Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay Example for Free

Fast Food and Childhood Obesity Essay In the past decade there has been a rise of obesity in children. I believe along with many credible sources that a lot of the reoccurring obesity problems we face with children have to do with fast food. You could almost say that fast food is kind of like a drug for kids. It is always fun to go out to eat as well as take in food that is high in calories and saturated fat. Although fast food may be a large factor in childhood obesity, it is also safe to say that it’s not the only factor. Are we placing too much blame on the fast food industry for making our kids obese, or is it our fault as parents and caregivers? Fast Food Then and Now Compared to how fast food chains functioned when they first opened and how they operate now you will see a huge difference; not only in their food selection but also in the portion sizes. For example, when McDonald’s first opened in 1955 their cheeseburger was only 1. 6 ounces and now you can get a cheeseburger for almost 8 ounces (Monte, 2008). The sizes are almost a 400 calorie increase—400 calories could be more than one whole meal for a child. Every year portion sizes are essentially getting larger and larger. A small now would have been a medium just five years ago (White, n. d. ). Not only have the portion sizes gotten larger but so has the menu. Fast food chains now have been offering smoothies, sundaes, pie slices, and even cinnamon rolls. They offer more menu options that offer more calories and saturated fats. Along with these they have also gotten better with offering some healthy options too like apples and low fat milk, but who goes to a fast food restaurant to get apples and milk? There are 3,039 possible kids’ meal combinations and out of that only 12 combinations meet the nutrition criteria for preschooler’s and 15 for all other children (Oren Dodson, 2010). The only kind of company who would essentially poison children like that is ones who are trying to make a fast buck and that is the goal for all of these fast food companies. They don’t realize or they do and just don’t care that they are poisoning our youth and even adults. Advertisements For the past ten years or so fast food chains have been advertising to children. Kids spend more time watching TV than any other activity they do besides sleeping (Nestle, 2006). Fast food chains have taken advantage of this by placing most of their ads on programs like Nickelodeon, Disney, and even PBS. They know that if they spend millions on advertising on children networks that they will get their return on investing in them. Children see more than 32% more fast food ads on TV now than in 2003 (Oren Dodson, 2010). In 2009, McDonald’s spent the most out of all the fast food companies on advertising to children. They spent almost 900 million dollars targeting ages 6-11. Subways was in a very far out second spending a little over 400 million dollars targeting 12-17 year olds (Harris, Schwartz Brownell, 2010). Studies have also shown that Hispanics and African American children see more than 50% more fast food ads than white children (Oren Dodson, 2010). With this there are more fast food chains in African American and Hispanic dominated neighborhoods. Family Statistics You can probably assume that every family in the U. S. goes to fast food restaurants on occasion but some go more than others. Studies have shown that families with lesser income are more exposed to fast food than other families who have a higher income (Block Scribner, 2004). With the economy the way it is, much more people are making much less and this is causing more and more families to visit fast food places rather than eating at home. You can go to a fast food joint and spend ten dollars for the whole family to eat rather than spending hundreds of dollars at a grocery store. In an article I just read, less than one third of Americans are eating their meals from scratch; meaning actually cooking and serving them to their families (Voigts, 2005). This was published seven years ago—just think of where we are now! I conducted an interview with my sister, Morgan Dutton, who is an extreme fitness guru, health nut, and she also has children. I asked her what she thought about this obesity epidemic in our youth and she said, â€Å"I cannot believe all of the staggering statistics regarding kids and fast food. I am not sure why parents wouldn’t want their kids eating the healthiest food option rather than the fastest. Kids are starting to get diabetes earlier and it reduces their life span by years. Fast food is essentially killing our kids, it may be slowly but it is happening (personal communication, October 15th, 2012). † Drawing the Line So whose fault is it that our children’s generation is getting more and more obese? Should we blame it on fast food—when can we blame ourselves? As a parent I want my child to live the longest healthiest life they can live and when I take them to places like McDonald’s and Burger King I am basically poisoning their body. It may be fast food that is making them obese but isn’t it our fault for taking them there in the first place? Exposing them to that kind of food especially early on in their life is only going to make it harder for them when they get older and can make their own decisions. Conclusion Rather than placing blame for the obesity problem with our children maybe we should be taking action. You could blame fast food chains for making your kid obese or you could even blame yourself because you took them there. Parent’s need to start making better decisions on what they are putting in their kids bodies because they may outlive their own child. There are so many chemicals and toxins in fast food that people are not aware of. Fast food may be cheap and it may be fast but in the long scheme of things, it is killing our kids.

