The Panama Canal Essays (940 words) - Panama Canal,

The Panama Canal The Panama Canal The Panama Canal was one of the greatest accomplishments by mankind, in my opinion. Among the great peaceful endeavors of mankind that have contributed significantly to progress in the world, the construction of the Canal stands as an awe-inspiring achievement. The idea of a path between North and South America is older than their names. In 1534, Charles I of Spain, ordered the first survey of a proposed canal route through the Isthmus of Panama. More than three centuries passed before the first construction was started. The French labored 20 years, beginning in 1880, but disease and financial problems defeated them (http://www.historychannel.com/). In 1903, Panama and the United States signed a treaty by which the United States undertook to construct an interoceanic ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama. The following year, the United States purchased from the French Canal Company its rights and properties for $40 million and began construction. The monumental project was completed in ten years at a cost of about $387 million. Since 1903 the United States has invested about $3 billion in the Canal enterprise, approximately two-thirds of which has been recovered. The building of the Panama Canal involved three main problems: engineering, sanitation, and organization. Its successful completion was due principally to the engineering and administrative skills of such men as John F. Stevens and Col. George W. Goethals, and to the solution of extensive health problems by Col. William C. Gorgas (http://www.historychannel.com/). The engineering problems involved digging through the Continental Divide. Also constructing the largest earth dam ever built up to that time; designing and building the most massive canal locks ever envisioned; constructing the largest gates ever swung; and solving environmental problems of enormous proportions. Disease, in the forms of yellow fever and malaria, put much of the work force in the hospitals or six feet underground. Before any work could begin, the most deadly of the problems on the isthmus had to be overcome - disease. The government wasn't going to allow mortality rates like had been seen during the French reign - somewhere between ten and twenty thousand were estimated to have died at the canal zone between 1882 and 1888. For this purpose, American doctor William Gorgas was called to examine the area. The most troublesome diseases were the mosquito-carried malaria and yellow fever, but almost all diseases known to man were endemic. Tuberculosis, cholera, diphtheria, smallpox, bubonic plague - all were cases on file at Panama hospitals in 1904. The rocky ground of the formerly volcanic area proved to be too much for the French steam shovels and dredges, and headway was made only when a plan for dynamiting the rocks underwater and dredging up the pieces was put forth by Philippe Bunau-Varilla (who was later to become one of the most influential individuals in the United States' interest in the canal). Of no help was Lesseps' insistence on a sea-level canal, like he had done at Suez, as opposed to a lock canal, while the latter proved to be cheaper and more feasible even by reports of the time. In 1908, changes in the design of the canal had to be made because of unforeseen problems. The width of the canal was increased to 300 feet (from 200 feet), and the size of the locks to be used was increased by 15 feet (95 to 110 feet). Because of the threat of a silt blockage at the Pacific end, a breakwater - the Naos Island breakwater - was built using excavated dirt from the canal. Also created with the extra soil was a military reservation on the Pacific side, but most was dumped in the jungle wherever railroad tracks could be laid. The Pacific locks were moved inland, both for military strategy - harder to hit from the water - and necessity - the supports had begun to sink at the first location. The canal was completed in August of 1914, under budget by twenty-three million dollars. The first ship to cross the isthmus was the concrete ship Cristobal, the official and publicized ship to make the voyage was the Ancon. Unfortunately, the opening came just as World War I started in Europe, and so the fact that the greatest human endeavor had been completed was last on most everyone's mind. Initial traffic on the canal was around two-thousand ships annually until the war was over, when it jumped to five-thousand ships a year, then to seven-thousand, and more in recent times. The toll was initially 90 cents a ton, but was raised in 1974 due to increasing costs of operation (the

