Sugar kills as tobacco does. Can the former be heavily taxed as the latter?

Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor, sugar-sweetened beverages, and there are people who say sugar is as deadly as tobacco.

In your place, is sugar as deadly as tobacco as it is found in many countries?

How fair is it to tax sugar as severely as tobacco is?

No other dietary substance as sweet as sugar has ever generated this strong bitter criticism in terms of the death toll it causes due to its willful intake, especially in liquids. Though its plight is not different in my place, I do not think it is alright to tax it as tobacco is.   

In my country, medical statistics on sugar-related health concerns reveals that four out every 10 people above forty years are suffering from diabetics. With this is another revelation that the new generation - teen-agers and children – is consuming aerated sugary fizzy drinks in great quantities. This is obviously a reflection of the fact that my place is vulnerable to huge number of deaths emanating from a single substance as sweet as sugar. It is almost as deadly as tobacco, but with a slight difference.  

In my view, it is not that fair to see sugar through the same prism used for tobacco. Sugar is inevitable for human life and survival. For example, human body needs a certain amount of sugar and its rise is as deadly as its fall. Naturally, sugar has to be affordable for all as it is an additive for innumerable edibles. The second thing is that tobacco is an addiction agent and it is slow killer. Sugar kills, too, but only if taken in excess. Tobacco ensnares people whereas sugar invites people. The latter is manageable.

My conclusion is sugar as a substance is deadly, if not wisely used, and its impact on my place is not different from elsewhere. However, it is rather cruel to tax sugar as heavily as tobacco. What the world needs to know is that one venomous and the other is virtuous. Let us spare sugar from heavy tax net.

285 words. 01.07.15. 4.30 am

Sugar and tobacco as deadly, to be taxed the same way

Many countries in the world have a significant number of deaths occurring from a single dietary factor, sugar-sweetened beverages, and there are people who say sugar is as deadly as tobacco.

Is sugar as deadly as tobacco as it is found in many countries?

How fair is it to tax sugar as severely as tobacco products are to?

July1501tasktwo

Some people argue that sugary foods are causing a public health crisis putting pressure on healthcare machinery similar to what smoking does and they should be taxed in the same way as tobacco.

Do you agree or disagree with this opinion?

Keeping a health hazard, like tobacco, under heavy tax net is a common practice followed across the world. In this respect, bringing sugar-intensive foods under such a tax regime is a good idea towards keeping the healthcare system free from further stress.

To me, it is right to agree with the given opinion. The thing is that sugar-rich products have been seen as the prime force behind the alarming rise in the obesity cases across the world. The matter with tobacco is that, by the time people start to use is, they, mostly males, will be in their teens.

But the story is different in the case of sugar which comes to the life of people right in their infancy itself. During teenage, great many would have become a medical eventuality no less severe than one of tobacco. Severe taxing on sugar would go a long way in keeping sugar at bay thereby letting the healthcare systems breathe easy.

What tobacco does to the world, people and healthcare industry is that it kills people who are using it and those who are passively experiencing its effects. Sugar, in the same way, kills the users and the spoils the well-being of others dear to them. For example, diabetics is almost a contagion across the world, and in India three out of every ten above 40 years of age are suffering from some sugar-related ailments. The medical bills they accrue are phenomenal for any family. Heavy taxing on sugar is right.

My conclusion is, imposing hefty tax on sugar-strong foods is not going to make the world free from sugar-related hazards in a fine morning. How long has the world been fighting against tobacco? It has been ages. However, taxing sugar heavily is right for the world’s health.  

285 words

01.7.15

  

  

Languages and volunteering as optional studies. upsides

In some higher education regimes, some foreign languages are given as optional studies while in some others it is volunteering of some sort that suits the interest of the learners.

·         How advantageous these two and mention which one you find better?

Optional studies have always been part of higher education and in some academic circles it is foreign languages whereas is in some volunteering is promoted. Both the options are of some value for the learners, and to me, the latter is better.

 Absorbing the basics of a foreign language is beneficial in many ways. Basically, it is an opportunity incorporated in the main studies and students do not need to set aside separate time and money for this. It is actually economical and interesting. Besides this, as a matter of fact, learning a new language is like exploring an unknown terrain that is marked by new words, phrases, usages, expressions and culturally evolved idiomatic expressions. This would be a great experience for anyone who is engaged in language studies as their mains.

