Les Miserables Essay Example for Free

Les Miserables Essay Les Miserables (the title is the same in French and English) is the most well-known of Victor Hugo’s novels. It describes the miserable life of French workers, and especially their children. Hugo calls for social action to improve the unfortunate poor’s lives. This excerpt describes the character Marius, and how he has worked very hard to succeed in life. Excerpt from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) Misery is the same with anything else. As time passes, it gradually becomes bearable. Marius had emerged from the narrow passage of his life; now the path widened out a bit. Through sheer hard work, courage, and a strong will, he had managed to earn around seven hundred francs a year. He had learned English and German. Thanks to Courfeyrac, the man who introduced him to his publisher friend, Marius held a position in the literary department of the publishing house, where he filled the useful role of utility. He wrote prospectuses, translated articles from journals, annotated publications, compiled biographies, and so on. His net gain, year in, year out, was seven hundred francs. He was able to survive on this income. How? Not badly. Here is how he lived. For a yearly rent of thirty francs, Marius lived in a miserable little room without a fireplace in the Gorbeau tenement. There was only a bare minimum of furniture which belonged to him. He paid the old woman who took care of the building a sum three francs a month to sweep his room, and bring him some warm water, a fresh egg, and a small loaf of bread every morning. This egg and bread cost him between two and four cents, because eggs varied in price. At six o’clock in the evening, he went downstairs to eat dinner at Rousseau’s in the Rue Saint Jacques. He had no soup, but he ate a plate of meat for six pennies, half a plate of vegetables for three pennies, and a dessert for the same price. As for bread, he could eat as much as he liked for three pennies, but instead of wine, he drank water. Then he paid at the counter, where Madame Rousseau sat majestically, a large woman with a pleasant face. She would smile as Marius handed the waiter a one penny tip. Then he left the restaurant. For a total of sixteen cents, he got a dinner and a smile. †¦.. Marius had two complete suits, one of them old, that he wore for everyday use, and the other one new, which he wore on special occasions. Both suits were black. He owned only three shirts: the one he had on, another one that was in the bureau drawer, and the third one that was at the laundry woman’s. When they wore out, he replaced them with new ones, but generally, his shirts were ragged, so he buttoned his coat up to his chin. To reach this stage of prosperity, it had taken Marius many hard, difficult years: years of barely getting by, and years of trudging along. He had never once given up. He had struggled and done without, he had been through every hardship, except going into debt. Instead of borrowing money, he went without food. There had been many days of fasting. During all his hard times, he actually felt encouraged, and sometimes he even felt a certain inner strength. In addition to the memory of his father, Marius carried the memory of Thà ©nardier in his heart. He envisioned the man surrounded by a halo, the brave sergeant Thà ©nardier who had saved his father, a colonel, when he found him among the cannon fire and bullets at Waterloo. Marius always kept the memory of this man together with the memory of his father, and he felt great admiration for them both. It was a bit like a form of worship in two steps. The high altar was reserved for his father the colonel, and the low one for Thà ©nardier. His feelings of gratitude for the man were strengthened by the knowledge that Thà ©nardier had suffered a horrible misfortune. Marius found out that as an unlucky innkeeper, Thà ©nardier had gone bankrupt. After learning this, Marius made countless efforts to track down the miserable Thà ©nardier, who had disappeared. Marius blamed and hated himself for not being able to locate him. He felt that the only debt his father had left him was to succeed in finding Thà ©nardier. Marius felt it was his duty to pay him that tribute. â€Å"After all,† he thought, â€Å"when my father lay dying on the battlefield, it was Thà ©nardier who was able to find him through the smoke, and carry him away on his shoulders. Yet he owed Thà ©nardier nothing, whereas I, who owe so much to Thà ©nardier, cannot get to him in his time of darkness and suffering. I cannot, in my turn, restore him to life. Oh! I will find him!†

Case Study Of The Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam Environmental Sciences Essay

Case Study Of The Akosombo Hydroelectric Dam Environmental Sciences Essay The construction of Akosombo dam on the Volta river basin in Ghana created Volta Lake the largest man-made lake by surface area in the World. The purpose of this study was to examine the benefit and consequences of the dam on social, environmental and health issues. Critical analyses of primary literature over five decades were reviewed and some management solutions were outlined. The Akosombo hydroelectric project (HEP) contributed to accelerating of Ghanas economic development through industrial and mining sectors as well as for providing cheap electricity for domestic and commercial consumer. Fishing, transportation and tourism were positive benefit from the dam. However, negative impacts like the resettlement of 80 000 people, increase in health problem like the high rate of HIV, socio economic deprivation and injustice and destruction of the ecosystem. The greatest challenge facing Akosombo is management and lack of research on the aquatic systems at the basin. Key recommendatio n includes environmental compensatory approach and research into environmental flows of the Volta River. Ultimately, it is important for future HEP in Ghana be precede and adheres to EIA reports and involves stakeholders from planning to post construction stage to maximize overall development benefits, encompassing economic, social, and environmental impacts INTRODUCTION Hydro-electric power is an important source of energy for many countries especially in the tropical countries without advance technological development. In 2007, 3.2 % of global energy consumption and 20% of electricity generated came from hydropower (IEA, 2010). In many countries especially in Central America and Sub-Sahara Africa over half of all electricity generated comes from HEP (Anderson et al. 2006a and Gyau-Boakye 2001). The major advantages of HEP which makes it a preferred renewable energy sources are cost, zero air pollution, longer life span of plant, the low level of expertise for running and maintenance of HEP and lack of post production storage problems. Perhaps the biggest advantage hydropower enjoys over other sources is the fact that the cost per unit of electricity generated from hydro is cheaper than any other source. Globally, the trend of newly constructed hydropower has shifted from the temperate region to the tropical regions in the last two decades (Pringle et al., 2000). Dams construction is expected to double in developing countries due to expanding human populations, increasing rural electrification, and growing demands for electricity in the developing countries (Anderson et al. 2006a). Although the bulk of hydrodams constructed recently have been in the developing countries with China leading the number of newly constructed dams, the recent announcement of a major dam to be constructed in Alaska indicate the pull of hydro even as undaming of major rivers is taking place. It is projected that hydropower production would grow by nearly 60% in 2050 if the current rate of construction is maintained.