Drought and water supply Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Drought and water supply - Research Paper Example Although drought has several causes and is associated with numerous negative consequences, it can be properly managed using various strategies. Drought has a long history that can be traced as far back as the biblical times of Joseph. It is one of the earliest climatic events that are documented. Presently it is associated with the Epic of Gilgamesh and later the exodus of Israelites from Egypt. It has been there since the times of early man, in Africa and the rest of the world. In the modern society, it is possible for people to mitigate the impacts of drought through crop rotation and irrigation. If people fail to develop and implement mitigation strategies, drought and bad water supply they will incur grave costs. The worst droughts that have been experienced in the world are the droughts of 1980s and 1990s. The most severe and historical drought was experienced in the basin of river Simeto. Climate is what determines water supply. Temperatures of the air determine the level of water demand, while precipitation is the only source of renewing water. If people can clearly understand past climatic conditions, they can predict future conditions and hence adapt and limit the level of hardship faced during drought. It is evident that drought comes in a certain pattern that repeats itself seasonally, annually and inter-annually. Estimates by the United Nations indicate that one third of the world’s population is affected by water shortages (United Nations, 23). The UN states that about 1.1 billion people lack safe water for drinking and those without enough water for sanitation stand at 2.6 billion (United Nations, 23). Consequently, deaths and diseases have increased due to the use of contaminated water. Children from developing countries are the most affected with 3,900 of them dying everyday from diarrhea and insufficient or bad water related

Strategic Management Unit 4 DB SA Final Week Essay

Strategic Management Unit 4 DB SA Final Week - Essay Example These laws are not different to those in the US because eventually, it is all about environmental conservation and the end goal is to protect our surroundings. Environmentally, the numerous vehicles produced by the firm poses a great danger to the environment because once in the roads, the vehicle produce emissions in gasses form to the surrounding causing air pollution. These deplete the environment through acid rains and ozone layer destruction. The commitment made by General Motors Company to conserve the environment through waste and pollutants reduction, recycling, conservation and educating the public on way to support environmental conservation is a great move (KPMG, 2010). Despite that decision by the US government to increase fuel efficiency and reduce vehicle emissions, GM is still surviving well because this move only led to demand of vehicles that have less environmental effects. The aim of the government to reduce air pollution was achieved by the move. Despite the controversial nature of the bailout in 2008, it promoted the advancement of the auto industry through development of energy-efficient vehicles. Critically, these problems are used as spark agents that ignite a change in the process of offering solutions. KPMG. (2010). The transformation of the automotive industry: the environmental regulation effect. https://www.kpmg.com/US/en/IssuesAndInsights/ArticlesPublications/Documents/transformation-automotive-industry.pdf . Internet

MPH502-Introduction to Public Health (Module 3 SLP) Essay

MPH502-Introduction to Public Health (Module 3 SLP) - Essay Example In this step it is assessed as to how much a certain disease is prevalent and what has been done in this regard. In this step the government takes data of different hospitals and analyzes which disease or disorder is increasing and needs to be addressed. It also analyzes if the health care programs are fulfilling the needs of the individuals who are suffering from such problems. Moreover all this is analyzed by the government officials and specific figures are taken. These figures are then compared and a proper research method is carried out to see how much the disease has affected people and how much is being done in this regard. This particular step is mainly developed by the federal government as they are the ones who design policies. And it is the state and local governments who have to follow these policies later. In this step specific policies are developed so as to counter act on the analysis of different diseases that have been found in the region. These policies also include health care programs for workers and other civilians. Programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance program are examples of the policies designed by the government. These programs help to provide insurance to those people who have a low income or are above the age of 65. Similarly environmental policies are also implemented which aim at lowering the incidence of a certain disease such as the swine flu. All these policies were developed in the aim of lowering the prevalence of a certain disease and increasing health coverage to all the individuals living in the society. However more policies are needed regarding the prevention of certain diseases and disorders, for example coverage for all the individuals living in the society for free and without any exceptions. State governments are mainly responsible for the health promotion activities. Health promotion activities such as the prevention of AIDs have been widely

