Analysis of Very Painful Questions about New Orleans Essay

Analysis of Very Painful Questions about New Orleans - Essay Example Who will have the answers and who will break out of silence to defend the thousand’s of victimized families of that area? Sadly, no one came out and every one amongst the people in the Bush administration including Bush himself either kept defending his government or kept playing the blame game. The then President was of the view that they were not aware that such a catastrophe would upheld such a large area in a matter of hours and that their rescue efforts were in time for the rescue operations. As expressed by a famous American actor, Robin Williams about politics that in, â€Å"politics: â€Å"Poli† a Latin word meaning â€Å"many†; and â€Å"tics† meaning â€Å"blood sucking creatures†.† says it all about them. Politicians are actors by nature and politicians by default. They just know how to read scripts and how to divert an on going situation in their favor. They have the ability to listen to their critics and have the mechanism to res pond to them as well. Now coming on to the painful events that lead to this outrageous water flow in the area of New Orleans. No one can deny the fact that there were leadership flaws in the rescue operation. Was there a delay because of the cast and color of the residents of that area or was there an actual delay by the rescue authorities? This is a question that remains to be answered. Questions have also been raised about the break down of the pumping station # 6 in connection to the breach of the Industrial Canal levee. There have been speculations of the involvement of a barge in accelerating the flooding of water and there have been queries about the inter locking of explosive charges and the destruction caused by the Katrina Hurricane. Explanations and clarifications to every question are very important and vital to avoid any future un-happenings. One un-relishing fact is that there was almost a one day gap between the Katrina Hurricane and the break down of the levee in the New Orleans. (University of California) The time phase between the two happenings have certainly raised doubts in the minds of the truth seekers that how can a levee cut loose after surviving winds of over 100 mph? The federal government responded and answered that it could have been the second gust of strong winds that took apart the levee? On the other hand the meteorologists saw the funny side of it and replied back that a hurricane can never create a â€Å"secondary storm surge† especially after the initial burst and destruction caused by the Katrina Hurricane. Therefore, this question certainly raised some suspicions over the levee break and the set of events that took place on the 29th and the 30th of August in drowning hundreds of people that took them to the land of no return. Light has also been thrown on the presence of a barge besides the floodwall. Queries have been raised that no sensible person would park a barge in a state of a Hurricane, when he knows that the barge would be butchered by the Hurricane into dozens of pieces. This skepticism lead the nitty-gritty people to look out for any self seeking piece of information that proves that apart from the Katrina Hurricane, the breaking of the levee was a planned episode runned by the government. The belief of the people strengthened when they examined the past and saw that such vicious and unethical acts have been carried out and supervised by the government itself which included the destruction of the Murrah Building and of the downfall of the

Application Of Geographic Information System in Defense Organisations Essay

Application Of Geographic Information System in Defense Organisations (Army, Navy & Airforce) - Essay Example The future soldiers and powerful army will not be able to survive in information technology environment without any availability of information army and GIS. The advancement in army makes sure that modern maps are also present. In fact, the term ‘modern map’ not only mean an up to date map but also includes transparency (that is, being able to be used simply, from the user’s point of view) along with perfect accuracy. The higher-than-average information content is available in order to support military the special military aspects. There is no doubt that any extra element related to information may be needed in order to execute task, planning and implementation. The old maps will face disadvantage due to chase traditional methods. The old traditional method has changed; it is not applicable to complement standard topographic maps along with special information. Thus, in this manner creating thematic maps that helps to gather useless information of the user’ s. on the other hand, the essential mapping background is currently ‘adjusted’ in order to provide special information. ... In order to implement the defense task for the national security, public administration and society it is important to have all the information regarding artificial objects on surface and geometric information of natural objects. Moreover, we have also demonstrates the semantics related to events associated with the domain of remote sensing and image processing. Likewise, the events were incorporated with estimation of vegetation shield by consuming two indexes i.e. using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Ratio Vegetation Index (RVI). Moreover, along with these indexes, supervised and unsupervised classification is also conducted that is related to different information classes illustrated on an image. Moreover, these events also include images and pictures that are captured via satellites that are powered with remote sensing technology. The advantage of remote sensing is that it can detect objects in real time along with providing coverage of an expanded area within a short period of time. However, remote sensing can be divided in to two types i.e. active remote sensing and passive remote sensing. The active remote sensing provides an opportunity to be utilized at any time throughout the day and regardless of any season. Moreover, active remote sensing also facilitates the inspection of wavelengths that are not effectively illustrated by the Sun. In addition, it also takes charge of the illumination on the targeted object. On the other hand, passive remote sensing requires the Sun, in order to brighten the objective or the target. Moreover, this type of remote sensing uses reflected waves to measure the distance. As (Smith 2010) states that remote sensing based on active methodology needs a significant amount of energy source

