Aral Sea Essays

Aral Sea Essays Aral Sea Essay Aral Sea Essay Struggle and conflicts for water among people are unavoidable. Situation is no different in developed and developing countries. Developed countries like Belgium, Great Britain, Poland, Singapore, and North America are already feeling water stress. It becomes difficult for rivers and groundwater resources in UK to satisfy the augmented water demands of summer heat. Similarly in USA, agricultural requirements are fighting for their share with urban needs of water. Different states in India are fighting for their share of water bodies. Chinese farmers are sacrificing their water needs to feed urban demands of cities. Less water for irrigation means less food grains production and eventually a global food crisis. Shared water resources among countries will add to this fight. For instance Africa, where the conditions are already worse, will see different countries fighting for the Nile, Zambezi, Niger, and Volta river basins to meet their water needs. Similarly Aral Sea Basin for Central Asia and rivers like Amu Darya and Syr Darya will be a subject of conflict among Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The US and Mexico also share cold space over the Colorado River (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; Ch. 3. 3 ). Pollution has been the biggest enemy of rivers, lakes and other freshwater resources. Many rivers and lakes today are nothing more than garbage dumps. Industries discard their toxic chemical wastes in the water resources. Use of toxic chemicals like fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture is polluting ground water resources. People will use 70% of surface freshwater available in rivers and lakes by 2025 which at present is 54%. This will disturb the whole balance of nature and other aquatic ecosystems and their inhabitants. Ecosystems like wetlands are of enormous importance. They help human beings in different ways serving as flood regulators, waste filtration systems and natural flora and fauna habitats. Mismanagement of water resources has led to the extinction of numerous species of invaluable freshwater fish. Damage done is irreversible. Trees are vital for water conservation as they replenish groundwater, protect soil erosion and balance the hydrological cycle. Growing population and industrialization is eating away forests at an alarming rate adding to the problems (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 4). Millions of people are dying around the world due to the unavailability of clean and safe water for their daily requirements. Situation is more disappointing in developing countries where major diseases and deaths occur because of water related diseases. Water borne diseases are caused from contaminated water. Unclean water for drinking and not enough water for sanitation give rise to water borne diseases like cholera, typhoid, shigella, polio, meningitis, and hepatitis A and E claiming millions of lives every year. Disposal of human and animal wastes in freshwater resources infects the water and hence leads to the spread of diseases. Industrial and agricultural chemical wastes in water can lead to diseases like cancer. Authorities should take steps to provide clean water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Provision of proper sanitation facilities is also very important for appropriate waste disposal. Another set of diseases is called water based diseases spread by flukes, tapeworms, roundworms and tissue nematodes that live in contaminated water. Diseases like guinea worm (dracunculiasis), paragonimiasis, clonorchiasis, and schistosomiasis (bilharzia) fall under this category. These diseases are more common in areas near Dams. Keeping a distance from unhygienic water and food can help prevent thee diseases from spreading. Water-related vector diseases are spread by mosquitoes, tsetse flies and other insects that carry infections. These carriers live in foul and unclean water and cause diseases like malaria, yellow fever, dengue fever, sleeping sickness, and filariasis. Using pesticides to kill these insects and wiping out their breeding grounds like dirty and stagnant water helps preventing these diseases. Trachoma, leprosy, tuberculosis, whooping cough, tetanus, and diphtheria are the diseases that spread due to insufficient water for maintaining personal hygiene. These can be prevented by providing enough water for sanitation (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 5). Water conservation and proper use is very important for ensuring adequate availability of water to everyone on this earth including flora and fauna. Every area needs improvement and water management. Water used for irrigation in agriculture needs foremost attention. A lot of water is wasted while reaching crops through irrigation systems. Some of it gets recovered as groundwater but majority of it gets contaminated by chemicals. On one side inadequate water for irrigation limits land use and crop yield while on the other side excess of water in the fields can lead to water logging and salinization and hence destruction of land and crops. Irrigation techniques like drip irrigation and low-energy precision application (LEPA) can improve irrigation efficiency considerably. Drip irrigation lowers the wastage of water and is getting widely adopted. LEPA is an efficient form of sprinkler system leading to water conservation and increased food production. Water harvesting by collecting water in rainy season and using in dry season is also an attractive option for poor countries. Treated urban wastewater can also be used for irrigation. Israel is famous for its urban wastewater reuse for agriculture purpose. Stopping deforestation and planting more and more trees also helps in water conservation (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6). Water in industries must be recycled and used again and again to save precious natural resource. Many industries employ these techniques to conserve water. Chemicals, iron and steel, and pulp and paper are some of the industries that must pay attention to their water usage and adopt water conservation techniques. In household, people must save water and use it sensibly. We will have to pay the price of wasting water uselessly when in excess sooner or later. Only needed quantity of water must be used. Municipal corporations must ensure that their water transit systems are efficient enough not to waste water and maximum share must reach consumers. Leakage from pipes and illegal tapping must be checked. Laws to prevent stealing and wastage of water must be formulated by the authorities (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6. 2). Population growth is the biggest challenge to be dealt with for saving water. Growing population at unregulated rates is a major problem especially in developing countries that already face water scarcity. It is very important for people to adopt family planning measures to keep a check on the rising population. Authorities must also educate people and spread awareness about the harms of unregulated births. They must inform people about the family planning measures and offer every kind of medical and financial help to achieve this objective (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 6. 5). Techniques like pressurization of seawater, filtration via carbon nanotubes, and reverse osmosis can be used for desalinization of water to add to fresh water. Presently these treatments are very expensive. Promotion of vegetarian eating habits and saltwater agriculture on coastlines is needed (â€Å"Water†). Efforts are required on international, national and regional levels for water conservation. Countries must formulate policies and must support each other’s initiatives to create a better living place. Money and resources are essential and developed countries must support developing countries (Hinrichsen, Robey and Upadhyay â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†; ch. 7). Save water! Its precious! Hinrichsen, D. , Robey, B. , and Upadhyay, U. D. â€Å"Solutions for a Water-Short World†. Population Reports, Series M, No. 14. Baltimore, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, Population Information Program, December 1997. November 23, 2008 infoforhealth. org/pr/m14/m14chap1. shtml#top â€Å"Water†. millennium-project. org. World Federation of UN Associations. November 23, 2008 millennium-project. org/millennium/Global_Challenges/chall-02. html

