Thursday, October 31, 2019

Representation on the Partition of India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Representation on the Partition of India - Essay Example For this purpose, the written piece by Anita Desai under the tag of Clear Light of Day and the film Earth by Deepa Mehta can be regarded as pioneers regarding the subject matter. This paper aims to assess the subject of India-Pakistan separation and its impact on the creation of identity by comparing the work of Deepa Mehta and Anita Desai. Talking about the film by Deepa Mehta, it was surely an attempt of showing the cultural differences which ultimately became the reason behind the complication for people to actually being individuals. In a simpler manner, it can be well said that the after the two-nation separation, there was a lot of struggle t hat was witnessed in becoming individual identity. The impact of the separation between the two nations was so horrific in the history of subcontinent that it almost became critical for people to get over with the changes which were marked in the name of two-nation separation. As depicted in the movie by the narrator â€Å"It was 1947 rum bling of the British government into division of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs entity into the two states, Pakistan and India. The pieces of India were being clamored†. The audiences will note that the director has projected the incidents of the separation as of the Jews holocaust. The usage of term holocaust has been done by the director Deepa Mehta many times after the film was launched at the international film festival. The astounding director noted that since Jews consider the holocaust as the most brutal memory of their history, in the similar manner, the separation of India and Pakistan was their holocaust. This shows the intensity of the separation as evident from the movie. It should be noted that the movie was basically a depiction of the Novel named Cracking India. The director Deepa Mehta has shown that the relationship between different cultural communities was not so enraged until the politics became severe in the subcontinent (Mehta). The director have made sure tha t the viewer are able to understand the history of the India and Pakistan easily for which she had made her characters to speak of the context to the historical background. Furthermore, it can be well-stated that the audience can pin point the difficulties that people underwent during the time of separation. Undoubtedly, the literature which was published so far after 1947 made evident that the separation was not an easy event. But the movie rather takes an in-depth assessment of the ways in which people questioned about their identities. Despite the fact that people did not have to worry about their identity after the separation as they were in their own homeland, there was still an air of discomfort. The characters that have been shown in the movie have rather noted a more positive relationship between people from different cultures until the call for separation (Mehta 76). After the dreading events of mass killing of Muslims and Hindus, it was rather noted that the relationship b etween different cultures were divided on the basis of identities. Also, the furious yet brutal incident that have been projected in the movie such as the train in which the lead actor’s sister had to travel reached the railway station in a situation of no human being alive. The director has communicated with the audiences that on the basis of identities, women from both nations had to undergo rape. The train incident marked the holocaust act of the murderers where four

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Australias economic growth relies on Asias continuing demand for Essay - 2

Australias economic growth relies on Asias continuing demand for resources - Essay Example However, there are indications by several observers to the effect that the situation is likely to change especially with the euro zone crisis and the fact that there might be a reduction in the dependence of minerals by large Asian markets like China (Das 2012, p.2). Economic growth may refer to the relative increase in production of goods and services by a country over a definite period. Australia’s economic growth therefore means that it has to continue improving is production in the mineral sector that has been a major driver of its economy. The Asian market refers to the countries in the Asian continent that have continued to import the minerals from Australia. Consequently, the intention of this discussion is to ascertain whether Australia’s economy has largely depended on the Asian market. To further illustrate this, two listed companies that are engaged in exports will be examined. There have been several sentiments that have been put forth to suggest that the co untry has been reliant on the Asian market especially for its energy and minerals exports. To begin, the Australian economy has been on a sharp rise in decades as a result of its connection with the Chinese market. The country’s mineral sector has largely benefited from the rapidly expanding Chinese economy that has been a great consumer of mineral ores. To illustrate this fact, there are indications that about 23% of Australia’s exports go directly to the Chinese market (Das 2012, p. 3). Moreover, this figure is even likely to be reviewed upwards given that some of the exports to Asian countries are further re-exported to China. As a result, it is stated that the terms of trade between the two nations has increased to over 40% since the year 2004. Capling (2008, p. 610) points the overdependence on the Asian market to the issue of globalization of trade among nations in the Asian

