My Star- Lesbian Relationship :: Personal Narrative Relationships Papers

My Star I sat on the edge of her bed, with my head in my hands, crying. My heart was pounding and adrenaline rushed through my veins, making me feel sick to my stomach. I couldn't make myself calm down. I couldn't even take a breath. My hands trembled as I wiped the hair out of my eyes. I glanced through my tears at Star, huddled in the corner of her bright yellow room. She was curled up in a ball with her head on her knees, shaking. I stared, wondering what she was thinking, and what I should do. I wanted so badly to go comfort her as we both cried, but I felt as though I could never touch her again. I felt dirty, even evil. I began to question every belief I'd ever had, even who I was. I looked back down to the ground, and watched everything fade away as more tears formed in my eyes. I wanted to just disappear, to leave my body behind, and not have to deal with what was about to happen. My roommate Star and I had decided to go to Tampa to visit her family for the weekend. She stood over my bed one Friday morning, watching me sleep. I opened my eyes and smiled expecting her to crawl in like she did every morning after her first class, but instead she asked " You wanna come to Tampa with me?" She had a huge, fake smile on her face, as if she was saying please. I didn't hesitate. "Sure," I said as I made room for her next to me. How could I say no to Star, especially when she smiled at me like that? I didn't care where we were going, but I knew I didn't want to spend a weekend with out her. Star was the only child of two extremely religious parents, and attended Catholic school her whole life. She was very sheltered, and modest, whereas I am a very open-minded, liberal person, who is anything but modest. She was Hispanic, and had dark brown, short, curly hair, that she always hid with a bandana. Her eyes were almost black, and were so mysterious and deep that I could stare into them and get lost. She wore pointy, black glasses that I called her "sassy librarian glasses." She dressed how my friends would describe as "dykey.

Should Marijuana Be Legalized-Canada

For Many years there have been debates on the possibilities of legalizing marijuana. There are many different opinions on this touchy subject. The opinion many have on marijuana being legalized in Canada would be a lawful act. The fact that marijuana is not as harmful as alcohol and other legal drugs would make it acceptable, and how taxing marijuana would bring in more money to Canada’s government. Also legalizing marijuana would free up police and court recourses, to fight against more serious crimes, and also how marijuana is a gateway drug is a false implication.The drug marijuana in general, is not more harmful than alcohol or other legal drugs such as tobacco (If used in moderation). Many people assume that marijuana was made illegal through some kind of process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings; that it was to protect the citizens from were determined to be a dangerous drug. But in reality it is not a dangerous drug, marijuana is no harmful than alc ohol or tobacco. To get to this conclusion has taken many tests and research. Studies have found that 69. 1% of marijuana users are from age 12-17 years old. Only 9% out of that category ecome dependent with the drug (meaning they become addicted to that substance and need it). By contrast, 15% of alcohol users and 32% of tobacco users become dependant[1].There were over than 800,000 arrests in Canada in 2008 for marijuana use and possession. We force them to go to rehab and then use those statistics to show how marijuana is dangerous and addictive. Over one third of those in treatment for marijuana â€Å"abuse† or was â€Å"dependant† did not use marijuana at all in the month period prior to admission, and more than half used it three times or less[2]. Would you call someone who rank three beers in a month an alcoholic? Like any substance marijuana can be abused, but it is impossible to overdose on. The most common problem associated with marijuana abuse is lethargic behavior, but does not cause serious health or social concerns.Overuse of alcohol will result in an inability to walk, stand, or even death, whereas overuse of marijuana will simply put a person to sleep. 40% of all fatal car accidents are caused by alcohol while no car accidents ever have been directly caused by marijuana[3]. Alcohol induces violent behavior and is often attributed to wife beating and ther violent behaviors. Someone under the influence of alcohol will experience fits if rage which has often led to their own demise or the death of others, while someone who got high from marijuana will stroll around pleasantly with a smile on their face in search of the nearest McDonald’s. It is as the iconoclast Bob Marley once said, â€Å"Herb is the healing of the nation, alcohol is the destruction†[4]. Cigarettes are another legal substance that is far more dangerous than marijuana. Smoking cigarettes is the leading cause of lung cancer in America.Tobacco cigarettes are filled with harmful chemicals uch as nicotine, rat poison, formaldehyde, ammonia, and arsenic. Both cigarettes and alcohol are immensely addictive phenomenon’s that lead to very serious health problems, predominantly cancer, and ultimately death. Marijuana is considered by many to be a dangerous substance but in reality many of our legal drugs are far more portentous. The studies of marijuana are still yet inconclusive and contradictory. But still, many doctors would agree that marijuana is not harmful if used in moderation. Dr. Hamilton is a specialist in drugs such as marijuana at the Institution of Medicine; he says â€Å"Comparing arijuana to alcohol is like comparing one apple to another apple†[5]. One apple is not different from another apple, meaning that marijuana should not be different from alcohol.Being told this from a specialist in drug’s you would think it is acceptable to legalize marijuana. Problems only accrue when you abuse the drug, but i s the abuse of almost any substance a problem? If you abuse alcohol, caffeine, cigarettes, or even food, health problems are sure to follow. This follows along the same path as marijuana. There is very little evidence that smoking marijuana as a means of taking it epresents a significant health risk. Although marijuana has been smoked widely over Canada for more than four decades, there have been no reported cases of lung cancer or emphysema attributed to marijuana. Many would suspect and believe that a days breathing in any city with poor air quality poses more of a threat than inhaling a days dose of marijuana. Most doctors would believe that marijuana is no more addictive than alcohol or tobacco. But even if the drug is shown to be harmful, is it not the right to every person to choose what harms him or her?Marijuana use is generally thought of as a â€Å"victimless crime†, in that only the user is being harmed. You can not legislate morality when people disagree about wha t is considered â€Å"moral. † Legalizing marijuana can also be a new source of additional tax revenues. Billions of dollars each year of tax’s come from alcohol and tobacco. Research from Jeffrey Miron, an economic professor at Harvard University says that the Canadian Government would be saving 7. 7 billion dollars a year if it did not have to spend money on policing and prosecuting marijuana activity. Then if the Canadian government legalized marijuana nd taxed it at a rate comparable to cigarettes and alcohol, another 6. 