LAW FOR BUSINESS Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

LAW FOR BUSINESS Assignment - Essay Example Thus the law on tort has allowed and provided compensation in respect of economic losses that arise directly out of the physical loss, which has not been problematic, but there have been instances when a causal link with the injury and the economic loss could not be made. (Pritchard v. Cobden)1. The problem that lies is in the compensation for losses which are financial or pecuniary in nature, or in other words the loss cannot be in any attributed to or have no connection whatsoever with the personal or physical harm that has been caused to the claimant, this is what has been termed as pure economic loss. These type of losses can include the financial loss or expenditure which resulted from the negligence of the defendant. Therefore for the majority of cases under this head there is an exclusionary rules which bars recovery in these cases and liability is the exception. (Deakin et al 2003) It has been argued that the courts in the instance of personal injury tend to compute loss of f uture earnings which are as difficult to calculate as would be pure economic loss. Furthermore in Canadian National Railway v. ... ment that has been most often cited by the court is that the if the exclusionary rule is not present than the ‘floodgates’ in respect of such liability would open, whereby there would endless claims against the defendants. This has been argued to be a weak argument because extensive liabilities can be found in respect of claims of physical damage for example large scale pollution. (Elliott et al 2007) A better argument in that respect would be the fact that if such an open ended duty of care is imposed in respect of economic loss then there remains the danger of indeterminate liability that is unpredictability in respect of the number of claimants as well as the size of claim. An important example that has been given in this respect is where due to an accident on the highway the motorist who was negligent is held to owe a duty to all those who were stuck in a traffic jam as a result of the accident in respect of their loss of earnings. (J.Stapleton, ‘Duty of Care a nd Economic Loss- A Wider Agenda’)3. Therefore a line of exclusion has been drawn. There has been an argument from Professor Feldthusen that all cases in respect of pure economic loss should not be covered under one heading and therefore a disctinction in this respect should be made for each area. Question 2Â   In the case of Hedley Byrne v. Heller4 the courts did not find any negligence misstatement because of the fact that there had been a disclaimer in the remarks that is the term without responsibility whereby the possibility of a duty of care was extinguished.The position in respect of accountant’s liability can be seen from the decision of House of Lords in Caparo v. Dickman5 whereby for the establishment of a duty of care a reformed three stage test was laid down. The first requirement was

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Brick Lane by Monica Ali Essay Example for Free

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Brick Lane by Monica Ali Essay Having read both Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and Brick Lane by Monica Ali, I am going to concentrate the city question on Brick Lane. Brick Lane tells the story of Nazneen, an eighteen year old moved to London from her rural upbringing in Bangladesh to Tower Hamlets, a close tight community of Bengali families living in blocks of flats struggling to make their way up in the city to earn sufficient money and a civilised upbringing for their children, yet still yearning to go back to their home land. Nazneen is married to Chanu, twenty years older than her, he is educated yet earns his money working as a taxi driver. This novel has clear descriptions of city life, the diversity of the people within and how Nazneen interprets the city from her point of view. There are many ways in which the material conditions of the city are described in this novel, the different areas of the city of London are described from the block of flats where Nazneen lives to the big office blocks in the city centre. City life in this novel begins with Nazneen describing the Tattoo lady who lives in the block of flats opposite her, from here we become familiar with the lack of space and understand the very little room they have in the urban areas of London Most of the flats that closed three sides of a square had net curtains and the life behind them was all shapes and shadows. But the tattoo lady had no curtains at all. Morning and afternoon she sat with her thighs spilling over the sides of her chair. By reading this, it is already forming an idea of the main settings of the novel which are the block of flats, very cramped and close, very little sense of privacy. We also get an idea of the type of people living around the area as well, the tattoo lady is frequently mentioned in the novel, informing us that at least two thirds of the flesh on show was covered in ink. Another material condition of the city we come across in this novel is when Nazneen actually considers visiting the tattoo lady at the flat opposite hers, however such is city life that Nazneen reconsiders this The tattoo lady might be angry at an unwanted interruption. Although this is not an actual object described in the city, from Nazneens thought we get an idea