Societys Hazards essays

Society's Hazards essays Societys Hazards Why is it that we wish for better times? Do you remember your parents saying, Back in the good ol days...? Have you caught yourself saying, Man, I remember when...? The truth is that we all have asked this of ourselves. Todays society is stressful and dangerous. Children are forced to learn faster, they are pushed to succeed, and taught they are survival of the fittest. Adults are stressed because they didnt get there bonus, promotion, or there home situation is deteriorating. In todays racing society, elementary students are being taught things we didnt learn until junior high. I remember my psychology professor telling us a story about his english teacher in seventh grade and what assignments they had to do. We laughed and told him that we did those type of assignments in fourth grade. His response was, Really? Geesh! Teenagers are told school is most important. The importance is stressed so much that when they get unacceptable grades, they sometimes cant cope with the stress. Teenage suicides have sky rocketed because they see themselves as failures and useless. They are taught to be the best in all situations, whether it be academics, popularity, or wealth. As we move towards a less religiuos society, morals have left. The children have been taught evolution and have reduced humanity to a pile of goo. Life is an accident and holds no meaning. As we have seen, kids are become less troubled by taking another Adults, also, have a problem with this exhausting society. We, as a society, are very materialistic. Material things are not necessarily bad, but when they become our goal there is never enough. We strive for that next promotion, that better car, that bigger house. When we dont reach these goals, we see ourselves as failures. The result is we ...

4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book

4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book 4 Things That Surprised me About Self-Publishing an Academic Book Joshua Gans is a Professor of Strategic Management  at the University of Toronto. He has been published  in the American Economic Review, Journal of Political Economy, RAND Journal of Economics, Journal of Economic Perspectives, and more. In this article, he talks about his recent book,  Scholarly Publishing and its Discontents, which looks at the market power of journal publishers. The critical nature of this  subject led him to explore  self-publishing for the first time - an experience which surprised him in more ways than one."This is the 21st Century. Please download the free PDF of this book at joshuagans.com and use the search function. Trust me, it will be easier."And that was that!Self-publishing has offered me unparalleled freedom, and allowed me to disseminate my work as never before. That being said, my sales are not as high as I have achieved before with traditional publishing. Then again, I haven’t commenced any marketing initiatives other than handing out copies and have broken a few â€Å"rules† - like designing my own book cover. But that’s part of the beauty of self-publishing, doing things your way. This time around I’m going to work at my leisure, update the book with new editions when I want, and do things by one set of rules: my own.Scholarly Publishing and its Discontents  is available in  paperback from Amazon!Head to Joshua's website for more.Joshua published his recent book  because he had an idea he wanted to get out there - not necessarily because he was looking to build a fan base of readers. Can you relate? Leave any thoughts, experiences, or any questions for  Joshua in the comments below.

What is the difference between Roman law and Anglo law Essay

What is the difference between Roman law and Anglo law - Essay Example This paper involves a comparative analysis of Roman and Anglo Law. It identifies the differences and similarities between these two streams of law and how they work in the historical context. The study goes on to examine the contemporary effects of these two streams of law and how they operate in Britain and Spain. In examining the context of Roman and Anglo Law, there is the need to evaluate and analyse the historical context within which the two legal systems evolved. The history of Roman law cannot be separated from the spiritual age or the role of the Catholic Church in formulating rules and anointing leaders who were believed to have the divine right to rule (Coughlin, 2011). This is different from the Anglo legal code which is centrally built around the Norman Conquest and the changes that came with the political and feudal order through the creation of laws that were a collection of legal systems and processes that existed in different parts of Britain (Atiyah & Sommers, 1987). The scope of the Roman Law is based on the Canon of the Catholic Church which included core rules and fundamental principles that were laid down by the Church for its followers (Glenn, 2010). Roman Law and the Canon Law was shrouded in mysticism and hence, this formed the foundation for the actions and activities of the legal system and the legal processes that existed in these Catholic countries and such nations. Some of the top commentators and proponents of Roman Law rejected the concept of the validity of law, this is because the these thinkers believed that law should not be based on logic, but rather on divine direction (Coughlin, 2011). This is because there is a general trend and process in which they sought to protect the divinity of the papacy and the divinity of anointed kings and nobles who were viewed as persons with divine power and

