Japan Town in San Francisco Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japan Town in San Francisco - Essay Example The Japan Center, though looks quite conventional, has many delightful restaurants and shops, stairways and open courtyards and is considered as the focal point of Japanese culture in the middle of San Francisco. The Peace Pagoda, designed by the famous Japanese architect Yoshiro Taniguchi, is a five-storied stupa which is a contribution by the people of Osaka, Japan to San Francisco. San Francisco's Japantown share its borders with California, Geary, Octavia, and Fillmore Streets. It has about 150 small and medium sized businesses with plentiful affordable housing complexes for seniors. It also has non-profit organizations like the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California, Kimochi Senior Center, Nihonmachi Little Friends (preschool), national headquarters for the Japanese American Citizens League, the Japantown Task Force, the Japanese Benevolent Society, and the Ikenobo Ikebana Society of America. (2000 Census, 2006) History: The first Japanese also called as Soko' resided in San Francisco during early 1860s. Initially they lived in Chinatown and in neighborhoods south of Market Street. Post the disastrous earthquake and fire in 1906, these Soko's started moving to the Western Addition where they opened their own centers of prayers and typical Japanese shops and restaurants. The area slowly started to look Japanese in every manner and was soon looking like a Ginza which was later known as Nihonmachi, or Japantown. It was the dawn of San Francisco's Japanese American community. San Francisco, California houses the largest Japantown in United States of America. However, it is smaller than the one which was prevalent in United States prior to the World War II. It so happened that after the invasion on Pearl Harbor by Japanese, the US authorities took Japanese Americans into custody and put them in concentration camps. At the same time, African Americans encroached on the vacant neighborhood. These thousands of African Americans had come in search of wartime industrial jobs. However, after the war, Japanese Americans returned along with Japanese immigrants closely followed by investments from the Japanese government as well as Japanese companies. Owing to the redevelopment plans by Justin Herman in the 1960 to 1980, the African Americans were relocated to places like Fillmore district in the west, Tenderloin in the east and Hunters Point in the south. At this point of time, many residents of San Francisco decided against returning after the World War II resulted in forced captivity of Japanese Americans - some being probably second or third generation Americans since 1942-45. About one-third of the internees decided to relocate themselves in the East and Midwest after the encouragement of the War Relocation Authority. During the period of 1950's, JapanTown was negatively impacted by this redevelopment due to the widening of Geary Boulevard and the obliteration of scores of Victorians for the construction of the boulevard and the Japan Center Mall. Inspired by the conventional Japanese pedestrian walkways, the famous Webster Bridge was also designed. The Miyako hotel at Post and Laguna has a charming Japanese garden. Also seen is one of the favourite destinations, the twin origami-style fountain in the middle of the one block open air mall which extends from Peace Plaza north toward Pacific

Oration on the Dignity of Man Essay Example for Free

Oration on the Dignity of Man Essay As history progressed to the Middle Ages, new technology, people, and ideas emerge throughout the world. Similar(ly) to Ancient Greece, we see the study of religion and philosophy become a big part of life. One of the most notorious and ambitious philosophers at the time was Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola. He was a Christian who wanted to consolidate various religions and unite all of those ideas with Christian principles. Some of the religions he wanted to combine include Jewish, Greek, and Islamic values. His ideas revolve around the study of humans, more specifically, how we came into existence and how we interact with the world around us and God. His theories, however, were highly criticized by the Church because they believed that his work opposed Christian ideologies and perception of free will and humanity. Pico was not happy with the church either but nevertheless, he formulated a collective theory and put his ideas into text called the 900 Conclusions. The Oration on the Dignity of Man was an introduction to this work and answers many questions regarding the creation of mankind and the relationship we have with God and nature. Pico begins his oration by explaining how mankind was created by God. He also answers the question of who we are â€Å"man is the intermediary between creatures, that he is the familiar of the gods above him as he is the lord of the beings beneath him; that, by the acuteness of his senses, the inquiry of his reason and the light of his intelligence, he is the interpreter of nature, set midway between the timeless unchanging and the flux of time; the living union (as the Persians say), the very marriage hymn of the world, and, by David’s testimony but little lower than the angels† (3). .man created out ofmade out of In addition, Pico describes why God created man, he needed a being to appreciate all of his creations â€Å"But when this work was done, the Divine Artificer still longed for some creature which might comprehend the meaning of so vast an achievement, which might be moved with love at its beauty and smitten with awe at its grandeur† (3). Humans are the greatest creation of God, and we have been given the opportunity to choose where we end up in life. Pico says that we have the free will to choose our own paths. He claims that this can strengthen or weaken man’s relationship towards God â€Å"impeded by no such restrictions, may, by your own free will, to whose custody We have assigned you, trace for yourself the lineaments of your own nature. I have placed you at the very center of the world, so that from that vantage point you may with greater ease glance round about you on all that the world contains. We have made you a creature neither of heaven nor of earth, neither mortal nor immortal, in order that you may, as the free and proud shaper of your own being, fashion yourself in the form you may prefer. It will be in your power to descend to the lower, brutish forms of life; you will be able, through your own decision, to rise again to the superior orders whose life is divine† (4). Pico also writes tha t since we have this freedom, we must choose our paths wisely. If humans become sensual and brutish, they will be like animals. On the other hand, if they’re rational and intellectual, they can become heavenly like angels â€Å"Whichever of these a man shall cultivate, the same will mature and bear fruit in him. If vegetative, he will become a plant; if sensual, he will become brutish; if rational, he will reveal himself a heavenly being; if intellectual, he will be an angel and the son of God† (4-5). According to Pico, if humans emulate the actions of angels, through intellectual engagement, we can ascend closer to God.

