Japan's Miracle Economy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

Japan's Miracle Economy - Research Paper Example This paper will discuss the contributing factors to the economic recovery in Japan after the WWII. The paper will look into the details of each contributing factor to shed the light on the cause of the fast and remarkable recovery in the nation’s destroyed economy after the war. While Japan’s miracle economy can be attributed to many factors, the American contribution was the greatest factor to the fast economic recovery. America played a great role in the recovery of Japan’s post war economy. The US was in a position to help in the recovery of Japan’s economy since they did not suffer huge post war economic damages. One of the greatest contributions of the American government to the economic miracle was opening up trade channels between the two nations. After the war, Japan had suffered great inflation and the unemployment rate in the nation was at an all time high. America signed business treaties with Japan for its exports to the US and the return imports. The trade process was in favor of Japan and it led to a fast growth in the GDP. The US government imposed restriction policies on Japan’s imports hence providing big loans to the Japanese government. The US also sent economic experts to campaign for personal savings and capital investment in Japan which subsequently increased the rate of local and foreign investment in the nation. The American government piloted a recovery p rogram for Japan which boosted the implementation of the new economic policies that the Japanese government had put in place after the war1. The US offered top-level support for Japanese postwar democratization was through protecting Japan by the Seventh Fleet and support of the Japanese export drive. The US government policies favored the penetration of American market by Japanese corporations. The US had emerged from World War II as a major

