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?

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Managerial Economics and Business Strategy

Dr. David J. St. Clair Managerial Economics and Business Strategy 3551 #6 Answers – Summer 2012 1. What type of evidence did Dupont introduce in its plastic wrap trial that proved decisive in its acquittal? __ It brought in cross elasticities to show that there were many substitutes for plastic wrap. It then argued that the market had to be defined to include all substitutes. This broadened the definition of the market to the point where DuPont’s market share was small. ___ 2. What had Alcoa done that made the judge find it guilty of being a monopoly? It had a market share above 90%_. Did the judge rule that Alcoa was a â€Å"dirty† firm? _ No ___ 3. Why did the verdict in the U. S. Steel antitrust case confuse everyone? __ U. S. Steel was ruled to be â€Å"reasonable† under the courts â€Å"Rule of Reason† doctrine. This was confusing because the company had a notorious reputation for price fixing and uncompetitive practices __ 4. Bill Gates took a very aggressive approach to dealing with the Justice Department in the Microsoft case even though Microsoft had an â€Å"Alcoa Problem. † What was Microsoft’s â€Å"Alcoa Problem? ___ Microsoft had a large market share approaching the 90% threshold established in the Alcoa case ___ 5. When something is illegal â€Å"per se,† what does this mean? __ The government only has to prove that you did it; motive or intent does not matter ___ 6. What was the remedy in the Standard oil and American Tobacco cases? __ divestiture (i. e. , the companies were broken up) ____ 7. What, according to Andrew Carnegie, was destructive competition? ___ excessive and ruthless competition among big firms that eliminated profits but not competitors __ 8. When we were discussing oligopoly, we referred to the two faces of oligopoly.Which face of oligopoly was Carnegie referring to in his discussion of ‘destructive competition? ’ the non-cooperative, extremely competitive r ivalry _ 9. What does the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act require? ___ pre-merger notification and approval by the Justice Department and the FTC ____ 10. What is a tying contract (or agreement)? __ a firm refuses to seel product that you want unless you also buy one of the firm’s other products ___ 11. The Sherman Act was short and sweet. It outlawed two things. Identify both: a. ___being a monopoly ______________________ b. ___trying to become a monopoly __________________________ 2. Which antitrust act made vertical market foreclosure a violation of antitrust laws? __ the Celler-Kefauver Act __ 13. What was the reason why the European Union blocked the merger of GE and Honeywell? __ It violated the EU’s â€Å"portfolio power† doctrine __ 14. What is a â€Å"soft loan? † ___a government loan that is never going to be paid back; a disguised subsidy __. Why have many American economists likened â€Å"portfolio power† to a soft loan? ___They argue that portfo lio power is a disguised protectionist policy masquerading as an antitrust policy___ 15. What was IBM’s defense in its mainframe computer antitrust case? _ It challenged the government’s narrow â€Å"large main-frame computer† definition of the relevant market ___ 16. What was DuPont convicted of in the GM case (be specific). ______ vertical market foreclosure ____ 17. What precedent did the Pabst Brewing case set? __if the market is a local, then the relevant market must be local ____ 18. What precedent did the Staples/Office Depot case set? ___the Justice Department or the FTC can disallow a merger based on the anticipated price and competitive consequences ________________ 19. What happened to U. S. antitrust policy following the E. C. Knight case? __ as a consequence of the E.C. Knight case, antitrust laws did not apply to manufacturing and there was a wave of mergers in the manufacturing sector __ 20. In the 1890s, German courts were taking a very different approach to cartels and antitrust. What did the German court rule in the pulp cartel case? __ cartel agreements were legally enforceable contracts; cartels were legal and socially beneficial ___ 21. What was Brown Shoe accused of in the Kinney Shoe antitrust case? ____ vertical market foreclosure _____ 22. What was the remedy in the Brown Shoe/Kinney Shoe Case? ____ The merger was disallowed and the two firms were separated _______ 3. What does the firm have to do in a consent decree? _ stop the offending practices without admitting guilty _. What does the Justice Department agree to do in return? ___ drops the case _ 24. Why do most firms prefer a consent decree to a trial, even when they feel that they are innocent? __ the case is quickly resolved and there is no conviction that can be used to expose the firm to civil suits seeking triple damages __ 25. Are interlocking directorates illegal per se? Yes. Is price fixing illegal per se? Yes 26. Are tying contracts illegal per se? Y es Is price discrimination illegal per se? _ No 7. How can the Justice Department and the FCC respond to a notification of merger filed under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act? (Hint: they have three options. ) __1) approve; 2) deny; or 3) approve with conditions __ 28. English Common law became the basis for American Common Law. What dos the Common Law say about damages for parties injured by restraint of trade? ___ injured parties are can collect triple damages ____ 29. Which type of elasticity is often important in antitrust cases? _ cross elasticity __ 30. Why did the Justice Department allege that Microsoft was using a tying agreement or contract? ___The Justice Department alleged that Microsoft was tying the MS-DOS operating system to the purchase of its browser ___ 31. Bill Gates was rather arrogant and combative in dealing with the Justice Department in the Microsoft case. He seemed unaware of Microsoft’s â€Å"Alcoa problem. † What was Microsoft’s â€Å"Alcoa problem? † _________This is a duplicate question – see above____________ 32. How did IBM’s mainframe computer antitrust suit end? ___ the Justice Department dropped the case because the court was unlikely to accept its narrow definition of the relevant market ____ 33.Why was Microsoft accused of â€Å"vertical market foreclosure? † ___ Microsoft was accused of using its operation system monopoly (MS-DOS) to foreclose browser maker from the market ___ 34. Why was Nabisco giving up on its strategy of seeking to create a cracker of biscuit monopoly? __It was unable to eliminate competition, especially the competition of capitals __ 35. Why was Nabisco so open in its 1901 annual report about discussing its efforts to monopolize the cracker (biscuit) industry? __Because of the E. C. Knight Case, there were no antitrust laws in 1901 that pertained to manufacturing firms _ 6. In its 1901 annual report, Nabisco announced that it was giving up on its efforts at cre ating a cracker or biscuit monopoly. What was the company’s new strategy going to be? ____Nabisco was going to concentrate on making better products and creating a more efficient and competitive firm ___ 37. What did Liggett accuse Brown & Williamson Tobacco of doing in its law suit? (don’t simply say â€Å"of being a monopoly† or â€Å"violating antitrust laws†) ___Liggett accused Brown & Williamson of engaging in predatory pricing by selling it cigatettes at below Brown & Williams’ AVC______ 8. Under the Areeda-Turner test, predatory pricing is defined as a firm selling its product at a price ____below its average variable cost_____ 39. Was the Areeda-Turner test upheld (validated or confirmed) by the court in the Liggett vs. Brown & Williamson’s case? ___No, the Areeda-Turner test was replaced by the â€Å"recoupment test† ___ 40. What must a plaintiff (the one who files the law suit) do (show) in order to keep a predatory pricing law suit from being dismissed (thrown out even before it goes to trial) under the â€Å"recoupment test? ____The plaintiff must show that the defendant did have a reasonable chance of raising prices in the future to make up for, (that is, to recoup) its short term losses due to the low prices ___ 41. Does the recoupment test introduced in the Liggett vs. Brown & Williamson case make predatory pricing law suits more likely, less likely, or equally likely compared to the old Areeda-Turner test? ____less likely _____ 42. The courts have held that predatory pricing cases require a showing that a firm has reduced price below its costs. What is the relevant cost for this criterion? ________average Variable cost (AVC) _________ 3. Many economists have used the concept of â€Å"barriers to entry† in their criticism of predatory pricing antitrust laws. Explain their criticism. __Predatory pricing only makes sense if the firm can raise prices after using it to attain a monopoly and if it has barriers to entry that can keep new competitors out. However, if it had such barriers in the first place, it would probably not need predatory pricing. Predatory pricing does not give the firm the required barriers to entry, unless one envisions constant predatory pricing. But constant predatory pricing is nothing more than price competition. ___ 44.During the 1930s, large American cigarette companies faced competition from small cigarette companies offering new brands at 10 cents per pack. How did they meet and deal with this competition? __They resorted to predatory pricing, i. e. , they dramatically reduced their prices (in some case to below costs) in order to drive the new competitors out of the market ___ 45. Did the response of the â€Å"Big Four† tobacco companies to the challenge from the new 10-cent brands competitors in the early 1930s work? Why or why not? _the Four Majors were unable to drive out two competitors created by the 10-cent brand episode.They h ad a 91 percent market share before the episode and only a 69 percent market share after. Two formidable competitors emerged and the Big Four became the Big Six__ 46. What was the verdict in the 10-cent brands cigarette case? _____the major cigarette companies were found guilty of violating the antitrust laws______ 47. Was predatory pricing the government’s primary allegation against the majors in the 10-cent brands cigarette price wars? If not, what was the primary complaint? _the court focused primarily on the collusion among the majors to fix prices__ 48.What was the court’s remedy in the 10-cent brands cigarette case? ___the court fined the guilty parties and restricted their ability to communicate and work together ____ 49. Why do most economists argue that antitrust laws prohibiting predatory pricing are actually anti-competitive? ____ Most economists argue that antitrust laws prohibiting predatory pricing are actually anti-competitive because any firm that lower s it's prices to compete against it's market competitors are susceptible to being charged with predatory pricing, even when no such intent probably exists.Furthermore, filing an antitrust lawsuit related to predatory pricing is often abused and a convenient way for businesses to compete with their competitors without matching their competitors price cutting especially since antitrust laws concerning predatory pricing are sometimes difficult to distinguish from predatory pricing, market competition, and competitive business practices. __ 50. Suppose there are five (5) firms in an industry with the following market shares: 15%, 20%, 2%. 