On March Fourth, 1801, Thomas Jefferson Was Elected President Essays

On March fourth, 1801, Thomas Jefferson was elected President of the United States of America. Thomas Jefferson was a Republican. Republicans strongly supported farmers, and they wanted an agrarian nation. An agrarian nation means some changes had to be made in the country. The country needed strong trade with other countries, and they also needed more land to farm on. This led to the Louisiana Purchase. The French owned a huge amount of land west of the United States. Inside all of this land was the mouth of the Mississippi River, New Orleans. Because the Republicans wanted a farming nation, America needed a port like New Orleans. Jefferson didn't think that Napoleon would sell all of this land, but he asked him anyway if he was willing to sell. To his surprise Napoleon did want to sell this land because he needed more money for his fight with Great Britain. So Jefferson bought the Louisiana Territory, and doubled the nation's size. This purchase was a mastermind move by Jefferson that let the farming nation trade using the whole Mississippi. Another achievement of Thomas Jefferson was the exploration of the Louisiana Territory. He hired Lewis and Clark to explore the uncharted territory. He told them to search the land for a river passage to the Pacific Ocean. Jefferson also told them to keep diaries and make maps. This was Clark's task. In May, 1804, forty-four men set out on the expedition. The travelers tried to be friendly with the Indians on their way. When they reached North Dakota they hired the French trapper Toussaint Charbonneau, and his wife Sacajawea to be guides and interpreters. With them they traveled all the way to the Pacific Coast and back. Even though many people were disappointed upon their return that they had not found an all water route, Lewis and Clark were the first to map most of this land we call America. They also aroused an interest in the people to move westward in the growing nation. Let's go back a little bit to when Napoleon sold the Louisiana Territory to the United States. He needed money to fight in the war he was having with Great Britain. Since the United States had a small military, it did not want to be involved in the French-British War. America tried to stay neutral while trading with Europe, but France and Great Britain kept on violating their neutrality rights. The United States kept on trying to trade, but both sides put blockades on each others ports. This meant that the other countries took their ships. The British, however, not only took their ships, but they also impressed American sailors. During all of this mayhem President Madison came to power. Because of Britain's violations of America's sailors, he asked congress to declare war against Britain. Congress voted yes to the war. Afterwards, it was named the War of 1812. After two years of fighting, General Andrew Jackson came out victorious. A treaty was signed in Belgium, and the growing nation finally earned a little respect. They did this by changing the attitude of the Europeans towards them. Following the War of 1812, Andrew Jackson ran for president in 1828 and won. Jackson is said to be the first western president. President Jackson was odd in a the way he sided with states on some things and on other things he did not. He wanted to remove the Indians, get rid of the National Bank, and in 1828 he let a tariff pass that taxed imports. This angered Vice President Callhoon, and other people from South Carolina who said it was unfair. The consequence was that South Carolina nullified the tariff, Callhoon resigned, and South Carolina threatened to form their own government. Even though the Civil War wasn't until many years later, this was a sign of internal conflict that could threaten the growth of the country. Part of the reason that there was this internal conflict was that our nation was growing very rapidly, and each area of the country had huge differences. For example I will take political parties. The Republicans were farmers. They wanted a farming nation much like the South was. The Federalists were much different being from New England. They supported industry and manufacturing goods. An example of party differences is that of the Whisky Rebellion. In this the Federalists who were in power at the time past a law which put a twenty-five percent tax on whisky. This angered Republican farmers who turned their grain into whisky. A full scale revolt came out of this which threatened the ever-changing young country. Another difference was