2 billion dollars would be collected by the government[6]. This is a huge amount of money raised threw government taxation. The legalization of marijuana would create another item that could be taxed.The government would have no problem spending all that extra money. Seeing how the war on drugs is an expensive battle, why would the not legalize marijuana and tax it? John Berick is from the liberal party and he says â€Å"it is an opportunity for u s to legalize marijuana and gain money from the taxation of it to help our current economic ituation†[7]. This quote proves that taxing marijuana would be a smart idea for the government; it would bring in more money to go towards helping our current economic situation. The government would be saving there time and money from trying to win a battle that can not be won on the street’s and in the end, legalizing marijuana would be free money to them. From further research, the government is spending about 7. 7 billion dollars a year on capturing the users and dealers. A great deal of expenses goes into catching them, prosecuting them in court, and housing them in jail. In common sense, it ould seem to make sense for the government to legalize marijuana and tax it.Legalizing marijuana would free up police and court recourses to fight more serious crimes. Many consider the war on drugs an expensive failure. Recourses for DEA, FBI, and border security are only the tip of the iceberg. You must add in the cost of police officers, judges, public defenders, prosecutors, prison guards, and so on. Officer Micelle Howard from the Victoria, BC police department (department number 468) says that â€Å"We spend to much time everyday fighting against this drug (marijuana), I would ather be out fighting against a more serious unlawful act†[8]. This quote proves that the people who fight against this drug feel the same way. Legalizing marijuana would free up those people to concentrate on more important things like terrorism, harder drugs, rape, murder, and so on. In addition, an already overloaded civil court would be improved.Leading into time being eliminated to help and fight more serious court cases. But sometimes with the police force when it comes to street control, there is no police to call or lawyers to higher if you get stiffed or screwed over in a drug deal. Meaning you re left to settle the dispute by yourself, often leading into cycles of retal iatory violence. Legalizing marijuana would save time and money, also settle disputes properly. Many people also believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and will lead into other more dangerous drugs. It’s true that most people who do hard drugs didn’t immediately start out snorting cocaine or shooting heroin, but smoking marijuana every now and then does not condemn you to be some cracked out heroin feign. As it stands right now only a small portion of semi smokers go on to harder drugs and I’m sure that number will go own if marijuana is legalized.If kids could run down the street and pick up some marijuana their interest in other drugs would be diminished. The only way that marijuana could be considered a gateway drug is if it is sold alongside hard drugs. True some marijuana dealers sell harder stuff but legalizing marijuana completely negates that argument. If marijuana were legal there would be no need for side street dealers who might have hard drugs on t hem, it could be sold in any convenience store across the country. Many would say for a fact that teenagers would much rather get high legally han break the law to do so. The problem is legal highs are not readily available, the closest you can get is with cigarettes which not only taste disgusting but are extremely deleterious to your health and the health of others. Implying that smoking weed always leads to harder drugs is like saying that anyone who has ever stolen something will go on to armed piracy of oil tankers. People who steal probably did steal in their youth but that does not mean everyone who steals will end up like them. There is only scant evidence that marijuana produces physical dependence and withdrawal in humans.When human subjects were administered daily oral doses of 180-210 mg of THC – the equivalent of 15-20 joints per day – abrupt cessation produced adverse symptoms, including disturbed sleep, restlessness, nausea, decreased appetite, and sweat ing. The authors interpreted these symptoms as evidence of physical dependence. However, they noted the syndrome's relatively mild nature and remained skeptical of its occurrence when marijuana is consumed in usual doses and situations. Indeed, when humans are allowed to control consumption, even high doses are not followed by adverse withdrawal ymptoms. Signs of withdrawal have been created in laboratory animals following the administration of very high doses.Recently, at a NIDA-sponsored conference, a researcher described unpublished observations involving rats pretreated with THC and then dosed with a cannabinoid receptor-blocker. Not surprisingly, this provoked sudden withdrawal, by stripping receptors of the drug. This finding has no relevance to human users who, upon ceasing use, experience a very gradual removal of THC from receptors. The most avid publicizers of marijuana's addictive nature are treatment providers who, in ecent years, have increasingly admitted insured marij uana users to their programs. 65 The increasing use of drug-detection technologies in the workplace, schools and elsewhere has also produced a group of marijuana users who identify themselves as â€Å"addicts† in order to receive treatment instead of punishment. The Myth; Marijuana is a â€Å"Gateway† to the use of other drugs . Advocates of marijuana prohibition claim that even if marijuana itself causes minimal harm, it is a dangerous substance because it leads to the use of â€Å"harder drugs† such as heroin, LSD, and cocaine.The Fact, Most users of heroin, LSD and cocaine have used marijuana. However, most marijuana users never use another illegal drug. Over time, there has been no consistent relationship between the use patterns of various drugs. As marijuana use increased in the 1960s and 1970s, heroin use declined. And, when marijuana use declined in the 1980s, heroin use remained fairly stable; Marijuana as a gateway drug is a false implication and canno t be used in a serious discussion about legalizing marijuana. Many people also insinuate that marijuana leads people to a life of crime.The only way to test this theory is to study the results when pot is legal. Amsterdam, where marijuana is legal, has a lower crime rate than any major U. S. city. I think that soundly disproves that theory and clearly shows that smoking marijuana is not a gateway to anything illegal[9]. Through these subjects of explaining why legalizing marijuana would be acceptable, should change you outlook on legalizing marijuana. Marijuana is no harmful than alcohol nor tobacco, 47% of alcohol and tobacco users become independent, with marijuana only 9% become dependant; and taxing marijuana would bring in over 14 illion dollars into the government (from saving 7. 7 billion dollars in fighting against it, and gaining 6. 2 billion dollars in taxing it). Also legalizing marijuana would help officers to fight against more serious crimes (not spending half their da y tracking marijuana users and addicts).And finally how marijuana is a gateway drug, these are all subject that the people protecting marijuana from being legal use to persuade our minds. Legalizing marijuana would be an acceptable idea; from tests and research this statement is true. There are far more serious crimes to be worried about than a â€Å"victimless crime† uch as marijuana.Bibliography Books: John A. Benson, Stanley J. Watson, and Janet E. Joy, eds. , Marijuana and Medicine: Assessment of the Science Base. Washington, DC: National Academy Press, 1999. Alan Bock, Waiting to Inhale: The Politics of Medical Marijuana. Santa Ana, CA: Seven Locks Press, 2000. Richard J. Bonnie, and Charles H. Whitehead II, Marijuana Conviction: History of Marijuana Prohibition. New York: Open Society Institute, 1999. Elizabeth Russell and Beth Connolly, Through a Glass Darkly: The Psychological Effects of Marijuana and Hashish†¦.