(dams.org, 2010) Despite the numerous advantages, hydro-electric power (HEP) causes more ecological damage than all the rest of the renewable energy put together. The damage done to the natural flow system of rivers and associated impact on the ecosystem are documented in many studies (Anderson et al., 2006b; Pingle et al., 2000; Craig, 2000). They include natural flow alteration of a river, destruction of hydrologic connectivity, impeding the migration of fish and other aquatic biota effects. Asides the ecological impact, there is also the issue of social impact on the communities which includes changes in the landscape leading to flooding, displacement of local residents, increase in health risk factors as a result of the dam and reported deaths from dam failures. The Volta River Basin is located in West Africa and covers an estimated area of 400,000 km2 and is spread over six West African riparian countries (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Cote dIvoire and Mali). There are a number of dams located within the Basin of which three large ones, Akosombo, Bagre and Kompienga, are solely for hydropower purposes. The Akosombo dam, which was constructed from 1962 to 1966 in Ghana, is by far the most significant structure built in the basin since the resulting lake is the one of the largest man-made lake in the world (Barry et al., 2005) and covers 4% of the surface area in Ghana however, the actual reservoir only has a surface area of about 8500 km2, an average depth of about 18.8m and a shoreline of about 5,500 km (Barry et al., 2005). The formation of the lake led to the generation of economic activities like transportation, fishing and tourism along the lake (Kumi, 1973). Although the primary purpose of the Akosombo hydrodam was to supply electricity for Volta Aluminum Smelting Company (VALCO) located 80km from the dam at Tema, Ghana, it contributed to accelerating of Ghanas economic development through industrial and mining sectors after its construction as well as for domestic and commercial consumers. Currently the dam supplies around 85% of Ghanas electricity need providing an average annual output of 6100 GWh. Despite the benefit of the dam to the country the long term environmental and social cost has been staggering. This paper seeks to review the impact of hydrodams in the Volta Basin with primary focus on the Akosombo dam. The aim of this study explores the biodiversity challenges facing the basin as a result of the HEP construction and review the impact on the social and the ecological aspects of the basin. Primary literature would be used to assess how the dam has positively or negatively affected the socio-environment aspects [the ecosystem (physical components, the biological community and water quality), social, health and economic impacts] of the basin. The study would focus specifically on the Akosombo but inference would be drawn from other dams across the basin in the analysis. Based on the study, outlined recommendations and solutions would be made for existing and future dams that might be constructed on the Volta River THE AKOSOMBO HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT The Volta Basin lies within latitudes 5 °.30 N and 14 °.30 N and longitudes 2 °.00 E and 5 °.30W. It is located in West Africa with six riparian countries (Ghana (42%) and Burkina Faso (43%) and the remaining 15% in Mali, Cà ´te dIvoire, Togo, and Benin) with Ghana occupying the downstream of the basin (figure 1). The building of the Akosombo dam follows almost a period of two decades of planning which began in 1947 when the first feasibility studies were conducted on the potential for volta river as a hydropower source. The bulk of the funding for the project estimated $ 260 million. was secured by Kaiser Aluminum from a US bank under persuasion from President Eisenhower in face saving from public relation disaster (GW 2010) The HEP was directly linked to efforts made to develop the huge Ghanas integrated bauxite to aluminium industry. The actual construction of the dam took place within1962-1972 under the management of the Volta River Authority (VRA) who were legally manda ted by the Act 46 to be caretakers of all Volta River related activities in Ghana. The Volta River Authority (VRA), a government owned utility, is largely responsible for electricity generation and transmission in Ghana. There were three phases of the project, phase one was the installation of 588MW unit of electricity which was completed in 1966m. The second phase involved an addition of 304MW electricity which resulted in total of 912 MW at the Akosombo dam. The last phase of the project was the setting up of a smaller HEP dam, 21km downstream, at Kpong. In terms of dam classification, the Akosombo dam is often classified as large dam whiles that of Kpong is classified as small hydro dam. Today a total of 1072MW of electricity is generated by the Akosombo HEP (VRA, 2010). The first phase of the projected resulted in the creation of Lake Volta (man-made lake) which is the most significant water body in the Volta basin. The lake covers an estimated area of 8500 km2, a length of 400 km and a shoreline of 5500km (Gyau-Boakye 2001) but rather shallow with a maximum depth of 113m. It receives flows from three rivers Oti, Black Volta and White Volta and discharges into the lower Volta river and then the Atlantic Ocean. The maximum capacity is around 150,000 million m3 of water at its peak of 278 feet. (VRA 2010) The main objective of HEP production is to make VALCO energy sufficient so that its activity which is mainly aluminum smelting would be proceed without interruption. The other objectives were to supply electricity for both domestic and industrial use and also export to the basin sharing countries (Benin and Togo). The Volta River Authority (VRA) a government owned entity was established in 1961 under the Volta River Development Act 46 and tasked with the management, maintenance and sustainability of the Volta River and HEP production. The act also gave the VRA the responsibility to generate and transmit electricity as well as safe-guarding the health and socio-economic well being of the inhabitants of the communities alongside the lake. Prior to the flooding stage of the