The Garden Depot Recruitment Issues

The Garden Depot Recruitment Issues The Garden Depot originated from a family owned floral company in Barrie, Ontario expanded to a larger variety floral, gardening and lawn care products. Eventually, it ventured into landscaping business too. The current practice of the organization has made the business deteriorate. Experienced and reliable workforces were not attained in the organization as result of fluctuations in seasonal demands. The organization also faced in synchronization among departments. Family member employment in the organization also gives difficulty between employees to handle any matters with that individual. Finally is the inappropriate positioning of employee in the management position. As a recommendation, the best option to be implemented is by focusing on execution of specific departments such as management, marketing, customer service and inventory control. Individual departments will concentrate on their part of duties to develop the company. This development is attached with the employment of experienced and reliable workforce people rather than part time employees. This would create a stable business as there would not be any fluctuation in the work force. With the clear description of divisions and stable work force, Garden Depot is expected to progress in their business ventures. 2. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The Garden Depots improper implementation of standardized staffing criterion has caused the main reason for its unsuccessfulness. The organization did not have permanent skillful employees but only seasonal ones. Another cause of this problem is pursuing an employee to perform multi- tasking without prior knowledge in the designated areas. The departments in the depot also do not have synchronization between them. Decision made in one department never known to the other departments. Another criterion is family member employment in the organization itself which causes complexity in handling matter with this individual. The organization is also facing inappropriate positioning of employee in the management position i.e. leadership problem. 3. ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES OF THE PROBLEM The cause of the problem is the improper recruitment that was conducted in the organization. This was the primary cause of the organization mishap causing the organization to have a fluctuation in the employee of the Garden Depot. Recruitment of seasonal student employees for these tasks has caused inconsistency in the work progress. Since these inexperience employees only join for a very short period, they do not really perform in their duties as a permanent employee. Besides that, these young needs someone superior to them guide them all the time which actually causes waste of valuable time compared to an experienced employee where can perform his or her tasks without any supervision. The second problem faced by the organization is the fact that most of the employees in organization were not recruited and the existing employees were taken off during off peak season this was the problem that has cause the inconsistency of the employees. As the business is mainly based in the summer season the off peak season are a mishap for the organization where most of the employees are discarded to cut cost and replaced with students and part-time workers, this causes lack of proficiency, making the organization quality and delivery inconsistent. With part time inexperience working handing during off and mid seasons making the routing employment cycle unstructured. With statistics, indicating 80% of the employees during the offseason are student who leave at the end of the summer to return to the school. Only the remaining 20% are the full time employees of the company which this cycle changing vice versa during peak season the quality and work process is certainly a question m ark in terms of the garden depot. As stated in the case there are not defined job responsibility for the staff its sort of like a open office process where the work is assigned as it comes to the organization and upon the employee availability. The third problem analysis was the recruitment of the family member which proved to be totally unhelpful for the business development as there was no proper qualification or business handling capabilities for the family member making the existing business more complex to handle and the fact the students were used in the real-time operation was proved to be a mishap in the organization. i.e. (Sinclair recruitment). Derek Sinclair, son-in-law of the owner, was appointed although he was not qualified for that particular position. His job scope was to organize and deploy landscapers to job sites, dealing with customers and responding to customer concern, invoicing completed landscaping and travelling to clients homes to quote jobs. This entire job was never his specialty or expertise as he was from a customers orientated background. Low knowledge on this tasks caused Sinclair facing difficulty to communicate with customers when they called, which led him to avoid answering calls. Besides that, Sinclair also faced problem quoting for a job as he was uncertain with the materials to be used. He was also not billing the finished landscaping jobs. The fourth factor is that there is no job description and a requirement criterion that was taken before the employees was recruited. Job responsibilities are not being defined at all in this organization. This causes the employees to be confused as to who is to do what and when to execute this task. Overall this confusion in the daily operation will lead to the downfall of the organizations performance. The main objective of a job description is to have a clear outline of duties and responsibilities to make the screening process as direct and focused as possible, which was certainly a lagging factor as there were no proper fixed employees to assign the job. student being the most control during the off season it certainly possess a great challenge in terms of curtaining a job description and specification that can match the organization all the year around. With job description being assigned the following could be achieved by garden depots, which are the factors it is missing curren tly. There is no cooperation of students and employees in the organization insight in existing responsibilities/roles. There is no enabling career moves within the organization, and the most critical is that there is no determination of amount of pay per function. The combination of all these creates a proper job description that is lagging in the organization currently. All these factor of the unstructured organization caused the fact that there was lack of customer satisfaction in the product base and the service provided to the consumers regarding the focus. 