Kashmir facing a natural disaster Essay

In nature’s biggest fury in six decades in the valley, more than 170 people have already lost their lives in the recent flood that struck the indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. Witnessing human terror since ages, the valley is under the threat of floods due to a week long incessant rain which is affecting the rescue operations as well. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on Sunday declared the situation a â€Å"national-level disaster†, and announced a special assistance of Rs 1,000 crores for the flood-hit state, from PM’s relief fund. River Jhelum flowing 14 feet above the danger mark. Homes, military bases and hospitals inundated in the region’s main city Srinagar as the Jhelum river overflowed its banks. Landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have damaged roads, dozens of bridges, buildings and crops. Land route has been stopped on the Jammu-Pathankot highway. The state government has closed all schools till September 7. Some 2,500 villages have been partially or completely submerged across the area, while thousands of people are stranded on rooftops waiting to be rescued. A temple being washed away by the force of the flood. While the National Disaster Response Force teams have evacuated over 2700 victims to safer places, the Indian Air Force has also mounted massive relief efforts. Flood waters rose sharply overnight in Srinagar, a city of 900,000, catching many people living in low-lying areas unaware. This picture speaks volume about the prevailing flood conditions in the valley. The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi taking an aerial survey of the flood affected region in the valley. Five days of incessant rains in Jammu and Kashmir have left at least 170 people dead in the region’s worst flooding in more than six decades. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday declared the situation a â€Å"national-level disaster† and announced a special assistance of Rs 1,000 crores for the flood-hit state besides Rs 2 lakhs compensation from the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund for the kin of the dead and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured. Flood alert has been sounded in Srinagar , and all emergency services have been pressed into service to meet the eventuality of a flood. Two youths rescuing livestock from a flood hit area in Srinagar.

Life Suceed In That It Seems To Fail Essay

Life has resilient nature, it never let hope to cut off even in the lurch. It arrives at specific conditioning through entertaining demands at variable intervals and in variable amounts and some times at discretion. This comes up with optimism. Optimism let one to crow over even in inauspicious conditions. In fact life do miracles in lurch conditions and turns the corner. It triumphs, when there is no hope of its victory. Traditional stories, which are being recounted by a man to a child, have the ultimate positive end. They implants in the flesh and blood that every bad and the worst have a well chosen end. And in actual the same comes about. A death bed patient, for an ordinary example, bears a charmed life. A stuck labor in a mine is rescued after a couple of days. These off and then are the very reason that the hope dies but with the last breath. If we dive deep in the history of world, we come up that every time when there was no way out but stars were in the ascendant. Subcontinent’s fate in 17th century was hanging in balance. All India National Congress decided it in complete darkness. Germany, when it was quite at sea, found the hope in the shape of Hitler. USA was quite at its wit’s end and was about to gave up all in vain after ten years war but it made a pile and turned the table by killing Osama. On contrary there are many cases where felicity is left awaited and never comes. A pathetic poor man facing adverse economic situations, for instance, annihilates itself because he/she remains unable to discover light in future. Over all, life is beautiful having optimistic nature and whenever it is being challenged it nails its color to the mast.

