Infrastructure Security of Agricultural and Food Research Paper

Infrastructure Security of Agricultural and Food - Research Paper Example Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services' Food and Drug Administration at the federal level. In order to serve the nation well, the sector needs to be effectively associated and dependent on other sectors that include water, transportation, energy, banking and finance, chemical, and dams (Food and Agriculture Sector: Critical Infrastructure, 2012). The present study focuses on the infrastructural security of food and agriculture which are essential for successful service to the people in a nation. Infrastructure Protection and the U.S. Food and Agriculture Sector: In the recent years, much of attention has been considered with respect to the fear of terrorism in a country like the US. Agriculture in this regard has been observed to have received lesser attention and concern. â€Å"Indeed, in terms of accurate threat assessments, response structures and preparedness initiatives, the sector continues to exist as a glaring exception to the wide-ranging emphasis that has been given to critical infrastructure protection in this country† (Chalk, 2001, p.2). Agro terrorism is a matter of serious concern with respect to the security of food and agriculture infrastructure. ... There is an increasing rate of the susceptibility of farm animals to diseases. A large number of agents are found to exist that are fatal and highly infectious to animals. The farming practices in the country can be realized to be of highly intensive and concentrated as can be reflected from the easiness and rapidity with which animals are vulnerable to diseases. This thus requires effective security measures of infrastructure protection. Lack of internal quality control, increased production of genetically modified products are other factors making the food and agriculture sector in the country susceptible to agro-terrorism and higher levels of insecurity (Chalk, 2001, pp.3-5). Infrastructural Security of Agriculture and Food: National Infrastructure Protection Plan: Under the National Protection Plan of the infrastructure of agriculture and food, the USDA or U.S. Department of Agriculture has significant roles to play. One of its most important roles is to assure that the foods and clothing of the people of the nation are met without fail. It is in charge of supervising the nation’s 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands. It is also the largest conservation agency of the country and encourages deliberate efforts to look after soil, water, and wildlife on 70 percent of America’s lands that are under the control of private ownerships. The safety of around 80 percent of the food consumed in the country is under the responsibility of the FDA. It shares its responsibility with Federal, State, and local agencies; regulated industry; academia; health providers; and consumers. â€Å"The Agriculture and Food Sector is dependent upon: the Drinking Water and Wastewater Treatment Systems Sector for clean irrigation and processed

Edgar Allen Poe's The Cask of Amontillado Essay

Edgar Allen Poe's The Cask of Amontillado - Essay Example Montresor avenges some unspecified insult inflicted on him by Fortunato and thus buries him alive. Significantly, the cause for the murder is rendered insignificant and the maneuvers and the actual execution of murder gain prominence in the story. The paradigm of sacrifice enters the story in the instance where Montresor warns Fortunato against staying in the damp catacombs for the latter seems to have a cough. Fortunato’s reply that a cough shall not kill him compounds the irony in the story and anticipates his predicament. However, it also highlights a kind of unstated willingness on Fortunato’s part in the scheme planned by Montresor. There is a suggestion that Fortunato may have subconsciously accepted the fate which awaited him. It is here that the numerous parallels between Fortunato’s murder and Christ’s crucifixion enter the story. The theme of revenge drives the plot of the story. The metaphor which encapsulates this theme is the motto on Montreso r’s family coat of arms which proclaims Nemo me impune lacessit  ("No one insults me with impunity") (Poe, 99). The symbol which shows a foot crushing a snake while the snake’s fangs are set in the foot is reminiscent of Christian theology. The snake is often identified with the Adversary or Satan and thus represents the figure of the avenger in Montresor. Montresor can also be said to be reminiscent of Judas, Jesus’ friend who betrayed him. Fortunato’s meek submission to his fate and the heinous manner in which he was killed, coupled with his last words "For the love of God, Montresor!" (Poe, 101) yet again emphasize the theological underpinnings of the story. The unmistakable parallels between Christ’s death and Fortunato’s murder are seen also in the fact that Montresor kills Fortunato in the catacombs which are hallowed spaces. The very name Fortunato which means ‘fortunate or blessed’ seems to be ironic. Despite the many similarities in their predicaments, Fortunato unlike Christ lies in a desolate tomb, unknown to the world, without having accomplished much for the greater good of mankind. The many points of confluence and departure between Christ and Fortunato perhaps constitute a certain existential questioning that the story brings about regarding the place of virtue and sacrifice in the modern world. This rendition of Fortunato as a modern, albeit ironic adaptation of Christ is done by keeping the original insult inflicted on Montresor deliberately ambiguous. The fact that much of our understanding of the story is mediated by Montresor’s subjective opinion brings about a significant subversion of conventional spiritual or theological narratives in which the murderer or the sinner is seldom given a chance to express himself. It may be well said that journey undertaken by Montresor and Fortunato to the wine cellars and ultimately to the catacombs assumes the character of a pilgrimage. The ironic reversal however lies in the fact that the journey is made for the precious Amontillado and not for any ostensible spiritual quest. The murder of Fortunato further subverts the motif of the pilgrimage and conjures the image of aborted spiritual endeavors in the modern world. The spatial and temporal settings of Poe’s story significantly shape its thematic concerns. It is important to note that the story is set in an indeterminate year in Italy during the carnival of Mardi Gras. In