Development Of Autobiographical Memory Psychology Essay

Development Of Autobiographical Memory Psychology Essay Three Forms of Social Interaction in Early Life and the Development, Organisation and Maintenance of Autobiographical Memory. Autobiographical memories are those enduring memories of events and personal experiences which are drawn from in the construction of an individuals life story. The personal and social meanings attached to those memories provide us and those we relate our story to, with a sense of how we became who we are. The development of an inner autobiographical knowledge base begins with the onset of the cognitive self and social interaction plays an important role in shaping and maintaining our memories. This essay will describe three forms of social interaction and how these influence the development, organisation and maintenance of autobiographical memory early in life. The interaction forms described focus on gender development, personality development and distancing from the negative emotions of an event. There is debate in psychology over the timeframe in which autobiographical memories begin to develop. The sociolinguistic argument states that the acquisition of language is crucial to early life development of autobiographical memories which are created in the construction of our personal narrative (Fivush, Haden Reese, 2006). Proponents of the cognitive perspective however, have found empirical support for their argument that the development of the cognitive self, awareness of self as a separate individual, during the second year is of greater importance than the onset of language (Howe, Courage, Edison 2003). Howe et al. report the period of amnesia in infants ends with the ability to recognise oneself and self consciously touch a red spot surreptitiously placed on ones nose by an experimenter (2003). There is consensus however, that social interaction plays a vital role in the maintenance of memories and how these memories are recounted. Cross-cultural studies have shown that culturally driven styles of interaction lead children to create their story from culturally shaped memories. Investigation of American and Asian mother and child reminiscence reveal the promotion of independence and personal actualisation valued in American culture and interdependence and modesty valued in Asian culture occur during mother child interaction (Wang Brockmeier, 2002). Comparisons of Chinese and American student memories clearly demonstrate these culturally shaped practices influence how events are encoded into autobiographical memory. American students remember detailed events which emphasise the autonomous, assured self, while Chinese students are more likely to remember less detailed events with group orientation and personal humility (Wang Brockmeier, 2002). Research suggests that parent and care-giver reminiscence style and content aids the development of culturally determined gender norms, values and beliefs. Fivush (1994) found during observations that white middle class mothers tended to be more elaborative in their talk about personally relevant past with girls than boys, whose language skills where not developed enough to steer or influence the conversation. Greater adult reminiscence elaboration and encouragement to construct their own narrative aids a childs autobiographical recall and solidifies the memories (Fivush, Haden Reese, 2006). Further, mothers clearly distinguished between boys and girls when leading talk about the emotional content of events. Girls tended to be given the message that they should seek out an adult to resolve fear or sadness and were encouraged to find resolution to conflict within their own relationships. Talk with boys included more emphasis on independence and attribution and explanation of anger wi th less talk of resolution. These patterns suggest that western children are socialised to understand that anger is more tolerable in boys than girls, and girls have greater responsibility towards others feelings in relationships (Fivush, 1994). Studies with adults confirm that western women and men remember differently, women recall more events that are relationship focussed (Skowski, Gibbons, Vogl Walker, 2004). The research discussed suggests that gender identities are influenced in early social interaction and autobiographical memories will develop to reflect the gendered values of ones culture. Another form of reminiscence between adult and young child serves to reinforce desirable aspects of the childs developing personality and discourage less desirable aspects. Discussion of a childs memories builds self awareness but can illicit tension, for example disapproval in relation to an episode when the child was particularly stubborn. The tension lies between the childs ideal self (loveable) actual self (stubborn) and ought self (co-operative) (Conway Pleydell-Pearce, 2000). Conway and Pleydell-Pearce (2000) devised the Self Memory System to explain how autobiographical memory is organised in terms of the complex hierarchical goal structure of the working-self which interacts with the autobiographical knowledge base. The onset of self consciousness, the cognitive self is necessary for the organisation of memories (Howe et al., 2003). The working-self goals of a young child, i.e. to be loved and accepted, are motivated by needs such as, to increase positive affect and reduce n egative affect (Conway, Singer Tagini, 2004). Conway et al. (2004) suggest that self defining memories have the strength to incorporate personal scripts into enduring autobiographical knowledge. Scripts, for example stubborn behaviour, the associated emotion and outcome, become cues and link together related autobiographical memories into themes. If being loved and accepted is a childs goal the theme stubbornness, will activate relevant memories