Discussion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 39

Discussion - Essay Example Currently, Europe hosts a number of workforce who are from various countries and various continents, and they make up 6% of the workforce population in Europe. However, with migration especially excessive migration comes several challenges, for example, one of the greatest challenge is marginalization of immigrants in cities, schools and at the workplace (Sutherland & Malmstrom para1). Unlike the United States, Europe has not come to the acknowledgement that there is land for immigrants in Europe so as to cater for the high number of people born in European land. Another challenge is finding jobs, which is highly difficult for blacks and other immigrants as priority is only granted to whites. In addition, acquiring loans for housing is difficult for an immigrant, thus, most end up not owning homes. In order to survive, most migrants enter into marriage with the citizens in order to have access to the country’s resources and attain good welfare. Finally, there is a lack of clea r guidelines and policies on migration and related issues. Russia interferes in the politics of its neighbors, which has resulted in widespread protests in countries like Ukraine. It even led to skirmishes with countries like Georgia. Is Russia correct to keep its neighborhood under its influence? Is the United States still in a position of moral superiority to condemn Russian tactics? What are your views? Russia has been on the world headlines for all the wrong reasons during the past years. Its emergence as mighty country has seen it interfere with the politics and issues of her neighbors at will. A recent one is the Ukraine crisis, in which to make matters worse, she warns the western countries against involvement in the Ukrainian crisis; thus, frustrate all chances of bring the crisis to an end. I think that the actions of Russia are uncalled for, especially interfering with its neighbors political affairs. Every country is sovereign, and Russia

Positive And Negative Effects Of Video Games Essay Example for Free

Positive And Negative Effects Of Video Games Essay The video game technology, like most technologies, has changed drastically in the last few years. Arcades may look much the same on the surface as they did a decade or two ago, but the games have become far more violent, sophisticated and addictive. When one visits the video arcade it is not surprising to see children pointing and shooting something that looks suspiciously like a real weapon. If Pong or, for that matter, Pac-Man and Super Mario Brothers is ones point of reference, one needs to think again. What one assumes about the benign, outdated games of the 1970s and the 1980s, even of the early 1990s, the research regarding them cannot be considered valid as video games put in the market in the last five years. It is a whole new world, and it is evolving at a rate that is hard for parents to keep pace with (Funk. Jeanne 1993). How fast a rate? Consider this: During the last two decades interactive video games have emerged as one of the most popular forms of entertainment, particularly among teens. According to the non-profit organization, Mediascope, Globally, annual video games revenues now exceed $18 billion. In the United States alone, video game revenues now exceed $10 billion annually, nearly double the amount Americans spend going to the movies. On average, American children who have home video game systems play with them about ninety minutes a day. The kids are changing with the technology how could they not be? They are riding technology curve in a way we are not and never can. On many levels, its wonderful to have them exposed to this brave new cyberworld: the opportunities for them to learn, the resources at their fingertips, are tremendous and hard to fathom. Some claim that video games are a mind controlling device (The World Wide Web is like a vast, almost limitless encyclopedia, and unlike Encyclopedia Britannica, kids can talk to it and it talks back. So its especially disconcerting to see armies of these very kids wandering through cyberspace mutilating and killing everything in their path and having a great time doing it. Its the dark side of heightened technology, but one to which we ought to be paying much closer attention (The First Fighting Game That Let You Just Be Friends). Some say there are positive effects of video games and that there are hollow claims about fantasy violence. However, there are others who maintain that the general effect is negative and hazardous to children and adolescents in general. This paper looks at the positive and negative sides and attempts to put look the issue in the proper perspective. The debate over the effects of digital games is getter hotter. Many claim that people may not pay too much attention regarding the issue of digital games but they are now becoming a powerful cultural force (Secko, David). This has become a powerful force since computer and video games sales topped $10 billion in the U. S. in 2004. Children spend more and more time working and playing with them. And some social theorists say society is gripped by a moral panic over the effects of computer games (Secko, David). As some maintain, exposure to television violence results in violent actions in real life. Several researchers have agreed that children extensively exposed to violence as projected on television tend to think that it is appropriate to act in violent ways (Hurst). Today, this has evolved into video games. Like most technologies, video game technology has changed drastically in the last few years. Some of the issues tied to this are those on values. Values motivate behavior. Judgments about right and wrong or good and bad are moral judgments based on values. In the course of human interactions, there are many situations in which it is difficult to make a decision because values come into conflict. Conflict between moral values results is an ethical problem. Major influences on moral decision-making in cyber environment are personal, professional and organizational values. Values must be clarified if moral decisions are to be reached. We are just beginning to understand that digital mediums are bringing us expressive forms comparable to the movies and the novel, says Janet Murray, a Professor of Digital Media at Georgia Tech and author of Hamlet on the Holodeck (Lee, J. 2004. p. 1375). Video gaming exists today as a symbiotic relationship among many self-preserving organisms. All must strike a gentle balance between exerting their will and killing their host. Even if others find it obsolete, the young must engage in values clarification to develop a decision-making process that fosters ethical behavior (Funk. Jeanne 1993). More than any other aspect of these new video games, its the accuracy of the simulations the carnage, the blood, and the guts that is so advanced. Realism is the Holy Grail of the video game industry. And the latest technology leaves little to the imagination the simulations seem less fake, and therefore more effective. Add to this the fact that in the last few years, video game manufacturers have chosen to amplify gruesome violence (note that 49 percent of young teens indicate a preference for violent games, while only 2 percent prefer educational ones). (Funk, Jeanne 1993) to make it a mainstay in their products seems a direct result of where the television and movie industry have taken their content. What worries most parents and educators here is the desensitizing effect on-screen violence has on kids, and how it fosters a need for more graphic real-life displays of carnage and mayhem to keep kids interested. Graphically violent video games like Doom, Postal, Duke Nukem, and Mortal Kombat are games way past the curve. Some claim that these are mind control devices (Videogame- mind control? ). Author Schmitt (2004) states the many disadvantages of video games. He goes on to list several of the drawbacks of video game playing. He states in no unequivocal terms, If pursued as a solitary activity, playing video games can decrease important social interactions with family and friends. A childs interactions with friends may become limited to pumping them for information about hidden passageways and secret doors. Schmitt lists several good reasons to advice people not play video games. He also not only listed that but he also listed ways to keep us from playing them altogether or how to encourage children to play more healthy activities (Schmitt 2004 p. 33-56). In terms of the educational principles related to this issue, any teacher or coach of young people will tell you that hands-on experience is what teaches best. Repetition of movements and the hand-eye connection are invaluable for learning most skills. And especially with children, hands-on learning is usually a lot more fun and interesting than the alternatives. It is precisely this that makes interactive video games so potent a learning tool. As researcher Patricia Greenfield points out, Video games are the first medium to combine visual dynamism with an active participatory role for the child. (Provenzo, Eugene. 1991). Video games have the distinct advantage between itself, the television and the movies it lets you put your hands on it, aim and fire. Thus, it is really no surprise that violent games are very habit-forming. Parents interviewed are alarmed at not just the violent images in the games, but the amount of time their children spend playing them. It proves how effective these things are. More than 60 percent of children report that they play video games longer than they intend to play. The interactive quality, the intensity of the violence, the physiological reactions, all serve to connect the players feelings of exhilaration and accomplishment directly to the violent images. And good feelings keep the player wanting to play. Countless parents try desperate to keep video game play within certain time limits, but its a huge challenge a parental battle they so often lose. Once kids get hooked, its difficult to unhook them. Both home and arcade games make extensive use of reinforcement schedules for both the acquisition and maintenance of the habit (Provenzo, Eugene. 1991).