45%, and 18%. What is the Herfindahl Index for this industry? _______2,978_______. According to the 1992 Horizontal Merger Guidelines, how would this industry be classified? ___It would be classified as a ‘highly concentrated’ market. _____ 51. Ceteris paribus, would a merger that raised the Herfindahl index from 1900 to 1941 be likely to trigger interest by antitrust regulators? Why or why not? ____No, because while this market would be classified as ‘highly concentrated,’ the merger does not raise the HHI by more than 50 points and will therefore not trigger the interest of regulators. ___ 52. Ceteris paribus, would a merger that raised the Herfindahl index from 750 to 985 be likely to trigger interest by antitrust regulators? Why or why not? ___No, because a market with a Herfindahl Index below 1,000 is considered to be ‘unconcentrated’ and mergers in unconcentrated markets are unlikely to be challenged by regulators. _____ 53. Tying contracts are illegal per se under American antitrust laws. However, enforcing their illegal per se status has proven to be very difficult.What is the problem here? ___While tying contracts are illegal per se under antitrust law, there seems to be no way of getting around some tying during the course of routine business, e. g. , left shoes tied to right shoes , etc. This therefore introduces the element of intent and competitive consequences; two features that are not supposed to figure into illegal per se allegations. Currently, this problem is most pronounced in the practice of ‘bundling’ in high tech markets. ____ 54.In the YouTube video on Monopoly, what did Milton Friedman think was the primary cause of longer-lasting monopolies? ____government market restrictions ___________ 55. In the YouTube video on Monopoly, what did Milton Friedman think was the very best policy for dealing with monopolies and market power? ____free trade or measures to make trade more free and open _______ 56. In the YouTube video on Monopoly, Milton Friedman never mentioned or discussed Smith’s Formula. However, based on his comments, what do think his position would have been on our 200-year old question? __Friedman would definitely argue that markets had, if government leaves them alone, sufficient competition to make Smith’s For mula society’s primary line of defense against monopoly abuse. __ 57. What happened when Coca-Cola tried to introduce its new soft drink Peppo in the late 1960s? ____Dr Pepper sued for trademark infringement and Coka Cola had to change the name of the product to ‘Mr Pibb’. _____ 58. How did the FTC end up defining the relevant market in Coca Cola’s proposed acquisition of Dr Pepper? _The FTC took a very narrow view and defined the relevant market as the ‘pepper-flavored soft drink market’ __. How did the FTC rule on the proposed acquisition? __The FTC denied the request for merger approval. __ 59. Both the FTC and Coca Cola introduced Herfindahl Indexes in support of their positions in the proposed acquisition of Dr Pepper. What was the critical point on which the proposed merger was decided? ____The definition or scope of the relevant market ____

Friday, November 8, 2019

At the End of the Day

At the End of the Day At the End of the Day At the End of the Day By Maeve Maddox A reader has asked me to â€Å"shed some light† on the expression â€Å"at the end of the day†: I know it means after everything has been taken into consideration and it is an integral part of our everyday vocabulary but some of my colleagues seem to find it inappropriate in its function. Could you please help me understand this better? Clichà ©d expressions are a part of our everyday vocabulary, but some clichà ©s are more annoying than others. Most of us have no problem with the occasional â€Å"hard as a rock,† â€Å"old as dirt† or â€Å"crazy as a betsy/bessie bug.† These are venerable expressions that can convey just the tone we are aiming for. They blend unobtrusively into our speech because they add a specific meaning in a way that suits a certain style of speaking. Unlike idioms that are used conversationally among friends, newly fashionable clichà ©s find their way into print, in everything from speeches on foreign policy to product reviews. A â€Å"good† clichà © is one that does its job without irritating. A â€Å"bad† clichà © calls attention to itself. â€Å"At the end of the day† is a bad clichà ©. It’s bad because it’s wordy, it’s overused, and it has a common literal meaning. The following passages indicate the ubiquity of this phrase’s figurative use: Palestinians need to know that at the end of the day, their territory is going to be free of Israeli troops, that occupation ends.