water shortage

Water is one of the most necessary needs of mankind and our human body contains about 60% of water inside our cells so it’s so important to live. With rapid development of industry and agriculture in addition to the growing population, water has been increasingly consumed continually. Rosegrant, Cai, and Ximing noted that on 2003 world’s consumption of water for non-irrigation uses will rise dramatically by 62 percent from 1995 to 2025. Moreover, due to rapid growth of population water use per capita in domestic consumption will rise by 71 percent, more than 90 percent of which will be consumed in developing countries. So the increasing demand for water causes the shortage of water sources for industry, agriculture, and household daily needs. Therefore, the growth of population and industry activities has expanded water pollution. Yongming (1992) said that because of the quick expansion of the economy, the amount of waste water discharge each year is mounting, in which only 22 percent of total waste water is treated by water treatment techniques before being  discharged directly into rivers, lakes, and seas.

China depends on irrigated land to produce 70 percent of the grain for its huge population of 1.2 billion people (Brown & Halweil, 1998, p. 10). This number significantly draws more of water to supply the needs of its fast-growing cities and industries. In the research of Yongming (1992), water pollution started extensively in the late 1950s. Water shortage is considered as a key problem in the region because as rivers run dry and aquifers are depleted, the emerging concern sharply raise the country’s demand for grain importation, implying a total import needs beyond export supplies. With its booming economy, water shortage and water pollution poses a rising threat to world food security. Over 150 cities have severe lack of water supply, including Beijing. And because China highly depends on water for irrigation, these problems restrict the sustainable development of society and economy (Cheng & Song, 2009).

In order to solve the problems of water shortage and water pollution as well as improve its environmental condition, China has passed several important laws relating to environmental protection and efficient measures of water-saving and waste water reuse (Cheng & Song, 2009). The Chinese government has also setup water saving management systems to save water. Accordingly, with technological advantages, authorities in the region have undertaken measures, such as sprinkling and drip irrigation for agriculture. These events made a potential increase of water saving, recycling of cooling and processing of water for the development of most industrial sectors (Yongming, 1992). Another way to solve the problem is through water diversion.  Cheng and Song (2009) said that this process is a vital means to solve the water scarcity in the north and flooding in the south. Because of frequent the occurrence of enormous floods often, this has been established to regulate the flood disasters in the region of China and provide a sustainable development of the economy and society (Li & Wilkinson, 2006). Instead of using fresh water in the industry, waste water discharged is used for construction. With that, water sources in China could be conserved and there would be sufficient for the needs of industry, agriculture, and household.

References

Brown & Halweil (1998). China’s Water Shortage could Shake World Food Security: An abrupt decline in the supply of irrigation water to China’s farmers has aroused growing concern in the world’s capitals. Retrieved January 7, 2012 from World Watch: http://wefts.org.au/downloads/policy/China's%20Water%20Shortage%20lester_brian.pdf.

Cheng, S. & Song, H. (2009). Conservation buffer systems for water quality security in South to North Water Transfer Project in China: an approach review. Frontiers of Forestry in China, 4 (4): 394-401.

Li, W. & Wilkinson, S. (2006). Potential for international business consultancies in wastewater treatment in China: Evidence from New Zealand. Journal of Technology Management in China, 1 (3): 292-303.

Rosegrant, M.W., Cai, X., & Cline, S.A. (2003). Will the World run? Global water and food security. Environment, 45 (7), 24.

Yongming, X. (1992). An Overview of Water, Water Pollution and Control in China. Management of Environmental Quality, 3 (3), 18.

The Taj Mahal

Taj Mahal counts as one of the most beautiful buildings in India; it has the art of the Mughals and shows us how the people pay a lot of time and money to build a beautiful building would that least a long time. The Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for the memory of his wife Arjumand Banu and queen Mumtaz Mahal ; on the other hand, the other reason may be to build the Taj Mahal was a dream of Emperor Shah Jahan. The Taj Mahal took a long time about sixteen years between 1632 until 1648 C.E. and the building was built in Agra in Northern India. There were many workers who worked in the construction, about twenty thousand workers and the cost of the building was around 32 million rupees.