dam, the VRA had to relocate people inhabiting traditional, administrative and all other lands that were to be inundated. BENEFITS OF HYDROPOWER FOR GHANA The construction of the Akosombo HEP and the creation of the Volta Lake have provided several positive benefits. The Akosombo HEP provides over 85% of all electricity generated in Ghana (Winston et al., 2006). The electricity generated has encouraged economic and industrial development in Ghana. Prior to the construction of the Akosombo HEP, Ghanas total power usage was around 70MW and this was isolated with individual standalone power supply system which was owned by industrial establishment such as the mines, factories and other major institutions (Aryeetey, 2005).and assess to electricity was restricted to less than 3% of the population. Today an estimated 60% of the population has access to electricity including 20% of the rural communities (ECG, 2008). Over two-thirds of all the electricity generated goes to industries and commercial entities; this led to rapid expansion and immigration of industries into Ghana from other West African countries to take advantage of the cheap ele ctricity available from the HEP. As a result Ghanas economy is twice the average of the West African sub region (IMF, 2010). In years of drought where HEP energy generation has been poor, unemployment rate rises exponential attesting to a positive externality of the Akosombo dam. The creation of the Volta Lake led to increase in fishing stock thereby making fishing a lucrative business to the inhabitants along the lake. Similarly, farming activities also intensified along the 5500 km shoreline especially locations downstream of the lake as a result of water availability for the purposes of irrigation and more importantly alluvium sediment deposition which is very fertile and has high content of organic matter. Also the navigation on the Volta river has changed significantly serving as a mean for transportation for goods and people across the lake where road are poor or unavailable. To the inhabitants creation of the transportation route on the lake which stretches from south to north has been one of the important benefits to the communities. The direct tourism impact resulting from the lake includes opening up part of hitherto inaccessible attractions (because of the location of the dam, the sight of the lake the environment, etc.) to both local and internati onal travelers. The lake and its designated national park Digya located at the west shore of Lake Volta and the resort island have provided a popular holiday destination. CONSEQUENCES OF AKOSOMBO HYDROPOWER Like all hydropower dams constructed the Akosombo HEP have had a social, environmental and physical impact on the communities upstream, downstream, the project site and even beyond the extent of the dam. On the social front the most prominent problem that is directly linked to the HEP is the displacement of 80,000 people across 700 villages in low lying areas and resettle them into 52 new villages (Kalitsi,2000). The lost of the original communities resulted in many socio-physiological problems in the communities including high death rate among the aged, breakdown of cultural practices and breakdown of traditional law and order (Gyau-Boakye, 2001). The higher death rate is attributed to the grieving for the lost land syndrome (Okoh, 1986). The Volta lake creation leads to a loss of 3.6% of the total land surface of Ghana including forest land to the reservoir.(Fobil et al. 2001) The lost land lead to decline in the primary economic activities of crop and livestock farming for most of the communities both downstream and upstream of the dam. As a result of less arable land to farm the men switch to fishing while most of the women (a taboo for women to fish in Ghana) were involved in pr ostitution as a profession to satisfy the male workers whom were building the dam. (Suave et al. 2002) In terms of the standards of living the inhabitant of the project site Akosombo enjoy the best living condition not only in the entire Volta basin but better than the major urban centers in Ghana. Surprisingly, the upstream communities and downstream communities are among the poorest in the country lacking access to basic necessities like hospital, roads, proper sanitation and water facilities. Perhaps the most ironic social injustice to the communities upstream and downstream is that it took three decades to be connected to the national electricity grids. The HEP have increased the health related issues among the communities living around lake except in the town of Akosombo (Zakhary, 1997). Sam (1993), in his survey concluded increases in diseases such as schistosomiasis (bilharzia), malaria, onchocerciasis are directly due to Akosombo HEP. This is dues to the presence of aquatic weeds and increase in the population of water-born vectors like mosquitoes, black fly and snails.(Gyau-Boakye, 2001) Specifically, Urinary schistosomiasis (Bilharzia) has seen the increase of the incidence from 2% to 32% at Mepe,( downstream) and 0.5% to 27.4% at Adawso/ Okradjei, (upstream) along the lake (Zakhary,1997). Malaria has increased by an average of 10% both upstream and downstream since the construction of the dam. The fly, Simulium damnosum which cause Onchocerciasis (river blindness) also increased downstream in Kpong between 1970 to 1980 due to the new breading grounds created by the Akosombo dam, however the fly was not found again after compl etion of the smaller dam in Kpong in 1982 (Gyau-Boakye, 2001). As stated earlier The period between after the construction of the dam (1970-1980) coincide with the worst economic period in Ghana and the associated political uncertainty forcing the migration of the young women whom were inducted into prostitution during the dam construction to the various neighboring countries. Sauve ´ et al 2002 concluded that the high HIV prevalence rate (14.1% compare to 3% for the country) in Manya Krobo and Yilo Krobo districts located west and south of the Akosombo dam to a greater extent, a consequence of construction of the Akosombo dam in the 1960s prompted economically driven migration, specially to Cà ´te dIvoire, where many migrants became infected with HIV. This is surprising and rather peculiar to find a prevalence of HIV in semi-urban area that is much higher than those found in the countrys major cities. (Sauve ´ et al 2002). In terms of the physical geomorphology, the dam have created physical environmental problem. The most obvious is the increase in seismic activities around the dam since the construction of the lake. 4 major earthquakes of magnitude 5 or higher have been recorded in the area. Since there is no geological fault zone present in the lake, it is believe the earthquakes are due to the overloading of the geological bedrock underlying the lake with which is triggering the active Akwapim fault (Gyau-Boakye, 2001). Kumi (1973) concluded that the earthquakes might be due to readjustment associated with the lake in-filling. Another physical observation is that, sediments load have decrease by about 60mg/l downstream of the dam as a result of the impoundment (Barry, 2005). The lack of sediment has lead to the erosion of the coastline in the neighboring Togo and Benin at a rate of 10-15m/y (Gyau-Boakye, 2001). Another evidence of change is that the morphology of the delta have shifted 12 km eastwa rd from the original lower Volta entre point to the sea leading to coastal erosion at Ada.