Independence Day 2004
by: Henry W. Hessing.
John Locke discovered the moral foundations and America’s Founding Fathers established the political institutions necessary to create a free society that recognizes each individual is capable of rational self-government. Their thinking created our Declaration of Independence, our written Constitution as our fundamental law and the Bill of Rights. Our Constitution stands above government as a “higher law.” It creates, defines and limits the power of government. It protects the rights of the individual. It curbs abuse of power through checks and balances. The Constitution forever guarantees our liberty.
On Flag Day, 2003, Edwin A. Locke wrote an article that discussed the core values of reason, rights and science. He noted that 18th century Enlightenment’s indispensable achievement was the concept of individual rights. “John Locke dramatized that individuals do not exist to serve government, but rather that governments exist to protect individuals. The individual, said Locke, has an inalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This was the founding philosophy of America.”
Later that same month, Michael Berliner wrote an article concerning the meaning of Independence Day. He described the American Revolution as unique in human history: “a revolution – and a nation - founded on a moral principle, the principle of individual rights. Jefferson at Philadelphia and Washington at Valley Forge pledged their “lives, fortunes, and sacred honor.”
“Jefferson and Washington fought a war for the principle of independence, meaning the moral right of an individual to live as he sees fit. Independence was proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence as the rights to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Mr. Berliner further explains: “Political independence rests on…the independence of the human mind. It is the ability of a human being to think for himself and guide his own life that makes political independence possible and necessary. The government as envisioned by the Founding Fathers existed to protect the freedom to think and to act on one’s thinking. It is this independence that defines the American Revolution and the American spirit.”
We need to rediscover our individual morality. Our youth and the youth of other lands must learn that thinking is an act of choice. A code of values accepted by choice is our code of morality. When we illustrate that man’s life is the standard of morality, that life is its purpose, and the purpose of morality is to teach us to enjoy our lives and ourselves, we will defeat the evil we faced on September 11, 2001 and we continue to face today. Ayn Rand once described the essence of evil in Atlas Shrugged, “…those anti-living objects who seek, by devouring the world, to fill the selfless zero of their soul. It is not your wealth that they are after. Theirs is a conspiracy against the mind, which means: against life and man.”
What matters then is a set of rules and values that we the people, our leaders of today and tomorrow, and our nation may live by so that we may set the example for other rulers and nations so they can learn and live by them as well. The rules and values we accept by choice, i.e., our moral code is founded in the philosophy of our Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of Rights. Its principles created the only moral country in the history of the world. America was liberated from tyranny, and established the first government ever based on individual rights. These rights are protected by our written Constitution. The moral preconditions of free society are our own two hundred year old documents!
For the purpose of our self-preservation, we need this moral code. We need to teach it in our schools and education systems, in all lands oppressed by dictatorships, communism, totalitarianism, and the radical Islamic fundamentalist states that harbor terrorism. American statesmen should proclaim that the principle of individual rights is our morality. It is the basis of our Declaration of Independence. We need to emphasize the importance of these documents at home and distribute them abroad. They are free for all to read and represent what liberty and individual freedom offer - achievement, value, grandeur, goodness and joy as the morality of life.
Sunday, July 04, 2004
Monday, May 31, 2004
Memorial Day 2004
Memorial Day 2004
Like 2,600,000 others, I served in Viet Nam. Our effort to save the Vietnamese people from what ultimately became their fate, an existence under totalitarianism, was belittled and described as a “police action,” an “interdiction in a civil war” or as a mere “conflict.” 58,000 Americans died for the right of the Vietnamese to individual liberty and freedom. We, the living, can attest that those, who died, knew the horror of war.
During my tour, I learned how much I loved freedom. I thought that when war was over, and there was peace, the United States could and would help the Vietnamese. We stood for the good in mankind. Our engineering and technology could help harness rivers and create hydroelectric power. We could triple their rice production. We could build schools and housing and help create a society that believed in individual freedom and the right to own land just as we do. This is only possible where freedom exists; where people have individual rights and only if they have the right to own property.
Since September 11, 2001 our safety, liberty and freedom have been ensured by the effort of our armed forces. Concurrently, fifty million people have been liberated and now experience freedom, many for the first time, in a very troubled area of our world. This is not the fate of the North or South Vietnamese. They do not have the same future. For our security and for those who cherish life, we must continue this initiative. We must protect America from the evil we experienced on 911. In my opinion, it is worse than what we fought in Viet Nam. It is anti-mind. It wants to kill and destroy. Death, not life is their goal. It has no other purpose. There is no reasoning with those whose purpose is anti-life and anti-mind.