Effects of an Ice Age on the Oceans Essay Example for Free

Effects of an Ice Age on the Oceans Essay The Earth, the third planet from the Sun capable of sustaining life, has several components on its surface. More than 70% of the Earth is covered by water and most of them is concentrated on the oceans. These oceans serve not only as huge bodies of water in between the land masses but also a large habitat for most of the marine life on the planet. Furthermore, it is in the oceans that some of the most important phenomena that keep the atmospheric conditions stable occur. Indeed, oceans are the lifeblood of the planet. What effects does an Ice Age have on these bodies of water? Ice ages are usually known as a period of gradual reduction in the temperature of the planetary climate which causes massive expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and mountain glaciers. In glaciological terms, an ice age means that ice sheets are present in the northern and southern hemispheres (which means technically we are still in an ice age, given the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctic (Imbrie and Imbrie, 1986). A study of ice sheets and other sources reveal that the Earth’s climate is characterized by a cycle between warm periods or interglacial conditions and glacial conditions. Many theories have emerged to explain the occurrence of these ice ages. One well-known theory was devised by Milutin Milankovitch in 1938. It predicts that the shifts from glacial to interglacial and vice versa are affected by the changes in the tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis every 41,000 years, differences in the orientation of the planet’s elliptical orbit around the Sun known as the precession of the equinoxes occurring every 23,000 years and changes in the shape of the orbit happening almost every 100,000 years (Joyce and Keigwin, 2007). Another theory that explains the origins of the ice ages is the changes in the planetary atmosphere. The rise and fall of greenhouse gases have been linked to the retreat and advance of the ice sheets. It is possible that the changes in the greenhouse gases may have been caused by other factors contributing to the start of the ice age such as continent motion and volcanism. One hypothesis, known as the â€Å"Snowball Earth† hypothesis, claims that the late Proterozoic era saw a severe ice age that began with a reduction of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere and ended with an increase of these levels in the atmosphere. The early anthropocene hypothesis of William Ruddiman claims that during this era where human activities started to cause a significant global impact on the climate and ecosystems more than 8,000 years ago, atmospheric gas levels began to not follow the pattern of the Milankovitch cycles (Macdougall, 2004). Geological events confirm that the position of continents may cause ice ages if they block or decrease the flow of warm water to the poles allowing the formation of ice sheets. These ice sheets will then cause the increase in the Earth’s reflectivity decreasing the absorption of solar radiation which leads to atmospheric cooling. This starts a positive feedback loop allowing more ice sheets to form as the temperature cools. Some of these configurations include a continent sitting on top of a pole, a polar sea that is land-locked and a super continent that covers most of the equatorial area (Aber, 2003). Another big factor in the end of an ice age is sudden global warming that could theoretically be caused by the eruption of large undersea volcanoes. These volcanoes and flood basalts could release huge amounts of methane that contribute to a large and rapid increase in the greenhouse effect (Macdougall, 2004). There are five known periods of glaciation: Huronian (2400 Ma – 2100 Ma), Cryogenian (850 Ma – 635 Ma), Andean-Saharan (450 Ma – 420 Ma), Karoo (360 Ma – 260 Ma) and Cenozoic (30 Ma – Present). Oceans are very important in maintaining the stability of climate. The balancing of excess heating at the equator and cooling at the poles is accomplished transporting heat via atmospheric and oceanic currents from low to high altitudes. The warm surface waters that arrive at the higher latitudes are cooled and the heat is released to the atmosphere and later on radiated away to space. This mechanism bridges the gap between equator and pole temperatures. Warm ocean temperatures also cause an excess of evaporation against precipitation in the atmosphere. The water vapor is then transported to the poles through atmospheric currents and there it cools causing an excess of precipitation against evaporation. These two components together with the salinity-dependent mixing of the cold waters returning from the poles with the warm waters at the equator allows the continuity of the great ocean conveyor belt that allows for climate stability (Joyce and Keigwin, 2007). An ice age will could also begin if the balance is disrupted on this belt. Scientists now speculate that we are heading for another ice age given the current configurations of the continents and other factors. One possible scenario is that as the Earth continues to experience global warming, ice sheets will soon begin to melt. The Arctic sea has 15% less ice compared to levels 40 years ago. Cold fresh water from melted glaciers and ice sheets will flow into the north Atlantic which could weaken the Gulf stream and the great ocean conveyor belt since it would change salinity levels important for mixing and the temperatures of the waters. This would cause a cold climate change for Europe with temperatures reaching up to 10oC for during the summer. This could also usher in the next ice age since at the height of the last one, the strength of the Gulf stream was only two-thirds that of today. Global warming will slow down the Gulf stream by up to 30% and may cut off Europe completely in the future (McGuire, 2002). Given this possibility of an ice age occurring, it is important to look into the possible effects of an ice age. The most obvious effect of an ice age on the oceans is the decrease of actual flowing water given that the ice sheets would be formed from waters of both in-land sources and the oceans. Since glaciers are formed from freshwater, this means that the freezing up of oceanic waters could increase the salinity of the remaining flowing water. Scientists at the Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory found that ocean circulation changes did not cause but was rather the effect of climate changes at the start and end of the last ice age. Ice sheet volume and global carbon budget had changed even before the ocean currents were affected. The possible scenario drawn is that the ice age had been driven by discrepancies with the amount of heat from the sun arriving at the poles. The changes in the carbon cycle were caused by the decline of plant life because of cooler temperatures and glacial advance. This caused an initial change in the great ocean conveyor belt by amplifying the effect of heat at the higher latitudes. Ocean circulation changes that were caused by the beginnings of the ice age further amplified the climate trends that cause the continental ice sheet expansion and also the retreat of the ice sheets later on (LDEO, 2005). The implication of this research is that this shows a possible effect of an impending ice age on the oceans. It expresses the possibility that once a change in climate is set-off, the great ocean conveyor belt adapts to the new conditions further aggravating the new changes in climate. Thus, a new ice age could bring a change in the current ocean currents prevalent today. Since the oceans are host to an unknown number of species of living organisms, the effects on marine life is also important to consider. Although terrestrial organisms would rather prefer the current warm climate, evidence shows that aquatic organisms did not share the same preference. A team of scientists from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada found that ice age oceans some 20,000 years ago had increased concentrations of nitrate, an important nutrient for plankton that producers for the marine food chain. These concentrations could have supported plankton life in waters that are now nutrient deprived. They measured nitrate levels of two nitrogen isotopes – N-15 and N-14 in sediments found at the coast of Mazatlan, Mexico. This is one of three â€Å"nitrate sinks† in the ocean where bacteria cause denitrification. Although the data gathered from two sites coincided with the hypothesis, it is insufficient to definitively conclude that global nitrate levels were as high as those at the sites. However, it is possible and this could mean that more marine life was present given the abundance of plankton. This could also have contributed more to the ice age since more plants could absorb more carbon dioxide reducing even more the greenhouse effect (Monastersky, 1995). All these effects are but glimpses of what truly happens during an ice age. We can never truly know exactly what all of them are unless we experience it ourselves. But for sure, given the immensity of the world’s oceans and how reliant stable climate is to them, these effects would affect not only the oceans themselves but the entire planet. Bibliography: Imbrie, J. Imbrie, K. P. (1986). Ice ages: Solving the Mystery. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. Joyce, T. Keigwin, L. (2007). Are we on the brink of a ‘New Little Ice Age’? Retrieved 11 May 2007 from http://www. whoi. edu/page. do? pid=12455tid=282cid=10046.