Agriculture in Pakistan

In order to achieve full employment and raise its entire population above the poverty line by the year 2006-07, Pakistan needs to create additional employment for 100 million persons and raise the incomes of millions of under-employed persons. This report presents a program to achieve these goals utilizing the country's competitive advantage in labour-intensive agricultural crops and allied industries. Misfortunes can happen to some very good products. One of the major reasons for such mishappenings, is that industries and organizations fail to realize the importance of a well-planned process of new or existing product development.They do not acknowledge that â€Å" change is the only constant thing in this world† and as trends change it is important to change their products along with it too. The objectives of the program are to double agricultural production in ten years, achieve complete nutritional self-sufficiency for the country, and generate millions in exports of sugar , fruits, vegetables, silk and cotton textiles. The program will generate a minimum growth rate of more than 4% in the agricultural sector. New changes, are the lifeblood of companies.When firms do not change their level of production to meet the requirements of changing consumer desires, government regulations completion and a host of other factors: market share and profit usually decline. The life of a new industry often depends on how it conceives and produceses. INTRODUCTION Agriculture Pakistan's principal natural resources are arable land, water, and extensive natural gas reserves. About 28% of Pakistan's total land area is under cultivation and is watered by one of the largest irrigation systems in the world.Agriculture accounts for about 24% of GDP and employs about 44% of the labor force. The most important crops are cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables, which together account for more than 75% of the value of total crop output. Despite intensive farming p ractices, Pakistan remains a net food importer. Pakistan exports rice, cotton, fish, fruits, and vegetables and imports vegetable oil, wheat, cotton, pulses, and consumer foods. The economic importance of agriculture has declined since independence, when its share of GDP was around 53%.Following the poor harvest of 1993, the government introduced agriculture assistance policies, including increased support prices for many agricultural commodities and expanded availability of agricultural credit. From 1993 to 1997, real growth in the agricultural sector averaged 5. 7% but has since declined to less than 4%. Agricultural reforms, including increased wheat and oilseed production, play a central role in the government's economic reform package. Role of agriculture in Pakistan.ARTICLE (September 20 2006): Agriculture is a way of life, a tradition, which for centuries has shaped the economic life, culture and the thought of the people. The importance of agriculture in the development of a country cannot be ignored. Growth of agriculture is very much essential for achieving self-reliance in major food items. Pakistan with a total land area of 79. 61 million hectares is termed as an agricultural country because agricultural sector is the single largest sector of the country which not only provides food to 140 million people but also provides employment to about 48 % of the workforce.Beside, it also provides raw material to the industry, contributes about 60% to export earnings, and provides the livelihood for 70% rural population. In short the agriculture sector can rightly be called the backbone of our economy, as it contributes around Rs800 billion, almost one-fourth to the total GDP i. e. contributing 25% of the GDP. However, the sector, which possesses the potential to be a lead sector in accelerating the economic growth and reducing poverty in Pakistan, has received less attention from successive governments in the past 57 years than other issues.According to the Economic Survey of Pakistan, this year the agricultural growth target came down to 2. 6 percent from 4. 1 percent of the last year i. e. 2004-05. The Survey also attributed the slippage in agriculture to the weak performance of both the major and minor crops. However, the government hesitated to accept its poor attention towards this important sector of the economy. Although, the government announced a comprehensive package for the farmers in June this year, it failed to satisfy the majority of the farming community as they are expressing their dissatisfaction over the incentives announced.Agriculture is the single largest sector of the economy. It contributes 24 percent of the GDP employs 48. 4 percent of country’s workforce and is a major source of foreign exchange earnings. About 68% of the population lives in rural Pakistan and depends upon agriculture for sustenance. The average annual growth rate of agriculture during 1990s was 4. 5%. The highest growth rate of 11. 7 p ercent was achieved in 1995-96 mainly due to increase in cotton, gram, milk and meat production. The sector touched the lowest negative growth rate of 5. 3 percent in 1992-93 mainly due to decrease in cotton and sugarcane production.The major crops as wheat, cotton, rice, sugarcane and maize account for 41% of value added and minor crops 10% in overall agriculture. Livestock has emerged as an important sub sector of agriculture. It accounts for 37. 5% of agriculture value added and about 9. 4% of the GDP. Similarly, fisheries play an important role in national income through export earnings. Agricultural Policy The agricultural sector is highly politicized because the majority of landowners have had considerable political influence. This has resulted in agricultural policy being steered towards supporting the production of majorcash crops such as sugarcane, and exempting almost all agricultural income from taxes. However, following recent discussions with the IMF and World Bank on r evenue collection in general, the present government is in the process of re-structuring the system to try and increase agricultural taxation. In addition, successive governments have extended considerable support to the sector by providing concessionary financing to farmers for the purchase of agricultural equipment (mainly tractors) and for building irrigation and drainage systems.Three year Strategy The Ministry of Agriculture is preparing a new three-year strategy. This will focus on the enhanced productivity of export oriented crops and ensure better marketing of exportable crops to get maximum prices of the produce. The new strategy will envisages to improve the performance of the agriculture sector including Higher growth rate of agriculture as compared to population growth Food security and self-reliance in food cropsEnhancing the productivity of wheat, rice, oil seeds, cotton and sugarcane Land and water development for a sustained agricultural growth Farm input supplies su pported by appropriate technology to the farmers and at the users' end, balanced emphasis on all aspects of agricultural production including livestock, fisheries and forestry Improving marketing of agricultural commodities, emphasis on agricultural research to generate innovative technology including biotechnology for rising per acre yield of land.Improving the productivity of small farmers while encouraging the large farmers for utilization of modern technology. GROWTH IN AGRICULTURE Agriculture is a prime sector of national economy of Pakistan. The growth in agricultural sector and national economy moves hand in hand. The wide fluctuations in agricultural growth have greatly influenced national economy. The sixties was a period of green revolution wherein dwarf cultivars of wheat and rice with high turnover of photosynthesis were introduced.This brought a quantum jump in productivity of these cereals. This resulted in an average growth rate of 5. 