(Arp and Baumgaertel, 2005). In accordance with the behavior of tropical dam microclimate the temperature and rainfall in the south eastern part of Ghana is higher than the average in other parts of the basin and this is squarely attributed to the Akosombo HEP (Kumi, 1973, Rosenberg et al., 1990 .Opoku-Ankomah and Amisah 1998). The Akosombo HEP impact on the ecosystem unlike social and health issues have not been fully investigated and well. Fish and other aquatic biota are very sensitive to the hydropower operation due to the ability of the dam to alter and or blocking the migration resulting in genetic disconnect between species population (Baxter, 1977 and Pringle et al., 2000). The first compressive study sixteen (16) months after the construction of the dam by Petr (1967) showed that relative abundance of fish in the Lake were compared with those obtained from fish landings on the Black Volta and from the Niger river survey (Petr 1967). However the study did indicate an increase in plankton feeders, shell fish, Tilapia and a decrease Mormydiad and Alestes along the north-south axis of the river (Petr 1967). In 2000, about 87,500 metric tons of fish catch were recorded from the lake representing 98 % of the inland fresh water fish in Ghana (Braimah, 2001).Current fish estimated yield are 42-52 kg/ha/yea r based on catch statistics with Tilapia dominating the catch. However, the current trend of removal of standing timber in the forest which became part of the lake, in conjunction with overfishing, has negatively impacted the fish stocks especially in shell fish. Recent studies involving 165 fish sample covering 9 species in both the Akosombo and Kpong dam with Lake Bosomtwe (a pristine lake in Ghana) for mercury concentration showed levels below World Health Organization limit of 0.5 ÃŽÂ ¼g gà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢1.suggesting no mercury in the HEP lakes mercury (Agorku et.al. 2009). Unlike newer dams constructed with EIA both the Akosombo and the Kpong dams do not have any fish ladders available for fish migration. In terms of the damage done to the ecosystem are unique and site-specific but generally the impacts invariably affect biota and biodiversity (Anderson 2006a). The Akosombo HEP is ranked in the top ten in terms of both social and environmental damage index (dams.2010). Flooding in the downstream communities is an annual event. The Afraim plain is a low lying rich farm land area suffers annually from the flow of the spillway river. A river flow is highly circumvented leading break in river connectivity. Although not unique to Akosombo, studies have shown that the large-scale impoundment may eliminate unique wildlife habitats and affect populations of endangered species. The Dibgya National Park close to the lake is a wildlife refuge site and it would be interesting to know how the lakes have affected wildlife in the park. Contrary to popular belief that HEP are emission free, scientific fact indicates that large dam projects and their reservoirs produces very significant greenhouse gas es (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide ) from the rotting of organic matter. The advocacy group International Rivers (formerly known as International Rivers Network concluded from their study Figure 2 that tropical dams in some case might be dirtier then fossil fuel in terms of GHG emission (IR, 2008) .Takeuchi (1997) concluded from his global survey of dams that the damage done to the ecosystem and electricity generated from Akosombo is very disproportionate. These impacts include loss of the actual wetlands as they are modified to suit particular irrigation practices and associated losses in biodiversity. (Takeuchi (1997) CRITICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE AKOSOMBO DAM50 YEARS LATER The Akosombo dam in 50 year of operation has been the cornerstone of Ghanas economic and industrial development. Likewise the HEP has cause and continues to remind us daily of the socio-environmental negative impact of living with dam. The original goal of the project in addition to the generation of electric power for industry urban and rural household was to provide opportunities for large-scale irrigation, modernization of agriculture, promotion of factories and industries, and the establishment of tourist facilities. Fifty (50) years later, it appears that the need at the time for the country to have a cheap source of electricity did have overriding priority over other considerations (Arp and Baumgaertel, 2005). The generation of electricity as stated earlier lead to the positive economic and industrial development along the eastern coast of Ghana. Analysis of the project goal and the implementation of the original blue print indicated that the VRA woefully mismanage the dams activities starting from the original resettlement scheme to their inability to meet the electricity need of the country. The resettlement of the communities and the compensation promised to the inhabitants were not fully paid, farming lan ds were insufficient for the villages while a lot of communities downstream whom were not accounted for were ultimately affected by the dam. According to the available data (ECG 2010) and personal observation the VRA after 50 years of operation have failed to meet its goal of providing electricity to the citizenry especially the social injustice that the majority of the affected people by the project were not connected to the national grid until recently .This undoubtedly showed that the authorities neglected the majority of the people affected by the dam to the benefited of the urban dwellers (Girmay, 2002). To their credit VRA undertook some activities towards the fulfillment of non-generation goals like the creation of the Akosombo Textiles Company, Kpong Farms Limited, the Akosombo Hotel Limited and Volta Lake Transport Company Limited (VLTC) to boast jobs and economic activity within the region. The downside to these projects is that inhabitants did not have the specialized ski lls and education levels required to take advantage of working in textiles industries or operating advanced machinery in the 1960s. The VRA irrigation and modernization of agriculture programs collapsed after at the implementation stage. Such program would have been more beneficial to the communities living along the dam since prior to the construction of the dam the majority of the people were into farming. The Akosombo dam and many others constructed in the developing countries before the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment were without any environmental impact assessment (EIA) plan. In 1974, Ghana was the first country in Africa to establish an environmental governing body to deal with all environmental issues under one agency known as Environmental Protection Council (Appiah-Opoku, 2001). Ironically, the Kpong dam whose construction began in 1976 did not have EIA in place. In order to combat some of the negative environmental impacts of the project the VRA introduce numerous cut and fix approaches. These programs include afforestation program along the banks of the lakes, weed controlling measures to control bilharzia., dredging activities at Volta estuary and the creation of Resettlement Trust Fund for remediation some of the socio-economic impact mitigation (Girmay, 2002, Fobil et.al. 2003,). The success of these programs is difficult to measure since most of them we re subjective in nature. The VRA did have some environmental management programs and policies but they suffered from implementation and enforcement (Girmay, 2002). The question often asked in the view of the social and environmental damage done by the HEP is if this cost is justifiable. To address these issue in the context of Akosombo HEP present a dilemma. Ghana until recently discovery of oil along it shore did not have any fossil fuel or expertise in nuclear energy to produce electricity from these sources. Hence, the HEP project was the lifeline in meeting part of its energy demand. As stated earlier studies have shown that the amount of greenhouse gasses produces by hydropower is lower than the corresponding fossil electricity (Anderson 2006a). Although critics point to the fact that Ghanas overreliance on HEP have hamper the development of alternative renewable energy sources which have affected the country in times of drought. The supply of cheap electricity to neighboring countries like Togo and Benin mitigate their coastline erosion by the project. Ultimately, the amount of electricity produced from the Akosombo/Kpong HEP and the social and environmental damage to the basin is not acceptable. The major destruction of the ecosystem habitats and the negative health and social impact on the upstream/downstream communities is much bigger than comparable dams elsewhere. For example Japan produces 2300MW of electricity from HEP and the damage is a tenth of what occurs in Akosombo (Takeuchi, 1997). Although the HEP have been helpful to the country economically, with proper management and sustainable planning; the level of success would have been higher and the environmental impact greatly reduced. With benefit of time the original proposal should have been implemented and enforced effectively. This would have reversed the trend today which has led to the communities upstream and downstream been among the poorest in the country. RECOMMENDATIONS The positive impacts and the negative effects of the Akosombo have been highlighted in this paper. In view of the negative socio-environmental factors like downstream flooding, resettlement of communities, ecosystem destruction among others it is important strategies are put in place to mitigates these effects and protects the ecosystem from current and future HEP. One way of mitigating the environmental and social cost is through environmental compensatory project approach or offsets. For example, the recent plan of the Brazilian government to build a third world largest dam requires the company who wins for the bid to pay an excess of $800 million to offset environmental damage and relocation. Also in India there is a legal requirement that forests flooded by reservoirs must be replanted elsewhere. Introducing such concepts in the planning stages of the dam would really help ensure that significant and unavoidable adverse environmental impacts are counterbalanced by a positive environmental gain, with an inspirational goal of achieving a net environmental benefit. This approach must be fused with properly developed policies for resettlement and compensation prior to the construction of dam so that all stakeholders know the detail and what to expect or contribute toward the compensated package in cash and in kind. The resettlement costs must c over all inundated properties as well as emotional and psychological cost which is often ignored. The package aside covering individual cost could also be extended to cover basic facilities and infrastructure development such as roads, health centers, schools, potable water, etc. On the other hand environmental damage could always be factored into the price of electricity through ecological tax in order to reflect the true cost of power. This tax revenue could go into a standing trust fund which would be essential to sustain the programs needed to ensure the effective mitigation and compensation of environmental effects of the hydro development. To protect the integrity of the lake, measures should be taken to check deforestation by protecting the original forests. Additional compensatory measures may include either trust fund established through grants from developers (for example Harvey Basin Restoration Trust, Australia) or trust funds that manage parts of the revenue stream and for environmental purposes. This latter model was proposed for the planned Nam Theun II dam in Laos, with the intention of creating and managing a National Park in the catchment. The plan has the potential to benefit both forest ecosystems and the lifespan of the dam through reduce d sedimentation. This approach could certainly benefit Ghanas fight against deforestation. In the planning stages of a dam construction, is very important project teams realize the need to maintain adequate water flows and other habitat conditions to sustain river health and associated ecosystem services in river reaches located downstream of dams. When ecosystem services valued by local communities are fully considered and integrated along with all other management objectives, the prospects for optimizing both dam- and ecosystem-related objectives would be greatly enhanced. Project teams can help avoid the loss of ecosystem services by considering environmental flow needs at the very earliest stages of hydropower dam as part of the EIA development. The specification and provision of environmental flows is key to sustainable hydropower development and water management (Scudder, 2005). When environmental flow needs are assessed scientifically, water managers and hydropower dam planners and operators will understand the extent to which historical water flow patterns can be a ltered by hydropower operations without compromising a rivers health and associated social benefits. Active and early engagement of relevant water managers and dam planners, scientists, and other stakeholders in the planning process will help build a strong and influential constituency and foster a coordinated and consistent vision for the protection and management of a river. (Pingle et al., 2000; Craig, 2000, Anderson et al., 2006a, b Raschid-Sally et.al 2008) With proper input