The Kite Runner Directed by Marc Forster Movie Review

The Kite Runner Directed by Marc Forster - Movie Review Example Amir also struggled at the thought that his father blames him for his mother's death during his childbirth. However, he has a kind father in the person of Baba's very close friend, Rahim Khan, who understands him and is more supportive of his interests especially in writing stories. Assef, a notorious cruel, racist, and violent older boy with sadistic tendencies, blames Amir for socializing with a Hazara, which according to him is an inferior race and should not live amongst the rich and the "true people of Afghanistan." He and his friends prepare to attack Amir at one time after the two boys watched their favorite movie, but Hassan bravely stands up to him, threatening to shoot Assef in the eye with a slingshot, and although Assef and his henchmen backed off, but he vowed to take revenge. One successful and triumphant afternoon, Amir wins the local tournament, and finally gained Baba's praise. Hassan goes to run after the last cut kite, a great trophy for Amir and saying "For you, a thousand times over." Unfortunately, that was time Assef and his gang carried out their revenge as well. Amir running to look for Hassan, after realizing it was taking him so long, soon witnessed what Assef and his friends were doing to Hassan. But cowardice took over and so he hid. The afternoon of 1975 changed all their lives forever, consequently the lives of all of Afghanistan as the Russians started to march in to their well loved country. Time passes and Amir and Hassan started totally different chapters of their lives; Hassan and Ali went to live in Hazarajat, while Amir and Baba ended up in California. Until one day, sometime after Baba's death, Amir gets a call in the United States from a familiar voice from the past. Rahim Khan is asking Amir to visit him in Pakistan. This is foreshadowing the fact that Rahim Khan knows all about Hassan, and how he is Amir's brother and how he has always known about the tragic circumstances surrounding Hassan, being raped, and what Amir d id in the hopes of getting Hassan and Ali out of his and Baba's lives. Amir finally decided to go. Enigmatically he tells Amir that "there is a way to be good again," and so he goes to rescue Sohrab, Hassan's son, who became a captive of the most notorious pedophile in Afghanistan, who happened to be Assef. After a fight that Amir almost lost if not for Sohrab finally hitting Assef in the eye with the slingshot the way his father could have done many years back, Amir felt, after so many years, that he was finally free of the guilt of the injustice he did to Hassan. He and his wife, Soraya, adopted Sohrab, and in an effort to win his heart, Amir also goes after a cut kite in one kite-flying afternoon back in the United States, and in the end Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile, but Amir accepted it with all his heart as he runs the kite for Sohrab, saying, "For you, a thousand times over." In the story, the study of religion is evident in the course of Amir's life at school. In their school, they had a mullah who taught them about Islam, lecturing them about the virtues of the zakat and the duty of the hadj; the intricacies of performing the five daily namaz prayers, and made them memorize verses from the Koran. The morning prayers were also portrayed in several scenes of the movie.

What the role of organizational culture in organizational change Essay

What the role of organizational culture in organizational change - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that organizational behavior in an organization develops over the years of the existence of the organization and is closely linked to its organizational culture. Every organization has a unique organizational culture that differentiates it from others. Organizational culture manifests â€Å"the values and basic assumptions shared among organizational members† and as such â€Å"these values tend to persist over time and are more resistant to change†. While organizational culture plays several key roles in an organization the two most dominant roles are: â€Å"adaptations to the organization’s external environment† and â€Å"coordination of internal systems and processes†. Coordinating the internal systems and processes will facilitate the formation of a common mission and this, in turn, will result in specific goals. Similarly, the reward systems for good performance as well as sanctions on poor performance are defined by the organizational culture. On the other hand, organizational change is usually manifested through the organization’s values, basic assumptions, and artifacts of which the most visible component is artifacts. Culture in organizations can be defined as â€Å"a pattern of shared basic assumptions that the group learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems†.† (Schein 1997). The behavior within the organization is a part of its culture also. Organizational behavior can be defined as â€Å"the study of human behavior in organizational settings, the interface between human behavior and the organization, and the organization itself† (Shajahan, 2004, p. 3). As such, it can be seen that the organizational culture and behavior are extremely di verse between the two companies. Organizational culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the organizational goals and vision. In times of organizational change it is significant that mangers take effective steps to channelize employee behavior in tune with organizational culture and vision. Managing organizational behavior is a relatively complex process in normal situations, especially if a major change occurs like mergers and acquisitions or other important structural or managerial changes within an organization. This organizational change is quite often stressful to everyone concerned. There may be fears of loss of jobs, changes in duties and responsibilities, fears (or hopes) of change in the compensation structure, and the ever present attitude of resistance to change. Organizational change is inevitable under today’s competitive environment and hence companies should be ready with management of change for the purpose of staying competitive. As per Kurt Lewin’s three step model any organization that has impending large scale changes with regard to organizational culture, structure, and behavior should follow a three step process for smooth transformation from old to new. The relatively simple concept (in principle) needs an unfreezing, moving or transition, and refreezing of attitudes as behaviors (Burke, Lake & Paine, 2008, p. 233). Employees are attuned to the working atmosphere of their former employers and hence need an unfreezing of attitudes so that they are receptive to change. The next step is to move or transform the employees to the new behavior and culture that is required in the present situation. Once this is achieved, the next logical step is to freeze the newly learnt factors into their minds. The change in organization behavior hence will only be developed through a long term perspective and cannot be planned in minute detail. It has to be planned in such a way by observing where

