A detailed Summary of Cold Mountain Essay

I am coming home one way or another, and I do not know how things might stand between us. I first thought to tell in this letter what I have done and seen so that you might judge me before I return. But I decided it would need a page as broad as the blue sky to write that tale, and I have not the will or the energy.1" This passage somes up the whole story in three sentences, yet only hints at the complexity of Inman's experiences and situation. Throughout the story we see the compromises Inman must make to survive. And as each day progresses the manner by which the various characters interact changes. This poses the question, how does the Civil War affect the social relationships between Southerners? In order to answer this question thoroughly, three main components must be looked at; the economic effects of the Civil War for the South, how the Civil War brakes down families, and how the traditional social system changes.
In a true deferential society (such as antebellum America) there only can be two social and economic classes, the rich, and the poor. But once we enter the Civil War this system of wealth and authority brakes down. The ease by which the rich make profits collapses, whether by trade embargoes inhi. The misconception remains that all southerners owned slaves including immigrants, yet it has been reported that fewer than five percent of their kind owned slaves! Thus the reason for their entrance to the Confederate army was not to protect the South's "peculiar institution." Rather two elements brought about the enlisting of these men, first, they felt morally obligated that they must protect their country and home and second, all men were expected to enlist, for this war was about rights and as Thomas Jefferson notes, "not to defend ones rights when called upon is treason." After the departure of the men, women had to deal with an entirely new threat. Without the masculine presence, Federal and Confederate troops regularly looted and wreaked these women's homes, taking food and any other good of value. Of course in Cold Mountain this is precisely what happen to Sara, left alone after her husband, John leaves to fight for the Confederacy she attempts to maintain their large garden/small farm to run and take care of a new born. A few days after Inman volunteers to help her out, a group of three Federals storm her humble home. After finding nothing of value they inquire about her "hidden money," but conclude the truth, she has none. Unhappy with no loot they take her hog. She replies, "you take it and your might as well knock both of us in the head, and kill us now, for it will all come out the same,2" basically saying that the hog is all she has left. As for the men, you basically had two options, you could fight for either side until you won the war, or you could desert. Either way you would be on fatal grounds. Desertion was the chose for main Confederate men, so the Home guards were formed, led by Teague to search for the deserter and usually kill them by firing squad or hanging. This dismal future for men brought about the war song, "The fear of the grave is removed forever, when I die I'll live again, my soul will rejoice by the crystal river. When I die I'll live again, hallelujah I'll live aga

Rainy Mountain

Dry grass and sharp rocks scrape our boot bottoms as we tackle the mountain. One foot in front of the other, my companion and I make slow but steady progress towards the top. In mid-age, there’s pride in managing such physical feat, but a breathlessness that wasn’t there a decade ago. About three-fourths of the distance, we stop to photograph hen-and-chicks, yucca and prickly pear, but mostly to catch a second wind. Photos taken and pulse tolerable, we race the last bit to the top. Laughing and once again breathless, we plant our feet at the summit, proud as Chiefs at our command of the land.
In awe, we absorb this view of Oklahoma from the hub of an encircling horizon. Distant mountains similar to our own seem planted in no particular pattern. Rainy Mountain Creek meanders its way below, nearly the only place in sight with trees or shrub. But it is what we see immediately in front of our feet that captures our attention---a circle fashioned of rocks, possibly two feet in diameter. A flat-topped rock is situated in the center to support a small offering, a shiny new quarter. This prayer circle represents a sign of reverence, and nearby, a past visitor has constructed a similar cairn. We stare, our thoughts traveling from surprise to reverential respect for the work of another’s hand and heart. We step around the circles and walk to the far side of the mountaintop.
We are at Rainy Mountain with a purpose in mind. Having read N. Scott Momaday’s, Way to Rainy Mountain, we want to see the site where Kiowa ended their move from Montana into Kansas, and eventually Oklahoma. We have a curiosity about the boarding school built at Rainy Mountain (Tseityaedlta), the ruins of which lie below, visible from our mountain perch. The Kiowa children were brought here, to this campus of 2500 acres, to hurry their adaptation to a new place and to Christian customs, and to help them forget their Kiowa ways. Their braids were clipped, their clothes replaced, their language stifled.
In modern geographical terms, the Kiowa school is at North 34 degrees, 59.837 minutes and West 98 degrees, 50.945 minutes; in range and township terms, it is found just off an east-west stretch of East 1380 where it runs into East 1390, a few miles east of Gotebo. In Kiowa kid description the rez school is in the middle of everywhere, at the end of a dusty dirt road. From brick- and rock-structured dorms, the children could look out windows to see a solid blue sky with not one single cloud to mark the path of the wind. Teachers and headmaster were mistaken to think this barren location would make a child forget to be Kiowa.
From atop Rainy Mountain the wind spreads our hair into horizontal wings; our imaginations fly across the miles and back. From this vantage, we can imagine the Kiowa thirteen-year-old, arms crossed over his bare chest, surveying his earthly domain. Feet planted firmly on flint, his heart and mind could traverse this land to a horizon two days walk away. From Rainy Mountain, his Kiowa reverence for sun could be renewed daily. And in the silence of his reprieve, he could ponder the mysteries of his universe and who he is within this grand circle.
Our view falls upon the ruins of Rainy Mountain School. Closed in 1920, toppled bricks and rock foundations are all that remain. But this place, this perch on top of the mountain, still sits at the hub of the horizon, and the prayer circle tells us that the Kiowa boy remained Kiowa.