Approaches of contemporary globalization

Approaches of contemporary globalization The term globalization is multi dimensional, and therefore it can be complex in its definition. It is a method where all political, economic, cultural and social activities start operating at a international level. In recent years there has been a unexpected growth in global connections with the people and communities around the world. The distance between different communities, cultures and countries has become less of a physical distance and can now communicate using new technology. Although the claim that contemporary globalization has made the nation state obsolete depends on which view you look at, as there are 3 different approaches to globalization. This globalization also depends on how you are looking at it from a cultural , economic,political or social point of view. In the UK today we are living in a very diverse society with a lot of different cultural backgrounds. With the use of the internet we are able to communicate around the world , and even the way we dress is starting to look similar to cultures from around the world and we are inspired by their style. This technology is a stepping stone for businesses to become bigger and expand world wide. A nation state is an independent country which has a large amount of people that share the same language, traditions and history but the nations state are being affected by globalization. There are 3 approaches to globalization, internationalist, transformationalist and globalist. The globalist view could be viewed in the eye of a pessimistic globalist or the optimistic or positive globalist. The optimistic view is that globalization is exciting and creating a more diverse society, but still recognise the dangers of global environmental pollution, positive globalizers argue that we could improve the position if we all took some responsibility for reducing unsustainable levels of consumption, and they point to the development of new technologies which are likely to reduce levels of pollution. ( p22, Held 2004). Globalists see that globalization is disappearing as there is less control of the nation states than in the past. Globalization is an inevitable trajectory of development , so any attempts to resist it are doomed to failure. (p22 Held 2004). Internationalists views argue that globalization is a myth. They believe that most economic and social activity is regional rather that global. Transformanationalists views argue that the nation state still remains powerful they also see the problems can be reversed by restructuring and accommodate the new forms of global governance. Looking at the views, the transformanationlaist on globalization making nation state obsolete seems to be the most plausible from any finding at this stage as it seems that the government can adjust there roles instead of losing power altogether. Nation states are seen as blocks of territory with fixed borders, it is argued that these boundaries are not as important as they used to be due to globalization. There has been an increase in the co-operation and mutual understanding between countries as politicians try to elude national boundaries, or which on based in other countries. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of intergovernmental organisations IGOs around the globe from 37 in 1909 to nearly 300 in 1999. Globalists would have us believe that the governments are fragmenting it is more likely the governments are learning to accommodate a more complex international co-ordination than has been in the past. The main problem with this increase in intergovernmental associations is that the foreign office find it more difficult to control the increased amount of intergovernmental operation. Looking at how these organizations set up it is obvious that the representatives for each country are actually representing the nation state they come from. Globalization encourages the growth of communication and organisations that link human kind across the globe. Because the communication link and interaction people are not constrained by their national boundaries , this does not mean that a nation state loses its sovereignty. UK government does not always agree completely in its decisions, However the people of the UK still seem to stay confident in their nation state as this is what we identify ourselves with. The nation state that we identify with most is the UK and is very important because there has been such change over the authorities. Governments might have found themselves subject to actions from other organisations that would of not happened in the past, as back then we would have only cared for our own need without any outside interference. For example the UK government might have been under some sort of control of the EU and the World Trade Organisations. This would have been said to create a more uncertain society in terms of the nation state identity by tranformationalist. According to inter-nationalist there are a few general multi-national corporations than thought they are more accurately described as transnational corporations (TNCs) which are not governed from any national base, and which have a more genuinely international organisation personnels. (Thompson, 2000 p103). The percentage of a countries trade is global and often thought as being greater than it actually is. Globalists view MNCs are taxing over from government power, however this is flawed as it is still the government who has the power to enforce laws and legislation. Transformationalist would argue that there is a new global politics appearing, this does not mean that all government have an equal say in global decision making. The poorest people in the world still have a little say in what goes on. In the UK our nation state is still very important. The government might have to adjust to consider other countries but a majority of these countries are within the EU more than around the world, it looks like the UK government is becoming more regionalised than globalized. USA and the EU and Japan may work together and some other countries ignored, mainly the poorer ones. This is quite true as most powerful economies have more political power than the poor countries that have little power. The UK government may have had to change its roles on a local level more than global level, but the claim that globalization has made the nation state obsolete, its more likely that it is being reshaped within the EU but nothing says if this is really happening at a global level. As we can see in my conclusion is that globalization is changing,and how fast and to what extent that this is happening might be a slightly exaggerated. This does not mean the end of the nation state, it just means that it is being redefined. Globalization in one way or another is creating a more uncertain, yet diverse world. Each of the points have there flaws and their valid areas to each of their arguments, the transformationalists view of the government having to adjust the way it is run is a very valid point. Each argument could be seen valid depending on how its seen and what you believe in, but every individual will have there own opinion on each outcome. REFERENCES Kelly, B. and Prokhovnik, R. (2004) Economic globalization? in Held, D. (ed) A Globalizing World? Culture, Economics, Politics, London, Routledge/The Open University.

