City Genral plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

City Genral plan - Essay Example As well as activities that are acceptable on every land parcel, this provides every area with compatibility and continuity as well as those individuals who border those areas. Taking an example of a general plan of Albany, in New York and, the element of land use element has been addressed of which its purpose is to benefit individuals and shape development of cities this is vividly seen in reference with the cities prospective of which its plans are to shape the road ahead, with a target that they feel should be accomplished in the future twenty years from the current time. In the land use plan land uses a pattern known as the spatial distribution all over the city and ways in which for instance the occupants or even enterprises make use of land that is available. The goals that are entailed in this element are simple but at the same time work best, it ties to the six original visions statements which are original and its aim is to support the adoption of a balanced future land use pattern standing with these concepts. There’s also strategies in the land use element and has suggestions such as the utilization of properties that have been neglected or could be they are not occupied, maps are used to guide decisions in the transportation connections land generally the use of land. The land use map outlines a number of lands uses for instance what is referred to as the downtown hub. In all of these corridors there’s employment and education centers that are contained and their results lead to a prosperous economy and revitalized development of the city. The land use element is essential because it is what is used to guide future development and make land use decisions that maintain attractive and economically sustainable city, through considering citizens satisfaction survey in making improvements it can lead to a commendable city development. While dealing with the land use element hardships that are involved in matters like understanding nature an d the limitations the planners coaching and motivation bring to decision concerning how land is used. In land use element we see that the cultural factors are mainly less emphasized in comparison to the physical and even the economic and social characteristics in making decisions on land use patterns. For instance in places that are have the potential of productivity according to soil and the slope parameters and to the existing social economic aspect do not maintain the activities that a land use would assign to them. The cultural factors that affect land use element and mostly in development of a city are information, the technology and the biasness that comes along this factors could either affect land use component positively or negatively. Due to cultures being different from one another, there happen that evaluation on land use can’t be standardized for similar physical conditions. People living and working in a given space often there’s is disregard the proposal s of studies on the constraints that are physical in the area. When we have people living and working together at a place there’s usually disregard of proposals on studies on the physical parameters of the area. Land use element evaluation on the Albany city portrays the potential for production and loss under a specified land use thus there is no possibility of commanding a decision that depends on the individuality of the populations influenced. Some of the systems attributes turn out to be dangerous to the

Judaism paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Judaism - Research Paper Example Certain varieties of Judaism consider the idea that all Jewish teachings must strictly be adhered to (Wylen, 2000). Although, there are other forms of Judaism that believe teachings that encourage on how to usher a morality in human lives are obligatory, much less, essential; others can be considered as discretionary or optional. For the reason that Judaism is an assorted religion with an extensive range of beliefs and practices, it must not be presupposed that a Jew has certain types of beliefs or follows precise forms of religious practice (Eisenberg, 2004). Various types of Judaism are linked by an intense impression of "peoplehood" (ICS, 2013), a shared inheritance, tradition or custom, and collective values and standards. Judaism gives Jews with guidance on how to carry out their religion and inspire good values (ICS, 2013). These instructions descend from numerous bases that include Jewish sacred texts such as the Bible and the Talmud (ICS, 2013). Other Jewish texts such as the subsequent literary works written by rabbis and philosophers are also being used. Judaism is one of the most important religions that are still being practiced today. Thus, it sensibly important to dig in deeper to its historical derivations, and the significant figures, observance, teachings, and events that can be relatively associated with it. This paper shall elaborate on these categories, which should provide readers a general overview of Judaism. Judaism and Abraham One of the fundamental teachings of Judaism is the belief that there is only one God, a belief that is also known as ethical monotheism (Wylen 2000; ICS, 2013). Judaism teaches that there is a lone God who created the universe and everything that is in it; a Supreme Being who cherishes and tends humanity; a God who desires that His people will live ethical lives (ICS, 2013), which makes it a strong cause that having a profound understanding of Judaism is crucial in appreciating the historical lineage of the world. The Old Testament confirms that Abraham started off monotheism or the belief in one God, and was the first person to refuse idol worship. Abraham is a fundamental component of Judaism in that he was considered to be the Father of the Jewish people and that it was through him and his offspring that a covenant was handed on to succeeding generations (Pellach, 2006). The Abrahamic Covenant, which can be found in Genesis 12-17, elaborates three main issues: (1) God would bestow Abraham the Land of Canaan and make him the father of all nations and of his progenies; (2) God would create a great nation through him; and (3) God would yield a blessing to those who consecrate him and curse those who curse him. In Genesis 12:3 God says, â€Å"I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed† (New International Version). Abrahams covenant is particularly important because it serves as the source to the Bible and world history (Pellach, 2006). The basis of almost all Christian teachings is rooted on the belief that God has a chosen people, which will reveal themselves in the last days of the earth. Although, some people in various civilization and cultures believe that the covenant no longer applies today, the Bible reaffirms that Abrahamic covenant is still in effect. The Bible says, â€Å"He [God] remembers his covenant forever, the word which he commanded,

Islam, Quran, Sunnah Essay Example for Free

Islam, Quran, Sunnah Essay The paper talks about the importance of the Quran and the Sunnah as the primary sources of Islamic beliefs, practices, and law, and their influence in Muslims daily life Islam. Islam is a religion that was originated when Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) began to spread the teachings of Allah (God of the followers of Islam) in the 7th century. God choose Prophet Mohammad as his last messenger and ordered the Prophet to spread his teachings and to ask everyone to believe in the oneness of Allah and the people who follow Islam are called the Muslims. Quran is the book of God that was revealed to Prophet Mohammad through Angel Jibrael and the Muslims consider the book to be a very Holy Book of God that covers each and every aspect of life and the word Quran stands for recitation. It talks about everything a human being needs to seek guidance for and it tells the right way of how to live your life. When the Quran was revealed, the language it was written in was Arabic, however, now the book is available in all translations so that people can read and understand the true context of the book well and can follow its teachings. The teachings in the Quran differentiate the right from wrong and also tell the benefits of selecting the right path and the consequences of selecting the wrong path. The Muslims who select the right path would always benefit in the world