Violent television in agressiveness in children Essay Example for Free

Violent television in agressiveness in children Essay As a quick glimpse at the recent events that grace the newspaper’s headlines show, there is indeed a growing concern over the violence that manifests in schools all over the country. It encompasses a whole range of issues such as bullying and perhaps the most frightening, school shootings. With all of these problems plaguing not only the education system but also the entire nation as of late, the question that comes up is whether or not this is actually caused by the violent television shows and movies in the cable TV programming. While there has been no irrefutable data that lends credence to the theory that violent shows in television is the real culprit behind today’s misguided and often violent children, there can also be no argument against the statement that though violence on television may not be the sole cause, it is one of the contributory causes. There are a number of media effects theories that solidify the argument that it is violence in media or in television that has led to the deterioration in the moral foundation of today’s children (Gauntlett 1998). A good example of this would be the â€Å"Hypodermic Needle Model†, which is a theory that the influence of media is so powerful that it can be used to â€Å"inject† messages into the minds of the audience and control them (Gauntlett 1998). While it is not being suggested that television is being used a medium to brainwash today’s children and turn them into an army of zombies for the media, it is being proposed, however, that the programming and quality of shows on television, such as violent programs, has a profound effect upon the youth. The influence, therefore, that television has upon children is inevitable. While this influence may have waned in the advent of the internet age and YouTube, it still bears a considerably large amount of influence over the younger children who are not able to access such media devices (Fisher et al 2004). Therein lays the danger; young children with impressionable minds are exposed to violence on television leading to a deterioration in the moral and ethical foundations of today’s generation. Another interesting theory to correlate the cause, violence in television, with the effect, violent behavior of children, is the postmodernist thought on the approaches to the Media Effects Theory (Gauntlett 1998). The main ideas of this theory rely on the fact that the ideas and perceptions of individuals has already been preconditioned by media in a sense that whatever input or meaning that is derived from media is already placed in a predefined context (Fisher et al 2004). This school of thought therefore suggests that in analyzing the behavior and effects the fact that media has already preconditioned the minds of the individuals and influenced the reception. As such, given the volatile nature of the mind of a child, the input that a child receives from violent programming on the television creates a preconceived notion of what the real world is like. By showing violence on television, a child may think and perceive that such behavior is actually socially acceptable (Fisher et al 2004). Studies have shown that there have been causal links found between aggressive and violent behavior in children and the type of television programs that these children generally watch. Every day the world searches for answers for many of the would-be â€Å"avoidable† tragedies such as school shootings, gang wars and juvenile teen violence. The reason for the term â€Å"avoidable† stems from the fact that many consider these as effects of media influences and morally condemnable social behavior. While media and television, in particular, are not the main causes for these tragedies, it cannot be denied that they have contributed to these problems. There may not be an easy solution for this but by identifying the causes that have led to this dilemma a big step has been taken to rectify this situation and to prevent more disasters such as this from ever happening again. References: Gauntlett, D. (1998) Ten things wrong with the effects model' in Harindranath, R. , and Linne, O. , (eds) Approaches to Audiences A Reader London: Arnold. http://www. leeds. ac. uk/ics/theory/effects. htm Fisher, Deborah , Hill, Douglas , Grube, Joel , Gruber, Enil . (2004) Sex and Violence on American Television: An Analysis Across Program Genres and Network Types. Journal of Broadcasting Electronic Media 48:4, 529-553

Environmental Impacts Of Large Dams Environmental Sciences Essay

Environmental Impacts Of Large Dams Environmental Sciences Essay About 48000 large dams have been built as a response to meet energy or water need. Nearly half of the worlds rivers have at least one large dam. One-third of the countries in the world rely on hydropower for more than half their electricity supply, and large dams generate 19% of electricity overall. Half the worlds large dams were built exclusively or primarily for irrigation, and some 30-40% of the 271 million hectares irrigated worldwide rely on dams. There are dams on nearly half of the rivers of the world (Table 2.6). Six percent of the energy consumed in the world is produced from hydraulic power. Additionally, hydraulic power is in the second rank within the renewable energy sources and every year it increases 4 percent in the world. Dams whose height is more than 15 meters are referred to as big dams. Clearly, dams can play an important role in meeting peoples needs (Table 2.7). Table 2.6. Distribution of Dams on the World Continent Number of Dams Percentage of the total Africa 1269 2.7 Asia 31340 65.8 America 8989 18.8 Europe 5480 11.5 Australia 577 1.2 Total 47655 100 Source: World Commission on Dams, Dams and Development, 2000. There are always two opinions about dams the supporters talk about the economic benefits of irrigation, electricity generation, flood control and water supply, the opponents highlight the adverse impacts of displacement and impoverishment of people, destruction of ecosystems and fishery resources, and possibility of disaster if the dam breaks. Environmental Impacts of Large Dams Land and water are ecologically linked in a natural system called a watershed. From the smallest droplet to the mightiest river, water works to shape the