Kingship in Macbeth Essay

The theme of kingship is one which can be see constantly throughout the play. This makes sense as the play is ultimately a tribute to King James I, who was king when Macbeth was written in 1606. King James strongly believed that becoming king was a divine right and that they themselves, as kings, were God’s representatives on earth. All these aspects can be seen from beginning to end of Macbeth and we see how when this order of kings is changed by unnatural means, everyone suffers. During the course of the play we see the traits of four kings: Duncan, Macbeth, Edward and Malcolm. Through the reign of each of these kings, we are shown clearly how a country is only stable if the king is good and virtuous. In Shakespearean times, a king had absolute power and the welfare of the state depended strongly on him. All people were similar to King James in the belief that kings were appointed by divine right, and had to possess the king becoming graces of, ‘’justice, verity, temperance, bounty, perseverance, stableness, lowliness and devotion. ’’ When the play opens, we see Duncan as king. He himself admit that there ‘’is not art to finding the mind’s construction in the face. ’’ This inability to judge people well, ultimately leads to his downfall. The original Thane of Cowdor, ‘’a man in whom I [Duncan] placed upmost trust’’ rebelled against Scotland when under the reign of Duncan, something which Duncan could not foresee. Similar happened with Macbeth. Duncan trusted Macbeth and saw him as a ‘’brave and valiant cousin. ’’ Duncan’s trusting of Macbeth lead to his own untimely death. We can see clearly Duncan’s weakness as king; he trusts too easily. We can also see the traits of a good king in his character as his punishes those who commit treason (Thane of Cowdor), and rewards those who are brave and loyal (Banquo and Macbeth), ‘’go announce his present death and with his former title greet Macbeth. ’’ It is clear that people respected Duncan as king and his godliness can be seen in the words expressed by Macduff when he is murdered, ‘’ most sac religious murder hath broke ope’ the lord’s anointed temple and stolen the life hense. ’’ Ironically Macbeth himself praises and acknowledges Duncan’s qualities, ‘’ Duncan hath borne his faculties so meek. ’ When Macbeth becomes king, we see the opposite to Duncan. Macbeth reigns with terror and has constant feelings of paranoia, trusting no one, ‘’to be thus is nothing, but to be safely thus,’’ ‘’we have scorched the snake, not killed it,’’ ‘’our fears in Banquo stick deep. ’’ Macbeth’s reign cannot be succeeded by his children as he became king through a sinful and unnatural act of regicide, ‘’upon my head they placed a fruitless crown. ,’’ During this time, regiside was considered to be one of the most unforgivable crimes possible- the killing of God’s chosen representative on Earth. This act alone show that Macbeth will rule as a king of terror. His reign is characterised by instability, he has upset natural order and this can be seen reflected in the natural world around him, ’’thou seest the heavens as troubled with man’s act .. by the clock tis day and yet dark light stangles the travelling lamp. ’’ The chaos and disorder seen in Scotland under Macbeth’’s rule is reflected in the natural world. As king, Macbeth focuses on the wrong things, he tries to achieve strength and power and puts this ‘’vaulting ambition’’ before his duty to lead Scotland. Macbeth could in no way be considered divine, a clear contrast to ‘’meek’’ Duncan. The character of Macbeth is associated with evil and witch-craft and his is known to others as a ‘’tyrant whose sole name blisters our tongues,’’ synonymous with power, although he has no legal or God-chosen right to have it. In Macbeth we see a king who deviates completely from all the ‘’king becoming graces’’ and qualities of a good king, and as a result, his country suffers greatly, ‘’every morn new widows howl, new orphans cry. ’ In the play, we never actually meet Edward the Confessor, King of England, but through descriptions from Malcolm we can see clearly that he embodies all that a true, virtuous king should. He is associated with ‘’heaven’’ and ‘’grace’’ and all things ‘’saintly. ’’ Edward is said to possess the a bility to foresee the future and to heal the sick, he does not abuse these powers like Macbeth, but instead puts them to good use, ‘’ he hath a heavenly gift of prophecy, and sundry blessings hang about his throne. ’’ We see in Edward a king who is a good judge of character, unlike Duncan. Edward welcomes Malcolm into his court and agrees to help him despite many thoughts that Malcolm is the one who murdered Duncan. Edward can see Malcolm innocence and kindly offers him a safe haven where he can regroup. The qualities of kingship seen in Edward are that of honesty, kindness and holiness, all adhering to the fore-mentioned ‘’king becoming graces. ’’ This example of a most excellent king would have impressed King James of England at the time as it was widely known that King James was a descendent of King Edward’s. Malcolm, Duncan’s son and rightful heir to the throne, does not become king until the final scene of the play but still we are left feeling Scotland is in safe hands. Malcolm shows his qualities earlier in the play and from this we can see just what kind of king he is going to be. The anointing of Malcolm as king of Scotland restores natural order after the hellish reign of Macbeth. We feel as if Malcolm will be fair and honest as king and we know he understands what is expected of him, as he was in fact the character who listed the ‘’king becoming graces such as justice, verity, temperance †¦ ’ We see he is a better judge of character than that of his late father as before trusting Macduff, he tests his loyalty to Scotland. He also understands how the power associated with being in king can easily go to one’s head, no matter how honest they may seem previous, ‘’ a good virtuous nature may recoil in an imperial charge. ’†™ Before we learn of any of this, we know Malcolm resides in the palace of King Edward, this association alone causes us to automatically characterise Malcolm with goodness and honesty. Malcolm is respected and liked by the people, this is show by the fact that he was able to bring together an army of ‘’ten thousand’’ to fight against the ‘’tyrant’’ Macbeth. With Malcolm as king, we see peace and unity once again being restored to Scotland, ‘’Hail king of Scotland. ’’ The only criticism I would have of Malcolm is the fact that he rewards directly, all those who have been loyal to him,’’ my thanes and kinsmen, hensforth be Earls. ’ This action reminds us of Duncan’s hasty reaction of appointing Macbeth as Thane of Cowdor. He rewarded immediately Macbeth’s seemed bravery but paid most dearly for it. I could not help but wonder if Malcolm may perhaps suffer a similar fate. We see in all the kings mentioned in Macbeth, many differences. These differences allow us to contrast the characters and explore deeply the theme of kingship in the play. In Macbeth, w e see an unnatural king which causes chaos in his country. He rules with terror and evil. Duncan was a king who rules with peace and honesty, but his trusting nature unfortunately lead to his untimely death. In both Malcolm and Edward, we see good kings who appear to possess and understand the qualities needed to be king. Although it can be said that a fault may be seen in Malcolm’s character, this is no more than a suggestion, and I feel that his positive traits as King overwrite this. At the end of the play we are left feeling satisfied that has been left in safe hands.

