The documentary "Flow, for love of water" (2008) is a film that alerts its viewers about the scarity, pollution, and price of water to the poor. Poor; meaning all people who can't have easy access to purified water. The film concentrates on three regions: USA, India, and South Africa. It involves water companies like: Vivendi, Thames water, and Suez.
The world is suffering from lack of access to clean water. What will the world be, if water runs out? Water makes up 70% of the Earth. If this 70% runs out, Earth won't be what it is, today. There would simply be no life. The Water bound diseases have caused the death of over 2 million children, under the age of 5, annually.
Huge multinational water companies like Suez enjoy privatization which only benefits them and their shareholders. Poor people cannot afford privatized water. Those multinational companies enjoy political plans of taking water from poor countries and re-selling it to the citizens of the same country at 10 times more expensive, by simply adding self brand names to the bottles of water sold. Those issues, raised above, are the issues that are presented in the documentary.
In the USA, people get sick because of drinking from tap water. This is evident through the annual deaths which range from 500 thousand to 7 million people. The overall water, in the US is contaminated, containing viruses, bugs, pathogens, etc. Those viruses come in the body through the showers. Once a person goes to the bathroom, the viruses are excreted, as they move into the sewage, then to the seas. Poor people drink from the seas and the rivers, where the viruses now live. This is how drinking from the seas increases the mortality rate of poor humans with no purified water.
In India, there is a sacred river that the Indians believe in, in religious occasions called the ganges. The huge multinational companies, dammed the sacred river, and have been selling it's water to the citizens of the same country (India) for high prices.
In South Africa, Suez owns a place in one of the poor regions that supposedly runs a clean, purified water system. However, the documentary shows how Suez water is always dark in color, and how it always has worms. Privatized companies follow the "self interest theory", whereas they would only care about accomplishing their own interests, and simply ignore other people's concerns. Such companies only care about monetary terms. They need to be "tight handed" when it comes to expenses, to satisfy their shareholders. So, they don't provide clear water to poor regions. Why is this? Well, purifying requires money, which decreases their overall profit.
There are many solutions that are interdependent upon one another, if a solution to this world crisis is to be looked at. I personally recommend all solutions because different countries differ from one another. The ultra violet lamp can be used to remove the viruses found in water, whereas rivers and seas can be purified. The tablets, also mentioned in the documentary, can be brought to kill the germs, as well. Poor people can be hired into huge industries in order to educate them, reduce unemployment, and pay them money to afford their life expenses. But before doing all of this, dangerous chemicals like perchlorate are to be banned from the market.
The poor countries need to call upon the UN, countries in order to offer central committees in their poor areas, That would, by foreign aid, provide the ultraviolet lamps, tablets, training, and a proper water infrastructure. Not only this, but they can also go into Research and Development (R&D) to come up with new brand technologies that would easily purify contaminated water. This way, access to water would be less trouble, to those poor regions, and people would begin to care about our future.
1)Flow; for love of water.
2)http://documentaries.about.com/od/revie2/fr/flow.htm
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Vocabulary log
1. accommodation, noun, a residence, a place where you live.
My accommodation in Doha was a villa, but here in Abu Dhabi it is a flat.
2. achievement, noun, something difficult you succeed in doing.
Putting a man on the moon in 1969 was a great achievement for NASA.
3. ambulance, noun, a vehicle used to take a sick or injured person to hospital.
There was a major crash involving several vehicles on the Sheikh Zayed Road and several ambulances were called to the scene.
4. attract, verb, to draw by appealing to the emotions or senses, by stimulating interest, or by exciting admiration; allure; invite: to attract attention; to attract admirers by one's charm.
The first F1 race in Abu Dhabi attracted a huge crowd of spectators to Yas Island.
5. Australia, proper noun, a large country in the southern hemisphere.
I have visited Australia twice and seen some very large crocodiles in Northern Territory.
6. available, adjective, accessible, usable, handy, buyable.
Many 4-WD vehicles are available in the U.A.E.
7. beautiful, adjective, lovely, pretty, gorgeous, attractive, fine.
She's wearing a beautiful gown.
8. because, conjunction, for the reason that; due to the fact that.
He was absent from class because he was sick.
9. before, preposition, previous to; earlier or sooner than, ahead of; in the future of; awaiting.
Phone me before noon.
10. believe, verb, to think that something is true;to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
I didn't believe her story.
11. Benefit, noun, Something that is advantageous or good; an advantage: He explained the benefits of public ownership of the postal system.
Before starting any business the amount of the benefit must be considered.
12. Broken, adjective, Reduced to fragments; fragmented.
Broken glass is very dangerous thing.
13. Career,noun, An occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework: He sought a career as a lawyer.
After finishing school the real career start.
14. Choice,adjective, An act or instance of choosing; selection: Her choice of a computer was made after months of research. His parents were not happy with his choice of friends.