Literature Review on Pakistans Food Security

Literature Review on Pakistans Food Security ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK Food security is elucidated by the IFAD/FAO as the year-round access to the amount and variety of safe foods required by all household members in order to lead active and healthy lives, without undue risk of losing such access. No country anywhere in the world is food secure on this definition. It represents therefore an ideal. To make the definition operational, four dimensions are considered namely Food Availability, Food Access, Food Utilisation and Stability of Access. These are briefly explained as follows: 1. Food Availability: The availability of sufficient quantities of food of appropriate qualities, supplied through domestic production or imports (including food aid). This is often confused with food security but should properly be seen as only a part, albeit an important part of food security. The question is not only whether food is available in a country but whether it is available in the right place at the right time and there must be a mechanism for ensuring that food of the right quality is made available. 2. Food Access: Access by individuals to adequate resources (entitlements) to acquire appropriate foods for a nutritious diet. These resources need not be exclusively monetary but may also include traditional rights e.g. to a share of common resources. Entitlements are defined as the set of all those commodity bundles over which a person can establish command given the legal, political, economic and social arrangements of the community in which he or she lives. 3. Food Utilization: Utilization of food through adequate diet, clean water, sanitation, and health care. This brings out the importance of non-food inputs in food security. It is not enough that someone is getting what appears to be an adequate quantity of food if that person is unable to make use of the food because he or she is always falling sick. 4. Stability of Access: Are individuals at high risk of losing their access to food? An example of this situation would be a landless agricultural laborer who was almost wholly dependent on agricultural wages in a region of erratic rainfall. Such a person is at high risk of not being able to find work in a situation of general crop failure and thus going hungry, i.e. is vulnerable. The objective of the thesis would be to analyze the institutional, production, market and policy aspects of the aforementioned four specific factors underlying food insecurity in Pakistan. This shall be gauged by analyzing secure access, production and utilization of three key staples; wheat, rice and sugar. There is considerable evidence that indicates the need to route policy focus to take the shape of revisionary responses to institutional framework, production, market dynamics and existing policy framework; all geared towards actualizing yield potentials and enhancing food security in the context of factors outlined above. What makes it even more pertinent is the impending food crisis keeping in view the increasing population and various institutional constraints underlying the retarded growth in production e.g water shortages, soil degradation, absence of proper agriculture research, improper agricultural practices etc. The four key aspects defined above i.e. Food availability, Food Access, Food Utilisation and Stability of Access shall be analyzed in terms of their current standing as well as the potential areas of improvement to realize the stipulated objectives. The stated framework is illustrated in the table as under: FOOD AVAILABILITY Review of Land holdings Cropping Patterns and relative prices for each crop. Profits and Losses per acre for each crop for each size class of farm Total area of cultivable land including land currently being utilized and cultivable waste. Water Utilisation Seeds, Fertilisers and GM food technology as a yield enhancement technique Productivity Enhancement of major crops Availability of credit for farmers for investments geared towards productivity enhancement FOOD ACCESS Identification and Targeting of the Food Insecure People Enhancing Productivity of small farmers for poverty alleviation and foster agricultural growth Diversification of On-farm and Off-farm income generation activities Stabilization of input and output process Encouragement of small scale enterprises STABILITY Inter-regional Inequality Urban Rural Disparity Distribution of land and Access to inputs and resources Skill Development for broad based development UTILISATION Improving nutritional aspects of food Balanced dietary consumption Promotion of household food production e.g. vegetables and pulses production, poultry and rearing of small ruminants POLICIES AND INSTITUTIONAL IMPERATIVES Removing Policy Distortions Provision and enhancement of rural infrastructure Institutional Structure for accelerated agricultural growth with equity. Credit and Rural Finance Human Resource Development Research and Extension Support Services In addition, the modus operandi for addressing the questions specified above would be through: †¢ A review and research the production, availability and consumption of essential food commodities †¢ A review of existing food procurement and storage facilities and identify areas of potential improvement †¢ Identification of the constraints in production, yield as well as the prices of essential food commodities e.g. wheat, sugar and rice. †¢ Identifying areas and scope of improved physical inputs geared towards improving the state of agriculture. †¢ Appraising the effectiveness of the Social Safety nets like BISP, Punjab Food Support Scheme in improving food security and how modifications in these programs towards targeting can be brought about to reduce fiscal and economic costs and losses for non target beneficiaries. †¢ Institutional and policy imperatives for enhanced and sustainable agricultural growth through a normative analysis of the following: o Agriculture and Crop Research Facilities o Social Mobilization o Vertical Integrations and Marketing systems o Enforcement Mechanisms in place to keep track of the regulatory endeavors. LITERATURE REVIEW Agriculture is considered the mainstay of Pakistans economy. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2008-09, there are major hindrances in the GDP growth rate in case of Pakistan, which the report asserts could not hold at 2007-2008 level. Agriculture, the major source of employment and income in the rural areas is expected to grow at 4.7 percent as against Services sector growing at the rate of 3.6 percent during 2008-2009. About 70% per cent of the countrys rural population is directly or indirectly linked with agriculture for their livelihood. Whatever happens to agriculture is bound to affect the livelihood and consequently food security of the poor rural people. Decline of agriculture and shrinking livelihood opportunities have resulted in rising poverty in rural areas while also compounding the food insecurity in both rural and urban areas. Agriculture, thus assumes a critical role in the national economy, providing food to the fast growing population of the country. Pakistan is a country where food security situation in recent years has not been very encouraging. The demand for food in recent years, especially key staples like wheat and sugar have started to exceed the supply. This gap can be attributed to many possible causes. According to Ahmed and Siddiqui (1994), even when the supply situation is better, there are problems with the distribution amongst different segments of the society thus adversely affecting the nutrition. On the demand side, the food security problem has been complicated by an