of the type of people she would come across whilst living in the city, it forms the surroundings of the narrative by mentioning Nazneens neighbours. Monica Ali also describes the smell of the surroundings where Nazneen lives The breeze on Nazneens face was thick with the smell from the overflowing communal bins. This material condition most definitely helps to form the surroundings of the novel shaping the condition of the area where Nazneen lives. Although Monica Ali has focused on forming the surroundings of the city where Nazneen lives with the smell and the neighbours, she has also formed the novel with the material conditions of inside the flat where Nazneen lives, in the novel Nazneen spends most of her time inside the flat to sit day after day inside this large box with the furniture to dust, and the muffled sound of private lives sealed away above, below and around her. By giving brief descriptions like this it shapes the scene of the narrative from the beginning of the novel, we are informed of the furniture inside the flat, Nazneen mentions that she has never seen more furniture inside one room, with all this, we are already shaping the narrative with the material conditions inside of Nazneens flat. Whilst living in the city, Nazneen mentions outdoor surroundings quite often, although she spends most of her time inside her flat or at Razias, whenever Nazneen has gone outside the boundaries of her area, we as the are given more description of the actual city conditions There were more cars than people out here; a roaring metal army tearing up the town. By describing the cars as an army tearing up the town, we can immediately shape the city life of the narrative with the pollution and the noise of the cars. We can imagine the dirt and the hustle of the city. The people who passed walked, looked ahead at nothing or looked down at the pavement to negotiate puddles, litter and excrement. This was the material conditions of the city life which helped form the narrative, which helped give the reader an idea of the city life and scenes to which we can imagine Nazneen and her husband walking across. The social life in this novel also helps to form the material conditions of city life and the novel, Nazneens social life throughout the novel consisted of Mrs Islam and Razia gossiping about fellow women, she would often visit Razia at her flat, whilst going to Razias flat we are given descriptions of the surroundings within Nazneens boundary of her estate, we are informed of the group of young Bengali men who stood in the bottom of the stairwell, combing their hair and smoking or making loud, sudden hoots this was the social life the young men had in the city, they would hang around in gangs not achieving much, Nazneen stayed within her boundaries as well, so it gives the reader an impression that social life within a city should be kept in the boundaries that you live in, like a safety barrier. We are also informed of the material conditions of the corridors and stairwells where Nazneen lives, the front doors are mentioned to be the same across the corridors peeling red paint show ing splinters of pale wood, a rectangular panel of glass with wire meshing suspended inside, gold rimmed keyholes and stern black knockers. On the wall someone had drawn a pair of buttocks in thick black pen this helps the reader to form a picture in their minds of the state of city life where Nazneen lives, The stairs gave off a tang of urine Although Nazneen is told to stay within the boundaries of the estate because if she went out people would talk and gossip about her, Nazneen did go out. This was when she got lost, and we as the readers gained more knowledge of the material conditions of city life which formed the narrative, we are told that to get to the other side of the street without being hit by a car was like walking out in the monsoon and hoping to dodge the raindrops. Immediately we can imagine the fast movement of the city, cars going past like buzzing bees, to cross the road, Nazneen waited next to a woman and stepped out with her, like a calf with its mother short descriptions like this form the material conditions of the city life in this novel so skilfully. Throughout the novel, we are not only informed of the material conditions of the city where Nazneen lives or around the area of Bethnal Green, we are also informed of the streets buildings past Brick Lane. She looked up at a building as she passed. It was constructed almost entirely of glass, with a few thin rivets of steel holding it together. The building was without end, above somewhere it crushed the clouds. The material conditions mentioned here are most entirely opposite to the towers described of Tower Hamlets. Although both scenes have very large buildings, the towers in the city centre are described as palaces, with entrances and colonnades across the front this was the diversity of the material conditions of city life which helped form the narrative, because the reader is informed that the city is not the same throughout, every area has its own distinctive features, some parts of the city are very well looked after whereas others such as where Nazneen lives are forgotten ab out. The material conditions of city life in the novel are mentioned to the reader in many ways, we are told of the people that Nazneen walks past when she goes to the city centre every back she saw, was on a private, urgent mission to execute a precise and demanding plan. They could not see her anymore than she could see God from this, we