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œJohn Kerry, US Secretary of State, 2014. But, at the end of the day, presidents get elected to enact change. –Mark McKinnon, American political advisor. Im not suggesting that people go into space in a pedestrian way but at the end of the day, shes fighting for what every woman would fight for, and thats her baby. –Jay Bobbin, movie reviewer. At the end of the day, the owners are all about the business side of things. –Steven Lebron, sports writer. At the end of the day, I don’t think wanting education to be better is a right-wing or left-wing thing.† –Bill Gates, education reformer. But you know when you put lipstick on a pig, at the end of the day, its still a pig. –John Edwards, political candidate in 2004. but at the end of the day, your choice [of smart phone] comes down to either a smaller device to fit in your hand or a massive device with a screen nearly as large as a tablet’s. –Product review. The literal meaning of â€Å"at the end of the day† is â€Å"at the end of the day.† (Duh.) In the context of business and the workday, the â€Å"end of the day† is five o’clock or whenever the day’s business or work is done. Here are examples of the literal use of â€Å"at the end of the day†: In emergency situations, call your local law enforcement agency at the end of the day if the Division of Child and Family Services has not responded to your report. –Directions for the reporting of suspected child abuse. At the end of the day, the defense rested their case. The trial will continue Wednesday morning. –Herald-Democrat (OK). The best time to measure your feet is  at the end of the day  when your feet are largest.  Ã¢â‚¬â€œRecommendations for buying shoes. Here are some possible alternatives to the figurative use of â€Å"at the end of the day†: eventually finally ultimately some time at length one day in time sooner or later in the long run Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Homograph Examples7 Tips for Writing a Film ReviewHow to Style Titles of Print and Online Publications

Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Free Essay Example of Ariel Psychoanalysis Essay

Free Essay Example of Ariel Psychoanalysis Essay Ariel Psychoanalysis Essay Example The character Ariel from the film The Little Mermaid by Disney is a 1989 film based on a comic book In the film, Ariel is the youngest of the seven daughter of the sea king Triton whom lost their mother at an earlier age but under care of a grandmother as a substitute. Triton as a king as set up restrictions for all her princesses and all of the six siblings conforms to the fathers logical restrictions but Ariel. Unlike her siblings who love living the normal mermaid life in the deep waters of the sea, Ariel is interested in living in a different niche altogether and she is ready to assert for her independence regardless of her fathers authoritative declaration never to help or talk to human beings from the land. Ariels father is very understanding and treats Ariel with delicate words of love and affection in order to win her over to understand the perils of interacting with strangers who live in the land. Contrary to the water entities, Ariels interest grows for human contact that she seeks an adventure into sunken ships to find pieces of items and clatter that can remind her of h uman existence apart from the mermaid lifestyle. Although Triton feels obligated to provide the best care and love for Ariel, he feels destined to direct his daughter mermaid from the wrong path of life into the normal lifestyle of all mermaids in the sea. Emotionally, Ariel is attached to a young man Eric whom she saves from drowning in the sea and she later finds a statue of him in the sunken ship and adores the bust as she would admire and lavish Eric himself. Triton painful discovers that her daughter is making trips into the deep-sea sunken ship to make contact with the bust of Eric and he is distressed by the action that he destroys the bust using his wands magic power that disintegrates the bust to powder. Ariel is disoriented by the actions ad she protests by running away from her fathers presence to a distance deep sea where she sought help from a sea witch to become human and marry Eric. Mermaid live for over 300 years while normal human beings live for half the time; therefore, Ariels conviction to marry a human is costly to her immortal life which is not the same with human beings who die. Ariel is a teenager seeking romance and she fell in love with Eric after kissing him at the beach just after rescuing him from the sinking ship. Ariels desire for human lover unlike other mermaids is directly linked with her spirit of adventure. However, her spirit of adventure is extreme and contrary to the customs of the mermaids who have to marry among themselves since it is a taboo to marry or engage with the human species. Little Mermaid presents Ariel as an interesting personality with normal humanistic dreams of finding a teenager lover. Ariels love for humans is considered a taboo but she fights to attain her goal of turning into a better soul as an air spirit instead of turning into sea foam. Ariel is smart in that she knows that her destiny is turning into a sea form an d she plans on how to escape the trap by learning to be loved by a human from whom she would receive an eternal soul for her good deed after dissolving from the human body into spirit. Transformation within the culture of the mermaids in the sea is into human culture is centered on logical and ethical concerns; since Triton remain ignorant of human ethics, he rejects all forms of help that mermaids may extend