and also in the hereafter i. e. life after death. Quran does not force anyone to adopt the right or the wrong path but it does portray the negative and the positive aspects of the path the Muslims select. As mentioned above, Quran is a complete book of guidance for the Muslims and it covers every aspect of life. To further explain this, I would give some examples of what Quran speaks of. Some of the very basics that Islam as well as other religions also ask the human community to do is to always select the right path that means they should not cheat anyone, they should not lie, they should not betray anyone or should not take the sue share of another person. As said by the Quran and the Prophet Mohammad, the Muslims who will follow the teachings of Islam and implement the etchings of the Quran will always be successful in every way and the most important thing is that Allah (God) will also love such people and this would then result in the worldly reward or the reward of going to Heaven after death. When the Quran was revealed, the companions of Prophet Mohammad used to write down each and every verse of Allah and the Book was later complied and the text is still the same as it was when it was revealed. The Muslims also believe that each and every word is the Book is the word of Allah. Quran is thus very important in shaping up the life of a Muslim and is one of the primary sources of Islamic beliefs. Other than the Quran, the Sunnah is also considered to be one of the primary sources of the Islamic believes. The word Sunnah basically refers to the path that Prophet Mohammad choose to live his life and it includes the traditions he followed, his actions and words, what he practiced. Overall, it basically the way he had chosen to live his life. The Muslims follow the example of the Prophet Mohammad mainly through the Hadiths. Prophet Mohammad did each and everything God asked him to do and led his whole life always by choosing the right path. For instance, Prophet Mohammad taught the Muslims to offer prayers both individually as well as in congregation especially for the men and that is what the Muslims follow today especially on every Friday when all Muslim men go to the mosque to offer the Friday prayers. Since the time of Prophet Mohammad, people have learned how to live in a practical manner and this has been transmitted to their future generations. The Muslims also adopt the living style of the Prophet that includes his habits and style and the way he dealt with the other people. He was always considerate and caring, he always used to forgive others and he always used to be polite with others and this is what the Muslims must inculcate in themselves as well. The Quran also talks about Prophet Mohammad and has commanded the Muslims to follow what the Prophet has taught and to obey the teachings of the Prophet at all times. The significance of Sunnah is moreover also to please God by doing what His most loved Prophet did and to embrace his way of living. Both the Quran and the Sunnah therefore, play a very vital role in shaping up the life of a Muslim and so these have a great influence on the lives of the Muslim community. Work Cited Neusner, Jacob. World Relgions in America: An Introduction. 3rd Edn. Westminster John Knox Press, 2003. Swarup, Ram. Understanding the Hadith: The Sacred Traditions of Islam. 1st Edn. Prometheus Books, 2002. Voorst, Robert. E. V. Anthology of World Scriptures. 6th Edn. Wadsworth Publishing, 2007. Waqner, Walter H. Opening the Quran: Introducing Islams Holy Book. 1st Edn. University of Notre Dame Press, 2008.

Water Content Or Moisture Content Environmental Sciences Essay

Water Content Or Moisture Content Environmental Sciences Essay Water content  or  moisture content  is the quantity of  water  contained in a material, such as  soil  (called  soil moisture),  rock,  ceramics, fruit, or  wood. Water content is used in a wide range of scientific and technical areas, and is expressed as a ratio, which can range from 0 (completely dry) to the value of the materials  porosity  at saturation. It can be given on a volumetric or mass (gravimetric) basis. The water content of a material is used in expressing the phase relationships of air, water, and solids in a given volume of material. In fine-grained (cohesive) soils, the consistency of a given soil type depends on its water content. The water content of a soil, along with its liquid and plastic limits as determined by Test Method  D4318, is used to express   its relative consistency or liquidity index. The quality of the result produced by this standard is dependent on the competence of the personnel performing it, and the suitability of the equipment and facilities used. Agencies that meet the criteria of Practice  D3740  are generally considered capable of competent and objective testing/sampling/inspection/etc. Users of this standard are cautioned that compliance with Practice  D3740  does not in itself ensure reliable results. The mass of water used in the above expression is the mass of free pore water only. Hence for moisture content determination the soil samples are dried to the temperature at which only pore water is evaporated. This temperature was standardized 105 C to 110 C. Soils having gypsum are dried at 60C to 80 C. The quantity of soil sample needed for the determination of moisture content depends on the gradation and the maximum size of particles. Following quantities are recommended. Soil Max quantity used (gm) Coarse gravel 1000 to 2000 Fine gravel 300 to 500 Coarse sand 200 Medium sand 50 Fine sand 25 Silt and clays 10 to 25 Moisture content affection : Always the amount of moisture contents affects the soil strongly by different issues , and this is the dramatically classifications of the different amounts of the moisture content in the soil : The soil is called ( brittle solid ) when its in a dry state or have a very little amount of moisture content inside the soil , and it will be hard and brittle as a result of that , though it breaks before it will deform ( hard candy ). The soil is described as ( semi-solid ) when its have a little amount of moisture content in it , thatà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s not able to cancel the solidity in the soil because of the little amount of it in the soil , and the behavior of the soil will be between the brittle and ductile state , and though it deforms permanently but with cracks ( like stiff cheese ). The soil described also as ( plastic ) when it have a noticed amount of moisture content which have an appearance affect in the soil , when the amount of the water content is nor little neither much in the soil , and the behavior of the soil in the state will noticed directly while catching the samlple of the soil by hand , it will have a very ductile , malleable behavior , thatà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s will deform without cracking ( like play-doh ). The soil in the last case , is the ( liquid ) soil which will have for sure a big amount of moisture content inside it , it we can notice that easily by slight moving or even by the naked eye , which will be like a thick or thin viscous fluid or like a soup. Actually always there is a limits between each state of the moisture content for the soil , and these limits called the consistency or atterberg limits of the soil , and to talk more briefly about the ( Atterberg Limits ) : The  Atterberg limits  are a basic measure of the nature of a fine-grained  soil. Depending on the  water content  of the soil, it may appear in four states: solid, semi-solid, plastic and liquid. In each state the consistency and behavior of a soil is different and thus so are its engineering properties. Thus, the boundary between each state can be defined based on a change in the soils behavior. The Atterberg limits can be used to distinguish between  silt  and  clay, and it can distinguish between different types of silts and clays. These limits were created by  Albert Atterberg, a  Swedishchemist.