land, taking with it sediment and dissolved materials that drain to watercourses and, in most cases, eventually to the sea. The river is a product of the land it flows through the type of rock and soil, the shape of the land, and the amount of vegetation are some of the factors that determine the rivers shape, size and flow. When a large dam is constructed, these ties between the land and the river are broken and the consequences are felt throughout the watershed, as well as by the web of life it supports. Some 40,000 large dams, most of which were built in the past 50 years, now obstruct the worlds rivers. More than 400,000 square kilometers an area larger than Zimbabwe, have been inundated by reservoirs worldwide. The worlds largest impoundment, the 8,500 sq km Volta Reservoir behind Ghanas Akasombo Dam, flooded 4% of that nations land area. An internal survey of hydroelectric dam projects by World Bank has shown that 58% of the dams were planned and built without any consideration of downstream impacts. Table 2.7. Countries having the Biggest Dams according to Size and Function Rank Countries having Biggest Dams Ranking with respect to Dams Function Electrical Energy Water For Drinking and Daily Use Irrigation Flood Protection 1. China China USA China China 2. USA USA United Kingdom India USA 3. India Canada Spain USA Japan 4. Spain Japan Japan Korea Brazil 5. Japan Spain Australia Spain Germany 6. Canada Italy Thailand Turkey Romania 7. Korea France South Africa Japan Mexico 8. Turkey Norwegen Brazil Mexico Korea 9. Brazil Brazil France S. Africa Canada 10 France Swedish Germany Albania Turkey Source: World Commission on Dams, Dams and Development, 2000. The following are a few serious environmental impacts of dams: . (i) Effects on River Systems Reducing the flow of water from a river changes the landscape it flows through, which in turn can affect the ecosystems flora and fauna. A dam holds back sediments, especially the heavy gravel and cobbles. The river, deprived of its sediment load, seeks to recapture it by eroding the downstream channel and banks, undermining bridges and other riverbank structures. Riverbeds are typically eroded by several meters within a decade of first closing a dam; the damage can extend for tens or hundreds of kilometers below a dam. Riverbed deepening lowers the groundwater table along a river, threatening vegetation and local wells in the floodplain and requiring crop irrigation in places where there was previously no need. The depletion of riverbed gravels reduces habitat for many fish that spawn in the river bottom, and for invertebrates such as insects, molluscs and crustaceans. Changes in the physical habitat and hydrology of rivers are implicated in 93% of freshwater fauna declines in North America. Before construction of the Aswan Dam in Egypt, the Nile River carried about 124 million tons of sediment to the sea each year, depositing nearly 10 million tons on the floodplain and delta. Today, 98% of that sediment remains behind the dam. The result has been a drop in soil productivity. The Aswan Dam has also led to serious coastal erosion, another problem stemming from the loss of sediments in a dammed river. Another example of this problem is along the mouth of the Volta River in Ghana. Akosombo Dam has cut off the supply of sediment to the Volta Estuary, affecting also neighboring Togo and Benin, whose coasts are now being eaten away at a rate of 10-15 meters per year. (ii) Hydrological Effects Dams change the pattern of the flow of a river, both reducing its overall volume and changing its seasonal variations. The nature of the impacts depends on the design, purpose and operation of the dam. All parts of a rivers ecology can be impacted by changes to its flow. A rivers estuary, where fresh water meets the sea, is a particularly rich ecosystem. Some 80% of the worlds fish catch comes from these habitats, which depend on the volume and timing of nutrients and fresh water. The alteration of the flows reaching estuaries because of dams and diversions is a major cause of the precipitous decline of sea fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico, the Black and Caspian Seas, Californias San Francisco Bay, the Eastern Mediterranean and others. (iii) Changes to Flooding The storage of water in dams delays and reduces floods downstream. River and floodplain ecosystems are closely adapted to a rivers flooding cycle. The native plants and animals depend on its variations for reproduction, hatching, migration and other important lifecycle stages. Annual floods deposit nutrients on the land, flush out backwater channels, and replenish wetlands. It is generally recognized by biologists that dams are the most destructive of the many abuses causing the rapid disappearance of riverine species. About 20% of the worlds recognized 8,000 freshwater species are threatened with extinction. The first effect of a dam is to alter the pattern of disturbances that the plants and animals of a river have evolved for. Many aquatic animals coordinate their reproductive cycles with annual flood seasons. Every flood is valuable in that it takes nutrients from the land and deposits them in the river, providing food for the streams residents. Floods also provide shallow backwater areas on vegetated and shaded riversides; the young of many animals depend on these backwaters to protect them from large predators.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As an example, a fish on a certain river may only reproduce during April of every year so that its offspring will have abundant food and places to hide. If the flood never comes because a dam holds the river back (because people want the water for themselves), the offspring may be produced during a time when they cannot possibly survive. If the fish can wait until the next flood, which may be in July, its young will be born during the wrong time of year, and will have to contend with the absence of their normal food supply and temperatures for which they are not prepared. Vegetation, too, depends upon these regular cycles of flood. Quite often, people will decide that they can spare no water at all and no flooding will occur. Or they may have built the dams specifically to stop flooding, so they can build houses in the floodplains. When this happens, riparian vegetation, the vegetation bordering the river, changes forever. (iv) Removing Sediment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Another reason that riverbeds become scoured and armored is that dams remove all the sediment from the river. It is natural that the river, which is accustomed to carrying sediment and now has none, will pick up the sediment from the streambed below the dam. It is almost as though the river has been starved of its sediment. As in everything else in nature, balance will be achieved one way or the other, often at the expense of one or more species.