Steel Structure

Most structural steel failures happen at connections†¦. where a beam connects to a column, where a joist connects to a beam, where a hanging rod connects to a beam (the Kansas City Hyatt discussed above). The Structural Engineer must design the design the steel members and give guidelines for the connections. Many people in the Construction Industry don't understand, though, that the Structural Engineer rarely designs the connections. Why is that?Historically, the Steel Fabricators developed many different ways to make connections. What one Fabricator did in his shop economically might have been quite an expensive way to do it in a competitor's Fabrication Shop. So the practice developed that the Structural Engineer would size the members, but the Steel Fabricators would design the connections, which the Structural Engineer should then review and approve. If you think that seems like a complicated system prone to error, you'd be correct.But that is the system we generally have i n American construction. So the Construction Supervisor should know something about steel connections and have an idea if they are being installed correctly. A bit of background in Basic Structural Design is helpful, but the main thing to understand is the concept of pin connections versus fixed connections. A beam bolted to a column with clip angles along the beam web likely creates a pin connection.This means that the beam shouldn't be able to move up or down, nor in or out, but it can rotate a bit. A steel column bolted to a concrete pier with four anchor bolts also typically creates a pin connection. Again the steel column won't go up, down or sideways, but it may be able to rotate a bit. The fixed connection must stop that ability to rotate. So for a beam to have a fixed connection to a column, along with clip angles, there may be a plate on the top and bottom flanges of the beam that gets welded to the column.With all that welding, the beam can no longer rotate. If a steel col umn is buried four feet deep in a concrete pier, it also would not be rotating at the point that it exits from the concrete. So those are a couple of ways to create fixed (or moment resisting) connections. The Construction Supervisor should be aware if any fixed (or moment resisting) connections are required and understand how they are to be made. Just asking the questions increases the likelihood of a successful project.

First Day at College Essay

My first day at college is a memorable day in my life. I had been earnestly waiting for that day for a long time, because I heard many things about college education from my elder brother and neighbors who were college students. I started feeling that they had the advantage of moving about with an air of superiority. At last the long-sought day came and it was the 20th of July, 2002. A new pulsation began to urge me since morning to start for the place where the college stands. So, it was quite early when I reached the college. I was loitering hither and thither until I met a friend. He advised me to take down the routine which was displayed in the notice board. He showed me the notice board. I went there and took down the routine. It was the first thing that I did on my first day at college. I started to experience that the system in the college was different from what I was accustomed to in the school. With the ringing of the bell announcing the end of a period, the students change d class-rooms unlike in a school where rooms were fixed for different classes. The professors looked comparatively grave and composed and not grim and frightening like school teachers. The students behaved with chastening politeness. Even the menial staff appeared relatively refined and cultured in their dealings. I did not know before that roll-call was done in each period. All that, in fact, gave me a new kind of experience. On that day I had three classes, scheduled for the third, fifth and sixth periods. In the third period I had English. The Professor came, called over the rolls; told us a few words of welcome and then focused on the importance of learning English. In the fifth period we had the professor of Math. I enjoyed the class very much, while in the sixth period, the professor of Logic and Philosophy gave us an introductory talk on Deductive logic. All teachers were past masters in their respective subjects and I felt proud to have become a student of such erudite scholars. I had a big gap in the fourth period followed by recess. I was moving about in the college compound while a new class-fellow took me to the college canteen. He entertained me with a tea and snacks and we felt like being great friends. From there we went to students’ Common Room where I skipped over the newspaper head-lines and he played a game of ping pong with other students. A big gathering near the Botanical Garden drew my attention and I felt curious to see what happened there. I took leave of my new friend and made for that place. Having gone near, I noticed that a student, ostensibly a leader, was addressing the crowd. I did not like the harangue and went to the nearby building. I found that it was the library building. I entered into the spacious reading room wherein many students were engrossed in study. I felt highly tempted to sit with them but I had no library card. So, I had to check my temptation. I came out the intention to procure a library card as soon as possible. Meanwhile, the bell for the fifth period rang and I moved into the college hall for the class in Math. After my class-hours I straight came back home with a strange thrill of pride and pleasure. In fact, I started feeling that I was on the threshold of shaping up.

A History of German Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A History of German - Essay Example Past events that occurred in Germany have affected the current political and economic status of Germany. The economy is still a boost and has been ranked fourth and the politics are still the same, with the country been headed by a president and a chancellor. Due to the effects of the cold war, Germany has improved and the current unification of the 1990 has boosted the status of the nation. As the oldest European nation, Germany has a history that began during the interplay between the German tribes and the Roman Empire. Modern Germany was formed in 1817, under the leadership of Otto von Bismarck, the German chancellor. He tried to bring allies with Europe (Salmons, 2012). The industrial revolution modernized the German economy and this led to the rapid growth of cities and the emergence of the socialist movement in the nation. During the 1930s, Germany was hit hard by the great depression, which caused a lot of unemployment and the people lost confidence in the Government. The Nazi of Germany led by Adolf Hitler restored the economic prosperity and ended the mass unemployment using the military and suppressing labor unions and strikes. This act brought them fame and recognition. Nevertheless, the regimes were hostile to the Jews who became the main target to attacks. When the Nazi were defeated, this brought forth the cold war which divided Germany into two parts namely the democratic West Germany and the communist East Germany; during this time, many people fled from the communist area to the democratic area (Salmons, 2012). As a result of this division, NATO was formed, which later became the European Union and then the world’s largest economy. During this time, East Germany was a communist region and it was headed by dictators.

Analysis essay about 'After Death' Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Analysis about 'After Death' - Essay Example Eagleman also corrected the notion of God’s gender and this translates to the ambivalence of the universe. Eagleman however is optimistic that the afterlife will be generous because we will be given a choice of who we would like to be. The book begun with the phrase â€Å"In the afterlife you relive all your experiences, but this time with the events reshuffled into a new order: all the moments share a quality are grouped together (3)†. This is a sort of cataloguing our life and to make us realize how we lived our life. This is an intriguing opening for a book that talked about after life because it makes the reader think and examined their own lives. It is like telling the living that someday how we should live our life today because it will be played before you us when we die so we better make it a good thing to watch. This opening also opens a lot of possibilities of how the afterlife should be. Of course Eagleman’s book are only analysis and wanderings and we will never know its validity until we go to the afterlife. It may be just an existential â€Å"what if† or an excursion of how will it be like in the afterlife. And if there is any consolation to David Eagleman’s dissertation in his work â€Å"Sum: forty tales from the afterlives†, is that it affirms that there is life after our existence here on earth removing the fearful idea that everything ceases when we die. Thus this begs the questions of what are going to do with our lives having known that indeed after life exists. One of these existential excursion of Eagleman’s work is the negation of what we are thinking along – that we are the center of the universe and that all creation revolves around us. Eagleman however did not think so. We are in fact just a byproduct of the bigger scheme of things and not even at the center of it. Our reaction may

Managing Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Managing Performance - Essay Example The highly performing organisations, both public and private are interested in developing effective performance management systems. This is because the system assists the businesses to maintain high performance levels (Neck, et al. 1999, p250). The performance management is always carried out by the team members of the organisation. The managers motivate the team as a whole and separately in order to ensure high performance of the whole organisation. They manage this through the structure and allocation of work (Temoshenko, 1992, p290). In addition, they are expected to have a clear vision of the business goal and work focusing their minds in successfully achieving the goals set to manage high performance. Preparation for performance management The best way of preparing for the systems performance is to practice the developmental management put by the business or organisation. For instance, the teams are expected to revise the objectives agreed on by the management department regular ly (Managing Employee Performance, 2003, p90). Furthermore, the managers should review the performances at appropriate times and can also provide coaching in case an opportunity arises. Employees are needed to consider the interactions in order to prepare for performance evaluation. Moreover, the employer should review the stages of performance in the previous periods in order to decide on what to achieve during the evaluation process. Morrison’s supermarket performance management Morrison supermarket is the fourth largest supermarket in UK. It has over 400 stores that employ at least 300 staff and specialists in retail and manufacturing of food. Morrison’s is highly performing organisation serving a large number of customers compared to other stores. Morrison does actually produce a variety of products ranging from 30,000 to 35,000 items. When compared to other operations, this is a high variety. This range of variety is medium because it has limited flexibility in se rvices and products. The organisation struggles to increase the flexibility, variety and flexibility of various operations in accordance to customer’s wishes. In addition, Morrison’s increases variety due to availability of in store, butcher, restaurant, fish monger, baker and delicatessen that enables it to provide customers with what they need directly from their fresh. Due to high number of customers, Morrison’s varies the number of staff operating in the store in order to accommodate the variations in demand. Moreover, the organisation has a high visibility because all customers are exposed to the front end operations of its operations. The performance objectives There are five performance objectives at Morrison’s which are common to all operations. These include dependability, quality, flexibility, speed and cost. These objectives help the company to control its performance and help it achieve its goals. The quality of services offered at Morrisonâ⠂¬â„¢s satisfies customers’ needs. In addition, Morrison’s operation is controlled according to its schedules. For instance, it has regular opening and closing times making customers aware of shopping hours like other stores. Moreover, the company manages service properly by possessing huge number of checkout tills in order to reduce customers’ waiting through queuing.   Most companies today are flexible, profitable and efficient in order to compete in the global

Discuss the careers of Julius Caesar and Octavian. What did their rise Essay

Discuss the careers of Julius Caesar and Octavian. What did their rise to power mean for the republican from of government What - Essay Example He not only created a central government in Rome but also suppressed all the armed resistance which was out in different provinces. The entire was knit into one cohesive unit by establishing a new constitution; Octavian was also very actively involved in all these efforts and deserves equal credit if not more. All these goals were accomplished by Caesar and Octavian when they comprehensively defeated Pompey and his allies. The Republican form of government could not do anything significant to stop Caesar and Octavian; Caesar decreased their power and kept increasing his power to become one of the most influential dictators of all time. Caesar reformed the calendar which is considered to be the most important of his reforms. â€Å"Caesar carried out his reforms in the traditional manner, in the centuriate and tribal assemblies, the senate and through edicts. He rarely tampered with the traditions of the Republic; only in his concepts of citizenship and the provinces did his visionary genius truly appear.

