Atlantis the Lost Empire free essay sample

This is a research paper on Atlantis I did in school a couple of years ago. The images that accompany it can be found here It is in the nature of humanity to believe in things that cannot be proven. Every civilization in history has legends and myths. The legend of Atlantis, a lost continent, has survived for over 2000 years, a myth found in many texts and movies. Writers have created whole pantheons for Atlantis. While there may have been an island that sank in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Plato’s Atlantis is hidden in the remnants of a destroyed civilization in the Mediterranean Sea. Plato tells the readers of Timaeus â€Å"In a single day and night of misfortune all your warlike men [the Greeks] in a body sank into the earth, and the island of Atlantis in a like manner disappeared in the depths of the sea (Plato â€Å"Timaeus† 446). We will write a custom essay sample on Atlantis the Lost Empire or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page † In his dialogues, Atlantis is an island, ringed by water, ringed by earth, which is in turn ringed by water with one more ring of land surrounding the island, all in concentric circles (see figure 1). These islands were divided between the ten kings of Atlantis. The Atlanteans built a grand temple of gold and orichalcum (a metal second in value only to gold), dedicated to Poseidon. This temple, along with a magnificent castle, sat on a hill in the center circle. In order to have access to the center of the island, the Atlanteans constructed a canal: â€Å"Beginning from the sea they bored a canal of three hundred feet in width and one hundred feet in depth and fifty stadia [5. 75 miles] in length . . . (Plato â€Å"Critias† 482)† (See figure 2). The canal led to the development of a grand harbor, from which thousands of ships sailed for trade, exploration and empire building. Atlantis conquered all of the Mediterranean except for Greece (the nation that eventually defeated them). They had the strongest navy their world had ever seen, and a technological advantage over all of their enemies. Atlantis supposedly possessed hot and cold running water, plumbing, and many â€Å"modern† conveniences. Their technology made their lives easier, so they had many artisans and wonderful architecture (Plato â€Å"Critias† 483). Even though Atlantis had this technology, they had a religious festival that utilized the most primitive of weapons. The ten kings of the island would hunt a bull using nooses, rather than impale it with spears or arrows, then sacrifice the bull to Poseidon, their patron and, according to Plato, their ancestor. After the sacrifice, the Atlantean monarchs would sit in judgment over their empire. Atlantis met its end at the hands of the Athenians. The Athenian army had grown tired of the domination of the Atlanteans, and fought a bitter battle with them for dominion of the Mediterranean Sea. When the Greeks won, the Atlantean army returned to their island, which was racked by waves and earthquakes until it sank into the depths of the sea. Plato tells a fine story, but some argue that it was simply an analogy for a utopian society that grew corrupt. Plato had invented other lands for the purposes of edification. Atlantis could be just like these other lands that only existed in Plato’s imagination. It has the hallmarks of an epic legend – a race of men that were the children of a god (Poseidon), advanced technology and a mysterious end. Also, he says, â€Å"They despised everything but virtue (Plato â€Å"Critias† 485). † To the Athenians, that would have seemed an optimal civilization. People still wonder if such a perfect place could have existed. There are many reasons to accept Atlantis as real. First, we have the words of Plato himself. He states numerous times that it was a true story, something he never did for his purely fictional nations. In addition, he says that he heard the story from Solon, the great lawmaker of Athens, who heard it from the Egyptians. Solon was a great man, revered by the Athenians for his wisdom and diplomacy (Plutarch). Plato would not have used Solon’s name to lend credence to a work of his imagination. Second, research into medieval maps by Professor Charles Hapgood and his students at Keene State College reveals a system of latitude and longitude that could not have been constructed in the middle ages, or even by the great Greek, Roman or Arabian civilizations. They did not have the tools needed –making accurate maps based on longitude and latitude requires accurate time keeping and calculus. In addition, these maps are much more accurate than other maps drawn in the same period. Some of these maps show the coast of Antarctica without ice. A map from 1532 shows the Ross Sea free of ice, even though ice cores and carbon dating