We have just completed a 250 bag order for "the amaising store" based out of Mallya Aditi International School. The order consisted of smaller black bags without pouches. The bags were made from recycled cloth from surplus markets.
This order has tested our production system since they had only two working days in which to deliver the entire order. This dry run has proven the integrity of our supply chain and we are now ready to take on much larger orders. We are hoping to sign a 10,000 bag order with Spar by the end of this month.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
eco bag
The Eco Bag story starts way back in 2002 when the Australian Federal Government studied the use of throwaway plastic bags and threatened to outlaw them if retailers did not voluntarily discourage their use.Then in 2003 the government negotiated with the Australian Retailers Association for a voluntary progressive reduction of plastic bag use which led to a number of initiatives, including the widespread distribution and promotion of Green Bags.Green bags have taken Australia by storm, replacing over 80 percent of plastic bags at supermarkets and grocery stores. These bags are made out of hardy polymers or paper and are reusable and recyclable. Green Bags have become a fashion statement in Australia and its almost taboo to be caught walking on the streets swinging about the dreaded plastic packet.This is the template we had in mind when we approached Small Steps and major Indian retailers and industrialists hoping to implement a similar scheme in India as well. The pilot city would be Namma Bengaluru. The potential for such an endevour is seemingly infinite ; supermarket chains around the city churn out tens of thousands of plastic bags every single day. Unfortunately, though the factories producing these bags are in full swing around the clock, facilities to dispose of this waste are almost non-existent.At many supermarkets the plastic psyche is so deeply entrenched that entire packaging, accounting and even security systems have been designed and created around them. Many shops don't allow you to leave the premises without requesting you to display a plastic bag sealed with another ugly plastic loop, to verify that you didn't indulge in any shop lifting on your way out. In some other supermarkets, goods from separate sections such as fruits , vegetables and breads are placed in separate packets for the sake of organization and classification, and are then shoved without flinching into yet another gaudy plastic bag. Even though people don't seem to make a fuss , on the inside they must be cringing.This is the sentiment we hope to ride on. We believe that if people are given a choice , given the opportunity and the means to change the status quo they will rise to the occasion and support an initiative like eco bags. All they have to do is pay a nominal fee , 10-15 rs to purchase a small steps eco bag and suddenly they own the means to combat a serious cause of environmental degradation. We hope to make these bags available at every major supermarket retail outlet and provide people with choice , hope and change.The bags will be financed in part by corporate sponsorship via advertisements printed on the bags and it is an excellent opportunity for companies to put their money where their mouths are and flex their green muscles. Through the advertising revenue we hope to achieve economic sustainability and since the bags are produced by women producer groups in villages it already fulfills the criteria of social sustainability. These terms should now become a norm in our economic and business language and we hope that this initiative is the first small steps towards this ambitious goal. Plastic bags may be disposably cheap but their true costs are certainly not reflected in their price. In the end is up to the consumers to take the call , pick up the baton and step up to the plate with their full support and enthusiasm in order to make the eco bag a roaring success story in India's epic novel of sustainable growth.
"The Small Steps shopping bags are not intended for profit. They are, however, intended to be socially sustainable. Though Upasana Design Studio is coordinating the first round of Small Steps bag production, our eventual goal is to place this project in the hands of the people.Through village outreach and training, villagers will be taught how to craft these compact, lightweight bags out of locally-available materials and they may sell them to either create or enhance their livelihood.By promoting the use of cloth bags, Small Steps is trying to clean the roads. But equally as important, it is also trying to create jobs." - {http://smallsteps.in/node/24} http://www.smallsteps.in/
Confluence:
It is our hope that by getting major retailers and industrialists involved in this powerful "small steps" movement and by exposing them to the potential of environmental sustainability we can accelerate the creation of an environmental economy which is viable and self nourishing.
By bringing such concepts to the masses and enabling individuals to make a concious decision to protect the environment while going about their daily groccery shopping , we hope to offer more than juts a bag. We hope to offer them a feeling of empowerment ; the idea that this action of theirs , spending a nominal amount to purchase a small step back and say no to plastic, is real and apparent and current. Not theoretical or ideological, but tangible and viceral. The choice has been made by them , the bag bought by them , the plastic averted by them and the change created by them. In order to handle the massive egological problems that face our country as a whole, we must become the change we wish to see, believe the change we want to see and support the change we can all partake in.
This is all we hope to achieve; change. change we can belive in , change we can take part in and change we can create. People are ready for this kind of change. Consumers are become more concious, retailers are becoming smarter and more sensitive and producers are creating environmentally friendly products. All that there is left to do is connect the dots and act, before it is too late.
The design of the eco - bag is slowly evolving.It started off as an extremely cheap cost effective product which could be manufactured in bulk and very cheaply. There wasn't much innovation and variation as far as design went. After the strategic shift in the project; from almost giving away the bags to the customers to selling the bag as a product in itself the designs and quality of the bags have gotten more elaborate and chic.The bags have lost their metal zippers which are not as reliable as say velcro or a simple fold in flap. The bags are now available in a variety of colours; green , pitch black , pink , purple and orange. The bags have varied designs and sizes, some that optimise on strength others which excel at aesthetic appeal. One range is being developed specifically for women, with envelopingly sexy new designs and a touch of the hottest fashion. A range of new enticing materials have been developed; from fabrics that encompass the tactile experience of leather, to the engrossing flash of a silk like material. These exciting new materials and designs promise to deliver bags dripping in a exorbitant delight for all the senses, a sensual extravaganza. If you want to shop well than shop HOT!