unprecedented increase in population. Since the existing rate of population growth of over 3 percent per annum is expected to continue for a reasonable period of time, the total fertility rate also remaining well above the so-called â€Å"replacement level†, improvement in health-care facilities, which have already resulted in a remarkable decline in infant and child mortality rates has also contributed towards the high population rate in Pak istan. Transitory and chronic food insecurity is caused mainly by poverty. (Tweeten, 1999) People with adequate buying power overcome the frictions of time (e.g., unpredictable, unstable harvests from year to year) and space (e.g., local food short- ages) to be food-secure. The conclusions of the aforementioned study further suggested a food security policy synthesis for poor, developing countries like Pakistan which are outlined as follows; Poverty is best alleviated through broad-based, sustainable economic development. The most effective and efficient means to economic development is to follow the standard model, illustrated by the figure as under, which assures an economic pie to divide among people and among functions, such as human resource development, infrastructure, family planning, a food safety net, and environmental protection. The standard model is not merely an ideal; it is applicable to any culture and provides a workable prescription for economic progress, ensuring buying power for self-reliance and food security. Eventually, in conjunction with family planning, it brings decreased population growth. Although no country has adopted every component, many countries have adopted enough components of the standard model to demonstrate its capacity for economic success. The central puzzle of why food-insecure countries like Pakistan, eschew the standard model when it can bring food security is explained by political failure. Terminating even the worst policies creates losers. If the losers are in positions of power and authority, they resist reform. Economic distortions provide economic rents for those in authority who bestow licenses and enforce regulations. Parastatals provide employment for friends and relatives of power brokers; hence, unfortunate public policy carries powerful momentum. Political failur e is inseparable from broader institutional failure. Food insecurity and economic stagnation are not the result of limited natural resources, environmental degradation, or ignorant people. Rather, they are the result of misguided public policies, which in turn are the product of weak institutions and corrupt governments serving special interests. Institutional change is required to adopt the standard model. Poorly structured, inadequate institutions often trace to cultural factors such as tolerance of the public for unrepresentative, corrupt, incompetent government. Government leaders often view their position as an opportunity for personal aggrandizement rather than to be a servant of the public interest. Socio-institutional changes, and hence standard model adoption, are blocked by cultural characteristics such as caste and ethnic animosities, which provide a fertile climate for governments not representing the public interest to play one group against another. Thus, the challenge of food security for our time, as argued by Tweeten (1999), is socio-institutional change. A study was conducted by the IFPRI in 1977 that emphasized on the intensity of the problem facing the Developing Market Economies (DMEs) in countering food deficits in the wake of increasing populations. The options to grapple this challenge were outlined as increasing domestic production, commercial imports, reducing the food consumption levels through pricing adjustments or rationing, and food aid. For a country like Pakistan, easily branded as a low income country, policy choices are limited. Much of the population is already below the minimum dietary and nutritional requirements. Commercial imports to cover up the food deficit may not be a plausible option because it deems imperative a huge foreign exchange outlay coupled with various alternative development expenditures seeking priority. The study concluded that in order to narrow the food gap, development efforts in such low income countries must emphasize on policies to increase and enhance production performance. Large increa ses in agricultural investments coupled with appropriate policies and effective programs will be central. The third critical dimension of food security, utilization, refers to actual metabolization of food by the body. Food that is available and accessible does not alleviate food insecurity if people do not utilize food properly because of inadequate nutrition education and food preparation, bad habits, eating disorders, or poor health, such as intestinal parasites from unsanitary water. Thus, food security is appropriately defined not just as access but as utilization by all people at all times of sufficient nutrients for a productive and healthy life. It follows that sanitation, education, and health care are important instruments for food security. Despite per capita world food supplies being more than adequate to provide food security to all, food or income transfers among nations cannot be the principal instrument to end food insecurity. One reason is because altruism is too limited and fickle to provide sufficient, reliable transfers. Heavy dependence on transfers could discourage local production and create an unhealthy dependency of poor nations and individuals on rich nations, agencies, and individuals. Massive food transfers would destroy incentives for local food producers. A nation must have a pie of purchasing power to divide and share among its food-insecure people. Because it is the poor who lack access to food, alleviating food insecurity means alleviating poverty. Most of the worlds poor, the 1.3 billion people with incomes of less than $1 per day (updated from World Bank 1990, p. 29), will have to escape poverty and food insecurity through economic growth. Economic growth largely was responsible for the 158 million reduction in numbers of undernourished people in East, South, and Southeast Asia from 1979-1981 to 1990-1992. In the mixed and underdeveloped economies of the Third World, the maintenance of minimum consumption levels for large segments of the population is a critical problem. Even in developing countries with a reasonably well-developed industrial base, such as India, glaring nutrition gaps exist (Knudsen and Scandizzo 1979) and critical shortages can and do arise in basic consumption areas such as food, fuel, and clothing (Sharma and Roy 1979). Such shortfalls have serious economic, social, and political consequences (Burki and Haq 1981). Therefore, governments in developing countries usually attempt a macro management of selected consumption items. A fairly complex set of direct and indirect policies are used to influence the production, distribution, and prices of such items (Ahmed 1979, Dholakia and Khorana 1979, Kaynak 1980, Sorensen 1978). The formulation and implementation of such policies can be viewed as a macro-marketing management process [Zif 1980]. For essential consumption ite ms, this process entails: i. Identification of key consumption items (products) and target groups (markets), ii. Development and evaluation of intervention methods (macro marketing strategies), iii. Creation of delivery or communication systems (channels) to reach the target groups or other intervention points, and iv. Monitoring and control of the consumption- oriented programs (macromarketing control system). In discussing the rationale for Macromanagement System for Essential Consumption Items (referred herein as MSECI), two interrelated