4. DECISION CRITERIA AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS The first solution would be to reevaluate all the staff and create a proper job description for the organization. Job description is to have a clear outline of duties and responsibilities to make the screening process direct and focused as possible. This will provide room for improvement in the cooperation vise by giving all members of the organization responsibilities which could increase of results by specification of responsibilities as each employee in the organizations has their own task to perform and justify. Secondly, creating departments to handle each and every division and recruit personals to partment. Each departments deployed will have their own responsibilities such as marketing department where they are to market out their services to the public. Human resource department would have the task of managing the organization where they will be involved in the employee payroll system, employee recruitment, providing trainings for employees in the organization and etc. By developing departments, job tasks can be divided evenly rather than only one departments slogging. Each department would have their superior and employees to manage themselves. Thirdly, using of experience and new staffs together to create a strong team in handling a task. In this way, they would exchange their views among each other which project a positive outcome. Older employees would exchange their views based on years of experience they have gone through. As for the new comers, they would be more advanced in the latest technologies designated fields. With the combination of experience and knowledge, the organization will tend to approach a positive progress. Since Garden depot is a service based organization, the management should deploy a customer service department. With this customer service department, they are able to analyze the customers need and requirement. Through client feedback and interaction, you can learn about what clients liked about the services provided and which areas you may need improvement in. Using customer service as a tool for continuous improvement often leads to customer satisfaction. It is the key performance indicator when measuring their success. Lastly, Garden Depot can also begin conducting formal appraisal system to monitor the employees job performance. Workplace appraisals actively involve employees understanding what is expected of them. By setting agreed objectives with your employer or line manager and then reviewing the results some weeks or months later, each employee is made responsible for their own performance. They are an opportunity to review strengths and weaknesses, to take an overall assessment of work content, loads and volume and to look back on what has been achieved already and to set goals and objectives for the following period. The element of an appraisal being used to ensure that the worker continues to do the job properly, there are many benefits to workplace appraisals as they are often the means by which employers review potential, and identify training and career planning to forward the career progression of the worker. Furthermore, they can also help employers to determine financial reward incen tives for a workers performance. Benefit from this appraisal is that some employees talk about work with their managers and these employers often and may not see the need for a formal appraisal system. Although regular dialogue between managers and workers should be encouraged, much will depend on the attitudes of individual managers and, if there is no formal appraisal system in place, some may neglect to keep on top of how their workers are doing. An appraisal system, therefore, can bring benefits in that it can develop a greater degree of consistency by ensuring that employers and employees meet regularly to discuss performance and potential. Experience has shown that this can encourage better performance from employees. 5. RECOMMENDED SOLUTION, IMPLEMENTATION AND JUSTIFICATION The whole organization lacks infrastructure and the complete revamp of the organization must be carried out in perspective of the employees to create the Garden Depot. The first step is creating specific departments for specific job only. This can be divided into management department, marketing department, customer service and inventory control department. The main role of the management will both address and handle the multifaceted needs of its employees through the provision of the other services, both in literal and social terms. In other words, it is responsible to ensure employees are provided for in terms of finances, health care and other related issues. Another key role of management is to listen to the concerns of employees. All issues dealt with by management at the organizational level have an effect on employees and thus must be made with their best interest in mind. It is important to let employees know via regular meetings that their needs and opinions are valued. Employees should feel as though they have the ability and right to approach management with any of the issues listed above and these statements should always be taken into account when management makes further decisions. In sun, management is the backbone of the organization as well as its eyes and ears and employees must have this stable presence to address in case of problems. As for marketing department, their main task is focusing on customers. Here they develop ways how to attract customers towards the organization. This can be done by putting up advertisements through Medias such as the internet, television and news paper about the services they are offering. They are also to find reasonable priced suppliers and vendors to reduce the expenditure faced by buying from one particular vendor. Another main role is to come out of new ideas on the landscaping concept. This innovative concept will be the key role of attracting customers to towards the organization. Customer service department is responsible to consult with customers about their service needs or their wants. They also analyze what the customer says they want and need and the last part of their task is troubleshooting services to best fit their needs and expectations. Without this department, it is complicated for the organization to know the customers need. Since this department is more focused in customer caring matter, this will help the depot to solve the Sinclairs problem where he does not answer customer calls. The third department is inventory control department. Here the inventory control employee is responsible for maintaining acceptable and accurate inventory levels. They must report shortages, overages and all inventory levels monthly for replenishment. This process ensures continued operations and avoids product or inventory shortages. The inventory control employee is responsible for classifying, labeling and warehousing all inventories for future use. They must keep accurate records of inventory levels and location for easy retrieval. This is critical in keeping the department organized and efficient. The inventory control person is responsible for communicating with all department managers and purchasing on inventory levels and locations. They must maintain a record of all transfers and disposal. The inventory section must implement and follow a control system to reduce damage, breakage and inventory obsolescence. This helps the Garden Depot issues on the stock missing prevented. Having all this departments in the organization is a must to help the business flow smoothly. In order for this departments to function, adequate amount of work force are needed which includes experienced and reliable people in the organization. No more seasonal work force should be employed which creates fluctuation in the business. With this strategic planning of deploying individual departments comprising of experienced and reliable forces, the Garden Depot should be heading towards a new business era with a strong strategies, vision and mission. This will help the organization including the bottom line have a clear mind on what they are wanting to achieve but this time with a clear pathway. 6. REFERENCES eHow (2010), Inventory Control, Job Description and Duties, online, URL: (http://www.ehow.com/about_5494754_inventory-control-job-description-duties.html) Brandxpress (2007), 9 Responsibilities of a Marketing Department, online, URL: (http://www.brandxpress.net/2007/03/9-responsibilities-of-a-marketing-department/#more-286) Article Myriad (2010), The Responsibilities and Role of Management in an Organization, online, URL: (http://www.articlemyriad.com/157.htm) Burke, W. Warner, and Bill Trahant,Traveling Through Transitions, Training Development, 1996, 50, 37 41.