"The Small Steps shopping bags are not intended for profit. They are, however, intended to be socially sustainable. Though Upasana Design Studio is coordinating the first round of Small Steps bag production, our eventual goal is to place this project in the hands of the people.Through village outreach and training, villagers will be taught how to craft these compact, lightweight bags out of locally-available materials and they may sell them to either create or enhance their livelihood.By promoting the use of cloth bags, Small Steps is trying to clean the roads. But equally as important, it is also trying to create jobs." - {http://smallsteps.in/node/24} http://www.smallsteps.in/
Confluence:
It is our hope that by getting major retailers and industrialists involved in this powerful "small steps" movement and by exposing them to the potential of environmental sustainability we can accelerate the creation of an environmental economy which is viable and self nourishing.
By bringing such concepts to the masses and enabling individuals to make a concious decision to protect the environment while going about their daily groccery shopping , we hope to offer more than juts a bag. We hope to offer them a feeling of empowerment ; the idea that this action of theirs , spending a nominal amount to purchase a small step back and say no to plastic, is real and apparent and current. Not theoretical or ideological, but tangible and viceral. The choice has been made by them , the bag bought by them , the plastic averted by them and the change created by them. In order to handle the massive egological problems that face our country as a whole, we must become the change we wish to see, believe the change we want to see and support the change we can all partake in.
This is all we hope to achieve; change. change we can belive in , change we can take part in and change we can create. People are ready for this kind of change. Consumers are become more concious, retailers are becoming smarter and more sensitive and producers are creating environmentally friendly products. All that there is left to do is connect the dots and act, before it is too late.
The design of the eco - bag is slowly evolving.It started off as an extremely cheap cost effective product which could be manufactured in bulk and very cheaply. There wasn't much innovation and variation as far as design went. After the strategic shift in the project; from almost giving away the bags to the customers to selling the bag as a product in itself the designs and quality of the bags have gotten more elaborate and chic.The bags have lost their metal zippers which are not as reliable as say velcro or a simple fold in flap. The bags are now available in a variety of colours; green , pitch black , pink , purple and orange. The bags have varied designs and sizes, some that optimise on strength others which excel at aesthetic appeal. One range is being developed specifically for women, with envelopingly sexy new designs and a touch of the hottest fashion. A range of new enticing materials have been developed; from fabrics that encompass the tactile experience of leather, to the engrossing flash of a silk like material. These exciting new materials and designs promise to deliver bags dripping in a exorbitant delight for all the senses, a sensual extravaganza. If you want to shop well than shop HOT!
Monday, February 4, 2008
speech for gordon brown
Ladies and Gentlemen: honourable speaker, for too long now has the voice of dissent been heard in this grand hall, the last administration served only to divide us and ignite the fire of many disagreements, steeped in controversy the unity that held us together has faded dramatically. Now comes the time for that unity to shine through again as we stand bold against the perils which face us today. I promise you all as I have promised the British people, that you will have a breath of fresh air, that shall rejuvenate this great country and pull us all closer together.
I stand for the best interests of Britain, the Iraq war which has served only to divide us and all that we have strived for, it is an issue I promise to tackle with a bold new perspective, in order to bring our troops back home as soon as possible and stop the mindless bloodshed that haunts humanity today. Instead of stubbornly prolonging these massive drain on the resources of the British people; we shall work towards withdrawing our troops through a comprehensive schedule. Iraq must be divided into four sovereign states if its stability is to be maintained, each sector with its own governance and ethnic population. The job of policing these states will become much easier, instead of trying to bring order to one large area of chaos. UN peacekeeping troops will be sufficient to maintain the temporary stability required for the government in those states to stamp out the insurgents who terrorize the efforts of peace. Far from slinking away from this disaster Britain will continue to support Iraq, but in a far more sensible manner, by breaking the issue into more manageable parts, which do not require the presence of so many British troops and will allow the Iraqis to take the responsibility for their countries well being into their own hands. Once the states have stabilized their specific areas the UN can host free election for the entire country without the looming terror of insurgents.
This innovative fresh forward-looking approach shall continue with this government’s interaction with the international community. Talks with the European Union shall take on a new life, as we shall continue to protect the interests of Britain while being more open to the ideas of cooperation with Europe. We shall no longer neglect china and the Asia-pacific countries for this administration has the ability to identify the prosperity and growth we can share in together. Bi-lateral talks with these soon to be super powers shall be initiated with great vigour and we shall rise together, pulling Britain to the great economic footing it has the potential to achieve.
Trust in our government shall be renewed in the British people, not only will my ears be open to them, but I shall listen intently to my opposition for I know there is much to learn from everybody around me, in order to run this country to the best of my ability. In this new era it is co-operation and mutual understanding that shall shine through the strongest. Gone are the days when a man standing before you can spin and twist his words to delude you and this country. Trust, honour, honesty and hard work are what I believe in and I believe my merit can only be measured by what I do for the people. I promise to completely readdress our education system, to place all the people of Britain on par with the world’s increasingly difficult information and knowledge race. We shall not be left out of the modern technology sprint.