The Beginnings of Greek Philosophy Essay -- Science Math Stars Papers

The Beginnings of Greek Philosophy The Milesians and Heraclitus Long before the time of Thales, a citizen of Miletus, in the district of Ionia on the west coast of Asia Minor, Chaldaen astrologers had listed data on the position of the stars and planets. As Thales studied these tables he thought he discerned a pattern or regularity in the occurrence of eclipses, and he ventured to predict a solar eclipse that occurred on May 28th 585BC. Some scholars think that this was just a lucky empirical guess, but if it was the discovery of an astronomical regularity or natural law, then Thales may be credited with distinguishing Greek philosophy and science from the somewhat aimless observations and disjointed information of the Eastern wise men. When a law is formulated, Man's wonder at the phenomenon is supposed to be satisfied, and nature is said to be explained and understood. Thales is also credited with the discovery of several theorems of geometry and with diplomatic, engineering, and economic exploits. If there is a difference between science and p hilosophy, it is that the regularities of science are relatively restricted, whereas the more general principles, called 'philosophic' apply to wider areas. Thales's more general speculations concerned the constitution of the universe. What is the world made of? Are there many elements or is there but one? And if one, what is it? These questions dominated the entire Pre-Socratic period; and they are still live issues today; and if Thales's answer seems crude to a so-called sophisticated 21st century mind, his motivation and procedure may prove as profound as any contemporary inspiration. As a matter of fact, Thales taught that all things are made of water, and we may imagine re... ...uch a person, so hardy as to suggest that reality is spiritual and not material, would have to be a genius as great as Plato. There is a much easier choice that can be made. The great minds of ancient Greek thought with all their scientific acumen, so it may be concluded, have failed to find any truth. The reason for their failure is simply that there is no truth to be found. Knowledge is impossible. This conclusion is a welcome relief after such arduous philosophising; and besides, it offers great opportunities for ambitious young thinkers. Thus there arose in Greece the movement known as Sophism. Bibliography: JOHNS, B. Early Greek Philosophical Thought New York, 1976 MARTIN, K. A History of Greek Philosophy New York and London, 1981 McCONNELL, T. The Pre-Socratic Philosophers Dublin 1988 CARSON, N. Exploring the Pre-Socratics London, 1985