acknowledge the independency of the people in the city. Soon Nazneen realises that she does not fit in with these working people, they are dressed smart, they have coats and handbags whereas Nazneen has a cardigan and a sari, although Nazneen was dressed differently, only one woman noticed she was there and smiled at her. By giving details such as this, Monica Ali has formed and shaped the narrative according to city life, every person with its own mission. So far, throughout the novel, only roads and streets, people and buildings have been mentioned. However when Nazneen does come across some greenery, she says in this city, a bit of grass was something to be guarded, fenced about, as if there were a sprinkling of emeralds sown in among the blades. This, yet again is another material condition of city life, although it is not unpleasant like the conditions in Nazneens area, green grass has not yet been mentioned up until now, and when it has the grass is guarded with fence, so from this, we can imagine the very few places in the city to relax and enjoy the scenery. We also get the indication that in this novel, for Nazneen there is no place for her to get away from everything, the city would not pause even to shrug. Throughout the novel, the descriptions of the city and the buildings given to us by Nazneen have been described just as Nazneen saw them, however, later on in the novel, when Nazneens son becomes ill, whilst in the ambulance van, and with her fear for her son, she mentions The city shattered. Everything was in pieces. She knew it straight away, glimpsed it from the painful white insides of the ambulance. Just as Nazneens heart shattered in pieces, the city did too with her, so she is relating the material conditions of the city with her emotions and giving the reader an image of doom and gloom within the city. Although the material conditions described to us previously in the novel have been mostly doom and gloom anyway, Nazneen has only just implied the greyness and dullness of it along with her emotions. Frantic neon signs. Headlights chasing the dark. An office block, cracked with light. These shards of the broken city. Up until now the city was not mentioned as broken, it was just described as how Nazneen saw it, but now, we get the real image of the city, the material conditions which helped form the narrative The crystal towers and red bricked tombs. The bare-legged girls shivering at the bus stop. Up until now, Nazneen had simply described the different dress code of non Asian females, now that she saw they were at the bus stop bare legged in the early hours of the morning, Nazneen is ridiculed by them, she talks about them along with the broken city. She is giving the reader material conditions of the city which make it so grim. The well fed dogs and bloated pigeons. This is something Nazneen would never see in her homeland Bangladesh, dogs are of no importance and pigeons always a pest. So now, we get to witness Nazneens interpretations of the material conditions of the city life, how she feels it is all wrong compared to h er land. The cars that had screamed alongside the ambulance, urging it on, parting in waves. The cars that had previously been described as an army now screaming, this clearly shows the rage within Nazneen and the material city conditions which she so hates. Throughout the novel, London is not the only city mentioned, with Nazneens sister living in the city in Bangladesh, Dhaka, she often receives letters from Hasina talking about her home, and the surroundings Street is wide and nice. But plastic bag blowing everywhere. Walk in street for five ten minute and by finish you cover in bag on legs and arm and stomach. From this we realise, that city conditions throughout the world are the same. The little things which give the city its status, the material conditions such as bags on the floor is what makes living in a city so different to other places. A wind blew in over the courtyard and fetched up a crisp packet at her feet. Nazneen although she was in a different country to her sister, they were both in the same situation, both living in a city with material conditions such as rubbish on the pavements and non stopping people. To conclude, the material conditions of city life in Brick Lane are mentioned with such metaphors and descriptions which inform the narrative of the surroundings, the people, the scenery and the atmosphere within. The buildings described in so many ways, the smallest details found on the floors to the stairwells of the block of flats.

High school Essay Example for Free

High school Essay Many people would like to become a cheerleader, however, they are afraid of being stereotyped, and in turn, these stereotypes may affect ones chances of successfully becoming a cheerleader. â€Å"Stereotyping is so common in our society that when you meet someone for the first time you are often stereotyped before you even reach, ‘hello. ’ The way people perceive us can have a profound effect on how we see ourselves† (Mega Essays, 2008). Cheerleading has three common stereotypes as this sport gains in popularity. The first stereotype of cheerleading is a controversy that rages on about whether or not it is a sport. Next, cheerleaders are often times compared to people with unflattering and unintelligent personalities. Finally, there have also been questions about the inclusion of males upon cheerleading teams. Though many examples exist, the three examples listed above seem to be the most challenging stereotypes which keep