Bridging The Gap Essay, Research Paper

Bridging the Gap: Our Calling as Bridge Builders in Communication

Communication Competence: Bridging the Gap R. Dwayne Phelps

Bridges have been around sense the beginning of time. The Ancient Roman engineers

used two significant innovations, the cofferdam and cement. The cofferdam is when the put wooden spikes in to the bottom of the river then used watertight clay over the spikes to make a bridge. Now today there are more efficient ways to make a bridge than just out of cement and clay. There are Suspension Bridges, Arch Bridges, Covered Bridges and many more. Suspension bridges have become a very common method of bridge construction in the last century. For example the Brooklyn Bridge, George Washington Bridge, Golden Gate

Bridge and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge. These bridges all use the conventional suspension bridge design were large cables are suspended between towers and smaller cables are used to hang the bridge deck from the larger cables. They now have a newer method it is where the cables run directly down from the towers to the roadway. Construction of cable-stayed bridges has proven to be less costly then suspension bridges. As a result, Cable-stayed bridges are more widely used. The Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, connecting Kobe on the mainland with

Awaji on Awaji Island, will be a huge three-span cable-stayed bridge some 3910 meters in total length with a center span of 1990 meters. When completed, it will be the longest bridge of its type in the world, surpassing the Number Bridge in the UK, which has a center span of 1410 meters. The bridge has a wind-proof and earthquake-resident construction, withstanding winds up to 80 meters per second and earthquakes reaching from 8.5 on the Richter scale. This bridge is was to be completed in spring of 1999. I think they kept their schedule as I have seen pictures of it. There is a suspension bridge which spans the Seine estuary in Normandy, France. The decks of the bridge are designed as special curves so that wind flows across them as easily as over a plane. The bridge has a central span of 2,800 feet. The span is so

long that it has been built with a slight upward curve from end to end, to accommodate the effects of the curvature of the Earth. There are also huge cables that have to suspend the bridge in the air. If a bubble collides with another bubble, the result always ends up in a sharing unison. Regardless of there size, no matter what, they will meet the wall at an angle of 120 degrees. Bubbles also tend to burst if dirt is on the bubble or sometimes they will pop when in contact with other bubbles. One thing that will prevent bubbles from popping is cold air. Soap films are examples of how you can get the minimal surface area. A catenoidis a good example of soap films which shows minimal surface area. It can come in at least three different forms an Unstable Catneoid, Stable Catenoid, and Double Disks Catenoid.

But why all this talk about bridges? Because, when we communicate we are spanning or bridging the gaps separating us as unique entities. With effective communication we can join to form more stable structures. Bridging racial, ethnic, cultural, religious and sexual orientation gaps can only happen when we carefully and fully educate ourselves on the design of the bridge or communication strategies and techniques we intend to employ. There are so many things to learn about successful bridge building that we cannot rush into any project without careful considerations of what type, what size, wind effects, ground movement just to mention a few. What bridges might you attempt to build with those that are different from you? A good bridge can make that which seems so far away so much closer. It has been said that “good fences make good neighbors.” Ask the civilian Palestinians and Israelis what they think of this saying. I believe they would be better off to build the bridge. A bridge is there for those to cross who choose. First the dream and then desire and then nothing is impossible. Dream?.and dare to build bridges with everyone.