questions arise i.e. why do these systems come into existence and what are the goals of these systems. In analyzing why the government intervenes in the distributive trade for essential consumption items, Sorenson (1978) cites four reasons, which are presented below in an elaborated version: i. Under conditions of scarcity (a typical feature in underdeveloped countries), the unfettered operation of the market mechanism is politically unacceptable. Price increases and shortages resulting from unfettered private trade would be politically too risky for the government in power. ii. Distributive trade typically has a poor reach in the rural areas. In periods of shortages, rural distribution deteriorates even further, making government intervention a necessity. iii. The market mechanism is imperfect in terms of prices, information, and market clearing. During periods of shortages, these imperfections become magnified, inviting government regulation. iv. Profits and surpluses from private trade in developing countries usually do not flow into productive investments. Instead, they flow into private consumption and investment such as clothing, jewelry, gold, houses, dowries, and so on. Hence, profits from shortages do not help alleviate the major cause of shortages, i.e. low le vels of production. In fact, some of the surpluses may even accentuate shortages by becoming working capital for increased hoarding of goods. Government often intervenes to reduce the profits going into such unproductive uses. The experience of India as put forth by Dholakia and Khurana (1979) and other Third World countries points out a few other reasons for the emergence and growth of macro management systems in the distributive trade sector. Some of these are: i. Distributive trades absorb a lot of people and provide a low-cost employment outlet in developing countries. Governments often intervene to further some employment goals in addition to the distributional goals. In India, for example, the government often preferentially awards licenses to operate Fair Price Shops to those groups considered to be politically important unemployed college graduates, retired army personnel, widows of servicemen, etc. ii. Government intervention in distributive trades is often a consequence of agricultural price support programs. Once the government becomes a procurer and storer of large quantities of farm products, it needs a distribution method for these products. An MSECI is created as a result. Once an MSECI is created, the reverse logic often takes over. For example, to support an extensive public distribution system in a southern state of India, the state government resorts to mandatory procurement of some percentage of farms output [George 1979]. iii. In a manner similar to agricultural policy, the industrial policy of developing countries also leads to governmental intervention in distributive trade. To support small-scale, infant, or weak industries, the government sometimes assists in the marketing of the products of such industries by procuring their products and distributing them through state-controlled or subsidized channels [Bhandari 1979]. In Morocco, for example, the government subsidized the introductory advertising efforts of a baby food considered to be important in meeting that countrys nutritional goals [Vitale and Cavusgil 1981]. These last three points illustrate how consumption- and distribution- oriented policies get intertwined with policies related to employment, agriculture, industry, and other sectors. The rationale and rationality of MSECIs must therefore be studied in the context of other related sectoral policies [Gustafsson and Richardson 1979]. While the above discussion throws some light on why MSECIs come into existence, it does not fully illustrate the range of goals that MSECIs may serve. According to Gustafsson and Richardson (1979), where there is a complex polity, not only are there multiple actors in the policymaking process but each actor sometimes has multiple goals. Politicians, for example, are interested in: a) Solving problems, where it is feasible to do so and ideologically acceptable to the politician b) Agenda management, that is, getting problematic and intractable items off the political agenda, often by formulating do-nothing placebo policies, and c) Creating consensus, especially when the issue is frankly fractious. In the context of an MSECI, purely placebo or consensus-making policies are unlikely to exist. This is because breadbasket issues are involved and simply managing the agenda or creating a consensus (without solving the problem) is politically too risky. As a part of the problem-solving strategy, however, policymakers may make some efforts to manage agendas or create consensus. Policies geared towards essential consumption items are therefore likely to have some symbolic, rhetorical, or bargaining content (Lapps, Collins, and Kinley 1980). With reference to the rationale and goals of MSECIs, the following conclusions can be made: a) MSECIs usually emerge in developing countries to serve short-term, volatile political problems caused by scarcity. Later, these systems may be further developed to embrace other economic goals. In fact, appropriately used, MSECIs could play an important role in balanced development (United Nations 1977). b) As the complexity of an MSECI increases, consumption and distribution-related policies become entwined with several other sectoral policies in developing countries. c) Analysis of MSECIs should be conducted with sensitivity to the goals stated and implicit of the different actors in the consumptive and distributive policy process. According to Hussain et al, the production instability and food insecurity in are interrelated. Most of the rain-fed agriculture of the country is experiencing erratic production. The production instability index (coefficient of variation) is 29% in the Pakistan (Anonymous). Most variation is attributed to crop yields. The productivity per unit of resource especially water, is low. The declining resource productivity is due to increased water logging and salinity, nutrient depletion, deforestation and devegetation and increased pest complex. Looming water scarcity and competition for the same water from non agricultural sectors necessitates improving crop productivity to ensure adequate food for the nation with the equivalent or less water than is presently available for agriculture. This can be obtained because available information shows that there is a wide gap between actual and attainable crop water productivity, especially in the arid and semi-arid environments. Quantifying cro p water output reveals gaps in information regarding pre-eminent ways to increase crop water productivity. Cropping systems need to be inherently flexible to take advantage of economic opportunities and/or adapt to environmental realities. A dynamic cropping systems concept characterized by a management approach whereby crop sequencing decisions are made on an annual basis has been proposed to improve the adaptability of cropping practices to externalities. STATE OF AGRICULTURE IN PAKISTAN Despite a structural shift towards industrialization, agriculture continues to be the biggest sector of the economy. It contributes 21.8% of the GDP, employs 44.7 % of the workforce and is a major source of foreign exchange earnings . About 68% of the population lives in rural Pakistan and depends upon agriculture for their sustenance. Given its wide-spanning forward and backward linkages, in particular with the Industrial sector, agriculture has assumed an added significance especially in the context of the prevalent global food crunch and food security. According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan 2008-09, no economic reforms will be successful in the absence of a sustained and broad based agricultural development which is critical for raising living standards, alleviating poverty assuring food security, generating a buoyant market for industrial expansion an making a substantial contribution to the national economic growth. The utilization of agricultural land in Pakistan is illustrated by the table as under. The total area reported in the table includes the total physical area of the villages. Forest area refers to the area of any land administered as forest under any legal enactment dealing with forests. Any cultivated area which may exist within such a forest is shown under the heading of cultivated area. Culturable waste is that uncultivated farm area which, although fit for cultivation, has been left uncropped during the year under consideration as well as the one preceding. Cultivated area is the area which was sown at least during the year under reference or during the preceding year. This includes the net sown area as well as the current fallow. The current fallow is the area that is ploughed but not cropped. With these definitions in context, a review of the agricultural land holdings of Pakistan is presented as under: (Million hectares) Table: (Source: MINFAL) An analysis of the land utilization statistics indicate that the total area under cultivation has registered a gradual increase during the period specified i.e. 1990-2008. The uncultivable land is being brought under cultivation and the total cropped area has also been increasing, though not very significantly. Given the importance of agriculture in the national economy, the policy focus has essentially been on agriculture even though the need for a structural shift towards industries and manufacturing gained importance post 1990s. If we look at the historical statistics of the Pakistan economy, we can see how the performance of agriculture coincided with the GDP growth. Table below illustrates the performance and average annual growth rates of the Agriculture and the GDP for the period 1960-2009. AVERAGE ANNUAL GROWTH RATES 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000-2009 GDP 6.8 4.8 6.5 4.6 5 Agriculture 5.1 2.4 5.4 4.4 3.0 Table Broadly speaking the growth rate of agriculture across the periods specified in Table 1 was fairly good but the yearly growth rates during the same periods were erratic. The growth of agriculture was particularly low in the periods of 1998-99 at 1.9%, 2000-01 at -2.2%, 2001-02 at 0.1% and 2007-08 at 1.1%. Considering the current decade, agriculture has grown at an average rate of 3.32% per annum. Of this, the growth performance over the last seven years has been of a volatile nature ranging from 1.1% to 6.5% at the highest. See table below, AGRICULTURE GROWTH (%) Year Agriculture Major Crops Minor Crops 2002-3 4.1 6.8 1.9 2003-4 2.4 1.7 3.9 2004-5 6.5 17.7 1.5 2005-6 6.3 -3.9 0.4 2006-7 4.1 7.7 -1.3 2007-8 1.1 -6.4 10.9 2008-9 4.7 7.7 3.6 Table 2 Federal Board of Statistics, Government of Pakistan(2009) This volatility can be primarily attributed to the crop sector which has been a subject of various pest attacks, irregular raining patterns, adulterated pesticides etc. There are two principal crop seasons in Pakistan, Kharif and Rabi. The sowing season of the former begins in April-June and the harvesting occurs in October/ December while the latters begins in October/December and ends in April/ May. Major crops of the Kharif season include Sugarcane, rice, cotton and maize and those of the Rabi season include wheat, gram and lentils. As per the statistics of the MINFAL , the major crops such as wheat, rice, cotton and sugarcane amount to about 89.1% of the value added in the major crops, and this amounts to about 33.4% of value added in the overall agriculture. The production statistics of the major crops of both the seasons are given in the table as under: PRODUCTION OF MAJOR CROPS (000 TONS) YEAR COTTON (000 BALES) SUGARCANE RICE MAIZE WHEAT 2003-4 10048 53419 4848 1897 19500 2004-5 14265 47244 5025 2797 21612 2005-6 13019 44666 5547 3110 21277 2006-7 12856 54742 5438 3088 23295 2007-8 11655 63920 5563 3605 20959 2008-9 11819 50045 6852 4036 23421 MINFAL Pakistans agricultural production is closely linked with the supply of irrigation water. The supply of irrigation water has been strained as indicated by Table 3 as under: Actual Surface Water Availability (Million Acre Feet) Period Kharif Rabi Total % Change over Average Average System Usage 67.1 36.4 103.5 2002-3 62.8 25 87.8 -15.2 2003-4 65.9 31.5 97.4 -5.9 2004-5 59.1 23.1 82.2 -20.6 2005-6 70.8 30.1 100.9 -2.5 2006-7 63.1 31.2 94.3 -8.9 2007-8 70.8 27.9 98.7 -46 2008-9 66.9 24.9 91.8 -11.3 Table 3: (IRSA) As shown in the table, against the normal surface water availability at canal heads of 103.5 MAF, the overall water availability for both the crop seasons has been less in the range of -2.5% to 20.6%. If the water availability for the respective seasons is analyzed one can conclude that the Rabi season faced a greater dearth of the water supply as compared to the Kharif season.

Julius Caesar :: essays research papers

Who’s The Noblest of the Main Characters in Julius Caesar?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When attempting to get a read on all the characters of the play Julius Caesar and which one has the smallest flaws you need to look at each character and evaluate them individually. You have to consider if Aristotle would consider them noble or not. You have to decipher if the characters are being noble for the right reasons. You have to also look at which characters exhibit positive virtues and which ones don’t. Aristotle says, â€Å"virtue or excellence is a characteristic involving choice, and that it consists in observing the mean relative to us, a mean which is defined by a rationale principal, such as a man of practical wisdom would use to determine it. It is the mean by reference to the two vices: the once of excess and the other of deficiency. It is, moreover, a mean because some vices exceed and fall short of what is required in emotion and in action, whereas virtue finds and chooses a median. Hence in respect of it’s essence and definition of its essential nature virtue is a mean, but in regard to goodness and excellence it is an extreme†(Aristotle 1107a, 1-8). None of the main characters are truly noble or virtuous but no one really is. Of all the main characters I find that Brutus has the least amount of flaws. But he too is not deficient of flaws. In order to prove my point I will give reasons why some of the other characters cannot be considered the noblest of them all.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The almighty, egotistical and borderline arrogant Julius Caesar had his flaws. Caesar proved to be deficient in fear while also exhibiting excessive courage. In attempting to prove how courageous he was, Caesar wanted to prove a point to Cassuis by jumping into the flooded Tiber river. Caesar said to Cassuis, â€Å"Dar’st thou, Cassuis, now Leap in with me into this angry flood, And swim to yonder point(Shakespeare, 1.2-102-104)? After they jumped into the water a dismayed Cassius describes what happens next, â€Å"Upon the word, Accout’red as I was, I plunged in And bode him follow: so indeed he did. The torrent roared, and we did buffet it with lusty sinews, throwing it aside And stemming it with hearts of controversy. But eve we could arrive the. point proposed, Caesar cried â€Å"Help me Cassuis or I sink(Shakespeare 1.2, 104-111)! Cassius then saved his life. Caesars whole point of jumping into the raging flood was to prove how courageous he was, but he was nearly killed for his reckless behavior.

