The Blogosphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Blogosphere - Essay Example To summarize, I will then describe my own views of the blogosphere and its importance to society in the areas of media and communication. While conducting research to find a solid definition of blogosphere, though not typically known for its reliability, Wikipedia actually offered the most compounded definition of what a blogosphere is, calling it an interconnected community made up of all blogs (Wikipedia.org). In simple terms, the blogosphere is basically an internal web all its own of blog sites found on the world wide web that connects various blog cites through a network community. When looking online for some of the most high quality blogs online, I found information in regards to tips of how to build high quality blogs. Website, Blogotion, is a collection of blogs that only allow â€Å"high quality† blogs on its website. When evaluating its most popular blogs, it had its own list of the top 20. When looking at them, they were all highly ranked by people who had read the blog and followed it. The very top blog had the topic of Peruvian Cuisine while others were about real life events such as a woman who was a Sports Authority from Australia while another was from the perspective of a homeless man. However, others were more generic such as Baby Topics, one by a popular business marketer and another that is all honest perspective articles about current events and culture. (Blogotion.com). The topics of popular blogs on this website varied but what one could determine was that they were all primarily interesting subjects, some that were up and coming or s ome that people could relate to. Many blogs are based on societal trends or current events so it seems. When conducting research to find the top blogs, I came across a website, eBizMBA.com, that consistently updates their top 15 most popular blogs on a regular basis to determine each sites popularity. According to the statistics ran by eBizMBA.com, the top blog as base on the

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Assignment - Essay Example Whenever a company starts the main operation in a particular region the initially grow steadily and then exponentially. However after a certain phase the company enters a stagnant phase, during this phase many companies realize the importance of approaching other geographical markets for growth. When the global recession had hit the US and Europe market many companies predominantly operating in those geographical area realized the importance of taking their products to growing market. The BRIC countries namely Brazil, Russia, India and China, have been recognized by many companies as markets which have lot of potential. Many of these countries have a substantial population of growing middle and upper middle class people. The increase in disposal income per family has made these countries, a lucrative target for many. In business globalisation denotes more market share, growth and profit making. The farther is the reach of a business the more customers and revenue it is bound to achie ve (Tandon, p.29). Technology has been an important element in facilitating the globalisation. Technological advances in Information Technology have helped companies to operate their global operations more efficiently. A company that has to set up an operation in a foreign geographical region has to initially relocate their strategic team to establish themselves in the foreign market. ... IT also enables these companies to operate globally by enabling them to handle their clients from distant location. IT companies themselves are biggest advocate of globalisation. Most IT companies work for businesses in various geographical areas growing their network globally. Technological development and advances have indeed made the world a smaller place. These technological advances make it possible for operations situated miles apart interact with each other have formal meetings within few minutes without physically relocating. Technological advancement in transportation also has made global operations easier for companies. Travelling from a location to another also has become easier for the managers. One manger is able to handle several geographical areas due to these technological advancements. Technology also helps in keeping the operations located in various locations have a common identity. One of the main aspects of globalisation has been to utlise the resources carefully and efficiently. Each geographical market has a unique resource quotient that gives a comparative advantage to that market. The companies try using these resources in such a way that maximum profit can be harnessed, this makes globalisation a rewarding option for companies also. Globalisation also enables consumers with the power to choose. The consumers are given wider option due to globalisation are in a position to demand better and efficient service (Ramos, p.1-30). One of the most complicated issues for companies opting for globalisation is planning resource management. Resource management is the back bone for any company. The operations will operate according to the plan only if the human resource planning is done in an intelligent way. Right person for the right

Marx and Weber’s Analyses of the Development of Capitalism Essay Example for Free