It is my great honour to serve this country, it is my honour to be able to do it with men and women like you, it is my honour to lead this country to a fresh field of opportunity and I shall not let you or the British people down. Even as the claws of terrorism work to destroy us, even us the perils of climate change rise higher and the wars we fight make us weary, the spirit of the British people is unquenchable and the very least I can do is reciprocate that inspiring tenacity.
I stand for the best interests of Britain, the Iraq war which has served only to divide us and all that we have strived for, it is an issue I promise to tackle with a bold new perspective, in order to bring our troops back home as soon as possible and stop the mindless bloodshed that haunts humanity today. Instead of stubbornly prolonging these massive drain on the resources of the British people; we shall work towards withdrawing our troops through a comprehensive schedule. Iraq must be divided into four sovereign states if its stability is to be maintained, each sector with its own governance and ethnic population. The job of policing these states will become much easier, instead of trying to bring order to one large area of chaos. UN peacekeeping troops will be sufficient to maintain the temporary stability required for the government in those states to stamp out the insurgents who terrorize the efforts of peace. Far from slinking away from this disaster Britain will continue to support Iraq, but in a far more sensible manner, by breaking the issue into more manageable parts, which do not require the presence of so many British troops and will allow the Iraqis to take the responsibility for their countries well being into their own hands. Once the states have stabilized their specific areas the UN can host free election for the entire country without the looming terror of insurgents.
This innovative fresh forward-looking approach shall continue with this government’s interaction with the international community. Talks with the European Union shall take on a new life, as we shall continue to protect the interests of Britain while being more open to the ideas of cooperation with Europe. We shall no longer neglect china and the Asia-pacific countries for this administration has the ability to identify the prosperity and growth we can share in together. Bi-lateral talks with these soon to be super powers shall be initiated with great vigour and we shall rise together, pulling Britain to the great economic footing it has the potential to achieve.
Trust in our government shall be renewed in the British people, not only will my ears be open to them, but I shall listen intently to my opposition for I know there is much to learn from everybody around me, in order to run this country to the best of my ability. In this new era it is co-operation and mutual understanding that shall shine through the strongest. Gone are the days when a man standing before you can spin and twist his words to delude you and this country. Trust, honour, honesty and hard work are what I believe in and I believe my merit can only be measured by what I do for the people. I promise to completely readdress our education system, to place all the people of Britain on par with the world’s increasingly difficult information and knowledge race. We shall not be left out of the modern technology sprint.
It is my great honour to serve this country, it is my honour to be able to do it with men and women like you, it is my honour to lead this country to a fresh field of opportunity and I shall not let you or the British people down. Even as the claws of terrorism work to destroy us, even us the perils of climate change rise higher and the wars we fight make us weary, the spirit of the British people is unquenchable and the very least I can do is reciprocate that inspiring tenacity.
Burn In Hell
Global warming, for how long can it remain an inconvenient truth?
It’s an extremely valid question, I mean get real how much longer can it possibly take for policy makers, business men and governments to pull their fists out of their ears and take heed of the warning signs screaming at them.
In a massive jump to attention the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to the people of this planet, I really don’t know what is.
The massive host of data, statistics, information, research and experiments that absolutely prove that global warming is indeed human induced and will destroy our climate, is enough to fill all the gaudy mansions of India’s corrupt politicians, which is no mean feat seeing that situation. Governments are instrumental in implementing the massive change that is required to make even the slightest of dents in this horrifying situation. Unfortunately signs from that side don’t seem so promising. America’s continued refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol agreement just scratched the surface of the utter denial that persists in the policies of the fabled Bush administration.
In a move that defied all logic and sensibility, the House of Representatives on august 4th disagreed about a proposal to reduce the fuel thirst of American cars. Unbelievably, they also passed up the opportunity to lavish more subsidies on ethanol. They did not even bother to consider a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gases. Instead they’re brilliant holistic solution was to build more windmills. These cannot even begin to compete with the coal fired monster plants, especially in southern states where the country is not mountainous and offer meager wind speeds. Such eco friendly energy initiatives will be of any real use only if it part of much larger policy including all the neglected areas mentioned above. The current scheme; when in doubt about energy policy, build more windmills, will not get us anywhere near to solving this world crisis.
Another example of a slightly neurotic piece of policy making can be seen in Beijing, where air pollution levels are so devastatingly high that the international Olympic committee president Jacques Rogge warned that some events such as long-distance races might have to be postponed as pollution in the games area was found to be so high as to effect the performance of athletes. Imagine a situation in which the race has to be stopped because the athletes are choking on noxious traffic fumes, it’s absurd; imagine the daily life of a Chinese citizen. So what’s the government’s solution to this problem? One would expect them to try and curb the 1000 new cars to the road everyday by beefing up mass public transport or at least improving legislation on more fuel-efficient or eco friendly cars. Ha! Fat chance, their brilliant quick fix solution really takes the cake. They intend to ban 1.3million cars off the roads for the duration of the games then allow them right back on after the world sees a falsely clean and green china. How do they decide which cars stay and which cars are “rested”, well isn’t it obvious; under the plan cars with odd and even numbers will be permitted to ply on the roads on alternate days and violators will be heavily fined. If anybody thinks this is just a practical joke on the governments part {I really don’t blame you} well think again because Beijing has already implemented a four day trial of this pretty much crazy scheme. The moment the Olympic games are over, Beijing’s 3 million cars will stream back on the streets as if nothing had ever happened, only to crush Beijingers short-lived experience of breathable air.