to human sailors drowning. Triton considers the human race as a corrupt group of beings who lack appreciation and manners likened to the mermaid culture. The mermaids remain under a strong paternal control who maintains the relationship as an ultimate king who makes non-revocable decisions that young mermaids and their mothers have to follow without questioning. Triton attacks Ariels hideout and destroys her hoarded bust and other clutter in the sunken ship to assert his authority to give the law and ethical edicts over all mermaids in the sea. Mermaids learn from older mermaids. Besides gaining knowledge from experiences they encounters in the sea, Ariel is inquisitive and leans her way by discovering by herself the diverse happenings in the sea. Ariel is only sixteen years old and she is in need of a lover from the human race instead of the mermaid group of entities to which she is a member. Psychoanalysis The journey of the Little Mermaid is to gain immortality and she sacrifices her voice to the sea witch in return for human feet with which to walk on land and search for her lover. Freud discuses the Oedipal crisis in which a girl blames a mother for her lack of a phallus and thus seeks close relationship with father in hope of attaining the phallus. At puberty, Ariel is clearly affected by the Oedipal crisis wand since his father is inaccessible due to taboo of incest, she owns a male statue of Eric, the human she fell in love with at her journey to see humans. The world before she left her mermaid world is a pre-Oedipal dominated world in which her grandmother, mother, and six sisters dominate her daily experience, which she now rejects. Unlike the mermaid world that is dominated by female, the curiosity to learn about the patriarchal human world brings about satisfaction that she desires to acquire the human body and marry a human being to save her soul. Ariel directed her phallic desire towards Eric whom she found intensely interesting that she sacrificed herself as a mermaid by losing her voice and her mermaid feet to attain human feet without a voice. Ariels castration of tongue and feet to acquire the phallic symbol in Eric the human prince is a Freudian concept The willingness to suppress the female mermaid voice before turning into human form is directed by the desire for the phallus. The sea witch who castrates the girl mermaid to achieve her dream represents the female aggressor who prevents the girl from overcoming her oedipal challenge since without a voice, Ariel remained dumb and without the force of expression, Eric rejected her crippled stance. Equally, the sea witch offered Ariel a dagger to destroy the prince if she failed to kiss him within 3 days in order to remain human forever. Moreover, when she failed, she displayed her need for paternal protection, which is synonymous with the Freudian theory. Freud asserts that life needs a bridge and paternal security is the most privileged position to facilitate security. According to Freud, Ariel was born with the Id intact and that being the basic drive of want, Ariel cries whenever she feels unpleasant about her experience. Ariel cried when her father destroyed the bust of Eric she kept at her garden away from everyone. Although Ariel knew that her father restricted relations with human beings, she still cried when Erics statue was destroyed to debris because of her id. Secondly, Ariels ego, which is based on the reality principle developed after her father, destroyed the bust of Eric when she decides to face reality by begging the sea witch to turn her into human form to pursue Eric. However, the superego of Ariel is quite underdeveloped since she lacks conscience to assert for mermaid lifestyle. Instead, Ariels superego is controlled by her ego to satisfy her need for a human being away from the mermaid life. Nonetheless, Ariel is unconscious self is determined to find a new meaning in life through a transformative process of turning from a merma id to a human being and to this end she dedicates her superego until she is happily married by Eric. According to Melanie Klein, Ariel suffered from mental depressive position during her child development probably following her mothers demise, a situation that left her under care of grandmother. Logically, Ariel never wanted her children to also feel lonely and desperate in the sea like her and thus she proposed to avert that mental depressive position by departing from the sea environment, which she perceived as the source of her depressed position. Ariel envied the human beings who had all they wanted unlike her who had to forgo her voice before becoming human. She envied the other princess who turns out to be the witch using her voice to lure Eric instead of her, she felt cheated and used by the witch who stole her voice in order to woo the prince of land. Envy is a destructive force, which destroys the sea witch for stealing Ariels voice by coaxing her to sign a subordinated contract. Fear drives the culture of the mermaids, especially the fear of coming into contact with the human beings Ariel is not happy that her father is reprimanding her desire for human contact and marriage, which is a taboo with the water entities. That is why Ariel complains saying Betch ya on land they understand, bet they dont reprimand their daughters. Ariel is making her superego accept change by imagining that land life is easier and more appealing since the patriarch ruling