The Baroque in Italy and Spain Essay -- Essays Papers

The Baroque in Italy and Spain The period called â€Å"Baroque† cannot easily be classified. The work that distinguishes this period is stylistically complex and even contradictory. While Baroque was born in Rome during the final years of the sixteenth century, it was not specifically Italian. Nor was it confined to religious art. While Baroque did have ties to the Counter-Reformation, it quickly entered the Protestant North where it was applied primarily to secular subjects. It would also be difficult to claim that Baroque is â€Å"the style of absolutism,† because Baroque flourished in the bourgeois Holland no less than in the absolutist monarchies. Nor do we see the turbulent history of the era reflected in Baroque art. While the seventeenth century was one of almost continuous warfare, these wars had practically no effect on Baroque imagery. It is equally difficult to relate Baroque art to the science and philosophy of the period. While a direct link did exist in the Early and High Renaissance, w hen an artist could also be a humanist and scientist, this changed in the seventeenth century. During this time, scientific and philosophical thought became too complex, abstract, and systematic for the artists to share. Still, there is a subtle but an important relationship between Baroque art and science. The complex metaphysics of the humanists, which gave everything religious, meaning, was replaced by a new physics. Human awareness of the world was continuously expanding and the cosmology of such men as Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo broke the ties between sensory perception and science. By placing the sun, not the earth at the center of the universe, it contradicted what our eyes told us: that the sun revolves around the earth. The world... ...r more subtle. Velazquez explored the optical qualities of light more fully than any other painter of his time. Francisco de Zurbarà ¡n (1598-1664) stands out among the painters of Seville for his quiet intensity. Zurbarà ¡n worked almost exclusively for monastic orders and his most impressive baroque compositions are deeply moving for their direct and realistic approach to religious subject matter. The work of Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682) is the most cosmopolitan, as well as accessible, of any Spanish Baroque artist. His â€Å"Virgin and Child† (1675-1680) unites the influence of the Northern artists and Italians in an image that nevertheless retains an unmistakably Spanish character. Religion, politics, and philosophy all played a part in Baroque art. This interplay of passion, intellect, and spirituality make it one of the most compelling periods of Western art.

The Life of Daniel Defoe Essay -- English Literature Authors Daniel De

The Life of Daniel Defoe Daniel Defoe was easily one of the most influential and accomplished English author/writer of all time. Not only is Daniel Defoe considered as the founder of the English novel along with Samuel Richardson, but he was also a critical figure in European journalism and political commentary. Defoe has produced as much as 200 works of non fiction and 2,000 short essays in various periodical publications. In addition to over half a dozen full length novels such as Robinson Crusoe, a tale of a shipwrecked sailor stranded on a remote island. Defoe has done more than anyone else in his lifetime; he was a merchant, business owner, soldier, editor, journalist, and writer. Much of his life he was oppressed because of his religion, beliefs, and political and social ideals, because of his opposition to the church and state he was jailed and imprisoned many times. Defoe's writing reflected the fast growth of the English Middle class with new business opportunities in 1600-1700. Daniel Foe was born in London sometime in 1660 to an English butcher and candle merchant James Foe. He later changed his surname to Defoe, probably to return to his old foreign family name. His father was a Dissenter, a Presbyterian protestant who was not a part of the established Anglican Church. Defoe's mother died when he was 10, and his father sent him to boarding school. At the time Dissenters could not attend Cambridge and Oxford universities(unless they take an oath to the Church of England), in fact at the time Dissenters were prosecuted slightly by the Catholic who were the majority of the country. Dissenters had to send their children to dissenting academies. At the age of 14 Defoe went to attend a dissentin... ...and economic surroundings effected human nature. His novels are important in history because they mark an important break from traditional long poems and dramas. Defoe created reality of what we are reading by presenting realistic details and conditions. Defoe's complex lifestyle contributed to his understanding of people and the world. Annotated Bibliography "Daniel Defoe @ Catharton" . Biography of Daniel Defoe expressing his involvement with religion and politics. Books and Writers Online. . Biography of Daniel Defoe quoting and describing the work that he has published and produced. With a list of work along with dates. Daniel 'The True-Born Englishman' Defoe - Incomptech . Summery of important events in life of Daniel Defoe. His imprisonment and struggle by the Catholic church. "Daniel Defoe" World Book Encyclopedia. 234. 1992.