Performance Excellence in Business Operations Essay

Performance Excellence in Business Operations - Essay Example A broad strategy involving minimisation of energy use and climate change impact, a reduction in emissions into the environment, better resource management through recycling and avoidance of substances of concern for the automobile is now necessary for the automobile industry. Automakers must ensure acceptance for their products and diversify fuels used for automobiles. Practical implementation of the automobile industry strategy for the future must involve implementation of environmental control systems based on the ISO 14001, greening of production and logistics, consideration of the vehicle life cycle and a reduction in energy used for manufacturing automobiles. Waste recycling, together with a reduction in the use of water for manufacturing and minimisation of harmful products into the environment supports the desired environmental strategy. Design and innovation focusing on fuel efficiency, recycling, reduction in tailpipe emissions, avoidance of substances of concern and use of renewable resources and materials for automobiles must continue to shape and help sustain the future. Major automobile manufacturers around the world continue to emphasise on the previously mentioned efforts to ensure a future for the automobile, but a certain emphasis is lacking for the following: Serious and concerted efforts to design vehicles that operate on stored electric energy, perhaps because this will require a radical departure from the automobile concept as we know it when profits and economics still makes sense. Efforts to make the servicing and maintenance of automobiles present lower environmental impacts. Although legislation now constrains automobile manufacturers to assume responsibility for recycling automobile components and automobiles at the end of service life, manufacturers have avoided presenting clearly how they intend to do this. Thus, it is not yet clear if recycling and reclamation of automobile parts and automobiles will not have complex environmental i mpacts that may exacerbate the environmental impact of the automobile over its life cycle. Contents Part 1: Research Report Introduction 1 Approaches to Environmental Management for the Automobile Industry 2 Operational Aspects of Environmental Management for the Automobile Industry 5 End-of-Life Regulation and Recovery Technology for Automobiles 10 Best Practices for Environmental Management in the Automobile Industry 13 Conclusion 17 Bibliography / References 20 List of Figures Figure 1: Product Environmental Performance Indicators for an Automobile Spare Part 9 Figure 2: Toyota’s Environmental Action Plan 15 Part 2: Personal Reflection on Team Presentations Introduction 27 Reflections 28 Conclusion 32 Bibliography / References 33 (This page intentionally left blank) Part 1: Research Report Introduction In the present day and age, the automotive industry must confront the twin threats of economic and environmental pressures (Wells, 2010, Pp. 1 – 10). According to Wel ls (2010, Pp. 1 – 10), not only is the world now recovering from a burgeoning economic slowdown, but also the pressures imposed on the planet by human activities is now reaching critical levels with threats to the environment and the ecosystem compounding problems. The future presents a broad decline in fossil fuel production and a decline in natural reserves to satisfy the vivacious appetite of humanity. With more than one billion vehicles populating earth, the globe is accelerating towards the

Weaker Sex? :: Sports Women Feminist Papers

Weaker Sex? "Psychologically, men are more explosive, inconsistent, not enduring, a nd in pain exertion - especially among high performance athletes - somewhat sniveling. A woman is the opposite: tough, constant, enduring, level and calm under the pain to which her biology exposes her. On the average she is more patient than a man. Armed with these advantages, women are in a position to do endurance feats previously considered by men to be impossible."(Noakes 598) Not many sports exist in the world today in which women can be competitive with men. Although this is not true with many other things in life, it has always seemed that males dominate the sports world, no matter how hard women have tried to break through this. Upon taking this class, I thought I had found such a sport. From quotes such as the one above by Dr. Ernst van Aaken and other findings in the class text books, I developed the thesis that Ultra Marathon Running might be just the sport for women to show their ability to best men in sports arenas that which they had previously been excluded from. As I look deeper into this statement, I realize that there are many different ideas and theories on this topic. Many women say, "Yes, of course women can compete with men", while men tend to laugh at the question and scoff at even the thought. So my question remains unanswered, can women of the ultra species compete with males? In 1971, American woman, Natalie Cullimore surprised the all male ultra world by running a 16:11 for the one hundred-mile race. Not only was she second in the race, but this was the fourth fastest time for a male or female at this distance. She caught the attention of the males of the sport with her speed and helped many other women to find a place in this field with her determination. As women's ultra running became more popular world wide, people began to take notice. Onlookers realized that the women always seemed to look more fresh at the end of a race, as if it were not as much of a struggle for them as it was for the men. This observation prompted many studies and the theory that women could beat competitive men. The first doctors to make a statement about this theory were Dr. Joan Ulloyt and Dr.