Positives and Negatives

All people in this world are different. They feel differently and have different skills. Even though they have different skills, strengths and weaknesses, there will be some ones common amongst the people. Likewise, some of my strengths and weaknesses might be similar to that of my friends, parents, relatives, people around the world and some not. That is how we are made. Although, strengths and weaknesses isn’t a permanent thing. It can be worked on and can be improved and polished.I am a very cheerful, caring and loving person who never fails to smile everyday. I tend to remain happy most of the time and believe smile is one of the greatest gift given to us. When we give a smile, it might blossom the rest of the day of another person. Moreover, I am an optimistic person who likes to work hard and always believes if we work hard enough, nothing is impossible to achieve. I like to be confident and think of myself as a quick learner. Without confidence, achieving our goals, tar gets is very difficult.I am a frank, unselfish, team player with the driving power and willingness to learn and face challenges. These are some of the strengths I believe I have in me. Talking about some of my weaknesses, I sometimes get very emotional which affects my day to day life. Also, I feel that I am sensitive to my criticisms. When this happens, I sometimes become short-tempered. My another weakness is that in some cases, I tend to underestimate myself which is one of my biggest weakness I believe so far.Although I have my strengths and weakness, there are some strengths I believe I would like to polish and some weaknesses I would like to improve. First of all, I am confident but in some cases, I might tend to be nervous. I would very much like to improve that and remain confident all of the time, though never be overconfident. I work hard but sometimes, I get distracted and affects my work. I would like to improve that and be more focused. Regarding my weaknesses, the firs t thing I would like to improve would be to never underestimate myself.I should always make myself believe that I have it in me to do a particular work. Also, sometimes, I get short tempered which might hurt a lot of people. So, i need to keep myself calm and never act bitterly. I believe I have expressed myself . These are some of the strengths and weaknesses I believe I have in me. Some strengths needs to be polished and some weaknesses needs to be improved. There is no doubt that it can be achieved because these are not permanent. All this is what makes me and I am proud of who I am.