from stakeholders and attention to the needs and values of diverse interests, a tradeoff analysis can be undertaken to explore the optimal balancing of interests (Raschid-Sally et.al 2008) One current approach the VRA and other operator of dams on the Volta basin is the management of flood to limit its impact. New Dams and even old ones must can be designed or altered for multiple purposes such as flood control and HEP generation. By storing some portion of floodwaters on the floodplain instead of a reservoir, the total volume of necessary flood storage space in the reservoir can be reduced. By protecting or reactivating downstream floodplain areas or allowing agricultural areas to be flooded occasionally, the flood storage requirement in the upstream reservoir can often be reduced substantially. The excess water can be reallocated for hydropower use, water supply, or improved environmental flows downstream of the dam. Reflooding of natural floodplains can bring substantial ecological benefits, such as providing additional spawning and feeding opportunities for fish and enabling the floodwaters to fertilize and moisten floodplain areas used for agriculture or grazing.( Craig, 2000) Likewise , the coordinated operations of cascades of dams: on the Volta river can maximize power generation at upstream dams to enable lower dams to serve more of a re-regulating function, thereby minimizing flow alterations in the downstream river. Currently this approach is been developed by the transboundary water management Volta Basin Authority (VBA) and it is hope the implementation of such approach would be beneficial to the basin communities. The VBA IWMR policies would be the key to protecting the ecosystem in the basin. In terms of operational mode management The VRA can increase its generation of electricity from its Thermal plant in Aboase to ease the pressure on operating

Symbol Quilts Story

Symbol Quilts Story Symbolism of Quilt in â€Å"Everyday Use?† by Alice Walker: An Analysis Symbol has been accepted by various scholars as one of the most important aspects of any piece of literature, since the entire plot revolves around it. â€Å"But what is a symbol? A symbol does not direct our attention to something else as a sign does. It does not direct at all. It â€Å"means† something else. It somehow comes to contain within itself the thing it means. The word â€Å"ball† is a sign to my dog and a symbol to me. If I say â€Å"ball† to my dog, he will respond like a good Pavlovian organism and look under the sofa and fetch it. But if I say â€Å"ball† to you, you will simply look at me and, if you are patient, finally say, â€Å"What about it?† The dog responds to the word by looking for thing; you conceive the ball through the word â€Å"ball.† Walker Percy Attribution: Walker Percy (1916-1990), U.S. novelist. The Message in the Bottle, ch. 7, Farrar (1975). In Alice Walkers short story â€Å"Everyday Use?† various symbols exist among which the most dominant is the quilts. Quilts are a fine example of a folk craft that started as simply useful and become emotionally charged. The patterns become artistically ambitious and emotionally meaningful, and the fabric used carried meaning as well. Not only that, but also how the quilts were made became part of the social structure. The symbolism of the quilts can be argued in various ways, depending upon the perspective either intended by the author or perceived by the reader. In this story, however, represent the connectedness of history and the intergenerational ties of the family. Now why are quilts so important in this story is it because it is the essence of pride in the family and needs to be displayed or is it because is it because it helps Dee feel superior over her own sister Maggie. Dee wishes to acquire the quilts because her grandmother stitched them by hand and in order to show her affection Dee wants to display the quilts by hanging them on the wall on her home. This does show her pride in her family but then again Dee gets outraged when her mother expresses her wish to give the quilts to Maggie. This is the point where Dees pride falls in the grey area. In Dees words â€Å"Maggie cant appreciate these quilts . . . Shed probably be backward enough to put them to everyday use . . . Maggie would put them on the bed and in five years theyd be in rags†. Dee does accept that the quilt represent her cultural heritage but never tried to understand the purpose of the quilts. Until the time when her mother and grandmother explained her Dee had no clue that giving Maggie the quilts help carry on the family tradition. It is not only important to accept Quilting as important tradition but to pass it as well. A tradition has no meaning if there is no one knows about it. Giving the quilts to Maggie is the best way to affirm that the connection of heritage will enhance and not only just bleakly exist. Thus, the above statements reveal the importance of symbolism. The same quilts represent heritage to both Dee and her mother but they perceive it quite differently than the other. Dee wants to preserve heritage and strongly believes that they are objects meant to be proud of and what can be a better method to reveal the pride by displaying them to the entire world. She is unable to perceive the knowledge and history attached with the quilts, and due to that fact her idea of â€Å"heritage† loses its very meaning to the core. According to her mother, however, one can not learn ones heritage until the tradition that tags along with it is understood. Dee has yet to experience the outside world, whereas Maggie has felt the treatment of the entire society while still remaining within the confines of her home. Dee feels as if her mother is unaware of the meaning and the importance of her familys heritage. But has she ever tried to realize her own heritage? In order to understand it took her mother and grandmother to make her reach down deep down in her soul. It was only then that Dee realized that although she had learned to live life with no boundaries, she has not yet attained the level of at which she could realize what is the most important question of her life What exactly is her heritage? Work Cited http://education.yahoo.com/reference/quotations/quote/54101 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Everyday_Use http://www.bownet.org/jmcdermott/everyday_use__by_alice_walker.htm