1% during the decade. The growth however retarded in seventies to 2. 4%. The massive nationalization policy of the private enterprises had an overall negative impact on the economy. In addition there was a slow down in the process of varietals development and their release, paltering their potential. However, the seventies was a period of high public sector investments in agriculture sector.The important institutions commissioned during this decade are Tarbela Dam, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Training and Visit Program of Agricultural Extension, Seed Certification and Registration Departments/Seed Corporations, On Farm Water Management and Barani Area Development Programs. In addition Cotton Export Corporation and Rice Export Corporation were established during the decade to provide an export link to indigenous production. Agriculture in Pakistan Farming is Pakistan's largest economic activity. In FY 1993, agriculture, and small-scale forestry and fishing, contributed 25 percent of GDP and employed 48 percent of the labor force. Agricultural products, especially cotton yarn, cotton cloth, raw cotton, and rice, are important exports. Although there is agricultural activity in all areas of Pakistan, most crops are grown in the Indus River plain in Punjab and Sindh.Considerable development and expansion of output has occurred since the early 1960s; however, the country is still far from realizing the large potential yield that the well-irrigated and fertile soil from the Indus irrigation system could produce. The floods of September 1992 showed how vulnerable agriculture is to weather; agricultural production dropped dramatically in FY 1993. Land Use Pakistan's total land area is about 803,940 square kilometers. About 48 million hectares, or 60 percent, is often classified as unusable for forestry or agriculture consists mostly of deserts, mountain slopes, and urban settlements.Some authorities, however, include part of this area as agricultural land on the basis that it would support some livestock activity even though it is poor rangeland. Thus, estimates of grazing land vary widely–between 10 percent and 70 percent of the total area. A broad interpretation, for example, categorizes almost all of arid Baluchistan as rangeland for foraging livestock. Government officials listed only 3 million hectares, largely in the north, as forested in FY 1992. About 21. 9 million hectares were cultivated in FY 1992.Around 70 percent of the cropped area was in Punjab, followed by perhaps 20 percent in Sindh, less than 10 percent in the North-West Frontier Province, and only 1 percent in Baluchistan. Since independence, the amount of cultivated land has increased by more than one-third. This expansion is largely the result of improvements in the irrigation system that makes water available to additional plots. Su bstantial amounts of farmland have been lost to urbanization and waterlogging, but losses are more than compensated for by additions of new land.In the early 1990s, more irrigation projects were needed to increase the area of cultivated land. The scant rainfall over most of the country makes about 80 percent of cropping dependent on irrigation. Fewer than 4 million hectares of land, largely in northern Punjab and the North-West Frontier Province, are totally dependent on rainfall. An additional 2 million hectares of land are under no irrigated cropping, such as plantings on floodplains as the water recedes.No irrigated farming generally gives low yields, and although the technology exists to boost production substantially, it is expensive to use and not always readily available. Irrigation In the early 1990s, irrigation from the Indus River and its tributaries constituted the world's largest contiguous irrigation system, capable of watering over 16 million hectares. The system inclu des three major storage reservoirs and numerous barrages, headwork’s, canals, and distribution channels. The total length of the canal system exceeds 58,000kilometers; there are an additional 1.6 million kilometers of farm and field ditches. Partition placed portions of the Indus River and its tributaries under India's control, leading to prolonged disputes between India and Pakistan over the use of Indus waters. After nine years of negotiations and technical studies, the issue was resolved by the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. After a ten-year transitional period, the treaty awarded India use of the waters of the main eastern tributaries in its territory–the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. Pakistan received use of the waters of the Indus River and its western tributaries, the Jhelum and Chenab rivers.After the treaty was signed, Pakistan began an extensive and rapid irrigation construction program, partly financed by the Indus Basin Development Fund of US$800 million con tributed by various nations, including the United States, and administered by the World Bank. Several immense link canals were built to transfer water from western rivers to eastern Punjab to replace flows in eastern tributaries that India began to divert in accordance with the terms of the treaty. The Mangla Dam, on the Jhelum River, was completed in 1967.The dam provided the first significant water storage for the Indus irrigation system. The dam also contributes to flood control, to regulation of flows for some of the link canals, and to the country's energy supply. At the same time, additional construction was undertaken on barrages and canals. A second phase of irrigation expansion began in 1968, when a US$1. 2 billion fund, also administered by the World Bank, was established. The key to this phase was the Tarbela Dam on the Indus River, which is the world's largest earth-filled dam.The dam, completed in the 1970s, reduced the destruction of periodic floods and in 1994 was a m ajor hydroelectric generating source. Most important for agriculture, the dam increases water availability, particularly during low water, which usually comes at critical growing periods. Despite massive expansion in the irrigation system, many problems remain. The Indus irrigation system was designed to fit the availability of water in the rivers, to supply the largest area with minimum water needs, and to achieve these objectives at low operating costs with limited technical staff.This system design has resulted in low yields and low cropping intensity in the Indus River plain, averaging about one crop a year, whereas the climate and soils could reasonably permit an average of almost 1. 