Critical analysis Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Critical analysis - Coursework Example Conversely, Mahtani (2014) implemented qualitative methods by organizing and executing interview sessions among the women to get the status of ideal of progress after multiculturalism. The reading of McNeil (2010) provides information regarding the perspective of Negro, wherein they believe that they were being hindered to perform their work and they were being dominated due to dark complexity due to the effect of multiculturalism. Conversely, the reading of Mahtani (2014) reveals about the collaboration of multiracialism and ideal of progress. It can be said that McNeil (2010) multiculturalism leads to black people’s personal and social growth and development, if Canadian people have mutual relationship with the Negros. Whereas, Mahtani (2014) illustration is positive towards effectiveness of ideal of progress through multiculturalism but progress also builds through genetic behavior and surroundings of the society. In the study of McNeil (2010) and Mahtani (2014), I faced issues regarding not getting proper consecutive data and information in relation to research as illustrated in articles of both the authors. Conversely, related examples in relation to subject matter made it easier to understand. I analyzed from the study of article of McNeil (2010) and Mahtani (2014) that both the authors emphasizes on the effectiveness of multiculturalism but McNeil (2010) describes about negative believe by Negro people that multiculturalism would affect their social life, culture and religion to great extent. Whereas Mahtani (2014) describes that multicultural will leads to people growth and development which is an ideal of progress of society and country. Racial discrimination is an issue that causes multiculturalism due to various aspects causing several issues in the society. There are various questions, which arises in the mind after examining and analyzing both authors illustrated articles. In

Sales Channels in Retail Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Sales Channels in Retail Industry - Case Study Example 2.2 Carrefour The Fournier and Defforey families created the Carrefour Company in 1959. They opened the first supermarket in 1960 in Annecy, France. Promodes was created in 1961 by the group and the first supermarket 'Promodes' was opened in the year 1962. A new concept of the hypermarket was invented in 1963 by the Carrefour group. The first hypermarket was opened in Sainte Genevive des Bois. In 1969 Carrefour opened a store abroad in Belgium. With a move into Belgium in 1969, Carrefour began its internationalization. tThe group Promodes adopted many banner names in the 1970s such as Shopi and Continent. We can say therefore that Carrefour was an important brand with the aim of growing and expanding its operations into new countries. By the end of 1971, the company was operating 16 wholly owned stores, had an equity interest in five stores operated as joint ventures, and had franchise agreements with seven additional stores. The idea of the hypermarket stressed mass sales, low delivery cost and discount everyday to achieve high rotation. by1999; it had 681 hypermarkets, 2,259 supermarkets, 3,124 hard discount stores, and 1,921 convenience stores and other formats selling under its banner. The stores were located mostly in France but also throughout Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Carrefour internationalized much faster than Wal-Mart. 3.0 Product Sector The Carrefour Group mostly deals with consumer goods and services. These include convenience goods such as food products, which are sold by all formats of retail stores, and shopping goods and services (household appliances, electronic devices) which are sold by hypermarkets only. For Wal-Mart, the major merchandise lines include house wares, consumer electronics and... As the paper declares Wal-Mart was founded in 1962 by Sam Walton and his brother James â€Å"Bud† Walton. They first started with a single discount store in Rogers, Arkansas. The Discount store consisted of servicing small and middle-sized towns at prices equal to or lower than prices in nearby cities. The company has registered a unique success story in the history of retail industry credited to the leadership of Sam Walton. The company internationally came off the ground by opening its first store abroad in Mexico City in 1991. The company then extended its international presence to Puerto Rico, Canada, China, Brazil, Argentina, South Korea and Germany and today operates more than 600 stores in international arena. According to the research findings the Carrefour Group mostly deals with consumer goods and services. These include convenience goods such as food products, which are sold by all formats of retail stores, and shopping goods and services (household appliances, electronic devices) which are sold by hypermarkets only. For Wal-Mart, the major merchandise lines include house wares, consumer electronics and groceries or food products. The two therefore deal with consumer goods and services hence are competitors as the products are similar. Wal-Mart differentiated business departments to thereby serving different market segments. Wal-Mart’s success is built on the practice of a lowest price everyday strategy that significantly reduces searching cost.