from cues in the situation and help the child predict if being stubborn in a context will elicit a loving parental response or the opposite. In this way memories are organised to be drawn on as tools to assess how plausible and reachable goals are (Conway et al., 2004). However memories are malleable and can become distorted across time and in interaction. Researchers have found that the organisation of autobiographical memories, linked together by themes activated by contextual cues, is the foundations of personality (Woike, Gershkovich, P iorkowski Polo, 1999). Reminiscence between care-giver and child can function to equip the child with the skill to step back from the negative affect associated with an original event. On the other hand adults will encourage children to savour the positive affect tagged to an event. A body of research has demonstrated that people generally experience the fading affect bias, where event positive affect is much stronger at recall than equivalent event negative affect (Ritchie, Skowronski, Wood, Walker, Vogl Gibbons, 2006). The more a memory is talked over the better the maintenance of the memory and the stronger the fading affect bias (Skowronski et. al, 2004). From approximately two and a half years children begin to understand reasoning and often becomes fixated on why questions. Once this questioning is realised care-givers can incorporate an understanding of why events happened in their reminiscence with the child. Reduction of negative affect is the result of conscious self-distancing from the affect a nd paying attention to why they feel negatively instead of focussing on what they experienced (Kross, Ayduk Mischel, 2005). Kross et al. (2005) found that negative affect does not fade if the individual uses a cognitive immersion strategy while reflecting on the unpleasant memory. Cognitive distancing from negative affect and savouring positive affect may be skills learned in childhood, and could be contributing to the fading affect bias in autobiographical memory found in adult populations. The persons life story begins to develop in early childhood with the development of the cognitive self. The specific construction of the story will be heavily influenced by adult led conversations shaped by the family and cultural values the child is born into. Life stories convey who we are, for example our beliefs about gender norms, and are built selectively from autobiographical memories. A person will be motivated by their current goals to emphasise aspects to of their history and personality through the reconstruction of the past that maximise positive affect in that particular context. Adult child reminiscence aids the organisation of these memories which are linked together by themes and activated by cues in the environment. Adults also have the capacity to teach children to enjoy the positive feelings linked to memories and to distance themselves from negative emotion attached to memory by stepping back and asking why an event is unpleasant.

Landscape in “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T. S. Eliot

Landscape in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† by T. S. Eliot Although the full meaning within T. S. Eliot’s dense poem â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† proves difficult to grasp, the deep meaning packed into every word makes the pursuit to understanding this poem a never-ending adventure. Scenery in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† represents an intensely psychological account which should never, in any instance, by taken literally.The loss of time, the confusion of past, present and future tenses, the static movement, and the eternal metaphor of the question produces this psychological scenery which in turn amplifies the intensity of the poem. Time in â€Å"Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† plays a very important part in creating the landscape of the main character’s narration. The overwhelming sense of being caught in time begins within the first three lines after the epigraph: â€Å"Let us go then, you and I,/ When the evening is spread out against the sky/ Like a patient etherized upon a table;†.Just like a patient anesthetized by ether, the narrator appears trapped in a space of vulnerability at the mercy of others without the existence of time. Also, the association of the sky with an object as non-moving as a stone evokes a space in which the sky or the atmosphere has no movement: the loss of physical time. Time, in the case of the poem, appears endless (â€Å"And indeed there will be time. † pg. 4) as consequence to the narrator’s psychological state of â€Å"stuckness† and the sense of time becomes warped in confusion and solitude.J. Alfred Prufrock’s isolation also represents a loss of time within the poem. The repetition of â€Å"And indeed there will be time†¦There will be time, there will be time†¦And indeed there will be time† alludes, once again, to a landscape without time. Also phrases such as â€Å"In the room the women co me and go/ Talking of Michelangelo† use repetition for the purposes of emphasizing Prufrock’s monotonous existence and solitude without an attempt of improvement. . In addition, J.Hillis Miller explains: Like the women talking of Michelangelo, he exists in an eternal present, a frozen time in which everything that might possibly happen to him is as if it had already happened: â€Å"For I have known them all already, known them all† (CP, 4). In this time of endless repetition Prufrock cannot disturb the universe even if he should presume to try to do so. Everything that might happen is foreknown, and in a world where only one mind exists the foreknown has in effect already happened and no action is possible.Prufrock’s observation but lack of contribution emphasizes his state of solitude, and his consistent lack of contribution throughout the remainder of the poem demonstrates the impaired movement in the poem Similarly, the confusion of tense also demonstra tes a landscape without the existence of time. Confusion of tenses in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† substantiates the feeling of immaterial space such as when:The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes   1 The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes   Licked its tongue into the corners of the evening   Lingered upon the pools that stand in drains,   4 Let fall upon its back the soot that falls from chimneys,   Slipped by the terrace, made a sudden leap,                                              And seeing that it was a soft October night   Curled once about the house, and fell asleep. 