[1]  They were later refined by  Arthur Casagrande. These distinctions in soil are used in picking the soils to build structures on top. Soils when wet retain water and expand in volume. The amount of expansion is related to the ability of the soil to take in water and its structural  make up  (the type of atoms present). These tests are mainly used on clayey or silty soils since these are the soils that expand and shrink due to moisture content. Clays and silts react with the water and thus change sizes and have varying shear strengths. Thus these tests are used widely in the preliminary stages of building any structure to ensure that the soil will have the correct amount of  shear strength  and not too much change in volume as it expands and shrinks with different moisture contents, aand here is the informations about the three atterberg limits , shrinkage , plastic and liquid limit : Shrinkage limit The shrinkage limit (SL) is the water content where further loss of moisture will not result in any more volume reduction.[2]  The test to determine the shrinkage limit is  ASTM International  D4943. The shrinkage limit is much less commonly used than the liquid and plastic limits. [edit]Plastic limit The plastic limit is determined by rolling out a thread of the fine portion of a soil on a flat, non-porous surface. The procedure is defined in ASTM Standard D 4318. If the soil is plastic, this thread will retain its shape down to a very narrow diameter. The sample can then be remoulded and the test repeated. As the moisture content falls due to evaporation, the thread will begin to break apart at larger diameters. The plastic limit is defined as the moisture content where the thread breaks apart at a diameter of 3 mm (about 1/8). A soil is considered non-plastic if a thread cannot be rolled out down to 3mm at any moisture. [edit]Liquid limit The liquid limit (LL) is the water content at which a soil changes from plastic to liquid behavior. The original liquid limit test of Atterbergs involved mixing a pat of clay in a round-bottomed porcelain bowl of 10-12cm diameter. A groove was cut through the pat of clay with a spatula, and the bowl was then struck many times against the palm of one hand. Casagrande subsequently standardized the apparatus and the procedures to make the measurement more repeatable. Soil is placed into the metal cup portion of the device and a groove is made down its center with a standardized tool of 13.5 millimetres (0.53  in) width. The cup is repeatedly dropped 10mm onto a hard rubber base at a rate of 120 blows per minute, during which the groove closes up gradually as a result of the impact. The number of blows for the groove to close is recorded. The moisture content at which it takes 25 drops of the cup to cause the groove to close over a distance of 13.5 millimetres (0.53  in) is defined as the liquid limit. The test is normally run at several moisture contents, and the moisture content which requires 25 blows to close the groove is interpolated from the test results. The Liquid Limit test is defined by ASTM standard test method D 4318.[3]  The test method also allows running the test at one moisture content where 20 to 30 blows are requi red to close the groove; then a correction factor is applied to obtain the liquid limit from the moisture content..[4] The following is when you should record the N in number of blows needed to close this 1/2-inch gap: The materials needed to do a Liquid limit test are as follows Casagrande cup (liquid limit device) Grooving tool Soil pat before test Soil pat after test Another method for measuring the liquid limit is the  fall cone test. It is based on the measurement of penetration into the soil of a standardized cone of specific mass. Although the Casagrande test is widely used across North America, the  fall cone test  is much more prevalent in Europe due to being less dependant on the operator in determining the Liquid Limit. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Atterberg_limits_02.JPG/220px-Atterberg_limits_02.JPG http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Casagrande_2.JPG/220px-Casagrande_2.JPG [edit]Importance of Liquid Limit test The importance of the liquid limit test is to classify soils. Different soils have varying liquid limits. Also to find the plasticity index of a soil you need to know the liquid limit and the plastic limit. [edit]Derived limits The values of these limits are used in a number of ways. There is also a close relationship between the limits and properties of a soil such as compressibility, permeability, and strength. This is thought to be very useful because as limit determination is relatively simple, it is more difficult to determine these other properties. Thus the Atterberg limits are not only used to identify the soils classification, but it allows for the use of empirical correlations for some other engineering properties. [edit]Plasticity index The plasticity index (PI) is a measure of the plasticity of a soil. The plasticity index is the size of the range of water contents where the soil exhibits plastic properties. The PI is the difference between the liquid limit and the plastic limit (PI = LL-PL). Soils with a high PI tend to be clay, those with a lower PI tend to be silt, and those with a PI of 0 (non-plastic) tend to have little or no silt or clay. PI and their meanings 0 Nonplastic (1-5)- Slightly plastic (5-10) Low plasticity (10-20)- Medium plasticity (20-40)- High plasticity >40 Very high plasticity [edit]Liquidity index The liquidity index (LI) is used for scaling the natural water content of a soil sample to the limits. It can be calculated as a ratio of difference between natural water content, plastic limit, and liquid limit: LI=(W-PL)/(LL-PL) where W is the natural water content. The effects of the water content on the strength of saturated remolded soils can be quantified by the use of the liquidity index, LI: When the LI is 1, remolded soil is at the liquid limit and it has an undrained shear strength of about 2 kPa. When the soil is at the plastic limit, the LI is 0 and the undrained shear strength is about 200 kPa.[4][11] [edit]Activity The activity (A) of a soil is the PI divided by the percent of clay-sized particles (less than 2 ÃŽÂ ¼m) present. Different types of clays have different specific surface areas which controls how much wetting is required to move a soil from one phase to another such as across the liquid limit or the plastic limit. From the activity, one can predict the dominant clay type present in a soil sample. High activity signifies large volume change when wetted and large shrinkage when dried. Soils with high activity are very reactive chemically. Normally the activity of clay is between 0.75 and 1.25, and in this range clay is called normal. It is assumed that the plasticity index is approximately equal to the clay fraction (A = 1). When A is less than 0.75, it is considered inactive. When it is greater than 1.25, it is considered active. After briefly explaining the the differences between the amounts of moisture content in the soil , we should explain a vey important issue , which is the methods of affection of the moisture content in the soil which is : Strength decreases as water content increases. à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Soils swell-up when water content increases. à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Fine-grained soils at very high water content possess properties similar to liquids. à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ As the water content is reduced, the volume of the soil decreases and the soils become plastic. à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ If the water content is further reduced, the soil becomes semi-solid when the volume does not change. And to talk more about the affection of the moisture aontent in the soil , this is a general affection of the moisture content in the soil at nature : The effect of increasing soil  moisture content  on soil temperature, soil reflectance and soil heat storage is studied in this work. The results show that an increase in  moisture content  decreases the soil temperature differences between day-time and night-time, which provides protection to the plant root system against sharp and sudden changes of soil temperature. It is also found that the solar energy absorption increases as the  moisture content  increases, which results in a higher heat storage capacity at higher  moisture content. Finally, plant growth rate and yield increased due to the modification of plant climate at higher moisture content Water content is an important property of soils, in ¯uencing soil solution chemistry and nutrient uptake by plants.Morphology and other speci ®c properties of the root, nutrient concentration in the soil solution, the mobility of nutrients in the soil, and supply from solid phases, aÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ect nutrient uptake (Nye and Tinker, 1977; Barber, 1995). Consequently, there are consistent diÃÆ' ¯Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬erences in concen- trations of elements near the rhizoplane at a range of soil water contents (Dunham and Nye, 1976). Soil chemical properties may exert a profound in ¯uence on growth and performance of plants (Grime and Curtis, 1976), and soil concentrations of several elements may be closely related to oristic composition (Tyler, 1996a). Under  ®eld conditions, soil moisture  ¯uctuates with temperature and rainfall. By changing soil solution chemistry, moisture  ¯uctuations could regulate the availability of nutrients, and the  ®eld distributi on of plant species. Water has a very different thermal conductivity than most soil particles and air (the thermal properties of the soil are determined by these three). The thermal conductivity of water is much greater than that of air, so the higher the soil moisture content the greater the thermal conductivity.  