Volunteering, on the other hand, offers a different set of benefits. Firstly, in all societies, volunteering is taken as rewarding. By definition, it is one’s willingness to spare time for others without expecting any rewards. Naturally, higher education learners world be pleased to realize that they are becoming useful to others. Then comes better civic consciousness. For example, student volunteers respect themselves and others equally, abide by the laws, understands better and above all, they are called change in motion. Finally, such candidates get greater grades at times of job interviews.

Having identified the upsides of volunteering and foreign language as optional studies, I find the former more rewarding. One with a little drive can find ways to learn a foreign language at anytime, but being a student volunteer is once-in-a-lifetime-chance.

My conclusion is, any optional is an opportunity for learners to pursue an area of their interests. Since these interests vary from one learner to another, which is better for who is a matter of attitude.

290 words. 29.6.15

    

Higher education going obsolete; causes and effects solved.

Of late, a lot of higher education qualifications are found to be going obsolete much faster than ever.

What do you think are the causes and effects of this condition?

A qualification that is fine for the times may not be so for the times in the making. This is true. But, today, the speed with which qualifications go irrelevant is getting higher. It is caused by several forces and the consequences are far-reaching and unpleasant.

The first thing is that industry requirements are changing much faster. For example, in the olden times, a qualification was able to stand the test of time for a while, for the industrialization was not happening that faster. Today, the story is different and the need for frequent change is very high and that speed is not kept by the educators and the higher education seekers.

The second force that makes this happen is the diversification in the existing businesses and working environments. This happens in many ways. Sometimes, for example, an existing business type may go irrelevant and the qualifications that kept that industry fed would also face the same fate. Similar is the case with some organizations that go for newer businesses where also what the qualified ones need is industry-friendly skills and knowledge.

This vulnerability is really harmful. The primary concern is the time, money and efforts being lost. Higher education, for example, is an investment for many, and if a qualification fails to bring in the returns all of a sudden, naturally, there will be great sense of loss. Secondly, there will be huge number of educated-unemployed and under-employed candidates everywhere. This is actually a great human resource loss. Resultantly, disappointment, hopelessness will set in among the educated and employed, and they will be forced to go on picking up newer qualifications every time.

In short, different causes other than the ones above could be identified if we look around, and time to time, the causes may differ as well. But, the consequences of this volatile condition will be almost same across all academic and professional environs.  

Ajaypeesdoc. 28.6.15

The propriety of punctuation: see how it works.

The propriety of punctuation is this. It’s a sense of language that makes one’s reason work towards putting a comma, or a colon, or a semi-colon or hyphen or an apostrophe or whatever rightly. It cannot be taught nor is it possible to master it.

1.       In times of distress, it is always good to pray.

2.       It’s always good to pray in times of distress.

On the one hand, it is going to help individuals in personal terms and, on the other hand, it is likely to benefit the nation at large. 

It is going to help individuals in personal terms on the one hand and it is likely to benefit the nation at large on the other (hand).

1.       As a matter of fact, there is no one who is not interested in earning a little money.

2.       There is no one, as a matter of fact, who is not interested in earning a little money.

3.       There is no one who is not interested in earning a little money as a matter of fact.

·         If you are interested in this course, you may join right-way and, if you want some to ponder over it, you may do so.

·         You may join right-way if you are interested in this course and, if you want some to ponder over it, you may do so.

·         Listing: Ajaypeesdoc. 28.6.15
Moreover, in the meantime, however, as a result, consequently, in course of time, in due course, at the end of the day, in the long run, at the end of the day, in the beginning, in the initial stages, in between, of the five, among the three, in total, in brief, in short, in other words, to put it differently, to be precise, putting it precisely, furthermore, besides, in addition, in addition to this, in addition to these, apart from this/these, to look at it from a different angel, while considering the first opinion, if we take the first opinion first, the thing is, in contrast, on the contrary, similarly, the same way, in the same way, in the same vein, in spite of this, despite this, though it is a fact, although there are evidences, in order to solve this, as a solution for this, to tackle this issue, to iron out this controversy, and so goes the list of particles that take a comma when they begin a sentence.

·         Children like sweets; no matter what they (sweets) are, like chocos, waifers, cakes, ice screams and so on.

·         There are so many educated-unemployed in my place: IT, Management, Design, Admin, Law to mention a few.