Autocratic and Democratic Leadership Essay

There are many pros and cons of both autocratic and democratic government, not to mention, many obvious differences. Surprisingly, there are also some similarities between these two unique governing styles. Autocracy as defined by the Merriam Webster online dictionary is, â€Å"A government in which one person possesses unlimited power.† Opposingly, democracy as defined by Danzinger, professor and former chair of the department of political science at the University of California is â€Å"A governance by leaders whose authority is based on a limited mandate from a universal electorate that selects among genuine alternatives and has some rights to political participation and opposition† (173). Most leadership characteristics can be categorized into these two groups further separating them into two distinct leadership styles. An autocratic leader tends to lead with an iron fist similar to the style of a totalitarian government, whereas a democratic leader tends to take a slightly softer approach governing with consent and compliance from the people. Throughout this paper I will provide an analysis of basic characteristics of both autocratic and democratic government and leaders, as well as a brief overview of the positive and negative aspects of both governing systems. Each governing style is made to work within its own environment, governing its people and doing what is best for its country. Autocracy requires a lack of separation of powers, so the absolute ruler cannot beopposed by any other powerful source. For example, a checks and balances’ system would deter an autocratic government because the leader would not have absolute power. Autocracies can take the form of a totalitarian/dictoral government, where a country is under the rule of one person. Many times, autocratic rulers work to better their countries only because it in turn provides great advantages for the rulers themselves. â€Å"An autocratic government is one that maximizes the net income the ruling clique extracts from the remainder of the population; this extraction, in turn, is the difference between the tax revenues the regime collects and the amounts it spends on public services, military activities, and interest.† (Niskanan, 182). Basically, out of the increase in output that results from the net income extracted from the population, the leader obtains more resources for his or her own purposes than for the general public. Also, since the public population is a source of tax-income for the leader, the leader then has  incentive to protect his or her people from warfare, terrorist attacks, etc. Hence, the monopolization of income tax can actually have a positive affect on the general public. The public is also benefitted because they obtain the income they have made that has not been taken in taxes. A commonly used phrase people use when talking about autocratic governments is, â€Å"An absolute ruler fails absolutely,† but is this necessarily the case in an autocratic government? Unlimited power of a ruler may only be considered dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands. The term autocracy has become synonymous with the title of dictator, however, not all dictatorships are necessarily a negative form of government. For example, Hugo Chavez, leader of Venezuela has created the Bolivarian Revolution, â€Å"A close replica of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal-a progressive income tax, public works, social security, cheap electricity-makes him wildly popular with the poor. And most Venezuelans are poor† (Palast 42). On the other hand, many people argue that Chavez is in fact a bad leader. A common view of the American government portrays Chavez as a threat to global oil prices and regional economy. Just like there is a good and bad side to autocratic leaders, ther e are many pros and cons when closely examining an autocratic government. Many may argue that an autocratic style of government is corrupt and unjust. However, there are many positive aspects of autocracy. Decisions are made quickly without strenuous contemplation from other political powers. For example, if a dictator wanted to pass a law making it illegal to wear blue jeans in his or her country he could pass the law without consent from anyone else. If a president wanted to make the same law, it would have to be overseen and contemplated by numerous other parties before passing. Not only is an autocratic government quick to make decisions, it also defines a clear bottom line. Topics of controversy are not left up to the interpretation of the public, and differing opinions are not expressed because the public population of an autocratic government is generally discouraged from expressing individual opinions. Unfortunately there are also many negative aspects of autocracy. Mainly, it  has the potential to ignore the needs of the majority. Ultimately, all decisions are left up to the leader, creating a