published in the New Yorker magazine and other publishers. He continued to push forward with his writing career and finally, in 1951, the Catcher in the Rye was published and instantly went worldwide after World War II (American Literature). Though some critics were harsh in their reviews on the novel, it still grew more successful and vaulted Salinger into literary fame. The fame did not suit Salinger, so he remained secluded from the public. His only other published work while he was still alive was a short story called the â€Å"Hapworth. † He later died on January 27, 2010, in Cornish (J. D. Salinger). Impact of Work: Salinger’s work has had an impact on many Americans of the 20th century and today. Their are many opinions on his novel and whether or not it is considered conventional and well-written. Many agree that it is not a well-written novel, while some argue that it is very well-written and easy to connect with because his character, Holden Caulfield, points out much of the negative truth about society. His book was also considered to negatively impact society due to the fact that the man who shot John Lennon considered him to be â€Å"phony,† yet it was controversial. There was and still is an argument whether or not school’s should allow the continuation of reading this novel. Some accept this book and others don’t, but still this piece of literary work is still and will for a long time be both appreciated and neglected by some, it’s just a matter of opinion. Significance of Title: The significance of the title is easily found within he book. It is most obvious when Holden is having a conversation with his sister, Phoebe, and he tells her what he wants to do, which is to become a catcher in the rye. By this he means that in order to protect innocent children from falling over a cliff into the corruptness of the adult or â€Å"phony† world, he must catch them and save them from this stained fate. This idea that he has is crazy, and until this conversation, he did not realize the ridiculousness of his â€Å"plan. It is not until later in the book does he realize that this ambition that he has chased for so long is impossible to reach and that it’s inevitable to protect the youth from being introduced to impurity from society. Theme: One of the main themes that is found in the book is that by using introversion, one can protect oneself, yet can also hurt themselves in the process. Throughout the entire novel, Holden exemplifies this theme because even while trying to be social, Holden seems to shy away from becoming to close to any one person, including his family members. For example, at one point in the book, Phoebe hugged Holden, and he complained that she shows her affection too much. Even from the beginning of the book, it began with Holden’s alienation: while everyone else was at the football game, Holden was alone. Though the reader can see that this is the main reason for the cause of most of Holden’s internal problems, he nor anyone who does in fact associate with him, tries to correct this behavior. Other examples from the book are when he tries to call someone, and he could not even simply do that because his isolation has drove him to feel unwanted and neglected in some sort of way. He sees and criticizes so many of the corrupt people in the world that it drives him to become overwhelmed to simply speak to those he wants to connect with, such as Sally. Though he may not see that his introversion causes his mental and social decay, the reader can see that it may be the one cause for why he is so obsessed with the superficiality of society. Literary Devices: One of the literary devices that Salinger uses quite often is the use of symbolism. One of the symbols that are found in the novel are the ducks that he asks the taxi driver about. The ducks and Holden’s curiosity of them reveals his innocence, but the ducks could possibly represent the fact that there is change in the world, and though Holden does not like change, it can be noted that his curiosity would then lead to discoveries of the world, and some discoveries are likely to be negative and corrupt, while others can be innocent. Another symbol found in the book is the museum displays because they are unchanging and remain the same every time he visits the museum. These play a key role in highlighting the change that Holden goes through because he points out in the book that whenever he visits the displays, even though they have remained the same, Holden is the one that has been changing, and that creates a timidity in him when embracing the adult world. Both of these symbols are meant to highlight Holden’s development as a character, yet to also define the reasons why he is so against change in his life. Important Quotations: â€Å"‘†¦ I’m standing on the edge of some crazy cliff. What I have to do, I have to catch everybody if they start to go over the cliff—I mean if they’re running and they don’t look where they’re going I have to come out from somewhere and catch them. That’s all I’d do all day. I’d just be the catcher in the rye and all,’† (173). This quote is important because it gives the title its meaning and gives an explanation as to why Holden thinks the way he does about protecting the innocence of the children. It also exemplifies the oddness of Holden’s thought process and how blind he is to the reality of the world. The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move†¦ Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you,† (121). From the earlier reference about the museum, Holden says this before he goes on his date with Sally, and this shows how much he dislikes change in his life. Yet, it can also be noted that because Holden can conclude that the displays never change, yet whoever goes in the museum does, that he is starting to grasp that change in one’s life is inevitable. The thing with kids is, if they want to grab for the gold ring, you have to let them do it, and not say anything. If they fall off, they fall off, but it’s bad if you say anything to them,† (211). This is also a major turning point in the novel because Holden finally comes to terms with the fact that it is impossible for him to protect children from encountering the impurity of the world and at this point, he then faces reality, and there is an obvious change in his character.