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Food Security Under Threat From Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay

Food Security Under Threat From Climate Change Environmental Sciences Essay The changing of the worlds climate is real. Already, 2 billion people face the daily struggle to survive malnutrition. The causes are complex but there is no doubt that climate change has played a part and is likely to exacerbate the situation into the future. Climate change affects food security in multiple ways: a negative impact on crop yields, stability of food supplies, and the ability of people to access and utilize food in many parts of the developing world. (FAO) Although developed countries are responsible for most greenhouse gas emission (GHSs), the impact of climate change is expected to be disproportionate in its severity on developing countries and on the poor.. (Braun) The higher vulnerability of the poor is not only due to geography but also to limited adaptive capacities. Low-income communities depend directly on agriculture, forestry, fisheries, aquaculture, and climate-sensitive resources. (Braun). In addition the Swaminathans publication in 1988 argues that food su pplies in smaller nations will be affected to a greater extent by climate change than those of larger nations. It is recognised that the positive effects of climate change such as CO2 fertilization of plants could contribute to increasing food production and security (). However, rising temperatures and the increased frequency of extreme weather events act to offset greater productivity and will exacerbate food insecurity. The negative effects of climate change may lead to increased water stress, decreased biodiversity, damaged ecosystems, rising sea levels, and potentially to social conflict due to increased competition over limited natural resources. Small-holder agriculture, forestry, fisheries and aquaculture are among the systems most at risk (FAO 2008). This essay will provide background information on the impacts of the interrelationship between climate change and global food security, and ways to deal with this novel threat. It will also outline the opportunities that exist for the agriculture sector to adapt, and how the industry can contribute to mitigating the climate challenge. Impacts of Global warming on climate system and food system Global warming is the immediate consequence of increased greenhouse gas emissions with no offsetting increases in carbon storage on earth. These gases absorb energy radiated from the Earth to space and warm the atmosphere. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), increases in greenhouse gas emissions have been associated with an increase in the mean global temperature of 0.3Â °C-0.6Â °C since the late 19th century. By the end of the 21st century, greenhouse gas emissions could cause the mean global temperature to rise by another 1.4Â °C-5.8Â °C (IPCC, Darwin). The Parry et al.experimental findings on wheat and rice, indicate decreased crop duration of wheat as a consequence of warming, resulted in rice yield reductions. It has also shown links between human-induced global warming and changes in weather patterns that will cause additional stress for food systems, with consequent implications for food security. Impacts of climate change on Food Production and Supply Climate change, including global warming and other climate variables have a potentially huge impact on agricultural production. Some of these effects are biological,, some are ecological, and some are economic. Recent studies show that in tropical and sub-tropical regions, especially in seasonally dry areas, crop and animal productivity may decrease significantly due to temperature increases of 2 to 3Â °C ( ). In its Fourth assessment Report (AR4) of 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) state that,, focusing on Africa, by 2020, in some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50%. Agricultural production, including access to food, in many African countries are projected to be severely compromised (Muller 2011). The study by Lobell et al. used crop models to calculate changes in agricultural production until 2030. (Lobell, Brown). They show that increasing temperature and both declining precipitation and grassland productivity over semiarid regions are likely to reduce yields of corn, wheat, rice, and other primary crops in the next two decades. Furthermore, cllimate change could cause high levels of desertification and soil salinization in some areas in Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America( ); increasing water stress, particularly in irrigated production systems ( ); increased salinity from seal-level rise, leading to some areas in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, such as coastal plains, becoming flooded or unsuitable for agriculture ( ). All of these changes could have a substantial impact on global food security. In addition, food supply may be affected by an increase in frequnecy of extreme weather events, such as storms, floods, droughts as well as sea level rise, air pollution and climate variability associated with global warming (Easterling DR). The increase in intensity and frequency in extreme weather conditions will affect both developed and developing countries.However, developed countries are in a better position to cope with these adverse conditions, due to their greater resources. Many studies on crop production suggest that agriculture is the most vulnerable part of the climate change ( ). Changed weather patterns increase crop vulnerabilities to infection, pest infestations, and weeds(). These will not only decrease yields of crops, but also force farmers to apply harmful and expensive pesticides and herbicides, which will eventually increase the market price and mean an overall increase in the food price for the consumers. High prices may make certain foods unaffordable and can have an impact on individuals nutrition and health. Impacts of climate change on Global Food Security According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), food security is defined as a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical social, and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (FAO 19960). It is the overall outcome of food system processes throughout the food chain. Climate change will affect food security through its impacts on multiple components of global, national, and local food systems. Ensuring food security is a critical aim for the agriculture sector in two ways. First,, it produces the food that people eat and supplies nutrition. Secondly, it provides the primary source of livelihood for 36% of the worlds total workforce (). In the countries of Asia and the Pacific, this share ranges from 40% to 50%, and in sub-Saharan Africa, two-thirds of the working population still make their living from agriculture (ILO,2007). If climate change negative impacts upon the agricultural production in low-income developing countries, eg. Asia and Africa, the livelihoods of large numbers of the rural poor will be put at risk and their vulnerability to food insecurity increased. The World Food Trade Model, designated as the Basic Linked system (BLS), links countries through trade, world market prices, and financial power. The BLS estimates that in 1980, there were about 500 million people at risk of hunger in the developing world. Without climate change, the number of people expected to be at risk of hunger in 2060 has been estimated approximately 640 million. However, with unmitigated climate change, declines in yields in low-latitude regions are projected to require that net imports of cereals increase. Higher grain prices will affect the number of people at risk of hunger. The number of hungry people in developing countries will increase by ~1% for every 2-2.5% increase in prices. This means that the number of people at risk of hunger grows by 10-60% in the scenarios tested, resulting an estimated increase of between 60-350 million people who will suffer from hunger (Parry). Mitigation and Adaptation One of the ways to prevent the effects of global warming is to decrease the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In 1997, most industrialized countries ratified an international agreement to reduce the amount of human-induced greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere, called Kyoto Protocol. FAO defines Mitigating climate change means reducing greenhouse gas emission and sequestering or storing carbon in the short term and making development choices that will reduce risk by curbing emissions over the long term. Although the entire food system is a source of greenhouse gas emissions, primary production is by far the most important component (Lobell). Incentives are needed to persuade crop and livestock producers, agro-industries and ecosystem managers to adopt good practices for mitigating climate change. Lobell et al. defines adaptation as a key factor that will shape the future severity of climate change impacts on food production. He also suggests that communities can cope with climate change, for example, by switching from producing corn to producing sorghum, whose lower water requirements and higher temperature tolerances are better suited to a warmer and drier climate (Lobell, Darwin). Ensuring food security for all in the face of climate reductions will require adequate food production through improved seed and fertilizer, better land use policies and shifting planting date. These will prove costly but the biggest benefits will likely result from the development of new crop varieties and expansion of irrigation (Brown). These adaptations require substantial investments by farmers, governments, scientists, and development organizations, all of who faces many other demands on their resources. Successful climate change adaptation are likely to diminish the food insecurity that we are facing now. CONCLUSION Climate change poses an unprecedented challenge to the aim of eradicating hunger and poverty. In order to meet the growing demand for food security under increasingly difficult climatic conditions and in a situation of diminishing natural resources, the world must move towards embracing a two-fold approach: First, we must invest in and support the development of more efficient, sustainable and resilient food production systems. Second, we must improve access to adequate food for the most vulnerable and at-risk populations and communities as well as improve social protection systems and safety nets as part of the adaptation agenda. Protecting the most vulnerable also requires improving our ability to manage weather-related disaster risks and accelerate community development. Only if we succeed in making significant advances on all fronts -increasing food availability, enhancing access to food, and strengthening resilience and development will we reduce the risk of dramatic increases in the number of the malnourished and hungry in the poorest regions of the world.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Television Censorship Essay -- essays research papers

