Outline free essay sample

The first reading contained the following definition of critical thinking: â€Å"Critical thinking is the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication, as a guide to belief and action. Defining Critical Thinking. (n. d. ). Critical Thinking Index Page. Retrieved from http://www. criticalthinking. org/pages/defining-critical-thinking/766 This definition uses words with which you may be unfamiliar. First, write the definitions for the following words: * Conceptualizing * Analyzing * Synthesizing Second,  re-write the  definition of critical thinking in your own words. If you like, use more than one sentence. Be sure to Include citations as needed and write in first person Definitions according to www. dictionary. reference. com * Conceptualizing – 1) To form into concept; make a concept of. 2) To form a concept: think in concepts. 3) To Form (a concept or concepts) our of observations, experience, data, etc * Analyzing – 1) To examine critically, so as to bring out the essential elements or give the essence of. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page ) To examine carefully and in detail so as to identify causes, key factors, possible results, etc. 3) Break down, explicate * Synthesizing – 1) To form (a material or abstract entity) by combining parts or elements (opposed to analyze). Definitions in my own words. * Conceptualizing – to form an idea or theory based off of observation, experience, data * Analyzing – to pick apart thoroughly * Synthesizing – to form ideas or theories with out analyzing Outline free essay sample The goal is to make the transformation process both efficient (low-cost, fast) and effective (providing value to the customer). This course considers both service and manufacturing operations, which are both important in todays economy. The focus in managing services leans more toward customer satisfaction and the customers experience, while manufacturing focuses more on efficiency and product quality. Improvements in manufacturing productivity over the last 70 years are largely responsible for the standard of living we enjoy. Currently services account for approximately 75% of the jobs in this country, and companies are increasingly using high quality service to gain a competitive advantage. Both qualitative and quantitative tools are used to suggest answers to management challenges. The solutions these tools give should always be tempered by management judgment. Course Materials Text: Higher Render, Operations Management, Custom Edition for Brock University, Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2014 Recommended: purchase text with access to anomaly. anomaly is optional but highly recommended. We will write a custom essay sample on Outline or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It can be obtained in one f 3 ways: Purchase a new copy of the text at the Brock bookstore includes a free access code. Purchase an e-text at the Brock bookstore includes a free access code. This is much lower cost than a new hard copy book, but expires after 4 months. If you obtain a text by other means then you can purchase access to myopia on the Pearson website when you first login this is about the same cost as the e-text Option. Case package: TO be purchased at the bookstore. Course Notes: There will be notes and information on Assai.Course Format and Evaluation GRADING Late assignments, projects reports will not be accepted. At least 10% of the grade for every hand-in will be for spelling, grammar and clarity of writing. Therefore, if English is not your first language it is strongly recommended that you use MS Words spelling and grammar check and the FOBs online language assistance program at http://brocks. Ca/business/ accreditations/assurance/writing. In addition, a proof-reading service is now available to all Goodman students for free.Please visit the Goodman Proof- reading ASSAI site you are now registered on in order to read the policy and understand submission dates and retrieval procedures. It is highly recommended you use this service In order to achieve greater comprehension of your own writing abilities and increase final assignment grades. Taking exams at times other than those scheduled will only be permitted under extreme circumstances, and then only if you contact the instructor before the exam is taken by the class. NOTE: Last day for withdrawal from Winter half-credit courses without the assignment of a grade is March 6, 2015.LEARNING In-class learning will include lectures, case discussions, videos, exercises, and detent participation. You are responsible to be aware of everything said in class, including announcements; if you need to miss a class, be sure to get the information and notes from someone else. You may find it helpful to bring your text to class when we discuss the chapter material. An important element of this course is teamwork. You will be a part of a team for the TRAP report.

Profile of Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize Winning Novelist