·         Parents are ambitious; so are their children. Children are ambitious; as ambitious as their parents.

·         Many are rich; very few are happy. Many are rich but very few are happy.

·         There is nothing called stress, and we do not need to manage something that does not exist; then, the so-called stress you speak of is generated out of poor management of the context where you are part of - work, life, society, media, market etc. Ajaypeesdoc. 28.6.15

·         Stress is a sign of poor management skills, and those who are poor at management can never manage stress, if at all there is any, so to say.

Qualifications that go obsolete faster

Many higher education qualifications are becoming obsolete (outdated) much faster than ever.

Look at the causes and effects of this condition.

The need for lasting significance of higher education qualifications is felt everywhere, but what happens these days is the other way round and many programmes go irrelevant much more quickly than ever. There must be different causes for this, and the effects of which will be far reaching.  

Futuristic industry-friendliness is the primary quality of any higher education programme. Unfortunately, many new generation higher education service providers suffer from poor vision, and they frame courses that fail to meet a long-term goal of the market. This is the primary cause for this drifting relevance of many qualifications.

This is followed by the overnight changes that take place in the business, employment and industry environment. For example, knowledges are exploding, and out-of-the-box business ideas are springing up and diversification in the global employment landscape is almost a daily affair.  For example, a qualification that is cut for today’s industry may fail to satisfy an environment that is going to happen tomorrow. This story was entirely different sometime back say some 15 or 20 years back.

Moving on to the effects, the first thing is loss of time money and energy for the educated. They will have to go for fresher programmes every now and them. This is actually taxing and debilitating. This is followed by a social condition called ‘the educated enigma’. The thing is there are people educated and at times employed. But, most of the time, they are inadequately educated and, eventually, under-employed. And, finally, it may be said that qualifications that go meaningless faster will render the whole education scene hopeless. People may lose faith in it.   

In short, different academic regimes may have many different factors that make qualifications irrelevant, but the consequences of which, in my view, would be same across the spectrum. The time for lasting qualifications is around.  

290 words.

A jaypeesdoc. 27.6.15

Look at the highlighted areas. that is the skeleton, the rest is flesh; English

It is found that, these days, people are spending greater amount of time and money for entertainment.

·         

Why is it so?

·        

Is it a good or bad development in your opinion?

People have always set aside certain amount of money and time for entertainment. But, of late, they are putting in more than want they used to. There are genuine reasons for this and it is a welcome turn of event. 

The first thing that encourages this greater spending is the extent of opportunities they have for greater earning. What I mean is, today there are innumerable possibilities for making money as the world today is working 24x7. Coupled with this is the rising mercury of stress they read out of longer work and pressing priorities. Naturally, they go looking for greater entertainment at a cost or at any cost. They earn bigger and spend bigger too.

This condition is wisely exploited by businessmen and investors. The rising need for entertainment and people’s increasing buying power are converted into money by turning entertainment into an industry. Such an industry invites people’s attention, and it is business, time and money.

This rise in spending is good in several counts. Firstly, it keeps people charged to be doing better. For example, a relaxed mind and body would do much better than a strained one. Besides this, there is great scope for tax revenue for governments. Entertainment industry like music, film, stage shows, outdoor games and tour packages are revenue spinners. To cap it all, there are chances for fresh employment, both direct and indirect, when people are ready to pay bigger money and spare longer time.

In short, the reasons for sparing time and money for leisure might vary from time to time. Anyway, this shift of attitude to entertainment, to me, is an encouraging one. After all, people are spending good time and money not for anything but for their life, happier life, obviously.

280 words. Ajaypeesdoc. 5.5.15

  

SIX THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE WRITING IELTS WRITING

6 things to remember when writing IELTS tasks

1. The purpose of the IELTS writing is to demonstrate YOUR ability to write coherently in ENGLISH on a given topic

It is very important to bear this in mind when preparing for the exam. This is one of your chances in the IELTS exam to take control (the other being in the speaking) and demonstrate your great ability in English and to write good English. So don’t waste it!
Make sure that you give a lot of preparation time to this and, if possible, get a teacher to help you especially if you are looking at bands 7 and 8. The teacher will not only mark your essays but will also help you to improve it by showing you how to develop your writing to ensure that you get the band you want.