potentially skewed outcome as far as the needs of the public go. The views and norms of a whole state can be held solely in the hands of one person and needless to say may have quite a negative effect. Irrational decisions can also be made, with virtually no hope of being stopped. If an autocratic leader happens to be having a bad day and makes an irrational and harsh decision, it may have a negative impact on all of the country. One may wonder why the citizens of an autocratic government would tolerate such a harsh and extreme leader, why not just overthrow him?The same logic of collective action that ensured that there are no social contracts in the historical record whereby large groups agreed to obtain the advantages of government also implies that the masses shall not overthrow an autocrat simply because they would be better off to do so. Historical evidence from at least the first pharos through Saddam Hussein indicates that resolute autocrats can survive even when they impose heinous amounts of suffering upon their peoples. When they are replaced, it is for other reasons (Mancur 23). The opposite of autocracy could be thought of as democracy. Democracy is a widely accepted form of government that works for the people by allowing them to choose their own representation. Not only are the people represented by a leader of their choice, but are also able to give opinions as to the on goings of their country. â€Å"Democracy is a sign of the existence of a strong civil society that is based on various intermediary groups, from women’s associations and labor unions to cooperatives and trade councils. Such groups serve as probably the most effective tools for communicating social demands to decision makers.† (Gangi 41). Democracy is said to have originated in medieval Europe as a cause of three main points;First, late medieval Europe had numerous political characteristics that distinguished it from other major world civilizations. These characteristics the most important of which were representative assemblies constituted as a basis for liberal democracy which provided Europe with a predisposition toward democratic political institutions. Second, the ‘military revolution’ of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries led to the strengthing of monarchal power in countries relying on domestic resources to finance modern armies.  In these countries, medieval constitutionalism was done away with and expansive autocracies were built demolishing the predisposition. Third, in countries that avoided the military revolution, military modernization did not destroy constitutional government, and a liberal political outcome became more likely (Downing 3). Much like autocracy requires a lack of separation of powers, democracy needs a separation of powers. A democratic government is divided into three branches. The executive branch consists of the presidential party which in turn consists of the president, the vice president, and all the cabinet members. This branch assists in carrying out the law. The president is allowed to pass or veto a bill sent by the legislature. The legislative branch or â€Å"Bicameral Congress† consists of the Senate (100 seats, one-third are renewed every two years; 2 members are elected from each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)† (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/us.html). The legislative branch writes laws on a bill so they can be sent to the senator, and then to the representatives, and then to the president. The judicial branch is in charge of the court systems consisting of the â€Å"Supreme Court (nine justices; nominated by the president and confirmed with the advice and consent of the Senate; appointed to serve for life); United States Courts of Appeal; United States District Courts; State and County Courts† (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/print/us.html). The judicial branch applies the law by hearing and making decisions on various legal cases. Just like any other government, democracy can vary from country to country. A democratic government may come in many different forms such as participatory democracy, representative democracy, electoral democracy, liberal democracy, etc, hence there are near endless positive and negative aspects. Singapore practices an electoral democracy where â€Å"All citizens periodically vote in order to select political leaders from among alternative contenders† (Danziger 173), meaning that the government picks the candidates that the citizens can vote for. In 2006 the Freedom House  described America as a liberal democracy which is a government where â€Å"Citizens enjoy not only electoral democracy but also these extensive political rights and civil liberties regarding participation, personal freedoms, and opposition† (173). However, I feel that America is better categorized as a representative democracy where â€Å"Citizens elect people to represent them in the political process and to