Marx and Weber’s Analyses of the Development of Capitalism Essay Capitalism is defined as ‘An economic and political system in which a countrys trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit.’ It is based on the division between two classes, one of which owns the labour of the other. Not only do the upper classes, or the bourgeoisie, own the means of physical production but also the means of ‘mental production’. They control and manipulate society through the rule of education, religion and the media. Althusser distinguishes between repressive state apparatuses and ideological state apparatuses and argues about how the bourgeoisie manages to maintain its rule. He argues that the repressive includes the police and the army in which use physical force to control the working class as opposed to the ideological apparatuses such as the media and religion which control the development of ideas. A key component of capitalism is that the working class are forced to sell their labour in exchange for wages in order to survive. However, they do not receive an equal exchange for the labour they produce, but only the cost of subsistence. The difference of what the bourgeoisie receive from the labourers and the amount they pay back is called the surplus value, meaning the profit they make. Max Weber was one of the founding fathers of sociology and contributed highly to our knowledge of how society works. Weber’s work can be highlighted by referring to his study The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, first published in 1905 (22 years after the death of Karl Marx in 1883). Weber argues that the Protestant Reformation introduced a new belief system of Calvinism (a form of Protestantism founded by John Calvin during the reformation) which promoted a high work ethic and which eventually led to the rise in capitalism. Calvinists believed that God preordains the ‘elect’ meaning of who would be saved after death and go onto heaven and who would not. This could not be changed through hard work or leading a good life as the decision had already been decided. This made Calvinists strive for success, with which they would reinvest into making more money, hence the development of capitalism. Weber distinguishes the differences between the capitalism of greed and wealth in past societies to those of present. Modern day people are pursing profit for its own sake rather than for consumption, hence why the Calvinists reinvested their wealth. Weber calls this the spirit of capitalism. He further argues that this was the reason capitalism was stronger in places like Europe and America and not in other places where Protestantism wasnt so established. Weber also distinguishes between many different existing forms of capitalism including ‘traditional capitalism’ and ‘booty capitalism’; however the crucial ideal type is the one named modern capitalism, or rational capitalism meaning the repetitive, ongoing economic activity on the basis of rational calculation. Understanding what needs to happen and what the best way of achieving it is, allows for reinvestment and the growth of economic enterprises. He argues that it is the rational side of modern capitalism that distinguishes it from other advanced economic areas such as China and India, both of which had higher and more advanced infrastructures in the 17th century compared to Europe and America. However, Weber is hugely criticised for his understanding of the rise in capitalism due to others believing that it was the peoples relationship with the material forces and there means of subsidence which drove the change. Weber takes a key focus on religion and the impact that had on the rest of society as well as capitalism, whereas Marx focuses on class conflict. Marx argues that through industrialisation capitalism had been forced to increase due to growing separation of the two contrasting classes. One class is the exploiting bourgeoisie who own the means of production and the other class being the proletariat who own nothing but their own labour. Marx predicted that the working class would eventually become conscious of their alienation and exploitation and unite to overthrow capitalism. This would slowly bring in a system of socialism which would gradually evolve into a pure classless communist society lacking in exploitation. He argued that capitalism would disintegrate due to interior tensions, just like every other social system. He believed that communism was inevitably the next stage in the line of historical changes to class systems. Just as feudalism was replaced by capitalism, so capital ism would be replaced by communism. Marx argues that religion performs a different function than that of what Weber argues. Instead it operates as an ‘ideological weapon’ used by the bourgeoisie to justify the suffering of the poor as something unchangeable and ‘god-given’. Religion persuades the working class that their suffering is honourable and moral and will be favoured in the afterlife. This is evident in the Christianity teaching of it is ‘easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven’. This manipulates and oppresses the proletariat as it renders them blind to capitalistic trends; ensuing and maintaining false class consciousness. However, Marx can be criticised for ignoring the positive functions that religions perform, made apparent by the psychological adjustment to misfortune that it offers. Abercrombie and Turner (1978) argue that ‘in pre capitalist society, while Christianity was a major element of ruling-class ideology, it had only limited impact on the peasantry’ (A2 Sociology AQA Specification, 2009, pg 13) However, although Marx does argue that religion helps to control the manipulation of ideas of the working class he also believes that it is ‘the heart of the heartless world and the soul of soulless conditions’, as it can act as an distraction to dull the pain of exploitation. When comparing and contrasting two very highly influential historians such as Karl Marx and Max Weber, some would argue that it is highly important to look at their overall impact on society as well as humanity. Karl Marx focused highly on philosophy and his work is still influential in many cultures worldwide today. This contrasts to Max Weber who is considered ‘one of the fathers of modern thought’ and could be considered one of the world’s most intellectual and influential persons. Although both historians share clear similarities, for example both coming from a European Protestant background they also contrast and have distinct differences. Weber criticises Marx’s theory as he believes that his view is too one dimensional and simplistic when looking at inequality. Weber argues that this is due to Marx seeing class as the only important division. Weber argues that status and power also have high impact on the volume of inequality. He points towards the ‘power elite’ for evidence and argues that they can rule without actually owning the means of production. Currently there are many independent companies that can control and rule particular labourers without being a part of the bourgeoisie, it is not as simple as Marx likes to preach. A great amount of people are in other situations than the time when Marx was writing, for example ‘dealers in information, managers and civil servants’, meaning that the relative importance of the struggle between owners and workers has relatively declined. Although Marx and Weber have severe differences in their evaluation of modern capitalism their augments also share many similarities. They both believe that the economic system is a place where â€Å"individuals are directed by abstractions† (Marx). We must also take into account the times of which both sociologists were writing. Weber is writing nearly half a century later and focuses highly on the impact of power, wealth and prestige. He argues that these were the three main factors contributing to capitalism and the distinction of classes. This contrasts to Marx who focuses singularly on the impact of class and how the contrast of bourgeoisie and proletariat impacted on the rise of capitalism. However, both of their summaries of overthrowing capitalism share many similarities. Both sociologists argue that in order for capitalism to be overthrown the working class must unite together to overthrow the ruling class and free themselves from capitalist oppression. Bibliography Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1932). The German Ideology . Moscow: David Riazanov. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels (1848). Manifesto of the communist party. London. Max Weber (1978). Economy and Society. California: University of California Press. Thomas Hobbes (1988). The Leviathan. London : Penguin . Phil Bartle. (2007). Marx vs Weber. Available: http://cec.vcn.bc.ca/cmp/modules/cla-mweb.htm. Last accessed 10th October 2012. Louis Althusser. (1970). Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses. Available: http://www.marxists.org/reference/archive/althusser/1970/ideology.htm 970. Last accessed 10th October 2012 Michael Lowy. (2006). Marx, Weber and the Critique of Capitalism . Available: http://internationalviewpoint.org/spip.php?article1106 . Last accessed 10th October 2012. No Author. (1999). Max Weber. Available: http://uregina.ca/~gingrich/s30f99.htm. Last accessed 10th October 2012. D. Sayer, Capitalism and Modernity: An Excurses on Marx and Weber, pg. 4, London: Routledge, 1991. Cuff, E. C., W. W. Sharrock and D. W. Francis, Perspectives in Sociology, third edition, London, Routledge, 1992.

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend

U.S. Transportation Energy Analysis of Modal Use and Trend Joe Willie   U.S. vehicles travel over three trillion miles per year. The vast majority (99.64%) of these miles are traveled on U.S. roads, with the greatest portion of these miles attributed to passenger and light-duty vehicles (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). Transportation accounts for 28% of the energy used in the U.S. (US Energy Information Administration, 2016) and 26% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions equaling 1.786 billion tons of CO2 equivalent.(EPA 2016). U.S. vehicle travel increased from 724 billion miles in 1960 to the current level by 2006, at which point the total vehicle miles stabilized (US Dept of Transportation, 2014). 90% of the fuel used for transportation in the U.S. is petroleum based (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Transportation has become the leading and most-rapidly increasing contributor to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions both globally and the U.S (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Between 1991 and 2006, nearly half of the growth in U.S. carbon emissions was attributable to transportation. CO2 emission growth due to transportation has been driven by several factors, including increasing demand for passenger and freight transport, urban development and sprawl, lack of rail and bus transit and cycle infrastructure in many regions, fuel-inefficient vehicles, relatively low oil prices, and the limited availability of low-carbon fuels (Brown, Southworth, Sarzynski 2008). Given the scope and growth of transportation and associated emissions, it is becoming increasingly important to understand and quantify impacts and trends in various transportation modes. Light trucks (pickups, minivans, and SUVs) and passenger cars account for 34% and 24% of U.S. transportation fuel usage, respectively (US Energy Information Administration, 2016). Light trucks and passenger cars combined contribute 59% of U.S. transportation carbon emissions (U.S. Department of Energy, 2014). Fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. were initially established by Congress 1975. Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards set the average, sales-weighted, fleet fuel economy for new vehicles starting with the 1978 model year, with the intention of doubling average fuel economy to 27.5 mpg by 1985. The Department of Transportation also established CAFE standards for light trucks ( pickups, minivans, and SUVs) beginning with the 1978 model year. In 2007, CAFE standards for light trucks were increased to 22.2 mpg, with further increases scheduled. No increases were made beyond 1985 levels for passenger cars until until 2007, when the Energy Independence and Security Act ra ised the fuel economy standards of Americas cars, light trucks, and SUVs to a combined average of at least 35 miles per gallon by 2020 (Union of Concerned Scientists, 2017). However, it seems likely that this standard will be scaled back by the current administration before it is implemented. Minimum fuel efficiency standards for cars and light cars are set at different levels. A passenger car is any 4-wheel vehicle not designed for off-road use that is manufactured primarily for use in transporting 10 people or less. A light truck is any 4-wheel vehicle which is designed for off-road operation (has 