The human race has a seriously big problem on its hands and the dazed and confused works of various governments are taking us one step forward and ten steps back. Businesses don’t seem to be pulling their weight either, with massive protests against environmental taxes being levied against them or pressure to clean up their act. More dangerously companies are quickly catching up with the idea of dedicating about half a percent of their resources to the environment and then claiming and broadly publicizing themselves as the planet’s saviors. Even the rock star Sting’s cries of SOS at the recent live earth concerts, cant seem to stir the world into practical action to combat global warming. As long as environmentalism remains a pet project, a source of good PR and a ramshackle political initiative, the planets situation will continue to disintegrate at the frightening pace it has reached after the industrial revolution. If we don’t act now, regardless of our religion or atheism, we’ll end up burning in a hell, created on our very own dear blue planet
It’s an extremely valid question, I mean get real how much longer can it possibly take for policy makers, business men and governments to pull their fists out of their ears and take heed of the warning signs screaming at them.
In a massive jump to attention the intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPCC) has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to the people of this planet, I really don’t know what is.
The massive host of data, statistics, information, research and experiments that absolutely prove that global warming is indeed human induced and will destroy our climate, is enough to fill all the gaudy mansions of India’s corrupt politicians, which is no mean feat seeing that situation. Governments are instrumental in implementing the massive change that is required to make even the slightest of dents in this horrifying situation. Unfortunately signs from that side don’t seem so promising. America’s continued refusal to sign the Kyoto protocol agreement just scratched the surface of the utter denial that persists in the policies of the fabled Bush administration.
In a move that defied all logic and sensibility, the House of Representatives on august 4th disagreed about a proposal to reduce the fuel thirst of American cars. Unbelievably, they also passed up the opportunity to lavish more subsidies on ethanol. They did not even bother to consider a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade scheme for greenhouse gases. Instead they’re brilliant holistic solution was to build more windmills. These cannot even begin to compete with the coal fired monster plants, especially in southern states where the country is not mountainous and offer meager wind speeds. Such eco friendly energy initiatives will be of any real use only if it part of much larger policy including all the neglected areas mentioned above. The current scheme; when in doubt about energy policy, build more windmills, will not get us anywhere near to solving this world crisis.
Another example of a slightly neurotic piece of policy making can be seen in Beijing, where air pollution levels are so devastatingly high that the international Olympic committee president Jacques Rogge warned that some events such as long-distance races might have to be postponed as pollution in the games area was found to be so high as to effect the performance of athletes. Imagine a situation in which the race has to be stopped because the athletes are choking on noxious traffic fumes, it’s absurd; imagine the daily life of a Chinese citizen. So what’s the government’s solution to this problem? One would expect them to try and curb the 1000 new cars to the road everyday by beefing up mass public transport or at least improving legislation on more fuel-efficient or eco friendly cars. Ha! Fat chance, their brilliant quick fix solution really takes the cake. They intend to ban 1.3million cars off the roads for the duration of the games then allow them right back on after the world sees a falsely clean and green china. How do they decide which cars stay and which cars are “rested”, well isn’t it obvious; under the plan cars with odd and even numbers will be permitted to ply on the roads on alternate days and violators will be heavily fined. If anybody thinks this is just a practical joke on the governments part {I really don’t blame you} well think again because Beijing has already implemented a four day trial of this pretty much crazy scheme. The moment the Olympic games are over, Beijing’s 3 million cars will stream back on the streets as if nothing had ever happened, only to crush Beijingers short-lived experience of breathable air.
The human race has a seriously big problem on its hands and the dazed and confused works of various governments are taking us one step forward and ten steps back. Businesses don’t seem to be pulling their weight either, with massive protests against environmental taxes being levied against them or pressure to clean up their act. More dangerously companies are quickly catching up with the idea of dedicating about half a percent of their resources to the environment and then claiming and broadly publicizing themselves as the planet’s saviors. Even the rock star Sting’s cries of SOS at the recent live earth concerts, cant seem to stir the world into practical action to combat global warming. As long as environmentalism remains a pet project, a source of good PR and a ramshackle political initiative, the planets situation will continue to disintegrate at the frightening pace it has reached after the industrial revolution. If we don’t act now, regardless of our religion or atheism, we’ll end up burning in a hell, created on our very own dear blue planet
Global warming
Global warming
College gathering
Global warming is the single greatest challenge humanity has to face, unlike nuclear proliferation it doesn't pose the of-chance of total annihilation but instead a much greater likelihood of the slow poising of our planet which we will soon be powerless to stop. Radical new technologies have created a deadly alliance with old polluting habits resulting in the degradation of our environment. As college students the future is in your hands, you will go out into this world and have to live with what it is. Do you want to suffer the consequences of global warming and allow your children to go through the same horror or do you want to make a difference in our world’s fate.
