Tsunami Analysis - Essay Example

?Journal Summary Writing is a very important skill that needs to be developed among and other professionals. This essay is going to analyze the importance of writing and how to develop academic writing skills. The article used in writing this paper has been obtained from the Deakin University library while other sources contain information from Australian University articles. This source is relevant in that it contains information on different forms of academic writing and methods of developing academic writing skills. I perused around the Deakin University online Library and I found an article that covers on academic writing skills. Journal Analysis The article sourced from the Deakin University library covered various topics on academic writing. The article first introduces the importance of capturing the essential requirements in the production of an essay. For instance, the article highlights the importance of using formal language in your writing. The article specifies the language necessary in producing a university paper. The author talks of the importance of using formal language compared to language used by university students in every other occasion. The author explores the importance of avoiding colloquialisms, contradictions and abbreviations. Academic writing involves writing essays on specific topics which require proper research thus, it is important for the researcher to be tentative (Harbord, 2007). This is because research conclusions are not final and in most cases, research is dynamic while research is usually open to modification. In the process of preparing good research, it is important for the researcher or writer to be clear and present his paper in a specific manner. The article touches on the significance of making use of impersonal language in your academic writing assignments. The use of proper language structuring such as powerful reporting verbs is important in communicating your ideas to your potential writers. However, the article outlines that the most important factor that needs consideration is proper research. The article clarifies that for a piece of writing to be considered as an academic it must deliver factual information obtained through proper research (Harbord, 2007). Research is important in the getting information from different sources concerning the topic being researched on. The process of research is the backbone to the preparation of any piece of academic writing. Research involves the processes of acknowledging sources, avoiding plagiarism, in-text referencing and preparation of references. According to an article from the University of Canberra, many students write their academic papers based on the ideas of other writers or authors. As a result, it is proper for these students to acknowledge sources since it gives credibility to the source or piece of writing being prepared. The acknowledgement of sources helps in supporting research conducted by the student or researcher. The article further clarifies that acknowledgement of sources gives authority to a piece of writing while at the same time it helps in avoiding plagiarism. Plagiarism is a crime that many students usually commit knowingly and unknowingly which can be avoided by properly acknowledging sources (Harbord, 2007). Finally the article gives examples of pieces of writing that could be considered as academic. Academic writing assignments include dissertations, literature reviews and annotated bibliographies which are commonly written by students. Dissertations can be short or long pieces of writing while literature reviews is a piece of writing that gives an overview of a research question or issue. Annotated bibliographies are also used in summarizing sources listed in the reference list and they are effective is shading light into the general idea expressed by the writer (Harbord, 2007). Different academic writing styles make use of citation styles such as APA, MLA and Harvard in acknowledging the sources from different authors. Generally, the article was important in giving insight into important skills and how to achieve excellent academic written work. Tsunami Analysis The Asian Tsunami of the year 2004 was one of the most disastrous events to have occurred in the past 50 years. This tsunami occurred after the occurrence of an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra in Indonesia that led to the inducement of the tsunami. The journal article clarifies further on the cause and the effects of the Asian tsunami. For instance, the article explores the displacement of over 458 households in the district of Aceh in Indonesia. The 2004 Asian tsunami caused a lot of damage and led to the loss of lives and livelihoods for a period of 3 months. Many people also died as a result of disease outbreaks in several regions after the tsunami. An earthquake with a magnitude of 9.0 occurred undersea off the coast of Sumatra led to the tsunami that caused a lot of damage. The tsunami did not spear the environment since several coastlands where the coastlines were redrawn leading to change in coastlines. For instance, the Andaman and Nicobar islands were severely destroyed by the Asian tsunami (Jayasuriya, 2010). Sea creatures were not speared in the aftermath of the tsunami as many sea animals were killed especially around the epicentre of the undersea earthquake. Once the ocean moved a lot of