many afraid of joining the sport of cheerleading. Cheerleading is very popular in middle schools all the way up to the university education level, but unfortunately, several observers often question a cheerleader’s athletic ability. Cheerleaders put in hard work by lifting weights, working up a sweat, and even facing possible injury. These athletes have a strong drive for determination and dedication by practicing at all hours of the day both with their team, and also individually. Some cheerleaders may often say they practice more than the teams they cheer for. So the question arises, why not give them the title and respect they strongly deserve? Independent cheerleaders also compete nationally in addition to high school and college cheer teams; however, many cheerleaders are left pondering whether or not they can gain the attention and recognition they need to officially declare cheerleading as a sport (Ninemire, 2008). Besides the questions of cheerleading as a sport, cheerleaders are often stereotyped from the moment they are met and identified as uneducated ditzy blondes. â€Å"She’s dumb,† â€Å"She’s ditzy,† â€Å"He’s feminine,† and â€Å"They’re snobs† are just some of the stereotypes that are often used. Many people who have been a cheerleader, met one, or have even watched a cheerleading team, have experienced these stereotypes. As stated by Mega Essays, (2008) â€Å"Stereotyping is most often someone’s perception of an individual or a group based on social status, education level, race or even looks. Therefore, why do they constantly defend their sport and themselves? † One of the stronger stereotypes within the cheerleading world is the placement of men on the cheer team. As males enter the world of cheerleading they are immediately labeled as being effeminate. They are faced with society’s overcoming stereotype of a male Barbie figure (Bluestein, 1994). Unfortunately, these qualities often lead to males defending their sexuality. â€Å"Against popular belief, females where [sic] not the founders behind the sport of cheerleading; instead males who were so eager to cheer while watching sporting events created this sport. In the 1890’s the first pep club was organized at Princeton University and it was there where the first organized yell was recorded† (Bluestein, 1994). In many high schools around the world, due to the stereotypes, very few males participate on a cheer squad. â€Å"There are more then [sic] 3,000 high school and college cheerleaders in the United States. 97% of all cheerleaders are female; however, approximately 50% of collegiate cheerleaders are male† (Bluestein, 1994). Over the years, there have been many stereotypes which have agonized and affected the cheerleading world. Some stereotypes of cheerleaders include the comparison of cheerleaders with uneducated ditzy blondes, the assumption that cheerleading is not an actual sport, and should males cheer on a team. Furthermore, one should be cautious when joining this sport because of the amount of rumors, whether true or not. According to About. com (2008), â€Å"Cheerleading has expanded from pom-poms and pep rallies into big business an estimated half-billion dollar industry. In addition to college cheerleaders who joke that they practice more than their football teams, there are also independent cheerleading groups not affiliated with schools, which compete nationally. † Cheerleading has been around since the first pep club in the1890’s and continues to grow and evolve each day. References About. com (2008). Cheerleading: controversy and competition. Retrieved August 22, 2008, from http://cheerleading. about. com/od/cheerinjuries/l/aa103102a. htm Bluestein S, (1994). Male Cheerleading is a sport Serendip. Retrieved August 22, 2008, from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/node/1685 Mega Essays. (2008) Cheerleading stereotypes. Retrieved August 22, 2008, from http://www. megaessays. com/viewpaper/78441. html Ninemire V, (2008). Stop the stereotyping of cheerleaders. About. com. Retrieved August 22, 2008, from https://cheerleading. about. com.

The Construction Of The Great Wall

The Construction Of The Great Wall The construction of the great wall arose throughout the Warring States Period (403 to 221 BC). The Great Wall is a fortification alongside the northern and northwestern boundary of China, running from Shanhaiguan on the Gulf of Bohai on the east to the vicinity of Gaodai, Gansu Province, on the west, with an inner wall consecutively southward from the vicinity of Beijing almost to Handan. Shi Huangdi, first emperor of the Chin dynasty founded the biggest portion of the wall as a defense against raids by nomadic peoples. Organized work on the wall was begun about 221 BC, after Shi Huangdi had united China under his rule, and it was completed about 204 BC. Small segments of the wall were probably already in existence, but Shi Huangdi is thought to have had some nearly 1,200 miles of the wall erected during his reign. 