The Present Environmental Ecological Crisis Theology Religion Essay

The Present Environmental Ecological Crisis Theology Religion Essay There is the worldwide recognition of the present environmental/ecological crisis and there is a central belief amongst the religions that nature was created by God and should be protected. As environmental degradation has occurred, we begin to ask ourselves about the relationship between human beings and nature. The focus on religion and the environment has grown in recent years. Researchers have looked specifically at the role of religion and ecology. Taylor defines the field of religion and ecology as one that focuses on: Identifying the obstacles that the worlds mainstream religions may pose to environmental sustainability, and secondly the resources such religions may have available for promoting environmentally beneficent behaviors, (992). There is the recognition that the Earth is in danger from human activity and use and changes need to be made in order to sustain life on the Earth (Taylor 998). Why is it important to use religion as a means for environmental action? Berry states that it is human carelessness and greed that caused the environmental problems that we are faced with today (30). With this in mind, we look to religion as this is what some individuals believe holds a large degree of responsibility for the start of our environmental problems. Lynn Whites 1967 essay, The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis suggested a link between religion and the environment. White singled out Christian attitudes as a reason for the environmental crisis. He proposed that the attitudes of individuals who do not regard nature as a central importance need to be changed. The earth needs to be respected and used in a manner that will help to preserve it for future generations, rather than exploit it for the present. White suggested that it was when the Industrial Revolution began that the human concern for the environment was lost to a greater degree than had been seen in the past. White interpreted the Bible as presenting human dominance over nature, leading individuals to care about themselves and industrial progress rather than about environmental matters and the ultimate effects of their actions on the earth. Besides Whites interpretation, there are many other suggested explanations for how humans viewed the world, and their resulting actions. From the philosophy of Rene Descartes, the universe was seen as a machine. It was from this time that economic progress was a priority and the long-term effects from the development and use of nature was not regarded as an issue (Sevier, 41). This is a view similar to that held by White, in that human progress and development has led to the environmental effects. However, this view does not specifically mention the role of religion. Carters interpretation of this issue suggests that the ecological crisis is not a result of Judeo-Christian traditions, but rather stems from the interpretation of the Bible and giving human beings dominance over other life forms (animals, plants) (358). This led to the exploitation of natural resources and ultimately to where we are today with the issue. Regardless of how it initially happened, we have to face reality and realize that as a society we have caused considerable damage to our planet. The role of religion Anthropologists suggest that religion persists because it has value to us, and such value can be either intrinsic, instrumental, or a combination thereof, (Strada 59). Sevier writes that, Traditionally, religion used to play an integral role in linking people to the natural world, imbuing people with the knowledge and values that make caring for it a priority, (38). Six major religions Buddhism Christianity Hinduism Islam Judaism Indigenous Religious Buddhism There is a universality of suffering. Being aware of suffering and produces compassion. Though traditional Buddhism regarded human life over that of animals, there is presently the recognition that all life forms should be respected equally. As humans we got ourselves into this ecological/environmental crisis and we are the ones that need to get ourselves out. Source: Swearer Christianity There is often seen to be a failure on the part of Christians in how they had interpreted the Bible and used the resources that God made available to them. Lynn Whites 1967 essay is an example of this. However, this is not the belief of all individuals. There recently has been an increased awareness of the environment in the United States as churches are initiating responsibility towards environmental protection. Hinduism Hindu images relate to the powerful natural world. Ecological sensitivity is based on the relationship between humans and how they respect the gods and goddesses related to the earth. In South Asia, the effects of pollution, both in the air and water, have been felt, particularly in recent years. With