2. The key to IELTS writing is effective preparation and practice.
I know that many IELTS students work VERY hard on their IELTS but I have also met many who, despite this hard work, have not been able to achieve their goal. Your practice has to be effective to work for YOU.
If you need to get band 7, you HAVE to understand what a band 7 essay looks like, what it contains and how it feels to write one. You need to know this in your muscle!  To do this, you need to produce one and this may take 2 or 3 hours, but it doesn’t matter, once you have it, then you will not go back to your old way of writing again.
Less is more with writing – quantity does NOT necessarily produce quality. It is better to work for a long time on ONE essay than produce 4 at once. You have an IELTS teacher or coach then he will tell you when you have managed to get your band 7 essay down. If not then you will have to rely on models. Model essays are YOUR key to great writing and don’t rely simply on the good essays of your friends. They will have mistakes.
Don’t try to second-guess what the examiner is looking for.
Your job in the writing is to say “Look at my great writing ability at band 7. See how I have managed to express this topic really well and given you lots of good language to assess” it isn’t to think “I wonder what the examiner would like to see in this paragraph”.
The exam is not about the examiner, it’s about you. I can tell you that all examiners want you to do well. I know this because I have been an examiner myself and I really wanted every essay to be good and to get whatever band the candidate required. It’s sad when you see essays that have lots of silly mistakes, or weren’t planned properly or are too short or aren’t finished. Sometimes, you can see that the person really has ability, but he/she hasn’t demonstrated it.
See the exam as an opportunity to demonstrate your great English rather than a ‘test’ and you’ll be much more confident.

3. Please Plan, don’t just dive in!

“There isn’t enough time to plan” I hear this all the time, yet planning well actually ‘saves’ you time! With a good plan, the essay almost writes itself leaving you to concentrate on the language you are using. Without a plan, you are trying not only to make sure you use good English, the right vocabulary, great structure and not too many mistakes, but also the ideas you want to express as well, all as you go along and all in about 20 or 30 minutes – that’s a lot to ask!!
A good plan will give direction to your essay and state the points you want to make leaving you to concentrate on the language you are using to express these ideas on paper.

4. Think in English
When I was learning English at school, a teacher told me “If you don’t know it, don’t use it!” This is very good advice – translating from your own language most often fails and you will end up with English which can at best sound ‘odd’ and at worst be gibberish thus losing you many marks in the process.
If  the idea in your head is only in your own language and you don’t know the word or expression in English, then either come up with another idea or think of words you DO know that you can use to express this. I understand that you can express things in a very erudite and confident way in your own language and that you want to come across in your writing as an educated and knowledgeable person. BUT look at point 1 here – it’s your ability in English that is the most important thing in this exam NOT your knowledge!
In fact, if you can train yourself to think in English, then your chances of producing great writing are better.
The way to do this is to immerse yourself as much as possible in English as you prepare for the exam. Read newspapers, journals, books. Listen to radio programmes, watch films and documentaries. Develop a deep and meaningful relationship with English and great things will start to happen. Firstly you will learn a lot of things using English as a vehicle and secondly you will begin to absorb the language naturally as your exposure to it increases and soon you will be thinking about ideas and topics straight into English and NOT via your own language.
Wow, this sounds like a lot of work and IELTS preparation on top too! Well, yes it is a lot of work, but isn’t it worth it to get what you need? Why are you taking the IELTS anyway? Isn’t it to get you somewhere where you will be working or studying in ENGLISH every day? IELTS is simply your gateway, once you arrive at your destination; you are going to need FAR MORE English than the IELTS needs. So get started in this way and ‘kill two birds with one stone’.

5. Try things out during your preparation period
In order to produce a wonderful piece of writing, you need to experiment a little. All writers create several drafts of their work before they publish. Obviously, in the exam you have only one chance but if your preparation has really prepared you for that one chance, then you’ll have no problem. On the day of your test you should know how you are going to tackle the questions, whatever they are – there shouldn’t be any nasty surprises!
The time for experimenting is in your preparation time and to get a good band you really should, try and do this. From your reading and studying of model essays and other texts, you will find a host of new vocabulary and sentence types. You should choose the ones that you like or the ones that impress you and use them in your own writing. Be creative, test things see how they fit, see what the result is and then ask someone to check and see if they have worked.
Questions I always ask my students when they give me writing to check is ‘Are you writing in the same way as you did before?’ and ‘Has the way you approach your writing changed?’ I always expect the answer ‘yes’. There wouldn’t be any point in working with me and then doing the same old things. I am always pleased with the ‘yes’ answer because it shows me that their work is growing and developing and getting better and that’s what should happen. I also love it when students try things new, even if they don’t work – you have to fail to grow and then better to do this than with a supportive and experienced person to help you to use these words and phrases in the correct way.