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sediment in a dammed river reaches the slow-moving reservoir above the dam and drops out, settling behind the dam. Each dam is engineered to withstand the force of a particular amount of water (this may be very very large). The dam is not engineered to withstand the additional force of tons of wet sediment pressing on the backside. The muddier the river, the faster this heap of sediment will build up. When it builds up very high, either the dam bursts, killing people and destroying settlements downstream, or the reservoirs water pours over the top of the dam. The river downstream of the dam will be like a dead river. It will not have a living river ecosystem filled with fish and birds. The water will be starved of nutrients and provide little or no habitat for animals. In addition, animals that once used the muddiness of the rivers water to conceal them from predators are now overly vulnerable to predation, and may quickly go extinct. A river with dams eventually becomes little more than a dead channel of water. (v) Starving the River   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dams hold back not only sediment, but also debris. The life of organisms (including fish) downstream depends on the constant feeding of the river with debris. This debris includes leaves, twigs, branches, and whole trees, as well as the organic remains of dead animals. Debris not only provides food, it provides hiding places for all sizes of animals and surfaces for phytoplankton and microorganisms to grow. Without flooding and without a healthy riparian zone, this debris will be scarce. Adding to the problem, although debris might come from the river above the dam, it is instead trapped in the reservoir, and never appears downstream. The bottom level of the food web is removed. All in all, the loss of sediment and debris means the loss of both nutrients and habitat for most animals. (vi) Changing Temperature Temperature is another problem. Rivers tend to be fairly homogenous in temperature. Reservoirs, on the other hand, are layered. They are warm at the top and cold at the bottom. If water is released downstream, it is usually released from the bottom of the dam, which means the water in the river is now colder than it should be. Many macro-invertebrates depend on a regular cycle of temperatures throughout the year. When this is changed, their survival is threatened. (vii) Erosion The typical practices in a hydroelectric station are to release large amounts of water in powerful surges during the day in order to provide electricity when demand and prices are highest, and to cut down flow during the night in order to replenish reservoirs for the next day. The cyclic floods caused by this popular practice contribute to the extinction of many species like the salmon by flushing away their spawning gravels during the day and leaving them high and dry at night. Riverbeds become scoured, stripped of their organic materials, sediment, vegetation, and macro-invertebrates. (viii) Stopping Fish Migration   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Fish passage is a concern with dams. Many fishes must move upstream and downstream to complete their lifecycles. Dams are often built without fish ladders. When fish ladders are provided, they seldom work as needed. If enough adult fishes do manage to climb above a dam, there remains the issue of their young: how will they get back downstream? Predators kill many while they wander, lost, in the reservoir above the dam. Many are killed in their fall downward through the dam to the river below. They arent killed by the fall itself, but by the high levels of nitrogen gas at the base of the dam.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many fishes that cannot climb dam ladders or leap over low dams. Some of these fishes swim upstream every year to breed, and then let the water carry them back downstream. The eggs of pelagic spawners float downstream, too, which is why the adults must swim far upriver to breed. Otherwise, the baby fish would soon end up in sea. (ix) Social Impacts of Dams: Conflict with people The most important social impact of a dam is displacement of people. The forced removal of people from their homes and the land by which they make a living has been the tragic consequence of dams. Although the people are offered resettlement, the situation leads to disintegration of self-identity and place-connection for both individuals and communities. The social connections are lost and the people find it hard to recover a sense of belonging to both community and the physical environment that supports their existence. The major issues related to displacement are summarized below: Effect Biogeophysical impacts Social impacts Primary (direct) Flooding of reservoir Water diversion and hydrological changes Soil compaction and paving Mountain top removal and stream filling Reduction/depletion of minerals and species Deforestation Creation of barriers to species migration Eviction and resettlement Labour camps Loss of resource due to construction and/or flooding Secondary (indirect) Landslide, flood, and earthquakes from dams Water quality decline Soil salinisation Loss (or gain) of fish and wildlife populations Ecosystem changes leading to pest problems or disease Aquifer disruption causing problems downstream Loss of fish species leads to loss of migratory bird species Loss of access to resources and property Unemployment with project completion Psychosocial stresses Creation of new identities Urbanization as labour camps become permanent Unsustainable agriculture in resettlement area leading to soil erosion Ethnic conflict due to resettlement The inundation of the river valley has significant adverse social impacts by blocking access to natural and social resources of the river valley. This puts pressure on the ecosystem, as fewer resources are available to serve the needs of the population located within the region. Increased competition for commonly held resources, such as wild fruits and vegetables, timber, fodder and firewood, disrupts the subsistence routines of riverine populations. This has the impact of forcing people to forge in new areas that may be further from their homes in and/or in locations that are used by other groups for either similar or conflicting purposes. The dams also seriously affect human health through the spread of disease. For instance, schistosomiasis and malaria proliferate in areas around the still water of dam reservoirs. Beyond creating habitat for disease vectors, dams have been linked with the spread of non-communicable diseases like mercury poisoning. The