My Team Success Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Team B was a small group of people with interchangeable skills who found themselves responsible for a common purpose and goal. Learning Teams can get more complicated projects done at a more rapid pace than an individual assigned project because decision-making is more effective in a team environment. Our team was some what complex. We were a successful group of people who were cooperating, critiquing, communicating and reporting to a forum.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Our team did not just happen. We were formed then molded. (Kreitner, Kinicki, 2004) states:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  So what is this first and most important step for creating   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  effective teams? It’s called â€Å"Chartering.† Chartering is the process   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  by which the team is formed, its mission or task described, its   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  resources allocated, its goals set, its membership committed, and   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  its plans made. (p. 410)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The formation developed in four stages. The first was the Forming stage otherwise known as the â€Å"Ice Breaking Stage† in which we were uncertain about our roles and who to trust (Stewart, Manz, 1999). During this stage we had a group discussion and a member became prominent to take the leader position. The following stage was Storming which is a time when members learn about ground rules discussed then confirmed by the leader. This is the stage where I learned that I was responsible for writing Example #1 and the date my part had to be turned in. The third stage of our development was Norming, a stage of working together to reach our goals. In this stage Team B moved their individual turn in dates back a day and team members picked up additional tasks as the project had clear dead line dates. We became more aware that we were going to have less time for editing than we normally planned for. Lastly, the Performing stage is focused on solving any problems that arise. This stage is critical for getting the project done on time and completing the goal. Our team had a few problems toward the end. One problem that aro... ... we used two of them. The first, Collaborative is â€Å"Trying to find a solution in which the needs of both or all parties are completely met.† Secondly, Compromise definition is â€Å"Trying to find a middle position in which all parties give a little to gain something.† Through these two strategies the conflicts turned out to be a positive addition. Our team was not afraid of it; therefore more ideas and thoughts were able to reach out for a group decision.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We were a group of people with a vision working towards a common goal. The building of our team was complicated. We negotiated roles and tasks according to our strengths and interests. We worked well together, but far from perfect. Through varies conflicts ideas were exchanged and meaningful productivity resulted (Porter, 2003). Good communication resulted from trust and respect. All members shared an equal participation which made it easier for each individual to contribute to the success of Week 3.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Works Cited

Comparing and Contrasting the Movie and Natalie Babbitts Book Entitled

Do you know a book called Tuck Everlasting which is written by Natalie Babbitt existed in this world? It is a very interesting novel with a very sad ending. It’s a story about a girl, who discovered a very dangerous secret about a particular spring water. When you drink the water, it makes you immortal. A movie on this book was produced later on. Things change when you have to audition something that is written. And so, the movie Tuck Everlasting was very different from the book Tuck Everlasting. Winnie Foster, a ten-year-old girl, discovered a very dangerous secret about the spring water in the woods her parents owned. She found out that if the spring water is drunk, it makes one immortal. Winnie didn’t understand what it was like being immortal, until she met the Tucks, who had drunk from the spring water and had become immortal. She wanted to be immortal too, but they talked her out of it, except for Jesse Tuck. Jesse and Winnie liked each other very much. Jesse wanted Winnie to drink the spring water so that she could be immortal and could live with him forever. Jesse told her to drink the spring water when she gets a little older because Winnie was too young to drink it now. Winnie agreed. But in the movie, she turned out to be a fifteen-year-old young adult. So Winnie didn’t need to wait to drink the spring water. It was very surprising to see Winnie as a teenager when we all imagined her being a little kid. Because she was a little girl in the book, immortality was the main thing that was going on. But she was about fifteen years old in the movie, which changed the whole meaning of the book Tuck Everlasting. A movie which was supposed to be about immortality was turned into a romantic film. Winnie Foster and Jesse Tuck ... ...head. When he got to the Tucks house, he told them that he was taking Winnie away and that he bought the Fosters’ woods. Mae was so angry that she killed him. The constable arrived, just in time to see Mae doing that. So, in the book, Mae got into jail but in the movie, both Mae and her husband, Angus, got into jail. Winnie wanted to help them get out of jail. She succeeded in freeing them but used different methods for the book and the movie. So in the book, Mae got into jail but in the movie, both Mae and her husband, Angus, got into jail. Winnie helped them get out of jail but used different methods to free them. I like the reading book better than watching the movie because there are more facts in the book than the movie. Maybe I just like reading books better than watching movies. That’s my opinion. What’s yours (if you’ve read the book and seen the movie)?

character analysis essayof Slaughterhouse Five -- essays research pape

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Character Analysis Essay   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slaughterhouse Five, by Kurt Vonnegut, is a novel that makes no sense in itself; yet, when put into context individually with today’s events, or life’s events in general, makes more sense then if it were clearly spelled out within the pages. By using the character of Billy Pilgram, Vonnegut conveys his points with Billy’s reactions and common characteristics. Billy Pilgram could not be any more a human then if he was actually walking amongst us. With basic characteristics of simplicity, confusion and general common sense, any one can relate to what Billy is and was going through. By successfully portraying this personality of Billy’s, Vonnegut creates a complex yet oddly simple character for audiences to follow.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For Billy, it truly is a gift to be simple, especially with every thing he must endure. Simplicity is a common trait that most characters in novels lack. Authors are many times trying to create such a complex character that the audience may become lost or even bored with the character. By making Billy so simple, he can create complex events that surround him. With this, Billy shows his general reactions. Without Billy delving deeply into the events, it in fact leaves room for the audience to have their own interpretation of wh...