The Clouds and the History of Peloponnesian War

Breaking d avouch traditions The Clouds and the history of Peloponnesian War Undeniably, the ancient classic company places a heavy stress on look on and traditions. The two texts of the Clouds by Aristophanes and History of the Peloponnesian contend by Thucydides, although contextually divergent, atomic number 18 actually c formerlyptually convergent. Both texts atomic number 18 built near the central opus of the collapse of stately value. While the division of conventional set in the History of the Peloponnesian war is submited in a much nonliteral and symbolical manner, the downfall of conventional values in the Clouds is on a more fearfulct undercoat.Although some(prenominal) texts essentially bewilder across the same solemn kernel that the relinquishment of handed-downistic values leads to majestic consequences, Aristophanes also implicitly challenges the authority of senile values, and hopes to improve upon these traditions. The Clouds by Aristophanes is a sarcastic play primarily concerned with the root word of freshly and old education. A badinage is a com stupefy or prose lend oneself to lampoon individuals or rescript. They usually charter use of ridicules and irony for the ostensible adjudicate of exposing and discouraging vice or folly.In the Clouds, viewers atomic number 18 presented with a dislocation of traditionally accepted moralistic and ethical values, especially those that argon related to education. Aristophanes is a unshakable defender of old values. Through the comedy, he wishes to demonstrate his support for logical reason out that is well rounded and grounded in possible experience. Simultaneously, Aristophanes also wants to deliver a subject to the theater audiences of fifth century that accepted philosophers, dieicularly the casuists, belowmine traditional values and thus pose as a threat to classical society.However, by intentionally satirizing the traditional model of education with t he bran- unexampled model finishedout the comedy, Aristophanes subtly refers his effect that if a traditional system were to be left unexamined, it might lose corporation of the convictions and values upon which it was founded. This also enters that Aristophanes believes the importance of review cunningicle in the Athenian society, and that with criticism, a society can be improved upon. In comparison to The History of the Peloponnesian War, there ar distinctions between the ways in which traditional values ar mortified down.In the latter, the Mytilenian debate and the Melian dialogues be establish on the war between capital of Greece and its conglomerate against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta. It is more concerned with the ethics of war and punishments rather than education in The Clouds. hawkish sparks are ignited in the clarification of self-inte residuum, as the Spartans fear the growth of the Athenian power. Many moral judgments, as dire consequences of the wars, are debated upon. There are change magnitude political and ethical confusions in capital of Greece as a essence of the nauseate of the Mytilenians and the neutral position take up by the Melians.In the 2nd Mytilenian debate, the Athenians argue everywhere the unprecedented brutality of their actions and some dumbfound hesitant about the hurried finding to kill and enslave the citizens of Mytileans. Democracy is an all-important(prenominal) concept for the Greeks. In Cleons speech, however, he begins by questioning the worth of res publica and this instigates a breakdown in the traditional values. Personally I turn out had occasion often enough already to watch out that a republic is incapable of government activity others, and I am all the more convinced of this when I see how you are outright changing your minds about the Mytilenians. (Thuy 3. 37) Cleon believes that it is part of kind nature to revere the sinewy and take advantage of the weak, and hence he pushes for the punishment of the Mytilenians. In his speech, Cleon also employs the art of rhetoric. He stresses that the Mytilenian are more than discredited and consequently deserve the punishment since they are calculated aggressors (Thuy 36. 13). Hence, Cleon send words that the Mytilenians are non decent of the Athenians sympathy votes. such a way of railway line is a sure fire cutting of evil or innocence.Making use of rhetoric devices and compromising the mindls of democracy breach the ideals of traditions in the Greek society. Unlike that in the Clouds, Thucydides does not file any sign of flaws of the traditional values. Although based on different circumstances, the breakdown of traditional values in The History of the Peloponnesian war parallels to that in the Clouds. The Clouds also utilizes considerable use of rhetoric devices. Strepsiades decides to submit to the sophists way of education, so that he would be able to defend himself against his creditors.T he prototypical sign of erosion of traditional value is exposed when Strepsiades decides to enroll himself in the Thinkery under the guidance of Socrates. The ability to manipulate diction and turn everything into relativism erodes the principles of traditional Athenian beliefs. Indisputably, the new philosophy wins. Sophistry is the type of lingual device that, in the face of the weakness of traditional beliefs, undermines the value of anything. Strepsiades opines, Holy Earth, what a voice How divine, how awesome, how fantastic (363) In which Socrates responds, Yes, you know, these are the only real divinities, all the rest is bunkum. (365) In the new system of beliefs as advocated by the sophists, there is a rejection of the traditional religion and a belief in the new gods. The comical way through which ideas are portrayed may be witty, but the core issue lies at the heart of the plays moral indignation at what is happening in Athens. There are possibilities for that life i s macrocosm systematically deprave by the seductive power of words, of address itself. Language is now a neb of human beings, modified to accommodate human beings desires, rather than directing those desires.The underlying basis here in the Clouds is a direct correspondence