Time Dispersion Parameters

Time Dispersion Parameters When a signal is transmitted, this signal can suffer a distortion caused by reflections and scattered propagation paths in the radio channel, and these phenomenons cause that an identical signal arrives at different times at its destination. These different times are due that to the signal arrives via multiple paths and in different incident angles. The time difference between the arrival moment of the first multipath component and the last one is called delay spread. In order to compare different multipath channels and to develop some general design guidelines for wireless systems, some parameters are used to quantify the multipath channel. Some of these multipath parameters are the mean excess delay, rms delay spread, and maximum excess delay, and can be determined from a power delay profile. However, the mean excess delay and the rms delay spread are frequently used to quantify the time dispersive properties of wide band multipath channels. Mean Excess Delay The Mean Excess Delay is the first moment of the power delay profile (PDP) and is defined by RMS Delay Spread The root-mean-square (RMS) delay spread is probably the most important single measure for the delay time extent of a multipath radio channel. This parameter calculates the standard deviation value of the delay of reflections, weighted proportional to the energy in the reflected waves. This parameter can be considered like the square root of the second central moment of the power delay profile and is defined by We must take into consideration that these delay are measured relative to the first detectable signal arriving at the receiver at = 0, and their equations do not rely on the absolute power level of P(),but only the relative amplitudes of the multipath components within P(). Maximum Excess Delay (X dB) The maximum excess delay (X dB) of the power delay profile is defined as the time delay value after which the multipath energy falls to X dB below the maximum multipath energy (not necesarily belonging to the first arriving component). It is also called excess delay spread, but in all cases must be specified with a threshold that relates the multipath noise floor to the maximum received multipath component. The values of these time dispersion parameters also depend on the noise threshold used to process P(), and if this noise is set too low, then the noise will be processed as multipath and thus causing the parameters to be higher. Environment Coherence Bandwidth Coherence bandwidth is a statistical measure of the range of frequencies over which the channel can be considered flat. If we define Coherence Bandwidth (BC) as the range of frequencies over which the frequency correlation is above 0.9, then If we define Coherence Bandwidth as the range of frequencies over which the frequency correlation is above 0.5, then The coherence bandwidth of the channel gives a good indication about the frequency variations of the channel in relation to the bandwidth of the transmitted signal. We can have two different cases, depending on this bandwidth. If a signal with a bandwidth larger than Bc is transmitted through the channel, it will be subject to frequency selective distortion. The channel will be, in this case, referred to as a frequency selective fading channel. However, if the signal transmitted has a bandwidth considerably less than Bc, it will experience amplitude attenuation only with no distortion since the channel characteristics will be the same all over the spectrum of the signal. In this case the channel is referred to as a frequency non-selective (flat) fading channel.