increase in disease is also attributable to the influx of migratory workers during the time of dam construction. The overall social impact of a surge in disease in communities is to increase social malaise and to circumscribe livelihood opportunities. The process of displacement has affected most the weaker sections of the people in India. The scheduled tribes and castes and backward caste people constitute a large chunk of the displaced people. Women and children suffer the maximum in any displacement. The conditions of people displaced by the various dams in the Narmada have attracted the attention of the Supreme Court of India, and it is observed that the measures at resettlement and in making provision for civic amenities in the new settlements are far below expectation. The total number of people displaced by dams is estimated to be 40 80 million throughout the world a substantial number of these people are Indians (the estimates vary, but the figure is likely to be around 4.4 million people). The people get compensation, but the process is often long-drawn, and sometimes, the actual sufferers are not getting true value for the losses incurred. These are inadequate when compared to the permanent loss of livelihood, and the social and mental cost of displacement. Large Dams in India At independence, in 1947, there were not more than 300 large dams in India. By 2000, the number grew to over 4000, more than half of them built between 1971 and 1989. India ranks third in the world in dam building after US and China. While some of these dams were built primarily for flood control, water supply, and hydroelectric power generation, the primary purpose of most Indian dams (96 percent) remains irrigation. In fact, large dam construction has been the main form of investment in irrigation undertaken by the Indian government. However, much controversy has evoked since 1980s with the Sardar Sarovar Project on the Narmada when the people started asking questions on the social, environmental, and economic costs of dams and their benefits. Most irrigation dams in India are embankment dams. They consist of a wall built across a river to impound water forming a reservoir upstream and a system of spillways and gates to bypass the wall to maintain normal flow and the impounded water flows to canals feeding agriculture fields downstream. People living in the upstream catchment area, lose property and livelihood and gain very little, while people living in the command area (downstream) gain the most from irrigation. Between 1951 and 2000, Indias production of food grains increased fourfold, from 51 million tonnes to about 200 million tonnes resulting in considerable foreign exchange savings in food grains import, and making India a food grain surplus or at least self-sufficient country. About two thirds of this increase has been attributed to rise in irrigated areas, 35 % of which are irrigated by dams. Case Studies The world is building more dams every year. New dams promise more electricity and at the same time, they are devastating to others. A few case studies are briefly described below: The Enawene Nawe, Brazil The Enawene Nawe, a small Amazonian tribe (over 420) who live by fishing in Mato Grosso state, Brazil, is a relatively isolated people. They grow manioc and corn in gardens and gather forest products, like honey but fishing is their main livelihood and fish are a vital part of their diet, as they are one of the few tribes who eat no red meat. During the fishing season, the men build large dams across rivers and spend several months camped in the forest, catching and smoking the fish which is then transported by canoe to their village. For decades, the Enawene Nawe has faced invasion of their lands by rubber tappers, diamond prospectors, cattle ranchers and more recently soya planters Maggi, the largest soya company in Brazil, illegally built a road on their land in 1997 (this was subsequently closed by a federal prosecutor). Although their territory was officially recognized and ratified by the government in 1996, a key area known as the Rio Preto was left out. This area is tremendously important to the Enawene Nawe both economically and spiritually this is where they build their fishing camps and dams, and where many important spirits live. Now, up to 11 dams are planned along the Juruena River, which flows through the Indians territory. The dams will be funded by a consortium of businesses, many of whom are involved in the soya industry. The Enawene Nawe is opposing the dams, and has launched an appeal for support to halt the construction. The Penan, Malaysia In 2008, a leaked map exposed the huge dam plans of the national electricity company in Sarawak, Malaysia. The local Penan people, who are familiar with destructive interference from outsiders, now face a new challenge to their land and livelihoods. Blueprints were accidentally posted on the internet for dams that will submerge homes and villages. To make matters worse, these dams are projected to produce far more electricity than Sarawak uses. The Borneo forests The island of Borneo, a fragile treasure house of rainforests, rare animals and plants, is under threat from plans for Chinese engineers to build 12 dams that will cut through virgin land and displace thousands of native Dayak people. The government of the Malaysian state of Sarawak says the dams are the first stage of a corridor of renewable energy that will create 1.5 million jobs through industries powered by safe, clean hydro-electricity. Campaigners are furious but appear powerless in the face of a project they fear will compound the devastation wrecked on Borneos peoples and land by previous dam projects and the felling of its forests. They point to the ruin caused by the levelling of millions of acres of trees for oil palm plantations to meet the worlds demand for biofuels. The dams would slice across a vast sweep of Sarawak, a place where wisps of cloud cling to remote, tree-clad peaks, huge butterflies flit through the foliage and orang-utans, sun bears and leopards roam. The Bakun dam, a separate project due to be completed by 2011, has already displaced an estimated 10,000 indigenous people, leading to bitter legal battles and a chorus of dismay from economists about cost overruns. For all that, it may be too late to save the natural bounty of Borneo itself. Orphaned orang-utans, piteously holding the outstretched hands of their human saviours, are the most conspicuous symbols of its fragility. Divided between Malaysia and Indonesia, with Brunei occupying a tiny enclave in the north, Borneos riches have ensured its plunder. One reason is the voracious world demand for timber. The other is the biofuels made from palm oil. Almost half of Borneos rainforests have been cut down. Two