Portfolio Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Portfolio Analysis - Essay Example The indifference curve can be used to reflect investor attitude or risk by refloating an investor’s preference. The plot of many indifference curves shows the different options that an investor would take. However, from the indifference map, the best option is to take the option that is highest that any other indifference curve. b. Selection of a suitable portfolio Indifference curves are not just used to display the risk aversion factors of an investor; in fact, the indifference curve can be used to select a suitable portfolio in terms of risk and return (Yin and Zhou, 2004). As already stated, the indifference curve is a plot of the risk and return preferences of an investor, therefore, to select the most suitable portfolio, an investor can utilize the mean-variance theory. The mean-variance theory of portfolio selection is derived from the indifference curve, where the map of the different indifference curves for an investor is plotted together (Maharakkhaka, 2011). From th e plot of the indifference curves, the transitive preferences of an investor can be determined, which refers to the selection of the best preference curve as chosen by an investor. From an analysis of the transitive preferences, it is evident that the highest preference curve is the one that should be selected by the investor. From the indifference curve, the investor can determine the highest possible indifference curve, which, combined with the other indifference curves, gives the mean-variance portfolio or the most efficient portfolio in an investment. 2. Correlation and Co-variance a. Correlation and Co-variance The relationship between two variables can be measured or determined in different ways, but the commonest way is the determination of the correlation and covariance of the two variables. A number of variables are sometimes related in some way or another, either the occurrence of one variable affects the occurrence of the other variable, or the does not affect the working of the other variable. The covariance refers to the type of relationship that two variables have, meaning that it shows whether two variables have a positive or negative relationship. In this case, a positive relationship refers to the fact that one variable moves in the same direction as the other variable. Conversely, the correlation between two variables incorporates another dimension, the extent to which two variables are related. In addition to the covariance angle of determining whether variables are positively or inversely related, the correlation also shows the extent to which the variables are inversely or positively related. b. Covariance, Correlation, and Portfolio risk As already stated, the correlation between two variables is determined by the movement of one variable in relation to the movement of the other variable. In the investment market, diversification is a good practice, since it ensures that an investor does not lose an investment in case of a catastrophe or loss in market value. A positive correlation between assets means that one asset will move in the exact same way as another asset. In investment, stocks with low or negative correlation are used to reduce portfolio risk since when one asset falls; the other asset

History of Education events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

History of Education events - Essay Example This had led to suggestions of gathering up all children and forcing them into schools. This history to a large extent influenced the American education system to grow to what it is today. Examining that history gives a glimpse of its achievements so far, and provides a view of the yet to be achieved goals. Among the aspects that influenced this growth include religion, technology, funding and technology, among others (Coulson, 1999). American education and religion Originally, education in America started as a religious affair in the early 1846. The Protestants began it with the sole purpose of teaching their followers on how to study God’s word. This was driven by the belief that every individual had a unique relationship with God. Hence, each person needed to interpret Gods word in their own way. To become closer to God, every individual had to be educated. This was seen in Massachusetts where compulsory schooling was put in place. Initially, Latin academies were put in pla ce later leading to grammar schools, then high schools. This eventually led to the existing system of elementary, middle and high schools. Religion can hence be argued to be the main origin of the American education system (Boers, 2007). Religion also influenced social empowerment and equality in the provision of education. This formed the basis of civil rights activism of the year 1964. It emphasized on the desegregation of schools and treating all men as equals. It also influenced efforts towards eradication of racism. This ensured education for all. American education and students with special needs (disabled and â€Å"gifted†) In the year 1975, education for all handicapped children act was passed into law. It required the provision of quality, fair and appropriate education to all students that were physically challenged. This was supported by the courts and eventually led to a large increase in special education classes. The role of the children with special needs in th e education system was hence appreciated. This is especially because many of these children are gifted in various fields and the education system would greatly help in tapping this resource. The challenge only remained in mainstreaming of children with special needs in schools (Shiber, 1999). American education and funding At around 1826, there was the ‘encouraging era’ whereby the government encouraged the establishment of school districts and went ahead to raise the tax revenues to support them. This trend entailed building government-run elementary schools in districts that agreed to own and operate those public schools. Those districts that did not agree to own such schools were allowed to use public funds to pay for the cost of students who came from the district but schooled in a private, parochial or religious school of their parents choice. This encouraged the development of early education as even those who lacked enough funds would benefit from such an arrange ment. Private investors in the education system would also be encouraged to put more investments in the provision of education The high school movement also had support at the grass root level of local cities and school systems. After the year 1916, the federal government involved itself in vocational education funding. Teacher training colleges were funded by states and religious bodies. These were often called the â€Å"normal schools†

Planning in the Roman Empire Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Planning in the Roman Empire - Essay Example The emperor also provided a lot of economic opportunities that people could take advantage of. The emporium faced major problems in maintaining security and peace and in governance. The central government also had devolved a lot of its governance responsibility of local affairs and certain imperial duties to the cities. There was a lot of competition within between the cities in the empire. The competition is evident bearing in mind how the senior citizens competitively vie with each other for recognition by the public and for senior civil posts. Cities also competed with each other to gain honorific titles. However, the competition of the cities was to some extent beneficial to the empire as it fostered decorative and architectural developments as they strove to outdo rival cities in the â€Å"splendor of their public monuments and the variety or their urban facilities†(p122). The competitions also brought other potential dangers. Some building projects which were undertaken in cities like Bithynia were left unfinished. Much of the empire’s resources were concentrated on development. New ideas, techniques, buildings and materials for building were employed in a bid to come up with bigger more impressive buildings. More architectural work was done. The focus of the empire was on transforming the existing cities and fostering growth of cities in the urbanized provinces. Civic planning can achieve various benefits if well done and implemented. On the other hand, if not well planned or implemented, it can end up having a lot of negative results. In the empire, buildings would give a sense of solidarity which was not the situation on the ground as the cities were strong competitors. The buildings were magnificent and beautiful which would also have given a sense of unity in the empire, which was not also the case. Many buildings also had been started

Mangment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Mangment - Essay Example Managers find it difficult to budget the money for pay increase of the employees. They also know that employees would be demotivated to know that their hard work would not be rewarded with pay increase or addition of privileges and perks. I think that the greatest challenge for a manager in performance management is to track down and record employees’ performance throughout the year or interval. Some wrong areas that managers focus on while managing performance include long gaps between performance appraisals, highlighting only the deficiencies of employees with no mention of their good points, establish performance as the only criterion for pay increase. Managers are also misled in their decisions by the power and age of an employee. I think about managing performance annually, but believe that this should be conducted much more often, like monthly. The biggest concern is to be able to justify the decisions without demotivating the employees. This is a concern for me because I am poor at collecting daily records of performance. Most important skill in performance management, for me, is accordingly to be able to keep track of employees performance because this is tedious work and seems so unrelated to the organizational tasks at

