Sustainable city Essay Example for Free

Sustainable city Essay Planning gives spice in life. From planning a wedding ceremony, preparing how to pass job interviews, thinking about getting into a relationship, to family meal planning, what course to take in college, buying what cellphone brand you like, what time you are going to start your day, what color would you want to wear when you come to office, and planning what to do to brighten up someone’s day. The famous philosopher Confucius once said that: â€Å"A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door. † In every aspect of life that needs decision making planning is very essential. So, planning simply means getting away from trouble. Hence, if there is planning then there are set of goals and objectives that need to be attained. Needless to say, the success of the goals and objectives that has been set is the optimal result of planning. Otherwise, somebody who did not plan should be ready to face the consequence of actions done without putting a second thought. But planning is not always about waiting for the good things to come, well, unless of course one is prepared to fail. It could be another story, but who plans to fail anyhow? This is why planning should be defined appropriately. Planning is (1) deciding future course of action from amongst alternatives, (2) is a process that involves making and evaluating each set of interrelated decisions, and (3) selection of missions, objectives and translation of knowledge into action. For some experts in different fields like Alan Lakein, a famous American writer, planning is â€Å"bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now. † On the other hand former president of the United States, Dwight Eisenhower stated that â€Å"plans are nothing; planning is everything. † President Eisenhower also gave necessary points about military planning â€Å"in preparing for battle I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. † Moreover, cultures have united ideas about how significant planning is. Chinese believe that â€Å"when planning for a year, plant corn. When planning for a decade, plant trees. When planning for life, train and educate people. † Plato a Greek philosopher once said that â€Å"the beginning is the most important part of the work† wherein planning takes place at the beginning of every project, event, and decision making. The Bible as well says that Lord does planning for his creations especially human beings because good things come to those who have faith in Him like what is written in Jeremiah 29:11 of Today’s International Version of the Bible: â€Å"I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. † Since we are aware about what happens if careful planning is done we are also aware that not all things that had been planned always turn out to be the expected results we want to achieve. Meaning planning is not always as rewarding as we though it could be. Otherwise, failure would not exist. Planning without proper application will result to failure. But the quintessential part of planning is, if one plans he or she has already an edge over achieving good results just like what the famous Spanish novelist Miguel de Cervantes said: â€Å"to be prepared is half the victory. † There are many facets in life that need planning say for example family planning, business planning, financial planning, urban planning, and educational planning. In business, planning is profit and money not bankcruptcy. Family planning means a good and a happy family life. In financial aspect, planning means more savings and not total reliance in credit cards. In urban planning which includes both the aesthetic and safety aspects of a city, planning means sustainable city. For educational planning, parents chose to pay for educational plans just to ensure their children’s future. In general cases, say for example in planning an event to make it successful the organizers put up a separate committee called ad hoc committee just to have people who will be responsible in the planning process. The ad hoc committee is accountable in thinking of possible plans and should carry out means in the realization of the success of the event.

Grapes Of Wrath And Of Mice And Men: Character Study :: essays research papers

Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men: Character Study The American Novelist, John Steinbeck was a powerful writer of dramatic stories about good versus bad. His own views on writing were that not only should a writer make the story sound good but also the story written should teach a lesson. In fact, Steinbeck focused many of his novels, not on average literary themes rather he tended to relay messages about the many hard truths of life in The United States. Upon winning the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962 the Swedish academy introduced him by saying "He had no mind to be an unoffending comforter and entertainer. Instead, the topics he chose were serious and denunciatory†¦" This serious focus was not exempt from his two works "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Of Mice and Men". "The Grapes of Wrath" has been recognized by many as "the greatest novel in American History" and it remains among the archetypes of American culture. Although "Of Mice and Men" may not have received as much fanfare as the other it is still a great classic that was recently made into a motion picture. The focus of "The Grapes of Wrath" Is one family, the Joads, who has been kicked off their Oklahoma farm and forced to move to California to look for work. The story has historical significance as it is true that many families were forced, in the same way as the Joads, to leave their homes to look for work during the depression. It is in this fact that one can see how Steinbeck's intention in "The grapes of Wrath" was to depict the hardships people went through during an actual event in American history. Perhaps the most solemn message in this novel was the poor treatment of the dispossessed families as they reached California. In "Of Mice and Men" the reader is presented with a story that takes place in the same setting of "The Grapes of Wrath" This story details the hardships of two traveling companions while they are working at a ranch in California. The common thread between these two novels is not necessarily the plot or the setting rather, it is the way in which Steinbeck relays his message. That is to say that, although both novels carry different story lines they both portray hard truths about human suffering. Steinbeck reveals these truths through his depiction of characters. In each story it seems that the characters were crafted by Steinbeck in a bias manner so as to emphasize the overall message of the book. It is quite obvious that all of Steinbeck's characters are