Why Do We Glamorize Murder in the Media Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Why Do We Glamorize Murder in the Media - Essay Example Public surveys reveal that 95% of general population refer mass media as a primary source of their information about any crime.2 It implies that media and other people construct reality in a way or the other. Here, the question arises about the content media is disseminating about crime. Media is certainly not portraying the fact alone, but a combination of facts and fiction. It sensationalizes, dramatizes, and glamorizes what must be condemned and demeaned. This paper tries to explore people's fascination and media's glamorization of murder. Oscar Wild has identified American fascination with murder in 1982 when he said, "Americans certainly are great hero-worshipers, and always take their heroes from the criminal classes."3 Murder has become culturally accepted within today’s society. Phrases like â€Å"it’s a dog eat dog world†, â€Å"killing two birds with one stone† or simply â€Å"I could kill him† (when annoyed at a partner) are entwined into our everyday language. Though the meanings are not... Even television programs show murder as indifferent. The hero of the story can kill the bad guy, or commit murder and then do a heroic thing and the original wrong doing can be forgotten by all. In the Old Testament, Moses murdered an Egyptian slave-master, then supposedly went on to do many great things and became a corner stone for Islamic, Jewish and Christianity religions. How do we rationalize killing someone? Over 87% of a core group of surveyors said â€Å"justification† is the difference between killing and murder. We are happy to live our own lives excepting that people die at the hands of other as long as it is justified. In the face of brutal and hideous crimes society try to characterized the reasoning of such criminals. Often when no apparent conclusion can be established, the association with madness is almost immediate. It is a natural defence mechanism within our conscience that one wants to believe that t he criminal had to be crazy otherwise the crime would never have been committed. People try to comprehend and explain something that if it were not justified by the madness would be too disturbing to think that a "rational" human being could execute such brutal and hideous crimes. Murders are considered bad or good based on the justification provided. Regardless of the horrors associated, murder remains coloured by perpetrator's subjectiveness in devising strong judgement to entitle his or her behaviour as radical. It is evident that media understand these judgements; therefore, they treat murder as an intense experience needing dramatization. Popular media sources engineer their presentations in a certain way that implies murder as an instant, convenient, and absolute solution to problem.4 Typically, we don't care much about murder, but what makes it really significant is: when the victim is well-known; the number of victims is shocking; murderer is exceptionally wealthy or attract ive; or method of murder is horrifying and beyond our imaginations. The very moment such incident takes place people take notice and follow each step closely. The process starts with the reporting and revelation of crime details, more shocking the details more interest is piqued. With the revelation of crime evidence, we try to know from every media source possible. Media prolongs the coverage to arrest, trial, verdict, civil trials, and every bit of information behind crime. Even after the murderer's conviction and sentence, the story does not end, it takes several forms and major actors of the crime are casted in widely different stereotypical roles. As time passes, these shocking stories of crime are represented in the form of books, comics, fictional programs,

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, Essay

The literature of exile and imaginary homelands in salmon rushdie, bharati mukherjee, and v. s. naipaul - Essay Example es. Salman Rushdie, Bharati Mukherjee, and V.S. Naipaul can all, in different ways, be considered writers in exile. They have all traveled across the sea, all have come to a new, "foreign" land, and each one interacts with the English language as both "a home" for words and an alien tongue. In addition, within these three writers' works, we can see the operations of exile, how the thesethbiographical and linguistic exile of these writers come to be processed and represented, reflected and distorted, and the effect that the concept of exile (that resounds throughout their works) has on the literary and historical contexts that are their new "homes." These novelist's treat exile not simply as a condition of the post-colonial world, but as a central means to understand the self. Rather than labeling them proponents of any post-colonial literature, therefore, we should perhaps call these three novelists the most important artists of a new genre: a literature of exile. Salman Rushdie is an... d Mumbai) on 19 June 1947-the year of Indian independence and the year that acquires so much importance in his most critically acclaimed novel, Midnight's Children (1981). However, while still a child, he moved to England and was schooled at two of the pillars of the British establishment: Rugby and Cambridge. Consequently, his homeland was necessarily doubled, between the Indian subcontinent (where he later lived again, in Pakistan, with his family) and the British Isles to which he returned a second time to work in an advertising agency before beginning his career as a novelist. It is precisely this double identity that informs a great deal of Rushdie's literature-from his first novel, Grimus (1975), to his most recent non-fiction and travel-writing works, such as Step Across the Line: Collected Nonfiction 1992-2002 (2002) and "The East is Blue" (2004). He is able to write about both the culture of his parents and his newly adopted culture from the position of a partial outsider to both, and is able to understand both sides of a sometimes (often violently) opposed set of cultural constructions. This is not to say that Rushdie's writing career has been one in which he feigns a transcendental stance, a distanced style, that sets him above both cultures as an objective and unbiased third party. The case is quite the reverse. His writing is very much "at ground level": it locates itself within the heady back and forth of cultural interchange. Like a geneticist he splices (and inextricably interweaves) a double helix from the quite separate societies of which he has been a part. Rushdie crosses English literary references with Quoranic exegesis and mixes Indian folklore with modern American slang. It is precisely within this interweaving that is born the exciting