Oxfam coat Essay Example for Free

Oxfam coat Essay In the Oxfam coat, Anna Adams is able to elaborate with a dry irony the symbolism of a coat and all that it contains. In the unison of this frock, there is the hopefulness of expectation and the knowledge that very much it is a conceit towards a better life that is somehow illusory and never quite there. There is something so sturdy about this coat, but in its impoverished outline, there are thematic qualities which ring of an inevitable notion that more than one thing can be seen from it. In much of society and in judgement, clothes are one indicator of socioeconomic class and forms a classification of people, their preferences, and their prejudices, even. In the poem, the speaker seems to be in some ways, using this poem for knowledge. â€Å"I do not wear this coat to be admired,/not even to be seen; it is for seeing from. † Sometimes a person might wear a certain outfit to indicate a certain station in life. Just like during the Mardi Gras in Venice rich men sometimes dressed as beggars in tattered rags just to expose themselves to the expectations that are given to the poor. Also, in the Mark Twin story, â€Å"The Prince and the Pauper† all it takes for the prince and the pauper to switch places is a trading of clothes. That something so simple as donning a new frock, that something like this can give people new vantages is a commentary on a society that judges at times with the blink of an eye. In some ways, it seems like the speaker is trying to analogize her life to that of a farmers wife. Based on her sophisticated dialect and the advanced qualities of her grammar. It seems unlikely that she has been or was a farmers wife, it seems like even when wearing a shabby Oxfam coat. The analogy towards sacrifice and a sort of poverty, that is nevertheless good, a different lifestyle, history, and experience. The speaker, like the Prince in The Prince and the Pauper† cannot abandon the learning he has received. For when he draws the crown seal to prove his identity, he is proving himself despite the dirt on his face and the shabby misery of his appearance. When the speaker voices, â€Å"I am a walking look-out post, attired. † The word attired is by a dictionary denotation merely saying that she was wearing something which was not all too flattering. Like the paint on a walking look-out post is rarely glossy or shiny, but rather dull and worn, tired in a way in appearance. An apparatus of sorts in its rudimentary appeal and dignity regardless of the season, the hour or the time. Yet despite the adaptation of a literal denotation of attired, there is furthermore the connotation of being tired. The farmers wife is thought of to work tirelessly, without a murmur, watching out for all around her, a sturdy sediment against instability and working mightily to overcome the elements. While its certainly a bit insulting that the speaker seems to objectify the farmers wife. Comparing the frock to the deaf, dead-leaf look of camouflage and inconspicuous sight, there is evidently some derision in the admiration as well. â€Å"I am a walking look-out post, attired/in mist and dead-leaf coloured camouflage-a watchers hide, a property/advisible as poverty, as inconspicuous as middle-age. /it must have needed thirty years at least,/to reach this natural state and yet remain an artefact/that keeps me warm. To ditch it would be a waste. † The derision seems to be there, as theres the comparison of the worn coat to a natural state. It is not clear why thirty years of hard work and poverty ages a coat, that is symbolic of a toil-friendly farmers wife, to be a container for the poverty and overwork that is typically referred to rural scenes and states. In some ways, the naturalization of the farmers wife coincides with the objectification of the supposed farmers wife who is symbolized by the worn Oxfam coat. There is an organic, yet maturing or dead quality, of a kind of soulless duty as personified by the utility yet absence of personality of the illusion of a farmers wife vis a vis the Oxfam coat. â€Å"It cost me twenty pence. Good Harris cloth,/springy as heathers turf:/it has outworn the striding farmers wife/its cut suggests. Her scarecrow bones are earth. † The organic thematization is still present, as the omnipresent aspect of death and decay ares still there. That even this sturdy coat may have taxed the farmers wife who wore herself to the bones and is part of the earth as much as dead leaves melt into the dirt. The personification of this coat, in some ways serves to eclipse the deadness or gone quality of the farmers wife with its being as worn by someone else. Who cannot help thinking into the life and times of a farmers wife. However insulting or even mistaken it may be, undoubtably farmers wives lead hard lives but in some ways, we all do. That in fighting against organic matter, the endurability of good, sturdy cloth can preserve some aspects of feeling invulnerable but that people in the end, all melt into the earth. Perhaps the speaker is more than a bit sympathetically derogatory of the life and times of the farmers wife because she too, is stricken by a fear of death and being worn out. Possibly in moving the quality of being worn and an â€Å"artefact,† an outmoded cultural icon, there is an attempt to deal with the has been quality that is pervasive of many fields including that of poetry. Where a person may be a morning star one day, brilliant and admired, then thrown into the rubble the next day, exiled and socially excommunicated. In lending so much emotion, thought, and headlining grief to this Oxfam coat is perhaps a way to reconcile with the recyclability of not only leaves but people. That in a society which treasures the use of people for its own means, its in some senses hard for people to really express themselves. That in especially tough situations of environments there are so few choices to choose from and so few worlds to inhabit and wear. â€Å"It has outworn its power to startle birds/and has become a rough/looking-glass fibre stuff/chameleon, reflecting wintry woods. /that matted sheep-potential bale of wool/on knitting-needle legs-/sees me as sheep. Those twigs/sense me as bark-skinned tree if I stand still. † The use of people is at times so much changing as people are expected to objectify themselves in so many ways, that apart from a degeneration into the dirt caused by organic decay. People are expected to transform themselves from the natural to the created, just as wool is transformed by the knitting-needle into something like a sweater. The wool as fetched from the backs of sheep, sheared for warmth, is transformed in the shop by the needle to turn itself into something more that people can simply use. When the speaker wears this coat and feels that she may be more degraded and not regarded so well, looked upon as sheep. A vulnerable yet strong person who is fleeced or can be fleeced. That despite the almost insulting attitude towards the hardship of the farmers wife. The distancing yet empathy that is regenerated in this poem. That the speaker wears the pain and suffering of the farmers wife like a costume. That there is an idiosyncratic individuality which borrows from the uniformity of a farmers wife to converge into some medium point. There is still, an unavailability of true emotion or authentic sympathy, as to â€Å"travel incognito† as to â€Å"register on no mans retina. † Is a way of distancing oneself from a role, or even an affectation while still borrowing so much from it. Ultimately the farmers wife is much removed and only imagined, like some pastoral painting. In conclusion, we can only receive her secondhand, like the worn Oxfam coat, there but not there at the same time because life is never given to it in full.