5 crops a year if a more sophisticated irrigation network were in place. The urgent need in the 1960s and 1970s to increase crop production for domestic and export markets led to water flows well above designed capacities. Completion of the Mangla and Tarbela reservoirs, as well as improvements in other parts of the system, made larger water flows possible.In addition, the government began installing public tube wells that usually discharge into upper levels of the system to add to the available water. The higher water flows in parts of the system considerably exceed design capacities, creating stresses and risks of breaches. Nonetheless, many farmers, particularly those with smallholdings and those toward the end of watercourses, suffer because the supply of water is unreliable. The irrigation system represents a significant engineering achievement and provides water to the fields that account for 90 percent of agricultural production.Nonetheless, serious problems in the design of the irrigation system prevent achieving the highest potential agricultural output. Water management is based largely on objectives and operational procedures dating back many decades and is often inflexible and unresponsive to current needs for greater water use efficiency and high crop yields. Cha rges for water use do not meet operational and maintenance costs, even though rates more than doubled in the 1970s and were again increased in the 1980s. Partly because of its low cost, water is often wasted by farmers.Good water management is not practiced by government officials, who often assume that investments in physical aspects of the system will automatically yield higher crop production. Government management of the system does not extend beyond the main distribution channels. After passing through these channels, water is directed onto the fields of individual farmers whose water rights are based on long-established social and legal codes. Groups of farmers voluntarily manage the watercourses between main distribution channels and their fields.In effect, the efficiency and effectiveness of water management relies on the way farmers use the system. The exact amounts of water wasted have not been determined, but studies suggest that losses are considerable and perhaps amount to one-half of the water entering the system. Part of the waste results from se pages in the delivery system. Even greater amounts are probably lost because farmers use water whenever their turn comes even if the water application is detrimental to their crops. The attitude among almost all farmers is that they should use water when available because it may not be available at the next scheduled turn.Moreover, farmers have little understanding of the most productive applications of water during crop-growing cycles because of the lack of research and extension services. As a result, improvements in the irrigation system have not raised yields and output as expected. Some experts believe that drastic changes are needed in government policies and the legal and institutional framework of water management if water use is to improve and that effective changes can result in very large gains in agricultural output. DrainageThe continuous expansion of the irrigation system over the past cen tury significantly altered the hydrological balance of the Indus River basin. Seepage from the system and percolation from irrigated fields caused the water table to rise, reaching crisis conditions for a substantial area. Around 1900 the water table was usually more than sixteen meters below the surface of the Indus Plain. A 1981 survey found the water table to be within about three meters of the surface in more than one-half the cropped area in Sindh and more than one-third the area in Punjab.In some locations, the water table is much closer to the surface. Cropping is seriously affected over a wide area by poor drainage–waterlogging–and by accumulated salts in the soil. Although some drainage was installed before World War II, little attention was paid to the growing waterlogging and salinity problems. In 1959 a salinity control and reclamation project was started in a limited area, based on public tube wells, to draw down the water table and leach out accumulated s alts near the surface, using groundwater for irrigation.By the early 1980s, some thirty such projects had been started that when completed would irrigate nearly 6. 3 million hectares. By 1993 the government had installed around 15,000 tube wells. Private farmers, however, had installed over 200,000 mostly small tube wells, mainly for irrigation purposes but also to lower the water table. Private Wells probably pumped more than five times as much water as public wells. Officials were aware of the need for additional spending to prevent further deterioration of the existing situation.Emphasis in the 1980s and early 1990s was on rehabilitation and maintenance of existing canals and watercourses, on farm improvements on the farms themselves (including some land leveling to conserve water), and on drainage and salinity in priority areas. Emphasis was also placed on short-term projects, largely to improve the operation of the irrigation system in order to raise yields. Part of the funding would come from steady increases in water use fees; the intention is gradually to raise water charges to cover operation and maintenance costs.Considerable time and money are needed to realize the full potential of the irrigation system and bring it up to modern standards. Farm Ownership and Land Reform At independence Pakistan was a country with a great many small-scale farms and a small number of very large estates. Distribution of landownership was badly skewed. Less than 1 percent of the farms consisted of more than 25 percent of the total agricultural land. Many owners of large holdings were absentee landlords, contributing little to production but extracting as much as possible from the sharecroppers who farmed the land.At the other extreme, about 65 percent of the farmers held some 15 percent of the farmland in holdings of about two hectares or less. Approximately 50 percent of the farmland was cultivated by tenants, including sharecroppers, most of whom had little security and few rights. An additional large number of landless rural inhabitants worked as agricultural laborers. Farm laborers and many tenants were extremely poor, uneducated, and undernourished, in sharp contrast to the wealth, status, and political power of the landlordelite. After independence the country's political leaders recognized the need for more equitable ownership of farmland and security of tenancy. In the early 1950s, provincial governments attempted to eliminate some of the absentee landlords or rent collectors, but they had little success in the face of strong opposition. Security of tenancy was also legislated in the provinces, but because of their dependent position, tenant farmers benefited only slightly.In fact, the reforms created an atmosphere of uncertainty in the countryside and intensified the animosity between wealthy landlords and small farmers and sharecroppers. In January 1959, accepting the recommendations of a special commission on the subject, General Moham mad Ayub Khan's government issued new land reform regulations that aimed to boost agricultural output, promote social justice, and ensure security of tenure. A ceiling of about 200 hectares of irrigated land and 400 hectares of nonirrigated land was placed on individual ownership; compensation was paid to owners for land surrendered.Numerous exemptions, including title transfers to family