Individuals vs. Society Essay -- essays research papers

An individual’s role in society can vary with the number themes the characters exhibit. When there are signs of fate, cruelties, weaknesses, and desires for justice and catharsis the role of an individual becomes more complicated. In Antigone, most of those themes are shown thus a single person’s influence or role on society is very small and complicated to attain. However in The Lottery the society has most of the control and there is not many signs of those characteristics so the role of a person is simplified because they are nothing compared to the society combined. Finally, in The Penalty of Death, there are signs of many of the themes but since it is the societies influence against that of an individuals, it is simplified because they have to work together. Out of the three readings, I believe that Antigone exhibits most of the characteristics that complicates an individual’s role in society. There is a considerable amount of fate shown in this story. For example, the most evident is that of our main character Antigone. Her fate is shown from the Prologue where she makes her decision to bury her brother Polyneices. â€Å"Ismene, I am going to bury him. Will you come?† There is a point that sort of suggests where her conflict will arise where she defies Creon’s law by saying, â€Å"Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way.† Weakness was shown on the part of Creon. His main weaknesses were his cruelty and hubris. He seems especially cruel when he is enraged with Haimon for t...

Policy development Essay

In layman’s terms, policy may be defined as a deliberate plan of action that is used to guide decisions and thereby achieve rational outcomes. There is a fallacy that policies only apply to governments. Policies may also apply to private sector organizations, groups and individuals. Difference between policy and law To a great extent, laws are used for compelling or prohibiting behaviors. Conversely, policies are used to guide actions so that the desired action may be achieved. There various types of policies. These include public, fiscal and urban policies. Consequently, policies may then be understood as the political, management and administrative mechanisms arranged to reach certain explicit goals. Involvement Various individuals and groups in society try to shape up policy by way of advocacy, education and the mobilization of interest groups. The aim of doing so is to sway the policy makers to make decisions that will be in their favor. It is all about interest at the end of the day. If particular groups in society feel it is in their interest that certain policies be made in their favor, they try as much to advocate for them by way of lobbying. According to Cohen, De la Vega & Watson, in advocacy, certain groups or individuals in society take it upon themselves to educate the public and also the policy makers about the nature of the problems, the kind of legislation required to deal with the said problems including the funding required to provide the necessary services and/or conduct research (2001). In my community located in a small town in Pennsylvania, the major issue of concern is access to clean water. Water is life so the saying goes. However, in my small community, more and more people are finding it considerably hard to access reliable and safe water. Most of the local streams where the majority of the people obtain their water from are becoming openly polluted (Clean Water Action, N. d. ). This makes the water an issue of serious concern. As an individual member of our local community organization, known as, Water is Life, involvement is usually in the following policy areas. The reason I am involved in the policy is, unless the issue is addressed sooner rather than later, it may turn disastrous. There is no life without water. Lobbying The aim is to influence our representatives to institute meaningful change (Richan, 2006). The local town council which is an arm of the government needs to make sure that clean water is availed. The mayor’s election pledge was that clean water will be provided to the residents of the community as soon as he got into office. It has been six months and the taps are still dry. Consequently, I have established that the most effective lobby methods to use so as to reach the locals are letter writing, phone calls and meetings. This way the residents stay informed on the activities that the organization is involved in. However, the use of e-mails has proved to be much faster and convenient. With the growth of information and communication technology, members of the community have access to the internet (Grassroots lobbying techniques, N. d). However, it is not only the resident of the community who have been receiving the letters, emails and phone calls but also the mayor and Governor Rendell. Advocacy Cohen, De la Vega & Watson, define advocacy as the quest of influencing outcomes that in one way or another have an effect on people’s lives (2001). Advocacy is an integral part in policy and resource allocation decision. Advocacy is necessary if the adoption of the Buffer 100 policy is to become a reality and also if the protection of the streams and provision of clean water is to be realized. Through advocacy, the community organization Water is Life, has been able to give a voice to the residents of the community. More over, it has helped to mobilize them towards a common goal. Community mobilization The single most important resource that a community may use to influence policy is the people. When the people get together, they are better able to provide solutions to their most immediate problems. As part of the mobilization efforts, I am involved in handling out of pamphlets and organizing village meetings (Handbook, N. d). However, it is important to note that all these endeavors may not be successful without some kind of education. The locals have to be clearly informed on why their participation is important. Accordingly, the community organization (Water is Life), which may be regarded to an interest group pushing for the needs of the community and the policy implementers (the town council, the Office of the Mayor and the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) may be referred to as the main