A Mir Kiss Essay

1. Evaluate simple and complex concepts of organizational behavior (OB); including the theoretical and practical elements. 2. Identify basic managerial functions, roles, and skills and how they relate to the field of OB, including implications of environmental challenges. 3. Understand the elements of diversity within a global organization and environment. 4. Discuss the foundations of individual behavior through exploration in psychology; including personality, perception, and interpersonal differences. 5. Illustrate understanding of need-based perspectives in motivation including; Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, Alderfer’s ERG theory, and Hertzberg’s dual-structure theory. 6. Illustrate understanding of process-based perspectives in motivation through the equity, expectancy, and reinforcement theories. 7. Explain how job design, work arrangements, and employee participation affect individual performance and job satisfaction. 8. Explain goal setting, performance management, and reward systems as they relate to total quality management efforts. 9. Discuss the nature of stress, managing stress and balancing work-life. 10. Demonstrate the understanding of how individuals make up teams and teams create an organization, and organizational effectiveness is reliant on each level. COURSE CONTENT: Topical areas of study include: Individual behaviors Individual characteristics Group behaviors Personality differences Organizational behaviorsTeam diversity Needs-based motivational modelsOrganizational success Process-based motivational models REQUIRED TEXT & MATERIALS Title: Organizational Behavior Author: Steven McShane and Mary Ann Von Glinow Edition: 2nd edition Publisher: McGraw Hill-Primis ISBN: 978-0-07-338122-0 How to Order Textbook/Materials All books and materials, unless otherwise noted, should be purchased from the Ivy Tech online bookstore. To order the texts required for this class or any other course, go to http[->2]://[->3]www[->4]. [->5]ivytech[->6]. [->7]bkstr[->8]. [->9]com[->10]. Students can order all books and materials for all courses from this site – regardless of whether it is an online or on-campus course. In the future, it is advised that students order textbooks and materials before the start of the semester. Students should use a copy of their course schedule to accurately order books and materials. Schedules can print a copy of their course schedule from Campus Connect at http://cc. ivytech. edu. Students who live in Indiana and surrounding states will normally receive their book order within one day from the time the book is shipped from the warehouse. Paying for overnight shipping on textbook orders from the bookstore is normally not a good use of money as it does not ensure overnight processing of the order – it only ensures that once the book order has been processed, it will be shipped out overnight. Technology Needs & Resources Because this is a web-based course, it is expected that all students who enroll in the course have Internet access and a basic understanding of computer use (e. g. , using e-mail, sending attachments via e-mail, using web browsers, using word processing software such as Microsoft Word). Also, it is expected that all students will regularly check their Ivy Tech e-mail accounts (located in Campus Connect) and/or Blackboard messages as indicated below. Within 48 hours is recommended. This is the PRIMARY method that the college will utilize to contact students. Visit the Distance Learning Web site at: http[->11]://[->12]www[->13]. [->14]ivytech[->15]. [->16]edu[->17]/[->18]distance[->19]/[->20] for more information related to technology requirements for online courses. Check with the nearest campus bookstore for educational pricing if additional software is required for this course. COLLEGE POLICIES Academic Honesty Statement The College is committed to academic integrity in all its practices. The faculty value intellectual integrity and a high standard of academic conduct. Activities that violate academic integrity undermine the quality and diminish the value of educational achievement. Cheating on papers, tests, or other academic works is a violation of College rules. No student shall engage in behavior that, in the judgment of the instructor of the class, may be construed as cheating. This may include, but is not limited to, plagiarism or other forms of academic dishonesty such as the acquisition without permission of tests or other academic materials and/or distribution of these materials and other academic work. This includes students who aid and abet as well as those who attempt such behavior. Copyright Statement Students shall adhere to the laws governing the use of copyrighted materials. They must insure that their activities comply with fair use and in no way infringe on the copyright or other proprietary rights of others and that the materials used and developed at Ivy Tech Community College contain nothing unlawful, unethical, or libelous and do not constitute any violation of any right of privacy. ADA Statement Ivy Tech Community College seeks to provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with documented disabilities. If students need an accommodation because of a documented disability, please contact the Office of Disability Support Services. COURSE POLICIES & PROCEDURES Due Dates & Deadlines The Syllabus and Course Calendar are 2 important tools to help students understand the course, student and instructor expectations, and deadlines. Both documents can be found under the â€Å"Start Here† button in the course within Blackboard. Students are required to submit work on time for a chance to receive credit. Deadlines for each week/assignment are summarized on the course calendar. Students should check the calendar frequently for deadlines and to be aware of what to expect next. Deadlines are subject to change. Students are responsible for timely assignment submission. Should a computer system or network go down, students must still turn in work in a timely manner. Don’t wait until the last minute. Plan ahead by seeking alternative means for submitting work before needed. Local libraries and all Ivy Tech Community College campuses can serve as alternative resources. Contact the closest/most convenient campus or other public lab for schedules and Internet availability. Not having access to the required software on a home or work computer is not a legitimate excuse for turning in homework late. Attendance Policy – Don’t Get Dropped from Class! While it is important to be timely and on-schedule throughout any course, students need to be aware of an important college policy. Ivy Tech performs administrative