300,000 men several of them political prisoners whose bodies are thought to be buried in the wall (not essentially true) were put to work joining the segments into one h uge rampart of stone and earth. In later times, chiefly during the period of the Ming dynasty (AD 1368-1644), the Great Wall was fixed and extended by reinforcing it with cement and stone. The fortification finally reached a length of about 1,500 miles, ensuing the course of rivers instead of bridging them and conforming to the contours of the mountains and valleys in its path. The wall is built of earth and stone, faced with brick in the eastern parts. It is from 15 to 30 feet thick at the base (about 20 feet on the average) and tapers to some 12 feet at the top. The height averages 25 feet exclusive of the crenellated parapets. Watchtowers about 40 feet in height are placed at intervals of approximately 200 yards. Several hundred kilometers of the Great Wall remain intact in the eastern reaches. The amount of brick and stone working to construct the Great Wall might limit the earth with a barrier eight feet high. From the 6th to the 14th centuries, the wall proved to be an effective barrier against strong-minded invaders, who revealed that bribing the lookouts was their most effective weapon. The Chinese Emperors aided in this cause by failing to pay there army troops, usually a bad mistake. If you dont pay your army, someone else will. Scholars guess that the Great Wall with all its divisions once stretched for 6,200 miles, from the Yalu River in the northern east to Xinjiang in the northwest. Today it measures 6,000 miles. The Great Wall has suffered serious damage from wind and water erosion, as well as man-made destruction. In the past it has been a treasure store of stone for many a poor farmer. Between 1870 and 1974, the 8th Route Army stationed at Gubeikou destroyed 9,840 feet of the wall to use the stone to erect some barracks. Later in 1979, the State ordered the same army group to tea r down their barracks and rebuild the wall. In 226 the armies of the Chu Dynasty and the Qin dynasty met in a great final battle. The victor would get the prize of the richest and most technologically advanced nation of the world. The Qin Emperor needed to defend the country from the marauding bands of nomadic horsemen of the north. These bands of horsemen who raided the rich farmland came from the barren land of the north and were forced to become marauding nomads. It was a clash of farmers against warriors. The group would be difficult to defeat. The strength, stability and prosperity of the new empire were threatened by these marauding hordes. To preserve Chinas borders the Qin set about building a huge defensive barrier in 221 BC. Wall building became the chief defensive strategy to repel the enemy from the north. This was in the age before gunpowder and cannons. The first Great Wall was a massive undertaking. It was the equivalent of building 30 of the great pyramids of Egypt. To build this great wall of 3,000 miles the Qin Emperor chose his most able general Ling Qia. He was given an army of over 300,000 men. They had to build roads, and the infrastructure as well as the wall. Much of the wall was built of beaten clay. Rock was not always available, so tamped earth became the first choice. Dirt was designated from at least four inches below the surface so seeds and grasses could not germinate and thus undermine the strength of the wall. Consuming first a form made of wood, earth was piled and was pounded into a layer of four inches thick. Following layers of this would produce a wall twenty feet high that would still be standing some 2,000 years later. The wall stretched from the borders of North Korea across the northern border to the far reaches in western China. In ten years they built a wall across the entire northern border of China in lands that included marshes, quicksand, deserts, and altitudes of 8,000 feet. They built twenty-five miles a month that is almost a mile a day. One section is across 60 miles of a mountain range. This section was built entirely of native stone with the flat face placed on the outside to face the enemy. This dry stonewall was built 20 feet high with 26-foot high beacon towers. The Qin army invented new weapons to exploit thei r advantage of their new wall. The most deadly of these was the crossbow that could hurl an arrow 250 yards with amazing accuracy. Other weapons included iron casting techniques to produce double edged swords which would not be known in the west for some 1,300 years later. The soft bronze swords of the enemy were no match for the double-edged iron swords of the Qin army. All of this was achieved at great economic and human costs. The emperor thought the wall would bring peace to the nation but the nation was weakened by the heavy cost of the construction. Ditches along the wall were filled with the corpses of workers who died building the wall. Deaths of wall workers are estimated to exceed one million. Some have claimed that the dead workers were entombed in the wall itself. Later investigations proved this untrue. Also decaying bodies would have weakened the structure and would not have been allowed. No society could sustain such a terrible burden. Taxation became heavier and heav ier. Some 3,500,000 people were involved in the building of the Great Wall. That was 70% of the total population of China at that time. For each worker working on the wall, six were required to feed and support them. Construction of the Qin wall became the most loathed imperial plan in Chinese history. In 209 BC, Only a year after the death of the Qin Emperor, millions of laborers rose up and ended the tyranny and bloodshed of wall building. The Qin Dynasty had fallen, brought down by the building of the great wall. Within ten years much of the wall was a neglected ruin. Once again the northern border was at the mercy of the northern invaders. After three years of civil war in 206 BC the first Han Dynasty was formed under the Gao Di Emperor, Liu Bang. At first he attempted to appease the northern invaders with gifts and increased