This is no hoax I assure all of you, conflicting media reports might have confused you till now but this issue is real and deadly. If measures are not taken immediately global warming will reach uncontrollable proportions, already we are nearing the point of no return. The IPCC's most recent extensive research endeavour has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to all of us, who knows what is. The time has come and gone for deliberation about the immediacy and importance of global warming. You can no longer be blinded by the critics who have wrongfully labelled this issue as a hoax or an exaggeration. The situation is far worse than even the direst assessments.
It is up to you to educate people and make them aware about these dangerous, go out there write your thesis’s and doctorates on this issue, it is of vital importance. We must try and educate the public. I encourage all of you doing science to delve into research on this area and any of you working on policy, law and politics to focus your attentions on these problems as you graduate. Why even now you can make a difference, join the protest against polluting companies, boycott their products; write letters to the government encouraging them to take action. Even in you daily life, be more aware, conserve electricity, use only public transport and follow the practical action list on www.liveearth.org to combat global warming on a personal level.
All of humanities past, present and future accomplishments hang in the balance. Soon global warming will spiral out of control. The raging power of our planet warns us of our impending fate. Look at the devastation it can wreak through natural disasters. If we are to destroy the only planet we have, were then shall we go. It is our duty and moral responsibility not only as students and citizens but as the representatives of the entire human race history to face this problem head on and not turn away in ignorance. Never before has humanity had the resources, the technologies, the international political stability and co-operation to address this massive problem. We have put men on the moon, sent satellites deep into outer space, split the atom and built towering monoliths , why then should the unquenchable spirit of mankind be crushed by our greed and ignorance of our environment. This is where we shall make our stand, this is when we shall be united and stand together to face the challenge that lies ahead of us, each and every one of us shall play our part or suffer the inevitable consequences. This is not an impossible task; humanity does not know the meaning of impossible and you are the future of humanity.
College gathering
Global warming is the single greatest challenge humanity has to face, unlike nuclear proliferation it doesn't pose the of-chance of total annihilation but instead a much greater likelihood of the slow poising of our planet which we will soon be powerless to stop. Radical new technologies have created a deadly alliance with old polluting habits resulting in the degradation of our environment. As college students the future is in your hands, you will go out into this world and have to live with what it is. Do you want to suffer the consequences of global warming and allow your children to go through the same horror or do you want to make a difference in our world’s fate.
This is no hoax I assure all of you, conflicting media reports might have confused you till now but this issue is real and deadly. If measures are not taken immediately global warming will reach uncontrollable proportions, already we are nearing the point of no return. The IPCC's most recent extensive research endeavour has released its fourth assessment of the state of knowledge of global warming. Written and reviewed by hundreds of scientists worldwide. The report blatantly declares that the probability that global warming has been caused by human activities is greater than 90 percent when compared to the previous report published in 2001, which put the probability at a stupidly small 66 percent. They have even taken the enormous trouble to state that, “although further changes in the worlds climate are now inevitable, the future, particularly in the long term, remains largely in our hands – the magnitude of expected change depends on what human choose to do about greenhouse gas emissions.” Now if this isn’t clear enough to all of us, who knows what is. The time has come and gone for deliberation about the immediacy and importance of global warming. You can no longer be blinded by the critics who have wrongfully labelled this issue as a hoax or an exaggeration. The situation is far worse than even the direst assessments.
It is up to you to educate people and make them aware about these dangerous, go out there write your thesis’s and doctorates on this issue, it is of vital importance. We must try and educate the public. I encourage all of you doing science to delve into research on this area and any of you working on policy, law and politics to focus your attentions on these problems as you graduate. Why even now you can make a difference, join the protest against polluting companies, boycott their products; write letters to the government encouraging them to take action. Even in you daily life, be more aware, conserve electricity, use only public transport and follow the practical action list on www.liveearth.org to combat global warming on a personal level.
All of humanities past, present and future accomplishments hang in the balance. Soon global warming will spiral out of control. The raging power of our planet warns us of our impending fate. Look at the devastation it can wreak through natural disasters. If we are to destroy the only planet we have, were then shall we go. It is our duty and moral responsibility not only as students and citizens but as the representatives of the entire human race history to face this problem head on and not turn away in ignorance. Never before has humanity had the resources, the technologies, the international political stability and co-operation to address this massive problem. We have put men on the moon, sent satellites deep into outer space, split the atom and built towering monoliths , why then should the unquenchable spirit of mankind be crushed by our greed and ignorance of our environment. This is where we shall make our stand, this is when we shall be united and stand together to face the challenge that lies ahead of us, each and every one of us shall play our part or suffer the inevitable consequences. This is not an impossible task; humanity does not know the meaning of impossible and you are the future of humanity.
speeches
Speech following the assassination of Malcom X:
“My fellow people, we meet here amidst a cloud of despair and mourning, but a silver lining, a ray of light pierces this dark cloud of loss and pain. That light shines forth from the one person we are here to remember. Even though he has left this mortal earth, his presence lives on in every single one of us. His words echo in our ears. Nay we are not here, to give in to our grief, we are here to draw courage from the life of this true hero. The bullet that pierced the heart of Malcolm X could not pierce his spirit. His message, strength and force of character will live on till justice has been served. We shall continue his fight, to make all people on this earth free and equal. The men who plotted to destroy his dream have not succeeded. They only thing they have achieved, is to make his words reverberate louder than ever before. He has died a martyr and a great one at that, fighting for what he believed in till the very end. His unselfish devotion to the emancipation of the oppressed will not be forgotten soon. His legacy shall live on, in every single one of us. His dream will be realised by the fruit of our labour. Let this not be the doom laden dusk of his ideals, instead let this be a new dawn, bringing forth the glorious shining hope he bathes us with from the clouds above. He is watching down on us and we shall do him proud by finishing what he started.”