Leadership and management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Leadership and management - Assignment Example I will measure the productivity of the skills that I will have acquired on communication and relationship building. A – Attainable literature search can be done through the internet library and am able to appraise websites to find credible sources of information. Peter, Psychiatrist officer, has agreed to meet with me next week. I have the support of Peter, to practice my skills and obtain the feedback. R – Relevant I am currently working as a nurse and would like to become a manager within my organization or another organization after I have completed my BSN. I believe that the in building my communication and relationship skills in the position of a nurse will aid me to be more comfortable and competent in a manager position because I will have learned how to relate with everyone in the organization. I will resolve any conflict that might arise, leader of change, communicating freely with the patient , employing all types of communications in the organization and coming up with a culture. T – Time bound literature search through the library and the internet are in progress and will be completed by week three. The interview with an expert is scheduled on the second week. Practice of the skills will occur during weeks 3-5, evaluation during week six, and later complete my development (Rossiter, 2004). S – Specific I will identify patient care management skills by undertaking a search in libraries and also conducting experts in the skill. I will practice patient care management skill in order to better my skills. A – Attainable learning from my fellow colleagues is the simplest way of grasping full ideas that will be required of me. I will be able to delegate duties, my deliveries should be directed to the patient, communicate effectively with other departments within the organization. S –Specific I will identify the strategic planning skills after working in the

The area of diversity management in the hospitality industry, Research Paper

The area of diversity management in the hospitality industry, - Research Paper Example In 2013, Professor Csaba argued that most organizations today are taking on initiatives to oversee a cultural diverse staff and achieve their objectives. In effect, these organizations acquire a position in world’s most competitive markets and create potential for most of their staff members (Csaba, 2013). This argument spawned from the observation that companies that deal with the challenge of overseeing workers from a range of cultural backdrops. The obligation to counter this challenge befalls managers and organization leaders. As a result, diversity management became an area of human resource management that Csaba saw relevant to the study (Csaba, 2013). Csaba justifies overseeing diversity at the workplace as a reality for all transnationals and globalized organizations. Tomà ¡s Valle Costa wrote that encouraging a surrounding without all kinds of discrimination is vital (Costa, 2012). Such a work setting does not favor people based on their age, ethnicity, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, or physical abilities. Costa says any hospitality organization ought to integrate the respect for other individuals’ difference in culture. An organization culture with this integration makes diversity management easier. The organization can then have a broad array of backdrops and perspectives that result in an improved decision-making process (Costa, 2012). Researcher Yi Gong agrees with Professor Csaba that cultural diversity is a â€Å"major issue† the American hospitality sector (Gong, 2008). Gong’s study concentrates on examining the transition encountered by hospitality workforces and the status of cultural diversity in these workplaces. The research paper examines these fields by debating opportunities, the advantages and demerits of a culturally varied staff, and offering feasible commendations that HR managers can use to tackle cultural variation effectively. Gong formed a module for HRM graduates seeking to

Impact of nitrogen and phosphorous inputs on water quality Essay Example for Free