The greater the soil moisture content, the more the soil thermal conductivity is like that of water. Therefore, a saturated soil has a conductivity near that of water.  However, just because the soil moisture content is high, doesnt mean that the soil will warm up faster in the Sun than a dry soil. Evaporation of the water will remove much of the Suns energy before the soil will have a chance to warm.  Therefore, dry soils do warm up faster from sunlight and cool faster at night. This is assuming that there isnt a vegetation cover over the soil. Most wet soils evaporate the water, keeping the soil from warming as fast during the day, and cool more slowly at night because of their greater heat capacity (because of the higher water content).   Moisture content phase diagrame : this is a rough photo about the general form of the phase diagram of the soil , that we use always for calculation done for moisture contents and all other issues in the soil : http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Soil-phase-diagram.svg/300px-Soil-phase-diagram.svg.png Weight Components: à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Weight of Solids = Ws à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Weight of Water = Ww à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Weight of Air ~ 0 Volume Components: à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Volume of Solids = Vs à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Volume of Water = Vw à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Volume of Air = Va à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Volume of Voids = Va + Vw = Vv Weight-Volume Relationships : à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚   Steps to develop the weight-volume relationship à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Separate the three phases à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ The total volume of a soil à ´Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¡Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã… ¾ Assuming the weight of air (Wa) to be negligible, the total weight is then given as V = Vs + Vv = Vs + Vw + Va W =Ws +Ww Objectives Practical Applications This is some properties that we could conclude the state of it in the soil from knowing the amount of moisture content in the soil : à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Storability of the soil à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Agglomeration in the case of powders à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Microbiolgical stability à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Flow properties, viscosity à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Dry substance content à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Concentration or purity à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Commercial grade (compliance with quality agreements) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Nutritional value of the product à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Legal conformity (statutory regulations governing food) Objectives : To learn the procedures of finding moisture content in the soil , and the variety in methods using to determine the moisture content. To determine the quantity of moisture content in the soil by good , accurate , safe , sheep way. To learn the differences in affection on the soil due to different amounts of moisture content in the soil To know the performance of the soil due to different amounts of moisture contents. To know how to use geotechnical laboratory tools, Such as the oven , balance , soil containers and all other different tools To know the importance of this experiment in the field work and how it affects the type and method of foundations must put upon different types of structures. Practical Applications : Moisture content plays an important role in understanding the behavior of fine grained soils. It is the moisture content which changes the soils from liquid state to plastic and solid states. Its value controls the shear strength and compressibility of soils. Compaction of soils in the field is also controlled by the quantity of water present. Densities of soils are directly influenced by its value and are used in calculating the Stability of slopes, bearing capacity of soils-foundation system, earth pressure behind the retaining walls and pressure due to overburden. The knowledge of determining the moisture content is helpful in many of the laboratory tests such as Atterbergà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s limits, shears strength compaction and consolidation. This experiment may be performed by two different methods. Geotechnical Engineering- I A. Oven drying method B. Torsion balance moisture content Actully we use the moisture content experiment mainly for getting the amount of water content inside the soil to be able to make the classification needs in the field for this soil ,and though to know how could we use this soil and where it could work and the amount of compaction needs of the soil containing a different amounts of water contents , to get the last conclusion from this important experiment , which is that the moisture content determination in the in situ in all field project is from the most important things that getting me ready to know the method of foundation thatà ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s need above this soil to build on it at the end , stable , strong and good structure on it . In biological applications there can also be a distinction between physisorbed water and free water à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ the physisorbed water being that closely associated with and relatively difficult to remove from a biological material. The method used to determine water content may affect whether water present in this form is accounted for. For a better indication of free and bound water, the  water activity  of a material should be considered. Water molecules may also be present in materials closely associated with individual molecules, as water of crystallization, or as water molecules which are static components of protein structure. In conclusion , Knowing the amount of moisture content of a substance helps determining if the soil is suitable for a specific use. Such like:- To know if the soil can hold structure safely for long time safely and serviceability or not. To be able and ready for the design of the foundation of any type of the structures. Determining and controlling the moisture in substances is unique and necessary for many products, and the process borders between art and science , in many and variable sides of the life and nature knowing how the Soil water regulates soil temperature by different amounts and shape of moisture content. Soil water serves as a solvent and carrier of food nutrients for plant growth. Tools , equipments and specimens Equipments that we have use in the laboratory for the moisture content determination experiment : Soil container : Ità ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s a container which is ceramic containers of various shapes on light wood background Stock Photo 8282849 used to put different types of soil inside it or a combined types with others in the same container , and we have used it in this experiment to put a random type of fine-grained soil inside it and mix