6. Timing comes towards the exam date
Many IELTS students I meet are worried about getting their writing tasks done in the time allowed (1 hour) and spend much of their preparation time racing against the clock, doing essay after essay as fast as possible. This is putting the cart before the horse! When you learn the Piano, the teacher would keep telling you to get it right first and then speed up. This is my advice for you also. Once you know exactly what you are doing you can easily get this done in the time and even faster leaving you extra time to check. This is what you are aiming for. So make sure you start with the content and quality of your writing and don’t worry about the time – that will come when you are ready with your perfect band 7 essay every time!
Writing is the part of the exam that most people struggle with, but with some disciplined and effective practice, it will soon become a joy to you to write these tasks and when you are looking forward to it then you have achieved what you need.

Travel and work between studies: agree or disagree

Task 2

Some young people either work or travel after their school, prior to join the university. However, working is much more beneficial than travel.

Do you agree or disagree?

School leaving children, before joining college, go for different options to fill the gap between studies, and some take up some work while others pack up and go traveling. Comparing the benefits of both, to me, working is much better.

Working in my view is a virtual learning experience. Any working environment for that matter is able to impart invaluable lessons and skills of the young students provided the workstations not hostile for them. Let me find an example to how it works better than travel. Working, no matter what one does, involves great involvement; involvement of knowledge, physical effort, skills, sense of responsibility, prioritizing, experimenting and the like. A few trips to some distant places may not be in a position to offer all these in one platter.

Besides this, there is another upside for work. Earning, let it be a pittance, is obviously rewarding especially for those ones who are going to end up in some working environment after their college days. The money they may generate, for example, would go a long way in keeping them supported in terms of their personal needs or for the expense that they may happen to have during college days. This will be a great breather for their parents as well. Here work stands a cut above travel for sure, and the latter actually calls for expenses.

In short, travel as a stop-gap between studies may have its own things to offer for young students. However, what a workstation and its possibilities keep in store for them are much more than what travel does. It is made clearer.

265 words. 26.6.15 Ajaypeesdoc

Social exclusion: a global angle.

In many richer parts of the world the concept of "social exclusion" – sidelining young people on the basis of their wealth, faith and/or race - is a normal part of the social discourse.

·         What do you think are the negative implications of this condition?

·         What could be done to make them tax-paying productive citizens?

HOMEWORK AND KIDS; EXPERTS. DOWNLOADED MATERIAL

There is an argument that homework does not do any favour for primary age pupils; rather it is able to damage them in countless ways.

·         How well-founded is this view on homework?  

Most homework is 'pointless', expert says

Tom Bennett, director of the ResearchEd conference, cited real after-school tasks including ‘Imagine how Jesus felt on the cross and draw it’

A new Ofsted regime will encourage teachers to set “completely pointless” homework for their students, an education expert has claimed.

Youngsters will be forced to endure more “back breaking” after-school tasks with little educational value, according to Tom Bennett, director of the ResearchEd conference.

He added that schools were encouraging “the pick-pocketing of family life” by setting youngsters futile work in order to hit targets.

Under the new regime of England’s inspectorate, Ofsted, progress will be shown through schoolbooks and homework, he said.

Writing in the Times Educational Supplement, Mr Bennett, who teaches at a school in Essex, argued this would encourage teachers to set more after-school tasks.

Describing many homework tasks as “so much wasted on so little”, he cited real examples including ‘Design your own ideal bedroom’ and ‘Imagine how Jesus felt on the cross and draw it’.

He wrote: “I have no problem with setting challenging homework but I do disagree with the pick-pocketing of family life to serve the requirements of a school’s homework timetable.

“This may seem harmless but we must never forget that time is one resource you don’t get back.”

Last month a study of homework patterns among 15 year-olds in 65 countries, revealed British schoolchildren were lagging behind the competition.

The survey showed children in the UK were set an average five hours of homework a week compared to nearly fourteen hours in Shanghai, China, and nearly ten hours weekly in Russia and Singapore.