Wheat Field with Cypresses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wheat Field with Cypresses - Essay Example A lot of the correspondences were descriptive of life in London and Netherlands. Theo was not the only person he corresponded with; there were other people such as Johanna van Gogh-Bonger (Theo’s wife), Wil (his sister), Emile Bernard and others. Vincent van Gogh would include a lot of sketches in his letters to anyone. He always made sure he added a sketch to complement the letters. Apparently, his correspondences would never be complete without a sketch illustrating the subject of his letters. That was out of pure love for both literature and art. He strongly believed in art and literature as powerful tools for communication. He perceived the society and everything around him using artistic lenses, which is why he drew and painted pictures a lot. At the time he wrote the letters, he was a young man who had started to believe that his destiny lay in art. Any art and literature lover would not want to stop reading van Gogh’s letters. Wheat Field with Cypresses is van Gogh’s painting work, in which he used an oil paint to draw complete picture of a typical wheat field with cypress trees, clouds, the horizon and a lot of other environmental components. This and his other painting works are an upgrade from the letters and sketches he was concentrating in earlier on. Wheat Field with Cypresses is able to communicate without any words used to describe it. His use of different colors to illustrate the different elements within the picture eliminates the need for a literary description. One may question the relationship that exists between van Gogh’s several letters and the Wheat Field with Cypresses. The relationship may not be as direct as one would expect, but there is a big connection. Both are depictions of a shrewd artist who used art to communicate and to paint a picture of the society. The letters were numerous and various. The themes of the letters were different. That was art. The good relationship between Vincent