During this time of peril, Americans and non-Americans must realize that man has individual rights that cannot be conquered or enslaved by any enemy, foreign or domestic. This peril does not originate in America. It comes from without, not from within. It must be met. It is for our freedom that we fight terrorism. I do not believe this can be stated often enough. It must be declared unequivocally so every living soul comprehends we fight for individual freedom and the joy life offers.
I believe most people understand the use of military force but I do not believe everyone understands that there is no “knight in shining armor” to lift this peril from us because he doesn’t exist. We choose to use force because force has been used against us. We did not initiate the use of force against radical Islamic fundamentalists. Their state funded attack is against civilized society and morality.
We are at a point wherein we need to define the end game, that is, a life of confidence not fear, individual liberty and not nihilism. General Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, “There is no substitute for victory.” There is no alternative in war if we cherish liberty, individual freedom and what they offer - achievement, value, grandeur, goodness and joy as the morality of life.
Like 2,600,000 others, I served in Viet Nam. Our effort to save the Vietnamese people from what ultimately became their fate, an existence under totalitarianism, was belittled and described as a “police action,” an “interdiction in a civil war” or as a mere “conflict.” 58,000 Americans died for the right of the Vietnamese to individual liberty and freedom. We, the living, can attest that those, who died, knew the horror of war.
During my tour, I learned how much I loved freedom. I thought that when war was over, and there was peace, the United States could and would help the Vietnamese. We stood for the good in mankind. Our engineering and technology could help harness rivers and create hydroelectric power. We could triple their rice production. We could build schools and housing and help create a society that believed in individual freedom and the right to own land just as we do. This is only possible where freedom exists; where people have individual rights and only if they have the right to own property.
Since September 11, 2001 our safety, liberty and freedom have been ensured by the effort of our armed forces. Concurrently, fifty million people have been liberated and now experience freedom, many for the first time, in a very troubled area of our world. This is not the fate of the North or South Vietnamese. They do not have the same future. For our security and for those who cherish life, we must continue this initiative. We must protect America from the evil we experienced on 911. In my opinion, it is worse than what we fought in Viet Nam. It is anti-mind. It wants to kill and destroy. Death, not life is their goal. It has no other purpose. There is no reasoning with those whose purpose is anti-life and anti-mind.
During this time of peril, Americans and non-Americans must realize that man has individual rights that cannot be conquered or enslaved by any enemy, foreign or domestic. This peril does not originate in America. It comes from without, not from within. It must be met. It is for our freedom that we fight terrorism. I do not believe this can be stated often enough. It must be declared unequivocally so every living soul comprehends we fight for individual freedom and the joy life offers.
I believe most people understand the use of military force but I do not believe everyone understands that there is no “knight in shining armor” to lift this peril from us because he doesn’t exist. We choose to use force because force has been used against us. We did not initiate the use of force against radical Islamic fundamentalists. Their state funded attack is against civilized society and morality.
We are at a point wherein we need to define the end game, that is, a life of confidence not fear, individual liberty and not nihilism. General Douglas MacArthur is quoted as saying, “There is no substitute for victory.” There is no alternative in war if we cherish liberty, individual freedom and what they offer - achievement, value, grandeur, goodness and joy as the morality of life.
Sunday, March 14, 2004
Einstein’s Birthday is March 14; Lets Celebrate!
Einstein’s Birthday is March 14; lets celebrate!
Man's mind is his tool of survival, from the harnessing of fire to the discovery of electricity. Albert Einstein’s birth date is March 14. Why is Albert Einstein considered a genius?
Last year at this time and as a matter of interest, I searched the web and found a very good reference document. Recently, I went back to find the author’s name in order to give him full credit, however I was not able to find the site. That web search found the following: He worked forty hours a week in a patent office and concurrently created the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905. The theory illustrates time and space vary as an object moves relative to anything else and that time and space are not absolute. In the same year he created the quantum theory of light - that energy and matter are discrete. Light consists of photons or particles. He invented a method of counting and determining the size of an atom and the phenomenon called Brownian motion. This was the proof that atoms exist. He then completed the special relativity theory describing light as a wave and a particle. Later in 1905, he proved that energy and matter are linked, that is the famous equation, E = mc2. Not a bad year for anyone but consider what else he did.