trade but peace was sporadic. A massive force of the Han army attacked the invaders and forced them back across the northern borders. To consolidate their victories they began to mark out their new extended borders. In many areas they simply restored the old Qin wall. In order to build walls in the desert of the west, new methods of construction had to be devised. Here the soil consists of a gravel of sand and small stones. They used alternating layers of red willows and the gravel and lots of tamping. This produced a wall that has survived for some 2,000 years. Using these techniques and hundreds of thousands of people, the Han were able to build the wall far into the Gobi desert. And where clay was used as a skin or coating it made the wall difficult to scale and protected it against the erosion of the weather. The Han leadership knew to have a strong frontier they not only needed to build a strong wall but they also needed crack troops to defend it. They developed a force of light cavalry that could foray into the enemy territory to check on the enemy movements in his own grounds. They had many victories against the Xiongnu. They then employed renegade Xiongnu horse masters to set up horse breeding stables and to train their troops in horsemanship. By the time of the sixth Han Emperor Wu Di some 66 years later, they had crushed the Xiongnu and the wall was extended some 300 miles into the Gobi Desert. The wall now extended across the principle trading routes and if you wished to trade with the Chinese you needed to enter through the gates in the wall. Around these gates towns were established and became the trade centers of the area. At most gates foreigners were not allowed to go past the gates so these became the portals of trade into China. One flawless example is the stunningly preserved Jade Gate. Built in 101 BC, it is 28 feet high and 66 feet square. Close by they built a fort for the Han soldiers defending the wall. This piece of the wall is 453 feet long, 115 feet wide and 23 feet high. The wall became more than a trade route and a barrier to keep out the enemy, it turned out to be vital for communications. Along its ramparts messages can be sent at incredible speeds from one end of the empire to the other. All along the northern border beacon towers were built every 15 to 30 miles. They formed a communication network, which ran from outposts deep into enemy territory to the ancient capital in the east. From these towers the Han troops used smoke by day and torches by night to send messages along the length of the wall. They burnt wood, and straw mixed with wolf dung, which produced rich black columns of smoke. Statutes firmly governed the code of these signals. One column of smoke indicated a n impending attack by a force of less than 500. Two columns showed an attack by a force less than 3,000 and four columns indicated an attack by a force of up to 10,000.China would wait another 1,300 years before embarking on its greatest period of wall building. The Ming Dynasty built much of what remains today. They were driven by desperation to build the ultimate defense and lock the northern frontier once and for all. The Ming renovated the old Qin and Han walls and extended them. The Ming wall stretched some 4,500 miles from the Korean border at Dandong to the city of Jayuguan in the western desert. Today that fort is one of the most impressive, ornate, and sophisticated military constructions in the history of China. The Ming Dynasty came into power in 1368 inheriting a nation crushed by 100 years of rule by the Mongols. The mighty Genghis Khan had united these tribes in 1206 and had pushed their way through China. Ultimately they fell from within. A peasant revolt spelled the defeat of the Mongol empire. The leader of this revolt was Zhu Yangzhong who was installed as the first Ming Emperor. He immediately took up the challenge to begin building the great defense again. The enthusiasm in which the Ming emperors embraced this ambition was staggering. They built more wall than any other dynasty. The Ming wall was typically built with a stone facing over tamped inner clay. This wall was almost indestructible. The Ming bricks were a marvel of engineering holding up to a pressure of over 1000 pounds per square inch. The mortar was of super strength. The mortar was stronger than the bricks themselves. The puzzle of this super strength has now been solved. The mystery ingredient was rice flour. With innovations like these, the Ming was able to build spectacular monuments. A feature of the wall was water drainage systems that channeled the water to the Chinese side and withheld the water to the enemy side and thus inhibited plant growth and so denied cover to the attackers. Warning towers were built in enemy territory. These spurs were built out from the main wall and permitted the Chinese to attack the marauders from two sides. The armies were controlled from watchtowers that were built every 200 yards along the Ming walls. Locks and bolts secured the doors and windows from within creating a formidable fortress. From these towers the defenders could unleash arrows and spears from heavily protected slits. Later cannon were used. Having discovered gunpowder, the Ming was also the first to use hand grenades and mines. Stones were also pushed through special openings to create man made avalanches to crush the enemy. If the attackers succeeded in scaling the wall, the defenders could retreat to the guard towers. These guard towers were only accessible by retractable ladders.