Compare and Contrast Mitosis and Meiosis Essay -- Biology

Compare and Contrast Mitosis and Meiosis Meiosis and mitosis describes the process by which cells divide, either by asexual or sexual reproduction to produce a new organism. Meiosis is a form of cell division that produces gametes in humans these are egg cells and sperms, each with reduced or halved number of chromosomes. The number of chromosomes is restored when two gametes fuse together to form a zygote. A cell with two copies of each chromosome is called diploid cell and a cell with one copy of each chromosome is called a haploid cell. Meioses produces haploid daughter cells that are genetically different from each other and from the parent cell. However, mitosis is a form of cell division that produces daughter cells identical to the parent during repair or growth. Each cell contains the same genetic code as the parent cell, it is able to do this because it has copied it’s own chromosomes prior to cell division. Meiosis consists of two divisions whilst mitosis is followed in one division; both these processes involve the stages of interphase, prophase, metaphase, anaphase and telophase. Meiosis allows cell variation and genetic differences between each cell whereas mitosis is an exact replication of each cell. There are three main ways meiosis produces genetic variation, this through independent assortment, crossing over and random fertilization. During the first meiotic division in prophase I the homologous chromosomes join together to form biv...

Government of Pakistan Essay

The Government of Pakistan is a federal government established by the Constitution of Pakistan as a centralized governing authority of the four provinces of a proclaimed and established parliamentary democratic republic, constitutionally called the State of Pakistan. The order of operations constitutes a Westminster system, and it comprises three branches of government: the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary. The executive branch is headed by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who is a chief executive (Head of Government) and exercises his or her power on officers subordinate to him or her. The President of Pakistan is merely afigurehead and Head of State who is a civilian commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces and holds ceremonial powers to fulfill the constitutional requirements; the President’s appointment and tenure is dependent, constitutionally, on the Prime Minister’s term. The Parliament(Legislature) consists of a lower house (National Assembly) and an upper house (Senate), as well as the President. The judicial branch consists of aSupreme Court (its apex), five provisional high courts, numerous other district courts a specially designated anti-terrorism court, a Sharia court, and the Green Court. The Electoral College, composed of the Senate, the National Assembly, and the four Provincial Assemblies, chooses a President, through indirect elections, for a five-year term. The Prime Minister is a supreme leader of the majority party (or director of the coalition government) in the National Assembly and is assisted by a cabinet of ministers d rawn from both chambers of the Parliament. Recent history The National Assembly elections that were held in October 2002. On 3 November 2007 President Musharraf suspended Pakistan’s constitution by declaring a state of emergency. In the general elections held in February 2008, the party of slain leader Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) won 123 seats in the National Assembly while the Pakistan Muslim League (N) of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif won 91 seats in the National Assembly. President Musharaf’s ally party Pakistan Muslim League (Q) (PML-Q) came third with 54 seats. After the elections the People’s Party Parliamentarian and the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz announced a coalition to form the new government along with the Awami National Party (ANP). Pakistan’s new parliament elected the country’s first female speaker on 19 March 2008 from the Pakistan Peoples Party: Fahmida Mirza. Allies of President Pervez Musharraf withdrew their candidate for Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Farooq Sattar, and the coalition chose Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, who was sworn in on 25 March 2008 by President Pervez Musharraf.[5] On 7 August 2008, the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) agreed to force Musharraf to step down and thus, begin his impeachment. Asif Ali Zardari, Rehman Malik, Altaf Hussain and Nawaz Sharif announced sending a formal request or joint charge sheet that he steps down, and impeach him through parliamentary process upon refusal. Musharraf accordingly delayed his departure for the Beijing Olympics by a day. Currently, the seat of Prime Minister was occupied by caretaker Mir Hazar Khan Khoso, who was appointed by the Election Commission of Pakistan on 24 March 2013, following the completion of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government’s term the same year. Assemblies * Senate of Pakistan * National Assembly * Provincial Assembly Senate of Pakistan The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan. Elections are held every three years for one half of the Senateand each Senator has a term of six years. If the office of the President of Pakistan becomes vacant, or the President is unable to perform his functions, the Chairman of the Senate acts as President until a President is elected. National Assembly The Pakistani National Assembly is the lower house of the bicameral Majlis-e-Shura, which also comprises the President of Pakistan and Senate (upper house). The National Assembly and the Senate both convene at Parliament House in Islamabad. The National Assembly is a democratically elected body consisting of a total of 342 members who are referred to as Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), of which 272 are directly elected members and 70 reserved seats for women and religious minorities. A political party must secure 172 seats to obtain and preserve a majority. Members are elected through the first-past-the-post system under universal adult suffrage, representing electoral districts known as National Assembly constituencies. Provincial Assembly A Member of the Provincial Assembly, or MPA, is a representative elected by the voters of an electoral district to the legislature or legislative assembly of a subnational jurisdiction. In Pakistan, the members are elected by the voters in provinces for a term of five years. Federal government * Federal ministries Provincial governments * Balochistan * Islamabad Capital Territory * Khyber Pakhtunkhwa * Punjab * Sindh * Kashmir * Gilgit–Baltistan