Friday, December 27, 2019

Baseball as a Motivator - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 475 Downloads: 9 Date added: 2019/04/02 Category Sports Essay Level High school Tags: Baseball Essay Did you like this example? I believe that baseball has taught me to treat every task with my full effort and dedication, as it is the best way to give myself the greatest chance to succeed while leaving me satisfied with the resulting outcome of my effort. I settled my left foot in the batters box. It was my freshman season, and I was selected for the Varsity Baseball Team. We were playing the best team in the area, and I was our teams last chance to avoid a no-hit game. The pitcher went through his wind-up, then released the ball. Time slowed. I recognized the curveball out of his hand, and I swung. Strike three! The game was over. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Baseball as a Motivator" essay for you Create order We went on to have a disastrous season with a nauseating record of 3-21. I had two options: I could hang up my cleats or I could try to do something about it. I wanted to quit because, combined with my trouble to adapting to a rigorous IB curriculum, I felt that all of my effort had not paid off. Instead of quitting, I decided that I would use my frustration to better myself as a player. That summer, I worked for hours on end in the excruciating Florida heat, practicing to prepare for the upcoming season. I believe that the following summer taught me that hard work and commitment could be both rewarding and satisfying. 3-21! my teammates yelled as we stormed the field on opening day, not as a signal of defeat but as a source of motivation. We were ready. I was proud to have earned the starting first baseman position. My team began the season 9-0, possibly unmatched by any baseball team in our schools history. Then we struck out again, losing seven of the next eight games. Yet, instead of letting this pull us apart, we grew closer and more determined to succeed. My team rallied to finish the season with a 14-10 record, qualifying for the playoffs. We won the first round with ease, but then had to face the number one seed in the tournament. We lost in extra innings, but we had still exceeded all expectations. Through all of its ups and downs, baseball has taught me the priceless quality of perseverance. Through hard work and dedication, I have developed resilience and the ability to bounce back after failure. I have learned to apply this quality to all areas of my life. Intense preparation and dedication has allowed me to excel both academically and athletically, and when I encounter problems or make mistakes, I choose to learn from them instead of being controlled by them. This is why I believe that baseball is the perfect game. It has caused me to continually strive to exhibit the resilience necessary to overcome the difficult challenges I face, even when life throws me a curveball.

Thursday, December 19, 2019

Literary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby - 1142 Words

Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby Literature is medium that allows authors to express personal beliefs and value to others in a variety of ways. Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, regarded as one of the best writers in America, wrote The Great Gatsby to convey his perception of American society in the early 20th century. Fitzgerald uses a specific orientation of storytelling to render his purpose of writing the novel. The Great Gatsby revolves around Jay Gatsby. His mysterious background and behavior attracts others to be involved in his affairs, especially Nick Carraway. Gatsby only has one ambition. The strong desire and hope for him to achieve it changes his outlook on life. Everything begins to unravel when an odd friendship with Nick is formed. Fitzgerald tells the story by using the eyes of Nick and shows its significance by implying that Nick as author of the novel. QUOTE If the narrator is another character, the entirety of the novel changes. Nick narrates his experiences and thoughts according to his observations. However, Nick is not the main focus of the novel. Fitzgerald made Nick is a flexible narrator. His presence as a character is almost a spectator of the events taking place because of his small involvement in the main conflict of the novel. This makes some parts of the novel to be perceived as a third person limited narrator because as the novel progresses more information about each character begins to unravel only with his observations, experiences,Show MoreRelatedLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby 1673 Words   |  7 PagesApril 2015 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby Dreams are a compelling force in people’s lives. They are what propel them forward each and every day in an effort to reach something better. The American Dream has been sought after by millions all over the world for hundreds of years. This country was founded on the belief that anyone could achieve their dreams. However, in the 1920s these hopes and aspirations began to splinter until they ultimately shattered. In the novel, The Great Gatsby, F. ScottRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby 1490 Words   |  6 PagesJaylinn Cooper Mrs. Fowler English III March 3, 2017 Literary Analysis of The Great Gatsby The 1920s in America, known as the Roaring Twenties, was a time of celebration after a destructive war. It was a period of time in America characterised by prosperity and optimism. There was a general feeling of disruption associated with modernity and a break with traditions.The Roaring Twenties was a time of great economic prosperity and many people became rich and wealthy. Some people inherited oldRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby Essay1898 Words   |  8 PagesSameet K. Mann Ms. Rowe IB English 7 September 2016 Literary Analysis: The American Dream The century old concept of the American Dream is the belief that no matter what race, gender, religion or background a person is from, she/he has the ability to become successful through the means of hard work and determination. Unlike today, Americans during the 1920s lived in the illusion that achieving the American Dream involved immoral actions and only the satisfaction of their greedy pleasures. ThisRead MoreLiterary Analysis : The Great Gatsby1806 Words   |  8 Pages Literary analysis: The Great Gatsby To truly achieve The American Dream is nearly impossible without personal sacrifice, as evidenced by The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald. As the characters, especially Gatsby himself, eventually learn, there is no way to make the fantasy of a perfect life a reality. There are ways to imitate the results, such hiding one’s true self from others, as Gatsby attempts with Nick, or an all-encompassing devotion to one thing or person, as if that thing or personRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Literary Analysis1049 Words   |  5 PagesLama 1 Verdiana Lama Mr.Joannes ENG 4UN July 18, 2017 Money gets to your head The pressures of social class tend to give us an urgency to act a certain way. In The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald, He carefully sets up his novel into wonderful agencies but, in the long run, every group has its personal issues to take care of, leaving a powerful reminder of what a precarious region the world truly is. By creating awesome social instructions which include new moneyRead MoreThe Great Gatsby Literary Analysis741 Words   |  3 Pagesâ€Å"The Great Gatsby† by F. Scott Fitzgerald was on the the greatest pieces of American literature ever constructed. F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered one of the five greatest authors in American history. His Book â€Å"The Great Gatsby† was named the third most important book in American literature. An article by John A. Pidgeon it says â€Å"I am absolutely convinced that â€Å"The Great Gatsby† is one of the finest of american literature†(Pidgeon) â€Å"The Great Gatsby† is clearly a highly thought of piece of literatureRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby1787 Words   |  8 PagesThe Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is hailed as masterpiece of American fictions of its time. It is noted for the remarkable way its author captures a cross-section of American society during the 1920s. The author, F. Scott Fitzgerald offers up a commentary on the American society of which he was a part. He successfully encapsulates the mood of a generation during a politically and socially crucial and chaotic period of American history. In fact, The Great Gatsby is a brilliant piece of EnglishRead MoreLiterary Analysis Of The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald2128 Words   |  9 PagesLiterary Analysis of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby is an incredible novel written in 1925 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, a prolific American author, and published by Scribner’s. Nevertheless, during its first release, the book sold poorly and received mixed reviews. In fact, Fitzgerald died in 1940 considering himself and his works a failure. However, the onset of the Second World War revived the novel, which later became an essential component of high school curricula and differentRead Moresparknotes vs cliffnotes830 Words   |  4 Pagesunderstanding the literary elements, character developments, and plot development that a author uses to help create the story. Both sites provide similar information, ranging from overall plot summaries and character analysis, but Sparknotes goes more into the literary aspect of the book, while cliffnotes focuses more on the character and his motives. In analyzing Jay Gatsby, Cliffnotes focuses much more on Gatsby himself and his underlying motives to his character, like â€Å"In assessing Gatsby, one must examineRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald921 Words   |  4 Pagesof The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald relays the first encounter with the protagonist of the novel, and is also were his use of literary techniques emotionally involves the reader whilst effectively telling the story so brilliantly. Also his varied use of diverse methods of structure and form, than what has been previously seen in his commentaries, allows the readers to explore the events of the naive narrator, Nick, with other people other than the materialistic and drunk lifestyle that Gatsby and his

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

About Me free essay sample

Its 4:30 in the afternoon and I see my dad come in the front door he’s exhausted from back breaking hard day at work. That’s when my mind goes to work and tells me I have to do this. I was born in Chicago and moved to Oak Lawn in the sixth grade I was just the typical kid going to school every day to talk to friend and do schoolwork. My dad inspired me to be the hardworking person that I am today. And listening to my family’s complaints about how important it is for me to go to school and how hard it was for them to live without ever going to school or having any type of an education made me want to be the best that I can be. Being first generation in the United States you always hear your other family members talk about bad memories and hard times they went through as children or when they were my age. We will write a custom essay sample on About Me or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I was at my uncle’s house one day for a party my cousins and I we were all sitting at the table outside on the patio having dinner. For most of the time I was just hurrying up to eat because my cousins and I were going to go somewhere. My uncle ended up not letting us use the car so we just sat there and listened to our other family members talk. They lectured us and told us how important it was for us to go to school. My grandpa started to talk and said that when he was younger he didn’t really care for school because he didn’t know what it was and said besides that I had to work from seven to seven everyday and I only made about twenty five cents a day. He said if you don’t want to have to get up every day and worry about how you’re going to pay for living costs go to school and get yourself a decent education and follow a career path that’s going to pay off and give you a decent living. Next my great grandma went on about how hard it was for her to provide for her children whether it was food, clothes, or spending time with them. They all told me the same thing so I went along with it and just said yes. That night we left and my brother was talking about Xbox and I was still thinking about what the family had talked about it. I had all the resources that they didn’t have I had no excuse. I told my self that I was going to live the life they never had and make them proud. Since I could remember my dad has always been the person that was there to take care of me and get me out of any trouble I got into. He has also been the one that made me the hard working person I am today. One day me and my dad we were coming home from Georgia because we had gone to visit my uncle for the most part of the trip back home I was listening to music and sleeping while my dad would just drive. So we were in Tennessee when I woke up and my dad just started talking to me. He was telling told me a story about when he was my age I was twelve at the time. He switched the conversation and started telling me how I should act with other people he told me to be respectful to anyone older than me and that all I needed to be successful was to respect others and try my best at school every day. He told me you don’t want to end up with a full time job at a factory that’s not going to pay you good. He set himself as the example to me and said I want you to be better than me. That’s why I’m trying to give you all the opportunities and the life that I never even dreamed of having. Next he said, so take advantage of the resources you have and try and become anything you want to be. At the end he just said â€Å"remember not to ever take laugh at anybody who doesn’t have anything that you don’t have to be able to succeed, instead help them out if you can†. That’s why I’m the hard working person that I am today. All in all, being inspired by my dad, and listening to my family’s sad memories and them saying they never went to school also inspired me. From that moment on I told myself that I had to work hard at my education because my future depended on it. I’ve learned that my education is the success in my future. Knowing that nobody in my family had the chance to a full education or not an education at all has made me grateful and even more determined to work to my full extent. What makes m e different from others is that I believe that I have more support from my family because other people that do come from families with an education are probably not pushed or supported as much as I am.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works Essay Example

Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works Essay Comparison of how Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in The Outsider have used moral issues to develop their works It is debatable whether morality is a code of conduct that is considered right by society or whether it is a code unilaterally decided upon by an individual. When we consider morality as a tool used by both Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in The Outsider, this debate holds immense relevance. Wonderful Fool, heavily influenced by Christian doctrine, addresses the degeneration of Japanese society and the way moral issues are presented in the novel reflects this. In Wonderful Fool Shusaku Endo looks upon morality as the value system defined by the Bible, where Jesus Christ is regarded as the epitome of true goodness. In his portrayal of the main character he draws upon examples from Christ’s life to recreate a character whose morality is nearly flawless. The Outsider as a philosophical social commentary uses moral issues to demonstrate the absurdity of existence. Camus chooses to present morality as the code of conduct that an individual chooses to uphold regardless of the views of society or religion. He creates a character that lives according to his own â€Å"morality†. We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Comparison of How Shusaku Endo in Wonderful Fool and Albert Camus in the Outsider Have Used Moral Issues to Develop Their Works specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Although supposed by most readers to be amoral, this character, Meursault appears to be true to his personal convictions of objectivism. Meursault’s commitment to objectivity makes him moral in my opinion. Coined post-Camus, moral objectivism in this context refers to objectivity being used to guide one’s actions as opposed to subjective emotions or traditions. Both writers utilize characterization to present moral issues concerning honesty, consistency and non-conformity in a manner that supports their respective viewpoints. In both texts characterization is frequently used as a vehicle through which morality is presented. In Shusaku Endo’s novel Gaston is presented as a clumsy ‘horse-like’ (Endo 43) Frenchman who is incongruous with the modern slick Japanese city of Tokyo. This ‘fool’ who descended from greatness (Napoleon) is very much like Jesus who is also an unwelcome descendant of a ruler (King David). Gaston, like Jesus, is not physically attractive . Both were rejected by people in society, especially the fashionable, rich or powerful. Jesus was rejected at Nazareth his hometown. People scoffed, â€Å"He’s just a carpenter, the son of Mary† (Mark 6:3), whilst Gaston is constantly referred to as the â€Å"foreigner,† never integrating into Tokyo. His rejection is best characterised by Tomoe. â€Å"’hope you are satisfied†¦bringing that fool into our home,’ she said with deep resentment† (Endo 51). She did not welcome his presence in her house. Gaston makes companions of the lowliest members of society: prostitutes, murderers, and stray dogs. In this way he resembles Christ who befriended the outcasts of his society, such as lepers and prostitutes. He demonstrates selflessness and patience as he attempts to befriend a thug that was beating him up. â€Å"No matter what trick†¦he was of such a temperament that he could not hate his persecutors† (Endo 83). This demonstrates a parallel with Christ who forgave those who taunted him on the cross. His self-sacrificing, unconditional ‘childlike faith’ (Psalm 116:6) in the goodness of people bears a strong resemblance to Jesus and this presents him to the reader as being morally good. Shusaku Endo uses Gaston’s character as a foil, against which he shows the individualistic nature of Japanese society. Endo conveys his disapproval of this societal trait by painting a positive picture of Gaston’s selflessness against the gloom of Japanese hedonism. Gaston is seen by the reader as being altruistic and therefore the reader is led to feel that Japan is self-seeking because of the harsh contrast between his magnanimity and the city’s self-absorbed nature. This contrast is created through other character’s response to Gaston as well as the scenes in which Gaston’s tale is told. The other characters in the novel respond to Gaston’s actions with disdain. For instance, when â€Å"Gaston took food from his own plate and threw it to the dog†¦Tomoe and Matchan looked away in disgust† (Endo 51). His simple act of kindness disgusted them. This contrast between the ideal (embodied by Gaston) and reality (of the character Japanese society) demonstrates Shusaku Endo’s disapproval of the judgemental society that Japan had become. Contrast is further evident in the following examples: the scene at â€Å"Hilltop Hotel† (a brothel), the incident at Sanya where â€Å"even the police†¦close their eyes to prostitution† and â€Å"extortion, theft and other such crimes flourish† (Endo 115). By playing out Gaston’s story in these places, which are hedonistic, dark and cruel, Gaston’s kindness and compassion is even more apparent as he unwittingly helps the prostitute in need. The writer places Gaston in the company of a murderer, Endo, â€Å"who was able to kill a man in cold blood† (Endo 118). Endo (the character) embodies the Japanese in a way that suggests they are self-serving as he acts without regard for Gaston trying to satisfy his own needs. Despite Endo’s aggression Gaston’s response to Endo is one of concern for him as opposed to worry for himself. This relationship further emphasises the idea of the Japanese being too egotistical by contrasting Endo’s selfishness with Gaston’s unselfishness. Albert Camus has a similar approach in his choice of characteristics for his principle character. Meursault, as the title implies, is an outsider and apathetically goes about life. Meursault appears not to concern himself with the conventions of his society. When his mother died Meursault’s response was one of indifference as he concerned himself more with the date and logistics than acknowledging the gravity of her death. â€Å"Mother died today. Or maybe yesterday†¦I’ll come back tomorrow† (Camus 9). However he is not completely indifferent; truth is of great importance to him. Like Gaston he never wavers from his belief system, upholding objectivity without compromise. He is honest and true as a result. By the end of the text when Meursault is offered an alternative to execution in exchange for his faith in God he refuses. †Ã¢â‚¬ ¦with God’s help he would do something for me† (Camus 67) †¦ [he asked] me if I believed in God. I said no† (Camus 68). He sees no need for a lawyer, â€Å"I could answer for myself† (Camus 66). His unwillingness to compromise or immersion in his ‘simple’ belief system turns Meursault almost into a martyr, dying for his belief. Meursault’s commitment to honesty to himself overrides the instinctive response of self-preservation. He is a non-conformist and does not understand society. This emphasizes how this judgmental society imposes its own belief system on individuals, requiring assimilation. Meursault, like Gaston, is consistent in his conduct, not lying once in the text, making him moral in his own mind. Similar to Shusaku Endo, Camus uses the contrast of the ideal characterised by Meursault to highlight a fault in the society he presents. Meursault’s objectivity demonstrates, through juxtaposition, the absurdity of our society. He comments on how murder is murder, thus it makes no difference if a man is shot once or four times, or if a man is killed by a stranger or his own son. During the trial his lawyer asks, â€Å"Is he being accused of burying his mother or of killing a man? † (Camus 93). This question showing how the court or society was judging him based on â€Å"exposing the dark workings of this criminal soul† (Camus 96), as opposed to the arbitrary shooting. The murder was not malicious. He only killed the man as a response to â€Å"a red hot blade gnawing at [his] eyelashes† (Camus 60). Although Meursault speaks the truth he is judged by a system which does not recognise his moral code. This system views murder as immoral regardless of the intention, whilst Meursault sees no shame in his action as it wasn’t borne from malice. In effect he is convicted for not conforming. In the Afterword Camus says â€Å"the hero of the book is condemned because he doesn’t play the game† (Camus 118). Meursault pulled the trigger out of tension from the heat and was not out of revenge or hatred towards the Arab. If morality is an individual’s set code of conduct, independent of society, a society’s morals could then be called ‘ethics’. Camus creates a character that is moral as he is true to his own beliefs, whilst at the same time the character is unethical. It was the skill involved in playing a character’s private beliefs against those of a society that made me enjoy these texts. In each text, a character’s personality conflicts with a society’s personality and to me this was a most effective way of exploring the society’s flaws. Both writers utilize characterization to present moral issues concerning honesty, consistency and non-conformity in a manner that supports their respective viewpoints. As these characters show the ideal, society is painted as being imperfect. Through characterisation both writers present the flawed world and a consistent character to the reader. The reader then chooses which is right and which is wrong based on the biased information given by the writer. This then means the reader identifies the society as flawed and the writer has fulfilled his purpose and conveyed his message. Word Count: 1,497 words Bibliography Camus, Albert. The Outsider. English Translation: Joseph Laredo. Penguin Books Ltd, London; 1983. Endo, Shusaku. Wonderful Fool. English Translation: Francis Mathy. Peter Owen Publishers, London; 2002.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Creation Truth and Myth