tell us that the Ross Sea froze over 10,000 years ago (see map 1). It is impossible that a medieval cartographer could have mapped the Ross Sea without the Ross Sea Shelf. He must have copied the map from an older map, a chain that stretched back 10,000 years – into the middle of the Paleolithic Age, the very beginning of the Holocene epoch (the current post-ice age era). According to archeologists, there was not a civilization that had been discovered advanced enough to have created these maps, lending weight to Plato’s tale of a lost empire. There is no one â€Å"solution† to the problem of Atlantis. In today’s society of disenchantment, many say that it was simply a fantasy, a parable to warn the Athenians away from hubris. Some archeologists say that they found Atlantis in the Mediterranean Sea – on the isle of Crete. Yet others say that Atlantis really resided in the Atlantic Ocean, but was destroyed by whatever killed the Atlanteans, and will never be found (Keyes). The realists who say that Atlantis was a story cite the lack of evidence of the historic empire. If it was so advanced, there should have been some trace of the island remaining. These people think that, even if Atlantis was wiped from the earth, some Atlanteans would have been off the island, and we should have seen some trace of their civilization appear in other nations. The very fact that there is no proof for the existence of Atlantis supports their beliefs. Those who take Plato at his word argue that, if it sank to the bottom of the sea, it would be difficult to find. Deep Sea exploration is still being developed, and though the entire Atlantic Ocean floor has been mapped, there is little to no digging under the sediment. A massive disturbance in the ocean, such as an island violently falling beneath the waves, would have disturbed the sediments and left the island covered. It is possible that Atlantis lies beneath the sand at the bottom of the ocean, and that is why it has not been found. Plato took the time to explain what the island looked like, their resources and how it came into existence. Details are the heart of good writing, but Plato simply carries it too far for it to be a story. If it was to be a parable, instead of describing the place, he would have described the government and why they were destroyed, especially as he grew older. Plato died before he could finish â€Å"Critias,† and it was supposed to be the second of a trilogy. He would have known that he was nearing the end of his life he was rather old (about 85) and spent his remaining time on teaching, not describing, if that was why he wrote the story. Another theory, a very recent one, is that Atlantean Kingdom was the Minoan Empire, and the island of Atlantis was Thera. There are many striking similarities between Plato’s account of Atlantis and what archeologists have discovered in a buried Minoan city on the island remaining above the sea. In addition, the history of trade in the Mediterranean allows connections to be drawn, explaining why Egyptians had records of the destruction of Atlantis. Even better for this theory: Thera now lies beneath the waves, where before there was a tall volcano, a volcano that collapsed in a single day as it wreaked havoc on the Mediterranean. Thera (Place of Fear) was originally called Kalliste (Place of Beauty) until the volcano on the island erupted. It was an island where all edible fruit grew (much like Atlantis. ) Little is known about Thera because little remains above the sea. What is known is that Thera is an atoll, the circular shape reminiscent of Plato’s description of Atlantis. The eruption of the volcano would have caused tsunamis in the Mediterranean, tsunamis that caused the floods that Plato asserts destroyed both the Atlanteans and the Greeks. Thera was also home to many springs, which could be Plato’s hot and cold fountains (Plato â€Å"Critias† 482). Thera fits what we know of Atlantis’ geography (Pellegrino). When the volcano exploded, it covered surrounding cities in 200 feet of ash. Now, archeologists are digging up a preserved city buried underneath, one that has been undisturbed for 3000 years. The city, dubbed Akrotiri for the modern city built atop the ash, has murals, pottery, indoor plumbing/bathrooms and buildings that would not be out of place in New York City. These innovations were far ahead of other places, and fit what Plato described for Atlantis. The physical evidence points towards Thera as a place for the birth of the Legend of Atlantis (Pellegrino). The Egyptians give more evidence for the case of Thera. They called Thera â€Å"Keftiu,† or roughly â€Å"Sky Pillar (Pellegrino 48). † When this was translated to Greek, they would have related it to Atlas, the man who was turned into a mountain by Perseus, and on whom the heavens rested (Bulfinch, 118). From Atlas, who