America Business History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America Business History - Essay Example Strategically designed and economical office furniture is therefore needed by all organizations. Getting custom built furniture and employing local labor and designers is both cumbersome as well as a painful process. Catering to the demands of office furniture for most organizations by provided prefabricated, custom designed and ready to fit furniture according to space availability and nature of organization is therefore the need of the hour. As mass production of furniture is already well established, particularly in some areas of New York, the company will have its headquarters at New York and will solely focus on office furniture for small and medium organizations, whose demands can be met in a timely and efficient manner. My company will commence operations from a hired shed in an area earmarked for small industry. A small workforce of 25 people composed of skilled and semi skilled carpenters and labor will be hired and their services utilized for designing and preparing small furniture items like office tables, chairs, filing cabinets, and foot rests ideal for small offices. Two engineers will be hired for visualizing and designing the components as per the type of raw material available, the present requirements of the upcoming US industries. The company will utilize only wood as the raw material as it is available in plenty with no resource crunch. Adequate quantity of raw material and hardware will have to be pro cured, stored and maintained by a single logistics manager of the company. The resources needed are wood as the principal raw material, hardware which includes tools and semi automation products, electricity and ideal premises for setting up the factory. Capital for setting up the industry can be procured as a loan from the bank which should be gradually paid off after meeting the initial sales targets. The focus of the company will be to become self reliant in terms of finances within a period of 5 years or even lesser,