land understand the needs of their daughters better. Ariel asserts for her independence when she wished that she had understanding father, which points to her emotional lack of her mother or someone to understand her emotions. Triton, Ariels father is quite assertive and controlling, this character of the father influences the lonely dispositions adopted by Ariel that she consulted the sea witch instead of the Triton and she wishes to live on land as humans do thinking she can find understanding fathers, if only I could make him understand. The statement asserts the Oedipal crisis which affects the female mermaids but none is courageous to expose the negative influence of gagging the daughters feelings and ideas though contrary to the customs of the mermaids. Mermaids value prohibitions, taboos, and restrictions, which define their culture of life. However, the regard for customs and values is based on the omnipresence of the king. Since Triton lacks capacity as an omnipresent individual, the rest of the mermaid life and fish life can break all customs and prohibitions as long as the king does not find out. Ariel knows that contact with human body is restricted but the reason behind the taboo is shallowly explained using fear before the population, fish-eater human world. According to the social lifestyle of the mermaids, sea creatures and fish as close friends, humans habit of eating fish is equated to a cannibalistic culture which explains the hatred Triton held against fishers. That is why the fish explain to Ariel that under the sea nobody beats us, fry us and eat us in fricassees.. Progress from the puberty into adulthood requires mastery of courage to overcome, Ariel wanted to be safe and off the hook, and therefore to dominate, eve ry sea life she knew she had to acquire the human body. Ariels quest is to control her fears instead of being dominated by turning into human figure instead of dying as a mermaid. She sacrifices her voice to the sea witch to gain human as her immortality body to feel in control on land than in the sea where she witnessed her father express his fear against the human capacity to fish and dominate over sea life. The desire is embodied in Freuds theory about feminism in which he argues that female beings are born castrated either emotionally, psychological and physically before the world and the girl blames the mother for the handicap while striving to attain interest of the father to help her attain the missing phallic state. Psychic wounds in Arial developed earlier in life due to absence of her biological mother. Jungian psychology asserts that every individual is comprised of mixture of feminine and masculine properties that determine the feminine conscious in women and masculine conscious in men. Therefore, Ariel exhibited a higher level of feminine consciousness but a higher form of masculine unconsciousness that made her unlike her siblings break convections and reflect on breaking taboos such as marrying a man instead of a staying in the mermaid world. Jung asserts that the level of subconscious feminine or masculine in an individual added to the degree of feminine and masculine consciousness affect the wholeness of an individual. Ariel admires Eric the prince because he represents a degree of masculinity that she identifies with as ideal from either her conscious or/and subconscious self. The projected animus of Ariel is to attain human awareness in body form, through marriage, find someone who can understands her, and treat her so like Eric whose statue she keeps in her garden. Presenc e of the statue in the garden with red flowers may represent the Jungian masculine symbols of the sun, which means the phallus from Freudian and Melanie theories. Similarly, Ariel was given a dagger with which to kill the prince, but she instead throws the sharp phallic object into the sea, which represent the feminine self. The Little Mermaid destroys herself to gain from the masculine. Ariel is suffering from an obsessive-compulsive disorder, the hoarding type that clearly indicates that she was lonely, afraid of losing her fathers security and whatever she hoarded and collected. She collects items from sunken ships and goes about asking what those objects represent. For instance, she carried a comb along asking for suggestions of its function in the land. Her obsession for human body and life grew from her hoarding disorder; as she collected items including Erics statue, she grew away from the mermaid world and desired to gain the human world, which his father detested. Ariel collected countless items but never threw any away from her store which concludes that she was a pathological hoarder. Pathological organizations are identified and discussed by Melanie of which hoarding is one of them. In conclusion, Freud, Melanie and Jung psychoanalysis theories assert that feminine and masculine capacities determine how female character react to their bodies as they grow up. During the early age, Melanie states that Oedipal age sets in, while Freud identified the Oedipal crisis during age 2 to 5 years. Jung on the other hand advocates for understanding of the timeless feminine and masculine conscious and subconscious construction that affects any persons at any age concerning individual reaction to development. Fear, anxiety, id, ego, superego and masculine and feminine forces in the mermaid environment affected personality development in Ariel our character.