How the Netherlands Reclaimed Land From the Sea

In 1986, the Netherlands proclaimed the new 12th province of Flevoland, but they didnt carve out the province from already existing Dutch land nor did they annex the territory of their neighbors, Germany and Belgium. Instead, the Netherlands grew larger with the aid of dikes and polders, making the old Dutch adage While God created the Earth, the Dutch created the Netherlands come true. The Netherlands The independent country of the Netherlands only dates back to 1815, but the area and its people have a much longer history. Located in northern Europe, just northeast of Belgium and west of Germany, the Netherlands contains 280 miles (451 km) of coastline along the North Sea. The Netherlands also contains the mouths of three important European rivers: the Rhine, Schelde, and Meuse. This translates into a long history of dealing with water and attempts to prevent massive, destructive flooding. The North Sea Floods The Dutch and their ancestors have been working to hold back and reclaim land from the North Sea for over 2000 years. Beginning around 400 BCE, the Frisians were first to settle the Netherlands. It was they who built terpen (an Old Frisian word meaning villages), which were earth mounds upon which they built houses or even entire villages. These terpen were built to protect the villages from flooding. (Although there were once thousands of these, there are about a thousand terpen that still exist in the Netherlands.) Small dikes were also built around this time. These were usually rather short (about 27 inches or 70 centimeters high) and made of natural materials found around the local area. On December 14, 1287, the terpen and dikes that held back the North Sea failed, and water flooded the country. Known as the St. Lucias Flood, this flood killed over 50,000 people and is considered one of the worst floods in history. A result of the massive St. Lucias Flood was the creation of a new bay, called Zuiderzee (South Sea), formed by floodwaters that had inundated a large area of farmland. Pushing Back the North Sea For the next few centuries, the Dutch worked to slowly push back the water of the Zuiderzee, building dikes and creating polders (the term used to describe any piece of land reclaimed from water). Once dikes were built, canals and pumps were used to drain the land and to keep it dry. From the 1200s, windmills were used to pump excess water off the fertile soil, and windmills became an icon of the country. Today, however, most of the windmills have been replaced with electricity- and diesel-driven pumps. Reclaiming the Zuiderzee Storms and floods in 1916 provided the impetus for the Dutch to start a major project to reclaim the Zuiderzee. From 1927 to 1932, a 19-mile (30.5-kilometer) long dike called Afsluitdijk (the Closing Dike) was built, turning the Zuiderzee into the IJsselmeer, a freshwater lake. On February 1, 1953, another devastating flood hit the Netherlands. Caused by a combination of a storm over the North Sea and spring tide, waves along the sea wall rose to 15 feet (4.5 meters) higher than mean sea level. In some areas, the water peaked above existing dikes and spilled upon unsuspecting, sleeping towns. Just over 1,800 people in the Netherlands died, 72,000 people had to be evacuated, thousands of livestock died, and there was a tremendous amount of property damage. This devastation prompted the Dutch to pass the Delta Act in 1958, changing the structure and administration of the dikes in the Netherlands. This new administrative system, in turn, created the project known as the North Sea Protection Works, which included building a dam and barriers across the sea. This vast engineering feat is now considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, according to the American Society of Civil Engineers. Further protective dikes and works including dams, sluices, locks, levees, and storm surge barriers were built, beginning to reclaim the land of the IJsselmeer. The new land led to the creation of the new province of Flevoland from what had been sea and water for centuries. Much of the Netherlands Is Below Sea Level Today, around 27% of the Netherlands is actually below sea level. This area is home to over 60% of the countrys population of approximately 17 million people. The Netherlands, which is roughly the size of the U.S. states Connecticut and Massachusetts combined, has an average elevation of 36 feet (11 meters). A huge part of the Netherlands is highly susceptible to flooding. Time will tell if the North Sea Protection Works are strong enough to protect it.