Responses to “Who Owns Water?”

Many believe that water is a renewable resource, that once it is used, more can be manufactured, created, manufactured and so on. This is not true. Corporations believe that water is a commodity. In a study by the Environmental Business Journal, the United States alone generated over 100 billion dollars in revenue from water in 2003. The study also states that the industry is growing by 10 percent every year.
However, is water a commodity? In an article by Kathleen O’Hara of the Toronto Star entitled World Views Collide Over Water, she points to dedicated individuals like the Council of Canadians chair, Maude Barlow (she also wrote the book Blue Covenant: the Global Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right of Water). O’Hara points out that “on one side, large corporations with, as Barlow points out, the assistance of most First World governments, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the World Trade Organization and even the United Nations, are trying to promote the concept of water as a commodity, like oil, to be owned, sold and traded.” O’Hara also goes on to quote Barlow that these corporations and organizations “have established an elaborate infrastructure to promote the private control of water, and they work in close tandem with one another.”
On the other side of the fence, there are people that Barlow believes that water is “the common heritage of all humans and other species, as well as a public trust that must not be appropriated for personal profit or denied to anyone because of an inability to pay.”
Which side of the fence would you choose? Is water a human right or a commodity to be bought, sold, packaged, marketed, traded and bartered with? With the dwindling fresh water reserves around the world, do you want someone to control that water in order to make a profit or do you believe that it is something that must be guarded, protected and shared. It’s a simple choice, but a relevant one considering the global water crisis that is underway. We all have one thing in common, from the villager in the smallest African communities to the inhabitant of sprawling metropolitan centres; we need water to live. Do we deserve to own water?

WATER RESOURCE CATEGORIES

water resources are divisible into two distinct categories : the surface-water resources & the ground-water resources. Each of these categories is a part of the earth's water circulatory system,called the hydrologic cycle, & is ultimately derived from precipitation,which is rainfall plus snow. They are interdependent & frequently the loss of one is the gain of the other. The brief description of the run-off cycle,which is a part of the hydrologic cycle,will help us to understand the origin & the interdependence of these two categories of water resources.
The precipitation that falls upon land & is the ultimate source for both the categories of water resources is dispersed in several ways. A sizeable portion is intercepted by the vegetal cover or temporarily detained in surface depressions.Most of it is later lost through evaporation. When the available interception or the depression storage are completely exhausted & when the rainfall intensity at the soil surface exceeds the infiltration capacity of the soils, the overland flow begins.Once the overland flow reaches a stream channel, it is called surface run-off, which together with other components of flow, forms the total run-off.
Part of the water that infiltrates into the surface soil may continue to move laterally at shallow depth as interflow owing to the presence of relatively impervious lenses just below the soil surface & may eventually reach the stream channel when it is called the sub-surface runoff. A part of the sub-surface run-off may enter the stream promptly, whereas the remaining part may take a long time before joining the stream flow.
A second part of the precipitation which infiltrates is lost through evapo-transpiration via plant roots & thermal gradients just below the soil surface. A third part may remain above the water table in the zone of unsaturated flow.A fourth remaining part percolates deeply into the ground-water.Part of this ground-water may eventually reach the stream channel & become the base flow of the stream. This portion is termed ground-water run-off or ground-water flow.
Apart from infiltrated rain-water, the seepage from canals,ponds,tanks,lakes,irrigated fields,etc.is also dispersed & accounted for in the same manner.
The total run-off in the stream channel includes the snow-melt, the surface run-off the sub-surface run-off, the ground-water run-off & the channel precipitation, i.e. the precipitation falling directly on the water surface of streams,lakes,etc. It constitutes what is known as the surface-water resources. The portion of the precipitation which, after infiltration,reaches the ground-water-table, together with the contribution made to ground water from a neighbouring basin, influent rivers,natural lakes,ponds,artificial storage reservoirs,canals,irrigation,& constitutes the ground-water resources.That quantity of water in the ground-water reservoir, which is not annually replenishable, is not taken into account, as it is a sort of dead storage which cannot be used on a continuing basis from year to year.
The above phase of the run-off cycle pinpoints the inflow components for the surface-as well as for the ground-water resources. It has to be appreciated that there is always a balance between the inflow factors making up water resources of a region, whether surface or ground, & the outflow components.The surface water resource of a given basin in excess of the withdrawal use is accounted for on the outflow side by one or more of the following factors:(i)Stream outflow from the basin;(ii)loss through evaporation;and(iii)the influent recharge to the ground water.Similarly, the unutilised ground-water resource of a basin is accounted for by the following outflow factors:(i)Evapo-transpiration from the ground-water-table;(ii)outflow to the neighbouring ground-water basin;(iii)the effluent discharge to the streams;and(iv)the addition to the ground-water storage.
The interrelationship between the surface-water & the ground-water resources is evident from the above analysis.The surface-water resources contribute to the ground-water recharge in various ways: (i)by influent recharge from the streams;(ii)by seepage from natural lakes,ponds,etc;(iii)seepage from artificial storage reservoirs,canal systems,etc, & (iv)return flow from irrigation. These factors presently contribute to about 25 percent of the country's total ground-water resources.
On the other hand, the bulk of the base-flow in the rivers, which represents the sustained fair-weather run-off is contributed by the ground-water resources. This contribution,presently, is roughly assessed at about 25 percent of the total surface-water resources of the country