Impact of nitrogen and phosphorous inputs on water quality Essay Both Nitrogen and Phosphorous are necessary in agriculture for a farmer to achieve optimum yields in most crops, they have to use fertilizer which often contains either nitrogen or phosphorous. Despite their importance, these elements in excess can affect the environment adversely. Eutrophication is enhanced when nitrogen and phosphorous are in excess in surface waters and where nitrogen is in excess in ground water. (www. soil. ncsu. edu/) Nitrogen makes up about 78 percent of the gases in the atmosphere. A major constituent of proteins it is abundant in most living things. Nitrogen gas (N2), nitrate (NO3), nitrite (NO2) and ammonia NH3 are the common forms in which in organic nitrogen exists. Organic nitrogen exists in proteins. (http://kywater. org/). Compounds that contain nitrogen are found in water bodies such as reservoirs, streams and rivers. There are various routes by which nitrogen enters water bodies. These include wastewater (municipal and industrial), animal wastes such as bird wastes and wastes of fish, septic tanks and runoff from fields and lawns that have been fertilized. In certain parts of the United States, especially the northeast, some forms of nitrogen are deposited through acid rain (Baird, 1990). Nitrites are then converted to nitrates by bacteria, a process that uses up oxygen. (http://kywater. org). Surface and subsurface drainage are some of the ways through which nitrogen from fertilizers enter streams. When there is heavy rainfall following surface application of nitrogen fertilizers, most of the nitrogen is lost and even more is lost if the area is sloppy. When the fertilizer is mixed with soil the runoff is decreased. However, the loss of nitrogen becomes substantial when heavy rainfall causes soil erosion and movement of debris. The highly soluble nature of nitrogen makes it be absorbed easily into the soil when it rains heavily. Findings from research studies show that leaching does contribute to the presence of nitrates in groundwater. This however does not cause much contamination since the concentrations of nitrogen do not reach high enough levels. The crop uses up to 50 percent of the applied nitrogen leaving about 30 percent to 50 percent available for leaching. This, from a study done on North Carolina soils leads to leaching to a level of only two feet where there was 3 inches of percolated water (Baird, 1990). Eutrophication is a slow process whereby streams and lakes are enriched with natural nutrients. This process leads to the accelerated ‘aging’ of lakes and reservoirs. Eutrophication generally means excess growth of algae. The growth and decomposition of algae causes depletion of oxygen available in water. Nitrogen has a fertilizing effect in algae and other plankton which are food to other organisms in water such as fish and invertebrates. Overproduction and decomposition of these plankton uses up oxygen, meaning that other oxygen-dependent animals have inadequate oxygen which leads to their death. (http://kywater. org/). In addition to using up oxygen excessively, the overgrowth of algae and other plankton can lead to clogging up of water systems such that water flow is inhibited. This is especially common at points of water intakes. A lot of sea plants also block light from reaching the deeper waters (http://ga. water. usgs. gov/). This has the effect of compromising respiration for aquatic invertebrates and fish, making the death of animals and plant inevitable. High concentrations of nitrites produce a condition called brown blood disease which is fatal to fish. (http://kywater. org/). Eventually diversity of animal and plant life is lost. The death of fish results in offensive odours, and affects the water such that it cannot be used for recreative purposes like swimming, boating and fishing. Mueller and Helsel conducted a study of 12,000 ground water samples and approximately 22,000 samples of surface water at over 300 sites. The samples were collected within NAWQA study units. They report that the concentrations of nutrients in water have a close relationship to how land is used upstream or in the area that overlies a ground water aquifer. According to the analysis there were higher concentrations of nitrates in groundwater than surface water bodies. The regions with the highest concentration were the Northeast, the Great Plains and areas along the West Coast (Mueller and Helsel, 1996). Agricultural areas have a higher likelihood of having water with increased concentrations of nitrates. Research shows that public-supply wells and domestic supply wells outside areas where land is used for agriculture generally have lower concentrations of nitrates compared to wells in agricultural areas. On the other hand, urban areas have higher concentrations of Ammonia and phosphorous in surface water (Mueller and Helsel, 196). For water to be considered safe for domestic water supply, nitrates or nitrite level should be below 10mg/L. (United States Public Health Service). Nitrites undergo a direct reaction with haemoglobin in humans and warm-blooded animals leading to the formation of methemoglobin. This compound leads to decreased ability of red cells to transport oxygen. The most affected by this inability are infants less than three months because the babies develop methemoglobinaemia (blue baby disease. (http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox. htm). Due to this reason, when nitrates levels exceed 1. 0mg/L, the water should not be used to feed babies. In older people high nitrate levels cause disturbances in the digestion system. (http://kywater. org/). Phosphorous is a naturally occurring element that can be found in rocks and mineral deposits. Phosphate ions are soluble in water and are released when rock undergoes the weathering process. Phosphates have three forms of existence, metaphosphate, orthophosphate and organic phosphate. Orthophosphate is mainly produced by natural processed but there are man-made sources that produce orthophosphate. These include untreated sewage and partially treated sewage, use of certain fertilizers and runoff from sites where the main land use is agriculture. Metaphosphate or polyphosphate are used in treatment of detergents and boiler waters. When in water metaphosphate changes to orthophosphate and it can be used up by plants in this form. Organic phosphate occurs tied to organic material like plant tissue or waste solids. When decomposition occurs organic phosphate is converted to orthophosphate (www. water-research. net/phosphate. htm). Phosphorous