the values that Hinduism has towards the environment, reflection is starting to occur on how individuals can best approach the ecological challenges that are occurring. Islam An environmental ethic is in the Quran, but leaves an opening for Muslims to incorporate creative and innovative solutions in the contemporary context. A green jihad has recently begun. This is a common term for the green movement that promotes environmental protection. Source: Denny Judaism Ecological issues were never a central focus of Judaism, but rather were dealt with as they came about. An environmental perspective suggests that a belief of Judaism is that we are only tenants on this earth. The earth must then be cared for as there are other inhabitants, both presently as well as in the future, that will be living here. Source: Fink Indigenous Religions For individuals following indigenous religions, there is an understanding of their place in the local environment. Native Americans have believed that there are spirits in nature and the environment needs to be taken care of. Grim writes that in indigenous beliefs, to analyze religion as a separate system of beliefs and ritual practices apart from subsistence, kinship, language, governance, and landscape is to misunderstand indigenous religion. The respect for nature and the environment is still present amongst the Indigenous peoples. What is evident, however, is wherever indigenous peoples have endured, they have maintained a loving experience of place and an understanding that spiritual forces capable of leading humans into both utilitarian and self-understandings abide in all of these places, (Grim). Source: Grim How do we create a solution? An environmental crisis is here. It is recognized throughout the world, and its presence is agreed upon by the major religions. But what is the next step? How do we go about creating a solution? Can there be a common ground for science and religion in that both work together towards a solution? Bouma-Prediger quotes Edward O. Wilson in saying that religion and science are the two most powerful forces in the world todayif religion and science could be united on the common ground of biological conservation, the problem [of biological catastrophe] would soon be solved (1392). Can religion and science work together? Hossein Nasr writes, The environmental crisis now encompasses the entire Earth, (3). He suggests that there is a crisis of values and that as humans, we have participated in creating the destruction of the environment. A need exists to develop a path across religious frontiers without destroying the significance of religion itself and to carry out a comparative study of the Earths of various religions as has been carried out for their Heavens, if these terms are understood in their traditional metaphysical and cosmological sense, (Hossein Nasr 3). We need to regain the loss of a moral and social awareness as ecology becomes more individualistic and systems based. Many researchers recognize that a global stance needs to be taken by religions, with them working together to create a more comprehensive worldview and ethics to assist in reversing this trend, (Tucker and Grim). This is along similar lines with what Hossein Nasr writes, that dialogue on the environment must take place between religions on a global scale. Tucker and Grim continue by writing that, This is critical because the attitudes and values that shape peoples concepts of nature come primarily from religious worldviews and ethical practices. The moral imperative and value systems of religions are indispensable in mobilizing the sensibilities of people toward preserving the environment for future generations. Religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes Sherkat and Ellison analyzed data from a 1993 General Social Survey to look at religious factors and environmental behaviors and attitudes. Their study revealed that contradictory findings on the connection between religion and environmental concern and activism are the result of varied influences of religious schemata and resource interactions on different indicators of environmental concern and activism, (83). Sherkat and Ellison were not able to conclude specific religious influences on the environment, but suggested that Whites 1967 essay had the possibility of being a primary influence for religious leaders to take a pro-environment stance and actions (83). Religion and the environment are intertwined in that they have had a history and will continue to have a role together in the future. This may be one area where science and religion can find a common ground both have the environment in their best interest and can work together to find a solution to the current environmental crisis. As religious traditions and beliefs have shaped human values and behaviors towards the environment in the past, this is one possibility for working toward positive environmental attitudes for the future.