was supposedly the first of the ten sons of Poseidon and the greatest of Atlantis’ kings, Plato derived both the word Atlantis, and the name for the Atlantic Ocean. Plato says that Solon translated the Egyptian names to Greek, so it is conceivable that the name of the Lost Empire was translated as well. One more fact calls for the examination of â€Å"Timaeus† and â€Å"Critias† in relation to Thera: Thera was part of the Minoan Empire, an empire that revered bulls. The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is derived from the Minoan worship of bulls a trait that Plato gives Atlantis. In the myth, Theseus goes to Knossos (Crete) to defeat the half-human, half-bull Minotaur residing in a labyrinth, winning freedom from the tribute that Athens paid every year (Bulfinch 152). The legend of the Minotaur may be another remnant of the Atlantean story. Proponents of the Thera theory have answers for almost every argument raised against the idea. The biggest problem is the location of Thera, and the timeframe of the volcanic eruption. Thera is found in the mid-eastern part of the Mediterranean, while Plato placed Atlantis outside the Pillars of Hercules, in the Atlantic Ocean. Thera erupted 900 years before Plato’s time, whereas Plato says Atlantis sank into the sea 9000 years before he told the story. This can easily be explained by the human tendency to exaggerate when telling a story, much like the â€Å"whopper story† a caught fish, really eight inches long, becomes two or three feet long. Plato may have exaggerated (or maybe Solon did) to make the story sound better. In addition, there is a scientific premise called Occam’s Razor, which states that for any problem, the simplest solution is usually correct. Based on the evidence found in Crete, the Minoan civilization would appear to be the simplest solution to the problem of Atlantis. Artwork from Egypt that allegedly depicts the Minoans tells us that they were advanced, as Atlantis probably was. Based on what archeologists know, the theory seems probable. The largest problem with that argument is that the Egyptians told Solon that the Atlantis/Greek battle took place 1000 years before the rise of the Egyptian civilization. Egyptian society became based on a hunter-gatherer and fishing culture sometime from 10000-9000 BC, about 8500 years before Plato. Unless the Egyptians were ignorant of their own history, either Solon or Plato would have had to change what the Egyptian tale said, since Thera exploded around 1600 BC. They may have done so to make the story sound better, but this evidence detracts from the Thera solution to the Atlantean legend. There is one other possibility Plato took the history of Thera and mixed it with tales of a disappearing island in the Atlantic Ocean. Exploration of the seas has revealed islands that slowly sank beneath the waves, much like Hawaii is slowly sinking today. Other civilizations have stories of disappearing lands, such as Avalon, from the legends of King Arthur, the Mayan land of Mu, and an island in the Indian Ocean, Lemuria. It is interesting that all of these civilizations have stories of vanishing isles, and that we have maps that could not have been drawn by any known civilization other than our own. Deep-sea exploration indicates that islands that used to be active volcanoes slowly sank after they stopped erupting. These â€Å"disappearing† islands may have been seen, and may have inspired the myths of vanishing islands. The myths, if seen by some as more than legend, could have inspired many stories, including the exaggeration of the tale of Atlantis. There is an island on top of what is today the Mid-Atlantic Ridge that disappears in a series of maps (Hapgood 65). Plato tells his readers that Atlantis was in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. That island over the Mid-Atlantic ridge could have inspired the location of Atlantis, even if it did not meet a violent end. Perhaps Plato merged history with myth, creating a new legend that has kept historians, archeologists, oceanographers and novelists dreaming, searching and creating. When searching for Plato’s Atlantis, archeologists need not look farther than Thera, 200 miles southeast of Greece. This may disappoint some. After all, Atlantis is supposed to be more mysterious than a land destroyed by a volcano, but the evidence (and Occam’s Razor) weighs heavily on the side of the Thera theorists. The Atlantis legend has been brought to life in a dig site underneath the city of Akrotiri, but not all of the mysteries have been solved. There is plenty of digging left to do, and many things to be discovered how to read the language of the Minoans, for example. As time wears on, the legend of Atlantis will be replaced by the true story of Thera, a story just as fascinating as Plato’s tale of a destroyed utopia.