The Best Things in Life Are Free Essays

The Best Things in Life Are Free Essays The Best Things in Life Are Free Paper The Best Things in Life Are Free Paper The Best Things in Life are Free Over the decadesheck, even centuriesphilosophers, politicians, tycoons and other leaders have insisted that you cant get something for nothing: Theres no such thing as a free ride, or Nothing in life is free. Well-known economist Milton Friedman once said, Theres no such thing as a free lunch. Even Entrepreneur columnist Robert Kiyosakis rich dad told him the same thing. But in our evolving Web 2. 0 world and with Google leading the way, the rules have changed: You can get something for nothingand for entrepreneurs, that something can have a significant impact on their businesses. Today, the web is full of free tools to help entrepreneurs start, run and grow their businesses for next to nothing. Itll just cost you some time and an internet connection. On using free stuff * Just because its there doesnt mean you have to use it. Because theres so much out there, businesses have a tendency to be like a kid in a candy store, says Drew McLellan. Start with the strategy of what you want to accomplish, and then find the tool that will allow you to do that. Adds Mike Whaling, Its a matter of figuring out which tools are right for your business. Know your audience, and then go to where they are already having conversations. * You dont have to figure it all out by yourself. McLellan suggests doing a simple Google search on a tool or task you want to accomplish. Youll find people talking about it, he says. And people are incredibly quick to share what they know. * Dont lose your companys brand. Using a variety of tools can lead to an inconsistent company image and voice. Says McLellan, Run it through the litmus test of Is this right for my business? Does it portray my business the way I want? Whaling also emphasizes thinking about what your businesss name will be associated with because many free tools are ad-supported. * Push your preconceived notions aside. MySpace and Facebook arent just for the kiddies anymore. Says McLellan, There are a lot of people conducting business on [these sites]. * Does the tool have staying power? For every successful blog, video website or social network, there are dozens that wont make it. So, again, talk with people online and discuss their experiences with the tool to gauge its stability and reliability. It may be free, but you still need to invest. Just creating a profile wont cut it. Making the most of these tools requires time and effort, says Whaling. Theres an investment in reading other peoples blogs, commenting on posts, getting involved in the community and building relationships. Gary Vaynerchuk, co-founder of Wine Library, has been taking advantage of free business tools for nearly three years to grow his 11-year-old wine retail business. Using a combination of web-based tools, such as social networking, blogging and video, hes taken his company to annual sales of $50 million. His success with these tools has even landed him two book deals and regular speaking engagements across the country. Building brand equity and connecting with your consumers through these social tools has a global impact on your business and your brand, says Vaynerchuk, 33, who launched Wine Library with his father, Sasha, 65. Springfield, New Jersey-based Wine Library uses Facebook, MySpace and Twitter to notify its friends about daily specials, something it used to do solely through e-mail. Its Facebook presence includes a custom app called Ask Gary, where people can ask questions about wine. And the company keeps a regular video blog, Wine Library TV. Viral aspects of your message explode once you use these tools, says Vaynerchuk. When I think about how much brand equity I have with Wine Library TV and how quickly it happened for [so little cost], the fact that I spent millions of dollars building the brand prior to using these tools makes me want to throw up. As Vaynerchuk has found, customers appreciate the interaction, says Mike Whaling, president of 30 Lines, a social media marketing company that helps businesses expand their brands online reach. Traditionally, it was one way. It was shouting: brochures, white papers, advertisements. Now its much more focused on multimedia and engagement. And whereas brochures and advertising of days past had a price tag, more and more of todays tools are free. But aside from the obvious (duh, its free), what does this surge of tools mean for small businesses? It starts to level the playing field, says Whaling. It gives small businesses the opportunity to put themselves out there and really compete with the larger companies. It allows a little guy to look like a big guy, says Drew McLellan, owner and CEO of McLellan Marketing Group. It makes a small business look very sophisticated. For example, an entrepreneur can build a website easily with various blogging and web design options. A company can launch a targeted marketing campaign across numerous social networks. A business owner can manage calendars, clients and projects using different collaborative and project management software. All for free! Alison Boris and Kat hi Chandler, 38 and 31, respectively, have been capitalizing on free tools since nearly the inception of their Los Angeles-based online bag boutique, AllyKatStyle, in 2007. Like Vaynerchuk, theyve created a MySpace page for their company. They also have profiles on Digg and StumbleUpon, which are community-centric content sharing sites, to drive traffic to allykatstyle. com. Outside of the popular social networking tools, they use QuantCast (embedded in the website) to monitor traffic, frequency, demographics, geographics and more, and Skype is their official business phone. Says Chandler, Theyre great grass-roots tools to drive traffic to the site and provide free advertising through bloggers and word-of-mouth.

Constitution Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constitution Paper - Essay Example 3. â€Å"He has rejected his Assent to Statutes, the majorly wholesome and important for the civic good†. These remains tackled by the whole constitution through establishing the configuration of the state and in Article IV paragraph 2 â€Å"This constitution†¦ shall be the highest statute of the earth† 4. â€Å"He has forbidden his Governors to pass Statutes of instant and imperative significance, unless postponed in their function till his Assent must remain acquired†; and when so postponed, he has completely ignored to listen to them†. This remains handled through the listed powers in Article I section 8. It narrates what the state remains permitted to perform and in Amendments 9 and 10 where everything else remains preserved to the individuals and the governments. 5. â€Å"He has assembled collectively legislative organs at areas uncommon, uncomfortable, and far from the store of their civic Records for the one aim of tiring them into conformity w ith his steps†. This remains tackled through Article I Section 4 â€Å"The parliament shall meet at least one time annually, and such congregation must be on the earliest Monday in December, except they through statute select a varying day†. ... (At this moment, no restrain of periods had remained fixed). b. Assembly has the authority to lay and collect taxes and control trade with foreign countries, and within the governments. c. The judicial authority will remain vested in a single highest court and lower courts. d. To suggest modifications to the Constitution, two thirds of the two Houses vote to suggest a modification. To approve an alteration, three fourths of the government parliaments should endorse it. e. Assembly has the authority to form and promote military and navy, and to create policies and guidelines for the military and navy to stand by. The Great Compromise remained an accord made amongst the parties to the Constitutional Convention that the American state could have two houses in Assembly: the Senate where every government has double senators and the House of Representatives where every government has several Representatives founded on demography. Due to the Great Compromise of 1787, the Constitution offere d for crucially varying kinds of Representation in the House and Senate. Membership in the House remains relative to the demography of the government. The figure of Representatives to which every government remains permitted has determination each ten years following a countrywide poll, or head tally has remained taken. In the initial Assembly, every party to the House signified 30,000 constituents (Peterson, 2009). Through the 103rd Assembly, the middle House party signified almost 600,000 constituents. Initially, the figure of Representatives increased with every poll, from 105 the 1790 poll to 435 following the 1910 poll. Then Assembly solidified the figure at 435 to maintain the House at a controllable dimension. The

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 26

Discussion - Assignment Example It is unfortunate that judges and other top government officials have personal immunity, which comes by professional courtesy and law. After one going through several blogs, one realizes that tyranny is greatly used as a strategy and the best example to illustrate this is the fact that Hamilton had tactics that worked with regard to tyranny. It is obvious that words are not sufficient and there must be true change in the United States of America when it comes to industrial espionage since the threat is not overblown. The main reason behind the US changing is the intelligent activity that the United States gathers foreign intelligence similar to that gathered by all nations globally. Being the superpower country, there must be some data protection, which can only happen with the help of changing the industrial espionage. Having data protection will be beneficial to almost every American citizen but mostly the leaders. Claims that America spies on other nations mean that the threat is not overblown but true change in industrial espionage will cover up