Capital Punishment Essay - Justice in Retribution -- Argumentative Per

Capital Punishment: Justice in Retribution       The American government operates in the fashion of an indirect democracy. Citizens live under a social contract whereby individuals agree to forfeit certain rights for the good of the whole. Punishments for crimes against the state are carried out via due process, guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment. The use of capital punishment is decided by the state, which is legal in thirty-seven states. It is a moral imperative to protect the states' rights to decide their own position on the use of capital punishment.    Capital punishment is a method of retributive punishment as old as civilization itself. Both the Greeks and the Romans invoked the death penalty for a wide variety of offenses. Socrates and Jesus were perhaps the most famous people ever condemned for a capital crime in the ancient period. Hammurabi's Code, a code of laws developed by the king of one of the first empires, dates back from the third or second millennium before Christ. This code claims that retribution, an eye for an eye and a life for a life, is justice. In Anglo-American law the death penalty has been a customary response to certain kinds of offenses. The movement in America to have the death penalty declared unconstitutional received paramount attention during the landmark case of 'Furman v. Georgia,' rendered on June 29, 1972, which declared the death penalty cruel and unusual punishment. No executions took place between 1967 and 1977 (Bedau, 1992). However, after a supreme court decision in 1975 'Gregg v. Georgia', which stated capital punishment did not violate the Eighth Amendment, executions commenced again under state supervision. Should capital punishment be continued? Retribution is a ju... ...nal awaits the sentence to be carried out. This lesson may be said not to benefit society since it is too late for the criminal. It is also too late for the victim who was murdered in cold blood. To look at this as "bloodthirsty revenge" would be saying that capital punishment is itself the injustice. Is it not an injustice to let a cold-blooded killer escape the consequences of a crime? A society that tolerates injustice can by no means be called just.    Works Cited Bedau, Hugo Adam. In Spite of Innocence. Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1992. Block, Eugene B.. When Men Play God: The Fallacy of Capital Punishment. San Francisco: Cragmont Publications, 1983. Locke, John. Second Treatise of Civil Government. Ch 2, Sec 6. Meltser, Michael. Cruel and Unusual: The Supreme Court and Capital Punishment. New York: Random House, 1973.   

How does samules shape the ending to Act 1 and how effective do you find it? Essay

How does Samuels shape the ending to Act 1 and how effective do you find this ending? (30 marks) Samuels uses different ideas and techniques in order to shape the ending in order to make it an effective piece of writing. He creates suspense and emotion in order for the audience to feel attached to the plot and show the true feelings of the characters. Samuels does this by not only highlighting the vast emotions of both charters but also mixes this with a novel called ‘The Rat-catcher’. This book was one from Evelyn’s childhood and both she and Eva were haunted by it throughout her life. The first way in which Samuels shapes the ending of Act 1 is by exaggerating the drama and emotion of the situation in order to emphasis the great truth that is revealed in this situation; that Faith is a Jew, effected by the Holocaust. For example Faith says, â€Å"Jesus. How could I possibly not be a bad child with such a terrible mother?† Then later in the conversation, â€Å"I could kill you†. During this last section the truth is being revealed to Faith of her past, of her being a Jew and of her grandfather’s death during the holocaust which had been otherwise hidden from her previously. Here Samuels highlights the flying and rising emotions of the conversation, in order to spark a more interesting and viewable final act. Another way in which Samuels shapes the ending of Act 1 is by creating a link between Eva, Evelyn and the dreaded Rat-catcher, in an on stage masterpiece. He uses the layouts of the play to not only create drama between the same person, in different periods of time but also between them and a mythical being. For example, Evelyn: â€Å"He’s not coming† and Eva: â€Å"He’ll burn my fingers till they melt†. Here both characters are talking about someone who does not actually appear to them but is rather just a being that gets inside their consciences in order to question what they are doing. This means that a dramatic contrast is created between Eva and Evelyn, the past and present, which impacts by allowing the audience to understand the difficultly between the choose of leaving her old life behind of facing the reality of what is a daughter discovering her hidden past.