Sustainable Architecture and Design

Sustainable Architecture and Design Sustainable, eco-friendly architecture can often be seen as the radical hippy of neo-liberal architectural discourse, with its practical application in the 21st century limited and problematic. Is there space for the synergy of idea in this regard, producing usable and practical or whimsical and gracious buildings that also adhere to the classical ideas of beauty and proportion? Sustainable[1] and eco-friendly architectures[2] were the subject of much left of centre discourse throughout the 1960’s and 1970’s against the backdrop of late Modernism and the initiation of constructed, clean post–Modernity. They were in opposition to the shock of the ‘new’ the marvels of concrete and structural steel and the innovations that supported closed environments such as elevators and air-conditioning. The seemingly ‘hippy’ applications of buildings that suited the environment, responded to them, and trod lightly in their space appeared irreconcilable in the context of the masculine, rational and spare elements of Modernity. The fear that beauty[3] could not exist in a mixed relationship, that a building could be both environmentally friendly and be visually appealing was not always an option in the hegemony of late modernism. However, this paper discusses the synergies that arose from these apparently oppositional ideas. The modernist era of tower blocks and buildings that fitted in with the ‘form follows function’ premise, ignored the possibilities of working with the environment and also being informed by it. The post-War building boom was expeditious, masculine and prolific, with the modular systems of the International Style informing all of the above. The shock of the new, invention and innovation left little space for the architectures engaging with the environment or the vernacular textures. Issues of sustainability were very much part of a neo-liberal brief, and disregarded by the world order of the time who had not yet woken up to the issues regarding the depleted ozone layer and greenhouse gas emissions. However, occasionally, there was minor dissent, particularly in the British colonies, where the imposed architecture of the colonist had been, to some extent environmentally adapted by the settlers using vernacular materials and adapting some elements of the indigenous building systems that they found there. Throughout this, though, the prevailing post-War building idiom of the mother country was largely retained, adaptability being one of the successes of Modernism. Those careful and socially conscious architects that contested the climatically and culturally inappropriate imposition of modernism strove to combine old and new materials and old and new technologies to create regionally appropriate buildings that were a vernacular in their own right and yet a new architecture that combined all the radical notions popular in the hippy culture of the late 1960’s. Norman Eaton, a South African, was cognizant of environment and reduction of the air-conditioning loads when he designed his Netherlands Bank Building (1965) in Durban, South Africa, a five level building where the building stands on a white marble podium and forms a pavilion in the centre of the high-rise urban fabric. The external curtain wall is replaced by a brise-soliel of green ceramic hollow clay blocks forming a massive sunscreen and significantly reducing the air conditioning loads in a hot, humid climate. ‘The unbroken expanses of ceramic screening were the result of Eaton’s approach to the challenge of Durban’s heat and were not employed for aesthetic effect alone. The open and yet cool aspect of the interior and the considerably reduced load on the building’s air conditioning system testify to the screens functional success. Behind the screen and invisible from the outside a second curtain wall, this time of glass, also covers the building, so that all internal levels are well lit but at the same time well protected against the glare and heat of direct sunlight.’ (Haropp-Allin; 1975: 107) Visually, although the building is a regionalist adaptation of what was a prevailing modernist format, the building and its incorporated garden spaces provides cool relief and a refuge in a hard edged landscape.[4] Almost two decades later, the Australian John Andrews in his Eugowra Farmhouse, New South Wales, (1979) maximized the orientation of the building such that he combined the use of prevailing winds for cooling in the Australian outback together with a central fireplace for heating. A prominent rainwater tower in the centre of the roof is both a strong vertical element, creating ‘architecture’ and at the same time harvesting water which is a critical necessity in the arid environment. This element is also able to spray water onto the roof for cooling in extreme weather. This was all combined using modern materials in a vernacular idiom combined with a classical symmetry, producing a gracious neo-outback veranda house. With these examples quoted above, a strong sense of regionalism is implicit in the sustainability and the environmental generators that form the ‘natural’ brief. For a building to be modern, beautiful and environmentally sustainable, it follows that the structure should be in a regionalist ‘idiom’ using modern materials housing modern facilities, with the incorporation of some of the vernacular, as the meaning of the site and the climate is by definition a regionalist issue. It was not only in the antipodean regions that this critical discourse was occurring. From the beginning of the 1960s, a number of papers and publications supporting the architecture of the vernacular and its many manifestations, connecting this to environment, culture and landscape, spawned the radical publications such as ‘Shelter’ (1973) which explored the notions of building using traditional materials, textures and forms, and adding to this sustainable methods of drainage, rainwater capture, foundation formation and environmentally friendly methods of heating and cooling. This treatise however was aimed at people pursuing more of an alternative lifestyle, using the landscape and other culture’s building methods to house them in an ecologically sustainable fashion. More conventional publications such as the work of Fitch in 1960, and the works of Rudofsky (1965) and Rapaport (1969) explored the connections between climate, landscape and culture. They investiga ted the traditional means by which building were constructed to address all the social and climatic constraints that produce sustainable buildings that tread lightly on the landscape and do not need large amounts of extra resources such as heating, cooling, and electricity consumption. These publications were still way left of the conservative centre, and not embraced by the rapidly mechanized northern countries. Few architects in the formal sector were prepared to stick their necks out in this regard, leaving the alternative housing solutions to those that pursued alternative lifestyles. A marked example does, however, stand out- Paolo Solieri, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright conceived of his Arcosanti Project in 1970, where some 70 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona, a compact complex hoping to eventually house some 5000 people is designed in a way such that the outside arable land is maximized, the living areas are condensed providing ready access to open desert for all dwellers, an d a number of large greenhouses provide food for the inhabitants. These structures also act as solar collectors for winter heat. Solieri’s aim was to design an urban environment that would function in a manner providing the maximum social, economic and health benefits, as well as treading lightly on the landscape on which it sits minimizing the effects on the earth. His principle of ‘arcology which married the ideas of ecology and architecture is described below. In nature, as an organism evolves it increases in complexity and it also becomes a more compact or miniaturized system. Similarly a city should function as a living system. It must follow the same process of process of complexification and miniaturisation to become a more lively container for the social, cultural and spiritual evolution of humankind. The central concept around which these developments revolve is that of arcology- architecture and ecology as one integral process. Arcology is capable, at least theoretically, of demonstrating positive response to the many problems of urban civilization, population, pollution, energy and natural resource depletion, food scarcity and quality of life. Arcology is the methodology that recognizes the necessity of the radical reorganization of the sprawling urban landscape into dense, integrated, three- dimensional cities in order to support the complex activities that sustain human culture. The city is the necessary instrument for the evolut ion of humankind. Paolo Soleri (Arcosanti Workshops 2000 pamphlet) The Cosanti-Arcosanti pamphlet notes that Newsweek commented that ‘As urban architecture, Arcosanti is probably the most important urban experiment undertaken in our lifetime’ (Cosanti-Arcosanti pamphlet; 2000) However, despite this accolade by the popular, ‘thinking’ press, the project, nearly four decades later, struggles along still in the construction process, and is more of a site for those people that pursue the alternative than people living mainstream, corporate lifestyles. As a site it is a museum, a school, a point of pilgrimage. For very few people, it is a lifestyle. Bringing these combined issues of ecological, social and economic sustainability, to the forefront, making them trendy and implicit, has been the largest challenge to the production of sustainable architectures. The realisation that the construction industry and the operation of the buildings that it makes, as Hyatt quotes (himself and) Edwards (Hyett in Abley Heartfield;2001:30) ma kes it ‘responsible for 50% of ‘all energy resources consumed across the planet, making the construction industry ‘the least sustainable industry in the world’. This fact has taken a while to entrench itself in ‘first world’ industry. Issues of sustainability and appropriate technology are not new- as mentioned earlier they formed the basis of developmental jargon in the ‘Third’ World. Sustainability in architecture as a technical approach in the management of particular resources has been the subject of discussions in the last three decades, with the 1975 ‘Alternatives to Growth’ conference which expanded the definition realizing the limits of a static- state economy: this time sustainability fell within the realms of the economists and not the built environment practitioners. Then, the issue of the control of technology by the Northern Hemisphere was dealt with by Willy Brandt who, in 1980, led the Independent Commission on International Development Issues, producing a report headed ‘North- South- A Programme for Survival’. (Heartfield in Abley Heartfield; 2001:97) Here, the connections between sustainable development and appropriate technology were made, entrenching the i dea of appropriate technology in a developing country context. This was almost fatal, as Heartfield notes ‘What appropriate technology meant for the less developed world was the lowering of expectations; less capital input, less expenditure, less technology.’ (Ibid;97) Perhaps this perceived ‘lower’ level of existence is one of the reasons why the plea for incorporation of these ideas of sustainability in the northern hemisphere fell largely on deaf ears. ‘It could be said that sustainability is a fudge. It raises all the same presuppositions of the limits to growth thesis, that absolute resource limits are upon us, but avoids their implied conclusion, a moratorium on growth. What the concept of sustainability preserves of the ideology of limits is the sentiment of constraint and parsimony.’ (Ibid;97) Finally, the Bruntland Report [5] submitted in 1987 is seen by Heartfield as being credited with the ‘popularizing of the concept of sustai nable development.’ (Ibid:96). However, although this may have made the concept more digestible, it did little for popularizing its practice, for, as the Bruntland Report, quoted in Heartfield states- ‘Sustainable development requires that those who are more affluent adopt lifestyles within the planet’s ecological means’.(Ibid:97) Despite this so called acceptance, a much later technical work in a somewhat a pleading tone, by Crowther notes that ‘The ecologic responsibility is to ourselves and the global legacy of human habitation. Every choice made from concept, to design, to realization is a demand that results in ecologic and biologic consequence.’ (Crowther;1992:vii) However, the throwing of these twentieth century gauntlets such as that by Crowther has received results in latter years. Prototypical examples as that presented by Pearson in his Gaia House (Pearson;1989:40-41) may have influenced some of the challenges to be presented; the principles in his charter declare ‘Design for harmony with the planet, Design for peace for the spirit, and Design for the health of the body. The first instruction involves the use of ‘green materials’ that have as embedded qualities ‘low environmental and social costs’, which are ultimately bio-degradable and can be or are recycled. Together with this the importance of correct orientation, the use of all the elements for energy including wind, recycling grey water and collecting rain water all add to the minimized impact on the soil. Pearson also mentions the need to maximize the efficiency of the natural spaces by planting indigenous trees and flowers. (Pearson;1989:40) It was only recently, with the building explosion on the Pacific Rim, and the attacks on the World Trade Centre, that the northern hemisphere began to seriously address these issues of sustainable construction, particularly in the densely populated cities of Europe. In October 2001, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), hosted a conference that was to address the issues of creating environments that addressed issues of sustainability. This conference, ‘Sustainability at the cutting edge’, ‘was to provide an overview of the science and technology behind sources of renewable energy which would assume prominence in the next decade. This review was placed in the context of increasing concern about the impact of climate change and the fact that the built environment in countries like the UK is the worst culprit in terms of carbon dioxide emissions.’ (Smith,2003;xi) This quotation, from Smith’s technical work, emerged from this gathering. More of a handbook, it examines environmentally sensitive options for heating and cooling, and offering the option for drastically reducing emissions in urban buildings in an environment that (now) tacitly accepts the need for ecological architecture. A number of approaches which demonstrate the sensitive manipulation of all elements of the brief to create an ecologically sound, a culturally sensitive, a socially appropriate and an economically viable building have come to light, many of which employ much of Pearson’s First Principle as mentioned above.