Confessions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Confessions - Essay Example Before confession, an old woman named Ryan, who was also his teacher, was the main person who framed his views about religion and the hereafter. She was the one who would mention hell every now and then. She always had a candle in her purse, which she used to symbolize hell. She would ask boys to hold a finger in the flame, and would tell that it was nothing as compared to eternal burning in hell. â€Å"Then she asked were we afraid of holding one finger-only one finger! - in a little candle flame for five minutes and not afraid of burning all over in roasting hot furnaces for all eternity† (O’Connor 2) was what she would tell the boys. Jackie got the idea that religion was all about burning people who did wrong deeds. He knew that life did not matter, as all that mattered was the hereafter in which God had to burn people in â€Å"hot furnaces† (2). Ryan was responsible for outlining these ideas of Jackie’s, as she would say, â€Å"All eternity! Just thin k of that! A whole lifetime goes by and it's nothing, not even a drop in the ocean of your sufferings† (2). Jackie’s perception of confession before the priest was also very pessimistic, and this perception had also been granted by the off-putting Mrs. Ryan. She had mentioned an account of a man who had made a bad confession. He stayed in guilty for many days to come, and finally went to priest for correcting his confession; but, he got burnt the night before the confession. For Jackie, that was the consequence of a bad confession, because he says, â€Å"This story made a shocking impression on me† (2). Hence, he believed that a bad confession led to horrible death. Moreover, he also believed that he was a great sinner, as Ryan would mention, off and on, that it was important to examine the conscience to be a good person. She would ask the boys if they loved their parents and other people whom they knew; and, Jackie knew that he was an ultimate sinner because he hated his grandmother and his sister. â€Å"I had no hope of ever doing anything else† (3) means that Jackie had become hopeless because his perception of religion had been deteriorated in a very bad way. That is why, the day he was going to confess, he looked back at the houses and metaphorically thought that it was like â€Å"Adam's last glimpse of Paradise† (4). However, Jackie confessed. It was a heart-wrecking experience for him. He could not find the courage in the first instance; but, he confessed before the priest the second time he got the chance to speak it all out. To Jackie’s surprise and contrary to what Nora had told him, the priest proved to be very understanding. He listened to Jackie’s intentions of killing the grandmother and Nora, and gave him three Hail Marys. That changed the world for Jackie. Previously he had thought of religion as a freaking thing that intended to give punishments only; but now, he understood that religion was not scary. He says, â€Å"I knew now I wouldn't die in the night and come back, leaving marks on my mother's furniture† (9), which shows that he was not worried of burning due to a bad confession or burning in hell anymore. Before confession, his state of mind was upsetting, which shows when he says, â€Å"the wind whistled outside so that the silence within seemed to crackle like ice under my feet† (4); but, after the confession his mental state had totally changed, which shows when