members, limited the impact of the ceilings. Slightly fewer than 1 million hectares of land were surrendered, of which a little more than 250,000 hectares were sold to about 50,000 tenants. The land reform regulations made no serious attempt to break up large estates or to lessen the power or privileges of the landed elite. However, the measures attempted to provide some security of tenure to tenants, consolidate existing holdings, and prevent fragmentation of farm plots.An average holding of about five hectares was considered necessary for a family's subsistence, and a holding of about twenty to t wenty-five hectares was pronounced as a desirable â€Å"economic† holding. In March 1972, the Bhutto government announced further land reform measures, which went into effect in 1973. The landownership ceiling was officially lowered to about five hectares of irrigated land and about twelve hectares of nonirrigated land; exceptions were in theory limited to an additional 20 percent of land for owners having tractors and tube wells.The ceiling could also be extended for poor-quality land. Owners of expropriated excess land received no compensation, and beneficiaries were not charged for land distributed. Official statistics showed that by 1977 only about 520,000 hectares had been surrendered, and nearly 285,000 hectares had been redistributed to about 71,000 farmers. The 1973 measure required landlords to pay all taxes, water charges, seed costs, and one-half of the cost of fertilizer and other inputs.It prohibited eviction of tenants as long as they cultivated the land, and it gave tenants first rights of purchase. Other regulations increased tenants' security of tenure and prescribed lower rent rates than had existed. In 1977 the Bhutto government further reduced ceilings on private ownership of farmland to about four hectares of irrigated land and about eight hectares of no irrigated land. In an additional measure, agricultural income became taxable, although small farmers owning ten hectares or fewer–the majority of the farm populations–were exempted.The military regime of Zia ul-Haq that ousted Bhutto neglected to implement these later reforms. Governments in the 1980s and early 1990s avoided significant land reform measures, perhaps because they drew much of their support from landowners in the countryside. Government policies designed to reduce the concentration of landownership had some effect, but their significance was difficult to measure because of limited data. In 1993 the most recent agricultural census was that of 1980, which was used to compare statistics with the agricultural census of 1960.Between 1960 and 1980, the number of farms declined by 17 percent and farms decreased in area by 4 percent, resulting in slightly larger farms. This decline in the number of farms was confined to marginal farms of two hectares or fewer, which in 1980 represented 34 percent of all farms, constituting 7 percent of the farm hectarage. At the other extreme, the number of very large farms of sixty hectares or more was 14,000–both in 1960 and in 1980–although the average size of the biggest farms was smaller in 1980. The number of farms between two and ten hectares increased during this time.Greater use of higher-yielding seeds requiring heavier applications of fertilizers, installations of private tube wells, and mechanization accounted for much of the shift away from very small farms toward mid-sized farms, as owners of the latter undertook cultivation instead of renting out part of their land. Observers b elieved that this trend had continued in the 1980s and early 1990s. In early 1994, land reform remained a controversial and complex issue. Large landowners retain their power over small farmers and tenants, especially in the interior of Sindh, which has a feudal agricultural establishment.Tenancy continues on a large-scale: one-third of Pakistan's farmers are tenant farmers, including almost one-half of the farmers in Sindh. Tenant farmers typically give almost 50 percent of what they produce to landlords. Fragmented holdings remain a substantial and widespread problem. Studies indicate that larger farms are usually less productive per hectare or unit of water than smaller ones. Cropping Patterns and Production In the early 1990s, most crops were grown for food. Wheat is by far the most important crop in Pakistan and is the staple food for the majority of the population.Wheat is eaten most frequently in unleavened bread called chapatti. In FY 1992, wheat was planted on 7. 8 million hectares, and production amounted to 14. 7 million tons. Output in FY 1993 reached 16. 4 million tons. Between FY 1961 and FY 1990, the area under wheat cultivation increased nearly 70 percent, while yields increased 221 percent. Wheat production is vulnerable to extreme weather, especially in nonirrigated areas. In the early and mid-1980s, Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat, but in the early 1990s more than 2 million tons of wheat were imported annually.Rice is the other major food grain. In FY 1992, about 2. 1 million hectares were planted with rice, and production amounted to 3. 2 million tons, with 1 million tons exported. Rice yields also have increased sharply since the 1960s following the introduction of new varieties. Nonetheless, the yield per hectare of around 1. 5 tons in FY 1991 was low compared with many other Asian countries. Pakistan has emphasized the production of rice in order to increase exports to the Middle East and therefore concentrates on the high-quality basmati variety, although other grades also are exported.The government increased procurement prices of basmati rice disproportionately to encourage exports and has allowed private traders into the rice export business alongside the public-sector Rice Export Corporation. Other important food grains are millet, sorghum, corn, and barley. Corn, although a minor crop, gradually increased in area and production after independence, partly at the expense of other minor food grains. Chickpeas, called gram in Pakistan, are the main nongrain food crop in area and production. A number of other foods, including fruits and vegetables, are also grown.In the early 1990s, cotton was the most important commercial crop. The area planted in cotton increased from 1. 1 million hectares in FY 1950 to 2. 1 million hectares in FY 1981 and 2. 8 million hectares in FY 1993. Yields increased substantially in the 1980s, partly as a result of the use of pesticides and the introduction in 1985 of a new high-yie lding variety of seed. During the 1980s, cotton yields moved from well below the world average to above the world average. Production in FY 1992 was 12. 8 million bales, up from 4. 4 million bales ten years earlier.Output fell sharply, however, to 9. 3 million bales in FY 1993 because of the September 1992 floods and insect infestations. Other cash crops include tobacco, rapeseed, and, most important, sugarcane. In FY 1992 sugarcane was planted on 880,000 hectares, and production was 35. 7 million tons. Except for some oil from cottonseeds, the country is dependent on imported vegetable oil. By the 1980s, introduction and experimentation with oilseed cultivation was under way. Soybeans and sunflower seeds appear to be suitable crops given the country's soil and climate, but production was still negligible in the early 1990s.