Homework 'damages’ primary age pupils

Teachers should stop setting homework until the final few years of primary education head-teacher says

Primary-age pupils should be effectively exempt from homework because it is damaging childhood and creating tensions between families, a private school head has warned.

Teachers should stop setting work until the final few years of primary education to prevent pupils being overloaded at a young age, said Dawn Moore, head of King Alfred School, north London. She said that virtually all schools in the state and independent sector had “firmly embedded” policies on regular homework for children aged five to 11.

Previous guidelines introduced by Labour had suggested an hour of work a week for infants aged up to the age of seven, rising to half an hour a night for those in the final four years of primary education. But Mrs Moore said the practice may be damaging to children’s education and home life.

She said pupils needed “downtime” and the opportunity to play outdoors after school, insisting that homework created too much tension in the between parents and children.

“I really question how beneficial homework is, particularity for the younger primary age children,” she said. “I have been quite concerned about this idea of children doing two or three hours of homework a night at the age of eight or nine.”

The comments were made before a homework conference next weekend at the £15,900-a-year school, which is billed as a progressive and “informal” institution.

Debate surrounding the amount – and type – of homework set for children has intensified in recent years, particularly in primary schools.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers has previously called for a ban on compulsory homework for primary-age children, saying that children should be able to explore, experiment and enjoy learning without feeling pressured.

A number of schools have also introduced individual curbs on homework. This includes the Jane Austen College in Norwich – one of the government’s flagship free schools – which expects pupils to do all their work during normal timetabled hours.

It represents a significant shift following pressure from the previous Labour government to ensure children were set up to two and a half hours of homework each night.

Under the old guidelines introduced in 1998, primary schools were told to set an hour of homework a week for children aged five to seven, rising to half an hour a night for seven-to-11-year-olds. Secondary schools were told to set 45 to 90 minutes a night for pupils aged 11 to 14, and up to two-and-a-half hours a night for those aged 14 to 16.

But the guidance was axed by Michael Gove, the former Education Secretary, amid claims head teachers should be given the final say on work outside of school hours.

Speaking to the Telegraph, Mrs Moore said her school did not introduce children to basic homework until Year 5 – when pupils are aged nine-to-10. By the age of 11, they are required to do one hour a week – typically receiving a project on a Friday and handing it in the following week.

“I think children have a very busy day at school and when they get home they’re often quite tired and need some downtime,” she said. “When we were kids we used to go out to play and get a lot of fresh air and there’s a huge amount of value in that.”

She added: “One of the things that worry me most is when families get into situations where the whole evening gets tense because of the amount of homework that needs to get done - trying to squeeze homework in between school and having a bath and going to bed.” She insisted homework should only be set for older children “if it is worthwhile” and usually linked directly linked to a lesson.

“I feel that it can lead to de-motivation and finding learning somewhat boring,” she said. “It is not about seeing how it can help them explore their curiosity; it is about ticking boxes. “I say to all of my teachers, only set homework is there’s a point to it. Don’t set it for the sake of it.” Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: “A modest amount of homework for older primary age children – Key Stage 2 – is appropriate but it shouldn’t be extensive amounts on a daily basis. It can be helpful particularly for practicing spellings and times tables for doing little projects where they can build projects with their family.

The conclusion is, a modest amount of homework for older primary age children is appropriate, but it should not be on a daily basis. It can be helpful particularly for practicing spellings and doing little projects and there is need for some childhood back home. Children learn better in the classroom if the class is pro-pupils. 

Three questions on retirement and HR.

1.

Since great many new generation jobs do not involve much physical exertion, some people believe that it will be a good idea to scale up the age bar at which people retire to a newer level.

Try to identify the positive and negative implications of such an idea.

2.

Of late people in huge numbers from varying sectors retire while they are pretty young in terms of production, expertise and decision-making. This is a big loss, some say; while some others say this young at hearts may find their own ways to be useful both for themselves and for others.

Discuss both the views and say what you think of elongating the services of the young at hearts.

3.

Since human resource is perishable, governments must ensure that the services of all those who are in key positions need to be employed to the maximum by allowing them to continue in service as long as they are able to.

To what extent do you agree or disagree with this view?

  

Jail terms and offenders

Jail terms, ranging from short-terms to lifers, given as punishments for crimes of varying degrees, have given the world much more offenders and crimes than what the world otherwise would have had in course of its development.