Love Is Not All, or Is It? Essay

Edna St. Vincent Millay, â€Å"Love is Not All† Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain; Nor yet a floating spar to men that sink And rise and sink and rise and sink again; 5Love can not fill thickened lung with breath, Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone; Yet many a man is making friends with death Even as I speak, for lack of love alone It well may be that in a difficult hour, 10 Pinned down by pain and moaning for release, Or nagged by want past resolution’s power, I might be driven to sell your love for peace, Or trade the memory of this night for food It well may be I do not think I would. Part I: Paraphrase the Poem. Love isn’t everything, it’s not food, beverages, sleep and it sure won’t act as a roof against the rain. Love cannot offer a sinking man in peril a life-saving â€Å"floating spar†. As he rises, he sinks, only to rise and sink again. Love cannot give the air we need to fill our â€Å"thickened lung†, it can not clean blood or heal broken bones. Yet for all the things love can’t do, a man without love is a man â€Å"making friends with death†. The lack of love alone in a difficult hour will pin you down by pain, whine for release or harass you by the power of past resolution’s. One might be driven to sell love for peace, trade their memories for a meal, but never give up love even if it was to release horrible pains or to get food to live. Part II: Scan the Poem. / = stressed syllable ^ = unstressed syllable = half-stressed syllable || = significant pause ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 1Love is not all: it is not meat nor drinkA ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 2Nor slumber nor a roof against the rain;B ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 3Nor yet a floating spar to men that sinkA ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 4And rise and sink and rise and sink again;B ^ / | ^ /| ^ /| ^ / | ^ / | 5Love can not fill thickened lung with breath,C ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 6Nor clean the blood, nor set the fractured bone;D ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ ^ / | 7Yet many a man is making friends with deathC ^ / | ^ / | / ^ | / ^ | ^ ^ / | 8Even as I speak, for lack of love aloneD ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / |^ / | || 9It well may be that in a difficult hour,E ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 10Pinned down by pain and moaning for release,F ^ / | ^ / | ^ /| ^ / | ^ /| || 11Or nagged by want past resolution’s power,E ^ / | ^ / | ^ ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 12I might be driven to sell your love for peace,F ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ ^ / | 13Or trade the memory of this night for foodG ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | ^ / | 14It well may be I do not think I would. G * Line 1-6 are composed with Iambic pentameters, which are ten syllables for each line in five Iambic pairs. * Line 7 is mostly Iambic with the last feet being Anapest. * Line 8 is the most complexe, the foot division are: Iamb, Iamb, Trochee, Trochee, Anapest. * Line 9-11 are composed with Iambic pentameters as well, line 9 and 11 both have a significant pause at the end. * Line 12 has 4 feet of Iamb and one feet of Anapest directly in the middle. * Line 13 has 4 feet of Iamb ended with a feet of Anapest. * Line 14 is a Iambic pentamerter. The Rhyme scheme is ABAB, CDCD, EFEF, GG. Part III: Write a Short Essay. Love is Not All, Or is It ? In Edna St. Vincent Millay’s sonnet â€Å"Love is Not All’, the speaker depicts that love isn’t the most important thing in life, but you would do anything for it. In the first half, Millay declares that love is useless and unsubstantial to life’s requirement. The second half of the sonnet successfully outshines the previous half because although she has shown that love isn’t needed to live, Millay makes it clear that life isn’t worth living without it. Furthermore, love is not something that will help you physically; however, it always goes back to the fact that it’s the most influential and overpowering thing over you. Millay elaborates on the aspect of love, love can’t do everything, love can’t save a life, nor be a shelter or a doctor. Each section of the sonnet reflects a human need: food, shelter, health and emotion. Love cannot fill our stomach with â€Å"meat† (1) nor can it hydrate us, as illustrated by â€Å"drink† (1). Also, love will not regenerate a worn out man from â€Å"slumber† (2) and sure won’t offer shelter or a â€Å"roof against the rain†(2). Millay effectively shows that love is worthless on a physical level: as love can’t offer a man in peril a life saving â€Å"floating spar† (3), offer the precious air our lungs need to breathe, heal our body from illness nor â€Å"clean the blood† (6) or fix the broken bones. Millay writes: â€Å"I might be driven to sell your love for peace / Or trade the memory of this night for food† (12-13), to produce a scenario in which she is forced to choose between love and life. The imagery you imagine reading this sonnet is very concrete, even spine-tingling at times; therefore, far from the sweet sentimental ones normally associated with love sonnets. Love, as described by Millay, seems almost as if it’s worth nothing. For all the things that love cannot do, the author insists that we still need love to live. Millay makes it evident when she writes: â€Å"Yet many a man is making friends with death / Even as I speak, for lack of love alone† (7-8), trying to give her readers the point of view that men can die without love. A lovelorn man is closer to death. Line eight really changes the direction of this sonnet because at first, Millay’s definition of love was worthless and now the reader notices that she starts restoring the significant importance of love. The next lines begin with â€Å"It well may be† (9), which introduces the reader to a hypothetical situation being â€Å"Pinned down by pain and moaning for release / Or nagged by want past resolution’s power† (10-11). These two lines influence how the reader portrays love because nothing is more important, then filling that hole in our heart when love is missing. At the end of the sonnet, Millay offers a plausible solution to fill her human needs as she â€Å"might be driven to sell your love for peace† (12) for it would release her from the horrible pains. She might â€Å"trade the memory of this night for food† (13) to feed her starving stomach. For all that love is, Millay reveals everything when she writes: â€Å"It well may be I do not think I would† (14) meaning that love is not all, but she would rather be dead than not have it. What exactly is love? It is the hardest emotion to control, one does not simply choose whom to love, it just happens. Love’s not something you can see or touch, but you are well aware when love touches you. Love is not all, it doesn’t answer to life’s requirements; however, love is indispensable to meet those requirements and live peacefully. While reading Edna St. Vincent Millay’s sonnet â€Å"Love is Not All† the reader realizes that love is so powerful and rewarding. In an attempt to bring agreement between love and life, Millay chooses love because life is nothing without love. Work Cited Edna St. Vincent Millay, â€Å"Love is Not All† (456)