The Department of Homeland Security: Technology

The Department of Homeland Security: Technology The statement: The Department of Homeland Security has complete responsibility for all U.S. homeland security related critical infrastructure (CI) matters is not entirely accurate; originally, matters of national security were the sole responsibility of the federal government (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 7). Today, national critical infrastructure protection is a joint effort among the federal government, public and private sectors. The Department of Homeland Security was established to protect and secure the homeland from both domestic and foreign threats. According to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the development of a plan which will ensure the security of critical infrastructure is the responsibility of the DHS (Homeland Security, 2009). Likewise, the DHS is also responsible for recommending the measures necessary to protect the key resources and critical infrastructure of the United States (Homeland Security, 2009, p. 2). The mission of DHS is one that involves the protection of infrastructure and critical facilities and networks (Homeland Security, 2010, p. 33). The DHS is responsible for the identification and assessment of all components which make up critical infrastructure. In addition to mitigating potential vulnerabilities; improving the resilience of critical infrastructure, is also a top priority of the DHS. This includes but is not limited to: stand-alone facilities and interdependent systems and networks within and across critical infrastructure sectors (Homeland Security, 2010, p. 34). The DHS serves as the leader and facilitator for those agencies who share responsibility for protecting the nations critical infrastructures (Homeland Security, 2010, p. 31). Those agencies include territorial, tribal, local and state governments, as well as the private sector and other agencies not associated with the government (Homeland Security, 2003). Conversely, when a disaster occurs these agencies are the first line of defense for national critical infrastructures. Even though the DHS is responsible for leading critical infrastructure efforts, coordination of security measures within local and state governments and critical sector industry leaders are the responsibility of federal lead departments and agencies (Homeland Security, 2003). Similarly, it is the responsibility of state and local governments to provide protection to critical infrastructures that are located within their jurisdictions (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 10). If and when a catastrophic event should occur which exhaust the capabilities of local and state governments, it is up to the federal government to coordinate a response (Homeland Security, 2003). A majority of our nations critical infrastructures are privately owned or operated, which means that the private sector are initially responsible for providing protection against threats to their facilities (Homeland Security, 2003). When the threat becomes more than the private sector can handle then the government will step in to assist and ensure that our nations critical infrastructures and assets are protected (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 11). Likewise, the federal government will be there to provide support for an environment in which the private sector can better carry out its specific responsibilities (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 11). The chemical sector is one of the most vulnerable critical infrastructures to natural disaster and terrorist attacks, that being said the DHS is working with the EPA to enhance security at chemical facilities (Homeland Security, 2003). In addition, special attention is being paid to those facilities which house large quantities of hazardous chemicals (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 78). Studies conducted by the DHS and private sector are currently underway to identify and understand physical vulnerabilities within the telecommunications infrastructure and their associated risks (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 61). Even though the private sector must occasionally seek assistance from the DHS, there are times when the federal government must rely on the private sector to lend a hand in emergency response and recovery. An example of the federal government calling on the private sector for assistance was the anthrax scare of 2001. A large Washington D.C. construction corporation was contracted to oversee the abatement and restoration of the Brentwood Post office in Washington D.C. and the Trenton Post office facility in New Jersey. One must also understand that quite a few of our nations critical infrastructures cross international borders (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 35). Therefore the federal government has partnered with the neighboring countries to provide security for our interconnected infrastructures (Homeland Security, 2003, p. 35). The United States partnership with Canada is is a vital asset to national critical infrastructure, efforts are being made to provide protection for international interconnected infrastructures. An example of this partnership is the Alaskan Canadian hightway. In order to transport goods and supplies to Alaska we must travel cross Canadian territory. It is evident that matters of critical infrastrucutre involves not only the DHS but the public and private sectors as well. The DHS would not be able to carry out their responsibilites without the assistance of local and state agencies, the private sector and vice versa. The U.S. government has made great strides in developing techniques and strategies to harden U.S. critical infrastructures which will make them more resistant to terrorist attack and natural disasters. One of the U.S. governments goals is to establish a strong partnership that spans across all levels of government, in addition to the private sector and the American people (Homeland Security, 2009). The Protected Critical Infrastructure Information Program is just one of many steps taken by the U.S. government to harden critical infrastructure. This program provides protection to security-related critical infrastructure information (Homeland Security, 2009, p. 5). By breaking down each critical infrastructure sector it is easier to understand how the U.S. government has been successful in hardening each critical infrastructure. The agriculture and food sector is one of the most vulnerable critical infrastructures, that being said, efforts to harden this sector are an ongoing challenge (Mark Sauter James Carafano, 2005). The U.S. government has revised its measures by providing more protection through the hiring of more health inspectors, and adding more reporting requirements (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 291). Contamination of our nations water supply is often a topic of concern; efforts are being made by the Environmental Protection Agency as well as the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a vulnerability and threat assessment (Sauter Carafano, 2005). These assessments will improve not only site security at high threat locations it will also enhance monitoring and sharing of information (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 292). With regards to the critical infrastructure of public health the U.S. government has implemented measures to harden biomedical surveillance (Sauter Carafano, 2005). This is extremely important because of the risks of a biological attack. There have also been improvements in hardening security of emergency stockpiles of medical supplies (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 294). In order to improve the physical security of medical structures the U.S. government has provided incentives to the private sector (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 294). In response to hardening the critical infrastructure of emergency services the U.S. government has established measures to harden interoperable and redundant communication networks (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 295). The U.S. government has instituted a tougher national emergency preparedness exercise program which teaches better security and promotes consistent protection planning and response protocols (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 295). Since the defense industrial base critical infrastructure sector is owned by a majority of the private sector the U.S. government has implemented new measures to include critical infrastructure protection requirements in contract processes (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 296). Likewise, security is being strengthened in the defense related commercial production and distribution processes (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 296). The telecommunications critical infrastructure has been assessed by the U.S. government, and in return a program has been designed to identify where the most vulnerable areas are in the communication architecture and then address the security issue (Sauter Carafano, 2005). Conversely, there have also been efforts made in the energy critical infrastructure sector to enhance resilience of the energy facilities (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 298). Facility equipment is being repaired and replaced and there have also been improvements in restoration and recovery of services (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 298). Significant improvements have been made to harden the transportation critical infrastructure sector; for example, security initiatives have been established to provide commercial airliners with protection from shoulder fired missiles (Sauter Carafano, 2005, p. 299). There have also been new developments in screening technology which help identify potential threats to transportation as well as aiding the postal service sector in identifying suspicious mail (Sauter Carafano, 2005, pp. 301-302). Despite the many efforts being made to harden critical infrastructure, there are still several weaknesses in the U.S. governments strategy. Lets face it, the only other thing that is more costly than hardening critical infrastructure is the disruption or potential loss of operations in those critical infrastructures. It is clear that trying to harden all critical infrastructures is too daunting of a task and is not cost effective. The U.S. government needs to focus on those areas of the United States where our critical infrastructures are most vulnerable (e.g. New York City, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. etc.). The federal government also needs to look at the protection of our nations water ways. Information security systems need to be deployed to guard the locks on the Mississippi and St. Lawrence seaways (Bruce Don David Mussington). By employing an information security system it will enable the monitoring of vessels and ships while in locks or approaching locks (Don Mussington). To provide another level of security, river marshals could be deployed to accompany dangerous shipments through the locks (Don Mussington). Many people dont realize that a large majority of our nations goods are transported through inland waterways, which is why it is important that more attention be paid to the transportation sector.

The Bird Motif in Invisible Man Essay -- Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man

In Ralph Ellison's novel, Invisible Man, the narrator must go through a journey of self discovery. He does not identify himself with the black people, nor is he a part of the white culture. Throughout the novel, Ellison uses the bird motif emphasize the personalities of the groups that he is describing. In his humble beginnings the narrator's greatest desire is to achieve the power that would earn him respect from all races of people. He attempts to achieve this by adapting white ideals and adopting white customs. With the opportunity of going to New York, the narrator's future is open to many possibilities. "Man's hope can paint a purple picture, can transform a soaring vulture into a noble eagle or a moaning dove"(126). The narrator can either succeed at being powerful and influential or he can be one of the persons who talks too much, but shows no action. He does not want to be a part of the masses of black people that do not know what it is that they really want. They want to be happy, but do not know how to achieve this happiness. Ellison often compares birds to black...