Television Censorship WHAT IS CENSORSHIP? "Censorship is the supervision and control of the information and ideas that are circulated among the people within a society. In modern times, censorship refers to the examination of books, periodicals, plays, films, television and radio programs, news reports, and other communication media for the purpose of altering or suppressing parts thought to be objectionable or offensive. The objectionable material may be considered immoral or obscene, heretical or blasphemous, seditious or treasonable, or injurious to the national security. Thus, the rationale for censorship is that it is necessary for the protection of three basic social institutions: the family, the church, and the state. Censorship and the ideology supporting it go back to ancient times. Every society has had customs, taboos, or laws by which speech, play, dress, religious observance, and sexual expression were regulated(Microsoft Encarta 95)." CENSORSHIP OF OBSCENITY "The beginning of a new legal approach may be traced to the action of the federal courts in the 1930s, when they held that Irish author James Joyce's Ulysses was not obscene and could be freely passed through customs. The courts ruled that the use of "dirty words" in "a sincere and honest book" did not make the book "dirty." Since the 1950s many obscenity cases involving books, magazines, and film have been brought before the Supreme Court. In the cases during the 1970s the court ruled that laws against obscenity must be limited " to works which, taken as a whole, appeal to the prurient interest in sex; which portray sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and which, taken as a whole, do not have serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value." The Court has further held that obscenity should be determined by applying "contemporary community standards" rather than national standards (Microsoft Encarta 95)." WHO DOES TELEVISION CENSORSHIP EFFECT? CENSORSHIP AFFECTS MINORS AND ADULTS Does censorship affect both minors and adults? One incident in Ohio led a mother of a 5 year old boy to believe so. The boy's mother attributed his actions to the influence of the popular MTV cartoon show Beavis and Butthead. In response to watching this cartoon the boy set his house on fir... ...censorship of television. The government of the United States of America has been getting very involved in what they think is appropriate to be on television. I want to know why they get to decide what I want to watch. I feel that it should be a person's choice. They say they are concerned with what children are viewing, or that some things such as nudity and swear words offend people. Parents should monitor what their children watch. If a parent does not want their child to see something in particular, then it is the parent's responsibility to see that they do not, not the government's (Microsoft Internet Explorer)." What do you think? Should our government continue to enforce television and film censorship as it has been? Or should all forms of censorship be abolished completely? THE PURPOSE "It is the purpose of this Act to increase competition in all telecommunications markets and provide for an orderly transition from regulated markets to competitive and deregulated telecommunications markets consistent with the public interest, convenience, and necessity (Telecommunications Bill of 1995, Internet)."