Do you agree or disagree with this view on jail terms? Jaypee. 20.6.15

Robotics, programmed machines and the world

Self- driven automobiles, unmanned fighter jets and programmed domestic helps, to mention a few, are going to be very much part of the world sooner than later.

·         How advantageous such a change will be?

·         What are the challenges such a revolution would make?

Making machines take over the jobs done by man is really revolutionary and beneficial in several counts. But such a switch over en mass is likely to generate a couple of pestering concerns for tomorrow.  40 words

Let me look at the upside of this transformation in the pipeline. The first thing is it would save a lot of human efforts. For example, when cars are made to run by all by themselves, the owners can sit back and rest assured that they are safely taken to their places. But, the problem could be this that it may spoil the employment opportunities or thousands of drivers.

If we see the other dimension of this revolution in warfare, where also, fighter unmanned fighter jets can target enemy camps and destroy installations without losing the lives of trained fighter pilots. Though this may sound good, in the war front, there is great need for intelligence. For example, a trained pilot can differentiate one playground from a battle field, a school from a hideout, a group of devotees from a company of soldiers. The challenge is there will be breach of war ethics.

The story is not different when it comes to programmed domestic helps. They may be able to carry all sorts of menial jobs in and outside of a home. But, there are certain areas where human emotion, intelligence, presence of mind and the like are required. In areas like child care, security upkeep, caring for the elderly, to list a few, where machines may not be like humans. There will be tough times for people if all the domestic chores are going to be done by programmed helps.

The conclusion is, it is great to have human efforts reduced and keep humans off dangerous zones by allowing machines to take over. But the concerns ranging from social, environmental and ethical need to be addressed before the world goes full key for such an order either sooner or later.

  

Bettering the economy: saves and spoils the planet

There is a school of thought that believes that the best way to look after the Earth is to promote economic growth, whereas this belief is opposed by others saying that greater economic indices may lead to greater pressure on the Earth.

Discuss both the views and say what you feel of promoted economy and the Earth.

As a matter of fact, the world needs economic growth. But, are the economic indices of the people and the Planet’s well being related? Yes, they are, some say. But there are people who say that better economic status would pressurize the world further. These two views are worth discussing.

Preserving the Planet Earth calls for sustainable practices. These practices are, actually, much more expensive than the conventional ones. Sub-standard products and unsustainable lifestyles are more common in poor areas than in the rich. For example, the piling up wastes is an eyesore in developing nations. Why? They are not able to manage wastes, for they do not have the means to have the systems in place to do so. Another fact is that the biggest concern of a population running short of the essentials of life like food, medicine, education and employment is not the health of the Planet they are living in, but their livelihood.

The opposing view needs discussion. When the economic indices go higher, the need for more may arise. More needs means more consumption, more under-utilization and more ecological overshoot and the like that are not Planet-friendly. For example, when the market is filled with newer things and people are able to find better finance, there will be pressure for buying, using, throwing and buying, using and throwing indiscriminately. This is a concern that makes the opposing view stand by itself

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In conclusion, discussing both the views on the association between ecological health and economy well being, what I feel is that some people may ask for more when they go for better incomes. But better income does not mean riches. The number of those who go richer, compared to those who go Planet-friendly through economic growth, will be negligible. The best option is to better the economy.  

The health of the planet and economy

The best way to look after the Earth is to promote economic growth.

Discuss.

As a matter of fact, the world needs economic growth. But, are the economic indices of the people and the Planet’s well being related? Yes, they are, and it is worth discussing, especially at a time when the need for taking care of the Earth is very much higher.

It is a known fact that nearly 70% of the global wealth is in the hands of nearly 30% of the richer population and the majority of the world is left with hardly 30% of the resources. Naturally, this huge segment of the people would exert great pressure on the Earth. Undoubtedly, they can make bigger contributions to take care of the Earth if there is economic growth in their lives. For example, Asia accommodates 57 percent of the total global population and, apparently, the Planet takes up much bigger pressure from this segment than elsewhere.

Coupled with these are the demographic survey results that have time and again proved that the number of children in poor homes is much bigger. That is, when people are better in economic terms, they go more conscious about the size of their family. Population is a problem. Similar is the case with healthier lifestyle practices. For example, a populace that is running short of food, medicine, employment, energy and securities will never worry about burning or carbon, pestering plastic products and killer gases. Their priority is ‘survive somehow’.