In 1907, Einstein had the insight that gravity and acceleration are equivalent. Every first year physics student learns this as a fact, never having to know who figured it out. He recognized the coexistence of particles and waves. This is significant if you want to know the difference between AM and FM radio transmission and reception. In physics, this is called dualism. Scattering of light by individual molecules in the atmosphere is called critical opalescence. Thus, his 1910 paper answers every child’s question, “Why is the sky blue?” In 1911, he recognized that dualism is fundamental in nature.
In 1915, he completed the General Theory of Relativity. Matter and energy actually mold the shape of space and flow of time. Space is no longer the box that the universe comes in; space and time, matter and energy are. This can be graphically shown in three dimensions. Imagine a large mesh net similar to what commercial fisherman use. Now toss a ball into and see how the mesh is moved. The net is molded or shaped around the ball by the force or energy of the toss.
Cosmology is the study of the behavior of the whole universe. In 1917, Einstein’s paper used general relativity to model the behavior of the entire universe. He took his theory and applied it to the entire universe! What is even more amazing is that he did it eight years prior to the invention of quantum mechanics, the theory of waves and particles. Prior to the Theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, the world could be described only in terms of Newtonian physics which was not adequate to define large objects moving at great speeds or subatomic particle movement needed for inventions like semiconductors.
Albert Einstein recognized that there might be a problem due to the dual nature of quanta as waves and particles to define causes and effects because sometimes particles act like waves and waves act like particles. (Quantum mechanics helps to clarify this blur.) This led to a new idea concerning the forms of matter - solid, liquid and gas. In 1919, the Bose-Einstein condensate was postulated. In the mid-1990s, the condensate was created at very low temperatures.
Einstein spent the rest of his career working on what is today called “String Theory.” He was not able to prove his theories of forces through multi-dimensional space. But the problems he could not solve are described as the cutting edge of physics today.
Albert Einstein transformed our understanding of nature from the smallest (atomic) scale to the extent of the cosmos. Culture thrives to the extent that it is governed by reason and science. The spark of genius in the scientist who first identifies a law of physics, in the inventor who uses that knowledge to create a new engine or telephonic device and in the businessmen who daily translate their ideas into tangible wealth must be acknowledged, recognized and celebrated. Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!
Man's mind is his tool of survival, from the harnessing of fire to the discovery of electricity. Albert Einstein’s birth date is March 14. Why is Albert Einstein considered a genius?
Last year at this time and as a matter of interest, I searched the web and found a very good reference document. Recently, I went back to find the author’s name in order to give him full credit, however I was not able to find the site. That web search found the following: He worked forty hours a week in a patent office and concurrently created the Special Theory of Relativity in 1905. The theory illustrates time and space vary as an object moves relative to anything else and that time and space are not absolute. In the same year he created the quantum theory of light - that energy and matter are discrete. Light consists of photons or particles. He invented a method of counting and determining the size of an atom and the phenomenon called Brownian motion. This was the proof that atoms exist. He then completed the special relativity theory describing light as a wave and a particle. Later in 1905, he proved that energy and matter are linked, that is the famous equation, E = mc2. Not a bad year for anyone but consider what else he did.
In 1907, Einstein had the insight that gravity and acceleration are equivalent. Every first year physics student learns this as a fact, never having to know who figured it out. He recognized the coexistence of particles and waves. This is significant if you want to know the difference between AM and FM radio transmission and reception. In physics, this is called dualism. Scattering of light by individual molecules in the atmosphere is called critical opalescence. Thus, his 1910 paper answers every child’s question, “Why is the sky blue?” In 1911, he recognized that dualism is fundamental in nature.
In 1915, he completed the General Theory of Relativity. Matter and energy actually mold the shape of space and flow of time. Space is no longer the box that the universe comes in; space and time, matter and energy are. This can be graphically shown in three dimensions. Imagine a large mesh net similar to what commercial fisherman use. Now toss a ball into and see how the mesh is moved. The net is molded or shaped around the ball by the force or energy of the toss.