Life Cycle Assestment Essay

The automotive industry is major component of the American economy, but also is a very devastating one, which consumes in large quantities natural resources and generates a lot of waste. This industry contributes pollution with toxic substances and fossil fuels. By knowing the Life cycle implication of a specific design materials are the key point for managing and being able to have decision making strategy .The results of the Life cycle analysis of cars provide information on n environmental impact issues. The evaluation of automobiles fueled, new technologies such as electricity and gas units can prove the benefits and decrease the environmental impact. Although none of these alternatives is a clear winner, lowering emissions and improving sustainability is a priority of this industry. Companies such as the Ford Motor Company need future regulation, government priorities and technological developments in order to achieve sustainability. For understanding the end-of-life on a Ford Motor Company vehicle we must define the life cycle concept. By material life cycle I refer to Consecutive and interlinked stages of a product or service system, from the extraction of natural resources to the final disposal.   , as written in the International Organization of Standards (ISO) norm 14040.2. With the knowledge of the life cycle path we can define the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)?which is also stated under the same above ISO regulation as This concept he ?Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is A systematic set of procedures for compiling and examining the inputs and outputs of materials and energy and the associated environmental impacts directly attributable to the functioning of a product or service system throughout its life cycle. 1. Life Cycle Assessment is a process to evaluate the environmental burdens associated with a product, process, or activity by identifying the quantity of energy and materials used and wastes released to the environment; and being able to assume the damage it causes to the environmental issues. Ford might make use of this tool for making a compression and to better understand their environmental, social and economical impact. Ford is actively developing and applying life cycle assessment methodologies that can be applied in the vehicle industry supporting Ford’s Design for Environment approaches LCA is a powerful decision making tool, which identifies the factor that will be used in his process to accomplish a great  decision. This is used as an aid from the industry. The criteria may depend on who is making the decision. This tool is used for tracking system performance for a diversity of criteria like: emissions, energy use, and financial costs, among others. This tool can also evaluate environmental impacts from the process or the production of a product; it also helps to compare options between competition and consumers. The aluminum, plastic and steel industries are developing new ideas and technologies with automakers in order to study the environmental impact of vehicles. By using the ?life cycle inventory (LCI) (The first step of the LCA the one that uses methods to estimate the environmental performance of a product or process over its entire life cycle) . – have studied the energy flows and its uses in extraction of the raw material from the original source , emissions, amount of fuel consumed and the end-of-live of the waste disposal . The average of aluminum has increased in the past decade, as an example is the ?increase from 64 kilograms to 113 per vehicle in 1999. ?†The aluminum, steel, plastics and auto industries are cooperating in developing a credible, authoritative database of information that the auto companies can use to meet their customers’ requirements and enhance the environmental performance of their vehicles,† said David Parker, president of the Aluminum Association. 2 As an example of the above explained issue I can make an explanation trough the aluminum use in vehicle assembly. Aluminum saves an equivalent of 20 kilograms of carbon dioxide emission over its lifetime. Due to the reduction of the weight, its recycling properties ( ?In North America, 96 percent of automobiles enter the recycling process,? said Andrew Sharkey, the American Iron and Steel Institute’s chief executive officer and president. 2) and energy sources. The energy consumption for aluminum productions are non pollutant and it is very easy material to recycle. No additional scrap exists in aluminum recycling process. Aluminum reduce 10 % of the weight and with it, there is a fuel economy improvement between 6-8 %. Ford itself has reported a 4% improvement in fuel reduction from the 10% weight reduction. Ford produces 24 million cars and truck per year imagines how much they can save not only in an economical area but also  the environmental benefit for not exhausting the natural sources and preserving the planet. In 1999, Ford used about 88 million pounds of recycled non-metallic materials in its products and has set a goal to use more than 132 million pounds of recycled non-metallic material by 2002. A solution for this problem that nowadays it has been a little bit more taken in consideration is the use of alternative fuels and electric vehicles. Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFVs) use internal combustion engines but run on fuels like compressed natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas, ethanol and many others. Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) use electric motors for propulsion. The motors run on electricity stored on board the vehicles in batteries.? With projects like Hybrid vehicles – Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) combine conventional internal combustion and battery electric powertrains to take advantage of the capabilities of each and the synergies between them – and lightweigthing steels material the industry will make a huge contribution to reach sustainability. Full cost accounting is a tool that tries to assign values to all of the society costs, but it is very difficult to apply it properly. Issues like Health management might be useful to understand better this tool. In a free-market society such as the American decisions are not done by a central planning organizations that optimizes the social costs or criteria for society issues , but on the basis of market prices of alternative products and technologies . Ultimately, comparisons between new technologies should be done based on lifecycle assessments for achieving sustainability or at lest an improvement on it.