4) 8 The first two lines describe the fog in present tense, but the third in past tense. In the fourth line, Prufrock begins with past tense (Lingered upon the pools) and continues in present tense (that stand in the drains). The fifth line makes the same change in tenses and the remainder of the stanza continue s in past tense. Space, explains J. Hillis Miller, â€Å"must be exterior to the self if movement through it is to be more than the following of a tedious argument in the mind.In the same way only an objective time can be other than the self, so that the flow of time can mean change for that self†, therefore time has only a subjective existence for J. Alfred Prufrock. Subsequently, past, present, and future exist in the immediate moment. Static movement in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† plays an important role in emphasizing the state of the poem’s landscape. Essentially, J. Alfred Prufrock admits to knowing the lack of movement when â€Å"In a minute there is time/ For decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse†.The narrator’s message that no matter what he does, there will never by change emphasizes a desperation to move which the character’s subconscious inhibits by habit and indecision. Monotony due to proclivity whe n â€Å"For I have known them all already, known them all:—/Have known the evenings, mornings, afternoons, / I have measured my life with coffee spoons;† demonstrates invariability in the narrators mind because all he points out having done exists in the mind: known the everyday routine, and measured every moment of his life in his mind.In addition to the narrator’s self-assessed lack of movement, Prufrock’s narration places him in a less-than-human position when he says, â€Å"I should have been a pair of ragged claws/ Scuttling across the floors of silent seas†. That Prufrock compares his monotonous existence as being equal to that of a crab in the silence and stillness of the ocean floor directly demonstrates his deadlocked existence.The continuance of the â€Å"unanswered question† also demonstrates mental deadlock because although the â€Å"overwhelming question† crops up multiple times throughout the poem, the narrator does not or cannot explain the question, nor does an answer arise. The lack of progress demonstrates an eternal present in â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock†. In addition to the endless time in â€Å"The Love Song of J.Alfred Prufrock† the metaphor of the question symbolizes the barrier between Prufrock’s mind and the outside world. The actual unanswered question throughout the story may demonstrate a lack of movement, but it extends much farther than a question. All that is miscommunication and incommunicable acts as an extension to the significance of the question. Throughout the poem, Prufrock’s struggle to communicate with both the characters in his mind and the reader demonstrates his self-acknowledged impotence.The inability to communicate when Prufrock says, â€Å"In the room the women come and go/ Talking of Michelangelo†(4) demonstrates the barrier between Prufrock and society because Prufrock never approaches the characters of which he spe aks, he only watches from an unknown distance in an unknown location. Although Prufrock does not approach these figures of society, the moments there is communication demonstrates social flaw. J.Hillis Miller explains that â€Å"Prufrock's vision is incommunicable, and whatever he says to the lady will be answered by, ‘That is not what I meant at all. /That is not it, at all’. The lady is also imprisoned in her own sphere, and the two spheres can never, like soap bubbles, become one. Each is impenetrable to the other†. The last five stanzas of the poem show a change in scenery which seems to switch to the seaside and then into the â€Å"chambers of the sea† which restores his original wish to have been a creature of the sea.This scene also demonstrates the consequences of attempted communication between the outside world and the narrator when: â€Å"We have lingered in the chambers of the sea/ By sea-girls wreathed with seaweed red and brown/ Till human v oices wake us, and we drown†. This passage, especially the end line, displays the effect of outside vitiation on Prufrock’s mental state. The result of drowning as consequence to the human voices isolates the bubble that is the narrator’s existence from the outside world which, once penetrated, can no longer function. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† captures the landscape inside the mind of the narrator through many subtle and abstract ways. The intense meaning of the poem captured through the mind of the character uses the loss of time, the confusion of past, present and future tenses, the static movement, and the eternal metaphor of the question in order to produce an intensely psychological landscape. The obvious amount of thought and effort embedded in the language of â€Å"the Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† demonstrates the great meaning seen within Eliot’s poetry.