Welfare Program Essays - Federal Assistance In The United States

Welfare Program Welfare is a government program that provides money, medical care, food, housing, and other things that people need in order to survive. People who can receive help from these welfare programs are children, elders, disabled, and others who cannot support their families on their current income. Another name for welfare is public assistance. There are many organizations that supply this public assistance. Such as Salvation Army and other groups. Public assistance benefits help many people who live below the poverty line, an income level is established for families. If your income is below this you would be eligible to receive this help. Welfare in the United States Federal and state governments in the Unites States serve the poor people through about 60 public assistance programs. Most people receive help through one of the four major programs. These programs are Medicaid, Aid to families with dependant Children, Social Security, or Supplemental Security, or the food stamps program. I will discuss the four programs individually. Medicaid provides free medical care to the poor people. Funds vary from state to state. In some situations, people who may be able to pay daily needs, but can't afford large medical bills may also be able to receive Medicaid. Some services paid for are bills such as doctor's visits and nursing home care. Most Medicaid funding comes from the federal government. The rest is supplied by the state. Each state runs their own Medicaid program. A.F.D.C. provides cash benefits to dependent children and the parents or the guardians taking care of them. Most families that qualify for A.F.D.C. have just one parent in the home. About 80 percent of these families are headed by a woman. A.F.D.C. also pays benefits to two-parent families if both parents are unemployed. Most A.F.D.C. funding comes from the federal government. The states provide the rest of the money and administer the program. The sizes of families' payment vary from state to state. Next is Social Security Income. This provides financial Aid to people in need who are at least 65 years old, blind, or disabled. The federal government finances and administers social security income programs in most states, though some states supply the federal payment and are able to run their own programs. Finally, the Food Stamp Program helps low-income households buy more and better food than they could otherwise afford. Each participating household receives a certain number of coupons called food stamps. The stamps are issued by the federal government. The number of stamps a household receives varies with the family's size, income, and expenses. Cooperating grocery stores accept the stamps like money for food purchases only. There are other programs such as energy assistance and public housing. Energy assistance, which is federally financed but administered by the states, helps people pay fuel bills. Public housing provides low cost rental apartments in government owned buildings. State and local governments fund and administer their own general assistance programs. These programs provide financial aid for needy people who do not qualify for other types of welfare. People waiting to receive assistance from other programs also may get temporary emergency aid from general assistance. Back in the early days, welfare resembled the English system. Social governments were responsible for helping the poor. But the colonies and later the states, sometimes helped the local government provide aid. The first federal welfare program, began after the Revolutionary War, they provided pensions to war veterans. During the Civil War these pensions were expanded to cover soldiers' widows and orphans. In the early 1900's, primary responsibility for providing welfare benefits shifted from local to state governments. During these years, states enacted programs to aid dependent children and the elderly. The criticisms of welfare ranges over a number of social and economic issues. Some people criticize welfare programs for not providing high enough benefits to eliminate poverty. Spending on welfare would have to increase greatly to eliminate poverty, and many people believe the cost is already too high. Many critics of the welfare system charge that providing a steady income to needy people encourages idleness. Actually, most welfare benefits go to elderly, blind, and disabled people and mothers with young children. But welfare does discourage some recipients

Creating a Sample Appreciative Essay

Creating a Sample Appreciative EssayCreating a sample beloved essay is easier than you think. Here are a few tips to get you started.The first thing to do is to figure out what format your sample essay will be in. For example, you may want a PDF, a Word file, or even an E-book. These are all good formats to use and you can also find a lot of sample essays online which will make this process even easier.Next, choose a text format. A text format will allow you to use the layout options you desire as well as all the formatting features available. You can start by choosing from the free Word format that is pre-installed on your computer.Then, when you download the free sample essay templates, select the Word template that you like best and will give you the most freedom. You may also find that you prefer one that allows you to set the style and layout options the way you want them.Now, save your work in your new text format. You will want to make sure that you have all of the required he ader information, dates, and background information. You will also want to change the font type so that you have a much more pleasant-looking essay.Finally, add your signature and put your name at the top of the document and at the bottom as well. This is to ensure that your sample essay is official and that no one can get away with passing it off as their own work.These are the steps to take to get a final word. Once you finish your sample beloved essay, you may want to add it to your portfolio for future reference. It may even get included in your resume.