Most of the material used to build the Taj Mahal was provided from Asia which includes the white marble, jasper, crystal, turquoise, lapis lazuli, sapphire, carnelian plus twenty eight types of precious and semi precious stone placed with the white marble; the material was transported using elephants. The designer of Taj Mahal Ustad Ahmad Lahouri was the master architect. There was a change of the design of the Taj Mahal when Shah Jahan asked to use the white marble with semi-precious stones that give a change in the design. The design and architecture of the Taj Mahal combines the Persian and early Mughal architecture.  The hand of the designer has been cut off in order to keep the design of the Taj Mahal secure only for Mughals Emperor not to build the same building in other places. Shah Jahan is the actual one who built the Taj Mahal.  Northern India was the source of the labour force with the need of calligraphers from Syria & Persia, inlayers provided from southern India, stone cutters from Baluchistan. There was a problem when they constructed a colossal brick scaffold which was how to dismantle it in less time and this was solved when the Emperor Shah Jahan declared that any worker can keep the bricks that they will take from the scaffold.

The importance of my topic shows when a lot of visitors visit the Taj the design of the Taj Mahal from outside and inside tells us how architects in the past played a vital role in building something good without the need of using computers, heavy equipment and huge man power.  In the past, the Taj Mahal meant a lot for Shah Jahan the Emperor of Mughals as a memory for his wife; however, for today the Taj Mahal is worth a huge value for India as a historical building and it encourages visitor and architects to get a lesson in life and beauty.

  

Reference;

1. 1.       Manohar, U. (n.d.). The Taj Mahal: History and Facts. Buzzle. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.buzzle.com/articles/the-taj-mahal-history-and-facts.html
2. 2.       century, t. l., & 1857, p. o. (n.d.). Taj Mahal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taj_Mahal
3. 3.       Taj Mahal India. (n.d.). Taj Mahal India. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.tajmahal.com/
4. 4.       Taj Mahal - UNESCO World Heritage Centre. (n.d.). UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/252
5. 5.       Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal India - Taj Mahal Agra - Taj Mahal Travel- Taj Mahal Information - Tajmahal India. (n.d.). Taj Mahal - Taj Mahal India - Taj Mahal Agra - Taj Mahal Travel- Taj Mahal Information - Tajmahal India. Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.tajmahal.org.uk/
6. 6.       Retrieved April 30, 2013, from http://www.raa.com.au/travel_blog.aspx?

Youths put skills ahead of money

Emirati youths entering the job market prioritise skills over salaries. That was the message from young people attending the Emirati Youth Forum yesterday who said the opportunity to grow was the deciding factor in accepting a job - four places ahead of pay. About 50 students and recent graduates took part in the forum held a day before the Emiratisation Summit. They were from universities in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Sharjah and Fujairah.

In a live voting session, 30 per cent of participants said the opportunity for growth and promotion was the most important factor when considering a job offer; 20 per cent said learning new skills was the top factor; while 18 per cent said work environment and culture was the main factor. Only 10 per cent said they would consider salary first. A mere 2 per cent said working hours were the most important criterion. Job fairs, career guidance and workshops with corporate guests are ways that universities can help create new perceptions about working in the private sector.

On the other hand, private sector employers mistakenly believe that Emirati youth place more emphasis on salary, benefits and working hours, Sulaf Al Zu’ubi, forum moderator and chief executive officer of training and mentorship company Injaz, told Gulf News. “In order to realize Emiratisation targets, awareness about private sector opportunities needs to be enhanced among the youth,” she added. When choosing between public and private sector positions, the deciding factors for Emirati youth tend to be growth and promotion opportunities, work environment and skill development. “The private sector work environment does not always provide sufficient motivation for Emirati youth,” said Ali Ahmad, a 20-year-old student of Dubai Men’s College who attended the forum.