Environmental Security: Bangladesh Essay

Abstract While reading International Relations I got acquainted with many contemporary issues which are really important to deal with for the competitive survival of Bangladesh in this age of globalization. Bangladesh is a developing country. It has to perform very carefully in order to continue a healthy and sustainable economic system. Bangladesh suffers from both internal and external threats which are both military and non-military. Among them Environmental Security (ES) is a matter of great importance. Because environmental calamities are great threat to economic development and are means of creating dependency on the donor countries. It is also controlling relation between states and also creating tension between them. So, time has come to take this issue more significantly and take necessary steps accordingly. This research paper contains how environment is having power over the matters of our country; creating balance of relationship with the donor countries; and what Bangladesh shoul d do in order to overcome the problems to establish better economics. Acknowledgement In order to provide a valid research paper, I have taken information from the lecture shits given by the department of International Relations. Internet has been a great source of information which I have mentioned in the part of bibliography. Moreover I have taken information from BANGLADESH: Non-traditional security, By Jyoti M. Pathania, and used speeches of George Kennan, Collin Powell in some relevant area. I am grateful to Dr. Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed (Chairman, Governing Council, Dhaka School of Economics (DScE); Chairman, Governing Body, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation). He has given me some clear view of the issue of Environmental Security. I have used some information in this research paper from his presentation on The Outcome OF Cancun Climate Change Conference (COP-16) and Bangladesh. My work has also been encouraged by Dr. jashim Uddin, General Manager, Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation, who has great experience in the field of development in Bangladesh. 1.0 Introduction There have been two approaches to Security Studies: 1) Traditional Approach, i.e., Realist Approach and Non-traditional Approach, i.e., i) Widening Approach and ii) Deepening Approach. Since the end of the Cold War, there has been renewed interest in what is now called ‘non-traditional’ security issues. Among the non-traditional approach to security studies, the widening approach includes that states are functionally like units; states are not like units in terms of capability/power. Some are strong and some are weak. Inter-state relationship is governed by this power differentiation. As a result, anarchy is the ordering principle of international politics. States are bound to adapt to this anarchic system for their survival. However, in widening approach the referent object of security is state; state wants to secure state sovereignty, physical base of state (territory, resources and population) and political system. It simply includes a wide range of non-military threats to state security: both external and internal and military and non-military. The Environmental Security can be referred to this non-traditional approach of security, which is an internal and external non-military threat to a state that causes huge loss to the physical base of a state, demolishes economic situation and threats the sovereignty of state in this age of globalization. Hence the Environmental Security has become a matter of great importance in today’s world. Environmental security involves assessing the ways in which the quality of environmental systems relate to or impact the overall health and well-being of a state or society. It also refers to the relative protection of the environment from injury or degradation by manmade or natural processes due to accident, negligence, ignorance, or design from causes that cross national borders and endanger the livelihood or health of humans, the functional integrity of a state, or the stability of the international community. Most environmental threats to national and international security can be traced to man’s activities interfering into natural processes or the natural ecosystem. Some serious threats, however, may have natural origins, but become exacerbated from man’s activities. Examples of these include hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. Environmental Security (ES) is a matter of great importance since it also controls international relations between states. As late as 1985, the old cold warrior George Kennan Wrote in foreign affairs: Affairs concerning international relations and national interests in foreign countries. , identifying the threat to the world environment as one of the two supreme dangers facing mankind. But it was really in the post Cold War era that the world saw a dramatic increase in international activity around environmental issues. The United Nations Environmental Program has reported that about 170 treaties have been negotiated in recent years on various issues of the global environment. (1) 2.0 Importance of ES can be understood further by the following statement: â€Å"Few threats to peace and survival of the human community are greater than those posed by the prospects of cumulative and irreversible degradation of the biosphere on which human life depends. True security cannot be achieved by mounting buildup of weapons (defence in a narrow sense), but only by providing basic conditions for solving non-military problems which threatens them. Our survival depends not only on military balance, but on global cooperation to ensure a sustainable environment.