actors. They are the main players in this policy issue. The individuals who have mostly been affected by the policy are the residents of the community. These actors are involved in different parts of the policy development process, right from the identification of the problem all through to the evaluations stage. Issue of concern There are many people in the community who are facing the possibility of not being able to access safe water. The residents should unite and support the implementation of the Buffer 100 policy which will protect the Pennsylvania streams from pollution (Clean water Action (N. d. ). Clean water has many uses. For drinking, cooking, washing and cleaning. There is as strain on the availability of safe water because the population has increased while water sources have remained constant while some have been destroyed. It is hard to imagine what the situation will be like in a few years time with population growth. There will be more demand for clean drinking water though the supply will be next to none. While the community was able to support a smaller population in the early 1980’s comfortable with the water resource given by Mother Nature, it has become considerably hard to continue with the trend. Human activity (pollution), the clearing of forests and other water catchments areas plus the effects of global warming are all to blame (Real Estate Futurist, 2009). The Clean Water Act is the chief federal law in the United States used to govern water pollution (Ryan, 2004). The clean water issue is contained within the broader realm of environmental policies. To a great extent, the formulation of water policy heavily relies on input from numerous parties/actors; from individuals, groups, communities and policy implementers. Their main duty is to avail critical information and expertise necessary for the understanding and addressing of water provision concerns. Extent to which the issue affects a larger number of people It has already been established that clean water is an absolute necessity. Without clean water, the existence of life becomes precarious. According to United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on climate change, a massive 2 billion people will not have access to clean drinking water by the year 2050. What is even more shocking is that the number may rise to 3. 2 billion people by the year 2080 (Associated Press, 2008). For evidence and proof that indeed water has become a scarce resource one only needs to open the newspapers and /or watch news for pictures of dry barren lands and animal carcasses under the scorching sun in such parts of the world as Africa. In the US, some regions are at the limit of their fresh water supplies. One major region that is experiencing water shortage is California. It is expected that between the year 2000 and 2015, the population will have doubled up. Think of the resulting stress on the provision of clean water. The lack of water has far reaching consequences. There will be less food production. Think of the West part of America which relies on irrigation to sustain agriculture (Real Estate Futurist, 2009)? Less food production will then mean that food will become more expensive. In the US, the people who may be most affected by the lack of safe water are the very young and the old. Thus, these include children of school going age and the old people most of who live in retirement homes. More over, people from marginalized communities for instance, the Latin Americans and immigrants from other countries may be affected. In terms of gender, women may be most affected as they are the ones who are mostly charged with the duties of looking for water. More over, they perform most of the activities where water is primal such as cooking and cleaning. Nevertheless, people who are in the lower end of the income bracket will also be more affected. Think of the people in manual/temporary labor who earn less than one dollar a day. In the event of water shortage, they will not have any money to spare for the purchase of water. They may then result to using contaminated water which is a health hazard. There is need for the adoption of better policies that will guarantee better access to safe water regardless of race or social class. Conclusion Policies are deliberate plan of actions used to not only guide decision but also to achieve a logical and rational outcome in particular issues and activities. Some of today’s policy issues are to be found in the environmental, health and education sectors. The availability and provision of safe water is a serious local and global issue in the environmental realm. Individuals and groups alike are involved in advocacy and lobbying as a way of influencing actors involved in policy development and implementation such as government representatives to act accordingly. The aim is to voice the concern of the people most affected by the issues; local communities. Unless, the water issue is addressed now there will be worse things to worry about in future. References. Clean water Action (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www.cleanwateraction. org/ Clean Water. (2009). Real Estate Futurist. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. realestatefuturist. com/re-environmentwater. asp Cohen, D. , De la Vega, R. & Watson, G. (2001). Advocacy for social justice. Bloomfield, CT: Kumarian Press Inc. Experts warn of severe water shortages by 2080. (2008). Associated Press. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. msnbc. msn. com/id/27781117/l Gerston, L. (1997). Public policy making: Process and principle. New York: M. E. Sharpe. Grass root lobbying techniques. (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20 2009 from http://fsalc. com/root. html Handbook: Non-formal adult education facilitators. (N. d. ). Retrieved March 20, 2009 http://www2. unescobkk. org/elib/publications/nonformal/M1. pdf Richan, W. (2006). Lobbying for social change. New York: Routledge. Ryan, M. (2004). The Clean Water Act handbook. Chicago: American Bar Association. Smith, B. (2003). Public policy and public participation: Engaging citizens and community in the development of public policy. Health Canada. Retrieved March 20, 2009 from http://www. phac-aspc. gc. ca/canada/regions/atlantic/pdf/pub_policy_partic_e. pdf