Inspirational speech for soldiers on the way to certain death:
“Tonight you go forth to die for your country and she promises you that your sacrifice will not be in vain. You are the men, no, you are the heroes who posses the courage and the valour to lay die your life for the most noble and honourable cause any man can dream of. You shall walk the road to eternal glory tonight and follow in the hallowed footsteps of your forefathers who laid down their lives to pave the way forward for our great nation. Your blood will cleanse the earth of its sins, so blessed is the cause you are fighting for. Fear not the oncoming night; let the light of heaven shine down upon you as you go to claim the just reward for your ultimate sacrifice. Go now, like the heroes you are, go in glory, go with honour and above all go with valour. Your time is now, your sacrifice will turn the wheels of our nation, and your bones and blood will be its soil. A man can ask for no better a fate.”
“My fellow people, we meet here amidst a cloud of despair and mourning, but a silver lining, a ray of light pierces this dark cloud of loss and pain. That light shines forth from the one person we are here to remember. Even though he has left this mortal earth, his presence lives on in every single one of us. His words echo in our ears. Nay we are not here, to give in to our grief, we are here to draw courage from the life of this true hero. The bullet that pierced the heart of Malcolm X could not pierce his spirit. His message, strength and force of character will live on till justice has been served. We shall continue his fight, to make all people on this earth free and equal. The men who plotted to destroy his dream have not succeeded. They only thing they have achieved, is to make his words reverberate louder than ever before. He has died a martyr and a great one at that, fighting for what he believed in till the very end. His unselfish devotion to the emancipation of the oppressed will not be forgotten soon. His legacy shall live on, in every single one of us. His dream will be realised by the fruit of our labour. Let this not be the doom laden dusk of his ideals, instead let this be a new dawn, bringing forth the glorious shining hope he bathes us with from the clouds above. He is watching down on us and we shall do him proud by finishing what he started.”
Inspirational speech for soldiers on the way to certain death:
“Tonight you go forth to die for your country and she promises you that your sacrifice will not be in vain. You are the men, no, you are the heroes who posses the courage and the valour to lay die your life for the most noble and honourable cause any man can dream of. You shall walk the road to eternal glory tonight and follow in the hallowed footsteps of your forefathers who laid down their lives to pave the way forward for our great nation. Your blood will cleanse the earth of its sins, so blessed is the cause you are fighting for. Fear not the oncoming night; let the light of heaven shine down upon you as you go to claim the just reward for your ultimate sacrifice. Go now, like the heroes you are, go in glory, go with honour and above all go with valour. Your time is now, your sacrifice will turn the wheels of our nation, and your bones and blood will be its soil. A man can ask for no better a fate.”
The evolution of the ideas on motion through the ages; with specific reference to Aristotle, Galileo and Isaac Newton
The study of physics has been a quest that has been traversed by generations of human beings on the journey to explain their physical environment. Today the laws of physics encompass a vast body of phenomenon from cosmic events to toaster ovens to tiny atoms. These laws were not always so accurate and are a result of constant evolution through the development of ideas and scientific methods, maybe even toady we are all horribly wrong about the nature of the universe and the next big leap is lying just around the corner.
The evolution of one of the fundamental ideas of physics is what I am taking into consideration here; motion. Motion is a part of our everyday lives, from locomoting to the bus stop to the blood gushing around in our arteries. Even though it seems like a relatively simple concept its evolution had been a long one, fraught with misconceptions and strokes of genius as well.
Today we explain motion as a continuous change in the position of a body relative to a reference point, as measured by a particular observer in a particular frame of reference.
Two models are in common use today, the Newtonian model and the special relativistic model.
But more than a thousand years ago things were different
Physical science went hand in hand in philosophy as can be seen in Aristotle’s {382 - 322 bc} description of motion as “any kind of change” and the “actuality of a potentiality”. He also believed that the substances making up the Earth were different from the substance making up the heavens, which meant that he had a different set of laws for the motion of objects on earth and the motion of celestial spheres. This sort of division seems impractical in today science as we stress on finding laws, which are applicable to a wide variety of phenomenon. It must be remembered though, that the tools for examining physical phenomenon outside our atmosphere were almost non-existent at that time. He also taught that dynamics (the branch of physics that deals with motion) was primarily determined by the nature of the substance that was moving.
The rest of Aristotle theories can be summed up as:
All motion on the Earth being linear.
All motion in the heavens (outer space) being curved.
The speed at which an object falls is directly related to the mass of an object.
Motion could be considered in two main factions: natural and violent.
Motion continues so long as there is only an applied motion to an object. Removing the motion stops the object.