drops for students who do not â€Å"attend† class early in the semester. Attendance in an online course is determined by whether a student has submitted work or not. Assignments may actually be due on another day (see course calendar), but students need to turn in something worth points before the NSW deadline in order to avoid being dropped for non-attendance. To avoid being dropped for non-attendance, students must submit some assignment from the course calendar no later than 11:59 p. m. Friday, March 22, EST. Am I Required to Come to a Campus for this Class? No, students do not have to come to campus for this course. There are no activities, labs, or assessments that require students to come to campus. Instructional Method This is an online distance-learning course. Each week’s assignments and readings are summarized on the Course Calendar, accessed from the â€Å"Start Here† button in Blackboard. It takes a great deal of discipline, self-motivation and effective time management skills to successfully complete an online course. Many students find it helpful to set aside specific times each week to work on course assignments. Grades All grades will be maintained in Blackboard’s online grade book. Students are responsible to track their progress by referring to the online grade book. Make-Up Policy Late work (tests, case study reviews, discussion board postings, group discussions, marketing project sections, etc. ) will not be accepted, except for the following circumstances. If you have a SERIOUS problem that can be documented/verified and that keeps you from submitting class work on time, please contact your Instructor immediately. The Instructor will determine if the seriousness of your problem warrants an exception to the late assignment rule. Late assignments will be assigned a grade of â€Å"0† unless you have received prior approval from the Instructor. There are no make-ups for any class discussion boards. If you have planned events (vacation, wedding, birth of a child, surgery, etc. ), you can work ahead on assignments with prior approval of the professor. In all cases, communication with the professor in advance is required. You are responsible for timely assignment submission. Should your personal computer system or network go down, you must still turn in your work in a timely manner. Don’t wait until the last minute; plan ahead by seeking alternative means for submitting your work before you need to. Local libraries and all Ivy Tech Community College campuses can serve as alternative resources. Contact your campus or other public lab for schedules and Internet availability. Not having access to the required software on your home or work computer is NOT a legitimate excuse for turning in homework late. Technical problems are NOT an excuse for late or missed assignments or exams. If you experience difficulty with email, posting on the discussion boards, attaching files, finding/submitting assignments, or exam administration on Blackboard, the problem can be readily resolved by contacting your instructor or technical support at Ivy Tech prior to the assignment’s due date. Plan ahead by seeking alternative means for submitting your work before the situation arises. Local libraries and all Ivy Tech Community College campuses can serve as alternative resources. Contact your campus or other public lab for schedules and Internet availability. There will not be any extra credit offered in this course, so it is very important to plan ahead and not miss any assignments. Last Day to Withdraw If a student wishes to withdraw from this course, students are responsible for completing an official withdrawal form with the registrar. The last day to withdraw from this course is April 27, 2013. Right of Revision. The college reserves the right to change any statements, policies or scheduling as necessary. Students will be informed promptly of any and all changes. COURSE COMMUNICATION Instructor Commitment Ivy Tech Community College instructors are committed to responding to students within two business days. If a student sends communication, but does not receive a response, they should double-check that the correct communication method was used and that the correct location is being checked for a reply. Students can contact their local Distance Education Support with questions. NOTE: Messages are very different from Email. Students should carefully review the information below to ensure they are sending and receiving course communication properly. Messages: all students must use the messages function of the course for course-related communications. Using messages, students can send and receive information from within the course. Messages can only be sent and received from within the course in Blackboard. Please check messages frequently. To access messages (send and receive): 1. Log into Blackboard & enter the course. 2. Click on ‘Communication & Tools’, then Messages. 3. There are two folders: Inbox and Sent. The Inbox folder will contain all received messages (so look there for messages from the instructor or other students). The Sent folder will contain sent. 4. At the top left corner, above the folders, is the button to start a Create Message. 5. After clicking on Create Message, clicking on the â€Å"To† button students can select the name of the person to write. Use the right-facing arrow to move the person into the â€Å"recipient† box. 6. Then, type a message and click on the Submit button when ready to send it. ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING. Methods of Evaluation Case Study Assignments (200 points 2 @ 100 points each): Two case study exercises will be required. The case study assignments are designed to introduce, review, and further explore issues in the class. Discussion Boards (250 points 10 @ 25 points each): During the course, an online discussion forum will be developed to further explore topics addressed in the assigned readings.  ·Students will be required to post one response to the instructor posted question. As a student, you will be required to respond to one additional comment to one of your fellow classmates. Responses are required to be grounded in academic material, especially the required readings. Each discussion board session is worth a total of 25 points.  ·Answers are required to be grounded in academic material, especially the required readings. All postings are graded, based on academic merit. Posts that do not refer to the course/lesson material or do not provide academic support will not receive any credit.  ·Discussion Board Rubric and Guidelines are posted under the Resources button. Quizzes (400 points 10 @ 40 points each): Students will be required to complete brief chapter quizzes that are objective in nature. The quizzes are designed to assist students in learning and reviewing chapter objectives. How is my grade calculated? Discussion Boards(8 at 25 points each)|200 (25%)| Case Study Exercises(2 at 100 points each)|200 (25%)| Quizzes(10 at 40 points each) |400 (50%)| TOTAL|800 (100%)| [*NO make-up or extra credit will be available at any time during the course. ] Grades will be calculated as total points earned according to the following scale. It is highly recommend that you monitor your own progress throughout the semester. Grades will be available weekly on Blackboard. Grading Scale  90% – 100%A 80% – 89%B 70% – 79%C 60% – 69%D Below 60%F **Assignment/discussion grades will be posted one week after the due date. ADDITIONAL SUPPORT Optional Campus Support Students are welcome to use the services and equipment available at the most convenient Ivy Tech Campus. Services include academic advising, equipment, libraries, and tutoring. Please locate the most convenient Ivy Tech campus by reviewing the information at http[->21]://[->22]ivytech[->23]. [->24]edu[->25]/[->26]campuses[->27]/[->28]. Library The Ivy Tech Library is available to students on- and off-campus, offering  full text journals, books, and other resources essential for course assignments. The Library can be accessed from the â€Å"Library† tab in Blackboard or from the â€Å"Library† tab in Campus Connect. Click for Help Log into Blackboard at http://online. ivytech. edu and visit the â€Å"Click for Help† tab for information about computer downloads. This tab provides students with important computer information, including security software, viewer software for users without Microsoft products, adobe reader, flash player, java, and more. Disabilities Services  Students with questions or needs for disabilities support services should contact their local Disabilities Support Services director/coordinator. In the future, it is recommended that students contact Disabilities Support Services at least 30 days before the start of the semester. The contact information listed here is for the disabilities support director/coordinator at the instructor’s local campus. For information about disabilities support services at another campus, please visit: http://ivytech. edu/dss/ or Campus Connect (http://cc.  ivytech. edu). Disabilities Support Contact: First Name:Michelle Last Name:Lehman Phone Number:765-269-5421 Email (Ivy Tech Email):mlehman16@ivytech. edu Blackboard IM ID:mlehman16 Office/Campus Location:Ivy Hall Room 1323 Office Hours:Mon- Thurs. 8am-5pm Fri 9am-5pm Course Calendar| |Readings|Assignments/Assessments|Due Date| Week 1: 3/18 – 3/24Session1 and 2|Chapter 1 – Introduction to the Field of Organizational Behavior|- Discussion Board Introduction|Initial Post3/18Responses3/19Quizzes 1 & 2 3/24, 11 pm| |Chapter 2 – Individual. Behavior, Personality and Values|Discussion Board 2 – READ ONLY – Chapter 1 & 2 Quiz|Quizzes 1 & 2 3/24, 11 pm| Week 2:3/25- 3/31Session3 and 4|Chapter 3 -Perception and Learning in Organizations|- Discussion Board 3- Chapter 3 Quiz |Initial Post3/25Responses 3/27 Quiz 3/31, 11 pmCase Study3/31, 11 pm| ||Discussion Board 4 – READ ONLYCase Study #1| Case Study 13/31, 11 pm | Week 3: 4/1 – 4/7Session5 and 6|Chapter 4 – Workplace Emotions, Attitudes and Stress| Discussion Board 5- Chapter 4 Quiz-Chapter 5 Quiz |Initial Post4/01Responses 4/4 Quiz 4 4/7, 11 pmQuiz 5 4/7, 11 pm | |Chapter 5 – Employee Motivation: Foundations and Practices|Discussion Board 6 – READ ONLY- Chapter 5 Quiz|Quiz 5 4/7, 11 pm| Week 4:4/8 – 4/14Session7 and 8|Chapter 6 – Decision Making and Creativity|Discussion Board 7- Chapter 6 Quiz-Chapter 7 Quiz|Initial Post4/8Responses 4/11 Quiz 6 4/14, 11 pmQuiz 7 4/14, 11 pm| |Chapter 7 – Team Dynamics|Discussion Board 8 – READ ONLY|Quiz 7 4/14, 11 pm| Week 5:4/15 – 4/21Session 9 and 10|Chapter 8 – Communicating in Teams and Organizations|- Chapter 8 & 9 QuizDiscussion Board 9|Initial Post4/15Responses 4/19Quiz 8 4/21, 11 pmQuiz 9 4/21, 11 pm| |Chapter 9 – Power and Influence in the Workplace|- Discussion Board 10 – READ ONLY- Chapter 9 Quiz|Quiz 9 4/21, 11 pm| Week 6:4/22 – 4/28Session11 and 12|Chapter 10 – Conflict Management |- Discussion Board 11- Chapter 10 QuizCase Study #2|Initial Post4/22Responses 4/25Quiz 10 4/28, 11 pmCase Study 4/28, 11 pm| ||Discussion Board 12 – READ ONLYCase Study #2||  Week 7:4/29 – 5/05Session13 and 14|Chapter 11 –Leadership in OrganizationalChapter 12 – Organizational Structure |Discussion Board 13Chapter 11 & 12 Quiz|Initial Post4/29Responses 5/02Quizzes 11 and 12 5/05, 11 pm| |Chapter 13 – Organizational Culture|Discussion Board 14 – READ ONLY| Quiz 12 5/05| Week 8:5/06 – 5/10Session15 and 16|Chapter 14- Organizational Change|- Discussion Board 15 – READ ONLY- Discussion Board 16 – Chapter 13& 14 Quiz |Board 16: Initial Post5/06Responses 5/10, 11 pmQuizzes 13 & 14 5/10, 11 pm | Session16||Discussion Board 16|5/10| [->0] – https://online. ivytech. edu/webapps/blackboard/execute/courseMain? course_id=_340751_1 [->1] – mailto:laf-distance-ed@lists. ivytech. edu.

Ten Blessed Companions

10 BLESSED COMPANIONS-ALI(RA) ALI (RA) [J-04] Q Write an account of the following figures during the life of the Prophet (saw): Hamza (ra), Abu Bakr (ra) and Ali (ra). [10-J-11] Q Explain why one of these figures was important in the development of Islamic community. [4-J-11] the son of Ibu Talib, the uncle of the Prophet (saw). from Hashimi family of Quresh and the first cousin of the Prophet (saw). married the youngest daughter of the Prophet (saw), Fatima (ra). father of Hasan (ra) and Hussain (ra). rought up by the Prophet (saw) and Khadija (ra) since he was very young. first child (10 years) who became Muslim. known for his knowledge and bravery. lay on the bed of the Prophet (saw) without any hesitation when the Prophet (saw) migrated to Madina. In the expedition of Khaiber, he was honored by the Prophet (saw) when he fought with the sword of the Prophet (saw) and conquered difficult fortresses. He was titled, Asad Ullah, the lion of Allah. Another title of Ali (ra) is Abu Tura b. In all battles he fought bravely for Islam. n intelligent and a very learned person. Prophet (sw) says: â€Å"I am the city of knowledge and Ali is its door†. He was appointed governor of Yemen in 631. has the honour of giving bath to the dead body of the Prophet (saw) and lay him in the grave. The Prophet (saw) declared him his brother when the brotherhood took place in Madina. He took oath on the caliphates of the first three caliphs an important advisor to all caliphs. 4th Caliph He was assassinated in Kufa in 660 AD, 60 AH among the ten blessed companions