Weathering and Erosion

Weather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, with respect to variables such as temperature, moisture, wind velocity, and barometric pressure. Weather can be classified as day to day temperature and precipitation activity, where climiate is average atmospheric conditions over longer periods of time. Weather occurs from temperature and moisture differences between one place and another. These differences can occur due to the sun angle at any particular spot. The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream. Weather systems in the mid-latitudes, such as â€Å"extratropical cyclones†, are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is pointed at different angles at different times of the year. On Earth's surface, temperatures usually range from 0-100 degrees farenheit annually. Over thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbit affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influence long-term climate Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes due to differences in compressional heating. Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. The atmosphere is a chaotic system, so small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. Human attempts to control the weather have occurred throughout human history, and there is evidence that human activity such as agriculture and industry has inadvertently modified weather patterns. Studying how the weather works on other planets has been helpful in understanding how weather works on Earth. A famous landmark in the Solar System, Jupiter's Great Red Spot, is an anticyclonic storm known to have existed for at least 300 years. However, weather is not limited to planetary bodies. A star's corona is constantly being lost to space, creating what is essentially a very thin atmosphere throughout the Solar System. The movement of mass ejected from the Sun is known as the solar wind. On Earth, common weather phenomena include wind, cloud, rain, snow, fog and dust storms. Less common events include natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, typhoons and ice storms. Almost all familiar weather phenomena occur in the troposphere (the lower part of the atmosphere). Weather does occur in the stratosphere and can affect weather lower down in the troposphere, but the exact mechanisms are poorly understood. Weather occurs primarily due to density (temperature and moisture) differences between one place to another. These differences can occur due to the sun angle at any particular spot, which varies by latitude from the tropics. In other words, the farther from the tropics you lie, the lower the sun angle is, which causes those locations to be cooler due to the indirect sunlight The strong temperature contrast between polar and tropical air gives rise to the jet stream. Weather systems in the mid-latitudes, such as extratropical cyclones, are caused by instabilities of the jet stream flow (see baroclinity). Weather systems in the tropics, such as monsoons or organized thunderstorm systems, are caused by different processes. Because the Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbital plane, sunlight is incident at different angles at different times of the year. In June the Northern Hemisphere is tilted towards the sun, so at any given Northern Hemisphere latitude sunlight falls more directly on that spot than in December (see Effect of sun angle on climate). This effect causes seasons. Over thousands to hundreds of thousands of years, changes in Earth's orbital parameters affect the amount and distribution of solar energy received by the Earth and influence long-term climate. see Milankovitch cycles). Uneven solar heating (the formation of zones of temperature and moisture gradients, or frontogenesis) can also be due to the weather itself in the form of cloudiness and precipitation. Higher altitudes are cooler than lower altitudes, which is explained by the lapse rate. On local scales, temperature differences can occur because different surfaces (such as oceans, forests, ice sheets, or man-made objects) have differing physical characteristics such as reflectivity, roughness, or moisture content. Surface temperature differences in turn cause pressure differences. A hot surface heats the air above it and the air expands, lowering the air pressure and its density. The resulting horizontal pressure gradient accelerates the air from high to low pressure, creating wind, and Earth's rotation then causes curvature of the flow via the Coriolis effect. The simple systems thus formed can then display emergent behaviour to produce more complex systems and thus other weather phenomena. Large scale examples include the Hadley cell while a smaller scale example would be coastal breezes. The atmosphere is a chaotic system, so small changes to one part of the system can grow to have large effects on the system as a whole. This makes it difficult to accurately predict weather more than a few days in advance, though weather forecasters are continually working to extend this limit through the scientific study of weather, meteorology. It is theoretically impossible to make useful day-to-day predictions more than about two weeks ahead, imposing an upper limit to potential for improved prediction skill. Chaos theory says that the slightest variation in the motion of the ground can grow with time. This idea is sometimes called the butterfly effect, from the idea that the motions caused by the flapping wings of a butterfly eventually could produce marked changes in the state of the atmosphere. Because of this sensitivity to small changes, it will never be possible to make perfect forecasts. Weather has played a large and sometimes direct part in human history. Aside from climatic changes that have caused the gradual drift of populations (for example the desertification of the Middle East, and the formation of land bridges during glacial periods), extreme weather events have caused smaller scale population movements and intruded directly in historical events. One such event is the saving of Japan from invasion by the Mongol fleet of Kublai Khan by the Kamikaze winds in 1281. French claims to Florida came to an end in 1565 when a hurricane destroyed the French fleet, allowing Spain to conquer Fort Caroline. More recently, Hurricane Katrina redistributed over one million people from the central Gulf coast elsewhere across the United States, becoming the largest diaspora in the history of the United States. Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a future time and a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since at least the nineteenth century. Weather forecasts are made by collecting quantitative data about the current state of the atmosphere and using scientific understanding of atmospheric processes to project how the atmosphere will evolve. Once an all-human endeavor based mainly upon changes in barometric pressure, current weather conditions, and sky condition, forecast models are now used to determine future conditions. Human input is still required to pick the best possible forecast model to base the forecast upon, which involves pattern recognition skills, teleconnections, knowledge of model performance, and knowledge of model biases. The chaotic nature of the atmosphere, the massive computational power required to solve the equations that describe the atmosphere, error involved in measuring the initial conditions, and an incomplete understanding of atmospheric processes mean that forecasts become less accurate as the difference in current time and the time for which the forecast is being made (the range of the forecast) increases. The use of ensembles and model consensus helps to narrow the error and pick the most likely outcome. There are a variety of end users to weather forecasts. Weather warnings are important forecasts because they are used to protect life and property. Forecasts based on temperature and precipitation are important to agriculture, and therefore to commodity traders within stock markets. Temperature forecasts are used by utility companies to estimate demand over coming days. On an everyday basis, people use weather forecasts to determine what to wear on a given day. Since outdoor activities are severely curtailed by heavy rain, snow and the wind chill, forecasts can be used to plan activities around these events, and to plan ahead and survive them. Studying how the weather works on other planets has been seen as helpful in understanding how it works on Earth. Weather on other planets follows many of the same physical principles as weather on Earth, but occurs on different scales and in atmospheres having different chemical composition. The Cassini–Huygens mission to Titan discovered clouds formed from methane or ethane which deposit rain composed of liquid methane and other organic compounds. Earth's atmosphere includes six latitudinal circulation zones, three in each hemisphere. In contrast, Jupiter's banded appearance shows many such zones, Titan has a single jet stream near the 50th parallel north latitude, and Venus has a single jet near the equator. Weather events influence biological processes on short time scales. For instance, as the Sun rises above the horizon in the morning, light levels become sufficient for the process of photosynthesis to take place in plant leaves. Later on, during the day, air temperature and humidity may induce the partial or total closure of the stomata, a typical response of many plants to limit the loss of water through transpiration. More generally, the daily evolution of meteorological variables controls the circadian rhythm of plants and animals alike. Living organisms, for their part, can collectively affect weather patterns. The rate of evapotranspiration of forests, or of any large vegetated area for that matter, contributes to the release of water vapor in the atmosphere. This local, relatively fast and continuous process may contribute significantly to the persistence of precipitations in a given area. As another example, the wilting of plants results in definite changes in leaf angle distribution and therefore modifies the rates of reflection, transmission and absorption of solar light in these plants. That, in turn, changes the albedo of the ecosystem as well as the relative importance of the sensible and latent heat fluxes from the surface to the atmosphere. For an example in oceanography, consider the release of dimethyl sulfide by biological activity in sea water and its impact on atmospheric aerosols.