Co-existence and co-development: the sociological perspective Essay

One of the early sociologist who tackled suicide is Emile Durkheim who related polarities in social integration and control with suicide. There are four types of reasoning which would account for suicidal or self annihilating moves (Durkheim, 1951). Altruistic reasoning is when a person feels his act of suicide will serve a social purpose. This is more like a self sacrifice and is associated with high social integration. Egoistic reasoning is when a person feels alienated and socially isolated lacking social support. Such reasoning is associated with low social integration. Fatalistic reasoning behind suicidal acts is associated with aversion to control deemed undesirable like slavery even if it means getting killed in the attempt of gaining freedom. Such an act is associated in this conception with high regulation or control. Anomic reasoning refers to cope with undesirable situational changes (Durkheim, 1951). Such early works on suicide were important attempts in systematization of an approach to a particular social issue which marked sociology as scientific discipline and opened the possibility of mapping social situations which may lead to particular set of actions like committing suicide. Another theory which explored social integration and regulation is Kolberg’s stages of moral development. Kolberg’s theory is a take off from the moral judgment model of Piaget who introduced development or changes associated with growing up (Crain, 1985). Piaget observed differences in age levels as far as perceptions on moral dilemmas. Younger children view rules for example as fixed and absolute but older children tend to recognize that rules as tools of cooperation and an agreement on rules are important. Another insight was that younger children tend to view consequences as compared to older children who tend to value motivation behind a particular action (Crain, 1985). Kolberg expanded on this notion and identified six stages of moral development essential in the development of particular social formations. Level I is preconventional morality which comprised stage 1 obedience and punishment orientation and stage 2 individualism and exchange. The marked change is similar to Piaget’s that is, recognition of the relativity of right and wrong (Crain, 1985). Level II is conventional morality made up of stage 3 in moral development, good interpersonal relationships which corresponds to early teens. Here the young person learns of what is expected of his/her behavior, what is and not acceptable. Stage 4 is maintaining the social order. At stage 4, the concept of society as a structure and functions is more or less fairly developed (Crain, 1985). Level III is postconventional morality made up of stage 5 social contract and individual rights. Stage 5 is abstraction of society and what ought to be the attributes of good governance. Consensus and participation in such a consensus system is the main virtue at this stage. Dissonance and value judgment is more profound as delineation between what is moral and what is legal may not coincide and difficult conflict to resolve may arise (Crain, 1985). Stage 6 in Kolberg’s social construct is universal principles. Adherence to higher ideals like justice and dignity of a human being. Thus impartiality and equal opportunity as a higher standard of behavior if moral dilemmas are to be resolved (Crain, 1985). There are theoretical dilemmas in the model as the scale system in Kolberg’s model failed to fully distinguish between stage 5 and 6 though intuitively the difference between the two stages is quite clear. In stage 6 an invitation for action to change society is embedded (Crain, 1985). The importance of such conceptions of social order hence how people would be integrated and agree on forms of regulation and at what point will there be a break and hence opens possibility for risk situations such as those that would reinforce self-annihilating acts (Crain, 1985). We take note that at this point of discussion that at any time in the developmental stages of a human being, the psychological premises are operative. Cognition is essential to Kolberg’s model recognizing behavior patterns as so complicated that it would be impossible to teach every detail of certain behavior pattern. Still the notion of each according to his/her configuration is very much evident. The individual learns because he has the ability and others are important as models or patterns which they too can do (Crain, 1985). And here is perhaps a thread we can to track suicidal tendencies, suicide acts affects other people, invoking the possibility. An invitation into the domain of death. Death is a loaded word with different layers of meaning. Just how do people convey meaning? What could be the unit of sharing and comparing abstractions and theories so essential in gaining knowledge. Another perspective which shed more light on how could people agree or reach a consensus on a moral dilemma or coming into a critical decision is symbolic interactionism. This thinking maintains that the mind is a dynamic process of creating and sharing significant symbols embedded with defined and clear meanings. This is a product of interaction resulting to social symbols. With such a perspective, it would be easy to recognize that a consensus or an agreement is agreement first on the particular symbol to use to construct such agreements. Language remains the more potent symbolic system universal across human societies. According to this view, learning is not simply observing as contended by Kolb or an imitation as Bandura maintained but according to Mead, an ability of â€Å"taking the role of the other† through empathy enabling a continuing internal dialogue. Blumer the social psychologist who coined symbolic interactionism summed up the three premises underlying this concept. The first premise is that humans behave towards things according to meanings attributes to such things. The second premise is that these meanings are products of social interactions with others. The third premise holds that such meaning undergoes interpretation and modification. By and large, though there are disagreements, one thing is emerging thus far, that the dynamic relationship between nature and learned is a continuing and developing process leading perhaps to the question of what is the ultimate potential or purpose of life and how could a divergence such a violent act against others or self-annihilation could transpire. What is apparent though that understanding a suicidal act could be seen as a process leading to the risk situations of increasing likelihood of committing such acts (Sandstorm, Martin, & Fine, no date).

A Review of Studio67 Restaurant Business Plan

All businesses need capital to invest. The capital may come from the pockets of the proprietors, or from lending institutions. Most businesses end up borrowing part of the capital in order to start up. The amount of loan depends on the size of the business.Lending institutions base the amount of loan and the interest of loan from the â€Å"feasibility study† of the business. If the projected return of investment has a positive and increasing figure in the next years, then it is likely that the business can get a loan with a lower interest. Thus, it is mandatory that any business submits credible, realistic, and well-researched feasibility studies of the business they are interested for the loan to get approved. (Do's and Don't of Writing a Business Plan).A Review of Studio67 Restaurant Business PlanStudio67 is a â€Å"medium-sized† restaurant in Portland, OR, that focuses mainly on serving ethnic dishes using purely organic ingredients. The business plan is brief and co ncise. The words used, too, are simple enough for any reader to understand.It gave organized parts of describing what the business is all about: the target market, its financial projection for three years, and its strategies. I can't say, however, it is a good business plan. There were a lot of parts lacking. There are questionable parts too. First, how did the business come up with the figures used in the financial projection? The figures must be based on real studies and where are they? The â€Å"Market Research† part then, is lacking. This is the part where studies from similar businesses went through.The SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis should be included too. What I see in the business plan presented were all good things of the business, but it doesn't project the threats ( in example: competitors, labor issues). (Do's and Don't of Writing a Business Plan). One questionable part here is the ownership. The statement â€Å"the restaurant will s tart out as a simple sole proprietorship, owned by its founders,† contradicts itself. (Studio67, 2.1).A sole proprietorship is owned by only â€Å"one person,† so who among the founders will be the name appearing as the sole proprietor? If all the founders own the business, then it should be called partnership. Next, the start up capital mentioned coming from the pockets of the owners is $40,000. (Studio67, 2.2). However, this contradicts 7.0 Financial Plan part of the proposal, where it said it expected to raise â€Å"$30,000.†The break-even analysis 7.1 was bleakly explained, even its chart is not what a break even chart looks like. This part should be omitted if it can't be explained right at all. This analysis should be given after all the other financial statements were presented. If I was the financier, I will reject this proposal due to lacking parts of the study. It didn't show the real market analysis to make it feasible enough.However, if the market res earch was given and the figures are credible, I can approve the $100,000 loan because the return will be realized in 3 years. The projection of sales for the first year, however, is huge, too huge to become credible for an exquisite restaurant like Studio67.I don't believe the figures projected to say it could sustainably develop the business for a long time; however, it can be possible to obtain, if the proposal comes up with better, more specific marketing strategies.ReferencesOrganic Restaurant Business Plan: Studio 67 Restaurant. 1996-2008. Palo Alto Software,Inc.Retrieved June 5, 2008.[http://www.bplans.com/Sample_Business_Plans/Restaurant_Cafe_And_Bakery_Business_Plans/Organic_Restaurant_Business_Plan/Executive_Summary_fc.cfm].Do's and Don’ts of Writing a Business Plan. Arkansas Small Business Development Center.Little Rock, Arkansas: University of Arkansas at Little Rock – College of Business Donald W. Reynolds Center for Business and Economic Development. Retri eved June 5, 2008. [http://asbdc.ualr.edu/business-information/1001-business-plan-writing.asp].  