is necessary for animal and plant growth and acts as a growth limiting nutrient in lake ecosystems. Well-oxygenated waters have low amounts of phosphates. Phosphate undergoes a complex process of uptake and mineralization to be retained in the soil, unlike the nitrogen cycle which is simpler. Soluble phosphate is incorporated by plants and animals in their biological systems to form compounds like ATP, DNA and RNA. ATP is necessary for energy production via the Kreb’s cycle while DNA and RNA have genetic importance. Phosphorous is therefore necessary for photosynthesis to occur (www. water-research. net/) Phosphates enhance growth of aquatic plants which are the food source for other organisms. Increased production of plankton result in an initial increase in population of fish and the entire biological system of the water body. This however has an adverse effect because as the phosphate levels build-up the process by which the water ecosystem is aging is speeded up leading to an imbalance of nutrients where production begins to exceed consumption. Phosphates like nitrates also cause eutrophication resulting in more plants than can be consumed by the system. The result is anoxic waters, presence of algal blooms that are toxic and a reduction in biodiversity as well as destruction of food supply and habitat. (www. water-research. net) Eutrophication is an issue that compromises water quality and has received much attention since 1980 when there was extensive occurrence of blue-green algae in fresh water systems. These blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) sometimes produce toxins that cause harm to human beings and farm animals. Poor conditions resulting from eutrophication have been noted in eastern North Carolina in the Chowan, Neuse and Pamlico River systems (Baird, 1990). Water that has very high levels of phosphates causes digestive problems to people. The negative effect of high levels of phosphate then is more indirect to humans but has a bigger impact because by altering the environment and destroying habitats the destruction caused is much harder to reverse. A compound like nitrates dissolves in water and moves in water in surface streams and ground water. Most forms of phosphorous, however, are transported together with soil that has undergone erosion especially when runoff is high flowing precipitation and irrigation. This is because instead of dissolving they attach themselves to soil particles. As such phosphorous is more likely to contaminate surface water rather than ground water (USGS, Circular1225, 2007). Findings from a USGS report indicate that phosphorous has a greater effect in causing eutrophication with 0.1mg/L of phosphorous being sufficient to cause excessive growth of aquatic plants (USGS, Circular 1225, 2007). In urban areas, the most significant point sources are urban streams which have discharged from wastewater treatment plants. A report of the US Geological service indicates that the streams in the semiarid western and south-western cities coupled with those in urban areas on the East had high levels of phosphorous (USGS, Circular1225). Recent research shows that phosphorous can travel with ground-water flows. The study was conducted in Cape Cod, Massachusetts where there has been contamination of the groundwater with phosphorous, an unlikely thing since most scientists generally believe that phosphorous is not transferable via groundwater (McCob et al, 2003; Stollenwerk, 1996). The main factors influencing vulnerability to contamination are the type of soils and slope of land. These two factors determine how fast and how much runoff there will be. Areas with steep slopes, poorly drained clay soils and little vegetation have higher likelihood of contamination of their surface waters. In urban centres, pavements and drains made of tile cause acceleration of flow of streams. Ground water on the other hand has a high chance of contamination if the soils drain well and the subsurface material is highly permeable. Some practices of crop-management designed to decrease sediment flow may increase infiltration leading to greater contamination of groundwater (USGS, Circular, 1225). To reduce the impact of phosphorous and nitrogen in water quality, strategies need to be employed that reduce the use of chemicals and alter transportation of the hydrologic system (USGS). In planning these strategies consideration of watersheds, patterns of land use and the differences in vulnerability to contamination in various areas should be foremost to ensure that whatever interventions are put in place are effective. References Baird J (1990) Nitrogen management and water quality retrieved from www. soil. ncsu. edu/publications/soilfacts/AG-439-02 Harvard, Olson and Cooke, 1999, Impact of soil phosphorous loading on Water Quality in Alberta, Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development. McCob T D, Leblanc DR, Watter DA, Hess KN Kent DB and Smith RL 2003, Phosphorous in a Ground-water contaminant Plume Discharging to Ashumet Pond, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 1999: US Geological Survey Water-Resources Investigations Report 02-4306, 70p Mueller D K and Helser D R, Nutrients in the Nation’s water-Too much of a Good Thing? National Water-Quality Assessment Program USGS, retrieved from http://water. usgs. gov/nawqa/CIRC-1136. html National findings and their implications for water policies and strategies, USGS, Circular 1225, retrieved from http://pubs.usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/nawqafind. htm/. Nitrogen and water quality retrieved from http://kywater. org/ww/ramp/rmnox-htm Stollenwerk K-G 1996, Simulation of phosphate transport in sewage-contaminated groundwater, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Applied Geochemistry, V. 11. no 1-2 pp 317-324 The effects of urbanization and agriculture on water quality: Nitrogen retrieved from http://ga. water. usgs. gov/edu/urbannitrogen. html Total phosphorous and Phosphate impact in surface waters Wilkes University, Environmental. Engineering and Earth Science retrieved from www.water. research. net/phosphate. htm Water-quality patterns in agricultural areas, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-agri. htm/ Water-quality patterns in urban areas, United States Geological Society, retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-urban. htm/ Water-quality patterns in areas with mixed hand use and a range of hydrologic and environmental settings, USGS, Circular 1225 retrieved from http://pubs. usgs. gov/circ/circ1225/html/wq-hydro. htm/.