Essay about Genetically Engineered Crops - 1506 Words

Everyone should stop recycling. Everyone should drive their gasoline cars more, leave the lights on, let the water run, and go wild with any noxious chemicals, regardless of our aquatic friends. After all, even with all of these environment preserving activities, we could still greatly damage our ecosystems. The cause of this is simply because of the technological pollution caused by the use of genetically engineered crops. These plants are different in that they have had genes inserted into their genetic code, giving them added traits which are suppose to aid them in producing greater yield or defending against insects and disease, amongst other benefits. But their benefits are short-sighted; people around the†¦show more content†¦For example, the tomato plant and a related inedible plant with nematode resistance were mated together in the ‘30s and ‘40s to pass along this resistance to the tomato plant. However, even though the mating worked, the cross-pollination, as Charles Gasser, an associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at the University of California-Davis says, â€Å"brought with it 50 or 100 other genes† (Phillips, Sect. Overview, par. 33). The concern here is that the extra genes could have produced side-effects that would have made the plant enedible or worse. Another concern with selective breeding is the amount of time it would take to produce a variety that would consistently display the wanted trait. According to agricultural experts, such an endeavor could take up to 10 years (Hosansky, Sect. In The Beginning, par. 4). Genetic engineering helps to solve these issues by allowing scientists to isolate and manipulate individual genes, which not only prevents other genes from being inserted into future generations, but allows scientists to directly apply that gene, preventing the wait needed for see if plants have successfully passed on the correct gene. Working faster to produce designer plants though, much like driving at high speeds, prevents us from seeing that there are dangers to utilizing this hasty method. Thedangers that genetically engineered crops entailShow MoreRelatedBenefits Of Genetically Engineered Crops1626 Words   |  7 PagesPeople opposed to genetically engineered crops believe genetically engineering a crop to have a higher nutritional value will cause problems with a person’s diet. They believe people will then disregard other foods besides the new genetically engineered food, and this will cause other health issues. This does not seem likely because genetically engineered crops with enhanced nutritional value are aimed to help people reach a certain daily value of a vitamin or mineral, not to replace a person’s wholeRead More Genetically Engineered Crops Essays1872 Words   |  8 PagesGenetically Engineered Crops Chemical and seed companies have been working the last several years to alter the genetic make-up of certain crops to combat heavy pressure from insects and weeds. Through genetic manipulation plant breeders have been able to make certain crops resistant to different types of chemicals and insects. Breeders can alter the crops by adding to a specific plant one or more genes from other related crops with a known resistance to an insect or herbicide The use of geneticallyRead MoreGenetically Engineered Crops Essay1374 Words   |  6 Pages Many of our crops today are what you would call genetically engineered. This means that certain plants are taken to a lab where specific genes are genetically enhanced with desired traits such as resistance to herbicides, insecticides, drought, and even improved nutritional content. While that may sound like a win for everyone such as the farmers as well as the consumers, there are many disadvantages that not only affect our health, but our environm ent as well as the economy. With several factsRead MoreGenetically Engineered Crops Essay1694 Words   |  7 Pages The Government Funded Cause and â€Å"Cure† of Chronic Illness: The Human Experiment of Genetically Engineered Crops and the 3 Trillion Dollar Industry That Profiteers From It Ivette Alvarado Carroll University Waukesha, WI December 4, 2017 Abstract The purpose of this research is to further investigate the long-term effects of the consumption of genetically engineered crops (GE), the herbicide glyphosate or Roundup, and other food safety concerns in relation to an increased rateRead MoreThe Labeling Of Genetically Engineered Crops834 Words   |  4 PagesIntroduction: In an immense variation of ways, farmers grow their crops and keep them healthy and ready for distribution. The need for a greater variety of healthy and resistant crop is consistently rising as populations continue to increase around the world. Yet, agricultural food scientists have manipulated the DNA structure of countless foods. 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This is done in labs and was created to help benefit plant life by replacing or modifying genes in plant life.Gene s carry instructions from DNA on what characteristics an organism inherits(FoodRead MoreThe Dangers Of Genetically Engineered Crops Far Outweigh The Benefits982 Words   |  4 PagesThe Dangers of Genetically Engineered Crops far outweigh the Benefits You might know what GMOs are or at least you have heard about it, but for them, who do not know what GMOs are, Genetically Modified Organisms also known as (GMO), are those whose DNA is modified by implantation of a variety of bacteria or other organisms. Those changes are made not only to prevent pests attacking crops but also to make them grow fast among other alterations. It is well known that GMOs has been a polemical issueRead MoreEssay about Genetically Engineered Food Crops: Benefits Outweigh Risks1632 Words   |  7 PagesGenetically Engineered Food Crops: Benefits Outweigh Risks Genetically engineered (GE) food crops have caused heated debate in the food industry for many decades and have caused many consumers major concern. According to Dr. Carroll Rawn, a biology professor at Seton Hall University, genetically engineering food entails taking genes from a certain crop and inserting those genes in the DNA of another. This process changes the nucleotide sequence of the crop and, therefore, its characteristicsRead MoreGenetically Food And Drug Administration Regulates Labeling Of Genetically Modified Food1090 Words   |  5 PagesGenetically engineered has foreign genes inserted into their genetic code. In 1973 the idea of a man made DNA or rDNA came from Stanford University from a grad student. Also Professor Herbert Boyer and some of his biologist friends decided to try it. 75 percent of our processed food that U.S. produce contain some genetically modified ingredients. Some of this are crackers, breakfast cereal, and some cooking oils. Mostly every thing that contains soy or corn even high fructose corn syrup have at leastRead MoreArguments Of Proponents And Opponents Of The Safe And Accurate Food Labeling Act1744 Words   |  7 Pagesweakness of each side’s argument. One argument that proponents make about genetically modified food is that they are no different than natural foods. An argument that opponents make is that genetically modified organisms have not been tested enough because they are fairly new and some scientist truly don’t have an understanding of how it will affect humans bodies differently than natural foods. Proponents argue that genetically engineered foods have no needs for labeling; it would lead to consumer confusion