4-wheel drive or is more than 6,000 lbs. gvwr and has typically truck-like physical features); or which is designed to transport more than 10 people, provide temporary housing, provide open bed transport, permit greater cargo-carrying capacity than passenger-carrying volume, or with the use of tools can be converted to an open bed vehicle by removal of rear seats to form a flat continuous floor (NHTSA, 2006). The ambiguity of this definition enables manufacturers to define vehicles as trucks or cars at their discretion. Many sport utility vehicles (SUVs) produced today which seem to meet the passenger car definition above are classified as light trucks, allowing their manufact urers far greater leeway to meet CAFE standards . It is useful to analyze vehicle carbon intensity for cars and light trucks. This is defined as the amount of carbon dioxide emission per vehicle distance traveled. Carbon intensity is inversely proportional to fuel economy. From 1973 to 2008 carbon intensity decreased 33% per vehicle mile and 15% per passenger mile. After 1973, new cars became much lighter, less powerful, and gradually more efficient. By 2007 a new cars and light trucks used half as much energy per unit weight as ones sold in the 1970s. However, new car weight had increased to 80% of the 1975 values for cars, and light truck weight increased above 1975 values. As a result the decline in fuel usage per mile of new cars and light trucks sold in the 1990s was closer to 33% less than those sold in 1973 (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Low-density suburban development, or urban sprawl, has dominated development in the U.S. since World War II. This also includes scattered and commercial strip development, as well as large expanses of single-use development . Suburban households drive 31 percent more than urban households, while western households drive 35 percent than northeastern households (Kahn, 2000). Whats more, households in low density areas tend to own more cars, are more likely to own less fuel efficient vehicles such as SUVs and trucks, have lower vehicle occupancies, and use public transportation less than households in high density areas (Brownstone, 2008). Domestic air carrier service accounts for 6% of the total U.S. transportation energy use and 11% of the U.S. transportation carbon emissions. U.S. planes traveled 6 billion vehicle miles (608 billion passenger miles) for such travel in 2014. Domestic airline mileage increased from 858 million vehicle miles (31 billion passenger miles) in 1960 to 6.7 billion vehicle miles (588 billion passenger miles) in 2006 before decreasing to current levels. (U.S. Department of Transportation, 2016). It is interesting to note that although total vehicle miles have decreased by over 10% since 2006, total passenger miles have increased 3.4% during the same period. This is likely due to efforts by airlines to increase cost efficiency by increasing plane occupancy. While automobile fuel use was affected by efficiency standards, there were no similar policies for air travel. Instead, technological progress and efforts to support profitability have led to reduced carbon intensity in air transportation. Many unprofitable non-stop flights between smaller cities have been eliminated in favor of hub-and-spoke patterns developed by the major airlines, which increased plane loads. In addition, air travel intensity declined as plane occupancy increased to about 80% capacity in 2006 from around 50% in the early 1970s. This created more crowding on aircraft, but led to considerable reduction in fuel consumption. As a result, the carbon intensity of air travel declined by 60% between 1973 and 2006, greatest for any major mode of transportation (Schipper, Saenger, and Sudardshan, 2011). Rail and bus shares of U.S. transportation decreased from just over 7% in 1960 to around 4% in 2008, in terms of passenger miles. This is disconcerting given that the carbon intensities of bus and rail travel are (potentially) significantly lower than both passenger cars and air travel. Rail intensity can vary considerably. Heavily used intercity passenger (Amtrak) or commuter rail lines (Metro North, LIRR) typically have very low energy intensities, well below that of auto or air travel. Unfortunately, only a few large urban transit systems provide energy intensities that are competitive with automobile travel. As a result, North American public transportation service is overall not very energy efficient (energy consumption per passenger-mile). Under current conditions, U.S. transit vehicles consume about the same energy per passenger-mile as cars, although less than vans, light trucks and SUVs (Litman, 2015) . Bus travel, including intercity buses, school buses, and urban buses, has a mixed record. In fact, because buses carried so few passengers, city buses released more CO2 per passenger-mile on average than cars/light trucks during periods in the 1990s. But by 2000, newer, more efficient buses used progressively less fuel/mile, to the point where the intensit of a bus with an average of 9 passengers fell below that of automobiles again. (Steiner Mauzerall, 2006). Efficiency of public transit vehicles is highly dependent on passenger occupancy. A bus with seven passengers is about twice as energy efficient as an average automobile, while a bus with 50 passengers is about ten times as energy efficient. Rail transit tends to be about three times as energy efficient as diesel bus transit. New hybrid buses are about twice as energy efficient as current diesel buses. Chester and Horvath (2008) and Chester, et al. (2013) calculate life cycle energy consumption and pollution emissions for vari ous modes of transportation, including fuel used in their operation, and energy used in vehicle and facility construction and maintenance. While, public transit typically uses less than half the energy of a passenger car and a quarter of the energy of a light truck or SUV, these efficiencies vary significantly with on travel conditions. During peak periods, when occupancy is high, buses are the most energy efficient mode, but during off-peak, when