[6] The examples fulfill a variety of scales of development, and different intensities in terms of sustainability with regards to site. On the one hand, it is sadly disasters that prompt new innovative methods of shelter, in a modular though aesthetic form. Out of the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe came the Modular Transitional Growth Housing (MTGH)[7] a conceptual system that consists of a number of elegant forms which can be bunched together in a variety of forms and combinations to shelter, recycle, light and cool. Architect Philippe Barriere introduces a BioClimatic design element with high ceilings and naturally stimulated ventilation which assists in the above. However, this highly conceptual modular structure is on the knife edge of socially practical and Marxist zeal- seen as an approach that can solve a multitude of housing problems from disaster relief to inner city complexes to fishing retreats, the reality of its implementation is as conceptually choppy as Arcosanti- mass appeal is visual but not implicit. A more practical and tangible solution to a mass housing challenge is the Greenwich Millennium Village (GMV) by Ralph Erskine, (a veteran of inner city housing in his seminal Byker Wall Project at Newcastle-upon-Tyne) together with EPR Architects Limited.[8] The concept is the total regeneration of the Greenwich Peninsula, particularly the site of the former gasworks, where the Millennium Dome[9] stands. Its proximity to central London and the City mean that its viability as a dormitory suburb on bus and train routes is practical. The discourse as to how to reuse ‘brownfield’ sites is to some extent resolved here, with the ultimate provision of some 900 residences by the end of 2007 with expansions continuing till 2015. The most important feature of this project is that a newly formed community is occupying the apartments that cater for a variety of different ‘social classes’, with a series of amenities such as an ‘eco-park’ green space, as well as office and retail developments. Using a prefabricated system, the buildings are hardy, but incorporate a generous use of colour. From the perspective of the environmental sustainability point of view, the rainwater is collected, grey water is recycled, insulation is good, which minimizes overheating by artificial means in winter, and the use of recycled materials such as timber, street furniture, and concrete has been a priority (GMV Fact Sheet 5[10]). Maximum efficiency is critical to the brief and in this regard, the website offers the following information- The need for artificial lighting is minimized by the provision of large windows meaning less running costs. These windows are made from environmentally sustainable material, and are also well insulated and draught proofed. Thermally, the buildings are constructed to standards 10% higher than the national standards, which assist in the reduction of emissions. Also, the highly coloured paint is specially chosen for its non-toxic values, and is a non-polluting paint. Water saving devices are used in all sanitary fittings, and plumbed appliances. The rooms in the apartments have sliding sections that maximizes flexibility and enables multiple uses of living space[11]. Power is supplied by a combined heat and power system (CHP) where the generated heat (as opposed to the generated power) is put to use. Excess power is sold off to the national grid (GMV Fact Sheet 4[12]) The energy constraints that were used as a benchmark in the design process ranged from the amount of energy required for manufacture, to the contribution their manufacturer makes to greenhouse gas emissions. The success of this project thus far has meant that the developers were the first large developers in the United Kingdom to be awarded the ‘Excellent Eco-Homes’ rating which is an incentive submitted by the Building Research Establishment to promote the construction of eco-friendly domestic buildings. This is certainly a far cry from the establishment’s attitude a few years ago! The multi-award winning BedZED (Beddington Zero Energy Development) completed in 2002 through the Peabody Trust with Bill Dunster Architects also puts these principles into practice. The mixed-use and mixed-tenure development of BedZED is the UK’s first and largest ‘carbon-neutral eco-community’, also built on a ‘brownfields’ site[13] in Sutton, near London. The concept behind the project was to produce as much energy from renewable sources as it consumes, creating a net zero-fossil energy development, and therefore a ‘carbon-neutral development’; it thus provides no net addition of CO2 to the atmosphere[14]. Smith describes the development as ‘a prescription for a social revolution; a prototype for how we should live in the twenty-first century if we are to enjoy a sustainable future. (Smith;2003:153) The BedZED design concept is itself a model of flexibility, with a variety of different forms of accommodation as well as different types of tenure. Altogether there are 82 homes of different sizes, some for sale and others rental units aimed at social housing income levels. Amenity is also important, cementing social sustainability, with facilities such as a kindergarten, health centre, commercial use node, exhibition centre and an organic shop! Environmental sustainability is ensured through the construction of massive walls that store heat for release in cooler periods. Also, a 300mm rock-wool insulation (Smith; 2003:54) provides for extra insulation on both the walls and the roof. The windows are triple glazed. Orientation plays a large part in the energy efficiency of the buildings, with north facing elevations of office and commercial space optimizing the softer light and minimizing the need for air-conditioning, whilst the homes, which benefit from the warmer orientation, face south. Low energy lighting is used where needed to assist in the reduction of electrical output. As with GMV, the choice of materials was dependant on their low embodied energy, and were sourced from suppliers as close as possible to minimize transport energy costs. The use of timber from sustainable sources, recycled materials, grey water recycling, solar power, and roof gardens serve to embed the environmental responsibility. Power is also supplied by a CHP plant. A critical point about BedZED is the minimizations of vehicle use- residents are encouraged through education and the ‘Green Transport Plan’ to promote alternative means of transport such as walking and cycling.[15] Also, the provision of efficient public transport means that the reliance on motor cars can be reduced. A larger infrastructural solution is that of the Vastra Hamnen waterfront development at Malmo in Southern Sweden. This used to be a ‘brownfields’ site that was part of the old dockyard. A number of architects including Erskine are involved with the project. The city was participant in the forming of the brief, dictating colour, ecological rigour, provision of park space, and minimal building performance. A wind turbine provides a large source of energy. Again, the complex is socially mixed, minimizing the potential for creating class-based residential neighbourhoods and there are shops on the street level, with the intention that the owners live above them. As in the previous example, the streets are car free and a pool of electric vehicles which are powered by wind energy is available to transport residents to town. Sewage enters the main system in the city, but other waste is dispensed of internally, where residents dispose of food in one tube and then dry waste in an other. The tubes lead to common disposal sites where the dry waste is incinerated and the food is composted providing biogas which returns to the occupants through the gas main. Smith considers this project as one that has ‘achieved reconciliation between market forces and environmental priorities.’ (Smith;2003:144) The single-building environmentally-efficient challenge was taken up by Sir Norman Foster and his partner Ken Shuttleworth in the Swiss Re Headquarters building, St Mary Axe. It remodeled a conceptual idea developed by Sir Buckminster Fuller and Foster in 1971 called the ‘Climatroffice’ which ‘suggested a new rapport between nature and workspace; its garden setting created a microclimate within and energy conscious enclosure, while its walls and roof were dissolved in a continuous triangulated skin. (Walker in Heartfield Abley;2001:207) Swiss Re was completed in 2004. It is notably the first building of its kind in England to manipulate environmental conditions to minimize air-conditioning, wind loads etc. The forty floors are designed as a series of rectangular plates that spiral up the building, assisting in daylight entering the building and reducing the amount of artificial lighting (Powell;2003:219) Revival of and recirculation of stale air is facilitated by roof gardens, also known as ‘bioclimatic terraces’ which re-oxygenate the building. These roof gardens are also used as social gathering spaces, which aids in increasing the quality of the work place. Most of the ventilation is natural, and unlike many buildings of its kind, the windows can all open. The base of the building has been formed to minimize wind load on the building and to minimize the creation of wind corridors so often found at street level in cities. (Powell;2001:219) The new age commitment to the environment and the lessening of emissions is often approached with zeal- Artist Freidensreich Hundertwasser was approached by the Mayor of Vienna to remodel the Spittelau Energy Plant. At first he turned it down, opposed to the assumed ecological failings embodied in the project. However, after assurances that the remodeling of the plant would be including the provisions for drastically reducing emissions, he took on the project for free. Working together with Architect Peter Pelikan, the industrial faà §ade was remodeled into a whimsical parody, where ‘The power plant†¦.. shows how to foreground the open creative spirit in harmony with nature and the anonymous city’ (Asensio;2003:31). Although this is not necessarily as direct an example as some of the new constructions mentioned above, I suggest that it is valid, given that the pressure to reuse buildings is a large part of architectural discourse, and is itself a tactic of sustaina bility and environmental recycling, the ‘greening’ of them in terms of minimizing emissions, changing technologies, and in this case mitigating the massive industrial-ness of the power station, makes it more socially environmentally friendly for the residents of Vienna. In the introduction to New Architecture in Britain, Powell states: ‘the future of architecture, in Britain and elsewhere is linked to such vital issues- the fate of our cities, the housing crisis and the protection of the earth’s fragile environment- that discussion of style seems almost irrelevant.’ (Powell;2003:20) This statement, in a glossy publication of contemporary architecture is a far cry from the plea made by Crowther less than a decade ago[16]. Whilst I agree with Powell that the language of architecture is changing, as it always does, the discussion of style is not irrelevant- low budget beauty and elegance is provided by the (highly theoretical) MGTH project, a mix of economic and social strata is contained in the Greenwich Millennium Village, a bold development more agreeable with the Vitruvian ‘Commodity and Firmness’, the BedZED and Vastra Hamnen developments that limit motor vehicles and provide the use of electric cars. Ironically, i t is perhaps the Swiss Re building, as Powell suggested in his 2001 volume ‘(that) reinforces the point that office towers can be distinctive, even beautiful, objects that complement, rather than deface, the skyline.’ (Powell;2001:219) which has managed to push the issue of sustainability and its connection with the very possibility of aesthetic beauty in the Vitruvian model into the forefront of populist architecture. However, we must not forget, in the clamour of the new, those early visionaries that promoted the values of engaging with the environment and treading with sensitivity. The investigations into the connection between culture, landscape, environment and architecture that informed the basis of the approach to the buildings built today, were seminal works of their time, situated in an alternative environment that was far too left of the modernist mainstream to find favour. But we can also feel thankful that finally, the discourse of environmentally friendly architecture has emerged in the mainstream- let us hope that it is not too late. References: Abley, I Heartfield, J (2001) Sustaining architecture in the anti-machine age Chichester, Wiley-Academy Andrews, J (1982) Architecture : a Performing art Lutterworth Press Asensio, P(2003) Freidensreich Hundertwasser Barcelona, LOFT Publications Cosanti Foundation(2000) Arcosanti Workshops 2000 (pamphlet) Phoenix, Cosanti Cosanti Foundation(2000) Cosanti-Arcosanti (pamphlet) Phoenix, Cosanti Crowther, R(1992) Ecologic architecture Massachusetts, Butterworth-Heinemann Curl, J (1999)Oxford Dictionary of Architecture Oxford, Oxford University Press Fitch, J(1960) Primitive Architecture and climate from Scientific American, December p134-144 Harrop-Allin, C(1975)Norman Eaton, Architect- a study of the work of the South African Architect Norman Eaton 1902-1966 Johannesburg, C Struik Publishers Marschall S (2000) Opportunities for Relevance Kearney, BPretoria, University of South African Press Pearson, D(1990) The Natural House book London, Conran Octopus Powell, K(2003) New architecture in Britain London, Merrel Powell, K(2001) New London architecture London, Merrel Rapaport, A(1969) House form and culture Prentice Hall Rudofsky, B (1965) Architecture without architects: a short introduction to non-pedigreed architecture New York, Museum of Modern Art Shelter Publications(1973) Shelter United States, Shelter Publications Smith, P (2003) Sustainability at the cutting edge : emerging technologies for low energy buildings Oxford, Architectural Press Vale, B(1991) Green architecture design for a sustainable future London, Thames and Hudson Websites: http://www.greenwich-village.co.uk/index_main.htm (17.06.07) http://www.arcosanti.org/ (17.06.07) http://www.peabody.org.uk/pages/GetPage.aspx?id=179 http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/0 6/15/prefab-friday-modular-transitional-growth/#more-4683 (17.06.07) 1 Footnotes [1] Sustainability as an idea was a large component of ‘development speak’ in the context of poverty and limited resources. This embraced notions of community participation as well as optimizing resources. [2] The Oxford Dictionary of Architecture notes that ‘ecological architecture- Aims to respond to declining energy resources, eg using energy conservation, efficient insulation, rainwater, solar radiation, and wind power, and recycling as much as possible. The term was coined in the 1970’s’ (Curl;1999;220). Similarly, ‘green architecture- Buildings designed according to energy-saving criteria and the reduction of pollution.’ (Ibid;288). [3] From the third chapter of Vitruvius De Architectura comes the definition of beauty in architecture as firmitas, utilitas, venustas or Commodity, Firmness and Delight. The practicality of the building, as well as its robustness is as important as its beauty. [4] The necessity to incorporate en