A Civil Acton Essays - Legal Entities, W. R. Grace And Company

A Civil Acton Essays - Legal Entities, W. R. Grace And Company A Civil Acton A Civil Action The movie A Civil Action brings up an interesting idea that many people in the public don't see or hear about very often. The idea that the big corporations often don't take into account the safety of the people that work for them or the people that live around the factories. These big corporations are run entirely by money and the idea of what things will cost and how much money they can possibly make. Too many times money is more important than the lives of human beings and the people that run these places only see in dollars and cents. The moral issues that this dilemma brings up are immense. This has been happening for centuries since the industrial revolution. Workers were subjected too harsh conditions and unsafe factories so that more goods could be produced. They had children as young as seven and eight years old working 15 hour days. In our modern times, toxic waste now plays a big part in the safety of people. The waste that these companies produce and dump under our noses don't seem to bother them in the least. The way microeconomics effects this must be fully explored to realize the way the corporate world thinks and acts. The goal of any corporation is to make the maximum profit that they can providing a good or service to the community while doing it as inexpensively as possible to them. Too many times producing these goods, toxic by-products are also produced. Nuclear power plants create plutonium, factories let poisonous gasses into the atmosphere, and chemicals are dumped into the drains and washed into our water everyday while being unknown to the people around them. The issue then becomes what to do with these poisons at the cheapest cost to retain the most revenue. In A Civil Action the W.R. Grace company decided that the best place to dump the T.C.E. was in the river behind the plant. It's too bad that all the people who lived down stream were also effected by the carelessness of this company. It got into the drinking water and gave kids cancer and seizures among other health conditions. These companies try to cover up these kinds of things as much as possible by buying people off. They think that if they give people money for their losses than everything will be alright. For huge corporations dealing with billions of dollars these payoffs are only a drop in the bucket for them. Even a million dollars to any family is an incredible amount of money and often the money becomes more important than the real issues behind the problem and can't be passed up by a family struggling to get by. The benefits of paying of these people for their trouble is much cheaper then doing things the right way in the beginning and protecting their safety. Money in our society has become a sense of power and authority. People think to many times that money is the key to happiness. Although money isn't a bad thing it effects the way people act and causes them to not care about the things that they should many times. Corporations have a structure that they follow in order to make them run in an efficient manner. In the movie John Travolta initially doesn't want to take the case because he doesn't think that there will be any money in it for him and his firm. Even though he goes and sees how much pain this company has caused to the people in Wolburn, he still doesn't care because of the money. Not until he realizes how big the companies are does he take the case. As the case goes on he isn't able to achieve what he ultimately wanted to do because the Grace Company has so much money that it will almost always win. Travolta's firm goes eight million into debt trying to win this case but ultimately has to settle because they can't go on. The firm doesn't even have to clean up the polluted land that caused all the problems. It wasn't until the E.P.A. steps in and with their power was able to achieve a