Introduction There have been a lot of contention in regard to how life came into being. Christians and other religious groups have maintained that creation was done by God as described by the Bible and other holy books. Christians have stuck to the genesis account of creation with some modifying it to suit their respective doctrines and disciplinary influences.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creation: Truth and Myth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Many conservative Christian groups regard the myths of creation that appear in the initial parts of genesis to be literally correct (Frigge, 2009). They do not doubt that it was conducted by God in six days. Many believe that creation was actually done by God exactly as it is described in the Bible and this actually took place circa 4004 BCE as worked out by Bishop Ussher (Frigge, 2009). Other groups of conservative Christians have tried to bring together the genesis creation version with findings in science. They, therefore, believe that God created the Earth and all that is in it; in addition, they believe that the Earth is billions of years old (Frigge, 2009). Most liberal Christian groups simply reject the inerrancy described by the Bible (Halbur, 2007). They point out the fact the individuals who wrote genesis existed in pre-scientific times. Even elementary geology, cosmology, astronomy and biology were far much beyond their knowledge (Frigge, 2009). This group of Christians tends to accept the creation stories described in genesis as imaginative creative works that have no bearing on reality or myths derived from earlier Mesopotamian creation stories that were re-worked by the ancient Israelites (Halbur, 2007). This paper seeks to describe creation truths and myths as described in different written Christian interpretations. The paper will greatly refer to two written works, the Saint Mary’s Press College Study Bible and the Frigge ’s textbook, The Beginning Biblical Studies. References will also be made from the â€Å"book of Genesis† (Frigge, 2009). Genesis creation narrative The creation myth is found in the beginning of the book, in the first chapters. The first chapter describes how God created the whole world within six days through divine speech. The creation included mankind on the sixth day and rested on the seventh day (Frigge, 2009). The second chapter of genesis describes the identity of God as the â€Å"God of Israel† creating the first man named Adam, placing him in the Garden of Eden and making the first woman Eve from his rib (Halbur, 2007).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Basically, the creation narrative is composed of these two parts that form the initial two chapters of the Bible. While the second part of genesis is a simple narrative that picks from the formatio n of the first man in the Garden of Eden to the creation of the first woman and the establishment of the institution of marriage, the first part of genesis stands out due to its organization (Halbur, 2007). The chapter is organized in eight instances of creation that supposedly took place over a six day period. In the first three days of the creation, according to the first chapter of Genesis, God conducted three important divisions. During the first day, he separated darkness from light, on the second day, he separated the waters below from the waters above and, on the third day, he separated the sea from land (Frigge, 2009). According to Frigge, in the next three days, God creates the stars and the sun, creates fish and fowl in the seas and skies respectively (2009). On the last day, he creates land animals which include mankind. Genesis story as a myth It is important to note that myths have varied origins. Many of them are usually fictional but there are some that are based on e vents that actually took place. Myths, whether fictional or based on actual events are used for different purposes such as explaining things that cannot be explained, to convey religious messages or to keep a group together (Frigge, 2009). Several texts give an explanation of how a myth develops from a historical event that actually took place. They state that major events that took place in the history of a community are retold and retold to different generations. Eventually, the stories take a deeper level giving rise to a myth. One such myth is the story of exodus (Frigge, 2009). There have been a lot of controversy surrounding the issue of whether creation is a myth or the truth or whether what is written in genesis is what really took place or it was engineered to suit the needs of the time. Indeed, many contemporary biblical scholars have asserted that the first major comprehensive draft of the Pentateuch (five books beginning with Genesis to Deuteronomy) were written in the l ate 7th or 6th century BC by the Jahwist source and they were later expanded to incorporate additional narratives and laws from the Priestly source to create the work we have today (Halbur, 2007).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Creation: Truth and Myth specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In the view of these contemporary scholars, the purpose was to come up with a monotheistic creation version in opposition to the polytheistic myth that was being advanced Babylon (Frigge, 2009). In the Frigge’s text book â€Å"Beginning Bible Studies†, the challenges faced by the priestly group are clearly outlined. The priestly was at pains to create a writing that would sound well for reestablished but struggling Jews who were just returning after spending more than a century in exile. These people had gone through enough trouble with their creator (Frigge, 2009). In setting out to do their work, the priestly had t o put into consideration the kind of people they were writing for, their questions and their needs at that time. The priestly group had to devise a writing that would resonate well with them and lead them back to the ways of God. The priestly redactor decided to create a chronological account of the salvation history that would teach the present and future generations the fundamental beliefs about their God (Halbur, 2007). The chronological account had to have a beginning and, thus, the need for a creation myth. This was important in order to address the people of Israel particularly in regard to the situation they were in at that time. Thus, the creation myth in Genesis was purely designed to deal with questions that could have been raised by the people (Frigge, 2009). The truths in the creation myth The book of Genesis has two creation stories that fit into one narrative (Halbur, 2007). It is said that the words translated in English do capture the full meaning that was in the Heb rew language. This is due to the fact that the Hebrew language uses verb tenses that cannot be found in the English language. Other words in the Hebrew language are only used in conversations or writings that are related to God. For instance, the bara refers to creation that is done only by God but English does not have such word that describes creations done by God alone. This implies that the myth of creation contained in Genesis has a deeper meaning when described in Hebrew (Frigge, 2009).Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Indeed, the myth of creation contains hidden truths that apply to the everyday life. It is also important to note that the translation of the Bible from Hebrew to English led to a significant lose in the meaning. For instance, creation is popularly associated with the creation of Adam and Eve but a closer analysis of the Bible reveals that it does not feature prominently in the first three chapters of the book of Genesis. Another major misconstruction can be seen by carefully reading chapter 1:27 which states that â€Å"God created man in his image, in the divine image he created him; male and female he created them† (Frigge, 2009). This verse seems to be grammatically wrong it was wrongly translated from the Hebrew language. For English, the word â€Å"man† can stand for the male sex or whole human race (Halbur, 2007). In Hebrew, there are two distinct words. Ish refers to a male person while Adam is more commonly used to refer to humankind. Thus, the use of Adam in t he book of Genesis simply implies that God created and continues to create the Human race. There is evidence that in ancient Hebrew, the word Adam was used to symbolize all human beings. Thus, in saying that â€Å"God created Adam†, the statement refers to the creation of all human kind (Frigge, 2009). On the other hand, the symbolic meaning of the name â€Å"Eve† can be found in Genesis 3:20. It refers to the mother of all (Halbur, 2007). The story of Adam and Eve is usually introduced to people from an early age. The story usually remains ever present in one’s mind through to adulthood. Scholars have pointed out that this wonderful story can have very serious consequences on a person’s spiritual health. They warn that the story should not be taken for its literal meaning. For instance, in the first chapter of Genesis, man and woman are created simultaneously but, in the second chapter, the woman is created later (Frigge, 2009). Indeed, the two versions cannot be taken to be literally true. They are simply used to reflect on the human condition. The story of Adam and Eve in the book of Genesis has been taken literally by many putting people in an awkward relationship with God. Many people who take the story literally think that the story proclaims subservience of women to man (Halbur, 2007). The story seeks to establish the fact that no human being can exist on his/her own. Another controversial issue that comes up in the creation myth is the statement that humankind, male and female, is created in the divine image of God (Frigge, 2009). Christianity forbids humans from comparing anything o God. It is, thus, not always accepted that humans were created in the same way as God. Biblical scholars are still debating to identify the precise meaning of this statement. Many have sought assistance from the book of psalms. In psalms 8:6, God is praised for creating humans a bit less than God, crowned with glory and honor (Frigge, 2009). It is important to note that in Hebrew language, an equivalent of the word glory (kabod) is often used to refer to God. But, in this verse, it is applied to humans too. The word kabod or â€Å"glory† refers to the manifestation of God that is visible (Frigge, 2009). The book of psalms indicates that in a way God shares his divine nature with humankind. Thus, the statement that humans were created in the image of God implies that there is a part of God that is shared with humankind. According to the scriptures, the main purpose that humans serve on Earth is to manifest the presence of God. The statement that humans were created in the image of God was evidently applied by the Priestly redactor to contrast the Israel religious beliefs from that of Babylon (Frigge, 2009). In the Babylon creation myth, human beings are created in order to serve Gods just the same way as slaves serve their masters (Halbur, 2007). The myth of creation also talks of human beings giving care to other hu mans and all other living things. An in-depth analysis of this finding shows that God involves human beings in his creation work. Thus, man acts as a co-creator with God and also with other humans. These studies show that woman and man corporate to give the breath from God the creator to new life. The creation of a woman out of the man’s ribs has long been held as implying that women are subordinate to men. However, the careful study of the book of Genesis with apparent reference to the Hebrew language show that this belief falls (Halbur, 2007). In the first book of Genesis, God instructs humankind to have dominion over all plants and animals. Many Christians have taken this to mean that human beings can exercise power over plants and animals in any way they feel necessary. When this call to human beings to exercise dominion is analyzed in Hebrew, it means something quite different. In ancient Israel, the human king was like God’s representative on Earth and, therefore , he was required to rule in the same way as God. In regard to this, the call to â€Å"have dominion† implies that the ruler should direct all living things to exist in a peaceful, harmonious and justified manner. Therefore, God’s call to Adam to have dominion over plants and animals did not imply that human beings should manipulate other creatures in whatever way they deem necessary (Halbur, 2007). The call was intended to mean that human beings should act as God’s representatives on Earth and ensure that everything is moving in the right direction. Thus, in as much as humans are required to depend on God at any given moment, they have the power to rule over other animals. They are simply created to assist God and represent him on Earth. This description of the creation of human beings and their purpose is seen in the first story of creation. The first story is often thought to have been sourced from Priestly own writing tradition. Priestly must have seen this account of creation to be incomplete (Frigge, 2009). They must have taken a look at how the relationship between God and Israel had changed over the years. Priestly saw that the relationship described in the first chapter of Genesis had not materialized. The initial plan that God for humanity had failed and so Priestly had to create another myth. According to Frigge, the second story or myth was sourced from the Jewish tradition and it told of how God had made man out of clay from the ground then blew into his nostrils the breath of life (2009). In genesis 2:7, the Bible describes how God formed humans out of Earth. In Hebrew, the word used to represent the wind that God blew into Adams nostrils can be used to mean wind, breath or spirit. Thus, Adam only becomes a living human after he has been infused with the spirit/breath (Frigge, 2009). The symbolic meaning of this is to portray human beings as being complex combinations of very different things. The divine part of humans can be regarded to be God’s own spirit. Human beings can also be described as weak earthly creatures. But human beings forget that they should depend on God for life and more often they put themselves at the same level as God (Halbur, 2007). Conclusion This paper sought to describe creation truths and myths as described in different written Christian interpretations. It has been established that the two first chapters of the book of Genesis are made of two contrasting myths that describe how God created man kind and all other things. However, things accounts are only contrasting when the literal meaning is taken. Deeper analysis, with a lot of support from the original Hebrew language, establishes the real meaning of these creation myths. References Frigge, M. (2009). Beginning Biblical Studies. Winona: Anselm Academic. Halbur, V. (2007). Saint Mary’s Press College Study Bible. Winona: Saint Mary’s. This essay on Creation: Truth and Myth was written and submitted by user Leonel P. to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Sunday, November 24, 2019