† Brundtland Commission Report, 1987 In 1999, Collin Powell stressed the importance of ES saying: â€Å"Sustainable development is a compelling moral and humanitarian issue, but it is also a security imperative. Poverty, environmental degradation and despair are destroyers of people, of society, of nations. This unholy trinity can destabilize countries, even entire regions.† We are dependant upon the globe’s life-supporting eco-systems generating water, food, medicine, and clean air etc, but we actually did nothing to maintain this ecosystem. As a result the current and future generations will confront severe environmentally induced changes. The change has already started and is testing our traditional concepts and understandings of security, both national and beyond boundaries. In many cases conflicts are direct results of environmental degradation. Another important dimension of Environmental security is that it knows no state boundary. It affects humankind and its institutions and organizations anywhere and at anytime, which cannot be defended by any means of military defense or political negotiation. 3.0 VARIOUS INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS international relations, study of the relations among states and other political and economic units in the international system. Particular areas of study within the field of international relations include diplomacy and diplomatic history, international law, †¦.. Click the link for more information. THEORIES ON ENVIRONMENT A number of International Relations Theories can be applied to the issue of environment. Many of these theories only deal with the environment indirectly, yet it is useful to review the expanding literature of international-relations theory as it relates to the environment. Realism: The two central concepts of Realist theory are power and the national interest. The international society is an anarchical state-system. The system is therefore a self-help one. Realism assumes that states and their populations need natural resources to survive. There is a competition between states for these scarce resources. War is often the result of such competition and conflict. It leads to â€Å"the struggle for power and peace,† as Hans Morgenthau put it. (7) Extreme versions of Realism such as the geopolitical some see President George Bush’s intervention in Iraq as an attempt to secure the oil resources of the Middle East. 3.1 Malthusianism: Thomas Malthus, an 18th century English cleric, believed that because population grew in geometric progression and food production followed arithmetic progression, there would come a time when population growth would inevitably outstrip and will cause starvation. Thus it will threat the socio-economic security of a nation. 3.2 Liberalism: Liberalism focuses on cooperation. While liberalism sees people and states competing for scarce environmental resources, it does so in a more orderly way. Thus, â€Å"a liberal philosophy applied to global environmental politics tends to treat states as competitive participants–not unlike corporations–in markets they have established among themselves.† (8) Private enterprise and the market produce efficiency and save nature. For example, the Stockholm Declaration of 1972 forbids states from inflicting environmental damage on each other, because this would be a violation of the state’s sovereignty. 3.3 Institutionalism: This approach also focuses on cooperation. Here the states have a broader sense of self-interest. They focus on the public good. Their enlightened self-interest includes norms, values, principles and expectations which are the ingredients of International Regimes. The states seek mutually acceptable compromises through international negotiation. The building of International Regimes can benefit the global environment. The Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change is a good example of international regimes. 3.4 Ecoanarchism: This philosophy is humanistic and leftist, and Murray Bookchin is its leading proponent. Ecoanarchists believe that â€Å"the state and ‘big’ capital are inimical to the autonomy of humans and nature.† (9) Thus to preserve nature it is necessary to break society into â€Å"small, relatively self-sufficient units.† To help nature these units must practice altruism and mutual aid. 3.5 Social Naturalism: This view sees â€Å"culture and nature as bound together† in a kind of social community. Community is used in a very broad sense that includes people, animals, plants, ideas, language, history and the ecosystems. Cooperation between humans and nature is a given. The objective of social naturalism is â€Å"the creation of a cooperative ecological society found to be rooted in the most basic levels of being.† (10) This philosophy strongly resembles the worldview. 3.6 Sustainable Growth: The growth of incomes results in economic development. As the 1990s World Bank President Barber Conable put it: â€Å"market forces and economic efficiency were the best way to achieve the kind of growth which is the best antidote to poverty.