Cosmology is the study of the behavior of the whole universe. In 1917, Einstein’s paper used general relativity to model the behavior of the entire universe. He took his theory and applied it to the entire universe! What is even more amazing is that he did it eight years prior to the invention of quantum mechanics, the theory of waves and particles. Prior to the Theories of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, the world could be described only in terms of Newtonian physics which was not adequate to define large objects moving at great speeds or subatomic particle movement needed for inventions like semiconductors.
Albert Einstein recognized that there might be a problem due to the dual nature of quanta as waves and particles to define causes and effects because sometimes particles act like waves and waves act like particles. (Quantum mechanics helps to clarify this blur.) This led to a new idea concerning the forms of matter - solid, liquid and gas. In 1919, the Bose-Einstein condensate was postulated. In the mid-1990s, the condensate was created at very low temperatures.
Einstein spent the rest of his career working on what is today called “String Theory.” He was not able to prove his theories of forces through multi-dimensional space. But the problems he could not solve are described as the cutting edge of physics today.
Albert Einstein transformed our understanding of nature from the smallest (atomic) scale to the extent of the cosmos. Culture thrives to the extent that it is governed by reason and science. The spark of genius in the scientist who first identifies a law of physics, in the inventor who uses that knowledge to create a new engine or telephonic device and in the businessmen who daily translate their ideas into tangible wealth must be acknowledged, recognized and celebrated. Happy Birthday Albert Einstein!
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
National Engineers’ Week
National Engineers’ Week
In 1827, Thomas Tregold defined engineering as “the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man.” The Egyptian pyramids, the Grecian temples, the Roman roads, bridges and aqueducts, are the products of the engineering mind. “Civil Engineering,” the magazine of the American Society of Civil Engineers, November-December 2002 issue highlighted 40 civil engineering landmark and notable projects. Several of these are in the New York region.
Construction began on the Erie Canal in 1817, and was completed in October 1825. It exemplifies determination and skill required to construct a 363-mile long waterway connecting the Great Lakes to New York City.
In 1842, the 41-mile long Croton Aqueduct was completed supplying New York City with a gravity fed, safe potable water supply. It is highlighted by the fifteen masonry arches crossing called the Harlem River High Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883. It is a magnificent suspension bridge. The center span of 1596 feet was the world’s longest. The side spans are 930 feet and the total length is 5,989 feet. It may be the most photographed bridge because of its beauty.
Today’s New York City subway ridership is estimated at 1.3 billion rides per year. The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line opened in October 1904. Within a year, the 9.1-mile route was accommodating 600,000 riders. One of its greatest challenges was rerouting water, gas, sewer, electrical and other utility lines.
Construction of the Holland Tunnel began in 1920 and was completed in 1927. Parallel tubes 8,371 feet and 8,558 feet long were designed to include innovative mechanical ventilation buildings housing 84 fans, each 80 feet in diameter. The tunnel was the longest underwater automobile tunnel in the world.
The Empire State Building opened in May 1931 just 14 months after construction began. The art deco architecture consists of limestone, granite, aluminum, and chrome –nickel steel. At 102 stories or 1,250 feet, it stood as the world’s tallest building for 41 years until the construction of the World Trade center towers.
Construction of the George Washington Bridge began in 1927 and was completed in 1931. It is the first suspension bridge to carry fourteen lanes of traffic and today serves 50 million vehicles per year.
The John F Kennedy International Airport originally called the Municipal Airport at Idlewild, and then New York International Airport began in April 1942. Today its four runways serve over thirty million passengers annually as well as air cargo. A recent addition is the introduction of light rail service.
Another suspension bridge is the 7,200-foot long Verrazano Narrows. It opened in 1964 connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The 4,260 foot main span was the longest in the world. To resist dynamic wind action, the double deck structure acts as a single, rigid, rectangular tube due to two vertical stiffening trusses between the decks and two lateral trusses, one in each plane of the deck.
The World Trade Center twin towers were completed in 1973. At 110 stories and heights of 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet achieved global acclaim as engineering landmarks.
Paraphrasing Fredric Hamber, “Several centuries ago, providing the basic necessities for one’s survival was a matter of daily drudgery for most people. Today we enjoy conveniences undreamed of by medieval kings. The high standard of living we enjoy, our relative affluence is based on brainpower. Man’s mind is his tool of his survival. Americans should celebrate the spark of genius in the scientist who first identifies a law of physics, in the inventor who uses that knowledge to create a new engine or telephonic device, and in the businessmen who daily translate their ideas into tangible wealth.” Thomas Tregold would include the engineer who harnesses the power of nature for the benefit of mankind.