Every person has to make an important choice in his life.
15. Communicate, verb, To impart knowledge of; make known: to communicate information; to communicate one's happiness.
It’s been a lot easier for people to communicate after the telephone was
invented.
16. Control, noun, To exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command.
The police do a great job to control the crime rate.
17. Correct, adjective, To set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: The native guide corrected our pronunciation.
It’s important to know the wrong answers and correct them.
18. Culture, noun, The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
Every country has a different culture from others.
19. Degree, noun, Any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale.
Some jobs require a specific degree.
20. Department, noun, A distinct part of anything arranged in divisions; a division of a complex whole or organized system.
The fire department does a great job to help people.
21. Nutrition, noun, the process of giving or getting the right type of food for good health and growth. I went to a nutrition doctor and his treatment was very helpful for me.
22. Awareness, noun, knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation. Culture awareness is an important subject.
23. Committed, adjective, willing to work very hard at something. In the last 3 days, I was committed to picking my brothers up from the school.
24. Disease, noun, An illness which affects a person, animal, or plant. Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.
25. Interpret, verb, to translate spoken words from one language into another. I always interpret the words to Arabic.
26. Scholarship, noun, an amount of money that is given to someone by an educational organization to help pay for their education. Nuclear energy authorizations have a scholarship with Khalifa University.
27. Opportunity, noun, A chance to do something or an occasion when it is easy for you to do something. I never miss an opportunity.
28. Rhythm, noun, A regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements. Time arrangement is important in rhythm.
29. Concentration, noun, the ability to think about something carefully or for a long time.
The exam needs a lot of concentration.
30. Individual, adjective, considered separately from other people or things in the same group.Every individual is different.
31. Ridiculous,adjective, very silly or unreasonable. Don’t be ridiculous.
32. Spite, verb, to deliberately annoy or upset someone. I like to spite her.
33. Convenient, adjective, useful to you because it saves you time, or does not spoil your plans or cause you problems. The e-mail is convenient.
34. Reveal, verb, to show something that was previously hidden. The inspector was able to reveal the mystery of the case.
35. Capable, adjective, having the qualities or ability needed to do something. I’m capable of passing.
36. Dormitory, noun, a large room for several people to sleep in.Boarding schools have dormitories.
37. Expatriate, noun, someone who lives in a foreign country. My teacher is expatriate.
38. Inherit, verb ,to receive money, property etc from someone after they have died. My friends inherited one million dirhams.
39. Energetic, adjective, having or needing a lot of energy or determination. Redbull was classified as an energetic drink.
40. Aspect, noun, one part of a situation, idea, plan etc that has many parts. The first aspect in this lesson is obeying the law.
41. Luxury (noun): very great comfort and pleasure, such as you get from expensive food, beautiful houses, cars etc. I have a luxury room.
42. Audience, noun, A group of people who come to watch and listen to someone speaking or performing in public. The audiences were interested.
43. Appearance, noun, The way someone or something looks to other people. His appearance was great.
44. Government, noun, the group of people who govern a country or state. You can communicate with Abu Dhabi government through 800 555.
45. Sculpture, noun, An object made out of stone, wood, clay etc by an artist.There are many wonderful sculptures in London.
46. Beneficial, adjective, having a good effect.Eating carefully+taking exercise are beneficial to your health.
47. Therefore, adverb, as a result of something that has just been mentioned. Therefore, the percentage of deaths increased this year.
48. Respect, noun, when you admire someone, especially because of their personal qualities, knowledge, or skills. I respect my teacher.
49. Otherwise, adverb, used when saying what bad thing will happen if something is not done. Study well otherwise you will fail in this subject.
50. Colleagues, noun, someone you work with, used especially by professional people. You must be respectful to your colleagues.
My accommodation in Doha was a villa, but here in Abu Dhabi it is a flat.
2. achievement, noun, something difficult you succeed in doing.
Putting a man on the moon in 1969 was a great achievement for NASA.
3. ambulance, noun, a vehicle used to take a sick or injured person to hospital.
There was a major crash involving several vehicles on the Sheikh Zayed Road and several ambulances were called to the scene.
4. attract, verb, to draw by appealing to the emotions or senses, by stimulating interest, or by exciting admiration; allure; invite: to attract attention; to attract admirers by one's charm.
The first F1 race in Abu Dhabi attracted a huge crowd of spectators to Yas Island.
5. Australia, proper noun, a large country in the southern hemisphere.
I have visited Australia twice and seen some very large crocodiles in Northern Territory.
6. available, adjective, accessible, usable, handy, buyable.
Many 4-WD vehicles are available in the U.A.E.
7. beautiful, adjective, lovely, pretty, gorgeous, attractive, fine.
She's wearing a beautiful gown.
8. because, conjunction, for the reason that; due to the fact that.
He was absent from class because he was sick.