Local governments * Districts * Tehsils * Union Councils * Divisions (abolished in August 2000) Kashmir governments * Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir * Northern Areas Government President and Parliament Under Article 50 of the Constitution, the Majlis-i-Shoora (Parliament) of Pakistan consists of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as the National Assembly and the Senate. The President is elected by members of both Houses of the Parliament and the Provincial Assemblies. The President may be removed from office or impeached through a resolution, passed by not less than two-thirds of the total membership of the Parliament in a joint sitting of the two Houses, convened for the purpose. The Constitution empowers the President to dissolve the National Assembly in his discretion if a situation has arisen in which the Government of the Federation cannot be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and an appeal to the electorate is necessary. The President in case of dissolution of National Assembly shall within fifteen days of the dissolution refer the matter to the Supreme Court and the Supreme Court shall decide the reference within thirty days whose decision shall be final. However, the Senate is not subject to dissolution. In case the office of the President becomes vacant for any reason, the Chairman, or if he is unable to perform the functions of the office of the President, the Speaker, acts as President till such time that a President is elected. Same is the case when the President by reason of absence from Pakistan or any other cause is unable to perform his functions. Cabinet The Constitution provides that there shall be a Cabinet headed by the Prime Minister which is collectively responsible to the National Assembly. The Prime Minister is chosen from the National Assembly. The Federal Ministers and Ministers of State are appointed from amongst the members of Parliament. However, the number of Federal Ministers and Ministers of State who are members of Senate, shall not at any time, exceed one fourth of the numbers of Federal Ministers. Parliament and Federal Government The bicameral federal legislature is the Majlis-i-Shoora (Council of Advisers), consisting of the Senate (upper house) and National Assembly (lower house). Members of the National Assembly are elected by universal adult suffrage (over eighteen years of age in Pakistan). Seats are allocated to each of the four provinces, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and Islamabad Capital Territory on the basis of population. National Assembly members serve for the parliamentary term, which is five years, unless they die or resign sooner, or unless the National Assembly is dissolved. Although the vast majority of the members are Muslim, about 5 percent of the seats are reserved for minorities, including Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. Elections for minority seats are held on the basis of joint electorates at the same time as the polls for Muslim seats during the general elections. The prime minister is appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly. The prime minister is assisted by the Federal Cabinet, a council of ministers whose members are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister. The Federal Cabinet comprises the ministers, ministers of state, and advisers. The Senate is a permanent legislative body with equal representation from each of the four provinces, elected by the members of their respective provincial assemblies. There are representatives from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and from Islamabad Capital Territory. The chairman of the Senate, under the constitution, is next in line to act as president should the office become vacant and until such time as a new president can be formally elected. Both the Senate and the National Assembly can initiate and pass legislation except for finance bills. Only the National Assembly can approve the federal budget and all finance bills. In the case of other bills, the president may prevent passage unless the legislature in joint sitting overrules the president by a majority of members of both houses present and voting. Other offices and bodies having important roles in the federal structure include the attorney general, the auditor general, the Federal Land Commission, the Federal Public Service Commission, Election Commission of Pakistan, and the Wafaqi Mohtasib (Ombudsman). Provincial Governments Pakistan’s four provinces enjoy considerable autonomy. Each province has a governor, a Council of Ministers headed by a chief minister appointed by the governor, and a provincial assembly. Members of the provincial assemblies are elected by universal adult suffrage. Provincial assemblies also have reserved seats for minorities. Although there is a well-defined division of responsibilities between federal and provincial governments, there are some functions on which both can make laws and establish departments for their execution. Most of the services in areas such as health, education, agriculture, and roads, for example, are provided by the provincial governments. Although the federal government can also legislate in these areas, it only makes national policy and handles international aspects of those services. Elections in Pakistan At the national level, Pakistan elects a bicameral legislature, the Parliament of Pakistan, which consists of a directly elected National Assembly of Pakistan and a Senate, whose members are chosen by elected provincial legislators. The Prime Minister of Pakistan is elected by the National Assembly. The President is elected by the Electoral college, which consists of both houses of Parliament together with the provincial assemblies. In addition to the national parliament and the provincial assemblies, Pakistan also has more than five thousand elected local governments. Elections in Pakistan are conducted under the supervision of Election Commission of Pakistan. The country offers a multi-party system, with numerous parties. Frequently, no single party holds a majority, and therefore parties must form alliances during or after elections, with coalition governments forming out of negotiations between parties. The Parliament of Pakistan consists of the President and two Houses to be known respectively as National Assembly and the Senate. The National Assembly consists of 342 Seats including 60 seats reserved for Women and 10 Seats reserved for Non-Muslims. The Senate consists of 100 Members including 17 Seats reserved for Women and 17 Seats reserved for Technocrats and Ulema. The Members of the National Assembly are elected for a term of 5 years whereas the Members of the Senate are elected for a term of 6 years with staggered elections every 3 years.