Immune System and New York Essay Example for Free

Immune System and New York Essay HIV And Its Effects Elizabeth Grundy Psychology 102 Dr Peggy Peach October 10, 2001 HIV And Its Effects 2 HIV AND Its Effects The effects HIV has on a person, symptoms, risks, history and prevention will be explained. HIV is on a rise among sexually active people. According to Packer (1998), HIV, the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), is a member of a family of viruses. The first member HTLV-I and related to STLV-I researchers believe they both have a common ancestor in Africa. (P.13). This will be explained in the following questions: 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? 3. What is the history of HIV? 4. What is the treatment for HIV? This research paper on HIV will be focused on these four questions. 1. What are the symptoms of HIV? According to Nash (1997), when a person infected with HIV has symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, fatigue, and lymphadenopathy (persistent, unexplained swelling of the lymph nodes), but no opportunistic infections (illnesses that healthy immune systems fight off) or Kaposis sarcoma, he is said to have AIDS-related complex (ARC). The acronym ARC is not used as frequently as it was in the early years of the epidemic. AIDS is now thought of in term of a HIV continuum. It begins with HIV-positive diagnosis in a person who is not experiencing any symptoms. It continues to a symptomatic stage in which the person has opportunistic infections, HIV and Its Effects 3 andKaposis sarcoma, or any of the conditions previously used to define Arc, and the HIV-positive continuum ends with full-blown AIDS diagnosis (p.22). 2. What are the risks to getting HIV? According to Nash (1997) No one is safe if his or her behavior is not safe. You do not get HIV because of a group you belong to; you get HIV from exposure to the virus. HIV can be contracted through unprotected sex with an infected person, by sharing needles when using drugs, or by tattooing or piercing body parts with a needle that has been used on an infected person. (P 24). According to Draimin (1995) the four common most ways HIV can get into the  body, Dirty needles used to inject drugs, unprotected sexual intercourse, mother to fetus or new-born baby, and blood transfusion. (P.11) HIV is transferable through any kind of sexual contact: heterosexual, homosexual, or bisexual. The means of transferring the virus is unprotected sex. The safe guards against contracting HIV are to have sex only when you are ready, to know your partner, and to protect yourself from possible infection every time you have sex by using a condom. The HIV virus, like some other viruses cannot live outside the body. It is killed by air. HIV requires a warm, wet place to live and be carried only in blood, sexual fluids, and possibly saliva. Sexual transmission of HIV means that the virus goes from fluid to fluid (semen, vaginal, and blood). The virus has to pass from fluid to fluids to stay alive. (Pp25-26) 3. What is the History of HIV? HIV and Its Effects 4 Hyde and Forsyth (1 996) In 1981, when the first mysterious cases of an unusual type of pneumonia began to appear, scientists have accumulated a large body of knowledge about HIV. The first alarm sounded before aids even had a name, when doctors realized that some formerly rare diseases were becoming common among homosexual men in the United States. The first well-documented cases of what was later called AIDS were found in San Francisco and New York in 1981. A young gay man in San Francisco was found to be suffering from severe fungal infection to which he had little immune reaction. In fact, his immune system did not respond to any disease. Then he developed Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP), a type of pneumonia that is caused by a parasite. This disease is usually found only in severely malnourished individuals or people whos immune have been impaired by drugs such as those used in treatment of cancer. (p.56) According to Nash (1997) In 1982, three non-drug -injecting heterosexual men with hemophilia A developed AIDS and were reported to CDC. Hemophilia A, a blood -clotting defect, requires transfusions of blood-clotting factors derived from whole blood. (p.29) In June 1981 the first report of what AIDS, published by CDC described the new disease as a collection of characteristics symptoms among various population groups. It was a narrow definition, involving the presence of one or more opportunistic infections or cancers, and signs that general failure of immune system had occurred. (Nash, 1997) 4 What is the treatment for HIV HIV and Its Effects 5 According to Nash (1997) AIDS symptoms typically takes years to develop after the initial infection.  Scientists are researching what they call immunotherapy. Vaccines to prevent or stop a disease from taking hold; immunotherapy intervenes before symptoms arise and rids the body of infection. Management drugs have come out such as; Azidothymidine (AZT), this is the first of its kind. It interferes with HIV reproduction inside the cell; it slows the process of AIDS down. An HIV- positive person who takes AZT before AIDS symptoms appear lives longer than those who did not. Dideoxycytidine (ddC) and dideoxyinosine (ddI) offer another approach to combine therapy. Death rates are lowered when ddC and ddI were taken in combination of ddC and AZT or ddI and AZT then those patients who took AZT alone. Ampligen-, which did not help the patients when administered, alone-used in combination with AZT increase the effectiveness of both drugs. Epivir (3TC) became the first new initial therapy since AZT. The combination therapy of 3TC and AZT lowered the amount of HIV in patients and boosted their immune system. Invirase (protease inhibitor) is designed to cripple an enzyme vital in late stages of HIV reproduction, which is used in combination of other anti-HIV drugs. They reduce the levels of the virus in some people and increase the number of immune cells in some patients previously depleted by the virus. In 1996 Ritonavir, another protease inhibitor was also approved. HIV and its effects on those we know and love are about learning to manage the illness. People need to practice safe sex and to and to pay attention to safe behavior. HIV and treatment have come along way. Medical science has along time to go before a cure. HIV and Its Effects 6 References Packer, K. (1998). HIV Infection The Facts You Need To Know. New York: Venture. Draimin, B. (1ed)(1995). Working Together Against AIDS. New York: The Rosen Publishing group. Nash, C. (1997). AIDSs Choice for life. Springfield, NJ: Enslow. : Hyde, M., Forsyth, E. (1996). AIDS What Does It Mean To You? New York: Walker.

The Ancient Maya Essay -- essays research papers

The Maya of Mesoamerica, along with the Aztecs of Mexico and the Incas of Peru, made up the high civilizations of the American Indians at the time of the Spanish conquest. Both the Aztecs and the Incas were late civilizations, between 1300-1533 AD, but the Maya of the Yucatan and Guatemala exhibited a cultural continuity spanning more than 2,000 years, 1000 BC-AD 1542. Many aspects of this culture continue yet today. The Ancient Maya in their time had actually refined writing. They had an extensive written language, which was both phonetic as well as ideographic. One of only five independently created writing systems in human history. Maya words were in hieroglyphs, each picture with its own meaning. Unlike other ancient Central American civilizations, the Maya could write in words, sentences, and even stories. Arranging several pictures together in a logical form would create a story. The Maya covered their cities and buildings with hieroglyphs carved into the stone. Most of the Maya could read some hieroglyphs, but the priests and nobles were the only people who actually had knowledge of the entire language. The Maya would also use quills made of turkey feathers to write in books made of soft bark taken from a type of fig tree. Religion was the center of the Mayan life. Mayans believed that there were two levels of the world. The first level was the physical world and the second was the spiritual world, which consisted of the old dead ancestors, ...