occupancy ise low, buses are least efficient. (Litman, 2015) Although public transit is on average only modestly more energy efficient than automobile travel, and less efficient than some commercially available cars, this reflects the relatively low occupancies of transit vehicles. Transit services with high passenger occupancy rates are relatively energy efficient. Public transit improvements can provide significant energy savings and emission reductions by increasing operation efficiency, reducing traffic congestion, and substituting for automobile travel. Residents of transit-oriented communities tend to drive significantly less than they would in conventional, automobile-oriented locations. Transit improvements support other energy conservation strategies, such as efficient road and parking pricing policies. Without high quality transit such strategies are less effective and less politically acceptable. Current demographic and economic trends are increasing demand for high quality public transit and transit-oriented development (Litman, 20 15). American railroad passenger traffic grew steadily from the late 1800s until the 1920s, when long distance travel shifted to private automobiles and rail travel began a long decline. This decline was interrupted briefly due to gasoline rationing and the suspension of auto production during World War II when railroads were put back into service to transport the great volume of soldiers and war workers. Intercity bus service, which had been very limited before 1940, expanded during this period, as well. After the war, however most rail companies discontinued passenger service entirely. Passenger stations were demolished or abandoned, and railroad cars were taken out of service. In an effort to preserve rail service, Congress created Amtrak in 1970 and provided federal funds to support the new rail system. Commuter lines provided the remaining service. This was followed within a few years with the federal governments deregulation of U.S. airlines. The great increase in air travel that be gan after mid century is projected to continue indefinitely, offering speedy and safe transportation that strain air transit facilities. Bus travel provided a low-cost alternative airplane or train travel and has retained a small but relatively stable niche (Caplow, Hicks and Wattenberg, 2000). The MTA, which is the New York Metropolitan areas transit system, is a noteworthy case study of a large-scale US public transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is North Americas largest transportation network, providing service for 15.3 million people in 5,000 square miles including New York City, Long Island, southeastern New York State, and Connecticut. MTA subways, buses, and railroads provide 2.73 billion trips each year to New Yorkers, including about one in every three users of mass transit and two-thirds of the rail riders in the U.S. While 15 percent of the nations workers use public transit to get to their jobs, four of every five of New York Citys central business district rush-hour commuters use transit service, most of it operated by the MTA (MTA, 2017). The MTA accounts for 65 percent of all New York City commutes while using just 5 percent of New York Citys total energy consumption (MTA, 2008). The MTA also boasts the largest bus fleet in the U.S. and more subway and rail cars than all the rest of the countrys subways and commuter railroads combined. According to the MTA, ridership on its mass results in a 15 million metric ton net reduction of pollutants, making New York the most carbon-efficient state in the nation (MTA, 2017). New Yorkers consume one quarter as much energy per capita as the average American, largely attributable to the MTA system (MTA, 2008). While the energy and carbon emission efficiencies of the MTA system is impressive, the economy of such an operation poses significant ongoing challenges. Fares and tolls provide 53% of the MTAs $14.6 billion dollar annual operating revenue, but the system relies on taxes and subsidies for the remaining operating funds (MTA, 2015). In addition the agency relies heavily on debt to fund capital projects, with debt payments consuming a growing share of the MTAs annual operating budget, increasing the likelihood of fare increases and, creating an estimated debt service cost of $3.5 billion a year by 2030 (Tri-State Transportation Campaign, 2017). It seems that the inspiring environmental and fuel efficiency gains attributed to a large-scale public transportation system comes with a burdensome cost. Freight accounts for about 26% of all petroleum-based fuels consumed in the U.S. transportation sector. Freight transportation demand is typically measured in tons, ton-miles, and value (dollars) of goods moved by the freight sector. The Federal Highway Administration estimates that 18.5 billion tons of goods worth $16.7 trillion were moved in the United States in 2007, for a total of 5.4 trillion ton-miles of travel (U.S. DOT). Trucks moved about 72% of all freight tonnage, accounting for 42% of all ton-miles and 70% of freight commodity value. Rail accounted for only 11% of tons moved, but 28% of ton-miles and 3.5% of total value, reflecting rails cost effectiveness in hauling heavier, but generally lower-value, commodities, such as coal and grain, over long distances. Excluding international maritime shipments, waterborne transportation accounted for a smaller percentage of tons and ton-miles. Air freight transportation constituted an even smaller share, except when measured by va lue (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Between 1960 and 2008, the share of trucks to almost 42% of ton-miles, while rail fell from 36% of freight in 1960 to 33% in 2008. The share of waterborne freight decreased significantly while air freight grew ten-fold over the entire 48 year period, despite accounting for less than 1% of total freight travel in 2008. Disconcertingly, the modes of travel and freight that consume the most energy per unit grew faster than those that use the least energy. Freight demand is estimated to grow to 27.5 billion tons in 2040 and to nearly 30.2 billion tons in 2050, requiring ever-increasing amounts of energy. In the coming decades, all modes of domestic freight transportation are expected to increase significantly, but truckings share, when measured in both tons and ton-miles, is projected to continue to grow at the expense of rail and waterborne freight (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). The cost and volatility of fuel prices in the past decades as well as increasing interest by shippers in decreasing fuel costs and carbon emissions from goods movement have led the motor carrier industry to search for better fuel efficiency. