ALBERT EINSTEIN once said about the invention of the Atomic Bomb that it was as much a matter of scientific knowledge and astuteness, as it was a call of circumstances and time.
The millennial brightness of Albert Einstein, the pressing imminence of war and the determination to succeed of the American government and scientists, are part of the ecology of innovation that surrounded the emergence of nuclear technology, and eventually led to the creation of the atomic bomb and its destructive power.
The ecology of innovation not only includes the elements directly related to the emergence of a new technology such as its inventor, or the need it fulfilled, but also includes seemingly unimportant aspects such as the governing politics that allowed it and the conditions that created a need for that technology.
APPLIED TO David McCullough’s book, The Great Bridge, this concept encompasses a whole nation in its drive towards modernization. Preceded by inventions such as the railroad and the telegraph, the second half of the 19th century stands at a time where technology is regarded as a primary option to achieving comfort. Little by little, the realization is made that perhaps nature’s boundaries is not the farthest mankind can go. The middle of the 19th century also opens an era of greater involvement of the government in matters of public interests and an increase of funding as well; The Erie canal build from 1817 to 1825 is a testimony of such an involvement, and an example of the willingness to defy nature with innovation.
Also, as communications are slowly developed with the emergence of the telegraph and later the telephone, the notion of time and distance become more important than they ever were, and begin to matter in the everyday lives of people.
When observed in such an ecology, it is easy to understand how and why the idea of a bridge over the East River, connecting Brooklyn to New York came about at that particular time. Of course as in the example given earlier, the mind at work was a sine qua non condition, and there would most likely not have been any bridge without the mind, or rather the minds of the Roeblings. For this amazing piece of engineering, he was the right mind at the right time. Thomas Kinsella put it in better words in The Brooklyn Eagle, saying: ”He spoke our language imperfectly, because he had not the advantage of being born on our soil, but he spoke the genuine language of America at Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, and Niagara…(The Great Bridge p.
Mexico declared its independence from Spain in Sept, 16, 1810, and for the next 100 years what followed was a period of political instability of rule under monarchies, federal republics and dictatorships. Finally in 1910, a revolt on the autocracy under Porfirio Diaz led to the start of the M...
During the 1800’s, America was going through a time of invention and discovery known as the Industrial Revolution. America was in its first century of being an independent nation and was beginning to make the transition from a “home producing” nation to a technological one. The biggest contribution to this major technological advancement was the establishment of the Transcontinental Railroad because it provided a faster way to transport goods, which ultimately boosted the economy and catapulted America to the Super Power it is today. Throughout the beginning of the 19th century, America was still being harassed by her former mother country, Britain.
This is the day Albert Einstein signed the letter that prompted the U.S.’s exploration into nuclear weaponry. Frankly put, he messed up. That letter led to the laughter of civilians at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. America is an experimental country - the first wholly democratic country – and it backfires sometimes. The Creed is warped to fit a definition of a moment and the wrong course of action is pursued. Einstein didn’t sign that latter with the intention of giving the world heartache and terror. He signed it to preserves the peace and it was hopelessly misconstrued. The only peace he can make with that decision is that it is one of those undervalued days in
In The Artificial River, Carol Sheriff describes how when the digging of the Erie Canal began on July 4, 1817, no one would have been able to predict that the canal would even be considered a paradox of progress. One of the major contradictions of progress was whether or not triumphing art over nature was even considered progress. People were not sure during the nineteenth century if changing the environment for industrialization was necessarily a good thing. Another contradiction to progress that resulted from the Erie Canal was when people started holding the state government responsible for all their financial misfortunes. An additional contradiction to progress that the Erie Canal displayed was how many of its workers were either children, or men that lived lives that were intemperate and disrespectful to women. As American history students look back at the Erie Canal today, they generally only imagine how the canal was extraordinary for the residents of New York, but not all the issues and problems it also produced.
In fear that Nazi Germany was developing an atomic bomb, on December 6 1941, scientists, engineers and the army raced to build the first man-made atomic bomb. These combined efforts provide the United States with wartime military advantage was dubbed ‘The Manhattan Project’. However, when by late 1944, concrete intelligence confirmed that Germany’s work on atomic weaponry had basically stalled in 1942, many scientists were given cause to pause and reassess their commitment to the project. Joseph Rotblat, for instance, quit the project maintaining that, ‘the fact that the German effort was stillborn undermined the rationale for continuing’. Indeed, he was the exception. Nevertheless, the scientists’ apprehensions reached a high plateau when Germany surrendered in May 1945. These events, among others, suggested that the bomb would be used, if at all, against Japan (a reversal, in a way, of the racism and genocide issues within Germany). Many scientists, thus, began to debate among themselves the moral and ethical implications of using an atomic bomb in the war and the fate of humanity in the imminent atomic age. In doing so, the scientists with a stronger sense of responsibility, resolved that, as they had created the bomb, they possessed both the legitimacy and intellect to formulate proposals regarding its use. On their political mission, the scientists fastened...
When we hear discussions or read articles about drug wars, killings, and illegal immigration into the United States, many of us immediately think of Mexico. As a nation, Mexico is a much greater country than these commonly referred to issues. Mexico is a country with a broad history, deep family culture, and an economy fueled by oil and tourism. The United States Department of State (USDS) offers a broad range of information on countries outside the US, including Mexico. I found a wealth of information about Mexico through the USDS Background Note provided on their website located at www.state.gov. I will outline for you the key information found in this report, and others, related to the Mexican economy, culture, and more.