Martin Luther King Jr Day Essay †A Life to Be Remembered

Martin Luther King Jr Day Essay – A Life to Be Remembered It’s in times like these that we must turn our heads from the future, and the present, to look back on the brilliant minds of the past. From this vantage certain questions can be jarring. For example, how different would the state of world today be if Martin Luther King Jr had been the first African American president? At this moment in history many Americans believe the US government is the #1 threat to liberty and the pursuit of justice, once again. It was the same in his day. The degree to which civil liberties have been eroded for all Americans, not just those of color, is disturbing; shocking really. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and President Obama are Nobel Peace Prize winners. One for combating racial inequality, and the other for well†¦no one really knows and the President himself offered to give it back. What’s happening? When did we lose control? To write an essay, let’s take a look at a couple select parts of the world renowned and historic speech, I Have a Dream and compare it to where most Americans find themselves today. And, as we do, let’s ask ourselves what it’s going to take before another leader like Mr. Luther King Jr. stands up and begins to speak. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal. Income disparity is at historic levels. The fact of the matter is that nearly all of the country’s wealth is concentrated in the hands of a tiny portion of society. We’re talking literally off the charts inequality (borderline banana republic). While over 100 million have left the conventional workforce to become discouraged or underemployed workers, Wall Street is seeing new highs. As of right now the DOW just reached its 143rd new record of 2013. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. Because of the rampant fiscal calamities, compounded by the loss of civil liberties and the disenfranchisement of the masses in the completely inept political establishment, a ferocious class war is brewing. The right and left sides of the isle have never been so polarized throughout the nation. Online and around dinner tables from Seattle to New York serious constitutional, legislative and legal arguments are getting heated. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. The state still has some political, economic, educational, labor problems. Debt is progressing. Through inflation and the devaluation of the dollar, at least 80% of America is being increasingly oppressed and then taxed to the gills with interest on money created out of thin air. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. In this respect Martin would be proud of America’s youth at large. They’re not perfect and have many flaws, but they sit at the cusp of a new age where through technology they find empowerment. Free knowledge, networking, business, virtual currencies, etc. Millennials will be the brunt of the workforce soon, and with them will come unprecedented changes. Freedom, real honest to goodness freedom, that’s what we see when we look at a black and white photo of him. That’s what we feel when we hear his words: And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. Sooner or later the pendulum of freedom will swing back towards a more balanced 21st century society. And when it does there will be great minds at the helm of powerful movement who themselves will have likely read and re-read those words above. A life remembered still has the power to change the world.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Art and Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Art and Revolution - Essay Example Racism is obviously the key theme to the story since in Richard wright’s life, it is the central theme. In the 1900s the black community is disrespected and suffers at the hands of its white counterpart. Richard does not see any difference between whites and blacks when he is young but his view in life and particularly in relation to the subject above changes as he grows up (Wright 38). At the time of the death of his friend’s brother and his uncle Hoskins his eyes are opened to the truth. The white people being the ones behind this tragedy that engulfs him, makes him yearn for freedom from racism. Hand in hand with racism is the violence around. This is extreme in the southern states where violence is the order of the day. In as much as Richard looks for comfort from his own people when the whites are suppressing them the opposite is what he gets. He is often beaten by his relatives and family members. This experience together with encouragement from his mother forces him to fight against those who attack and suppress him thus becoming violent himself. He gets into fights in school with the hope and expectation that this will attain the respect and freedom he wants from his peers. It doesn’t stop there because at some point he threatens his aunt Addie and his uncle with razor blades. This is a show that he is desperate and hungry for freedom from violence and even if it means him turning into a violent guy, he is ready to play that card (Wright 58). He is always fighting against someone to be himself, express himself and even better himself in case there is a greater challenge the next day. Richard fights and claws his way through everything in life all in an attempt to accomplish the goals that everyone deemed pointless. The other point clearly coming out in our emphasis that there was a hunger for freedom is the issue on oppression. Oppression occurs between couples of different groups of people throughout the novel. The main being the o ppression of the white community over the black community in terms of availed opportunities, preference and outright hatred just but to the mention a few. As we scrutinize this point we should be careful to not forget that oppression is also evident within the black community itself. Be it in the family setting where it is either the father against the children, a husband against a wife or a brother against a sister. Richard is ridiculed and discriminated against for his intellectualism and desire to write by his neighbors, classmates and even his own family members. The people who should have your back at each and every point pulling you down (Wright 74). One word to describe this, very demoralizing. It is not just the white people that hold black people back but the ones oppressed try and hold back those who want and yearn for a better life. Maldoror and the Complete Works of the Comte De Lautreamont The career of Ducasse is a posthumous one since it is chronically complicated by the interpretation of Lautreamont and Malodor which is a mystery and an enigma. He is born in the month of April 1846. His father being well-to-do and he even goes on to become a chancellor but little is known about his mother (Lautreamont 19). The book is first printed in 1868 under the title les chants de Malodor but the next year, the complete Malodor is printed and bound in Belgium where the author is identified as Comte de Lautreamont. This is because of the fear of

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Theory Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Theory Assignment - Essay Example There will almost always be some common ground from which to work. By working from known shared meanings, it is possible to attach new meanings and new workds by comparing either similarity or difference. Using the more visual metaphor or simile can work well in these circumstances, as long as there is also a clear shared understanding of meanings carries by such imagery. For example one might explain â€Å"timidity† as being afraid of small things, such as l0ooking someone else in the eye. However, in some Eastern and Asian cultures, it is the height of rudeness and a very aggressive act to look someone else directly in the eye. The opportunities for miscommunication are many and truly competent communicators are few. II: Discussing Plans for Saturday Night with my Friend’s Mother It was early one Saturday evening, and my friends and I were going out to hang in the downtown area near places where there were always lots of girs. My two friends left for a few minutes to get something, and I waited. Carl’s mother came into the livingroom where I was waiting, and asked me about where we were going, but she started right off by asking if we were going bird watching. She had overheard a conversation earlier between Murray, who is from the UK and Carl, her son. I did not realize that she had misunderstood, so I simply chatted with her. FM: So I heard you Murray and Carl planning to go bird watching with you tonight. Where will you do that? Me: Oh right on the boardwalk. There’s flocks of them there. FM: Really? At night? Me: Oh you know they love the bright lights and the music. FM: That music? I would think it would drive them away. Me: Well I admit it is a tad loud, and keeps the same beat all night, but one little drink solves that whole problem. They start dancing and get more thirsty, drink a little more and pretty some they love everything. FM: That sounds more like you are planning to catch them. Me: Oh no, nothing quite so crude. A fter all, they can’t fly. FM: What kinds of birds are they, Penguins or Dodos? Me: Oh no, they’re just girls. I’m sorry. Murray’s a Brit. To him all birds are girls, doncha know? FM: No, I don’t. The prettiest ones are the boys. Me: I stood silent for many seconds and then started to laugh. III: Analysis of the Miscommunication in the Conversation and the Causes In the previous conversation, the two speakers did not share the same definition for several of the key words. Notably the two most important were â€Å"bird† and â€Å"fly†, which are colloquial expressions in Great Britain meaning â€Å"girl† and â€Å"run away†. Several other parts of the conversation were ambiguous when paired with the meanings of these two words. â€Å"Drink† was meant as an alcoholic beverage, but was interpreted as meaning water by the listener, because she was convinced the conversation was about the animals that have wings and fly mostly in the day time. Neither participant in this conversation were actually competent communicators, since neither one tried to establish a base of meaning before carrying on with the conversation. The use of slang

Sunday, November 17, 2019

5-color theorem Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

5-color theorem - Essay Example There are three of them, four-color, five-color and six-color theorem. The five color theorem was proved in 1890 showing that five colors suffice to color a map. (Jensen and Toft 61) It all began with Francis Guthrie. He was a mathematician from British, who in 1952 discovered that he could color the states in the map of Great Britain by means of four colors without coloring of the neighboring countries with the same color. The problem hence arose if it was feasible to color any given map using four colors and it remained an area of interest for a while. The problem was; however, deciphered in 1879 when A. Kempe claimed to have found an explanation to the four color problem and went ahead to publish his solution and proof. In 1890; however, P. Heawood discovered an error in Kempers proof, which led to the demotion of the four color theorem as a credible theory. Heawood was unable to show that there was an error, which could have been colored with not less than five colors, but ultimately proved that Kempe was wrong in his argument. This led to a solution in the color problem with the five color theorem sufficing (Jensen and Toft 61). In order to proof the five color theorem mathematically, one relates a planar graph, G to a certain map. A vertex is placed on every area in the map. Two vertices are then connected with an edge where analogous areas share a boundary in common. This problem is then translated into a graph coloring problem. One is now required to color the graph vertices so that no border has its endpoints with a similar color. This proof relies heavily on the Euler characteristic to illustrate that there, it is mandatory to have a vertex V that is shared by at most five borders. It also relies on the fact that G is a planar. This is to denote that G may be embedded in a plane without necessarily intersecting the borders. Now take out