† (12) So according to the neoclassical economist’s dictum â€Å"a rising tide lifts all boats† is associated with the idea that improvements in the general economy will benefit all participants in that economy. The proponents of this theory believe that when the poor of the developing countries become richer then it will reduce pressure on the environment. For example, they will be more able and willing to pay the costs of keeping air and water clean. (13) 3.7 Sustainable Development: This phrase first appeared in a 1980 report issued by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) or World Conservation Union, international organization founded in 1948 to encourage the preservation of wildlife, natural environments, and living resources. (14) This approach focuses on the â€Å"needs† of the world’s poor and calls for a sufficient transfer of wealth from the rich countries to the poor, so that the developing countries can deal with the problem of poverty and environmental damage. 3.8 The Steady-State Economy: Herman Daly proposed this alternative approach which focuses not on more goods, but on the durability and longevity of goods. More goods are wasteful and cause environmental degradation. It calls for recycling and the minimal exploitation of biological and physical resources. Daly’s unit is the nation-state, and each country must seek to be self-sufficient and spend only its own natural resources. (15) 3.9 Radical Redistribution: This theory believes that environmental degradation is the result of excessive wealth, the injustices of capitalism and the income inequality between the rich and the poor nations. In 2005, a typical American consumed 51 times as much energy as a typical Bangladeshi. (16) Consequently, two things need to be done. First, the rich must drastically reduce their consumption so as not to burden the earth’s resources and environment. Second, the rich much transfer massive amounts of capital and technology so that the poor countries can grow economically and preserve the environment. 3.10 Ecosocialism and Eco-Marxism: Not surprisingly, ecosocialists and ecomarxists blame capitalism for environmental degradation. Capitalism is seen as inherently anti-ecological and anti-nature. For seeking cheaper raw materials and fatter profits they impose wastes onto nature. Thus the mode of production matters for the environment. They â€Å"emphasize people’s collective power as producers, which directly involve local communities (particularly urban) and increase democracy, which enlist the labour movement and which are aimed particularly at economic life.† (17) 3.11 Ecofeminism: Although many ecofeminists are not Marxists, they are all leftists or liberal in their philosophical orientation. For ecofeminists â€Å"the domination of women and nature are inextricably linked.† (18) â€Å"Feminine suffering is universal because wrong done to women and its ongoing denial fuel the psycho-sexual abuse of all Others–races, children, animals, plants, rocks, water, and air.† (19) 3.12 Ecocentrism: Ecocentrists believe that humans cannot survive without nature. Many ecocentrists are advocates of wilderness or â€Å"wildness.† As Henry David Thoreau noted: â€Å"In wildness is the preservation of the world.† (20) 3.13 Biopolitics: The origins of biopolitics can be found in the writings of Michel Foucault. According to Mitchell Dean, a follower of Foucault, biopolitics â€Å"is concerned with matters of life and death, with birth and propagation, with health and illness, both physical and mental, and with the processes that sustain or retard the optimization of the life of a population.† (21) These are some of the basic environmental philosophies that take to mean the global environment and structure practices and policies. Many of these conflict with one another and have diverse explanation of the reasons for environmental degradation. 4.0 A case of Bangladesh: The first part of this research paper dealt with the security agenda and the philosophies involving ES. Scarcities of renewable resources can generate civil violence and conflict; the degradation of renewable resources causes environmental insufficiency; powerful groups take over precious resources while trivial groups move around to ecologically sensitive areas. Moreover environmental scarcity proves the difference between social groups. Such situation affects governmental institutions and states by making it economically weak. Even environmental scarcity can cause ethnic conflicts. Accordingly the International community can be indirectly affected by these conflicts produced by environmental scarcity. (22) In the second part I will focus on Bangladesh regarding the issues of environment security. Ours is a country which has to face both external and internal, and military and non military threats. Bangladesh achieved its independence through a devastating war against Pakistan which resulted millions of death and around ten million refugees to India. Even after the war Bangladesh has been facing military threat from the Shanti Bahini of Chittagong Hill Track (CHT). Guerrilla warfare between the rebels and armed force of the government in CHT and civil conflicts between the Bengali and Non-Bengali residents of this place continue till today. The most recent armed conflict between the Bengali and Non-Bengali residents happened on 19th January 2011; where 6 (six) were killed. Such situation threatens the stability of a state. Circumstances become more vulnerable when environmental degradation doubles the pain. The independent Bangladesh has been facing environmental calamity since 1974. In 1974 famine raged over and was further aggravated by a flood. Later on, the degradation only increased and in recent years Bangladesh has seen devastating cyclones and floods. The security of Bangladesh must depend on sustainable environment in many ways. Environmental degradation will badly affect economic development, erode social cohesion. Even political institutions face threat. Population growth and lack of economic opportunity will cause demographic displacement both within the country and outside. Migration in other country can cause bilateral conflict Bangladesh is also bearing the result of environmental problems of neighbor countries. Such situation in water sector is already exacerbating regional tension with India. It can lead to harmful progress towards regional security and can instigate regional cooperation on the other hand. We have to remember that the linkage of environment and security in Bangladesh is through economics and politics. The greater the environmental degradation in Bangladesh the greater will be the political and economic deterioration, thus leading to more national and international insecurity. 