Andrew Cunningham - Admiral Andrew Cunningham - World War II - Royal Navy

Andrew Cunningham - Admiral Andrew Cunningham - World War II - Royal Navy Andrew Cunningham - Early Life Career: Andrew Browne Cunningham was born January 7, 1883, outside Dublin, Ireland. The son of anatomy professor Daniel Cunningham and his wife Elizabeth, the Cunninghams family was of Scottish extraction. Largely raised by his mother, he began schooling in Ireland before being sent to Scotland to attend the Edinburgh Academy. At the age of ten, he accepted his fathers offer of pursuing a naval career and left Edinburgh to enter the Naval Preparatory School at Stubbington House. In 1897, Cunningham was accepted as a cadet in the Royal Navy and assigned to the training school aboard HMS Britannia at Dartmouth. Highly interested in seamanship, he proved a strong student and graduated 10th in a class of 68 the following April. Ordered to HMS Doris as a midshipman, Cunningham traveled to the Cape of Good Hope. While there, the Second Boer War began ashore. Believing there to be opportunity for advancement on land, he transferred to the Naval Brigade and saw action in Pretoria and Diamond Hill. Returning to sea, Cunningham moved through several ships before commencing sub-lieutenants courses at Portsmouth and Greenwich. Passing, he was promoted and assigned to HMS Implacable. Andrew Cunningham - World War I: Promoted to lieutenant in 1904, Cunningham passed through several peacetime postings before receiving his first command, HM Torpedo Boat #14 four years later. In 1911, Cunningham was placed in command of the destroyer HMS Scorpion. Aboard at the outbreak of World War I, he took part in the failed pursuit of the German battlecruiser SMS Goeben and cruiser SMS Breslau. Remaining in the Mediterranean, Scorpion participated in the early 1915 attack on the Dardanelles at the beginning of the Gallipoli Campaign. For his performance, Cunningham was promoted to commander and received the Distinguished Service Order. Over the next two years, Cunningham took part in routine patrol and convoy duty in the Mediterranean. Seeking action, he requested a transfer and returned to Britain in January 1918. Given command of HMS Termagent in Vice Admiral Roger Keyes Dover Patrol, he performed well and earned a bar for his DSO. With the end of the war, Cunningham moved to HMS Seafire and in 1919 received orders to sail for the Baltic. Serving under Rear Admiral Walter Cowan, he worked to keep the sea lanes open to newly independent Estonia and Latvia. For this service he was awarded a second bar for his DSO. Andrew Cunningham - Interwar Years: Promoted to captain in 1920, Cunningham moved through a number of senior destroyer commands and later served as Fleet Captain and Chief of Staff to Cowan in the North America and West Indies Squadron. He also attended the Army Senior Officers School and the Imperial Defense College. Upon completing the latter, he received his first major command, the battleship HMS Rodney. In September 1932, Cunningham was elevated to rear admiral and made Aide-de-Camp to King George V. Returning to the Mediterranean Fleet the following year, he oversaw its destroyers which relentlessly trained in ship handling. Raised to vice admiral in 1936, he was made second in command of the Mediterranean Fleet and placed in charge of its battlecruisers. Highly regarded by the Admiralty, Cunningham received orders to return to Britain in 1938 to assume the post of Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Taking this position in December, he was knighted the following month. Performing well in London, Cunningham received his dream posting on June 6, 1939, when he was made commander of the Mediterranean Fleet. Hoisting his flag aboard HMS Warspite, he began planning for operations against the Italian Navy in case of war. Andrew Cunningham - World War II: With the beginning of World War II in September 1939, Cunninghams primary focus became protecting the convoys that supplied British forces in Malta and Egypt. With the defeat of France in June 1940, Cunningham was forced to enter into tense negotiations with Admiral Rene-Emile Godfroy regarding the status of the French squadron at Alexandria. These talks were complicated when the French admiral learned of the British attack on Mers-el-Kebir. Through skillful diplomacy, Cunningham succeeded in convincing the French to allow their ships to be interned and their men repatriated. Though his fleet had won several engagements against the Italians, Cunningham sought to dramatically alter the strategic situation and reduce the threat to Allied convoys. Working with the Admiralty, a daring plan was conceived which called for a nighttime air strike against the Italian fleets anchorage at Taranto. Moving forward on November 11-12, 1940, Cunninghams fleet approached the Italian base and launched torpedo planes from HMS Illustrious. A success, the Taranto Raid sank one battleship and badly damaged two more. The raid was extensively studied by the Japanese when planning their attack on Pearl Harbor. In late March 1941, under heavy pressure from Germany to halt the Allied convoys, the Italian fleet sortied under the command of Admiral Angelo Iachino. Informed of enemy movements by Ultra radio intercepts, Cunningham met the Italians and won a decisive victory at the Battle of Cape Matapan on March 27-29. In the battle, three Italian heavy cruisers were sunk and a battleship damaged in exchange for three British killed. That May, following the Allied defeat on Crete, Cunningham successfully rescued over 16,000 men from the island despite taking heavy losses from Axis aircraft. Andrew Cunningham - Later War: In April 1942, with the United States now in the war, Cunningham was appointed to the naval staff mission to Washington, DC and built a strong relationship with the Commander-in-Chief of the US Fleet, Admiral Ernest King. As a result of these meetings, he was given command of the Allied Expeditionary Force, under General Dwight D. Eisenhower, for the Operation Torch landings in North Africa late that fall. Promoted to admiral of the fleet, he returned to the Mediterranean Fleet in February 1943, and worked tirelessly to ensure that no Axis forces would escape from North Africa. With the conclusion of the campaign, he again served under Eisenhower in commanding the naval elements of the invasion of Sicily in July 1943 and the landings in Italy that September. With the collapse of Italy, he was present at Malta on September 10 to witness the formal surrender of the Italian fleet. Following the death of the First Sea Lord, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Dudley Pound, Cunningham was appointed to the post on October 21. Returning to London, he served as a member of the Chiefs of Staff committee and provided overall strategic direction for the Royal Navy. In this role, Cunningham attended the major conferences at Cairo, Tehran, Quebec, Yalta and Potsdam during which plans for the invasion of Normandy and defeat of Japan were formulated. Cunningham remained First Sea Lord through the end of the war until his retirement in May 1946. Andrew Cunningham - Later Life: For his wartime service, Cunningham was created Viscount Cunningham of Hyndhope. Retiring to Bishops Waltham in Hampshire, he lived in a house that he and his wife, Nona Byatt (m. 1929), had purchased before the war. During his retirement, he held several ceremonial titles including Lord High Steward at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Cunningham died at London on June 12, 1963, and was buried at sea off Portsmouth. A bust was unveiled in Trafalgar Square in London on April 2, 1967 by Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh in his honor. Selected Sources History of War: Admiral Andrew Cunningham Royal Navy Museum: Andrew Cunningham