Haiti History

Haiti has the distinction of being the first black independent republic, who only two centuries ago was the wealthiest country in the New World and represented more than a quarter of France's economy. Yet today Haiti has been called â€Å"un pays tite-en-bas† where about 80% if Haitians live in absolute poverty, and almost 1/3 of the population is ill or underweight. A long history of political oppression, soil erosion, lack of knowledge and population density of 618 people per square mile has caused modern Haiti to become the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. After almost 200 years of rule by a series of despotic emperors, eccentric kings, cruel dictators, powerless presidents and tyrannical generals Haiti is living in absolute poverty. Haiti has a GDP of less then $8 billion a year and the per capita income is less then $250 showing how poor Haiti truly is. When half a million slaves revolted against their colonial masters in 1804, Haiti became the first nation to abolish slavery. Haiti saw 22 heads of state in 72 years causing unrest and turmoil between the Haitian people. After four consecutive years of Haitian presidents being murdered or disposed, the United States sent marines to Haiti. When the Americans left in 1934, Haiti was again in turmoil, with frequent coups, revolutions, dictatorship, and street violence until the election of Franiois Duvalier in 1957. Duvaliers rule soon turned into one of repression and fear and he soon declared himself president-for-life in 1964. Following his death, his son Jean-Claude used the same violent methods of his father to keep control of Haiti. Read also History Quizzes Under his poor leadership, Haiti became one of the world's poorest countries. Most of Haiti's economic problems are the result of economic mismanagement and government corruption. Forests were cleared, which caused soil erosion, making the land dry and infertile. Farming employs nearly three-fifths of the workforce (see figure 1). The average salary is only $70 a month, and yet inflation tops 14% a year. The growing population has forced many small farmers to concentrate on growing food for themselves, making it impossible to have any income. Nearly 3/4 of the population of Haiti cooks with charcoal, cutting down so many trees that deforestation of the mountains is a major problem. Only about 4% of the land is forest, compared to 30% of US land (see figure 2 ; 3). Extreme weather conditions further threaten the land, with torrential rains during hurricane season racing down deforested mountains and destroying fields, roads and homes. This has caused a horrific impact on Haiti. Fewer then 13% have access to safe drinking water, and most Haitians struggle to find enough food to eat each day (it is estimated that Haiti produces only 40% of the food it needs). Although public education in Haiti is free, textbooks and other school materials are not, and as a result many children, especially those in rural areas (the 90% of Haitians that live in absolute poverty, also called peasants) cannot afford to go to school. It is estimated that about 90% of Haitians are illiterate. Even though legally, education is free and open to all, only about 30% of Haitian children ever begin school, and of the 30%, only 2% stay in school beyond the 5th grade. Many factors play into the lack of education in Haiti, such as education being mainly in French, even though Creole is the official language in Haiti, also after the fifth year students must pass a difficult examination, which is also in French, causing many students to not pass. The lack of proper teachers and inadequate supplies, as well as overcrowding in schools has made it difficult for Haitians to get an education. Haiti's misfortune has continued through the years with a series of natural disasters. Severe deforestation, leading to flooding and landslides, and a lack of proper emergency services and infrastructure has resulted in the storms causing the deaths of thousands of Haitians. In 2008, four separate hurricanes – Fay, Gustav, Hanna, and Ike – in the space of 30 days led to the deaths of more than 800 people. About 60 per cent of the country's harvest were destroyed and entire cities were rendered desolate and uninhabitable. In January 2010, a devastating 7. 0 magnitude earthquake resulting in the deaths of thousands and the loss of many homes and buildings (see figure 5). Haiti is a country full of tragedy and despair. 380 000 Haitians were infected with HIV/AIDS by 2000 and the life expectancy has dropped to the early age of 53. Only 8 people out of every thousand have telephone service and less then 6% of people have access to electrical power. Yet a small portion of the country is not effected by the massive poverty, but instead live a life of luxury. 0. 5% of Haiti's population earns about 46% of the nations income, thus giving the rich more power causing even more corruption. Many organizations such as The Canadian Red Cross and Hope for Haiti are aiming to restore this once hopeful country. The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) was established on June 1 2004, and continues to help Haiti today. MINUSTAH peacekeepers help provide basic needs such as clean water to cholera affected towns, where close to 50, 000 cases have been reported. The UN has established an emergency response effort to bring relief to this stricken country, yet even with so much help, Haiti is still a country that has lost all its wealth and is now in great debt with the world.