Friday, November 15, 2019

Roles Of Armed Forces In Disaster Management Environmental Sciences Essay

Roles Of Armed Forces In Disaster Management Environmental Sciences Essay 1. Disasters are of various types caused by natural phenomena as well as compounded by human error. Natural disaster may be of various type such as earthquakes, cyclone, tornado, flood etc. and other events such as drought, crops failure, etc. whereas man made disasters may include radiation accidents, gas leakage accidents bomb explosion, war time rioting, firing etc. Natural Disasters are unlike anything else in human experience. These are largely beyond control of human being resulting quick changes in the lives of the victims. On the other hand, the cost of man made disaster like war is borne by the entire population. The socio-economic consequences of all these disasters have always been highly alarming and devastating. 2. Many countries of the world are frequently struck by adverse natural calamities. The magnitude and severity of such disasters are be alarming. The loss of life, damage to property and stripping off the resources are common features. However, the topology of natural disasters is multiple, based on meteorological, topographical and geological conditions such as cyclones, floods, earthquake etc. and its effects also vary from country to country. 3. Like many countries of the world, natural disasters are very common in Bangladesh, because of its geographical, atmospheric, environmental and fast changing ecological reasons. Bangladesh may be described as one of the most disaster prone countries of the world. Almost every year she experiences one or the other type of disaster. The most common disasters that generally occur in Bangladesh are floods, cyclone, storm surge, tornado, norwester, drought, earthquake etc. Bangladesh is a developing country having one of the lowest per capita income in the world, cannot afford to have a big standing organization with equipment exclusively to meet the requirements of pre, during and post disaster activities. 4. The contribution which the armed forces can make in dealing with such disaster need not be over emphasized. This contribution has usually been made under some form of official arrangement for aid to civil power, as laid down in the standing operating procedures.Experience has shown that military forces are fully effective in counter-disaster role. The flexible organizational structure, capability of sustained operation in all weathers by day and night and well trained management system of the armed forces make them particularly well-suited for effective disaster relief operations. In addition, many of their normal activities parallel to those in public emergency services. Thus armed forces can offer assistance to the victims with invaluable support in engineering, communications, transport, rescue, emergency medical services, field sanitation, water supply and so on. 5. Therefore, whenever Bangladesh faces any natural disaster it becomes imperative for the Armed Forces to respond quickly with its own management, communications and administrative machineries to assist the Civil authorities to provide humanitarian relief to prevent further loss of lives and property. In this paper an attempt will be made to identify the types of different natural disasters and the role of the Armed Forces in handling them, effects of disaster in general those of the new disaster threats and Disaster management system in other countries The study is confined to the natural disasters that commonly occur in Bangladesh and its handling by the armed forces. It is assumed that the definition of disaster, its pattern and nature, the principle causes are well-known to the reader and therefore, not discussed here. The paper is laid out in the following order : a. Types of disaster; and its Effect on Bangladesh. b. Nature of Military Assistance and the capabilities of the Armed Forces to combat the Disaster. c. Existing Disaster Management System in Bangladesh. d. Contribution of the Armed Forces in Disaster Management- a Historical Review. e. Disaster Management System in other Countries. f. Future Role of Armed Forces in Disaster Management. AIM 6. The aim of this paper is to analyse disaster management in general and recommend measures/systems for disaster preparedness and mitigation in Bangladesh by the Armed Forces. TYPES OF DISASTER, AND ITS EFFECTS ON BANGLADESH. 7. General. Disaster includes such events produced by a variety of natural and manmade destructive agents, including earthquake, volcanic eruption, tropical cyclone, flood, landslide, drought, epidemic, fires and war time bombing attacks. According to Kates (1980) roughly 90 percent of the worlds disaster are due to four hazard types. a. Floods (40 percent) b. Tropical Cyclone (20 percent) c. Drought (15 percent) d. Earth Quakes (15 percent) 8. Types of Disaster. Except earthquakes (Though the country experienced a mild trauma in 1988) other three hazards are common in Bangladesh. The most common disasters for which the Armed Forces may be employed in aid of civil power are. a. Natural Disasters. (1) Flood. (2) Tropical cyclone (typhoon). (3) Earthquake. (4) Landslide. (5) Epidemic. (6) Drought. (7) Famine. (8) Storm surge. b. Man made or Artificial Disasters. (1) Major Accidents. (2) Civil Unrest. (3) Man made floods. 9. The New Disaster Threats. The new disaster threat which has developed since World War-II besides the traditional disaster threat need to be considered and dealt with as a challenge with more effectively . The new disaster threats, may cause endless sufferings win far-ranging effects, and at the same time be difficult to counter. Some of these kinds of disasters are listed below : a. Social Violence. Social Violence like hijacking, terrorism, communal riots, civil unrest and conflicts with conventional arms affect many nations. The Armed Forces can help the government remove such social violence. b. Hazardous Material. Hazardous materials or substances can be as new disaster threat. The tragedy of Bhupal in India in 1985 ranks paramount in this category, with its estimated toll of 2500 killed and 100,000 affected in various ways. c. Atomic and Nuclear Threat. The explosion in 1986 at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Russia highlighted the extent and severity of this problem. Radio active effects from the disaster area were measured as far way as 1600 miles and more. Even if country was not directly involved in nuclear conflicts or terrorism, it could well suffer severely from the radio active side-effects. 10. General Effects of Disaster. The causes of disaster may be varied, the major effects of disaster tend to be : a. Loss of Life. b. Injury. c. Damage to and destruction of property and nationalInfrastructure. d. Damage to and destruction of subsistence and cash- crops. e. Disruption of production, life style and essential services. f. Loss of livelihood. g. Destabilization of National Economic Development. h. Sociological and physiological after effects. j. Political Instability. k. Crisis related to national security. 11. Effect of Major types of Disaster in Bangladesh. The effect of major types of disasters are given at Annex `A. 12. Impacts on Macro-Economic Adjustment of govt. The impacts of the natural Disasters on macro-economic adjustment are: a. Impact on central govt revenue. b. Impact on availability of Extra-budgetary resources. c. Impact on central govt development budget. d. Impact on foreign aid and over all growth. NATURE OF MILITARY ASSISTANCE AND THE CAPABILITY OF ARMED FORCES TO COMBAT THE DISASTER. 13. Military Assistance. The nature and extent of military assistance in disaster will depend on the combination of the forces prevailing in the country. Following assistance may be rendered by the Armed Forces to fight disaster. a. Air, land and sea survey and assessment, specially to ascertain levels of casualties and damage. b. Reconnaissance in the disaster zone and identification of routes within and leading towards it. c. Organized and mobile manpower for rescue operation. d. Well trained and equipped Engineers. e. Signal / communication units to provide emergency radio and telephone links. f. Supply / Logistic units to handle, store and transport goods and people over all types of roads. g. Emergency / Immediate medical support to the civilian services. h. Helicopters and aircrafts for reconnaissance and transport duties. j. Provision, by Naval forces, of transport support in harbour; also electrical power, mechanical engineering, water purification, long distance radio communication, cooking and backing facilities. 14. Capabilities of the Armed Forces to Combat Disaster. The well planned organization and management system of the Armed Forces make them capable to effectively handle, manage and tackle natural calamities and disasters under any serious condition. The members of the Armed Forces are selected personnel, disciplined and are well trained in leadership qualities. They are great organizers of any given task with honesty, sincerity, co-operation, discipline and above all patriotism. They can handle and manage any catastrophe with success. 15. Armed Forces have specialized training institutions to impart training to their members on various fields. They have expert hands such as doctors, engineers and other professionals to meet the differents need . These experts become extremely necessary to meet any emergency and for conducting relief and rehabilitation work. The role of the Armed Forces in various disaster management fields is briefly narrated below : a. Rescue Operation. The Armed Forces are quite capable of rescuing water bound people from flood affected areas using different kinds of water transport and also helicopter. b. Relief and Rehabilitation Work. Members of the Armed Forces with their better mobility can reach at every corner of the country rapidly to start relief and rehabilitation work in disaster and crisis ridden areas. c. Medical and Sanitation Services. Members of Army Medical Corps immediately start providing all kinds of emergency and general medical services including vaccines and setting up of sanitation facilities through active participation , wherever possible of the affected people. d. Supply of Pure Drinking Water. The Armed Forces are assigned the task of ensuring the supply of through water bowsers/trailers. Besides, they also assist in sinking tube-well for this purpose. e. Repair and Maintenance of Communication. Restoration of normal communication becomes a very important task of the Armed Forces in flood affected and cyclone hit areas. They also perform this important task in areas where sabotage or subversive activities are carried out. Members of the Signal Corps undertake this responsibility and urgently rebuild the communication system. The Crops of Engineers of the Armed Forces undertake emergency repair and reconstruction work of the roads and bridges damaged by flood, tidal bore and help restore effective and workable communication system. f. Provision of shelter. Armed Forces also in sometimes participate of construction of shelters in areas severely hit by natural disaster. Mostly this is done through the active participation of the affected people. g. Transportation of Relief Materials. Armed Forces render great help in transporting relief materials to the affected areas. For this purpose, they quickly use their different kinds of transport vehicles. h. Loading Unloading of Food Grain Relief Materials. Armed forces may be employed for loading and unloading and guarding of food grains and relief materials in sea-port and different river ports. EXISTING DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN BANGLADESH 16. General. Disaster relief and its managements is one of the prime national responsibilities. The Bangladesh Government Bangladesh has outlined the duties and responsibilities of the various Governmental institutions and of different ministries, including the Armed Forces in two Standing Operating Procedures (SOP). These SOPs are : a. Emergency standing orders for flood. b. Standing order for cyclone. 17. Based on these two SOPs Armed Forces have formulated their own SOPs up to unit level. SOP at all level has clearly spelt out the detail tasks with regard to pre, during and post disaster activities. More so, when a disaster is anticipated, selected military units and personnel with vehicles, transport aircrafts, helicopters, naval vessels and other water crafts remain in complete readiness to take part for immediate rescue and relief operations. 18. Existing System. Armed Forces play a pivotal role in complementing Government effort to restore normalcy in disaster affected areas. The system which are followed in disaster management is briefly stated below : a. Preparedness to Face Calamities. Natural calamities like cyclone and flood are recurring phenomenon Bangladesh but In recent times the intensity and magnitude of these natural calamities have given rise to the need for organizing the whole nation in preventing, fighting and understanding this calamities. b. Organizations Dealing with Preparedness. Government (govt) of Bangladesh has formed various committees/ bodies/cells at the national level to advise the government as to how to be prepared for facing natural calamities and to execute the Government decision and action programmes to fight the disasters. These committees have specific tasks and mission during a disaster period. The committees/cells are : (1) National Disaster Prevention The policy making Council. body. (2) National Co-ordination The co-ordinating Committee. body. (3) Disaster Management and The operation Relief Activities Co-ordination Group. and Monitoring Cell. (4) Prime Ministers Relief Go-down. 19. Armed Forces in Disaster Management. Armed Forces Division (AFD) is the highest Military Organization in Bangladesh. Disaster Management and Relief Activities Co-ordination cell operates at the Prime Ministers Office with support from Armed Forces Division. The cell functions under the directive of the Honorable Prime Minister. Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division acts as the Chief Co-ordinator of all relief and rehabilitation activities through this cell. All the three services, ie Army, Navy and Air Force are ordered by this Division prior to an anticipated disaster. 20. Co-ordination and Monitoring Cell. In the event of post disaster management, day to day operation coordinated by a cell within the Prime Ministers office under the Principal Staff Officer (PSO). This is commonly known as Disaster Management and Relief Activities Coordination and Monitoring Cell, more widely known as the PSOs Cell. The functions of the Cell are : a. Collection and compilation of damage assessments. b. Assessment of relief requirements. c. Management of Prime Ministers Relief Fund and related Storage facilities. d. Receipt, storage and distribution of locally and foreign donated relief supplies. e. Coordination of air supply drops. f. Coordination of transport. g. Public relations including briefing of the media and donors. 