9. before, preposition, previous to; earlier or sooner than, ahead of; in the future of; awaiting.
Phone me before noon.
10. believe, verb, to think that something is true;to have confidence in the truth, the existence, or the reliability of something, although without absolute proof that one is right in doing so.
I didn't believe her story.
11. Benefit, noun, Something that is advantageous or good; an advantage: He explained the benefits of public ownership of the postal system.
Before starting any business the amount of the benefit must be considered.
12. Broken, adjective, Reduced to fragments; fragmented.
Broken glass is very dangerous thing.
13. Career,noun, An occupation or profession, esp. one requiring special training, followed as one's lifework: He sought a career as a lawyer.
After finishing school the real career start.
14. Choice,adjective, An act or instance of choosing; selection: Her choice of a computer was made after months of research. His parents were not happy with his choice of friends.
Every person has to make an important choice in his life.
15. Communicate, verb, To impart knowledge of; make known: to communicate information; to communicate one's happiness.
It’s been a lot easier for people to communicate after the telephone was
invented.
16. Control, noun, To exercise restraint or direction over; dominate; command.
The police do a great job to control the crime rate.
17. Correct, adjective, To set or make true, accurate, or right; remove the errors or faults from: The native guide corrected our pronunciation.
It’s important to know the wrong answers and correct them.
18. Culture, noun, The quality in a person or society that arises from a concern for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly pursuits, etc.
Every country has a different culture from others.
19. Degree, noun, Any of a series of steps or stages, as in a process or course of action; a point in any scale.
Some jobs require a specific degree.
20. Department, noun, A distinct part of anything arranged in divisions; a division of a complex whole or organized system.
The fire department does a great job to help people.
21. Nutrition, noun, the process of giving or getting the right type of food for good health and growth. I went to a nutrition doctor and his treatment was very helpful for me.
22. Awareness, noun, knowledge or understanding of a particular subject or situation. Culture awareness is an important subject.
23. Committed, adjective, willing to work very hard at something. In the last 3 days, I was committed to picking my brothers up from the school.
24. Disease, noun, An illness which affects a person, animal, or plant. Coughs and sneezes spread diseases.
25. Interpret, verb, to translate spoken words from one language into another. I always interpret the words to Arabic.
26. Scholarship, noun, an amount of money that is given to someone by an educational organization to help pay for their education. Nuclear energy authorizations have a scholarship with Khalifa University.
27. Opportunity, noun, A chance to do something or an occasion when it is easy for you to do something. I never miss an opportunity.
28. Rhythm, noun, A regular repeated pattern of sounds or movements. Time arrangement is important in rhythm.
29. Concentration, noun, the ability to think about something carefully or for a long time.
The exam needs a lot of concentration.
30. Individual, adjective, considered separately from other people or things in the same group.Every individual is different.
31. Ridiculous,adjective, very silly or unreasonable. Don’t be ridiculous.
32. Spite, verb, to deliberately annoy or upset someone. I like to spite her.
33. Convenient, adjective, useful to you because it saves you time, or does not spoil your plans or cause you problems. The e-mail is convenient.
34. Reveal, verb, to show something that was previously hidden. The inspector was able to reveal the mystery of the case.
35. Capable, adjective, having the qualities or ability needed to do something. I’m capable of passing.
36. Dormitory, noun, a large room for several people to sleep in.Boarding schools have dormitories.
37. Expatriate, noun, someone who lives in a foreign country. My teacher is expatriate.
38. Inherit, verb ,to receive money, property etc from someone after they have died. My friends inherited one million dirhams.
39. Energetic, adjective, having or needing a lot of energy or determination. Redbull was classified as an energetic drink.
40. Aspect, noun, one part of a situation, idea, plan etc that has many parts. The first aspect in this lesson is obeying the law.
41. Luxury (noun): very great comfort and pleasure, such as you get from expensive food, beautiful houses, cars etc. I have a luxury room.
42. Audience, noun, A group of people who come to watch and listen to someone speaking or performing in public. The audiences were interested.
43. Appearance, noun, The way someone or something looks to other people. His appearance was great.
44. Government, noun, the group of people who govern a country or state. You can communicate with Abu Dhabi government through 800 555.
45. Sculpture, noun, An object made out of stone, wood, clay etc by an artist.There are many wonderful sculptures in London.
46. Beneficial, adjective, having a good effect.Eating carefully+taking exercise are beneficial to your health.
47. Therefore, adverb, as a result of something that has just been mentioned. Therefore, the percentage of deaths increased this year.
48. Respect, noun, when you admire someone, especially because of their personal qualities, knowledge, or skills. I respect my teacher.
49. Otherwise, adverb, used when saying what bad thing will happen if something is not done. Study well otherwise you will fail in this subject.
50. Colleagues, noun, someone you work with, used especially by professional people. You must be respectful to your colleagues.
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