Ayn Rand stated, “Productive achievement is man’s noblest activity and reason is his absolute.” It is the engineer’s ability to use his mind, to reason, invent and create that has given us canals, aqueducts, subways, vehicle tunnels, airports, buildings that soar 100 or more stories, and majestic long-span bridges. Lets recognize these achievements and celebrate February 20 through the 26, 2005, National Engineers’ week!
Henry W. Hessing, PE
In 1827, Thomas Tregold defined engineering as “the art of directing the great sources of power in nature for the use and convenience of man.” The Egyptian pyramids, the Grecian temples, the Roman roads, bridges and aqueducts, are the products of the engineering mind. “Civil Engineering,” the magazine of the American Society of Civil Engineers, November-December 2002 issue highlighted 40 civil engineering landmark and notable projects. Several of these are in the New York region.
Construction began on the Erie Canal in 1817, and was completed in October 1825. It exemplifies determination and skill required to construct a 363-mile long waterway connecting the Great Lakes to New York City.
In 1842, the 41-mile long Croton Aqueduct was completed supplying New York City with a gravity fed, safe potable water supply. It is highlighted by the fifteen masonry arches crossing called the Harlem River High Bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge opened on May 24, 1883. It is a magnificent suspension bridge. The center span of 1596 feet was the world’s longest. The side spans are 930 feet and the total length is 5,989 feet. It may be the most photographed bridge because of its beauty.
Today’s New York City subway ridership is estimated at 1.3 billion rides per year. The Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) line opened in October 1904. Within a year, the 9.1-mile route was accommodating 600,000 riders. One of its greatest challenges was rerouting water, gas, sewer, electrical and other utility lines.
Construction of the Holland Tunnel began in 1920 and was completed in 1927. Parallel tubes 8,371 feet and 8,558 feet long were designed to include innovative mechanical ventilation buildings housing 84 fans, each 80 feet in diameter. The tunnel was the longest underwater automobile tunnel in the world.
The Empire State Building opened in May 1931 just 14 months after construction began. The art deco architecture consists of limestone, granite, aluminum, and chrome –nickel steel. At 102 stories or 1,250 feet, it stood as the world’s tallest building for 41 years until the construction of the World Trade center towers.
Construction of the George Washington Bridge began in 1927 and was completed in 1931. It is the first suspension bridge to carry fourteen lanes of traffic and today serves 50 million vehicles per year.
The John F Kennedy International Airport originally called the Municipal Airport at Idlewild, and then New York International Airport began in April 1942. Today its four runways serve over thirty million passengers annually as well as air cargo. A recent addition is the introduction of light rail service.
Another suspension bridge is the 7,200-foot long Verrazano Narrows. It opened in 1964 connecting the boroughs of Staten Island and Brooklyn. The 4,260 foot main span was the longest in the world. To resist dynamic wind action, the double deck structure acts as a single, rigid, rectangular tube due to two vertical stiffening trusses between the decks and two lateral trusses, one in each plane of the deck.
The World Trade Center twin towers were completed in 1973. At 110 stories and heights of 1,362 feet and 1,368 feet achieved global acclaim as engineering landmarks.
Paraphrasing Fredric Hamber, “Several centuries ago, providing the basic necessities for one’s survival was a matter of daily drudgery for most people. Today we enjoy conveniences undreamed of by medieval kings. The high standard of living we enjoy, our relative affluence is based on brainpower. Man’s mind is his tool of his survival. Americans should celebrate the spark of genius in the scientist who first identifies a law of physics, in the inventor who uses that knowledge to create a new engine or telephonic device, and in the businessmen who daily translate their ideas into tangible wealth.” Thomas Tregold would include the engineer who harnesses the power of nature for the benefit of mankind.
Ayn Rand stated, “Productive achievement is man’s noblest activity and reason is his absolute.” It is the engineer’s ability to use his mind, to reason, invent and create that has given us canals, aqueducts, subways, vehicle tunnels, airports, buildings that soar 100 or more stories, and majestic long-span bridges. Lets recognize these achievements and celebrate February 20 through the 26, 2005, National Engineers’ week!
Henry W. Hessing, PE
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