21. In the aftermath of any disaster, the Cell functions round the clock. The tasks that military personnel are to undertake in an emergency period are : a. Evacuation. b. Rapid damage assessments (specially logistic support to mixed assessment teams). c. Search and rescue. d. First aid/medical treatment. e. Handling of relief. f. Logistical support (land, sea and air) for the delivery of relief goods. g. Placing of relief storage and distribution. h. Clearance of debris. j. Emergency repairs. k. Burial of human bodies and animal carcasses. l. Setting up/ restoration of Telecommunications. m. Provision of Temporary shelters. CONTRIBUTION OF THE ARMED FORCES IN HANDLING DISASTERS A HISTORICAL REVIEW 22. Armed Forces of Bangladesh traditionally have an additional role to meet any sort of national emergency. For any severe disaster Armed Forces is called for providing necessary emergency support and assistance. Besides this, on humanitarian ground an organized force feels obliged to participate in alleviating human sufferings. In recent past during the severe disasters military organization worked side by side with Civil Administration. This remarkable contribution of the Armed Forces as explained below has earned the confidence and respect of the people. a. Cyclone of 1985 and 1988 and Great Cyclone of 1991. It is well remembered that on 25 May 1985 the ferocious cyclone accompanied by tidal waves devastated Urirchar and badly affected Swandip and Hatia. On 29 November, 1988 another devastating cyclone rolled over Bagerhat, Satkhira, Khulna and Sundarban areas. The cyclone that crossed the Bangladesh coast on 29-30 April 1991 can only be described as a Great Cyclone. All these cyclones caused indescribable damage to the lives, livestock, crops and properties of the affected areas. The destruction of property caused by 1991 cyclone alone was estimated to be about $4 billion (US). The cyclone that affected Bangladesh since 1960 are shown at Annex `B and the official statistics of 1991 cyclone are shown at Annex`C. b. Immediately after the cyclone warning orders were issued by the Govt to all the services Headquarters, to undertake anticipated relief and rescue operations, Armed Forces provided the following support during the cyclone. (1) The Armed Forces Quickly mobilized troops and moved them to the cyclone affected areas by the Naval vessels, boats, other available Water crafts along with the relief goods, medicine, drinking water etc. (2) Rescued the affected persons/families. (3) They helped sinking tube-wells and re-excavated ponds for pure water where necessary. (4) A good number of small medical team with life saving drug deployed in affected areas to treat the injured persons. (5) They established radio communication between the affected areas and concerned headquarters. (6) They prepared temporary shelters. (7) They rendered assistance in restoring the public services. (8) Army engineers with the assistance of Roads and Highway and Railway authorities repaired bridges and culverts as well as roads within the shortest possible time. (9) Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) employed substantial number of its air assets for dropping food into the cyclone affected areas. They also evacuated serious patients to the base hospital. (10) Bangladesh Navy was mainly deployed in Chittagong and Khulna area. Its sailors had been worked day and night to provide emergency assistance to relief/ reconstruction operations. 23. Flood of 1987 and 1988. The floods of 1987 and 1988, that which inundated about 39.9% and 67% of the land area respectively were also unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh. The entire international community was not sure how Bangladesh will over come this disaster. But by the grace of Almighty, the Govt, could tackle the situation within very short period of time in an organized manner. The military organization earned confidence nationally and internationally. Total 350 camps were established to carry out relief activities. Official estimates of loses and damage by floods in 1987 and 1988 are shown at annex D. and major floods in Bangladesh since 1954 are shown at annex E . DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN OTHER COUNTRIES 24. General. Most of the countries of the world are facing disaster in some form or other but the type and magnitude differ from country to country. Each country has a National level disaster plan in which there is provision for military assistance. Organization and the procedure of handling disaster of some of the countries are discussed below : 25. Australia. a. Types of Disaster. Cyclone is a common natural disaster in Australia. The cyclone season extends from November to April. The two major cyclones are TRACY which devastated Darwin on Christmas Day of 1974 and the TRIXIE that devastated western Australia in February 1975. Australia did suffer from floods normally caused by cyclonic rain falls. b. Organization. The Federal Civil Defence Authority under Department of Defence is the central authority to coordinate relief activities. Each state and community has its own local Counter Disaster Organization. The Defence Forces of Australia have their own role to play in disaster management. They coordinate with all levels of disaster activities i.e. the National Level, the state and community level and the Local level. In the local level the chief Executive officer (CEO) may be the local Chief of the Police. c. Disaster Planning Group (DGP). Besides, the DGP is to provide policy guidance for the CEO in planning disaster counter measures and during the conduct of disaster relief operations. The DPG consists of representatives from the following : (1) Police. (2) The local State or Territory Emergency Service Organization. (3) The major Medical/Hospital facility. (4) Local government. (5) The communications/telecommunications authority. (6) The major non govt welfare Organization. (7) Others in accordance with any priority local need. d. The Emergency Committee. The CEO is the chairman of the committee, consists of the leaders of all local organizations, including the Police. e. Defence Forces. When Defence Force units assist in counter disaster operations, a Defence Force liaison officer is to be attached to the CEO during the period of operations. All matters relating to the allocated Defence Force elements or resources can then be channelled through this officer. 26. Malaysia. a. The Types of Disasters. Malaysia experiences flood almost every year.17 The major causes for this are constant and heavy rainfall, erosion and siltation of river beds. b. National Security Council. National Security Council (NSS) It is primarily responsible for disaster management. At the national level it is the NSC that decides on the policy and conducts relief operations. They have the National Disaster plan and a Disaster Organization at all levels to mobilize and coordinate all activities connected with disaster. The plan also includes the participation of the Armed Forces. The use of military in National Disasters is within the scope of the Malaysian Armed Forces. This is one of their defined rolls. The major operational control machineries of the Relief operational plan includes: (1) National Security Council (NSC). (2) National Flood Relief Committee (NFRC). (3) Working committee for supplies. (4) Working committee for transport and communication. (5) National Security Council Flood Relief Operation Centre. (6) Defence Operation Room. (7) State Flood Relief Coordination Control Centre. (8) District Flood Relief Coordination Control Centre. All these committees and centres include all three services of Armed Forces i.e. Army, Navy, and Air forces. Philippines 27. Types of Disasters. Typhoons-high winds, storm surges, landslides and floods are the major disasters in Philippines. 28. Organization. The national govt is responsible for disaster operations. The main body in charge of mitigating the impact of natural disaster is the National Disaster coordinating council (NDCC). The secretary of Defence convenes the council with the representatives of govt. the office of the president, the Armed Forces and the phillipine National Red cross (NRC). The role of the philippines Armed Forces is to establish communication links and make this available for disaster operations, to assist in reconstruction of damage rods/ bridges and to assist in providing transportation for relief and evacuation. 29. Analysis. From the above discussions, It may also be observed that in almost every country of the world Armed Forces, form the core of different national disaster management bodies and in any catastrophic, all these bodies work shoulder to shoulder. In the light of their experience following suggestions can be made for Bangladesh for effective National disaster management. a. Bangladesh may also form a body like one of those countries. In such effort our Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation may be placed under Prime Ministers Secretariat as a Division. This will enhance the coordination capability of the proposed division to effectively handle the crisis arising out of disaster. b. In case of Australia they have a National policy making body on disaster management. Their main job is policy formulation for better disaster management and help the Govt. This can be very much practicable in case of Bangladesh. Noted Scientists, intellectuals and peoples representation from all walks of life can formulate better policy for ensuring peoples participation at all levels. c. As Armed Forces are often called for disaster management, standing cell may be formed in every service so that they can distribute the work in advance, train and motivate the forces under their command to ensure quick response and rapid deployment to the disaster affected areas. 30. Problems being faced during the Management of Disaster. Disaster management is the national responsibility. But to combat the it effectively all social agencies and establishments should work unitedly. Whenever Bangladesh faces any natural disaster the Armed Forces is called to fight the disaster. However, Armed Forces work under many constraints like shortage of officers and other skilled personnel, fixed and rotary wing aircraft, naval vessels, equipment etc. It is also not possible to solve and overcome this problem within short time. Even then these constraints/limitations, Armed Forces shall have to work with dedication and in full cooperation with the civil administration. However, there are some constraints which are forced particularly during day to day operation at the time of actual disaster management. These constraints if not addressed in time many greatly affect the disaster management operation and thereby reduce the capability of the organizations/ agencies includi ng the Armed Forced. a. Inter Agency/ Departmental Statuesque. Some times over conscious official with regard to his rank, status or title stand in the way of effective cooperation and thereby delays the progress of crisis management. b. Personal rather than Collective Concern. Individual attitude of thinking may not be the same. But in Case of disaster management which works on group decision imposition of individual decision can delay the attainment of common goal. c. Absence of Common Forum. In our country, there is not much opportunity to exchange views among parties involved. Meeting common forum generate mutual understanding and strengthen cooperation. d. Lack of Communication between Two Parties. Lack of proper and effective communication between two parties creates a gap which decreases the effectiveness of co-operation and after creates confusion. e. Lack of Co-ordination. Sometimes the work of different parties are not well Co-ordinated. Co-ordination is essential for any type of joint venture to avoid mismanagement or disorder. Without proper coordination, any good venture or attempt may turn into an utter failure. f. Confusion about Jurisdiction of Work. In all situations, the role of each party should be clearly defined. Interference to other partys role is harmful. It destroys the congenial atmosphere. g. Lack of Mutual Respect. In most cases officers of civil and military administration suffer from ego-centric complexities. These create rigidity and hinder smooth functioning. 31. Ways to Overcome the Problems. To overcome these problems few suggestions are discussed below : a. Mutual Respect. All civil agencies and military administration must have respect for each other. In practical field it is often deliberately over-looked. Mutual respect ensures effective co-ordination and success in a given task. b. Sense of Duties and Responsibilities. Both civil and military administration must be aware about their own duty and responsibility. This is a pre-condition for any successful disaster management. c. Sense of Team work. Civil and military administrations should jointly work for all nation of peoples sufferings. They are complementary to each other. If anybody considers otherwise, then it will create undesirable situation. d. Avoid Rumour. Rumour may create misunderstanding between civil and military administrations. Direct communication diminishes the danger of rumour. e. Proper Communication and Co-ordination. Communication gap between civil and military administrations often crops up during crisis management. Proper and timely communication between each other help achieve the goal. f. Sense of patriotism. Both civil and military administrations must work together to achieve common goal ie to serve the nation. Deviation from this goal meets with failure. FUTURE ROLE OF THE ARMED FORCES IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT 32. RATIONALE. Since disasters such as cyclones, tornadoes, tidal surge, etc. are sudden, severe and overwhelming in nature, an organized and trained institution with the necessary manpower, materials and other logistic supports are required to respond to crises and prevent further human suffering. The Armed Forces being the only institution with all the necessary requirements may fulfill this role. On the basis of this rationale, the following organizations may be set up.The organogram is at annex G. 33. National Disaster Management Council . This would be the highest level decision and policy making body related to natural disaster management in Bangladesh which will be acted upon by National Emergency Response Committee (NERC). The Prime Minister (PM) will be the chair person of this council with following members. a. Key Ministers of. (1) Home Affairs. (2) Relief and Rehabilitation. (3) Information. (4) Cabinet Affairs. (5) Foreign Affairs. (6) Finance. (7) Communication. b. Chiefs of the Three Services. c. Principal Staff Officer of AFD. 34. National Emergency Response Committee (NERC). NERC may be consisted of the following members : a. PSO as Chief coordinator. b. Secretaries of Following Ministries. (1) Relief and Rehabilitation. (2) Home Affairs. (3) Information. (4) Communication. (5) Cabinet Division. (6) Director General Metrology office (Weather Forecasting). c. Director General, NGO Affairs Bureau. d. Task. (1) To report to the Pri