Thursday, October 24, 2019

BB concepts

Transactional (timely exchange of products and services) Value-added (falls between transactional and collaborative) Collaborative (alternatives are less, complex purchases and high prices) Transactional: Timely exchange of g/s in a highly competitive market in terms of prices. Autonomous, no/little concerns towards the need of customers or sellers. The relationship ends once the purchase Is done Types of products- packaging, cleaning products or commodity products where bidding is involved Collaborative:Occurs when few alternatives are present and involves complex purchases. Prices too are high. Switching costs are very high and extremely important to collaborative customers. This is because the organizational customers invest in their relationships in the following areas: Money People Training costs Equipment Procedures & Processes The needs of both the customer as well as the seller is taken care of. Trust and commitment are the key factors In such a relationship and they exists w hen one party has complete confidence In the other partner's Integrity and ability.Egg: IBM/GE/ Intel/ DuPont- Sucrose, etc. In case of high tech IT products, collaborative relationship can be very beneficial. It focuses on joint problem solving and resource sharing. Value drivers in Collaborative exchange: Value creation through core offerings- direct cost, delivery performance Value creation within sourcing process- acquisition cost Value creation at the customer level of operations- ops In order to achieve the key supplier status In collaborative exchange, one must- Target the right customerMatch with their purchase requirements Develop strategies to build trust and commitment in order to reduce the perceived risk in the minds of the buyers. Value-added In-between transactional and collaborative. They are those businesses which apart from Just attracting customers also try and retain customers by: Providing additional services Developing customized services according to customer needs Provide incentives to the customers on a regular basis to retain them Egg: Tate & Lyle and food ingredients The buyer seller relationship depends mainly on:Market conditions- Highly volatile/ less alternatives go for collaborative, Low prices/ low complexity go for transactional o/w collaborative Improving transactional customer loyalty: Adopt differentiation strategy- this strategy suggests that the value created to the customers which is measure by high margins and sales should exceed the cost involved in creating and delivering the customized product/ services. Adopt activity based costing- BBC is a method that allocates the cost of performing various service to each customer.This will enable the firms to accurately identify who are the most profitable customers. The whale curve which is the result of BBC tells that 80% of sales revenue comes from 20% of the customers. The firms should therefore either retain the most profitable customers, convert unprofitable one to profit able or fire those who are not profitable. Managing unprofitable customers- Reduce cost to serve Increasing profitability- life time value All this can be done through adopting the right CRM strategy The CRM strategy: Acquire the right customers