it with to determine the wight of it , and actually Soil container there are many sizes of the soil container upon to the quantity of soil need to put it in the container. IMG_0212.JPG SpatulaSpatula : it is an aluminum thin tool use to put soil by it in the soil container and for mixing the soil and water with each other in the soil container and also ità ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s used for transfering soil from container and put it into heat resistance pot which is made of steel. IMG_0209.JPG Steel ContainerSteel Container : it is a container made of steel that have a heat resistance quality , which used to put the moist (wet) sample of soil inside it , to put the moist sample then inside the oven to dry the sample of the soil. Digital Balance : is the instrument use to weigh the different things , that not have an enormous weights , and it used in this experiment to weigh the soil container alone once , and to weight the soil container with soil inside it then. Digital Balance http://www.supplierlist.com/photo_images/167132/Vacuum_Drying_Oven.jpg Oven DryOven Dry : it is an apparatus used to heat the specimens needs to heat in the laboratories , and it was used in this experiment to dry the moist sample of soil. moist soil sample : the wet soil > Dry soil sample : the dry soil sample before putting in the oven sample after putting in the ovenIMG_0209.JPGIMG_0211.JPG Moist Soil Sample Dry soil sample Background Based on the literature review, the feasibility of using microwave oven to determine moisture content of soils is well demonstrated. In addition to the GS, there is an available international standard test method (ASTM D4643) for such determination. This method includes requirements to control the power ratings of microwave ovens and the period of drying procedure. Therefore, the possibility of overheating of a soil sample can be greatly reduced. In addition, the soil sample is required to be carefully mixed after each time of ovens heating for a certain period in order to prevent non-uniform heating of the sample. And in this experiment we going to compute the moisture content using this test method method be determine the weight of the soil before and after the dry process by the laboratory oven dry ,and then compute by a dramatically series of calculations the amount of moisture content in that sample of soil given in the laboratory. Procedures According to ASTM 2216, the dry and clean container should be weighted using balance and its mass recorded. A representative sample should be selected . The moist representative sample should be placed in the container. The lid should be secured in its position. The mass of the container with the sample should be taken and recorded. The lid should be removed and specimen should be placed in the oven. The sample should be dried in the oven at. The container should be removed from the oven when the sample reach a constant weight which means all the water has been evaporated. The specimen should be weighted and recorded. The moisture content then calculated by a series of calculations , and below in the next paragraph , all of the data and calculations is explained preefly by a list of numbers. Work Sheet DETERMINATION OF WATER (MOISTURE) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ CONTENT Lab. Humidity : 57% Lab. Temperature : 20.5 0C Moist Fine Grained Sample Of Soil Testing Stander ASTM : D2216-92 Moisture Condition : Moisture Added Type Of Oven : Convection Oven Method Of Drying : Continuous Heating Mass Of Moist Sample = 20 g Soil Passing 4.75 mm. (No.4) Sieve = 100% Soil Passing 37.5 mm. Sieve =100% B3 6 OBSERVATIONS Sample No. Container No. 9.5 g Mass Of Container 29.5 g Mass Of Wet Soil + Container 28.0 g Mass Of Dry Soil + Container CALCULATIONS 1.5 g Mass Of Water 18.5 g Mass Of Dry Soil 8.1% % Water Content Formulas Calculation Formulas: 1) Mass of water = (Mass of wet soil + container ) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ (Mass of dry soil + container) Mw = Mcws à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Mcs 2) Mass of dry soil = (Mass of dry soil + container ) à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ (Mass of container ) Ms = Mcs à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ Mc 3) water content = (Mass of water)/(Mass of dry soil) *100 w = Mw / Ms *100 Calculation: 1) Mass of water = 29.5 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 28.0 = 1.5 (g) 2) Mass of soil = 28.0 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬ 9.5 = 18.5 (g) 3) Water content = 1.5/18.5 * 100 = 8.1% Discussion The  measurement  of  moisture  content is a lab or a  procedure  used  to measure  the  amount of  moisture  or water that is embedded in a certain content in the soil , actually , the intended purpose for this lab or  procedure  once again as stated before is  to measure  the amount of  moisture  in a content. Times  in construction  we often need soil that must be suitable for building. In some cases  the soil  there and depending on where the land is located,  the soil  may not hold  foundation of  a building well.  In order for us to find out if  the soil  is durable enough to hold the  foundation of  a building we might have  to measure  the  moisture  of the content. When the percent of water is found we can than choose of  the soil  is suitable enough for the  foundation of  the building. actully the most important thing we have concluded from the experiment of determining the moisture content in the soil , is to know how much amount of compaction needs for this soil under the foundation to held the structure safely. Actully all foundations (including abutment) surfaces shall be shaped one horizontal to one vertical or flatter except as otherwise specified.And after stripping (due to stripping specification), the foundation shall be loosened thoroughly by scarifying or plowing to a minimum depth of six inches. The foundation shall then be compacted to the density and moisture requirements specified for the fill Areas that are too low after stripping and shaping must be filled to base grade with compacted fill equal to that used in other parts of the project, and eventhough the moisture content determination is from the most important tests that is from the basics we need in the Geo-technichal engineering, and later on in the foundation design. Conclusion The result of water content we get in the experiment after quit dry of the sample in the oven dry was 8.1% which is not acceptable to be able for building over it. Ità ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s quite high for fine grain. This means ità ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s not safe to build a structure, because the maximum allowable water content for grain is 1 %. Also this experiment is very important in Civil Engineering. Before construction ità ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s very obligatory to know the water content of the soil. If the water content is very high and construction is done, that might cause damage to structure which will appear later. Actully , for each type of soil has its own capacity to keep the structure safe. For example, If the sample is coarse the maximum allowable water content is 6%. While for fine its 1% , so the last result we get from the determination of the moisture contents in this soil is that , with this high amount of moisture content we can not use this soid for the construction purposes , and if we try to do , it will cause a big proplems and damage in the building later in the future and will neve ever by safety to use it in the civil society. Type of errors Personal errors:- Personal errors such as mistakes in reading from the balance , or mistakes done by wrong transferring data to the data sheet ,also the delaying of time taking out sample from oven it can cause error. Instrumental errors:- Errors might occur in digital balance due to the amount of accuracy of the digital balance. The reading also will change because of air condition. To eliminate such type of errors the reading should be taken several times. Environmental errors:- Moisture in lab and air of air condition can cause errors in readings , and though will not give us the absolute amount of moisture content , and the temperature in the laboratory affecting the sample of soil and instruments in the lab , all of these invironmental factors could give us wrong readings in the esperiment.