million acres have vanished every year as trees are felled, the wood sold and the land turned over to oil palms. Enormous fires cast a perpetual pall of toxic haze, making Indonesia the worlds third largest greenhouse gas polluter after China and the United States. Green gold, or palm oil, poses an even more insidious threat because it promises prosperity and development to the numerous poor of Borneo along with immense rewards for the elites. The vegetable oil comes from crushed palm husks. Long used for cooking, cosmetics and soap, it has now become a principal source of biodiesel fuel. Malaysia and Indonesia produce about 85% of the worlds supply of palm oil most of it from Borneo. The price of this apparently environment-friendly fuel is high as the damages far outweigh the benefits. All over Sarawak, tribal people have lost their ancestral lands to similar gambits. The situation in India Bhakra-Nangal Dam This dam is situated in the town Bhakra in Punjab and is Asias biggest dam. The dam is built on the Sutlej River. It is 225.55 m high above sea level. The dam is 518.25 m long and 304.84 m broad. Its huge reservoir known as the Gobindh Sarovar, stores up to 9621 million cu m of water, enough to drain the whole of Chandigarh, parts of Haryana, Punjab and Delhi. It has 4 floodgates, which are fully functional during the period of floods, and also has 2 power- stations situated on either side of the dam. Each of the power plants comprise of 5 generators, and a power station. The total electricity produced in both the generators is 1325 MW. The Narmada River Dams The Narmada River originates from the Maikal ranges at Amarkantak, 1057 m above the sea-level, now in Shahdol district of Madhya Pradesh. The river flows for 1312 km through the three states of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Maharashtra and Gujarat before falling into the Arabian Sea. The valley has been the seat of an uninterrupted flow of human civilization from pre-historic times. The river has supported a variety of people and diverse socio-cultural practices ranging from the relatively autonomous adivasi (tribal) settlements in the forests to non-tribal rural population. The Narmada basin extends over an area of 98,796  km2 and lies between 720 32 E to 810 45 E and 21o 20 N to 23o 45 N. The basin covers large areas in the states of Madhya Pradesh (86%), Gujarat (14%) and a comparatively smaller area (2%) in Maharashtra. In the river course of 1,312  km, there are 41 tributaries, out of which 22 are from the Satpuda range and the rest on the right bank are from the Vindhya range. The valley experiences extremes of hydrometeorological and climatic conditions with the upper catchment having an annual precipitation in the range of 1000  mm to 1850  mm and with half or even less than half in its lower regions (650  mm-750  mm); the diversity of vegetation from lush green in the upper region to dry deciduous teak forest vegetation in the lower region is testimony to this feature. The Narmada basin is drought affected and a large part of North Gujarat, Saurashtra and Kutch constitute semi-arid or arid regions on account of extreme unreliability of rainfall, rendering them chronically drought prone and subject to serious drinking water problems. Teak and Indias best hardwood forests are found in the Narmada River basin and they are much older than the ones in the Himalayas. The lower Narmada River Valley and the surrounding uplands, covering an area of 169,900  km2 consists of dry deciduous forests. The natural vegetation of the region is a three-tiered forest. Tectona grandis is the dominant canopy tree, in association with Diospyros melanoxylon, Dhaora (Anogeissus latifolia), and Boswellia serrata. Riperian areas along the regions rivers and streams, which receive year-round water, are home to moist evergreen forests. The ecoregion is home to 76 species of mammals and to 276 bird species none of which are endemic. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), about 30% of the ecoregion is covered in relatively intact vegetation. The ecoregion includes some large blocks of habitat in the Vindhya and Satpura ranges. About 5% of the ecoregion lies within protected areas, including Bandhavgarh, Panna, and Sanjay National Parks. The valley has some of the important national parks and wild life sanctuaries. Kanha national park located in the upper reaches of Narmada, about 18  km from Mandla, boasts of several wild animals including the Tiger. Two tributaries of Narmada, namley, Hallon and Banjar, flow through this park. It is one of the best National Parks of Asia, which has been described vividly by Rudyard Kipling in his famous creation Jungle Book. Satpura National Park, set up in 1981, is located in Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh and covers an area of 524  km2. Along with the adjoining Bori and Panchmarhi Sanctuaries, it constitutes an area of 1,427  km2 of unique Central Indian Highland ecosystem. Satpura National Park, being part of a unique ecosystem, is very rich in biodiversity. The fauna comprises tiger, leopard, sambar, chital, bhedki, nilgai, four-horned antelope, chinkora, bison (gour), wild boar, wild dog, bear, black bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying, mouse deer, Indian jo int squirrel etc. There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are the common birds. The flora of the national park consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, aonla, mohua, bel, bambo, and a variety of grasses and medicinal plants. Madla plant Fossil National park, Dindori National fossils park Ghughuya is situated in Din dori district of Madhya Pradesh in India. This national park has plants in fossil form that existed in India anywhere between 40 million and 150 million years ago spread over seven villages of Mandla District (Ghuguwa, Umaria, Deorakhurd, Barbaspur, Chanti-hills, Chargaon and Deori Kohani). The Mandla Plant Fossils National Park is an area that spreads over 274,100  m2. The Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve covers part of three civil districts viz., Hoshangabad, Betul and Chhindwara of Madhya Pradesh. The total area is 4926.28  km2. It envelops three wildlife conservation units viz., Bori Sanctuary (518.00 km ²), Satpura National Park (524.37  km2), and Pachmarhi Sanctuary (461.37  km2). Satpura National Park comprises the core zone and the remaining area of 4,501.91  km2, surrounding the core zone serves as buffer zone. The area comprises 511 villages. The area exhibits variety of geological rock and soil formations. There is a wide spectrum of floral and faunal features that occupy the Satpura conservation area. It is one of the oldest forest reserves, which has an established tradition of scientific management