In conclusion, though much is seen of the association between ecological health and economy well being, there is a small danger that when things turn better, some people may ask for more. This nature of humans might spoil the Planet’s health by way of consumption. But their number, compared to those who go Planet-friendly through economic growth, is negligible. So it is the best way indeed. 

290 words

5.pm.17.06.15

Urban planning consulting urban people solved paper

While planning urban landscapes, the planners, it is recommended, need to consult the existing urban population for their inputs. This view, however, is not endorsed by all saying that planning a city is the job of the planners and any such consultation will spoil the right planning.

How good or bad is it to consult the existing urban population before going for any urban planning?

Urban planning takes a lot of efforts and homework. In this respect, there are two views; one is the planners must take advice from the current urban population and the other finds this as a spoiler of appropriate planning. Let me see the how or bad such a consulting is.

It is good in many ways as the current urban population know very well what type of expansion and facilities are needed for today and the in the days to come. Since they have been living there for quite some time, and are in much better position to make wiser suggestions than those planners who are there just to plan another urban area. For example, every urban landscape has its own characteristics, geographic conditions and requirements. These are known more to the people than those who come to plan it in a fine morning. So it is always good to listen to the voice of the people.  

This fact notwithstanding, at times, this consulting is likely to go hostile to the plans and the visions of the planners. It might happen in many ways. Selfish and parochial people of the place may come up with strange suggestions to safeguard their vested interests. For example, people who are likely lose lands and living may force suggestions that are impractical and inappropriate for the whole process. Some people may even go for legal intervention to spoil the plans of the planners.

In short, there may by problems in consulting the people before going for an urban planning project. However, it is always better to go for a sit together before the plan implementation than going ahead unilaterally. The planners may get out of the box ideas from real people.

Urban planning and the need for consulting the urbanites

While planning urban landscapes, the planners, it is recommended, need to consult the existing urban population for their inputs. This view, however, is not endorsed by all saying that planning a city is the job of the planners and any such consultation will spoil the right planning.

How good or bad is it to consult the existing urban population before going for any urban planning?

The economy and the Earth.

The best way to look after the Earth is to promote economic growth.

Discuss.

There is a school of thought that believes that the best way to look after the Earth is to promote economic growth, whereas this belief is opposed by others saying that greater economic may lead to greater pressure the Earth.

Discuss both the views and say what you feel of promoted economy and the Earth

The Net based assets and their fate

Great may people from all walks of life keep millions worth personal assets on the Net and they manage them very well when they are active online. But it is not so when they pass away.

• What are the problems it may generate when such people leave this world?
• Suggest a few ways to offset this inevitable condition? 

The rising need for flexi-time and not giving it

The demand for working at flexible working environments is on the rise across the world. 

·         Why is this rising demand for flexi-time at work?

·         What effects does it have on workers if they are not allowed to enjoy flexible work arrangement?

Of late, workers across the spectrum go choosy in terms of flexible workstations. This upswing for flexi-time is due to different factors and, obviously, denying which is likely to have serious effects on them in general. 35 words

The preference for a not-necessarily-nine-to-five work culture primarily gets generated out of the new generation workers’ greater employability quotient. Let me make it clearer. The workers these days are experts at multi-tasking, and they wish to enjoy several worlds like work, life, health, hobbies socializing and the like. A nine-to-five schedule is passé for great many. 55

The next thing is the idea that one need not be in-office all the time; rather technology enabled services and faster mobility are up for anyone’s grab and they are meant for greater production with much lesser efforts. In such a case, is there any need for one to be around at a place for non-stop eight hours? No. Finally, today, the nuclear family partners are partnering in their mutual progress and they like to be free off and on flexibly for their family welfare. 80 words

Anyway, if this flexibility is not given, the workers would not be able to put in their best for the firm. The thing is, in a rigid work culture, the employees would suffer from poor job satisfaction and many would go unethical by calling in sick and practise absenteeism in the behest of personal preoccupations. Another effect is that it would put them in risks of occupational hazards. Break-free work and the pressures thereof might turn out to be detrimental for their work-life-balance. This is dangerous. 90

In short, there could be varying reasons for the pressing need for an unconventional work culture called flexi-time in different professional landscapes. Anyway, the consequences of not offering it to workers might be almost same across all workstations. 35

290 words Ajaypeesdoc.

14.6.15