The I Am Sayings Of Jesus Religion Essay

The I Am Sayings Of Jesus Religion Essay There are seven statements in the book of John in which Jesus says, I am something. In this essay I will look at the list of the seven statements and I will begin with Jesus saying I am the light of the world. Throughout this essay, I plan to cover each of these sayings of Jesus separately and I will attempt to give a brief discussion on each of them. Each proclamation reveals the different facets of Jesus and gives a different sense of understanding, but, overall, all sum up the revelation of who Jesus is. Further I will look at why these statements are significant to our salvation. These statements are as follows: I am the good shepherd, I am the resurrection and the life, I am the true vine I am the way, the truth and the life I am the bread of life and, lastly, I am the door. I am Light of the world. John 8:12. John 8:12 proclaims the words of Jesus saying, I am the light of the world; he who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. There are many who follow false light that eventually leads to devastation; but the truth is found only in Christ. Eternal salvation should be our ultimate goal in life and Jesus is the only light that leads to a life of fulfillment. There was a strong opposition that came from the Pharisees against the claims of Jesus, they did not believe in His proclamation as the light of the world. They took him as one of those bubblers who did not know what He was saying. The word light here is used as a metaphor and it is repeatedly quoted throughout the Bible. The representation here is of Jesus being the truth. In other words if the Pharisees reject Him, then they are actually rejecting the truth, and because they reject the truth, then they walk in darkness. Therefore, they do not know who they are and were they are going as they are in darkness without Jesus. Just like the story of the adulteress woman, she lived in sin for many years and one day she was caught red handed in the very act. Then the Scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, and according to the Law of Moses, such deserve to be stoned to death. So the Scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus and said to Him, Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, now Moses in the Law commanded us that such should be stoned, but what do you say? Jesus stooped down then later answered them saying if there is any among you without sin, let them be the first to throw a stone at her. Realizing their own wrongs, they began to leave one by one until they were all gone and the woman was left alone. Then Jesus said to the woman, has any one condemned you? she replied by saying, no one, Lord. And Jesus said to her, neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more. In this story we see that Jesus is the light of the world and indeed He is the truth. The accusers of the woman were convicted because the light was shown in their hearts and they saw their own sinfulness. Therefore the world is lost without Jesus. Darkness controls us and unless the light of Jesus shines upon us, we can see the truth. But while we have the light, we must believe in the light, that we may become children of the light (John 12:36). The light here signifies Jesus and that without Jesus in us and leading us, we walk in darkness and are lost. I am the good shepherd. John 10:11 Jesus said I am the Good Shepherd. Those who come before me are robbers and thieves and my sheep do not hear them. The shepherd who takes care of his flock and gives his life for the sheep is the good shepherd and not a hireling. The sheep hear his voice and he calls them by name and they follow him. And Jesus claimed Himself to be the good shepherd. The Jews actually thought He has a demon and is mad. This did not stop Jesus continuing His proclamation as the good shepherd. Sheep without a shepherd will be scattered and lost. For they know the voice of the and when he calls they hear him. The voice of a stranger, they do not hear. When its night time and the sheep are in, the shepherd guards the doorway. If a hireling tries to enter, the shepherd would defend his sheep by fighting back, to the extent of willing to lay down his own life for the sake of the sheep.  The fact that there is only one door to the sheepfold, the enemy cannot enter the sheepfold except through him. This is the sacrificial duty of every good shepherd, who is willing to lay down his life for the sake of the sheep. Jesus is our great shepherd; there will never be anyone like Him, willing to lay down His life for our protection. The shepherd had the right to lay down his life to purchase His flock. Jesus is the best of shepherds, none so skillful, so faithful, and so tender, as He. I am the resurrection and the life. John 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die (John 11:25-26). This is a proclamation that should settle our fear of death once and for all. Jesus declared Himself as the very essence of existence. In other words He is existence Himself and that apart from Him none can exist in this age and the age to come. Simply put, everything culminates in Him and everything holds together in Him. Jesus indicates that if He would let go of His hold on us, we would be nonexistent instantly. This deeply reveals our desperate need of Him because He holds us together. This is beautifully illustrated in the death of Lazarus. When Jesus was told about Lazarus death, He did not panic as we would definitely. He was inexplicably calm such that He went about doing what He was doing even after hearing such heart breaking news. For He said to the disciples, Lazarus is sleeping but I go to wake Him up, they said if he is sleeping, then he will get well. Jesus knowing that they did not understand, He emphatically told them that Lazarus is dead. He then said that this is for the glory of God and that the Son of Man may be glorified in this. Later when Jesus met Martha, Lazarus had been in the tomb for four days. Martha cried to Jesus after he finally came, that if had come early, and his brother would not have died. In contrast, Jesus said to her, your brother will live again. But Martha did not understand what Jesus was saying. Jesus said to them that if they would believe, then they would see the glory of God. In this story, Jesus demonstrated His resurrection power, showing that there was nothing He could not do. Jesus is the power of our salvation, He brings new life to the dead spiritually. By the mercies of God, how can the world ignore a person like this? I am the true vine. John 15: 1-6 Jesus declared that He is the true vine and His Father is the gardener. That He is the vine and we are the branches, therefore when we remain in Him and Him in us, then we bear much fruit. The branch that does not produce fruit, He takes away but the branch that bears fruit, He prunes so that it can produce more fruit. Like a tree and its branches, it is virtually impossible for the branches to be cut and expect them to live. The food of the branches flows through the trunk of the tree from the roots. Therefore if the branches are cut off, then there much needed nourishment is cut off as well and the branches wither and die. In the same respect, Jesus is our vine and we are His branches, we feed from Him, our lives are healthy because of Him. If we are cut off, like the branches of a tree, we wither and die. Jesus said that when we abide in the word and the word abides in us, anything is possible when we ask. Therefore we need the word of God in us and if the word dwells in us and we embrace it wholeheartedly, then and only then are we able to be productive to the glory of God. The scriptures say, man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. The scriptures also say that when the word of God is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The faith by which we received the word of Jesus purifies our hearts. The word refines us from the dross of the world and the flesh because it is a cleaning virtue. I am the way, the truth and the life. John 14:6. In this verse Jesus said that no one comes to the Father except through him, no one knows the Father except through him and no one lives the life of the Father except through him. In this passage of scripture, Jesus emphatically says that no one goes to the Father nor sees the Father except through me. One day Thomas said to Jesus, Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way. And Jesus answered saying, You know me and you know my father also and from today you know Him and have seen Him. By this saying He meant if we see Him then we have seen the Father for the Father and the Son are one. What is truth? And what is a lie? Jesus called the devil a liar and the Father of lies. And that he speaks lies from his resources and that he is a liar from the beginning. Jesus is often quoted as saying, I tell you the truth He always told the truth because He is truth and He is true in every way. Grace and truth came with Jesus for it is said that, we have seen his glory, the glory of the Son of God, full of truth and grace (John 1:14) I am the Bread of Life. John 6:35 Jesus said, I am the Bread of life. He said that you go to buy bread that does not last, for after you eat it, you hunger again for more bread. Come and eat my bread and you will not hunger again and it is free. He also said to the Samaritan woman, come and drink my water and you will never thirst again. Not understanding what He meant, she said the well is deep, how can you give me water when you do not have something to draw water with. Jesus corrects her by saying, I am your well, and when you come and drink of me, you will never thirst again. The water from Jesus will become a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Like the Samaritan woman, Jesus was on several occasions misunderstood by people, for instance, He tells His followers that if they eat His meat, then they have eaten meat indeed and if they drink His blood, they have drunk drink indeed. His followers were so confused about what He meant such that they decided to walk away and thought amongst themselves that, He must be mad, how can we eat of His flesh and drink His blood? Most of the disciples turned and walked away from Jesus. However, how many times do we misunderstand Him today? We sometimes think we know, yet we do not. Jesus also fed the five thousand people that followed Him. He took a boys lunch, only five small loaves of bread and two small fish. He had the crowd sit down and He took the bread and fish; He gave thanks for the food, and then gave it out to the people. By a miracle hand of God, He multiplied the food such that there was more than enough for over 5000 people. During the night, Jesus walks on the water, gets into the boat and arrives at Capernaum. The next day, the people realize that Jesus is not there but do not understand how he left. They get into boats and travel to Capernaum and find Jesus there. They ask him, When did you come here? Jesus replies to them that the reason they are seeking him is because they want more food. The people asked how they can do that and Jesus tells them that they must believe in the one that God has sent. In other words, Jesus wanted them not only to follow Him for physical food that does not last but for food that is everlasting. And that is only accomplished by believing that Jesus Christ was sent from God and that He is the true bread of life and those who partake of Him will never hunger again. I am the door John 10:1-10 Jesus said, I am the door, if anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and he will go in and out and find pasture. Jesus said this to emphasis a point about who He is. During the time of Jesus, animals were kept in sheep folds and these sheep folds had only one door for animals to go in and out. They would have a wall either built with stones or made from branches and they would be completely closed except for one entrance where the sheep went in and out. Usually the entrance would not have a gate across it but would simply be a gap. But at night when the sheep were in the pen, the shepherd himself would lie across the entrance. So this made shepherd himself to become the gate to the sheep fold. By lying across the entrance the shepherd could keep close watch on the sheep and protect them from any intruder or hireling that may threaten to attack the sheep. The Pharisees seem to prove his point when Jesus gives them this illustration and once again they just dont understand what He means. So Jesus makes it plain to them when He tells them in verse seven saying I am the door of the sheep. Jesus makes this even clearer in verse nine when He says If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved. So this is not as complicated as the Pharisees made it out to be. This is what John has been trying to let us know all the way through this gospel. The Jews had long understood that the Messiah would bring salvation. The coming of the Messiah was something they looked forward to. CONCLUSION The conclusion of the matter would therefore seem to say that, Jesus is throughout the gospel of John trying to reveal who He is. Though He is misquoted and misunderstood on several occasions, He still does not give up the sole task of trying to reveal why He is here on earth. The evidence of His arguments and statements prove this point. For He repeatedly says, I am the light of the world, I am the good shepherd, I am the bread of life and that I am the door. In all these I am sayings, Jesus is attempting to drive home the central idea that no one can be saved except through Him. He is not only our way to salvation but He is our salvation. Therefore to reject Him is as good as rejecting the very power of salvation.

Dalai Lama Essay -- essays research papers

The Dalai Lama: Leader in Exile Among world leaders, there is no one like His Holiness the Dalai Lama, religious and political leader of Tibet and winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize. Brought up from an unusual childhood, he became head of the state of Tibet at age 16, and was later forced into exile by the Chinese government. Despite all the hardship he had to endure he does not give up his fight for freedom and treats all sentiment beings with love and compassion. Through his fight for freedom, he has proven himself to be the spiritual and political leader whom the people of Tibet love. Thought by many a living Buddha, a God king, The XIV Dalai Lama was born in Taskter in 1937. Dalai Lama means ocean of wisdom, though Tibetans normally refer to His Holiness as Kundun, the presence. In 1950, at the age of 16, His Holiness assumed full political power when China invaded Tibet. At this young age he was faced with many hardships such as the Chinese invading Tibet, shutting down monasteries and openly beating Monks and Nuns on the street. He wrote many letters to other countries such as America and Britain asking for support and recognition of Tibet as an individual country, but was many times responded with diplomatic letters and often direct rejection. He stood up to the authorities who were oppressing his people and at the young age that he was, held his ground and asserted his people against a country that is much stronger than his own. Many feared for his life but His...