to the ideas as presented in the Mytilenian debate, that traditionally held values are now being gradually eroded in the shine of self interest. As we progress on to the rest of the texts, the tension in recess traditional Greek values just intensifies. This is evident in the History of the Peloponnesian War as we advance to the Melian dialogue. The legitimate colors of human nature are exposed under desperate conditions. The Athenians have now completed the transition from democracy and are fully embracing the epitomes of imperialism.The Athenians, in a frank and matter-of-fact manner, allow the Melians an ultimatum to surrender and pay tribute to Athens, or be destroyed. The Melian dialogue also opens u p morality issues based on terminal of the Melos. Traditional democratic ideas are split up as imperialistic ideas are introduced. Our ruling of the gods and our knowledge of men lead us to conclude that it is a general and needful law of nature to rule any(prenominal) one can. (Thuy 5. 105). Abuses of traditional values are reflected throughout the dialogue as twain parties act in the light of their own self-interests.The Athenians make extensive use of rhetorical speeches in an attempt to exert their points and strangle the Melians. I quote the Athenians, You, by bighearted in, would save yourselves from disaster we, by not destroying you, would be able to profit from you (Thuy 5. 93). The use of rhetoric embodies the concept of ethical and moral relativism. It get hitched withs the core belief of the sophists that nothing is haughty and men are the measure of everything. The breakdown of traditional values is also escalate and heightened in the Clouds, as presented in t he impetuous debate between the remediate and the maltreat Arguments.The debate is a direct, head on clash of traditional values versus the new ideas. in good orders instructions are centered around traditional values such as respect, umpire and diligence. On the opposing end, abuse proposes the idea of moral and ethical relativism. This also symbolizes a debate between nomos and physis. Justice is now no longer an inborn singularity of humanity (physis), but rather a convention invented by the weaker party as a defense against the stronger (nomos) counterpart. Right and wrong are now merely matters of convention. Right Simply by presenting the case for umpire impose on _or_ oppress Itll crumble as shortly as I open my mouth. My position is that there isnt any such thing as justice Right No such thing? Wrong Well, if there is, where is it to be found? (901) In the debate, even the Right argument, who is supposed to follow the ideals of tradition, makes use of rhetoric de vices. The fundamentals of the traditional Greek society are disintegrated. Also, Pheidippides last(a) decision to choose the Wrong argument also represents the younger Athenian generations aim to modernity and discard of tradition.Although both Aristophanes and Thucydides suggest the idea of the breakdown of traditional values, Aristophanes takes it to a higher level in the Clouds. He acknowledges the faults with traditional values while at the same time criticizing the use of sophistry. He depicts the Right argument and an embarrassment that utters vacuous statements such as Be ashamed when you ought to be ashamed, ( one hundred one3). This shows that Aristophanes feels that raillery and criticism are no less(prenominal) important than traditions, as they allow the society to morph and flourish.This is different from the History of the Peloponnesian War as Thucydides simply portrays the breakdown of traditional values in a negative light. Nonetheless, both texts end on a simil ar note. The two writers present to the viewers/readers the dire consequences as upshots of breaching traditional values. In the context of the History of the Peloponnesian War, the Melians are destroyed. Also, the very undermentioned line is history begins with the decline of the Athens and the justifications of the Melos. About the same time the Argives invaded Phliasia and were ambushed by the Phliasians and the exiles from Argos, losing about eighty men. (Thuy 5. 115) Thucydides presumably wants to show the calamitous consequences of the actions of the Athenians, as a result of going against the traditions. The Athenians are also altogether defeated with the Syracusan victory. On the other hand, in the Clouds, we are presented with the protagonists (Strepsiades) frustration that leads to destruction at the end of the play. Both texts do not move us beyond their final, unsettling acts.In the case of Clouds, such a paradoxical expiration to a comedy can be interpreted as an o minous warning. loss away from the traditional values may seem ridiculously silly, especially when it is presented in the form of a comedy. However, the consequences are faraway from amusing. The very fact that there is no choral closure after the vehement of the Thinkery suggests that this ending is ironically serious. Despite the musical style differences of the texts, they are dissimilar presentations and interpretations of the same themethe breakdown of traditional Greek values.Both texts show the dire consequences as a result of breaking off from the tradition, and hence suggest the writers sense of disapproval. However, as Woody Allen once alleged, Tradition is the illusion of permanence As a society progresses, old traditions are bound to be challenged. Unlike in the History of Peloponnesian war, Aristophanes recognizes the limits of traditional values in the Clouds. While both texts show the grim effects of the breakdown, Aristophanes brings it to a whole new level. Work s Cited Aristophanes, and Alan Sommerstein. The Clouds Lysistrata And other Plays. Penguin Classics, 2002. Print. * Thucydides, and Rex Warner. History of the Peloponnesian War. London, EnglandPenguin Group, 1972. Print. * Schironi, Francesca. Thucydides Social surmise (Athenian Plague Corcyra) The Melian Dialogue. Classical Civilization hundred and one Lecture. Ann Arbor, Michigan. November 8, 2011 * Schironi, Francesca. Philosophy, Scientific Enquiry and the Greek fine Canon Classical Civilization 101 Lecture. Ann Arbor, Michigan. November 29, 2011