damage and catastrophe were noticed within a short period of time. The devastation led was noticed by the International community and many countries came along to the aid of the affected countries and people. Australia was one of the countries that came to the aid of the affected regions and people in the Asian region. Several Australian tourists who were holidaying in the region were evacuated with the help of the Australian governments. The tsunami was massive and it reached the coast of Australia but it did not cause a lot of damage. Australia, the United States of America and several European countries mopped up funds and personnel aid to the Asian countries hit by the tsunami. Many people were displaced by the tsunami and they were in dire need of help thus help was extended to them (Jayasuriya, 2010). Most of these internally displaced people (IDP’s) lacked food, shelter, water and health services hence international community in conjunction with aid agencies such as the Red Cross and Medicine San Frontiers (March, 2006, pp. 42-44). The Australian government according to the article was among the first countries to send soldiers to help in mitigating the humanitarian crisis. The help was instrumental in helping the affected people to resume back to their lives without much hitch. The 2004 Asian tsunami did not only destroy lives but it also caused a lot of economic damage to around 14 Asian countries. Some of the most affected countries include Sri Lanka, and Thailand which rely on tourism as a part of it main economic earners. The 2004 Asian tsunami caused a lot of damage to resorts, beaches and sea features. Countries such as Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand are among the top tourist destinations in South East Asia. As a result, the 2004 Asian tsunami affected these countries greatly as it dented its tourism industry during the peak period. An estimated 10 billion US $ were lost as a result of the damage caused on the tourism industry in Asia. For instance, one Australian investor by the name of Kimina Lyall lost her resort due to the tsunami leading to the loss of her ten year investment. Major industries such as the insurance and banking industries were also affected by the 2004 Asian tsunami (March, 2006, pp. 46). Many insurance companies lost money as a result of the 2004 Asian tsunami since they had to compensate hotel and resort owners who lost their insured businesses. Tourists were also paid out by insurance companies since most of them travel to these destinations using insurance packages. As a result, the economic effects of the 2004 Asian tsunami were felt in Europe and globally due to the fact that insurance companies operating in Europe were heavily affected. According to Australian and global experts, the 2004 Asian tsunami tested the will power and emergency preparedness of the Asian countries. The 2004 Asian tsunami was one of the worst catastrophes in the global history since an estimated 200, 000 people were killed. Moreover, property and the environment were also destroyed leading to several stakeholders to spearhead rebuilding efforts. Emergency efforts and disaster preparedness systems were initiated as an effort of mitigating future disasters (March, 2006, pp.48). Climate detection and emergency evacuation systems were put in place so that lives would be saved easily in the future. Furthermore, people would be prepared for such disasters in the future if they were to occur. According to Australian weather experts, subsequent tsunamis in the Asian region following the 2004 one were smaller and many lives were saved due to early warning systems. The 2004 Asian tsunami was a testing point for different stakeholders in global politics and disaster management (Jayasuriya, 2010). The data sourced from the 2004 Asian tsunami has been utilized in the planning and formulation of disaster management systems globally. For instance, the article cites how India used data from the 2004 Asian tsunami to provide data on aspects of the tsunami that could be handled in the future. Conclusion The 2004 Asian tsunami hit hard the coast of Asia and the regions that surround these countries. This tsunami caused a lot of damage to homes, property and lives of many people. Countries such as Sri Lanka, Thailand and Indonesia suffered huge economic losses that led to one of the worst humanitarian crisis to be witnessed globally. The devastation led to several countries coming to the aid of these hard hit countries with relief supplies for people and personnel help. According to Australian sources, the 2004 tsunami caused a lot of damage that affected not only Asia but the globe since economic and humanitarian effects were felt everywhere. For instance, the tsunami led to the introduction of better warning systems for tsunamis and major natural catastrophes. Australia was one of the major stakeholders involved in the mitigation of the devastation caused by the tsunami by providing the extending help to the afflicted people and region. References Harbord, J., 2007. Academic Writing. Journal of Academic & Research Management, 15 (1), No.2, pp. 65-77. Jayasuriya, S. and McCawley, P., 2010. The Asian tsunami: aid and reconstruction after a disaster. Canberra: Cengage Learning. March, A., 2006. The Australian Government's response to the Indian Ocean tsunami. Journal of Emergency Management, 4 (4), No.4, pp.43-50. Read More