Release target Asian Houbara exceeded

The IFHC stand this year features live houbara, and a play performed by primary and middle school students at the Al Yaher Public School. Educating future hunters and falconers is our main focus this year which is why we are working closely with the Abu Dhabi Education Council and would like to see more schools taking an interest in the houbara. Some hunters are poaching the houbara by killing it using shotguns, giving the bird a zero survival chance in that case on  opposed  to the slight chance of escape the houbara gets when being hunted by a falcon. A reason for this is the difference in mentality that modern hunters have as opposed to their forefathers who grew up in harsh conditions and were accustomed to giving back to nature as much as they took from it. With its own independent stand for the first time this year at the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition (ADIHEX), the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) announced it has exceeded yearly expectations of Asian Houbara release into the wild. This year has been remarkable to us in terms of success. The survey will indicate how many wild birds are trapped and which areas require the reintroduction programme. We believe that some people are overhunting in some places, that some people are not using the traditional method of hunting and are using shotguns. The survey will give clues to past houbara behavior. This will hopefully mean houbara will not be taken from the wild to train falcons. The hunting exhibition is the best place to help us be in contact as much as we can with falconers, and this gives us a very good indication of the hunting pressure and the problems these birds are facing.

How do Gulf corals beat the heat

Corals and reef fish in Abu Dhabi coastal waters survive because they have managed to beat the heat by hump coral. Adapting to hot water the coral live in symbiosis with zooxanthellae, a type of algae that live inside the corals tissue. The algae producing sugars that provide up to 90 per cent of the corals energy dioxide for photosynthesis. Algae are two species that if one dies the other is unable to feed itself to stay alive. To protect itself, the coral essentially spits out the zooxanthellae. The coral can live off its fat reserves for a week, after that it needs to take the algae back in or it will die. The El Nino subjected 80 per cent of coral reefs to extreme temperatures. Corals white skeleton is made of calcium carbonate-the same substance as human bones- and is sensitive to change in water chemistry. The Gulfs corals seem to be coping also it may be something to do with an unusual complement of protective mechanisms.  Corals reproduce in one of two fragmentations or larval production when a piece of coral breaks off, rolls across the sand land somewhere else and starts growing. Larval production in massive spawning events, when countless billions of tiny, 1mm-long larval bulbs are released. Sometimes they settle for a tittle while the larvae only have a limited time to choose their home.

New pearl Museum opens in RAK

 The precious pearl has two local legends, one chat she is Bint al Matar daughter of the rain the other chat she is Bint Al Qamar, daughter of the moon. RAK which was known as Julfar was the capital of pearl business. The museum contain historical evidence of the importance of reach e.g the 1645 letter from the governor-general of the Dulzh east India co. Pearling industry collapsed when the Japanese invented  cultured pearls. Many Emirati women are named after the name of pearls. The museum is unique in the region, and has two-stores; also it belongs to RAK Pearls Holding. On the first floor you can see tools and gear worn by pearl divers. Regardless of the protection gear they suffered illness and even death. The Second floor is for the famous pearls round the world such as the Buddha which were placed inside oysters in hopes that each shell would produce a pearl. Last but not least is RAK’s 12mm Miracle of Arabia pearl, sitting on a red velvet throne inside the museum.

First reflective Statement

What is this course about?

1)      This course is mainly about academic reading and writing to develop my skills and my strategies of getting the information. Moreover I will edit and proofread drafts with my own words. Marks will be graded from assignments; a portfolio of  in-class work, two projects and vocabulary exercises.

What have I learn so far?

2)      I learns so far how to make an account on my blog; also how to add and edit on blog including posting and summers on my page. In addition to that how to enter the course website and look for more details about the course. Summarizing a paragraph was also a thing that I learned so far. Moreover, I learnt information about how to avoid crocodiles by climbing the tree and a snake does not hear

What do I expect to get from this course?

3)      I expect to learn more skills on summarizing paragraphs  and  how to collect the important  information from the paragraphs without missing any important information

What do I know about Hedley?

4)      Mr. Hedley who came from the Newcastle in the UK is my English teacher. He is a friendly person who is married and having two daughters. He likes to Joke while he is teaching.