A glance at these postulates awakens surprise and even laughter in my mind, but as always we must keep in mind the lack of advanced scientific tools for measurement. All physics is constructed by postulation followed by accurate experimentation and the collation of the results into a sound theorem. Aristotle possessed few scientific tools other than his eyes and ears. Thus linear motion seems rather plausible if he had no way to measure the motion of a projectile in two dimensions simultaneously as we can do these days. Telescopes had not been developed thus Aristotle’s views on celestial motion could not hope to be accurate without, observational evidence. It seems like common sense for an iron ball to reach the ground before a feather; Aristotle had neither vacuum chamber nor a proper concept of gravitation or inertia to help him see past this obvious blunder. The ideas of friction and inertia eluded him, leading him to believe that removing an applied motion stops a body.
The evolution of these ideas into Galileo’s {1564 – 1642 AD) more accurate picture shows me the importance of scientific tools. Galileo was able to create a more accurate picture of motion in space because of the development of the telescope, which allowed him to make extensive observations and records of the motion of planets. His concept of inertia was quite contrary to Aristotle's ideas of motion and the idea of frictional forces helped him properly analyze why some objects {like a block of wood} stopped moving once a force was removed and why other objects {like an arrow} continued moving because of little friction from the air and plenty of inertia. These differences {between a block of wood and an arrow} had thoroughly puzzled Aristotle leading him to draw drastically incorrect conclusions. Applying these concepts Galileo also managed to dispel the famous myth that objects of different masses fell with different accelerations as the story of the leaning tower of Pisa experiment suggests. It would be foolish to say though, that Aristotle’s contributions were useless, the nature of any evolution is such that there must be a foundation {even if it is incorrect} on which new, different ideas can be built upon. Aristotle had made the vital contribution of taking the first brave steps towards humanities understanding of motion and physics.
The most important piece of the puzzle for our modern understanding of motion in engineering and everyday life is Isaac Newton’s (1642-1727) contributions in the form of his laws of motions. Again these were built upon Galileo’s theories but like all forms of evolution, it provided a more insightful picture to the puzzle of motion. Newton took the huge leap of suggesting that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on the surface of the Earth. He went on to make the vital contribution of providing a solid body of mathematics on which motion could be accurately calculated. This allowed him to integrate the ideas of motion into three laws thus putting an end to the compartmentalization of the various ideas of motion that had plagued humanity before. Newton’s contributions ranged form carrying out thousand of painstaking experiments to verify his mathematical description of motion to helping in the development of calculus for more complex types of motion
In the Newtonian model, because motion is defined as the proportion of space to time, these concepts are prior to motion, just as the concept of motion itself is prior to force. In other words, the properties of space and time determine the nature of motion and the properties of motion, in turn, determine the nature of force.
Newton’s laws can be summarized as:
1.An object will maintain its state of rest or constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force
2.) When an external unbalanced force is applied to an object at rest or in constant speed in a straight line, the object accelerates in the direction of the unbalanced force. Furthermore, the acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the net forces acting on the object, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object being accelerated (F=ma) "
3.) When an object exerts a force on a second object, the second object will exert a force of equal magnitude, and opposite direction on the first object
Newton also went on to create a more concrete idea of friction, based on Galileo’s ideas {again here we see the importance of basing ideas on previous concepts and how ideas can evolve and develop down the ages}
Newton’s laws seemed to be the final step in humanities understanding of motion as they are perfect at physically and mathematical describing motion at a day to day level adequate for engineering and other human activities.
But no story in physic ever has an end, there will always be something deeper and more magnificent lying below what we already know, humanity can only begin to scratch the surface of the true reality and nature of the universe.
Einstein and Euclidean geometry made the next big leaps from Newtonian motion, speaking of relative motion *1 and the space-time theory, this paved the way for quantum physics pioneered by physicists such as Heinsberg and perfected by geniuses such as Richard Fennyman.
Who knows what the next big leap will be.. Maybe we will complete a full circle back to the philosophies from where we once started. Maybe Zeno was right all along in his idea that there is no such thing as motion and everything in the universe is one…
*1 In the special relativistic model, motion can be thought of as something like an angle between a space direction and the time direction. In special relativity and Euclidean space, only relative motion can be measured, and absolute motion is meaningless.
Bibliography
Physics “cutnell and Johnson”
http://library.thinkquest.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aris-mot.htm
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton.html
http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/aristot2.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33175/Aristotle
The evolution of one of the fundamental ideas of physics is what I am taking into consideration here; motion. Motion is a part of our everyday lives, from locomoting to the bus stop to the blood gushing around in our arteries. Even though it seems like a relatively simple concept its evolution had been a long one, fraught with misconceptions and strokes of genius as well.
Today we explain motion as a continuous change in the position of a body relative to a reference point, as measured by a particular observer in a particular frame of reference.
Two models are in common use today, the Newtonian model and the special relativistic model.
But more than a thousand years ago things were different
Physical science went hand in hand in philosophy as can be seen in Aristotle’s {382 - 322 bc} description of motion as “any kind of change” and the “actuality of a potentiality”. He also believed that the substances making up the Earth were different from the substance making up the heavens, which meant that he had a different set of laws for the motion of objects on earth and the motion of celestial spheres. This sort of division seems impractical in today science as we stress on finding laws, which are applicable to a wide variety of phenomenon. It must be remembered though, that the tools for examining physical phenomenon outside our atmosphere were almost non-existent at that time. He also taught that dynamics (the branch of physics that deals with motion) was primarily determined by the nature of the substance that was moving.