Descartes Method of Doubt

Descartes Method of Doubt Explain Descartes Method of doubt; what does he hope to accomplish from this method; is Descartes a skeptic? Descartes began Meditation One of his classic Meditation on First Philosophy by saying that throughout his life, he had acquired several opinions and beliefs which he later discovered to be false (17-18). The main goal of Descartes was to find a foundation on which knowledge can be built. That is Descartes wanted to find a certainty or truth which could not be doubted beyond dispute. He agrees with Plato that knowledge requires certainty, but reject Plato idea that physical world is not knowable. What does it means to be certainty? Descartes main problem was how to achieve this certainty. In order to achieve this aim, Descartes adopted a systematic method known as the method of doubt. The method of doubt teaches us to take our beliefs and subject them to doubt. If it is possible to doubt, then we treat them as false, and we need to repeat this process until we are unable to find something to doubt on. The main point is that we treat all our beliefs as false until we find a foundation which is undoubtable, and we used the undoubtable things to build up everything on it. The method of doubt will be elaborated based on: doubting the senses, doubting the physical world (dream), and imagining that there exists an evil genius. Descartes begins by pointing out that our senses are unreliable. He questions all knowledge that he had acquired either from the senses or through the senses. He noticed that if the senses had deceived him even once, they were no more trustworthy. It is a mark of prudence never to place our complete trust in those who have deceived us even once. (18-19). For example, He often mistook what he saw at a distance such as straight thing look bent, round thing look oval, square thing look round, and mountains look purple (). In addition, even the impression Descartes received in the moment he was directly looking the fire before him while he was writing proved not to be reliable (19). How did Descartes know that he was not really in insane or dreaming? He answers this question by saying that our immediate impressions are so vivid that they must be real. However, Descartes contradict his answer by saying that he always dreamed of sitting before the fire while writing (19), and some of these dreams becomes visible to him quite vividly. Hence, he could not be sure that he was not dreaming at that moment. According to this doubt, Descartes confirmed that all the knowledge receivedthrough the senses must be temporarily prevented from continuing because there are not certain. In addition, we can doubt that what our senses give us is accurate, but they cannot be the foundation of building true knowledge or certainty. In addition, Descartes continues his method of doubt by assuming for the sake of argument that we are dreaming about everything. If we are dreaming about everything, there is still some knowledge that is acquired within the dream itself. This means that although we can doubt that all the images and ideas that we see in our dreams refer to some outward reality. However, we can consider these images and ideas in their simple components in order to see if any of images and ideas might be true in themselves. After rejecting all simple components of images and ideas which are based on senses such as color, sound, etc., Descartes came to the simple truth of mathematics. Which is that one plus two equals three does not depends on any sensible experience, but is gotten entirely from our minds despites of whether we are asleep or awake. Descartes used this principle to reach at a clear and distinct idea which is beyond all doubt. Therefore, we can say in words that one plus three equals four, but we cannot actually think in our minds that it equals four but three. Furthermore, Descartes took his search for the truth that is beyond any doubt to the extreme by imagining that there is an evil genius. Descartes consider the evil genius to be someone who has the power of God, but who is not good. The evil genius is determined to deceive us into thinking that there is a physical world when in fact there is none. For example, using the famous Matrix movie, the machines that are used in the movie would be considered as the evil geniuses. Everything would seem to us to be real just like in the matrix, but none of it would be real. However, Descartes does not actually believe that this evil genius exists, but there is no way to ruled it out based on our sensory experience. Hence, how can we doubt that one plus two does not equals three when our minds necessarily admit that it equals three? Descartes used the concept of the evil genuis to hypothesize that maybe there is an evil god who is deceiving us from getting the correct answer. Even though, we alwa ys think that one plus two equals three. Maybe this god is actually tricking us, and in reality it equals four. Descartes linked this circumstance where we are absolutely confident about our belief toward a certain fact, but despite this confident we often discover later that we had mistaken about the fact. This might be the case for our mathematical truths in which an evil god is deceiving us from getting the correct solution to a problem every time we count or do the mathematics. Moreover, Descartes main objective of using the method of doubt was to find a foundation on which truth or true knowledge can be built. Descartes wanted to find a certainty or truth which could not be doubted beyond dispute. The question what does it means to be certainty? as posed in above introduction can be define as being unable to doubt what we know. Something that cannot be possibly be doubted is certain. By possible to doubt, Descartes means any possibility what so ever. This will guarantee that whatever cannot be doubted really is certain. Therefore, if one could find something that was truly undoubted in this sense, we could use it in a valid argument like a syllogism. The conclusion of which would be that the world exists in the way that we think it does. In addition, Descartes was skeptical in his arguments. This is he apply reasoning and critical thinking to determine validity of his arguments. He was able to find supported conclusion and not the justification of a precon ceived conclusion. To conclude, Descartes developed the method of doubt to find certainty. For the purpose of this method, if we can doubt a belief then we treat that belief as false. He applies this method systemically. He doubts that the world is the way it appear to be, he doubts that there is a physical world at all, and finally he doubts the mathematical truths. However, the one thing that Descartes cannot doubt is that while he doubts, he must exist. Even if there was an evil genius and if he was deceiving me in to thinking that there was a physical world when in fact there is none, it could not be the case that I think that there is a physical world if there werent a me to deceived. Therefore, when I am thinking, I know I exist and this cannot be doubted. Using this method of doubt, Descartes finally found certainty which is he exist as a thinking thing, whether there is a physical world or not he cannot doubt he exists. This is the foundation he plans to build back all of the stuff he previousl y doubted as cited in the introduction.