of forests. It constitutes a large contiguous forest block that harbours a community of plant and animal species typical of the central highland region. Of the 30 big dams proposed along the Narmada, Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) and Narmada Sagar Project (NSP) are the mega dams. The Maheshwar and Omkareshwar dams along with SSP and NSP, are to form a complex which would ultimately cater to the needs of SSP. The struggle of the people of the Narmada valley against large dams began when the people to be displaced by SSP began organizing in 1985-86. Since then the struggle has spread to encompass other major dams in various stages of planning and construction chiefly Maheshwar, Narmada Sagar, Maan, Goi and Jobat. Tawa and Bargi Dams were completed in 1973 and 1989 respectively. Sardar Sarovar project The Sardar Sarovar Project (SSP) faced stiff opposition from the people right from the planning stage. The Narmada Bachao Andolan (Save the Narmada movement) has been at the forfront of this opposition and at one time the NBA was successful in stopping World Bank funding for the project. A number of cases were filed against the project. However, the Supreme Court of India in 2000 issued a final ruling allowing construction to proceed. It is estimated that nearly 200,000 people would be displaced to construct the reservoir and a large number of people will lose land or livelihood due to project activities. A majority of the displaced people are tribal people. Medha Patkar (born 1 December 1954 in Bombay) is the founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan and has vowed to work for the displaced people. She is one of Indias most important environmental activists. Her uncompromising insistence on the right to life and livelihood has brought to the fore the basic questions of natural resources, human rights, environment, and developm

puritans :: essays research papers

Puritan ideas on religion and Native Americans The Puritan belief structure was built around the idea of treating one another as brothers, loving one another and having compassion. The Puritans also believed everyone should be virtuous to one another. The Puritans themselves did not treat the Native Americans this way. The Puritans look at themselves as the better group of people. It did not matter who someone was or what type of skin color one had, if one did not have the same beliefs as the Puritans he or she was considered an outcast in their society. The Puritans saw the Native Americans as savages and beasts. The Puritans’ relationship with the Native Americans was contrary to Puritan Christian doctrine. To understand how the Puritans viewed religion, one needs to look at how they understood their Christian God. The Puritans knew God though the bible and what their ministers preached. They did not believe that God would speak directly to mortals. The Puritan Minister Robert Cushman once stated, â€Å"Whereas God of the old [Testament] did call and summon our fathers by predictions, dreams, visions, and certain illuminations†¦. Now there is no such calling to be expected for any matter whatsoever.† In the Puritan’s time, if God was to speak directly with a mortal, it was thought to be the devil in disguise. One Puritan woman, Anne Hutchinson, was believed to have predictions from God. This infuriated the Puritans because they did not believe in the idea of God giving her visions and thoughts. They believed that Satan was the one giving her these visions and thoughts. Consequently, the Puritans then banished her into the wilderness outside of Massachusetts Bay. This shows that the Puritans treated anyone who did not totally agree with them as an outcast to their society. The religious beliefs and the rituals of the Indians of southern New England were in many ways how the Puritans thought the devil and witches to act. English observers Edward Winslow, Roger Williams, and other Puritans found out that the Indians believed that spirits would speak directly to mortals though dreams and visions. William Simmons stated, â€Å"A powerful spirit known as Hobbamock was said to enter certain persons and to remain in their bodies as a guardian and familiar.† Hobbamock was the Native American creator. The spirit Hobbamock was the â€Å"souls of the dead† that would take the shape of the human body and animals.

Space Appeal :: Science Planets NASA Papers

Space Appeal Public relations activities have been and always will be an integral part of crew activities. While these activities absorb resources, the most significant of which is time, they also bring public and political support to the program and provide some of the return on investment of the program.† – NASA, The Mars Reference Mission, Pg. 25 Since the day of NASA’s greatest triumph on July 20, 1969, there has been a sense among many American people and politicians that the once-unimaginable goal of conquering space has been accomplished, and that much of what NASA has done since are simply unnecessary frills of the federal budget. In order to attempt to justify its own existence, NASA has felt the need to engage in projects that can thrill the public and thus keep people interested in space exploration. In doing so, a significant portion of their budget, which has been cut over the years, is spent on public relations, decreasing the budget for actual space-related activities. By using its resources to â€Å"bring public and political support to the program†1, NASA has been looking at the problem backwards. By operating more efficiently and spending less on making their projects â€Å"sexy† they could actually accomplish their goals, which would implicitly grab the public’s attention. It is tim e for NASA to move into a new era, where the goal is to pick those projects that will actually succeed instead of those that sensationalize space, those that appeal to the scientist instead of the average American. One goal that NASA has been working toward for years is that of sending a manned mission to Mars. While there is no official plan to send a man to Mars, there is wide support for it at NASA and it clearly would be attempted when/if possible. Sending a human to another planet would be an impressive step for the recently maligned space 1 Koff, Stephen. â€Å"NASA’s new chief will ask 'why' a lot†. The Plain Dealer. January 10, 2002. National Pg. A2. Lexis-Nexis Universe. Online. Nexis. April 28, 2002. program, and would likely bring back a large public interest in the cosmos not seen since the heyday of space in the 1950s and 60s. However, NASA exists neither to entertain the American people nor to promote interest in outer space. According to Sean O’Keefe, NASA’s newly-minted Chief Administrator, it exists to â€Å"advance the development of science and technology†2.