Gilligan’s Island Essay -- Personal Narrative Vacation Traveling Essay

Gilligan’s Island No inhabitants, a major tourists spot, a clear blue ocean, but no sign of the Professor, the Skipper, or Mary Ann. Can you guess where this is? You got it! Gilligan’s Island located in the beautiful South Atlantic Ocean. During Spring Break of 2003, my best friend, Danielle, and I took a flight to Orlando, Florida, a car to Fort Lauderdale, and a cruise through the Bahamas that had beautiful subtropical weather. For one day out of four during the cruise, we were able to chose what we wanted to do whether it was snorkeling, shopping, or taking an off land excursion to Gilligan’s Island. Of course, Danielle and I chose sun tanning on the beautiful, sandy beaches at Gilligan’s Island. As we boarded the tiny, white, sixty passenger, excursion boat, we headed east from Nassau, Bahamas with a population of about 300,000, to the tiny island called Gilligan’s Island that had no inhabitants. Approaching the island, all we could see was crystal clear breathtaking blue water that looked like a huge sheet of glass. The water was so calm and so clean. As we drew closer to the island, Danielle said, â€Å"Look at all those huge palm trees.† She was right, the island was covered with giant palm trees that must have been there from way back when the Gilligan’s Island TV show was filmed (probably longer). The boat captain announced in a deep Creole accent over constant clicks and flashes of cameras â€Å"Enjoy your day here at Gilligan’s Island, one of the seven hundred islands here in the Bahamas. Remember that food and drinks will be served all day from the Pavilion. Departure time is at 4 p.m.† I was so excited to explore the tiny island, e tch many memories in my mind, but still enjoy my time at the beach. As the excursion... ...e learned a lot about the Bahamian cultural and their way of life. Not one Bahamian does a thing for themselves. Their goal is to feed their family and make sure that their family is taken care of first. They are also very hospitable people to the tourist and they make sure that you enjoy your stay and that you have plenty to eat and drink. As I look back at my trip, I realized that I may not have met Gilligan, the Skipper, the millionaire and his wife, the movie star, the Professor, or Mary Ann, but the Bahamian people were sure welcoming. They were nice to allow us to travel to Gilligan’s Island. After all, how many of you can say that you have traveled to Gilligan’s Island? Works Cited â€Å"Bahamas.† http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia. 13 Aug. 2004. â€Å"The Bahamas.† http://www.bahamas.com. 13 Aug. 2004. â€Å"The Bahamas.† http://www.cia.gov/cia. 13 Aug. 2004.

A Line in the Sand - Original Writing :: Papers

A Line in the Sand - Original Writing A line. A simple, one-dimensional mark. It may be the edge of a square, the shortest distance between two points, or markings on the road. Lines, gentlemen, are boring yet useful tools in life. Right? Wrong! There is one line I would like to tell you about. If you were seen stepping over this line, it would result in your death on the spot, no questions asked. This is a line drawn in the sand. This line has caused the largest population movement ever witnessed by humankind. Upon construction of this line, 3.5 million people had to move from one side and 5 million from the other. There are estimates that more that 20 million people were left homeless after the construction of this line. Who said lines were boring, not me! However, it runs deeper than that. Not only did people have to move, more than one million people were butchered on the construction of this line. The positioning of this line has been the cause of three wars: three bloody brutal wars. Now can I ask you, who in the right mind would make such a line as this? They would have to be mighty inhuman to draw a line that would kill a million people. But in the end, all they had done, was to draw a line in the sand, just a line in sand†¦nothing more, nothing less So where do you think this line is? Between Israel and Palestine†¦no Between North and South Korea†¦no. Between the former north and South Vietnam,†¦wrong again. The line, gentlemen was drawn in the state of Punjab, in 1947, in what was then undivided British India. The line created and separated Pakistan from India. Ancient India, which gave us modern numbering system, which gave us steel, which gave us surgery, was destroyed by a line in the sand. Culture and civilisations spanning thousands of years were split apart by a line in the sand. A country was shattered†¦.shattered by a line in the sand. Fifty-five years on and the trade of insults from leader to leader

Japan and Capitalism

Japan: Capitalism and the Economic Miracle The global triumph of capitalism was the most important historical issue of the nineteenth century. It was the triumph of a kind of society that believed in the fact that economic development was based on competitive private enterprise and the success of buying as much as possible from the market.It was considered that an economy resting on the solid foundations of the middle class, would not only create a world of properly distributed wealth, but also it would educate people, develop reasoning and increase human opportunity. Summarizing, a world of continuous and rapid material and moral development. The few obstacles that remained in the path of this development would rapidly be solved or overcome. The history of this period is characterized by a massive breakthrough in the global economy of industrial capitalism.Certain regions of the world beyond capitalism were put under pressure by the capitalist countries who tried to gain insight in their economies by opening new markets, these regions were forced to choose between a determined resistance towards capitalism in accordance to their traditions and ways of life or a modernization process which would bring different cultural changes. Given this logic, Japan was during the mid-nineteenth century under pressure from the foreign powers and the crisis of their system based on the Shoguns.This situation led to Japan, to carry out a complete transformation process (economic, political and social) known as the Meiji Restoration, which marked the starting point of modern Japanese society. The introduction of the United States in the Pacific finally brought Japan to the center of Western attempts to â€Å"open† their markets. Direct resistance was impossible, the weak attempts to organize had already be shown. The simple diplomatic concessions were no more than a temporary expedient.Already in 1853-1854, Commodore Perry, from the United States Navy had forced them to open certain ports through the regular method of naval threatening. In 1862 the British, bombed the city of Kagoshima with complete impunity in retaliation for the murder of an Englishman by the Japanese. The presence of Western forces was, at this point, a legitimate fact of the everyday Japanese life. Finally in 1868 the Meiji Restoration was proclaimed, the Restoration based itself on the transfer of state power from the Shogun to the Emperor.This started a political, economic and social process that, after ten years of turmoil and provincial agrarian revolts led to the modernization of the state and national unity. Due to these facts the Meiji Restoration is considered the starting point of modern Japanese society. To carry out the task of â€Å"modernization† economic resources were anxiously needed in order to master the noble’s resistance, to suppress revolts and upheavals of provincial farmers, to compensate land owners, to protect, to promote the industry and to install  state manufacturing complexes.It was also important to modernize and equalize the state, the military and the bureaucratic system. Due to the limited development of industrial capital, the new government was forced to seek financial resources within the land, based on property taxes. But, in order to adapt to the changing needs of the state, these charges became tax money. These financial arrangements, established by the government of the restoration were the starting point of the land