5.0 ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS IN BANGLADESH Bangladesh posses a horde of security problems, which are no longer of conventional nature but have non-conventional nature i.e. Non-traditional security issues which are in the state of constant evolution. These are economic, environmental, political and territorial threats. 5.1 Population The greatest problem that Bangladesh faces is an unusually large population in a small land area. The population grew from 42 million in 1951 to about 147 million in 2005. (23) It is projected to reach 166 million in 2015. (24) The population density is 1019 per square kilometer. When one compares this with 2 persons per sq. km. in Australia, 3 in Canada, 31 in USA, 191 in Pakistan and 324 in India, one becomes aware of the tremendous crush of population in Bangladesh. The faster the population increases, the more would be the negative effects on its environment. Zero population growth could serve for the environment in Bangladesh. 5.2 Land and Soil As noted earlier, Bangladesh covers a small area of only 144,000 square kilometers, but 63% of the total land is arable because it is located in the largest delta in the world. Formed by the three mighty rivers–the Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Meghna–it is also â€Å"the youngest and the most active delta in the world.† (27) Although Bangladesh is a flat alluvial plain, it does have complex soil condition and land pattern. Erosion of land by rivers is a serious problem in Bangladesh. Every year due to strong summer winds, powerful waves and shifting rivers thousands of acres of land are eroded away, leaving thousands of families homeless and contributing to the pattern of wholesale migration towards the urban areas, mainly to the capital city Dhaka. But it only creates instability in the society. 5.3 Deforestation Many decades ago Bangladesh had rich tropical forests. But due to population growth and the need for firewood and timber, the forests have become rapidly depleted. Currently the forest area comprises 13,000 square kilometers, about 10.2% of the total land space, which is much less than the universally accepted minimum of 25%. (28) Located in the southwest of Bangladesh, the Sundarbans is a mangrove, large tropical evergreen tree, genus Rhizophora that grows on muddy tidal flats and along protected ocean shorelines. It is the home for of the famous Royal Bengal Tiger as well as other rich flora and fauna. The United Nations has declared the Sundarbans as a world heritage site because of its rich biodiversity. Besides, the tropical rain forests in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, home to high value timber, rich vegetation and wild animals. Many animals are being rapidly depleted due to demand from both agriculture and industry. The Chokoria Sundarbans in the southeastern part of the country near the port-city Chittagong were completely destroyed in the 1980s and 1990s in order to facilitate shrimp farming. 5.4 Drought & Floods It is ironic that during the monsoon season Bangladesh has too much water and during the winter months too little water when no rainfall occurs. Thus the country is subject to both floods and drought. Barendra Bhumi of the northern part of our country is an example for drought affect. Because of drought people are unable to continue agricultural work and suffer from monga (unemployment). It also causes huge migration towards the capital city and other cities. Heavy drought also causes desertification in this area. On the other hand, in the rainy season Bangladesh suffers from too much water. About 1360 billion cubic meters of water is discharged annually through the GBM system, 93% of which flows through Bangladesh. If all the water did not flow into the sea, the country had been under 32 feet of water. The 230 rivers with their numerous creeks and rivulets attempt to drain the water into the Bay of Bengal But the situation of rivers, the low river gradients in the flat plain and strong backwater effects slow the passage to the sea, giving rise to the overflowing of the riverbanks. Every year there are floods, in some years it becomes extreme due to extra heavy rainfall. 5.5 Storms & Cyclones Bangladesh faces huge destruction due to storms and cyclones. The cyclones mainly hit the coastal region. Several severe cyclones emerge from the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. The funnel shape of the Bay increases the intensity, often blowing in excess of 240 km per hour and creating tidal bores 9 km high. One of the worst cyclones occurred on November 12, 1970, killing an estimated 300 hundred thousand people in addition to major damage to livestock, poultry, crops and vegetation. (30) The most recent examples can be SIDR (2007) and AILA (2009).