Seamus Heaneys Poems Essay -- Seamus Heaney Poetry Poets Essays

Seamus Heaney's Poems Heaney was born on April 13 1939. He was the eldest of nine children. In modern day society it is common to have 2 or 3 children, and to have eight or nine children is considered very unusual. Heaney lived on the family farm, Mossbawn, about thirty miles northwest of Belfast, in County Derry. The majority of UK residents live in urban areas, and a small minority live in rural areas. It used to be more popular in the past to live in a rural area. People in rural areas live, and have lived, in a totally different culture to that of the people in urban, industrialized areas. Heaney is Irish, which is also another culture to that of the English, today. The conflict in Northern Ireland is almost always a backdrop to his work, stated or implicit. Heaney's Poems are based on real life experiences, which can be related to in only so many ways, because of the differences in lifestyle, culture etc. For example in 'Blackberry Picking', he is talking of picking berries as a boy, and then hoarding them until they rot. This may imply that he went berry picking just for the fun of it, but today it is unusual for children to go berry picking, let alone without an adult. The adult would have known to store the berries properly, but in Heaney's day berry picking was a ritual for children only. To my knowledge, the majority of Heaney's poems were written/ published between 1960 and 1990, though many of the poems refer to his childhood in the 1940's. Therefore, even though he is writing from a child's perspective, he has the understanding of an adult. He is also able to recall events in more detail. Many of the poems I have read are about his parents or major events in his childhood, e.g. 'Foll... ...e poems are written specifically about his childhood, and the third one links in. They tell of his loss of innocence, 'The Early Purges' tells us of his loss of sentimentality, loss of idealism as he grows up 'bloody pups', 'Blackberry Picking' tells us of his loss of optimism and idealism ' each year I hoped knew they would not' 'The past is another country and they do things differently there' This is a very true phrase. Heaney's has a very different past from us. Therefore, his poems even though some have been written fairly recently, can only be related to in context. People living an urban life and childhood, would have very different views on life and death, than Heaney does in his poems. The past is certainly another country, they didn't have the technology that we have today. And foreign countries also have different ways of living than we do.

What Factors Explain the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic? :: World History

This essay will discuss Dutch excellence in trade, art and literature individually to discern the factors which explain the high standards of distinction these fields achieved during the Golden Age of the Dutch Republic. Although the smallest of the European powers in terms of territory, population, and natural resources, for 150 years the Dutch Republic dominated European trade with approximately half of the world’s total stock of seagoing ships at the zenith of its power.# How did such an insignificant state rise so rapidly, becoming according to contemporary observer Sir William Temple: â€Å"the envy of some, the fear of others and the wonder of all their neighbours†?# Shifting commercial patterns since the 16th century had seen the rise of a truly global economy. As the quality of ships improved, skippers travelled further distances with cargo, making arrival times and availability of goods unpredictable. A centrally located market where goods could be bought and sold at constant prices was needed.# Geographical factors made the Dutch Republic ideal for this role, situated at the intersection of Northern waterways connecting the Atlantic, Baltic and the Rhine. This position had g rown in significance since the Mediterranean’s function as pivot of international trade had diminished.# Within the country, the Republic’s extensive waterways, river fleets and timber depots were well suited to a boom.# The Republic had already established a leadership in bulk transportation, a firm foundation which could be built upon. Since the 1590’s, the moedernegotie or mother trade moved huge quantities of goods such as lumber, fish and grain in large volume in cheap, simple ships.# However, real wealth lay in the â€Å"rich trades† of spices, silver and other luxury goods imported from the East Indies, Africa and the Americas. This trade was previously dominated by the Hanseatic states and England, but the Dutch Republic’s ease of access to the Iberian market and colonial goods enabled it to overtake the England Muscovy trade by 1600.# In 1602, the Dutch East Indies Company or VOC was founded, followed by the Dutch West Indies Company nine teen years later. Throughout the 1630’s, training posts were established in Sri Lanka and New Guinea. Several important external factors allowed the establishment of this formidable trade empire at the dawn of the seventeenth century. The first of these was the inflow of immigrants from the Southern Netherlands and other European states in the late 16th and seventeenth centuries. Within the Dutch Republic, between 100,000 and 15,0000 refugees fled from the Spanish forces, settling mainly in Holland or Zeeland’s towns.

Manage Own Performance in a Business Environment Essay

1: Understand how to plan and be accountable to others.1.1 There are a number of guidelines and procedures in place to enable me to do my job not only to the best of my ability but in a professional manner. In administration, there are procedures that need to be followed relating to various aspects of the job including correct procedures to, answer the telephone, confirming tickets, dealing with outgoing mail, rooms as well as other procedures. All of the administrators procedures are kept in a file at the office area where any member of admin staff can revise them as and when necessary. In my work place, these general procedures cover a wide range of skills used within any administration such as how to deal with a telephone call and how to used the office printer. They are available on the system for any staff member to review. 1.2 As a employee I am accountable to my employer. They have a right to see that my work is up to standard. Having a plan allows for my manager to see a quick overview of my daily tasks and allows them to check that I understand what needs to be done through out the day. It also helps to agree timescales and goals, and helps with performance managing.Planning skills allows me to be efficient and to successfull in my job.I have to be able to set and achieve targets and help others to do the same.1.3 The purpose for agreeing realistic targets for work is to keep everyone on task and focused, there is no point setting a target that is impossible to complete in the time scale given. Things will always get rushed and missed if the target is unrealistic. Work will not be done to the highest standard. However you should always push yourself at work. There should be a balance between the time it takes, how much work you have to do and making sure your work is to the highest standard. This wa y, everyone can contribute effectively and reach targets efficiently instead of struggling to achieve the impossible. 1.4 I need to make sure that the deadline is fair and be honest about how much work I can handle. When speaking to my manager I will gain respect by being straight about how much I can do. If I set too easy a target for myself I won’t be pushed to improve myself and it will be clear to my manager. If I make it impossible to reach my manager will be unimpressed by my inability to work out how long I need and missing the deadline. Setting targets is part of planning so the more accurately you can stick a plan usually the more likely you are to succeed. 1.5 The first thing I do in the morning is to prioritize my work. That is, place the most important job at the top; the least, at the bottom. When judging priorities, I need to do several things: I need to determine what is required. This is the number of jobs that need to be done. I need to figure out what is required. I need to ask myself â€Å"What must I do that nobody can or should do for me?† I have a list on which I write every target I need to Achieve and then I plan this around my day. If I’m stuck or behind on an important job I can ask my office manager Jack or other employees to help me. I don’t put everything into a ‘pending’ or ‘jobs to do’ file. I Classify my targets into those that are: both urgent and important (class 1) urgent (class 2) important (class 3) neither (class 4).1.6 So other people can help me when I am stuck and it doesn’t waste time. We can work as a team together to get the task finished.They can give me tips and say how I could improve my work.If someone is relying on a piece of work from me to complete their own tasks then it is important to keep them informed of where I am. By doing this I can also gain information on timescales, when this work needs to be completed. If I am unable to complete something by the time requested then other people will have to re-prioritise their own workloads to fit around me and by keeping them informed of my progress I can show where I am with my work.1.7 It respects people’s time and allows people to be better prepared for work, mentally, physically and tools-wise. It is respectful of the other person’s time to give him or her a good idea of what and how you want them to do something and when they need to start. If these plans change, respect demands that you infor m others involved of the changes to these plans. 1.8/1.9Computer crashingWork not getting savedPower cutsPhotocopier runs out of tonerPhotocopier runs out paper. All of these issues can be resolved very simply.Any technical fault that involves my computer I would report this to my manager or director. Things like photocopier running out of paper would be common sense I would fill the paper tray myself with the correct size and type of paper. If there is a jam I would try and resolve this myself without creating danger or ask somebody I would ask my manager who knows how to fix this. 1.10 The importance of learning from mistakes is so that you will not make the same mistakes (or similar mistakes) in the future, and you will thereby make more right decisions and fewer wrong decisions, and therefore will enjoy more success and less failure. Outcome 2: Understand how to behave in a way that supports effective working.2.1 The purpose of agreeing and setting high standards for work assures that each person tries their hardest and achieves there goals. By setting high standards you are showing a good example to the hole work team. Your building trust with your employer, it can give you benefits such as a pay raise or promotion and It gives you a great sense of satisfaction. You must always make sure you have the right amount of work for your time scale. This allows you to make sure your work is to the highest standard and isn’t rushed. I have learnt from working at h2o the its better to take a little bit longer doing something than doing it to quickly and having to go back and correct your mistakes. 2.2/2.3 I can set high standards of work by putting 100% into every task I do. By being the best I possibly can be. If I challenge myself in areas I will improve at my work, impress my employer and set a high example to all of the staff. By not challenging myself I am not learning anything. I should always take on new challenges if given them. This means I will earn new skills and will allow me to become experienced at my job. 2.4 If there are changes, its best to find out the purpose and make a plan, gather as much information as you can. Discuss the changes with your manager as understanding the situation helps you plan an appropriate course of action. Find out if the changes will affect your salary or benefits. There are always changes made in our workplace such a new office equipment, new staff, change in role. It gives me new challenges and experience. 2.5 The purpose of treating others with respect, honesty, and consideration is to treat others how you would like to be treated. To help people when you can. Never judge anyone and understand people as individuals. This gives people self confidence and positive a work environment. In my workplace we always listen and respect one another. 2.6 Behaviour is vital to the workplace because it can affect everyone. A person’s negative outlook can spend to those around that person. The workplace can immediately become a hostile environment due to the action or attitude of a single person. 2.7 Types of behaviour that display honesty, respect, and consideration are listening to others’ ideas and providing thoughtful feedback, being sensitive to the needs of others, seeking a solution that will benefit all, cooperating with everybody, treating others fairly and with dignity. Some negative behaviours are not listening to people, ignoring the opinions of others, having a selfish attitude, disregarding the efforts of others, and spreading false or hurtful information about others like spending rumours.