Free Essays on Samuel Adams

Among those who signed the Declaration of Independence, and were conspicuous in the revolution, there existed, of course, a great diversity of intellectual endowments; nor did all render to their country, in those perilous days, the same important services. Like the luminaries of heavens each contributed his portion of influence; but, like them, they differed, as star differeth from star in glory. But in the constellation of great men, which adorned that era, few shone with more brilliancy, or exercised a more powerful influence than Samuel Adams. This gentleman was born at Quincy, in Massachusetts, September 22d, 1722, in the neighbourhood afterwards rendered memorable as the birth place of Hancock, and as the residence of the distinguished family which has given two presidents to the United States. His descent was from a respectable family, which emigrated to America with the first settlers of the land. In the year 1736, he became a member of Harvard University, where he was distinguished for an uncommon attention to all his collegiate exercises, and for his classical and scientific attainments. On taking the degree of master, in 1743, he proposed the following question, "Whether it be lawful to resist the supreme magistrate, if the commonwealth cannot be otherwise preserved?" He maintained the affirmative; and in this collegiate exercise furnished no dubious evidence of his attachment to the liberties of the people. On leaving the university, he began the study of law, for which profession his father designed him; but at the solicitation of his mother, this pursuit was relinquished, and he became a clerk in the counting house of Thomas Cushing, at that time a distinguished merchant. But his genius was not adapted to mercantile pursuits; and in a short time after commencing business for himself, partly owing to the failure in business of a friend, and partly to injudicious management, he lost the entire capital which ha... Free Essays on Samuel Adams Free Essays on Samuel Adams Among those who signed the Declaration of Independence, and were conspicuous in the revolution, there existed, of course, a great diversity of intellectual endowments; nor did all render to their country, in those perilous days, the same important services. Like the luminaries of heavens each contributed his portion of influence; but, like them, they differed, as star differeth from star in glory. But in the constellation of great men, which adorned that era, few shone with more brilliancy, or exercised a more powerful influence than Samuel Adams. This gentleman was born at Quincy, in Massachusetts, September 22d, 1722, in the neighbourhood afterwards rendered memorable as the birth place of Hancock, and as the residence of the distinguished family which has given two presidents to the United States. His descent was from a respectable family, which emigrated to America with the first settlers of the land. In the year 1736, he became a member of Harvard University, where he was distinguished for an uncommon attention to all his collegiate exercises, and for his classical and scientific attainments. On taking the degree of master, in 1743, he proposed the following question, "Whether it be lawful to resist the supreme magistrate, if the commonwealth cannot be otherwise preserved?" He maintained the affirmative; and in this collegiate exercise furnished no dubious evidence of his attachment to the liberties of the people. On leaving the university, he began the study of law, for which profession his father designed him; but at the solicitation of his mother, this pursuit was relinquished, and he became a clerk in the counting house of Thomas Cushing, at that time a distinguished merchant. But his genius was not adapted to mercantile pursuits; and in a short time after commencing business for himself, partly owing to the failure in business of a friend, and partly to injudicious management, he lost the entire capital which ha...

All About the United States Space of the 1960s

All About the United States Space of the 1960s In 1961, President John F. Kennedy proclaimed to a Joint Session of Congress that â€Å"this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before the decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth.† Thus began the Space Race that would lead us to achieve his goal and be the first to have a person walk on the moon. Historical Background At the conclusion World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were decidedly the world’s major superpowers.  In addition to being engaged in a Cold War, they competed against each other in other ways.  The Space Race was a competition between the U.S. and the Soviets for the exploration of space using satellites and manned spacecraft.  It was also a race to see which superpower could reach the moon first. On May 25, 1961, in requesting between $7 billion and $9 billion for the space program, President Kennedy told Congress that he felt a national goal should be that of sending someone to the moon and getting him back home safely. When President Kennedy requested this additional funding for the space program, the Soviet Union was well ahead of the United States. Many viewed their achievements as a coup not only for the USSR but also for communism. Kennedy knew that he had to restore confidence in the American public and stated that Everything we do and ought to do should be tied in to getting on to the Moon ahead of the Russians... we hope to beat the USSR to demonstrate that instead of being behind by a couple of years, by God, we passed them.