Invention Is the Mother of Necessities - 1649 Words

Module 1 - Background Invention is the mother of necessities.† - Marshall McLuhan Questions We Ask Ourselves Marshall McLuhan s saying, Invention is the mother of necessities, is an example of wit. How is it witty? What is the original saying? You need wit to think about technology, for wit demands creative thinking. And once you start thinking creatively, you start to see the effect of technology on us all. The usual saying is, Necessity is the mother of invention. That makes sense: right now, for example, the world may be running out of oil, and as a result, the necessity of finding a new energy supply will lead to new inventions. Hence the necessity (need for energy) is the mother of invention. But McLuhan says that†¦show more content†¦Our seeing and hearing have been extended. So what part of us is therefore natural, and what part is technology? Technology affects our very identity. Another definition of technology is the innovation, change, or modification of the natural environment to satisfy perceived human needs and wants. We can change nature. That is also important, both in itself and how we see ourselves. Technology began by helping cave dwellers cope with the environment, but now it can change that environment. So we see that technology has a profound effect on us because it: 1. Affects our personal identity by extending our natural capabilities. 2. Changes the natural environment to suit us. These are huge, huge, effects. Technology is definitely something we should think about, for it affects everything around us and even in us. But we will first have to focus on how we will discuss technology in the course. Inventions as Gales of Creative Destruction A major concept in this course would be Joseph Schumpeter s concept of gales of creative destruction that sweep through economies. How does this concept relate to technology? What exactly are the gales?Show MoreRelatedThomas Alva Edison and His Contribution to the World866 Words   |  4 PagesDuring the 19th century the inventions of useable electricity, steel, and natural gas products led to a second industrial revolution (1865–1900), which featured the growth of transportation as well as faster and wider means of communication. The 19th century was the age of developing machine tools along with interchangeable parts. The assembly line was also invented during the 19th century, speeding up the manufacturing of products in factories. Inventors began to design practical internal combustionRead MoreTechnology is Eden Essay676 Words   |  3 PagesMcLuhans statement that â€Å"Invention is the mother of necessities† is very true. This is because if it were not for tech nology our work would not be as efficient or productive. New technologies and innovations became our necessities and we cannot live without them now that they have been introduced in our lives. Invention is a gale of creative destruction, and those gales lead to changes in the economy and then in society. Old inventions are being replaced by new inventions that are easier to use andRead MoreHistory Has Always Revolved Around Technological Advances.1249 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Paleolithic, Neolithic, and Bronze Age, new technologies followed under the old proverb â€Å"Necessity is the mother of invention† because each development was created for a purpose. From early tools and rock carvings to housing, pottery, and writing each invention was historically significant and could contribute to a connection to survival. During the Paleolithic time, many technological inventions were created, each with a necessary purpose. From 130,000 to 10,000 BCE, also referred to as theRead MoreA Utopian Society By John Locke1257 Words   |  6 Pagesbecause it connotes that the father is the only parent involved in the parenting of his children. 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In the end, one truth stands; with technology comes great responsibility. The Machine Stops (Forster, 1909), contrasts in two main characters approach technology y. Vashti impatient withRead MoreEssay on Inventions and Discoveries of the 1960’s1605 Words   |  7 PagesInventions and Discoveries of the 1960’s The 1960’s era was a time period notorious for its technology and innovation. This particular era of time was booming with creativity. People started to venture outside of the traditional mindset established by their elders, and the new generation made a great impact on the American lifestyle. The original models of these creations have been modified into complex designs, yet as we strive for perfection, we still use these revolutionary concepts. LikeRead MoreGuns, Germs, and Steel Study Questions Essay754 Words   |  4 PagesBorrowed Letters 23.What do the following terms mean: blueprint copying and idea diffusion? 24.Why did kings want to limit writing to the elites? 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