Free Essays on A Moment to Remember

A Moment to Remember It was a sharp pain in my shoulder as I was going through hitting drills in football practices. That day everything was going very well. Even though the day was hot, steaming, and exhausting, I was full of energy. As we started the hitting drills, I was trying to impress the coach with everything I had. With me being a sophomore trying to play varsity football, I had to give it my all. The moment in which I remember the most is one that will affect the rest of my life. It was when my shoulder dislocated for the first time in football practice. The pain was agonizing, intense, and very expensive. As I was growing up and becoming interested in football. I played my heart out in every game having the feeling as if I was invincible. Moving up from J.V. to varsity football was an experience in which I was scared of. Wondering if maybe I could perform at the same level in which I always have. In being a leader to the rest of my teammates and also excelling in the classroom. As practice started, I felt anxiety running all through my body, trying not to show it and at the same time it was quite obvious. From that point on I knew this season was going to be horrible. On the day I dislocated my shoulder, there were no warning signs leading up to the intense pain I was about to feel. With me feeling great that day. I felt as if I was invincible to anyone who went up against me. We were doing hitting drills in practice that day. I was going against the starting fullback from the previous football season. I t was a way in which I could prove myself worthy. As we were hitting head up against each other, I was making him look really bad; to the point where he was getting real frustrated with himself. Then as went up against each other for the last time in practice, it happened. My shoulder was knock out of place. I jumped, shouted, and scream all at the same time. The feeling was painful becau... Free Essays on A Moment to Remember Free Essays on A Moment to Remember A Moment to Remember It was a sharp pain in my shoulder as I was going through hitting drills in football practices. That day everything was going very well. Even though the day was hot, steaming, and exhausting, I was full of energy. As we started the hitting drills, I was trying to impress the coach with everything I had. With me being a sophomore trying to play varsity football, I had to give it my all. The moment in which I remember the most is one that will affect the rest of my life. It was when my shoulder dislocated for the first time in football practice. The pain was agonizing, intense, and very expensive. As I was growing up and becoming interested in football. I played my heart out in every game having the feeling as if I was invincible. Moving up from J.V. to varsity football was an experience in which I was scared of. Wondering if maybe I could perform at the same level in which I always have. In being a leader to the rest of my teammates and also excelling in the classroom. As practice started, I felt anxiety running all through my body, trying not to show it and at the same time it was quite obvious. From that point on I knew this season was going to be horrible. On the day I dislocated my shoulder, there were no warning signs leading up to the intense pain I was about to feel. With me feeling great that day. I felt as if I was invincible to anyone who went up against me. We were doing hitting drills in practice that day. I was going against the starting fullback from the previous football season. I t was a way in which I could prove myself worthy. As we were hitting head up against each other, I was making him look really bad; to the point where he was getting real frustrated with himself. Then as went up against each other for the last time in practice, it happened. My shoulder was knock out of place. I jumped, shouted, and scream all at the same time. The feeling was painful becau...