Japanese Culture and Politics Essay

The historical development of Shinto cannot be separated from the entire history of Japanese religion, culture and politics holding the Japanese mentality to the path of creative progress and versatility of self-development. From the fate of the Emperor’s courts in different eras, with the rise and fall of other religious orders such as the Buddhist groups and the overall destiny of the nation, the fate of Shinto is intertwined in every aspect. Shinto had already started to about 300 B. C. E. and was considered as the most significant religion in Japan. In reality, there is no specific dates nor enough data or hard evidence of Shinto’s origins, as such, it may trace back even before the 300 B. C. E. Just like Shinto’s origins, the origins of civilization on the Japanese islands remain cloudy. Various communities gathered together during the Stone Age. As early as the 300s and 200s B. C. E. , tightly knit societies were appearing, but the mountainous terrain of the home islands kept settlements relatively isolated. Although Shinto tradition traces the ancestry of the Japanese imperial family back to the 600s B. C. E., there is no evidence of an organized Japanese government before the 300s or 400s C. E. Body The history of Shinto is connected to the development of growth of states. The first imperial state was ruled by the Yamato family, starting in the 300s or 400s C. E. From the start, the Shinto religion- which remained important even after the arrival of new faiths like Buddhism- legitimated the emperors, declaring them descendants of the sun goddess. The Yamato initially ruled from Nara, which, until the late 700s, serves as Japan’s capital. During the Nara period (ca. 300-794 C. E. ), the foundations of the Japanese nation were laid. Japan also came into contact with Korea and China. The Chinese had a tremendous influence on the development of Japanese art, architecture, literature and religion. It was from China and through Korea that, in 522 Buddhism arrived in Japan (McCannon 2006). However, Shinto was already greatly present in early Japan, as such, they were able to develop their own state different from that of China Shinto has been considered to be the creative spirit, and on the contrary, as a firmly fixed source of nationalism in Japan. Although the roles need not be incompatible, the question draws attention to two faces of Shinto. There are folk origins as well as cults encouraged by governments, and these have not always coexisted harmoniously. During the development of State Shinto, the conflict and peace reaches its peak. The Meiji period government, in the interests of manipulating Shinto as a state ideology, was prepared to sacrifice the entire popular spirituality of Shinto to the extent of suppressing shrines and removing kami from communities. This underlines the dual origins of Shinto and the ways in which local and national interests have not always been harmonized. The august status of the Grand Shrines of Ise, the Amaterasu greatly shows how Shinto had affected the people’s respect towards the Imperial tradition (Picken, 1994). Shinto religion became the core of some social classes and basis for economy, traditions and customs. During the time when sengoku daimyo and the three great unifiers were struggling for political supremacy, they adopted and utilized various methods with varying degrees of success to overcome basic administrative difficulties. Sengoku daimyo and the national hegemons encountered difficulty in bringing the commercial segments of the society under their control. The existence of a growing national market in central Japan where most of the large scale transactions involving goods from the distant provinces were conducted in the sixteenth century and which remained relatively free of any political control during much of that century, did not permit the sengoku daimyo and the national hegemons to regulate the growing commercial activities to their advantages (Hall et. al. 1983). Through Shinto, the society was divided into classes, where many sengoku daimyo introduced the system of rule by law to strengthen their authority in their respective domains. Also, by focusing on Shinto religion, sengoku daimyo was able to have the absolute loyalty of its subordinates, discouraging localized or scattered loyalties. Moreover, early believers of Shinto greatly respected animals. They believed that these are God’s messengers and because of these, the early Japanese created statues such as â€Å"Koma-inu† on their temple grounds. Japanese culture also flourished with ceremonies correlated to the practice of Shinto and some of these include cleansing, prayers and dances greatly attributed to Kami. In addition to this, they also practiced Kagura, a dance perfected by its performers with an accompaniment of ancient musical instruments (Robinson 1995). Conclusion The historical development of Shinto cannot be separated from the entire history of Japanese religion, culture and politics holding the Japanese mentality to the path of creative progress and versatility of self-development. From the development or origins of Shinto, the states of early Japanese period came into realization. State Shinto is one of the great examples of the states created using Shinto as its foundation. Aside from its states, the rulers of state before the Tokugawa period were chosen with the blessings of the gods of Shinto. The divine providence given to these rulers strengthened their power over their subordinates. Just like the power of the sengoku daimyo during the Warring period. They were able to obtain absolute loyalty from their subordinates and the other classes. Shinto did not only create Japan’s early states and leaders, but also molded its culture, customs and traditions. Early beliefs on Shinto gave life to the Japanese society, illuminating it with dances and ceremonies. As a whole, early Japanese culture and politics developed its own identity becoming one of the countries with great sense of nationalism because of Shinto. Works Cited Hall, John Whitney, Nagahara Keiji, and Kozo Yamamura. â€Å"Japan before Tokugawa: Political Consolidation and Economic Growth, 1500 to 1650. † Public Affairs 53. 2 (Summer 1983): 332-34. McCannon, John. Barron’s How to Prepare for the Ap World History Advanced Placement. New York: Barron’s Educational Series, Inc. , 2006.