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Water Resource Should Be Nationalized

WATER RESOURCES SHOULD BE NATIONALIZED INTRODUCTION: Water resources are sources of water that are useful. The world is fast running out of usable water. Anthropogenic activities are depleting and polluting this finite well spring of life at a startling rate. The present ineffective management of water ignores the potential of conservation and embraces the chimeric alternative of increasing supply. Degraded watersheds, drying local pond systems, shrinking canal networks, and wetland degradation as a result of anthropogenic activity and climate change relegate water to the status of â€Å"scarce commodity. The ever-increasing stress caused by population growth and concomitant increased agriculture and industrial demands for water has created an apparent scenario of water shortage that requires augmentation. The assessed needs could be met with more efficient utilization of intra-basin resources, except in case of Cauvery and Vaigai basins where limited water transfers could take plac e by transferring water from Godavari River. Despite this report, plans were floated to combat water deficits by conveying surpluses to water deficient locations.Various political parties and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members in Tamil Nadu felt that linking river water resources could enhance the realization of water needs. These political pressures pushed the proposal forward, leading to Supreme Court direction to the government of India demanding that the government take steps to interlink certain major rivers of the country by the year 2012, spelling the beginning of the â€Å"Interlinking of Rivers Project†. WHAT IS NATIONALIZATION OF WATER RESOURCES?The rivers flowing from the north to south are not hundred per cent utilised by the individual states efficiently. Because some state may need water and some may not need depending upon the geographical location, requirement, agriculture etc. So the unused water from these rivers are directed to the sea. So what the govern ment has planned is to nationalize the rivers by constructing a water channel from north to south , like how the national highways are there in our country , we will have the water highway routes in the form of the channels. INTERLINKING OF RIVERS:All ancient civilizations over world were born, bred, flourished and advanced by the river banks. Rivers are, therefore, an integral part not only of human existence but the very existence of life on our planet â€Å"The Earth†. Indian culture owes its supremacy to the rivers which are the life and blood of the nation. That is why they are worshiped as goddesses all over the country. Role of rivers in human life and now in national development, progress and prosperity, development of agriculture, science, technology or industry is beyond description.In olden days when there was no problem of overpopulation water resources provided by these rivers were sufficient for the population living by the banks. But with the ever increasing bu rden of population and multiplicity of demand for water for various purposes ranging from agricultural needs to industrial needs and for generation of power judicious utilization of this natural resource has become an absolute necessity. India is a country with vast population with extremes of climate, different topography, varied types of soils, annual rainfall ranging from 5 cm to more than 1000 cm. ome parts facing the havoc of floods and other parts thirsty for rain drops. Hence a scheme for effective and efficient management of water resources was prepared which envisages interlinking of 37 national rivers through 30 links across 9600 km with 32 connecting dams. The apex court of India has issued a directive to the government of India to interlink these rivers within a period of 10 years. The government on its part has set up a task force under former power minister, Suresh Prabhu to build national consensus, work out detailed plans and to see that the entire work is completed by the year 2016.In view of the director general of National Water Development Agency (NWDA) the interlinking of rivers should be based upon- INTER-BASIN TRANSFER: Inter-basin transfer is an outstanding example of effective and efficient management of water resources on the basis of need of the people; Interbasin transfer or transbasin diversion are (often hyphenated) terms used to describe man-made conveyance schemes which move water from one river basin where it is available, to another basin where water is less available or could be utilized better for human development.The purpose of such designed schemes can be to alleviate water shortages in the receiving basin, to generate electricity, or both. The national water development agency (NWDA) has estimated that the project would cost Rs. 5, 60,000 cores at 2002 prices. The project Inter basin transfer aims to deliver 173 billion cubic meter of water through a 12,500 km maze of canals which would irrigate 34 million hectares of la nd and would supply drinking water to 101 districts and five metro cities. THE NWDA HAS DIVIDED THE INTERLINKING OF RIVER PROJECT INTO TWO PRIMARY COMPONENTS: 1.THE HIMALAYAN COMPONENT PROPOSING A CONSTRUCTION OF 14 CANALS: The project intends to link the bramaputra and its tributaries with the ganga and the ganga with the Mahanadi river to transfer surplus water from east to west. The scheme envisages flood control in the ganga and brahmaputra basins and a reduction in water deficits for many states which is estimated to cost Rs. 3, 75, 000 core. 2. THE PENINSULAR COMPONENT WITH A PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION OF16 CANALS. River interlinks are envisaged to benefit the states of Orissa, Karnataka,Tamil nadu,Gujarat,Pondicherry,and maharastra. he linkage of the Mahanadi and Godavari rivers is proposed to feed the Krishna,pennar,cauvery,and vaigai rivers. Transfer of water from Godavari and Krishna entails pumping 1200 cusecs of water over a crest of about 116 meters. Interlinking the ken wit h the Betwa, Parbati, Kalisindh, and Chambal rivers is proposed to benefit Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The river links to cost Rs. 1, 85, 000 cores. It is planned to transfer 141 km3/yr through peninsular India and 33 km3/yr Himalayan links essentially for redistribution in the Ganga basin and to Western India.Only small volume of water can be transferred from the Brahmaputra basin. Thus in totality 1660 km3/yr of development water resource can be created which can take care of any exigencies. THE BENEFICIARIES OF RIVER LINKING: The politically important consideration for drawing up the river linking plan was the emergence of major national and transnational industries and rapid urbanization in many of the ‘low water availability’ natural regions of the west and south. It was purported also to help the commercial farming lobby for sugarcane.A case of ‘mortgaging the nation’s future for a miniscule affluent population. The plan is aimed at ending the flood problems of the Gangs and Brahmaputra and at the same time solving the drought problem in southern India by diverting surplus water of the snow-fed rivers to the rain fed Peninsular river. Help prevent floods in north and east, drought in south and west of the country. India depends heavily on monsoon. Interlinking will help irrigation, which in turn will help increase the crop yields by making farmers less dependent on monsoon and ensuring a year long water supply.These worlds bring an extra 35 million hectares under irrigation whereby per capita food grain consumption would be doubled in spite of the increase in population. This interlinking of rivers will provide food security to the country. Additional 34,000 k. w. electricity will be generated against the present 24,000 k. w. I. e. it will be more than doubled. This would give an impetus to the industrial sector as well. It will not just be a linking of rivers but a linking of lives. It will promote national integration. River transports is not only cheaper but also a non-polluting transport alternative.This has been a success in Europe. Experts suggest that even canals can be used for moving cargo between the states. Interlinking of rivers will generate employment opportunities all over the country especially in agriculture sector, power, transport and construction works. This project alone can enhance the GPD by 4%. Above all migration from rural areas will reduce which would reduce congestion in urban areas. Decentralization of industries would be a natural phenomenon with the availability of water and power. HURDLES IN INTERLINKING OF RIVERS:Undoubtedly, interlinking of rivers would provide innumerable facilities and comforts but certain hurdles are bound to arise in the implementation of the project. In the first instance many canals will pass through national parks and sanctuaries and many people may be displaced by the building of dams and canals. The construction of reservoirs and dams may swallo w up the natural habitats of wild life and the ecology of the