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was considered by many historians as the Greatest American President. He was the sixteenth United States president, guided his country to the most devastating experience in its national history-the Civil War. Still, it can be said that President Lincoln went through several challenges even from his early age. Truly, we can learn many things from his life’s experiences and especially in his ideology, things that made him really worthy of being called the â€Å"Greatest American President†.In order to appreciate and really learn from the life of Abraham Lincoln, let us look closely to the life of Abraham Lincoln, his difficulties and struggles and especially his achievements. February 12, 1809 on a Sunday morning, Nancy Lincoln, Thomas Lincoln’s wife had given birth to a baby boy named after his grandfather Abraham in a log cabin Hardin bed of poles on the farm of Nolin Creek near Hodgenville, Kentucky. This area is now part of Larue country, the ar ea in which now is being considered the frontier. Bought of his parents are never had an education. His father Thomas worked as a farmer and a carpenter.Nancy Lincoln, his mother could not even write. Definitely, Abraham grew up literally without having or experiencing a formal education until his early age. Amazingly, during the year 1815, Abraham Lincoln at a very young age had already learned his ABC’s through his effort and trough the help of his teacher named Zachariah Riney. He has spent his spare time on a log school house. He attended classes with Sarah his sisters two years older than him. They sometimes attended school taught by their neighbor Caleb Hasel. At the age of seven their family moved to southern Indiana where he continues school after their migration to Kentucky.Abraham attends his school punctually, he always wears with him his raccoon cap, he only had his buckskin clothes and his pant that was wrecked as a marked of its age that by the time became too s hort for him that his calves were already exposed. At home Abraham heard verses and scriptures read from the family bible. The family of Abraham was all members of Baptist congregation and worshippers but due to the opposition to the slavery they had become separated in the congregation to another church. He was once saved from being drowned by his friend and Austin Gollaher.His family decided to stay near Gentryville in the Southern Indiana late in the year 1816. Nancy, his mother had died on the 5th day of October due to a disease contracted by drinking poisonous milk from cows known as milk sicknesses. And because of poverty Abraham may recall by then carving pegs to be able to provide his mother a coffin. He drags the coffin which was made by a green pine. They buried her without having a formal funeral service. At later year his father married a widow Sarah Bush Johston, she stand as a good mother to them and Abraham loves her as his real mother.She also encourages Abraham to e ducation. On the following year-1821, Abraham because of his eagerness to gain knowledge, learn and be thought with by man things began to borrow books from their fellow citizen. With all of those available books he begins reading it all keenly. He read books such as Arabian Nights, Robinson Crusoe as well as books of fables or the Aesop’s Fables. It was 1882 when he first attended James Swaney’s classes and this last about four months. Although his school attended taught by Azel Dorsey ended quickly, he never stops learning and learning, he made his self-education rewardingly.He read everything he could; he never stops reading and learning variety of subjects including mathematics, literature and law. Additionally, during his spare time he studied Law and become a successful Lawyer in the year 1836. On 1825 Abraham has been able to owned his personal book written by Parson Mason Weems â€Å"Life of Washington† which he worked and paid for the worth from Josiah Crawford, his neighbor when the book become soaked with rain. Abraham’s wife Mary Ann Todd was born on December 13, 1818. Abraham on 1831 decided to depart with his family and leave by his own.He began to formulate his own opinions as he saw some abuse happening during his second time around flatboat trip to New Orleans. He then moved to Illinois and start on getting closer with Ann the daughter of the house he boarded. Aside from operating a store he also works into several jobs such as surveying and serving as a post master while staying at Illinois. The people were all get impressed by his good character she actually gained the nick name â€Å"Honest Abe†. Mary Ann and Abraham had four sons but Robert Lincoln was the only one who survived into adulthood.Abraham believes that the government should be a force of good deeds and positive purpose whose desires are to serve the people. That is why he believes that he must have a high position to the government in order fo r him to be a more influential leader so that he can able to achieve his goal. And because of the eagerness he has in his heart his strong aspiration makes him entered politics. And to become the president of the United States becomes his burning desire. It was August 1, year 1831 when Abraham cast his first ballot. In 1832, at the age of 23 he unsuccessfully ran for Illinois Legislature.After two years he became elected for the lower house 1834, 1836, 1838 until 1841 and won all 4 times for the first of four consecutive terms. He ran eight in the field of 13 candidates for the position. Lincoln being the member of a Whig party had become able to give his support to the Illinois State Bank, the second bank of the United States. It was 1856 when he was still a Whig member and soon became a republican. The government has sponsored internal improvements such as roads, canals, railroads, harbors, protective tariffs and other navigational improvements.His first flat forms announced that, time and experience verified that the poorest and the most thinly populated countries would be greatly benefited by supporting this improvement on the Sangamon River because he believed that it will allow those poor areas near the river to flourish by attracting steamboat traffic. Lincoln is not like most politicians in his time, he considered everyone to be equal. He recognized the presence of everyone in the community, he even considered farmers as no more or less than anyone else. He had sympathy to labor; evidence that he did not forget his past and that humility is still in his personality.As early as 1837, Lincoln stated his opposition to slavery stating that it was the opposite of opportunity and as well as mobility. Lincoln ran and the United States House of Representative and has won it in 1846. He became popular for opposing slavery and Washington’s Mexican War. He returned home and practiced hi Law and tried to have more focused on it more than before. Unfortunate ly, the next following years for him were the year of struggles. But because of his determination and eagerness to pursue things he begin he never let all of this down failed and discouraged him in reaching his dreams.Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 renewed his interest in politics. Though he became unsuccessful in his ran for the bid for the U. S. Senate in 1855, in the year 1856 nomination for the Republican vice-president he by then received some support. In the same year he also have his speech of opposing the Dred Scott decision in the year 1857 known as the â€Å"Lost Speech†. He had also given his legendary speech, the â€Å"House Divided† June 16, 1858. Furthermore, Lincoln had also engaged in series of debates also on the year 1858 with Stephen A. Douglas who won the Senatorial race.He was definitely not an abolitionist but just in opposition to the increase of slavery into the country. In 1860, he has received national recognition and promotes his national reputa tion in New York at the Cooper with a successful speech. His perseverance and hard work paid of when he finally became the sixteenth president of the United States. However, during this time the due to the south is dependent on slavery in order to prosper and because of this conflicts arise between the north and south and the south decided to form their own union.Being the newly elected president of a United States, Abraham Lincoln prioritized saving the original union even if this means the start of the civil war. The civil war arises in 1861 and on the 19th of November 1863, Lincoln delivered a speech on a battle field that is near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The said speech is said to have shaped the United States’ destiny and is known as the â€Å"Gettysburg Address†. The speech contains Lincoln’s vision of a nation that is conceived by liberty and equality among its citizens.In his Inaugural Address, he warned the South saying, â€Å"In your hands, my dissat isfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war, the government will not assail you. † (Bush, 2007). Lincoln added, â€Å"You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect and depend it† (Bush, 2007). Even without that much experience, the succeeding years of civil war had proved that Lincoln is one the most extraordinary leaders that the United States had ever seen.Lincoln had shown good leadership ability, morally and also politically. He saw that the war is a fight against secession and not against slavery and on September 1862, he announced the Emancipation Proclamation that interprets the war as a form of crusade against slavery. In 1865, slavery was legally ended through the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment. It is also in the Gettysburg Address that the famous idea of Lincoln of â€Å"government of the people. by the people, for the people† had been made known and he define the civil war as a struggle against such idea of the government.Civil War were lasted for about four long years and this years of struggles were ended in 1865 and cause the death of American people of more than half a million lives. Still, the president’s view and dream of a nation was realized, a nation that is united where people are free from slavery. President Lincoln, together with his wife went to Washington, DC in the Ford Theater to celebrate the end of the civil war. However, the victory of the president in uniting the nation does not pleased everyone and one of them is John Wilkes Booth, an actor of the play in Ford Theater. Booth shot President Lincoln that cause the president’s death.Up to now, the memory of President Lincoln still lives in the heart and memories of his fellow countrymen, guiding every American and the whole world to create a good nation and a better world where everyone is equal regardless of our distinction. Presi dent Abraham Lincoln is truly one of a kind and deserves our respect and the honor given to him, even greater. Not only his views and principles are admirable but also how he achieved his dreams and everything the he went through makes him even more worthy of our respect. References A&E Television Networks. (2007). Abraham Lincoln Biography (1809-65). RetrievedDecember 02, 2007 from http://www. biography. com/search/article. do? id=9382540. Bush, J. W. (No Date). Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://www. whitehouse. gov/history/presidents/al16. html Cyber Nation. (2004). The Compelling Story of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://www. cybernation. com/lincoln_bio. html Norton, R. ,J. (2007). An Overview of Abraham Lincoln's Life. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://home. att. net/~rjnorton/Lincoln77. html Norton, R. , J. (2007). A Brief Biography of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved December 02, 2007 from http://members. aol. com/RVSNorton/Linco ln23. html