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys (EPAs) SmartWay Transport Partnership program works with the shipping and trucking community to reduce fuel use and emissions by promoting cleaner and more efficient engines and transmissions, more aerodynamically clean truck shapes (including nose cones, skirts and gap fairings), idle reduction technologies, low rolling resistant and single-wide tires, lower weight components and aluminum wheels, driver training, and more efficient routing and dispatching (EPA 2011). Railroads spend relatively less than trucks on fuel, due to the economies of scale and fuel savings by hauling very large volumes of freight over long distances. In 2008, railroads consumed approximately 320 Btu per ton-mile, compared to trucking, which used approximately 1,390 Btu per ton-mile. The difference in fuel use is reflected in the generally higher price of trucking services and the generally lower price of rail services, but the services provided by truck and rail also differ substantially in load capacity, routes and destinations served, frequency of service, transit time and reliability of travel time (Grenzeback, Brown, Fischer, Hutson, Lamm, Pei, Vimmerstedt, Vyas, Winebrake, J.J., 2013). Understanding trends in fuel consumption by mode of travel merits an analysis of public investment in transportation and transportation infrastructure. In the U.S., transportation infrastructure is funded primarily by user-related taxes and fees which support construction and maintenance. Congress created the Highway Trust Fund (HTF) in 1956 to provide money for construction and maintenance of the Interstate Highway System. In 1982, the Mass Transit Account (MTA) was created to invest in public transportation systems. Taxes paid by highway users are credited to the HTF and are used solely to pay for highway and mass transit improvements. Currently, a federal excise taxes on gasoline, gasohol, diesel fuel, compressed natural gas, and taxes on heavy trucks and truck tires provide revenue for this fund. Revenue from motor fuel taxes are divided between the Highway Account (HA) and the Mass Transit Account, while all revenues from heavy truck taxes are dedicated to the Highway Account. I n recent years, revenues have totaled $38 billion to $42 billion per year, with about $5 billion for the Mass Transit Account and the rest for the Highway Account. In 2015, Congress passed the $305 billion Fixing Americas Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five year plan to increase highway investment from $40 billion per year to $46.4 billion per year and increased public transportation funding from $10.7 billion per year to $12.6 billion per year (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2016). There is also a federal Airport and Airways Trust Fund, financed by fees on air travelers and taxes on aviation fuels.which finances airport improvements and the air traffic control system. State governments finance highway construction and maintenance through a variety of primarily user-related taxes and fees including taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, vehicle registration fees, driver license fees, sales taxes on motor vehicles and heavy trucks, and traffic violation fines (The American Road Transportation Builders Association, 2017). Given the considerable and increasing concern regarding greenhouse gas emissions and global warming, understanding and adapting energy use seems increasingly urgent. The transportation sectors share of energy usage and carbon emissions makes it ripe for such analysis. While improvements in fuel efficiencies in all modes of transport, conservation efforts, and expansion of non-carbon based fuels provide hope for long term sustainability of transportation in the U.S., fundamental underlying factors make significant and meaningful improvement difficult to achieve. A U.S. landscape and infrastructure which was initially designed with an emphasis on rail-based public transportation has shifted over the last century to an auto-based transportation system. The Northeast United States is littered with bike paths that used to carry an extensive rail network that has been largely abandoned. Remaining public transit systems such those run by the Metropolitan Transit Authority have provided exte nsive, well utilized bus and subway service, and salvaged right of way remnants to recover rail for commuter service that is also heavily utilized. Unfortunately, high operating and capital costs combined with a dependence upon public funds make them difficult to sustain, particularly during periods of economic difficulty. Whats more, the cost of maintaining the nations extensive highway, road, and bridge infrastructure is becoming increasingly burdensome, crowding out funding for public transit systems. Similarly, shifts in freight transport modes to more carbon-intensive forms such as heavy trucking, and the rapid expansion of air travel over the last 60 years have led to an increase in fuel usage and carbon emissions in trends that are difficult to reverse. And while the introduction of CAFE requirements for autos and trucks have improved efficiency, increases in vehicle and passenger miles and vehicle weights have limited these benefits. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 promises a future fleet of significantly more efficient cars and trucks by 2020, but this gain could be abandoned by the current Congress and President. Despite great advances in technology and awareness, sustainable transportation in the U.S. will require greater initiative on the part of the public and government. Until that occurs, transportation sustainability will remain elusive. References American Road Transportation Builders Association Fixing Americas Surface Transportation Act A Comprehensive Analysis 2016 http://www.artba.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/FASTAct_Publication.pdf Ben Steiner Professor Denise L. Mauzerall. Achieving Vehicle Fuel Efficiency: The CAFE Standards and Beyond May 10, 2006 Brownstone, David, and Thomas F. Golob. The Impact of Residential Density on Vehicle Usage and Energy Consumption Journal of Urban Economics, 2008 EPA. 2011. EPA and NHTSA Adopt First-Ever Program to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Improve Fuel Efficiency of Medium-and Heavy-Duty Vehicles. EPA-420-F-11-031. Washington, DC: Grenzeback, L.R.; Brown, A.; Fischer, M.J.; Hutson, N.; Lamm, C.R.; Pei, Y.L.; Vimmerstedt, L.; Vyas, A.D.; Winebrake, J.J. (March 2013). Freight Transportation Demand: Energy-Efficient Scenarios for a Low-Carbon Future. Transportation Energy Futures Series. Prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc., and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (Golden, CO) for the U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC. DOE/GO-102013-3711. 82 pp. Jay Young Infrastructure: Mass Transit in 19th- and 20th-Century Urban America Subject: 20th Century: Pre-1945, 20th Century: Post-1945, Urban History, History of Science and Technology Online Publication Date: Mar 2015 DOI: 10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.013.28 PRINTED FROM the OXFORD RESEARCH ENCYCLOPEDIA, AMERICAN HISTORY (americanhistory.oxfordre.com). Oxford University Press USA, 2016. Kahn, M. E., 2000. The Environmental Impact of Suburbanization. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 19, 569-586. Lee Schipper, Calanit Saenger, and Anant Sudardshan. Transport and Carbon Emissions in the United States: The Long View. Energies 2011, 4, 563-581; doi:10.3390/en4040563 Marilyn A. Brown, Frank Southworth, Andrea Sarzynski Shrinking The Carbon Footprint Of Metropolitan America. Metropolitan Policy Program at Brookings, May 2008 Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Greening Mass Transit Metro Regions: The Final Report of the Blue Ribbon Commission on Sustainability and the MTA, 2008 http://web.mta.info/sustainability/pdf/SustRptFinal.pdf Metropolitan Transportation Authority Adopted Budget February Financial Plan 2015 2018, 2015 http://web.mta.info/mta/budget/pdf/ Metropolitan Transportation Authority 2017 http://web.mta.info/mta/network.htm Mikhail Chester and Arpad Horvath (2008), Environmental Life-cycle Assessment of Passenger Transportation: A Detailed Methodology for Energy, Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Inventories of Automobiles, Buses, Light Rail, Heavy Rail and Air v.2, UC Berkeley Center for Future Urban Transport, Mikhail Chester, Stephanie Pincetl, Zoe Elizabeth, William Eisenstein and Juan Matute (2013), Infrastructure And Automobile Shifts: Positioning Transit To Reduce Life-Cycle Environmental Impacts For Urban Sustainability Goals, Environmental Research Letters, Vol. 8, pp. (2013) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 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US Energy Information Administration. Monthly Energy Review, April 2016

Love and Death in Cocteaus Film Orpheus Essay -- Movie Film Essays

Love and Death in Cocteau's Film Orpheus In Jean Cocteau's Orpheus, death is personified through the character of the Princess. The Princess is an extremely powerful figure, although she ultimately succumbs to the power of love. Cocteau uses her actions, clothing, and dialogue to show her as a contradictory mix of being both very powerful, yet still very vulnerable to the power of love. The main tool used by Cocteau to demonstrate this are her actions. Although she claims that she is not allowed to love, she is in fact in love with Orpheus. Through her actions she attempts to bring Orpheus closer to her and hopefully have him fall in love with her too. At the beginning of the movie, they are gathered at the Cafe de Poets. Cegeste is killed, and the Princess demands that Orpheus help get him into the car and to her place. While in the car, he insists on knowing what is going on and where they are going. The Princess is very controlling and forces him to be quiet and listen to the messages being broadcast over the radio. She knows that this is something that Orpheus will be very interested in and can help lure him to her. They arrive at her castle and she is very mysterious. She does not let Orpheus know what is going on, she only lets him see just enough to get him more curious and interested in her. The next morning Orpheus awakes on the side of the road and returns home with the Princess's chauffeur Heurtebise. Here he spends most of his time in the garage listening to more mysterious messages on the car radio. In fact, he is so obsessed with the messages that he completely ignores his wife, and is now more preoccupied with findin g out about the Princess. Orpheus is then summoned by the detective, who wants to interrogat... ...e that give death's orders. Here she is very vulnerable. She cannot lie and must admit that she killed Eurydice and is in love with Orpheus, two punishable offenses. She is a very harsh figure, but love changes her to a more tender tone. She talks with Orpheus telling him that she loves him, and she will do anything to get them back together. Throughout the movie, the Princess's clothes change color. Usually she is wearing black, a sign of death, but sometimes her clothes change to white, a sign of love. This shows how she is vulnerable to love, since death should always be in black. In this film, Cocteau is making the claim that love is more powerful than death. The princess, who represents death, is vulnerable to the power of love. She even ends up breaking the rules of the underworld and getting herself in trouble because she succumbs to the power of love.