reforms.As for the early development of capitalism, the Japanese case marked clear differences with respect to what Western Europe had already experienced. In the West the state centralized manufacturing were disappearing during the bourgeois revolution, while in Japan state factories developed across the country, based on the steel market. Cloth factories and their machinery were quickly upgraded through a process known as industrial revolution â€Å"from above†, which is based o n the help of the state to upgrade the existing industry.The number of state factories kept rising and peaked in the decade of the 1870-1880. After the 1880s, these companies protected by the government were then exposed to public auction and were then bought by the capitalists monopoly, some of these industries grew as rich as Mitsui or Mitsubishi, who maintained close contact with the state. The Japanese revolution, allowed the development of commercial activity and usurer capital of the old type, in order to avoid the abolishment of the feudal relations of land property, and to assure the freedom and autonomy of the independent peasantry and small craftsmen.Although the classic capitalistic revolution involved the change from commercial capital to industrial capital, the Japanese revolution followed another path. In Japan the industrial revolution as well as the transformation of commercial capital into industrial capital came about under the monopoly of the rich capitalists, whi ch showed the main difference from that of Western European capitalism. It is clear that this particular structure was determined by the agricultural and the feudal systems of land property, which ensured the survival and multiplication of feudal relations of production within the Japanese agriculture.Revolutionary activists recognized that in order to carry out their purpose of saving the country, they required a process of systematic Westernization. By 1868 many had had contact with foreigners, some had even traveled abroad, people then began to recognize that conservation involved transformation. The driving force that moved Japan towards this transformation was its pursuit to become more Western. It looked like the West clearly had the secret of success and therefore Japan had to imitate it at all costs. Taking a set of values nd institutions of another society and implementing it into the Japanese society was a surprising, traumatic, and problematic attempt. However this attem pt could not be done in a superficial and poorly controlled way, especially in a society which was profoundly different from the West. Many began with a strong passion for the West and anything that came from across them. For some people, the renovation seemed to imply the abandonment of all that was Japanese, as they considered that all the past was barbaric and out of date.The proposals reached even to the renewal of the Japanese race, considered genetically inferior, and was began to be improved through interbreeding with the Western â€Å"superior race†, these suggestions were based on Western theories of racism and social Darwinism, they really found support at the higher and wealthy Japanese classes. Certain styles of life, such as clothing or food, were less adopted than the technological or architectural styles and ideas from the West. Westernization here raised a major dilemma, unlike what had happened prior with the adoption of Chinese elements by the Japanese.Since â€Å"all the Western† was not as simple and as coherent, it was a whole complex of institutions and ideas which in many cases were opposite to the traditional Japanese culture. In practice, the Japanese chose the British model, which naturally served as guide towards the development of the railroad, the telegraph, textiles, and many other methods of business. France inspired the legal reform and set the basis for the military reform. Universities based themselves on the German and American examples, as well as primary education, agricultural innovations and mailing systems.In 1875-1876 over five hundred foreign workers were employed, this number rose to three thousand by the 1890s. However choosing between the different political and ideological aspects was not that easy. Japan was politically against the liberal bourgeois systems of Britain and France. Liberalism was naturally opposed to the absolutist state, which was adopted in Japan after the Restoration. In turn, Weste rnization also was based on the adoptions of ideas, including Christianity which the Japanese people did not relate to.After some time, a strong systemic reaction against Westernization and the liberal model began to rise within the country. This reaction manifested itself in the constitution of 1889, mostly because of a neotraditionalist reaction which virtually invented the Shinto, a new religion based on the worship of the emperor. At this time the combination of selective neotraditionalism and modernization kept rising and was creating and giving shape to the new system. However, there was tension between those who believed that Westernization meant a complete revolution and those who believed that it was the key to economic progress.Beyond these internal contradictions, Japan carried out an incredible process of modernization that made it a formidable modern power, setting them apart from the rest of the Asian countries. At this time it was hard to imagine that, after half a ce ntury, Japan would be a great power capable of defeating their European counterparts in an armed confrontation. After the Restoration, the Meiji government had the task of fulfilling two main goals. On the one hand, they had to decide on whether or not to strengthen the army, in other words, to develop a military that allowed Japan to face the West.This decision marked the beginning of a disaster, as it is an important aspect to explain the origin of the conflicts that led to Japan to participate in the Second World War. The second goal of the Meiji policy dealt with economic development. The decisions taken in this field would undoubtedly be the most successful and enduring aspects of the Revolution. The war left Japan with major problems: over ten million unemployed, many demobilized former combatants, widespread destruction of homes and industrial plants, rising inflation, etc. Material losses were estimated to be at over a quarter of the national wealth.However, not all conseque nces were adverse. Unemployment meant that there was a lot of â€Å"labor† ready to use, the war had also raised the level of technology and production capacity of heavy industry in the field of iron, steel, machinery and chemicals. In addition to making use of these advantages, Japan had the United States behind their back. At first, the American aid was aimed towards achieving national self-sufficiency, taking measures to stop inflation (the Dodge plan 1949), coupled with substantial injections of capital and advanced technology.Another important event that had a direct impact on the Japanese movement towards capitalism was the Korean War. This war led the U. S. to invest twenty-three billion dollars in military spending. The occupation forces ordered every closed arm factory in Japan to be put into service, in full production, representing a major incentive for the Japanese production. In turn, the United States  boosted the Japanese trade, especially in Southeast Asia, where treaties were signed ordering Japan to provide different articles and services to countries that had previously been occupied.None of this would have been possible without a regeneration of the Japanese industry itself. From 1946, Japan started to create a series of economic, financial and banking institutions in order to stimulate economic recovery. The Council of Economic Stimulation was created with the mission of coordinating production and economic growth, and the Reconstruction Bank which had to channel capital to certain industries to achieve the stimulation. Following this, in 1948, the Economic Stabilization Board was formed, aiming to rise production levels, the following year the Ministry of International Trade and Industry was established.These institutions, along