Computer Aided Instruction

COMPUTER-AIDED INSTRUCTION Douglas N. Arnold I. Introduction Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI), diverse and rapidly expanding spectrum of computer technologies that assist the teaching and learning process. CAI is also known as computer-assisted instruction. Examples of CAI applications include guided drill and practice exercises, computer visualization of complex objects, and computer-facilitated communication between students and teachers. The number of computers in American schools has risen from one for every 125 students in 1981 to one for every nine students in 1996.While the United States leads the world in the number of computers per school student, Western European and Japanese schools are also highly computerized. II. Types of CAI Information that helps teach or encourages interaction can be presented on computers in the form of text or in multimedia formats, which include photographs, videos, animation, speech, and music. The guided drill is a computer program that poses qu estions to students, returns feedback, and selects additional questions based on the students’ responses.Recent guided drill systems incorporate the principles of education in addition to subject matter knowledge into the computer program. Computers also can help students visualize objects that are difficult or impossible to view. For example, computers can be used to display human anatomy, molecular structures, or complex geometrical objects. Exploration and manipulation of simulated environments can be accomplished with CAI-ranging from virtual laboratory experiments that may be too difficult, expensive, or dangerous to perform in a school environment to complex virtual worlds like those used in airplane flight simulators.CAI tools, such as word processors, spreadsheets, and databases, collect, organize, analyze, and transmit information. They also facilitate communication among students, between students and instructors, and beyond the classroom to distant students, instru ctors, and experts. CAI systems can be categorized based on who controls the progression of the lesson. Early systems were linear presentations of information and guided drill, and control was directed by the author of the software. In modern systems, and especially with visualization systems and simulated environments, control often rests with the student or with the instructor.This permits information to be reviewed or examined out of sequence. Related material also may be explored. In some group instructional activities, the lesson can progress according to the dynamics of the group. III. Advantages and Disadvantages CAI can dramatically increase a student’s access to information. The program can adapt to the abilities and preferences of the individual student and increase the amount of personalized instruction a student receives. Many students benefit from the immediate responsiveness of computer interactions and appreciate the self-paced and private learning environment. Moreover, computer-learning experiences often engage the interest of students, motivating them to learn and increasing independence and personal responsibility for education. Although it is difficult to assess the effectiveness of any educational system, numerous studies have reported that CAI is successful in raising examination scores, improving student attitudes, and lowering the amount of time required to master certain material. While study results vary greatly, there is substantial evidence that CAI can enhance learning at all educational levels.In some applications, especially those involving abstract reasoning and problem-solving processes, CAI has not been very effective. Critics claim that poorly designed CAI systems can dehumanize or regiment the educational experience and thereby diminish student interest and motivation. Other disadvantages of CAI stem from the difficulty and expense of implementing and maintaining the necessary computer systems. Some student failures ca n be traced to inadequate teacher training in CAI systems. Student training in the computer technology may be required as well, and this process can distract from the core educational process.Although much effort has been directed at developing CAI systems that are easy to use and incorporate expert knowledge of teaching and learning, such systems are still far from achieving their full potential. IV. History In the mid-1950s and early 1960s a collaboration between educators at Stanford University in California and International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) introduced CAI into select elementary schools. Initially, CAI programs were a linear presentation of information with drill and practice sessions.These early CAI systems were limited by the expense and the difficulty of obtaining, maintaining, and using the computers that were available at that time. Programmed Logic for Automatic Teaching Operations (PLATO) system, another early CAI system initiated at the University of I llinois in the early 1960s and developed by Control Data Corporation, was used for higher learning. It consisted of a mainframe computer that supported up to 1000 terminals for use by individual students. By 1985 over 100 PLATO systems were operating in the United States.From 1978 to 1985 users logged 40 million hours on PLATO systems. PLATO also introduced a communication system between students that was a forerunner of modern electronic mail (messages electronically passed from computer to computer). The Time-shared Interactive Computer-Controlled Information Television (TICCIT) system was a CAI project developed by Mitre Corporation and Brigham Young University in Utah. Based on personal computer and television technology, TICCIT was used in the early 1970s to teach freshman-level mathematics and English courses.With the advent of cheaper and more powerful personal computers in the 1980s, use of CAI increased dramatically. In 1980 only 5 percent of elementary schools and 20 perce nt of secondary schools in the United States had computers for assisting instruction. Three years later, both numbers had roughly quadrupled, and by the end of the decade nearly all schools in the United States, and in most industrialized countries, were equipped with teaching computers. A recent development with far ranging implications for CAI is the vast xpansion of the Internet, a consortium of interlinked computers. By connecting millions of computers worldwide, these networks enable students to access huge stores of information, which greatly enhances their research capabilities. Contributed By: Douglas N. Arnold, A. B. , M. A. , Ph. D. Distinguished Professor, Pennsylvania State University. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE â€Å"Computer-Aided Instruction,† Microsoft ® Encarta ® Online Encyclopedia 2000 http://encarta. msn. com  © 1997-2000 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.