Field trip- river restoration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Field trip- river restoration - Essay Example As a function of understanding this, this particular course has analyzed a great many human development projects and the varying degree that they have affected upon the surrounding ecology and environment as a whole. In much the same way, this particular essay will consider the case of the Bellefonte dam and subsequent ecological and environmental factors that many decades of variable types of industrialization has affected on the region and the environment. Furthermore, as a means of highlighting the long-term nature of what unthoughtful human development can affect on a given region over a period of time, the analysis will highlight the negative factors that human development have affected within the given environmental and ecological models that Many times we are tempted to believe that even though humanity and economic projects can alter the course of nature that there is some type of corrective mechanism that the environment is able to employ that over time will correct the mist akes that humans have made. Although it is true that the environment can eventually, if given long enough, ameliorate many of the negative factors that inattentive human development has affected, there is no mechanisms whereby nature can rapidly or quickly undue the destruction and changes that human development have wrought on it.1 A good example of this can be found in the way that the Bellefonte sight has been developed over a period of the past 230 years. Beginning as early as 1790, water powered industry began to spring up along the Bellefonte site as hydro power was utilized to drive what was then the very first vestiges of industrialization in the United States. However, the changes did not end there as the development of industry led to the site being utilized for steel and iron smelting and production. With the presence of such industry and the construction of a dam to regulate water rates and flow, several key ecological issues have since developed. Although this site has been in use perhaps longer than any other site that this course has discussed thus far this semester with regards to the impact that humans have on the environment and the way that the ecological landscape develops, the fact of the matter is that the ecological impacts that have been affected have been notably and demonstrably proven to be for the long term. For instance, the first and most pressing is with regards to the migration of natural species that the dam itself retards and/or prevents. As trout can no longer have any approachable means to reach the upper regions of the watershed or river system, a whole host of issues surrounding spawning, food chain management, and the diversity of species with a given region are affected. Other concerns regard the buildup of sediment at the base of the dam, the regulation of an otherwise variable flood plain that had existed prior to the construction of the dam as well as a litany of other issues, as well as the existence of a powerful wh irlpool at the base of the dam which acts to collect garbage. Of course such situations as have been illustrated only serve to highlight the importance that environmental and ecological remediation and planning must be taken into account prior to affecting any major changes within a region. Although it is within the realm of possibility and human ability to work to remediate some of the

Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi - Essay Example Significantly, as the greatest mystic poet of Islam, Rumi recaps the hopes, frustrations, paradoxes, contradictions, etc of the modern America and the world as whole. His teachings, lifestyle, and the poetic writings, along with his popularity, confirm that there is an insatiable thirst for spiritual answers in America for the troubling questions of the modern living. "He is a symbol of unity," observes Akbar Ahmed, "and his fame tells us about the greatness of American society." (Ahmed, 19) Mowlana Jalaluddin Rumi is also greatly popular as the writer of the book Masnwi, prevalently known as the Persian Koran, and the founder of the Whirling Dervishes, the Mevlevi Sufi order. In this exploratory analysis, the focus has been laid on the life and teachings of Rumi, specifically his Sufi lifestyle and his Whirling Dervishes. Rumi is the most renowned Persian poet and mystic who has left an enduring imprint on the modern world through his life and teachings, and his Sufi life style contributed profoundly to his current reputation. It has been observed by several modern critics that there has never been another poet and Islam theologian who immensely influenced the spiritual and literary life of Islamic lands as Rumi, the poet and mystic. His influence on the modern thinkers and mystics, along with a great number of thinking population, is indubitable, and he left a significant way of living to the modern man. "Over the centuries he has inspired thinkers, poets, and mystics from the shores of the Bosphorus to the Bay of Bengal and beyond." (Yarshater, xi) Through his life and Sufi lifestyle, Mevlana inspired his followers, and the most significant characteristic of his philosophy and Islamic mysticism was that he was distinct from the ordinary Muslim teachers of the orthodox type. His life style and Sufi order was the result of his spiritual and mystic leadership which was enabled by his period which is known as one of the most spiritual periods of Islam. Rumi was born in a period which was blessed with a spiritual environment. It was a period where "in almost every corner of the Islamic world were found great saints, poets, and mystical leaders, who, in the darkness of political and economical catastrophes, guides the people towards a world which was unhurt by change, telling them the secret of suffering love, and taught that God's inscrutable will and His Love may reveal itself in affliction even better than in happiness." (Schimmel, 10) Rumi made his remarkable contribution to this spiritual environment through his teachings, Sufi lifestyle, and works, and people remember him for these contributions. Jalaleddin Rumi, one of the great spiritual masters and poetic geniuses of Islamic world as well as the entire mankind, had a great understanding of living and he founded the Mevlevi Sufi order for the followers who were attracted by his teachings. The secret of Tawhid or unity or God's Oneness, the illumination of the Koran, the conscience of faith, and the peace of Muhammad's ethics etc contributed to Rumi's infinite tolerance. The most essential characteristic of the maturity and distinct quality of Rumi's personality is that fact that he practiced all that he preached, illustrating his words through his actions. It is evident, as Hidayetoglu observes, that "Rumi cleverly exhibited with his own lifestyle, the sublime tolerance imbibed from the joy of