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Danger of Isolation

Othello is a Shakespearean tragedy which depicts the incompatibility of military heroism and love; the danger of isolation. I personally think that Othello conveys the balance of human strengths and weaknesses amidst good and evil in society. In my opinion, Othello is a cultural and a racial outsider who is a bold, strong, courageous, naive and foolish. Throughout the play Othello represents the strengths and weaknesses in society. The villain, Iago is fascinating for his most terrible characteristic: his utter lack of convincing motivation for his actions. Iago is often funny, especially in his scenes with Roderigo, which serve as a showcase of Iago’s manipulative abilities. It is Iago’s talent for understanding and manipulating the desires of those around him that makes him both a powerful, evil and interesting character. I think that Iago represents those in society who desire power and vengeance. Desdemona is a more plausible, well-rounded figure than much criticism has given her credit for. Desdemona is at times a submissive character, most notably in her willingness to take credit for her own murder. Jealousy has the power to destroy. It destroys both Iago, jealous that Michael Cassio has received an appointment over him, and Othello, who is jealous that his wife may love Cassio. Many things can cause a person to choose to isolate themselves like: sickness, hurt feeling, confusion, fear, embarrassment, confrontation, loneliness, shame, anger and inferiority. These things are believed to carry a pain which cannot be shared with others and must be dealt with in seclusion. However, Isolation weakens your defenses. In the bible it states, â€Å"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not broken easily† (Ecclesiastes 4: 12). This can interpreted that it is better surround your self with others company for greater forces. It is said that people who isolate themselves are sometimes arrogant. They believe that they are able to stand alone and fight battles. They should humble themselves because they could always use help. A person that is isolated is easier to defeat than someone who stands with an â€Å"army. † Shakespeare focuses more on the differences in color and age between Othello and Desdemona than Cinthio. Shakespeare does this to escalate Othello’s isolation from the rest of Venetian society and to display Othello’s vulnerability due to his color. In the tragedy not only is Othello susceptible to weaknesses but so is every major character. The tragedy reminds humans that even one’s good nature can be taken advantage of for the worse. The drama Othello expresses, through relationships and emotional attitudes, a theme that all humans are vulnerable to destruction even if they are in positions of power and glory. 1. No comments The action of Othello moves from the town of Venice to the island of Cyprus. Protected by military bases as well as by the forces of nature, Cyprus faces little threat from external forces. Once Othello, Iago, Desdemona, Emilia, and Roderigo have come to Cyprus, they have nothing to do but prey upon one another. Isolation enables many of the play’s most important effects: Iago frequently speaks to himself. Othello stands apart while Iago talks with Cassio in Act IV, scene i, and is left alone onstage with the bodies of Emilia and Desdemona for a few moments in Act V, scene ii; Roderigo seems attached to no one in the play except Iago. And Othello is visibly isolated from the other characters by his physical stature and the color of his skin. Iago is an expert at manipulating and isolating his victims so that they fall prey to their own obsessions. At the same time, Iago, of necessity always standing alone, falls prey to his own obsession with revenge. The characters cannot be islands, the play seems to say: self-isolation as an act of self-preservation leads ultimately to self-destruction. Such self-isolation leads to the deaths of Roderigo, Iago, Othello, and even Emilia.