How Mass Media Affects Youth Culture

â€Å"Educators are challenged more seriously than ever before to teach young people to evaluate media more critically and to grow in taste and discrimination as they use media in school and at home. † What is it like to grow up in today's world? How are children and young adults affected by the movies and television programs they see, the radio programs and recordings they hear, the newspapers, magazines, and books they read? Modern technology has made possible a wealth of shared experience undreamed of even 50 years ago. This environment reflects fully, though sometimes in a warped fashion, life itself  including good and evil, beauty and ugliness, charity and violence. It is difficult or impossible to shield young people from experiences reflect ing the adult world when communications sys tems infiltrate our homes and become so much a part of everyday living. The concerns of thoughtful adults as to the possible effects of media on young and old citi zens range from the mo re obvious ones to those more subtle. There are fears as to the content of media: violence, lawlessness, breakdown in moral values, and tawdry and explicit sex, for example. There are other fears as to the general effect of a  television-dominated society in which viewers tend to be passive and nonassertive, young people have little time for other experiences, and parents use television as a â€Å"safe† baby-sitter.A proper assessment of the influence of mass media on young people continues to be one of the significant challenges to educators and parents today. Research in this area invariably reveals the difficulties in arriving at sound conclusions due to the complexity of causal relationships. One critic has questioned the findings of all experi mental research in this area because of the impossibility of ever having a defensible control group. The influence of mass media on adults is closely related to their influence on young peo ple, and just as difficult to study. Th e positive values in today's mass media are also significant.Young people today, without leaving home, can hear the world's best music and witness superb musical performances, see outstanding drama and dance programs, hear EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP political and governmental leaders of the nation and the world analyze major issues of the day, and learn of scientific advances and problems. Mass media bring information, inspiration, and  enrichment that potentially improve the quality of our living. Nicolas Johnson, formerly of the Federal Communications Commission, has studied the media environment for many years.In 1971, he concluded that television is â€Å"the single most powerful intellectual, social, cultural, and political force in history. † He also found that most Amer ican families use television as â€Å"the major source of knowledge and values. † Dorothy Broderick, a library educator, has written that media do much more than provide information. She says, â₠¬Å". . . they do have an im pact and influence upon behavior and attitude  formation, even though it is still impossible to isolate in research the precise nature of such influence. â€Å"Access to Television Has Increased While all forms of communication affect learning and living, the influence of television seems most challenging. Television most nearly represents real experience and is clearly a part of the environment of most young people in the United States. Access to television has increased remark ably. Breslin and Marino reported that while less than one percent of all American families owned television sets in 1948, by 1976, 98 percent of  American homes had at least one television set, and 25 percent had two or more.The facts about usage of these sets encourage serious consideration of television's influence. The average child in this country will have used 22,000 hours in viewing television by the time he or she enters high school. Gerbner and Gross re ported that nearly half of the 12-year-olds stud ied averaged six or more hours a day viewing television.Summarizing research on the impact of television, George Comstock wrote in 1975 that children typically view television for several years before entering first grade, that the time spent  with television increases during elementary school years, and that young black people, those from lower socioeconomic levels, and those lower in â€Å"While all forms of communication affect learning and living, the influence of television seems most challenging. † Photo: Michael D. Sullivan academic achievement and I. Q. spend more time viewing television than do other young people. In 1971, it was reported in B roadcasting Yearbook that the average TV set was on six hours a day in the United States. The number of viewers using each set during these hours was not determined.Wilbur Schramm reported in 1965 that by the sixth grade children spend 79 percent of their viewing time watching adult progra ms. Many adults are known to spend time viewing cartoons and adventure programs intended for children. To determine the experience that children or young adults have through television, one must con sider the whole range of television programs, in cluding those intended chiefly for adults: news shows, comedies, variety shows, cartoons, motion pictures, documentaries, serious drama, sports events, music, advertisements, and other types shown on commercial, public, and political pro  grams.The current concern about effects of violence and crime as depicted on television was highAPRIL 1978 527 reality and fantasy, use of violence to sell prod ucts, and censorship. † Dr. Richard E. Palmer, a president of the American Medical Association, has said that tele vision violence is â€Å"a mental health problem and an environmental issue. † He feels that large ex posure to violent content may distort a child's perceptions of the real world and adversely affect his psychological development. Action for Children's Television (ACT) is a national citizens' organization to upgrade the  quality of children's T. V.In 1976, among their â€Å"Bent Antennae Awards† were the â€Å"Getting Away with Murder Award† to broadcasters who use violence to attract child viewers and the â€Å"Nero Fiddles While Rome Burns Award† to broadcasters who talk about the need to reduce TV violence while continuing to air brutal and sadistic programs. While there is serious concern about the in fluence of television on young people, there is much controversy over what to do about it. One person with a plan for action is Richard E. Wiley, who, as Chairman of the Federal Communica tions Commission (FCC), spoke to the National  