† NASA and Project Mercury The United States space program began on October 7, 1958, just six days after the formation of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), when its administrator, T. Keith Glennan, announced that they were starting a manned spacecraft program. Its first stepping stone to manned flight, Project Mercury, began that same year and was completed in 1963.  It was the United States first program designed to put men in space and made six manned flights between 1961 and 1963.  The main objectives of Project Mercury were to have an individual orbit around the Earth in a spacecraft, explore a person’s function ability in space, and determine safe recovery techniques of both an astronaut and a spacecraft. On February 28, 1959, NASA launched the United States’ first spy satellite, the Discover 1; and then on August 7, 1959, the Explorer 6 was launched and provided the very first photographs of the Earth from space.  On May 5, 1961, Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he made a 15-minute suborbital flight aboard Freedom 7. On February 20, 1962, John Glenn made the first U.S. orbital flight aboard the Mercury 6. Program Gemini The major objective of Program Gemini was to develop some very specific spacecraft and in-flight capabilities in support of the upcoming Apollo Program.  The Gemini program consisted of 12 two-man spacecraft that were designed to orbit the Earth. They were launched between 1964 and 1966, with 10 of the flights being manned.  Gemini was designed to experiment with and test the astronaut’s ability to manually maneuver the spacecraft.  Gemini proved very useful by developing the techniques for orbital docking that would later be crucial for the Apollo series and their lunar landing. In an unmanned flight, NASA launched its first two-seat spacecraft, the Gemini 1, on April 8, 1964. On March 23, 1965, the first two-person crew launched in the Gemini 3 with astronaut Gus Grissom becoming the first man to make two flights in space.  Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space on June 3, 1965, aboard the Gemini 4. White maneuvered outside his spacecraft for approximately 20 minutes, which demonstrated an astronaut’s ability to perform necessary tasks while in space. On August 21, 1965, the Gemini 5 launched on an eight-day mission, the longest lasting at the time.  This mission was vital because it proved that both humans and spacecraft were able to endure spaceflight for the amount of time required for a Moon landing and up to a maximum of two weeks in space. Then, on December 15, 1965, the Gemini 6 performed a rendezvous with the Gemini 7.  In March 1966, the Gemini 8, commanded by Neil Armstrong, docked with an Agena rocket, making it the first docking of two spacecraft while on orbit. On November 11, 1966, Gemini 12, piloted by Edwin â€Å"Buzz† Aldrin, became the first manned spacecraft to make a re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere that was automatically controlled. The Gemini program was a success and moved the United States ahead of the Soviet Union in Space Race. Apollo Moon Landing Program The Apollo program resulted in 11 space flights and 12 astronauts walking on the moon.  The astronauts studied the lunar surface and collected moon rocks that could be scientifically studied on Earth.  The first four Apollo Program flights tested the equipment that would be used to successfully land on the moon. Surveyor 1 made the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon on June 2, 1966.  It was an unmanned lunar landing craft that took pictures and gathered data about the moon in order to help prepare NASA for the manned lunar landing. The Soviet Union had actually beat the Americans with this by landing their own unmanned craft on the moon, Luna 9, four months earlier. Tragedy struck on January 27, 1967, when the entire crew of three astronauts, Gus Grissom, Edward H. White, and Roger B. Chaffee, for the Apollo 1 mission suffocated to death from smoke inhalation during a cabin fire while in a launch pad test.  A review board report released on April 5, 1967, identified a number of problems with the Apollo spacecraft, including the use of flammable material and the need for the door latch to be easier to open from the inside. It took until October 9, 1968 to complete the necessary modifications. Two days later, Apollo 7 became the first manned Apollo mission as well as the first time that astronauts were telecast live from space during an 11-day orbit around the Earth.   In December 1968, the Apollo 8 became the first manned spacecraft to orbit the Moon.  Frank Borman and James Lovell (both veterans of the Gemini Project), along with rookie astronaut William Anders, made 10 lunar orbits in a 20-hour time period. On Christmas Eve, they transmitted televised images of the Moon’s lunar surface. In March 1969, the Apollo 9 tested the lunar module and rendezvous and docking while orbiting the Earth. In addition, they tested the full lunar spacewalk suit with its Portable Life Support System outside the Lunar Module. On May 22, 1969, Apollo 10’s Lunar Module, named Snoopy, flew within 8.6 miles of the surface of the Moon.   History was made on July 20, 1969, when the Apollo 11 landed on the moon. Astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz Aldrin landed at the â€Å"Sea of Tranquility†. As Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the Moon, he proclaimed Thats one small step for a man. One giant leap for mankind. Apollo 11 spent a total of 21 hours, 36 minutes on the lunar surface, with 2 hours, 31 minutes spent outside the spacecraft. Astronauts walked on the lunar surface, took photographs, and collected samples from the surface.  