meaning of natural resources

A natural resource is a material that comes from the Earth and in its raw or "natural" state is of value for one reason or another. A natural resource is not man made and is already on the Earth. Some examples of natural resources would be oil, timber, and water, as well as a variety of minerals, metals and ores like salt, coal, and metals like gold, iron, aluminum. Water in a high lake is a natural resource. Even living things and materials like grasslands, forests, herds of animals, flocks of birds, and schools of fish can be considered natural resources. And if you guessed that wind and sunlight are natural resources, you'd be correct.
If you want to go with the definition of the way the United States Geological Survey, go for it. The USGS suggests that our nation's natural resources include minerals, energy, land, water and living things (biota). Natural resources are the things that Earth provides us that we can use, but which must be managed to maintain their viability. A general divisor of the natural resources is into renewable and non-renewable forms. The term natural resources probably originated with E.F. Schumacher as he used it in his book Small is Beautiful, which came out in 1973. A link can be found below to allow the curious investigator to learn more.

River Rafting/White Water Rafting

River Rafting is journeying on torrential river on an inflatable rubber boat. A River Raft is the most enjoyable way of checking one's guts. Both amateur and experienced rafters equally enjoy it. A river trip also provides the opportunity for geological surveys and fishing.

In a country like Nepal, blessed by Himalayan rivers, a river trip is one of the best ways to explore a typical cross section of the country's natural as well as ethno-cultural heritage. The river is regarded as a form of goddess and is used for the purpose of various religious rituals under both Hinduism and Buddhism. A variety of cultural activities can be witnessed being performed along the river. The adjoining slopes of the river often harbor dense vegetation and interesting wildlife.

About of Nepal

My small country Nepal attributing an angelic beauty is situated between two large countries called china in north and India in three sides.According to the census report of 2001 A.D the population of country Nepal is 2,31,51,423 and its area is 1,47,181.The population density of Nepal is 154 people in per sq.km but the valley and the plains are densely populated.
Nepal is a agro based country.Eighty percent of the people of Nepal are depend upon the agriculture .Although the people of various social group,various religions,they really practice "unity in diversity".The follower of one religion respect the follower of the another religion.Most of the people of the Nepal follow the Hindu religion,and rest of the people follow the religion like Muslim,Christian,Buddha etc.
Nepal is popular for the angelic beauties ,unique wonders and gifts in the world,although it is a land locked country.It is famous for river lakes and mountain.Tourist come here for relaxation in their holiday.The highest mountain peak Mount Everest in the world,fascinates many foreign tourist everyday.Through tourism we can earn foreign money which can be invest in development project.Nepal is rich in water resources it is the second richest country in water in the world.Many rivers flow from the mountain and it passes through the terai.Many brooks and stream serves the people in many ways.They are advantageous for irrigation,transportation,rafting,running hydroelectricity projects and so on.
It is said that "Hario Ban Nepal Ko Dhan".In fact we can get many advantages from the forest.Our country Nepal seems to be beautiful because of the green forest,but nowadays forest is being destroyed in many ways .But also many awareness program are conducted.National parks and wild-life reserves preserve many wild animals .Many tourist come here to watch them.
Nepal is a developing country .About 50%of the Nepalese people are literate .Many school and colleges have been running all over the country .Due to high percent of poverty Nepal many children do not go to school .
I feel proud to be the citizen of Nepal like country.We Nepali people respect each other.We are co-operative .I do feel most of the people love the nation.We feel the mother and mother lands are same .I do hope that our country Nepal will be best and famous country in the world.