Social injustice free essay sample

We’ve all applied to a job and didn’t get it. Did you ever think to yourself it was some type of discrimination? Social and racial discriminations happen all the time in the workplace. You may be turned down from a job because of your race, social status, or even your gender. Many times in the workplace people are deemed unfit for the position, but why? Why should it matter if you’re a female or male for certain jobs positions? Who says a male cant preform the job to potential as a female or visa versa? If you walk into a Claire’s, per say, it will be all women working there and I’m sure when males walk in they feel discriminated to ask for an application because all they see is females working in there; It’s a double standard contraception. However, it’s how society implies how or what kind of roles the male or female should contribute to the work environment. We will write a custom essay sample on Social injustice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I for one have thought of applying for a certain job that society would not †expect† a young man to partake in, so sadly knowing I would have fulfilled the job exceptionally suitable did not take it because I cared about what other people thought of. Race is one of the biggest struggles for many perfectly applicable people who would fulfill the desired job they want to apply for. One of the most sensitive subjects that have been around for decades would be peoples race. I have two close friends, whom are extremely hard working, book smart, and have great social skills who applied for a high end job down south after college. They were turned down =, and for what? What color they were? This is one of the biggest disappointments our society still has to deal with to this day. Perfectly adequate young men or women could perform any job they believe and work hard for and they should NEVER be turned down for their race. Because who would know if that certain raced man or woman would have executed that job better than lets say the white raced man or woman? The way people look is another example of a high social injustice situation. The â€Å" benefit of the doubt† is the proper mindset of what every interviewer should have. Say a man comes into an interview with tattoos and wearing jeans and a dirty button up, yes, they look like they don’t care but that’s all they can afford to look like until they are hired and get a job. Vs. a man who comes in tight suit, brief case and put together. The man with the tattoos is a hard workingman and has all the exceptional social skills they need to fulfill the job, and the man in the suit is only book smart and has no patience to work with people. The interviewer picks the man with the suit because he looks more †suitable† for the job. That is not acceptable. The other man would no doubt work extremely hard to make sure he executed his job to the highest standards. But what our society and the work place wants is who will be the fresh face that is the face for the company. The â€Å"benefit of the doubt† is dying in these kinds of situations because our society these days expects a certain kind of person to be dealing with customers and when doing so, look a †certain† way. I’m sorry but our society these days, is just not right. And we all need to start giving the benefit of the doubt and know what the real â€Å"face of the company is†. All these examples of Social Injustice are what real people are living through/with every day of their lives and its man vs. society when they deal with these situations. It’s just not right that there are people out there who think its acceptable to turn down adequate males or females who could perform a job better than people they hire whom they think they can. And if there is a day that it happens to myself I will stick up for myself and prove that person wrong because all the people who have been turned down know what they are capable of and its not fair they don’t get the chance to show what they can do.