allocate values on their behalf† (172). Because of all the different conditions in the many types of democracies one may wonder what exactly defines democracy. One of the key characteristics of American democracy is universal suffrage. Universal suffrage consists of the right to vote regardless of race, religion, gender, social status, economic status, etc. Suffrage has been a continually developing aspect of democracy for centuries. According to Wikipedia, African American suffrage began in 1866, and women’s suffrage began in 1920. A second democratic characteristic is equality of all people. Within the US Constitution it is implied that under a democratic government each person is entitled to equal protection under the law, freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, etc, along with various other economic, social, cultural, civil, political, and group-oriented rights. Democracy bases itself on providing fair and equal opportunities for all people regardless of their race, sex, religion, economic/social status, etc. The idea of American democracy fully supporting equality brought many immigrants here, with promises of equal opport unity. Along with all the rights and privileges citizens of a democratic government have, there are also some negative aspects. The larger democracies get, the more difficult voting and vote tallying becomes. For example, during the Gore vs. Bush presidential elections the vote counts in Florida were misinterpreted, and many people thought the outcome of the election was skewed due to vote fraud. Also, democracy is hailed as one of the most fair governments, but catering to the needs of only the majority actually excludes the minority. No matter how minuscule the minority may be, they are still be exploited by the majority. Lastly, the larger a democratic system becomes, the less peaceful and efficient it becomes. Mancur Olsen gives a good example of this negative aspect of  democracy in his essay Autocracy, Democracy, and History. If there are say five similar people, each of them will get about a fifth of the gains from the creation of a peaceful [democratic] order. †¦The advantages of such an order are so large that one fifth of the gains could eaisly exceed the total sacrifice. Moreover, when there are only a few people in a group it will be clear that the welfare of each person depends on whether each other individual acts in a group-oriented or anti-social way. Thus each person by making clear that the cooperation by others will bring forth cooperation from him but that non-cooperation will not, can increase the likelihood that others will match his behavior. This not only increases the probability of peaceful [democratic] interaction but even makes it easily possible that cooperation will reach an ideal or group optimal extent (Olsen 3). Hence, democracies work better for relatively small groups. Mancur argues that a democracy is better than raw anarchy, but democracy is still far from perfect. (2)In conclusion, both autocratic and democratic governments have many strong and weak points. Some negative aspects of autocracy such as income tax monopoly can have a positive affect on a whole country’s population, while some positive aspects of democracy such as majority ruling can have negative affects such as excluding the minority. The pros and cons of a government are what ultimately define that government’s basic structure. If a government has a disorganized electoral system, power could potentially fall into the wrong leaders hands. If a government has a very strict electoral policy, the people may be misrepresented due to the fact that they do not have full freedom to choose their leader. Each governmental style works for the betterment of their citizens whether it is by strict rule, or lax rule. All in all, governments working towards the betterment of their citizens, are truly working towards the betterment of the human population as a whole. Works Cited â€Å"Autocracy.† Merriam-Webster’s Online Dictionary. 2004. . Danziger, James. Understanding the Political World: A Comparative Introduction to Political Science. New York: Pearson Education Inc, 2007. Downing, Brian. The Military Revolution and Political Change: Origins of Democracy andAutocracy in Early Modern Europe. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1992. Gangi, Akbar. â€Å"The Struggle Against Sultanism.† Journal of Democracy 2005: 16.4. ProjectMuse Scholarly Journals Online. Wayne State University Library. Wayne State University Library, Detroit, MI. 16 Apr 2007. Olsen, Mancur. â€Å"Autocracy, Democracy, and History.† Online working paper #22, 1991. 2 April 2007. Niskanan, William. Autocratic, Democratic and Optimal Government: Fiscal Choices and Economic Outcomes. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publications, 2004. Palast, Greg. â€Å"Hugo Chavez.† The Progressive. July 2006. 10 April 2007. â€Å"United States.† cia.gov. 2007. The World Fact Book. 4 April 2007. .