Engineering Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Engineering - Essay Example Figure 1: Kariba Dam on the Zambezi river: Zambia/ Zimbabwe Source: http://www.internationalrivers.org/es/kariba-dam/kariba-dam?size=_original Furthermore it also offers valuable lessons in the manner in which a project of such huge magnitude was pulled off successfully in those days, considering the situation in the 1950s. Also, the construction of this dam required displacement of a large number of people living in or near by the dam site, thus attracting various social repercussions in the process (Adey, 2009: 116). The various implications of the establishment and implementation of this project are discussed in the following sections. Geological Setting The Kariba Dam is a double curvature arch concrete dam, reinforced with a spillway gate area (Balon & Coche, 1974). The Zambezi river, prior to reaching Lake Kariba, falls into various slot like gorges, which forms the Victoria falls. The drainage basin of the Congo River lies to the north of Zambia. Topographically, a significant portion of the Zambian territory comprises of an elevated plateau with an altitude of approximately 3000 to 4500 feet. There are highlands in the northeast and northwest territories of the country, with the Muchinga Mountains in the northwest having elevations of approximately 5900 feet. The population centres in Zambia are formed of two key areas, i.e. in the capital city of Lusaka and in the copper belt province of north central Zimbabwe, which comprise of rich deposits of copper ore (Stokes, 2009:751). Figure 2: Physical characteristics of Kariba Dam The soil in the Kariba river basin is deep Kalahari sand formation (Bingham, 2000) thus allowing the water to permeate in it quite easily. This is known to be one of the key reasons behind the occurrence / or high incidence of earthquakes in the area. Since the land was filled with excessive weight (i.e. water) the earth below it breaks down due to the added volume, leading the ground to break. There is evidence relating the level o f artificially created lakes and seismic activities in the area, leading to increased incidences of earthquakes (Jansen, 1988: 744; Goudie & Alexander, 1997: 40). The dam was initially built with a view to generate hydroelectric power; however, the creation of the same drastically altered the geography of the land including significant changes and alterations to the biodiversity of the neighbouring areas. The Kariba Lake was located in the tropics and was one of the first projects to be built in the region. It was created by damming of the Zambezi River which flowed between the two countries i.e. Zambia and Zimbabwe in the year 1959. The building of this lake was referred to as an audacious engineering feat since it was created by clearing up a large proportion of the lands leading to displacement of thousands of locals (Gray, 2000:69). Major problems encountered The construction of the Kariba dam brought about significant changes in the area, especially the generation of electricit y which was the key purpose behind the dam. However, it also led to several problems which are discussed below: Displacement of large number of people: The creation of the dam required displacement of the Tonga tribesmen, who inhabited the area. As many as 75000 tribal people were relocated to other areas during

Human Nutrition-Supersize Me Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Human Nutrition-Supersize Me - Movie Review Example This is so huge that it is only second to smoking as a leading, preventable cause of death. In 2007-2008 the estimated prevalence for the years 2007 – 2008, in US has been calculated at 33.8% meaning 33 people out of every hundred must lose weight (Flegal et al, 2010). In the movie another interesting concept had been put forward. American children know more about Ronald McDonald than the forefathers of USA which was shown in one of the scenes where Spurlock shows a couple of pictures to 1st grade children in Worcester, MA. This is due to variety of reasons. Strong media advertising campaign by the company which in 2001 amounted to 1.3 billion dollars. If Britney Spears and other celebrities campaigned for something healthy rather than for ‘Pepsi cola’, then parents would have a good chance in talking some sense into their children. Another interesting thing to note in this movie was a notion that children associated themselves with happy memories of the playhouses accompanying most of the McDonald outlets and later on in life whenever they saw the place, those thoughts are recalled and hence a perpetuation of the cycle of dining at the same place over and over again. Food programs have been shown to be deficient in most of the school s with less focus over fresh fruits and vegetables although costing the same. Physical activity needs of the children must be addressed appropriately in schools with more attention brought to the states who have the highest obesity rates like Mississippi. As part of my personal experience I remember visiting a McDonalds outlet in downtown Manhattan with my parents. I was a 1st grader at that time. I had time of my life that day and still the family album contains my photographs with Ronald McDonald and my happy meal toys. Though I remember losing some of the toys to another kid, still, it did not put me off enough to not think of this place when I am an adult. Those warm feelings come back to me

A Capstone Experience introduction 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

A Capstone Experience introduction 1 - Assignment Example First, the company has to identify projects for change. The management has to prioritize what needs immediate attention. Such case is more successful if the company consults with as many people as possible. The feedback for each person will determine the plans that would serve the firm better (Bryson, 2011). Secondly, the company has to develop an effective communication plan. The communication strategy has to be easily adapted by the whole company. A good communication strategy will make it easy for all employees to understand the proposed project. Additionally, the management will get the feedback in time. The third step is to eliminate implementation barriers. Most of these barriers are the people who do not welcome the change in the firm. Moreover, executives who insist on other employees to implement change are barriers. Such executives are not sure about the change and fear any form of risks. There should be extra time to deal with potential resistance to eliminate the challenge (Hawkins, 2012). The last step is to develop a good change plan. The company needs to formulate a simple and clear vision for its goals. Additionally, it is important to design an action plan. After all this has taken place, the firm then sets timeframes for implementation and