Association of Secondary School Principals in 1976.Wiley rejected the idea that a high level of TV violence can be justified because it presents a realistic view of the world. He said, â€Å"Few, if any, of our citizens in the real world w ill be ex posed to the levels of violence comparable to those which appear on television almost every week. † Wiley feels that specific governmental regu lations in this â€Å"highly sensitive First Amendment Citizens Demonstrate Concern Area† would not be desirable. Instead, he sug that the FCC â€Å". . . can play a constructive While research goes on, many citizens have gests  and more appropriate role at this point by focus recently demonstrated their concerns.The Na ing increased industry attention on the issue and tional P. T. A. ‘s Television Commission has held a by encouraging the consideration of self-regula series of eight regional â€Å"hearings† on â€Å"Television tory reforms. † and Violence† that encouraged parents and teach as well as ers to consider seriously the content usage of television. Based on these hearings, in Family Viewing Plan which 505 persons testified, the Commission has The â€Å"Family Viewing Plan† is an example of warned that concerned citizens may propose eco  nomic boycott of TV products advertised on the type of self-regulation suggested.The three shows that feature violence. Other concerns were major networks and The Television Code Board â€Å"stereotyping both by race and sex, inferior role of The National Association of Broadcasters models for youth, reduced discrimination between adopted the plan to set aside the first three hours lighted recently in the trial in Miami, Florida, of 15-year-old Ronney Zamora, accused of robbing and killing his 82-year-old neighbor. The defense attorney presented the unusual defense that the  boy is innocent because his addiction to television violence has caused insanity.How may violence on television affect young people? What should be done about it in a coun try that believes in freedom of communication and the rights of its citizens to the free flow of information and ideas? Based on years of research, Albert Bandura has conclu ded that â€Å"children can and do acquire new response patterns through observation and imitation, without the need for external reinforce ment or even rehearsal or practice. † The SurgeonGeneral's Advisory Committee on Television and Social Behavior supported the view that â€Å"†¦Ã‚  a steady stream of brutality on television can have a powerful adverse effect on our society and particularly on children.†This report represents a significant effort to discover the effect television has on children today. Thoughtful researchers have raised such questions as these: Are young people who are unusually attracted by the violence and aggres sion on television generally abnormally aggressive personalities themselves? Is it only those young people who are disordered themselves who tend to imitate or â€Å"act out† the violent acts depicted on television?Does the content of television ser  iously affect young people s perceptions of the world they live in, its ch allenges, satisfactions, problems, and values? 528 EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP (6 to 9 p. m. ) of evening prime time' for material suitable for the entire family to view together. Wiley feels that his recommendation of such a plan, as Chairman of FCC, does not constitute governmental censorship, since he was only rec ommending voluntary action and making sugges tions for program improvement.He feels the new policy encourages those involved in the industry to develop exciting and worthwhile programs  Ã¢â‚¬Å"without the needless concomitant of violent and sexual excess. † Wiley's speech was criticized by many in his audience, among them Joseph F. Lagana, Super intendent of Northgate School District, Pitts burgh, Pennsylvania and George lannacone, Su perintendent of Vernon Township Public Schools, Vernon, New Jersey. They wrote â€Å"an opposing view† that was published in NASSP Bulletin, January 1977. They felt that the position of the FCC and the Family Viewing Plan â€Å" are not com patible with the social conditions of our modern society, fragmented families and institutions, and  the post-industrial youth culture.† They said that the Family Viewing Plan inaccurately assesses the status of parent-child relationships so that it will have little impact on our â€Å"youth viewing popula tion. † Lagana and lannacone suggest that most par ents are not aware that the Family Viewing Plan exists. They feel that it is erroneous to assume adults can or want to regulate or monitor tele vision viewing for their children and that parent and youth viewing patterns are often incompat ible because of different interests and schedules and the accessibility of several television sets in  and outside the home. More fundamentally, they challenge Wiley's concept of the role of the FCC as â€Å"socially irre sponsible† because they feel the FCC â€Å"is the reg ulating arm of our government. â€Å"It is their recom mendation that the FCC develo p â€Å"a television council composed of educators, legislators, and behavioral scientists to create programs that are compatible with healthy human growth and de velopment. † In monitoring television programs beyond the Family Viewing Plan, the FCC is seen as a facilitator and moderator and not as a con trolling agency. The National Citizens Committee for Broad  casting ranked programs according to content of violence. As might be expected the â€Å"cops and robbers,† â€Å"private eye,† and action-packed shows ranked very high.But, surprisingly, â€Å"The Won derful World of Disney† ranked fairly high (more violent than â€Å"The Blue Knight† series) and â€Å"Donny and Marie† was around the middle of the scale, more violent than â€Å"Happy Days,† â€Å"Executive Suite,† or â€Å"Maude. † A Gallup poll found that 71 percent of the public in the United States think television is too violent, yet many of the most viol ent programs continue to draw the largest number of viewers.The National Observer reported, â€Å"A lot of peo ple seem to be having it both ways . . . deploring it to the pollsters and enjoying it at home. Most of them will have to turn off TV's gun-play be fore the networks will consider disarmament. † Meanwhile, back to the schools. Clearly, they cannot control the total environment of students. Educators are challenged more seriously than ever before to teach young people to evaluate media more critically and to grow in taste and discrimi nation as they use media in school and at home. The media specialists in the schools should be valuable partners in this endeavor. JTi.