The Amazing and Practical Uses of Hagfish Slime

Hagfish slime is a gelatinous, protein-based substance secreted by hagfish in response to a threat. This gooey material has a surprising number of uses, and its unique properties may influence the future design of everything from clothing to missile defense. Key Takeaways: Hagfish Slime Hagfish slime is a protein-based, jelly-like substance emitted by hagfish as protection against predators.The slime is made up of strands that are stronger than nylon, thinner than human hair, and very flexible.  Because of these unusual properties, hagfish slime is used to produce durable, environmentally-friendly fabric. The slime has many other potential uses, which are being researched. Meet the Hagfish The hagfish is a slime-producing marine fish known for its lack of eyes and eel-like appearance. However, despite being nicknamed slime eels, these unique creatures arent eels at all. Rather, the hagfish is  jawless fish that possesses a skull, but no vertebral column. Its body is made up entirely of cartilage, like human ears and noses or the body of a shark. Because hagfish do not have skeletal systems, they can tie their bodies into knots. They often perform this feat while eating to increase the strength of their bite, and emitting slime to prevent the substance from choking them. Hagfish don’t have jaws, but they  do have two rows of â€Å"teeth† made of keratin, the same fibrous protein that  makes up the hair, hooves, and horns of other animals. They are scavengers that feed  on marine invertebrates and the carcasses  of marine life found on the seafloor. They dont have to rely on their teeth, either – theyre capable of absorbing nutrients through their bodies, and they can survive for months without eating. Hagfish are an important part of the marine ecosystem, and the slimy sea-dwellers are considered a delicacy in Korea. There is even a National Hagfish Day (the third Wednesday in October)  to celebrate the contributions of this unusual scavenger. The Characteristics of Hagfish Slime When a hagfish feels threatened, it releases  hagfish slime, a  protein-based, jelly-like substance  from  slime pores that run the length of its body. The slime is a thick glycoprotein excretion called mucin, which is the primary substance in mucus, commonly referred to as snot or phlegm. Unlike other types of mucus, however, hagfish slime doesn’t dry out.   The mucin is made up of  long, thread-like fibers, similar to  spider silk. These strands, which are arranged in bundles called skeins, are thinner than human hair, stronger than nylon, and extremely flexible.  When the skeins come into contact with seawater, the glue holding them together dissolves, allowing the slime to expand rapidly. It is said that one hagfish can fill a five-gallon bucket with slime in only a few minutes.  The slime  fills  the mouth and gills of  the hagfish’s  attacker, allowing  the hagfish  to escape. If a hagfish gets trapped in its own slime, it removes the gooey mess by tying its body into a knot. It then works the knot down the length of its body, pushing the slime off the end.   The Uses of Hagfish Slime Because of the strength, flexibility, and rapid expansion of hagfish slime, scientists are very interested in its potential uses. Researchers are experimenting with methods of creating man-made slime, since extracting the substance directly from hagfish is expensive and  stressful for  the animal. There are many possible  applications for hagfish slime. Hagfish are already used for making products such as â€Å"eel-skin† bags. The  strong, flexible fabrics made from hagfish slime could replace petroleum-based materials like nylon; the resulting fabric would be more durable and environmentally-friendly. Hagfish slime could be used in protective gear such as safety helmets and Kevlar vests. In the auto industry, hagfish slime could be used in airbags or to add lightweight strength and flexibility to car parts. Scientists think they may be able to use hagfish slime to create hydrogels that could be used in disposable diapers and farm irrigation systems. The U.S. Navy is currently working with hagfish slime in hopes of creating a substance that can protect divers from underwater attacks, fight fires, and even  stop missiles. Other  applications for hagfish slime include  tissue engineering and  replacing damaged tendons. Sources Bernards,  Mark A. et al. Spontaneous Unraveling Of Hagfish Slime Thread Skeins Is Mediated By A Seawater-Soluble Protein Adhesive.  Journal Of Experimental Biology, vol 217, no. 8, 2014, pp. 1263-1268.  The Company Of Biologists, doi:10.1242/jeb.096909.Mapp, Katherine. US Navy Synthetically Recreates Biomaterial To Assist Military Personnel.  Navy.Mil, 2017, http://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id98521.Pacific Hagfish. Aquarium of the Pacific. http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/pacific_hagfish.Winegard, Timothy et al. Coiling And Maturation Of A High-Performance Fibre In Hagfish Slime Gland Thread Cells.  Nature Communications, vol 5, 2014.  Springer Nature, doi:10.1038/ncomms4534.