trip :: essays research papers

hjk As I stepped onto the platform and walked down the terminal, my imagination began to stir. Images of wild beasts roaming the land, and savage men armed with spears filled my mind. I had landed in Africa, land of the untamed; or so I thought. For weeks people had been filling my mind with vivid descriptions of a country they had never seen, and I swallowed it all up. Walking toward the exit, I imagined seeing a luscious forest ahead of me, filled with exotic animals, and wild beasts. To my surprise, I walked out to a commercial road. Towering buildings, heavy traffic, and choking smog were all I could see. I thought to myself, â€Å" Is this Africa?† If so â€Å"where are the elephants, the lions, and savage tribe man?† What I encountered was a civilized city. As the days progressed, and I traveled throughout the city, I came to the conclusions that someone had lied to me. This place was definitely not Boston; however, it was not the place I had imagined. Why was this place so different from the descriptions given to me by several people? Did they intentionally lie to me, or did they just want to stir up my imagination? It took me a while, but I was able to figure it out. These people didn’t mean to misinform me about Africa. They were just relating to me the same stereotypical information they too had heard from someone else. As with many other places, Africa was put into a category. It was categorized as an uncivilized, hostile region. Visiting Africa, I formed the true picture. I saw it for what it is, an extravagant country. The busy city, filled with modern day equipment was just the beginning. Seeing past this enabled me to see the true beauty of Africa. A three day visit to Sun City, a resort in Africa was enough to erase all past thoughts on Africa. The resort showed both the past and present history of Africa. The center held the modernized casino, surrounded by theaters, shops, and game centers. However it was the sites on the outskirts that opened my eyes. The one thing in particular was the 5 story high temple.

Jungian Analytical Psychology and the Process on Individuation

The process on individuation is central to Jungian analytical psychology, as Jung believed that individuation is the driving force behind humans’ â€Å"yearning for completeness within the human experience, and the search for wholeness† (Russell, & Ryback, 1996, p. 2) in their life-long conquest to achieve a distinctive but coherent and balanced personality.Besides the genetics and the psychosocial environment, Jung believed that a third force influences the dynamic formation of human individuality and that is the ‘collective memory’ of previous civilizations, memory stored and available to humans, in the ‘collective unconscious’ (Munteanu, 2012; Douglas, 2011). While hard to prove scientifically, quantum physics does not refute this concept (Science Channel, 2011; Munro, 2011).As a therapist, I believe that I should be the open-minded guide and facilitator of client’s individualized explorations and life experiences, supporting clientâ €™s pursuit of holistic self-realization; guiding client’s exploration of his/her archetypes, the attitudinal type and the preferential decision making mode, would facilitate client’s understanding of own psychic energy flow, and would empower the client to address and develop his/her unconscious/conscious balance, advancing the individuation process (Munteanu, 2012; AtheneWins, 2011; Russell, & Ryback, 1996).The counselling methods I would use to sustain this process, while client centred, would also need to be very creative and interactive on my part, as the counsellor; I would be making use of a variety of strategies within an environment of customised but constantly challenging and supportive at the same time.I would need to maintain myself on an perpetual self-development and self-reflection ‘carousel’, in order to ensure that I continuously upgrade my skills to the levels required to provide that balance of challenge and support, to all of my cli ents; within my practice, I would use a variety of methods, such as instructional interventions, questioning, clarifying, hypothesising, silences if/as required (to allow the process of assimilation and internalisation), dream interpretation or sequential drawings, journaling, art and sand therapies (especially for clients who have difficulties verbalising feelings), mandalas, mask making, etc.I could see how my teaching experience will serve me well in Jungian counselling, since I already use many of these methods, to provide personalised learning, to my students. I have always thought of myself as ‘work in progress’, and therefore I learn something new every day from my students; hence, learning from and alongside my clients I see it as a continuation of my own holistic individuation (Dehing, 1992; Russell, & Ryback, 1996).