Lascia Ch’Io Pianga Analysis Essay

The analysis of the aria â€Å"Lascia ch’io pianga† by Haendel according to the thorough bass method, shows us how the composer refer in this piece to the typical compositional procedures of baroque music. The aria starts with a pedal (frame, according to Joel Lester’s terminology) followed by a cadence harmonized according the regle de l’octave both in ascending and descending motion (MM. 5-8). The second episode starting at M. 8 consists of a sequence, precisely a modified sequence, in which the subsequent is slightly modified at the end introducing a new harmony on the second beat of M. 12 that leads to a final cadence with a modulation to the original key. The regle is always working also in the sequence, it is just applied chromatically according the harmonic context. After two repetitions of the first phrase, with a small difference in MM. 17 and 34 with a 6-chord instead of a 5-chord on the second subdivision of the second beat, we have the last section of the aria, before the da capo. In this last section there is a modified sequence (MM. 35 to 39) followed by a cadence that leads to the end of the piece. In general, most of the harmonies in the piece reflect the indications of the regle but there are some exceptions. The most interesting part in which the regle is not applied is at the very beginning of the aria: the use of 7 on the second degree, instead of 6. This is the harmony that more that any other characterizes this piece, giving a smoother flavor to the passage than the dominant harmony suggested by the regle. Aside from the exception, it is interesting to see where Haendel follows strictly the regle, and this happens in every final cadence, probably as a sign that in the closing sections the use of the regle is more functional and gives a stronger sense of harmonic definition. In the fundamental bass, the bass line consists of a series of roots that not only represent the roots of the harmonies built on top of then, but also physically generates these harmonies. Any kind of harmony should be reduced to triads and sevenths and the motion of the bass-line should be by fifths and fourths. In â€Å"Lascia ch’io pianga† is possible to understand all the harmonies as fifths and sevenths but the bass-line motion not always moves naturally by fifths and fourths. In many cases, through the use of the double-emploi, is has been possible to correct some irregular motions into fifth motion, but still for some of them it hasn’t been possible. Probably the most evident example is the motion by second occurring between MM. 6 and 7, and between MM. 11 and 12. The fundamental-bass analysis bring into play notes that are supposed, that are not in the score but affect the music as the roots of a tree feed the last leaf on the highest branch. In this case, we can see how the sense of motion that we perceive listening to this aria is perfectly explained and justified by the succession of seventh chord and fifth chord, as the epitome of the arsi-tesi feeling in music. Even in the first two measures, that look really simple in the thorough bass analysis, we can still discover something that makes this beginning not so obvious. In the first measure the F is transformed into D with a seventh chord on top, and the accumulation of this seventh with the next one in the second measure create a sense of instability and a need to resolve. In the next measures this tension will be released through a succession of 5-chord with two final combinations 7-5 to close the episode.

How Much Are the Elements in Your Body Worth

Have you ever wondered how much the elements in your body are worth? First, lets take a look at the elements from which you are made. Your body is made of: 65% Oxygen18% Carbon10% Hydrogen3% Nitrogen1.5% Calcium1% Phosphorous0.35% Potassium0.25% Sulfur0.15% Sodium0.15% Chlorine0.05% Magnesium0.0004% Iron0.00004% Iodine Your body contains trace amounts of other elements, such as silicon, manganese, fluorine, copper, zinc, arsenic and aluminum. What is the going rate for a bodys worth of these elements? One US dollar! Are you surprised? Selling For Parts Lets see if we can bump the price up a bit. If youre looking to make a buck with your bod, your best bet would be to sell individual organs, but since thats illegal, an alternative might be to tan your hide for use as leather. Your skin would be worth about $3.50 if it were sold at the price of a cowhide, which runs around $0.25 per square foot. So, if you take a dollars worth of elements plus the value of your skin, you might be able to get $4.50, which well round up to $5, so youll feel better about your chemical value. Chemical Composition of the Body | Which Element Are You?