The adventurous but interesting story of how the United States of America became a global power in the world economy can be traced to the ingenuity of a small group of men, who defied all odds to construct a link between the Atlantic Ocean and the great Lakes - the “Erie Canal”, constructed in the eighteenth century America, was a 363 miles artificial waterway that connected the eastern seaboard with New York through Albany. In the book “the Wedding of the Waters” Peter Bernstein clinically depicts the story of how the Erie Canal shaped the economy of America, strengthened the Industrial Revolution, and actuated globalization. Not only was the project a large scale engineering that was completely man-made, it was also unique in that there was
Mexico is one of the most populated and industrialized of the third world nations, yet it remains very impoverished in comparison to it’s northern neighbor. Recently Mexico has been the third largest trading partner of the United States, has become an important exporter of petroleum and plays a pivotal role in the politics of the region. Yet Mexico is frequently treated with neglect and misunderstanding by the United States. This treatment is why Mexico is hesitant about United States influence and investment in Mexico. While many foreign countries acknowledge the United States as a protectorate and a blessing, Mexico sees the United States as a problematic source. The idea of the United States overshadowing Mexico was best stated in Pofirio Diaz’s famous quote. From the Pofiriato up until today Mexico is still in the shadows of the United States; but with the creation of NAFTA the intentional distance between the United States and Mexico has begun to close.
Kids use clothes to express the way they feel and making them wear a uniform is taking that away. School uniforms have been around for a long time. Most schools try to enforce the need of uniforms thinking it will help keep their students safer and better educated. Students shouldn’t have to wear uniforms for these three main reasons: some kids use clothes to express themselves and the uniform would take that away from them, uniforms cost a lot of money and some parents can’t afford it for their kids, doesn't really help with education.
The most important thing when interacting with other human beings is being able to communicate one another. People’s first mechanical way of communicating was with the invention of the telegraph, which was at first run by gas. It wasn’t until 1836, when Samuel F.B Morse, Alfred Vail, and Joseph Henry invented Morse code that our civilization had would be able to electronically communicate. Soon after, the first telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell which allowed people to vocally converse electronically from miles away. The invention of the telephone was then modified and eventually converted into a mobile cellular phone by Martin Cooper in...
One of the first cons of wearing school uniforms is that kids lose their freedom of expression. Self-expression is important for kids to have. If kids aren’t expressing themselves through clothing they will in other routes, such as the wearing of makeup, the use of jewelry, tattooing and piercing. Wearing uniforms stop kids from being unique, having their own individuality. Uniforms detract from a child’s individuality by forcing them all the wear the same clothes.
Cognitive development theory was propounded by Piaget in (1972). Piaget proposed that cognitive development from infant to young adult occurs in four universal and consecutive stages. The four stages are; sensorimotor - birth to 2 years, preoperational - 2 years to 7 years, concrete operational - 7 years to 11 years and formal operational (abstract thinking) 11 years and up. Each stage has major cognitive tasks which must be accomplished. In the sensorimotor stage, the mental structures are mainly concerned with the mastery of concrete objects. The mastery of symbols takes place in the preoperational stage. In the concrete stage, children learn mastery of classes, relations and numbers and how to reason. The last stage deals with the mastery
School uniforms have become more common nowadays than before. They used to be worn in private schools only it was very rare to go to a public school and see students wearing the same designated outfit. But not everyone is fond of wearing uniforms to school, many people see it as teachers and school administration taking away the rights of self-expression from students. But that shouldn’t really matter because kids and teenagers go to school to gain knowledge and be prepared for the real world not to show off their new pair of shoes to other kids.
School uniforms should be enforced. The school uniform statistics for the Department of Education states that 23% of schools in the country have already enforced uniforms (School Uniform Statistics). School uniforms cause a debate every day on whether they should be forced in schools around the country or not. Schools around the U.S. have already started enforcing uniforms. Uniforms bring a lot of benefits to the communities around the schools that are effected by the uniforms. The benefits uniforms bring are that the students have a better educational environment. Everyone wants their families to go to a school with a great learning environment. The uniforms also save the families that have kids in school money. If uniforms are continued to be enforced, families will save money, parents’ lives will become easier, and it will better the education of students everywhere.
As stated, in the article “The Pros and Cons of Uniforms in School” by Holly Charlonne, “some schools will look to uniforms as a possible way to bring together students from various backgrounds as a unit” (Charlonne). When the students are dressed alike, it takes away the social segregation that sometimes a child may feel if they do not have the same style of clothing as another child. Charlonne, also suggests, another proof of this advantage can be seen in the “cutting down the number of cliques that are formed in school due to economic or social status seems to have had a positive outcome in past from having students wear designated uniforms in public schools” (Charlonne). Wearing the uniform reduces the competition for who has the best clothes and who doesn’t, and allows the student to focus their attention on more productive matters. When the students all wear the exact same thing, they feel as though they belong to the group. The unity created by all students in uniform gives them an elevated sense of pride toward their school. Recent surveys have shown that “despite the fact that they (students) aren’t exactly thrilled about wearing uniforms, some students do recognize the benefits they offer”, in fact “54% of the students” included in this survey, report “having to wear a uniform didn’t compromise their identity” (Lake). It is for this reason that I firmly agree with the notion of public school