with the contribution from the United States, had laid the foundation on which the splendid building of Japanese economic development would later be later erected. Several factors contributed to this alon g with a consistent policy of official support. The world’s economy had entered a period of expansion, the Japanese industry enjoyed good relations between companies, facilitating the movement of employees to different industries and to higher productivity jobs, making it to be the key to further economic development.Other factors were; the United States transfer of technology to Japan, social changes such as land reform and the development of trade unions, which contributed to the improvement of the distribution of income and an expansion of the domestic market. With these stimuli the Japanese industry quickly recovered and was then beginning to expand. In the 1960s, the Japanese economy was dominated by a relatively small number of large-scale manufacturing firms such as Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Fuji and Sumtono, every one of which had at least seventy different affiliates.Besides these groups there were several companies that offered relatively new products such as electronics and automobiles. Including many of what today are worldwide firms such as Hitachi, Toyota, or Nissan. Because of the control from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), they all enjoyed certain protection against foreign competition, while at the same time they were competing for a position in the domestic market, in order to avoid national monopolies.Another feature at this time was the development of products that needed advanced technology and heavy capital investment; this included industries such as steel and petrochemicals, consumer goods, cameras, televisions, boats, motorcycles and of course, cars. Japan was then becoming one of the largest producers of boats, cameras, televisions and cars in the world. In 1970, just over 30% of exports went to the United States, about 15% to Western Europe and more than 15% to Southeast Asia, where the main buyers were Hong Kong, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore.As 1973 finished the oil crisis began, resulting in the wo rldwide economic changes that ended the Japanese phase of exceptionally rapid economic growth. As a country dependent on oil, Japan experienced a huge increase in their import bills and a general rise on their prices. Rising oil prices had their biggest impact on high users of energy such as the steel industry and petrochemical industries which were once the center of the â€Å"Japanese economic miracle†. On the other hand, the global recession caused a fall in foreign demand for products such as boats, machinery and tools.When these changes began to take place, politicians from the Japanese Ministry of International Trade and Industry decided to reorient the industry: moving away from the manufacturing of products that heavily relied on imported raw materials and focusing (especially through technological innovations) on the new technologies that reflected higher and newer principles. This category included the automotive industry, by 1980 Japan produced more cars than the U nited States, the computer industry also suffered a major development.Balance between trade imports and exports in Japan had a surplus for twenty years, which allowed substantial capital outflows in the long run. After some years and because of this Japan became one of the major creditor countries in the world. By the late 1987, Japanese investment abroad had reached a profit of twenty-three billion dollars. United States was the country where most of the investments were made, six hundred Japanese factories were based on American soil, about a hundred of which were electronics, automobiles or any other kind of technological machinery.The Meiji Restoration marked the beginning of modern Japanese society, introducing a process of modernization in a western manner. In the second half of the nineteenth century, the global triumph of capitalism, and the ideas and beliefs that seemed to legitimize it, were moving certain regions of the world (apart from the west) towards this new set of ideas. Resistance to outside pressure did never occur, and modernization presented itself as the only means towards conservation and tradition.For a hundred years, the conflict on whether to live by an Asian fashion or by modern Western fashion was a constant theme of Japanese society. The first move towards modernization took place during the Meiji Revolution: Westernization was the driving force for the transformation of Japan, since the West had the key to success and therefore, the rest had to imitate them. Almost every event that took place since 1945, seemed to strengthen the trend towards modern Parliamentary Democracy; the government bureaucratic structure, trade unions, the education system, etc.Everything had its origin in European and American culture and was imitated later on by other countries. Same happened in all aspects of daily life: buses and trains, offices and factories, television, newspaper, clothing, even food. On the other hand, I need to say that the code of ethics is still largely Confucian. Nor should we ignore religion as a link with tradition because, after the war, there has been a considerable rise of new religious movements, most of whom claim to have traditional backgrounds. These phenomena are not something â€Å"modern†, and certainly not Western.However, it may now make sense not to identify the Japanese as â€Å"Asians†. Much of the Japanese culture and tradition traces its origins to cultures outside of Japan, but these different habits had been so completely assimilated over time that had become in fact Japanese. It is in this sense why Japan cannot completely be defined as having an Asian identity; neither can it be framed within the set of traits defined by the West. Japan must be understood as a society with their own characteristics which constitute a nation economically and culturally unique.Bibliography: Gerlach, Michael L.. Alliance capitalism the social organization of Japanese business. Berkeley: Un iversity of California Press, 1992. Print. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. Sakakibara, Eisuke. Beyond capitalism: the Japanese model of market economics. Lanham, MD: University Press Of America, 1993. Print. â€Å"Shinto (religion) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia.Web. 28 March. 2011. . Tavares, Maria da Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui. Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. Meiji Restoration (Japanese history) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Apr. 2011. . â€Å"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. San Jose State University – Powering Silicon Valley. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. . â€⠀Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œ [ 2 ]. â€Å"Meiji Restoration/Revolution in Japan. † San Jose State University – Powering Silicon Valley. Web. 2 Apr. 2011. . [ 3 ]. Tavares, Maria da Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui. Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. [ 4 ]. Gerlach, Michael L..Alliance capitalism the social organization of Japanese business. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1992. Print. [ 5 ]. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. [ 6 ]. Marshall, Byron K.. Capitalism and nationalism in prewar Japan; the ideology of the business elite, 1868-1941. Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, 1967. Print. [ 7 ]. Tavares, Maria d a Conceicao, Ernani Teixeira Filho, y Leonardo Burlamaqui.Japon: un caso ejemplar de capitalismo organizado. Santiago de Chile: CEPAL, Comision Economica rica Latina y el Caribe, 1993. Print. [ 8 ]. â€Å"Shinto (religion) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 28 March. 2011. . [ 9 ]. Sakakibara, Eisuke. Beyond capitalism: the Japanese model of market economics. Lanham, MD: University Press Of America, 1993. Print. [ 10 ]. â€Å"Meiji Restoration (Japanese history) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Web. 1 Apr. 2011.