Feminism and Postmodernism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Feminism and Postmodernism - Essay Example In particular, the so-called postmodernist feminism has challenged the claims that observed differences between men and women are necessary and that women have an essence that justifies their subordinating position in society. Central to the postmodernist understanding of society is the belief that the grand or totalizing principles of modernity and the Enlightenment - including appeals to rationality, progress, humanity, and justice - have been completely undermined. This line of reasoning emerges from poststructuralist critiques of language, subjectivity, and representation. In other words, where poststructuralists criticized the foundations of modernism, postmodernists read these critiques as mandates for rejecting foundations altogether (Stabile 1995). European postmodernists, like Jean-Francois Lyotard, have expressed the belief that Marxism, like the Enlightenment in general, culminated in Stalinism because of its totalizing impulses. Some postmodernists have gone much further than this identification of Marxism with Soviet-style systems, holding Marxism responsible for all kinds of oppression. Twentieth-century Marxism has used the generalizing categories of production and class to delegitimize demands of women, black people, gays, lesbians, and others whose oppression cannot be reduced to economics. This kind of judgment dramatically displays yet another feature of postmodernism: its historical amnesia. Marxism and socialist organizations in general have been repeatedly marginalized and delegitimized by capitalism. Postmodernism is full of confusions and contradictions, nevertheless, it is based on some unifying principles such as non-critical and idealistic focus on the construction of real as well as examination of the concept of difference. For example, if the society is not able to identify any interests which might unite it, then the only mean to unify people is based on identity differences. This Marx's so-called unity in differences or the identity of interests shared by people and represented by the political institutions was rejected by postmodernists who did not accept any form of presentation in favour of the particular difference (Stabile 1995). Feminism From the first glance, feminism seems to be more accessible than postmodernism and refers to the females as the political unity with the identifiable electorate. Feminism shares with postmodernism the idea of rejection of historical materialism. Notably, the contemporary theories of feminism do not reject the idea of system and totality, but rather elaborates its own analysis in which male domination is seen as the alternative or confederate of capitalism. Thus, women, being oppressed by male dominating system, share the common interest to oppose it. At its beginning, feminism was both intellectual and political movement: to help women in understanding their oppressed position and to promote the changes in society in terms of gender issue. Early feminists organized as the distinct class with radical intentions (Tong 1989). Essentialism argument (the foundation of category "women" from biological perspective) and anti-essentialism argument ("women" seen as the historically and socially constructed group) are essential to understanding feministic assumptions. Essentialists believed that women have similar characteristics upon which political action can be founded. While, anti-essentialists claimed that labels "male" and "female" were not fixed

The Impact of Strategic Alignment on IT Projects Essay

The Impact of Strategic Alignment on IT Projects - Essay Example Governing information technology is one of the most critical issues facing governments today. Henderson and Venkatraman [2] argues that Information Technology (IT) can deliver no value without carefully planning to achieve the potential of IT implementation with business goals. Such concern is a focus of many business executives today [3, 4]. The concept of the Strategic Alignment perspectives is used as a systematic measurement tool to better achieve the mutual linkage between business and IT strategies. This paper sheds light on how Strategic Alignment perspectives have an impact on the success of government IT projects. The subject frames the general contribution of this paper. Organization strategy, knowledge, decision-making, Enterprise Architecture (EA) and public value are among key perspectives that are examined to enhance organization performance. The current SA perspectives is then analyzed in a local Australian Council context in which these perspectives are most appropriately used and the appropriate practices for IT value is recommended to be used in public policy. An Australian Council is responsible for a city's basic needs like garbage removal, planning of the town, and parks. The focus on an Australian Council was chosen due to the simplicity of this type of governance. Henderson and Venkatraman [2] define Strategic Alignment as 'selecting appropr... Henderson and Venkatraman [2] define Strategic Alignment as 'selecting appropriate alignment perspectives for achieving business objectives'. Reich & Benbasat [9] defines alignment as the degree to which the information technology mission, objectives, and plans support are supported by the business mission, objectives, and plans. Luftman [4] defines business IT alignment as applying IT in an appropriate and timely way in harmony with business strategies, goals and needs. Kearns & Sabherwal [10] argue that in order to improve organizational performance, achieving Strategic Alignment between business and IT is essential. Others argue that firm's failure to realize the potential value of IT is due partially to the absence of Strategic Alignment [2, 11, 12]. In 2007 Chan and Reich [3] published an annotated bibliography of alignment which listed over 150 articles. The current concept of the Strategic Alignment models in some ways reflects and accommodates a long history of research and practice concerning the most effective means of linking business and technology strategies. However, it is important to measure this alignment, and to quantify its effectiveness. Responding to a call for a more comprehensive alignment measurement, many models have been developed. For example the Critical Success Factors (CSF) model developed by Rockart [13] is one of the earliest models that link the use of IT to the organizational objectives and its strategies. The CSF is still widely used today. The Strategic Grid model, developed by McFarlan [14], addresses four quadrants: support, factory, transition, and strategy each of which represents a situation for the company. This model explains how IT is related to strategy and business operations in a company. The