The entire time Apollo 11 was on the Moon, there was a continuous feed of black-and-white television back to Earth. On July 24, 1969, President Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon and a safe return to Earth before the end of the decade was realized, but unfortunately, Kennedy was unable to see his dream fulfilled, as he had been assassinated nearly six years earlier.   The crew of the Apollo 11 landed in the Central Pacific Ocean aboard command module Columbia, landing a mere 15 miles from the recovery ship. When the astronauts arrived on the USS Hornet, President Richard M. Nixon was waiting to greet them on their successful return. Manned space missions did not end once this mission was fulfilled. Memorably, the command module of Apollo 13 was ruptured by an explosion on April 13, 1970. The astronauts climbed into the lunar module and saved their lives by doing a slingshot around the Moon in order to speed up their return to Earth. Apollo 15 launched on July 26, 1971, carrying a Lunar Roving Vehicle and enhanced life support to enable the astronauts to better explore the Moon. On December 19, 1972, Apollo 17 returned to Earth after the United States last mission to the Moon. On January 5, 1972, President Richard Nixon announced the birth of the Space Shuttle program â€Å"designed to help transform the space frontier of the 1970s into familiar territory, easily accessible for human endeavor in the 1980s and 90s. This would lead to a new era that would include 135 Space Shuttle missions, ending with the last flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis on July 21, 2011.

Analysis of USA PATRIOT ACT Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of USA PATRIOT ACT - Research Paper Example At the same time, it enables the federal authorities to identify and intercept communications made with malicious intentions (Henderson, 2001). The fourth amendment does not cloak information such as an individual’s bank and telephone records to and from an individual’s account. Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Street Act of 1968 limits some of the authorities given by the patriotism act, while at the same time living a very narrow margin for electronic surveillance (Kraft & Furlong, 2013). The act certainly intended for a close, and symbiotic relation amongst foreign intelligence investigations, criminal investigators, much greater emphasis was in international terrorism cases. Due to this, it amends the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). Initially to apply for FISA, an order to do some surveillance under FISA required one to certify that the reason for the surveillance is to obtain foreign intelligence information. This lead to the defendants frequently questioning whether the FISA order was applied to them to avoid the predicate crime threshold. This led to the notion that there might be other reasons for the application of the FISA order. Criminal prosecution was in the spotlight, and it was required to end the surveillance or secure an order under Title III (Henderson, 2001). Even though, both foreign intelligence and criminal investigations are carried out in the US. A criminal investigation is after information about illegal activities whereas foreign intelligence is not restricted to hostile, criminal or governmental activities since what is important is it being foreign (Henderson, 2001). Though a complete ban on FISA Act is not present, the Supreme Court cleared the air by saying presidential authority to attain national security was not enough to excuse warrantless tapping of a suspect with no identifiable foreign connections

NONE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

NONE - Essay Example For this reason, he purports that capitalists simply get paid for their patience in not using their money on consumer goods (Buchholz 128). However, as much as this may be true, Marx opines that labor is known to produce a surplus that goes far beyond its wages and the wear and tear that is sustained by the capital used. I totally agree with Marx that the wrong done here is exploiting the surplus by others in the form of labor. The reason why I think that Marx’s reasoning here is valid is the fact that capitalists usually enjoy the highest benefits from sale of products where as the laborers are usually the least compensated. A good example to explain the validity of Marx’s reasoning here would be to look at the amount of labor that goes into manufacturing contemporary product such as luxury cars. As much as it is prudent to appreciate the waiting that capitalists have to wait, and the sacrifices that they make by not spending their money on buying consumer goods, I do not think that this can be compared to the work that laborers put in, and the amount of compensation they receive. Many big companies today are owned by rich capitalists who pump in huge sums of their money as capital. These capitalists usually employ laborers who work hard to ensure that the final product is up to standard (Beb 29). However, when these products are sold, it is the capitalists who receive and enjoy the most amount of profit after having used the labor and expertise of others. It would be unrealistic to expect the capitalists and the laborers to enjoy the same amount of profit. However, fact remains that the investors in blue chip companies usually enjoy way much more profit than the laborers who put their efforts in coming up with final products that will be sold to bring money to the companies. I think that Marx’s reasoning here was