The rest of Aristotle theories can be summed up as:
All motion on the Earth being linear.
All motion in the heavens (outer space) being curved.
The speed at which an object falls is directly related to the mass of an object.
Motion could be considered in two main factions: natural and violent.
Motion continues so long as there is only an applied motion to an object. Removing the motion stops the object.
A glance at these postulates awakens surprise and even laughter in my mind, but as always we must keep in mind the lack of advanced scientific tools for measurement. All physics is constructed by postulation followed by accurate experimentation and the collation of the results into a sound theorem. Aristotle possessed few scientific tools other than his eyes and ears. Thus linear motion seems rather plausible if he had no way to measure the motion of a projectile in two dimensions simultaneously as we can do these days. Telescopes had not been developed thus Aristotle’s views on celestial motion could not hope to be accurate without, observational evidence. It seems like common sense for an iron ball to reach the ground before a feather; Aristotle had neither vacuum chamber nor a proper concept of gravitation or inertia to help him see past this obvious blunder. The ideas of friction and inertia eluded him, leading him to believe that removing an applied motion stops a body.
The evolution of these ideas into Galileo’s {1564 – 1642 AD) more accurate picture shows me the importance of scientific tools. Galileo was able to create a more accurate picture of motion in space because of the development of the telescope, which allowed him to make extensive observations and records of the motion of planets. His concept of inertia was quite contrary to Aristotle's ideas of motion and the idea of frictional forces helped him properly analyze why some objects {like a block of wood} stopped moving once a force was removed and why other objects {like an arrow} continued moving because of little friction from the air and plenty of inertia. These differences {between a block of wood and an arrow} had thoroughly puzzled Aristotle leading him to draw drastically incorrect conclusions. Applying these concepts Galileo also managed to dispel the famous myth that objects of different masses fell with different accelerations as the story of the leaning tower of Pisa experiment suggests. It would be foolish to say though, that Aristotle’s contributions were useless, the nature of any evolution is such that there must be a foundation {even if it is incorrect} on which new, different ideas can be built upon. Aristotle had made the vital contribution of taking the first brave steps towards humanities understanding of motion and physics.
The most important piece of the puzzle for our modern understanding of motion in engineering and everyday life is Isaac Newton’s (1642-1727) contributions in the form of his laws of motions. Again these were built upon Galileo’s theories but like all forms of evolution, it provided a more insightful picture to the puzzle of motion. Newton took the huge leap of suggesting that the laws that governed the heavens were the same laws that governed motion on the surface of the Earth. He went on to make the vital contribution of providing a solid body of mathematics on which motion could be accurately calculated. This allowed him to integrate the ideas of motion into three laws thus putting an end to the compartmentalization of the various ideas of motion that had plagued humanity before. Newton’s contributions ranged form carrying out thousand of painstaking experiments to verify his mathematical description of motion to helping in the development of calculus for more complex types of motion
In the Newtonian model, because motion is defined as the proportion of space to time, these concepts are prior to motion, just as the concept of motion itself is prior to force. In other words, the properties of space and time determine the nature of motion and the properties of motion, in turn, determine the nature of force.
Newton’s laws can be summarized as:
1.An object will maintain its state of rest or constant speed in a straight line unless acted upon by an external unbalanced force
2.) When an external unbalanced force is applied to an object at rest or in constant speed in a straight line, the object accelerates in the direction of the unbalanced force. Furthermore, the acceleration of the object is directly proportional to the net forces acting on the object, and inversely proportional to the mass of the object being accelerated (F=ma) "
3.) When an object exerts a force on a second object, the second object will exert a force of equal magnitude, and opposite direction on the first object
Newton also went on to create a more concrete idea of friction, based on Galileo’s ideas {again here we see the importance of basing ideas on previous concepts and how ideas can evolve and develop down the ages}
Newton’s laws seemed to be the final step in humanities understanding of motion as they are perfect at physically and mathematical describing motion at a day to day level adequate for engineering and other human activities.
But no story in physic ever has an end, there will always be something deeper and more magnificent lying below what we already know, humanity can only begin to scratch the surface of the true reality and nature of the universe.
Einstein and Euclidean geometry made the next big leaps from Newtonian motion, speaking of relative motion *1 and the space-time theory, this paved the way for quantum physics pioneered by physicists such as Heinsberg and perfected by geniuses such as Richard Fennyman.
Who knows what the next big leap will be.. Maybe we will complete a full circle back to the philosophies from where we once started. Maybe Zeno was right all along in his idea that there is no such thing as motion and everything in the universe is one…
*1 In the special relativistic model, motion can be thought of as something like an angle between a space direction and the time direction. In special relativity and Euclidean space, only relative motion can be measured, and absolute motion is meaningless.
Bibliography
Physics “cutnell and Johnson”
http://library.thinkquest.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.iep.utm.edu/a/aris-mot.htm
http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/history/newton.html
http://galileoandeinstein.physics.virginia.edu/lectures/aristot2.html
http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-33175/Aristotle
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)