The May Revolution in Argentina

The May Revolution in Argentina In May of 1810, word reached Buenos Aires that the King of Spain, Ferdinand VII, had been deposed by Napoleon Bonaparte. Rather than serve the new King, Joseph Bonaparte (Napoleon’s brother), the city formed its own ruling council, essentially declaring itself independent until such time as Ferdinand could reclaim the throne. Although initially an act of loyalty to the Spanish crown, the â€Å"May Revolution,† as it came to be known, was eventually a precursor to independence. The famous Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires is named in honor of these actions. Viceroyalty of the River Platte The lands of the eastern southern cone of South America, including Argentina, Uruguay, Bolivia, and Paraguay, had been steadily growing in importance for the Spanish crown, mostly because of revenues from the lucrative ranching and leather industry in the Argentine pampas. In 1776, this importance was recognized by the establishment of a Viceregal seat in Buenos Aires, the Viceroyalty of the River Platte. This elevated Buenos Aires to the same status as Lima and Mexico City, although it was still much smaller. The wealth of the colony had made it a target for British expansion. Left to Its Own Devices The Spanish were correct: the British had their eye on Buenos Aires and the rich ranching land it served. In 1806-1807 the British made a determined effort to capture the city. Spain, its resources drained from the devastating loss at the Battle of Trafalgar, was unable to send any help and the citizens of Buenos Aires were forced to fight off the British on their own. This led many to question their loyalties to Spain: in their eyes, Spain took their taxes but did not hold up their end of the bargain when it came to defense. The Peninsular War In 1808, after helping France overrun Portugal, Spain was itself invaded by Napoleonic forces. Charles IV, King of Spain, was forced to abdicate in favor of his son, Ferdinand VII. Ferdinand, in turn, was taken prisoner: he would spend seven years in luxurious confinement in the Chà ¢teau de Valenà §ay in central France. Napoleon, wanting someone he could trust, put his brother Joseph on the throne in Spain. The Spanish despised Joseph, nicknaming him â€Å"Pepe Botella† or â€Å"Bottle Joe† because of his alleged drunkenness. Word Gets Out Spain desperately tried to keep news of this disaster from reaching its colonies. Since the American Revolution, Spain had kept a close eye on its own New World holdings, fearing that the spirit of independence would spread to its lands. They believed that the colonies needed little excuse to cast off Spanish rule. Rumors of a French invasion had been circulating for some time, and several prominent citizens were calling for an independent council to run Buenos Aires while things got sorted out in Spain. On May 13, 1810, a British frigate arrived in Montevideo and confirmed the rumors: Spain had been overrun. May 18-24 Buenos Aires was in an uproar. Spanish Viceroy Baltasar Hidalgo de Cisneros de la Torre pleaded for calm, but on May 18, a group of citizens came to him demanding a town council. Cisneros tried to stall, but the city leaders would not be denied. On May 20, Cisneros met with the leaders of the Spanish military forces garrisoned in Buenos Aires: they said they would not support him and encouraged him to go ahead with the town meeting. The meeting was first held on May 22 and by May 24, a provisional ruling junta which included Cisneros, Creole leader Juan Josà © Castelli, and commander Cornelio Saavedra was created. May 25 The citizens of Buenos Aires did not want former Viceroy Cisneros to continue in any capacity in the new government, so the original junta had to be disbanded. Another junta was created, with Saavedra as president, Dr. Mariano Moreno, and Dr. Juan Josà © Paso as secretaries, and committee members Dr. Manuel Alberti, Miguel de Azcuà ©naga, Dr. Manuel Belgrano, Dr. Juan Josà © Castelli, Domingo Matheu, and Juan Larrea, most of whom were creoles and patriots. The junta declared itself rulers of Buenos Aires until such time as Spain was restored. The junta would last until December 1810, when it was replaced by another one. Legacy May 25 is the date celebrated in Argentina as the Dà ­a de la Revolucià ³n de Mayo, or May Revolution Day. Buenos Aires famous Plaza de Mayo, today known for protests by family members of those who disappeared during Argentinas military regime (1976-1983), is named for this turbulent week in 1810. Although it was intended as a show of loyalty to the Spanish crown, the May Revolution actually started the process of independence for Argentina. In 1814 Ferdinand VII was restored, but by then Argentina had seen enough of Spanish rule. Paraguay had already declared itself independent in 1811. On July 9, 1816, Argentina formally declared independence from Spain, and under the military leadership of Josà © de San Martà ­n was able to defeat Spains attempts to retake it. Source: Shumway, Nicolas. Berkeley: The University of California Press, 1991.