country may be subjected to unknown consequences. Large areas under forests may be submerged under water.According to some scientist’s monsoon rains come all over the country at one and the same time, hence interlinking rivers may cause floods. Then rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra are international rivers, hence consent of adjacent countries like Nepal and Bangladesh would be a necessity for the completion of the project. Country is already facing a dispute over sharing of Kaveri river water. Further conflicts may arise between the states on the issue of sharing of water between them. Dams tend to sometimes aggravate he condition of floods They cause water logging and soils become saline and unsuitable for crops if floodwater from the east is transferred to other areas the biodiversity of these regions will be affected; the plants growing in these regions will die, many animal and bird species that live there wil l become extinct. the severe drought during summer in many parts of the country is due to mismanagement of water and not because a lack of it. Steps should be taken to conserve water at the local level instead. Finally financing of the project will not be so easy.FUDAMENTAL OBJECTIONS TO RIVER LINKING: 1. Linking of rivers violates the natural laws governing the life support system, and natural dynamics; and discounts the bounties provided by river systems. 2. The loss of flood plains and spill basins by human interference has caused devastating floods. River linking shall enhance this situation. 3. Man-made dams, reservoirs, and artificial lakes that are to be project ingredients would rob the rivers of their energy potential. 4. In fact, stupendous energy would be needed for the rivers to jump over the natural water divides and topo-barriers. . Rainfall and water availability is regulated by the monsoons, resulting in a highly bimodal annual river flow and moisture regime with con sequential seasonal lows (droughts) and highs (floods). River linking shall certainly aggravate both droughts and floods by superimposition of the situation in each of the linked rivers. 6. Such linkages could possibly be thought of in more temperate latitudes with a more homogeneous annual moisture/flow regime. However, the Soviet experience of river diversion has even then been catastrophic, resulting on the devastation of the Aral Sea. . A river is not a mere flow channel, but a holistic system encompassing the whole basin — water divide, catchment, valley and outflow point. Any alteration shall affect the whole system and even induce microclimatic changes. 8. Inestimable loss of natural biodiversity, wild cultivars and plant gene banks shall inevitably follow river linking to disrupting the regional food chain operation. 9. Monsoonal rainfall on the degraded catchments shall cause excessive siltation-related problems in the linking systems. 10.Careful scrutiny of the stat e of environmental health of various rivers should have been first made before clean rivers are linked very filthy rivers. 11. River linking shall inevitably lead to an alteration of the seasonal water availability pattern; and the possibility of upsetting the evapo-transpiration balance. 12. An inevitable change in the cropping pattern from excessively irrigated lands after river-linking shall cause a major increase in methane and other gases that contribute to global warming. 13. Land degradation shall also be inescapably aggravated. 4. The colossal estimated cost will surely jeopardise the national economy for decades and force diversion of funds from the more essential needs of the vast majority of rural poor. 15. The inter-state and international ramifications of shared riparian systems would certainly open the floodgates for a civil war situation and serious discord with India’s neighbours. Not only is any such proposal for inter-basin transfers totally repugnant to all natural and economic logic, but shall alter the subcontinent’s geographical configuration.In the ultimate analysis, the proposal shall signal the death knell of our river systems that provide the principal source of sustenance; and encompass social, cultural and religious traditions. INTERLINKING MAJOR RIVERS WILL REDUCE FARMER SUCIDES: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hasdrawn out a blue print for implementing the project with the help of images collected from the Remote Sensing and Cartosat satellites launched by it in 2007 and 2008.Though the UPA government which came to power in 2004 had included the inter linking of peninsular Indian rivers as one of the top priorities in its Common Minimum Programme nothing was heard about it afterwards. India and Pakistan are locked in water war over the construction of power projects on Jhelum on their respective territories. Snow-fed rivers like Ganga, Indus and Brahmaputra, which originate in the Himalayas, and their t ributaries are perennial. They continue to flow throughout the year. During monsoons, they tend to overflow and inundate large flood prone areas and cause loss of ife, livestock, crops and property. Rain-fed rivers like Luni in Rajasthan remain dry for most part of the year because the rainfall is scanty in that area resulting in drought like conditions. The volume of water in the west flowing rivers of Central Highlands, Narmada and Tapti is directly proportional to the amount of rainfall received during the monsoon season. Hence, there is a always an element of uncertainty in availability of water. To the North of the Vindhyas, the Malwa Plateau and the Chhotanagpur Plateau of Jharkhand are comparatively better placed as they are drained by steady Ganga and Yamuna.But due to the absence of adequate river valley projects a large quantity of water wastefully flows into the Bay of Bengal through Ganga-Brahmaputra delta. In the peninsular region too, the rainfall is uneven, While the Western Ghats receive high rainfall, the Eastern’ Ghats receive very less. States like Tamil Nadu lie in the r tin shadow area and get little rainfall from advancing South West monsoons. The East flowing rivers of the Deccan Plateau-Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery drain this area. SEASONAL RIVERS OF THE SOUTH:To overcome the problems of flood and drought a whopping Rs. 5,60,000 crore river linkage project has been envisaged. The perennial and often inundating rivers of the north will be connected with the dwindling: and rather seasonal rivers of -the south through a network of canals so that the former are stopped from overflowing and the latter are regularly replenished, curbing floods and famines at the same time. The project will also ensure regular, adequate and timely supply of water to all parts of the country for agriculture, industry and consumption. Of the three big Himalayan rivers, Indus has been left out because there is a natural connectivity in the shape of its tributaries like Sutlej, Beas and Jhelum which drain and well cater to the needs of the Indian part of the Indus basin. Water from Brahmaputra shall flow into Ganga. Two main headwaters in the ,Himalayas the Bhagirathi and the Alaknanda join at Devprayag and flow as Ganga thereafter. It enters Northern plain at Haridwar. â€Å"Yamuna joins it at Allahabad. Yamuna, in turn, is joined by its tributaries like Chambal, Sind, Betwa and Ken. Sone joins Ganga directly andDamodar joins its distributor Hooghli. As the Ganga river system drains the States of Haryana, Southern Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand’ and major parts of West Bengal many times its water falls short of the required quantity. Linking Ganga with Brahmaputra shall solve this problem. Brahma- putra carries ‘a tremendous volume of water. When it enters India at Namcha Barwa the undercutting done by this powerful river is of the order of 5;500 meters. With the eastern States receiving heavy ra infall during monsoon, season the danger’ of floods looms large in many areas of Assam and Bihar almost every year.The linkage will mean diversion of . excess water from Brahmaputra into Ganges ,and this problem of floods shall be taken care of automatically. Ganga will be connected to Mahanadi and Godavari. This, will boost agriculture in the States of Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. Godavari will be further linked to Krishna, Pennar and Cauvery replenishing their depleting, waters. It will help Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and many parts of the Eastern ghats and the rain shadow areas of the South which get little rainfall from the advancing monsoons.This will bring smile on the faces of the farmers of the’ South many of which committed or contemplated suicide due to crop failures. This may also solve the dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka over sharing of Cauvery waters. Narmada will flow into Tapi helping mainly the farmers around Satpura range. Yamuna will flow into Sabarmati which, in turn, will be linked to Luni. It will benefit many areas of Gujarat and the desert state of Rajasthan. Thar desert of today may become the prosperous Sahara in future, who knows?