Profile of Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize Winning Novelist Toni Morrison (February 18, 1931, to August 5, 2019) was an American novelist, editor, and educator whose novels focused on the experience of black Americans, particularly emphasizing black womens experience in an unjust society and the search for cultural identity. In her writing, she artfully used fantasy and mythical elements along with realistic depictions of racial, gender and class conflict. In 1993, she became the first African American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Fast Facts: Toni Morrison Known For: American novelist, editor, and educatorAlso Known As: Chloe Anthony Wofford (given name at birth)Born: February 18, 1931 in Lorain, OhioDied: August 5, 2019 in The Bronx, New York City (pneumonia)Parents: Ramah and George WoffordEducation: Howard University (BA), Cornell University (MA)Noted Works: The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, Beloved, Jazz, ParadiseKey Awards: Pulitzer Prize for fiction (1987), Nobel Prize in Literature (1993), Presidential Medal of Freedom (2012)Spouse: Harold MorrisonChildren: sons Harold Ford Morrison, Slade MorrisonNotable Quote: â€Å"If you’re going to hold someone down you’re going to have to hold on by the other end of the chain. You are confined by your own repression.† Along with the Nobel Prize, Morrison won the Pulitzer Prize and the American Book Award in 1988 for her 1987 novel Beloved, and in 1996, she was selected for the Jefferson Lecture, the U.S. government’s highest honor for achievement in the humanities. On May 29, 2012, she was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. Early Life, Education, and Teaching Career Toni Morrison was born Chloe Anthony Wofford in Lorain, Ohio, on February 18, 1931, to Ramah and George Wofford. Growing up during the economic hardship of the Great Depression, Morrison’s father, a former sharecropper, worked at three jobs to support the family. It was from her family that Morrison inherited her deep appreciation for all aspects of black culture. Morrison earned Bachelor of Arts degrees from Howard University in 1952 and a Masters degree from Cornell University in 1955. After college, she changed her first name to Toni and taught at Texas Southern University until 1957. From 1957 to 1964, she taught at Howard University, where she married Jamaican architect Harold Morrison. Before divorcing in 1964, the couple had two sons together, Harold Ford Morrison and Slade Morrison. Among her students at Howard were future Civil Rights Movement leader Stokely Carmichael and Claude Brown, author of Manchild in the Promised Land. In 1965, Toni Morrison went to work as an editor at book publisher Random House, becoming the first black woman senior editor in the fiction department in 1967. After returning to teaching at State University of New York at Albany from 1984 to 1989, she taught at Princeton University until she retired in 2006. Writing Career While working as a senior editor at Random House, Morrison also started sending her own manuscripts to publishers. Her first novel, The Bluest Eye, was published in 1970 when Morrison was 39. Bluest Eye told the story of a victimized young black girl whose obsession with her idea of white beauty drove her longing for blue eyes. Her second novel, Sula, depicting the friendship between two black women, was published in 1973, while she was teaching at State University of New York. While teaching at Yale in 1977, Morrison’s third novel, Song of Solomon, was published. The book gained critical and popular acclaim, winning the 1977 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction. Her next novel, Tar Baby, exploring the conflicts of race, class, and sex, was published in 1981 and led to her being accepted as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Morrison’s first play, Dreaming Emmett, about the 1955 lynching of black teenager Emmett Till, premiered in 1986. The Beloved Trilogy Published in 1987, Morrison’s most celebrated novel, Beloved, was inspired by the life story of Margaret Garner, an enslaved African American woman. Remaining on the New York Times bestseller list for 25 weeks, Beloved won the 1987 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. In 1998, Beloved was made into a feature film starring Oprah Winfrey and Danny Glover.   The second book in what Morrison called her â€Å"Beloved trilogy,† Jazz, came out in 1992. Written in a style imitating the rhythms of jazz music, Jazz depicts a love triangle during New York City’s Harlem Renaissance period of the 1920s. Critical acclaim from Jazz resulted in Morrison becoming the first African American woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. Published in 1997, the third book of Morrison’s Beloved trilogy, Paradise, focuses on the citizens of a fictional all-black town. In suggesting that Beloved, Jazz, and Paradise should be read together as a trilogy, Morrison explained, â€Å"The conceptual connection is the search for the beloved- the part of the self that is you, and loves you, and is always there for you.† In her 1993 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Morrison explained the source of her inspiration to depict the black experience by telling the story of an old, blind, black woman who is confronted by a group of black teenagers who ask her, â€Å"Is there no context for our lives? No song, no literature, no poem full of vitamins, no history connected to experience that you can pass along to help us start strong? †¦ Think of our lives and tell us your particularized world. Make up a story.† Final Years and the Writing of Home In her later life, Morrison wrote children’s books with her younger son, Slade Morrison, a painter and a musician. When Slade died of pancreatic cancer in December 2010, one of Morrison’s final novels, Home, was half-completed. She said at the time, â€Å"I stopped writing until I began to think, he would be really put out if he thought that he had caused me to stop. ‘Please, Mom, Im dead, could you keep going . . . ?’† Morrison did â€Å"keep on going† and finished Home, dedicating it to Slade. Published in 2012, Home tells the story of a black Korean War veteran living in the segregated United States of the 1950s, who fights to save his sister from brutal medical experiments performed on her by a racist white doctor. In a 2008 interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, Morrison addressed the future of racism: â€Å"Racism will disappear when [it is] no longer profitable and no longer psychologically useful. When that happens, it’ll be gone.† Today, Oberlin College, in Oberlin, Ohio, is the home of the Toni Morrison Society, an international literary society dedicated to teaching, reading, and researching the works of Toni Morrison. Toni Morrison died at age 88 from complications of pneumonia at the Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, New York City, on August 5, 2019. Updated by Robert Longley Sources and Further Reference .†Toni Morrison Fast Factsâ€Å" CNN Library. (August 6, 2019).Duvall, John N. (2000). â€Å".†The Identifying Fictions of Toni Morrison: Modernist Authenticity and Postmodern Blackness Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-312-23402-7.Fox, Margalit (August 6, 2019). â€Å".†Toni Morrison, Towering Novelist of the Black Experience, Dies at 88 The New York Times.Ghansah, Rachel Kaadzi (April 8, 2015). â€Å".†The Radical Vision of Toni Morrison The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331..†Ghosts in the House: How Toni Morrison Fostered a Generation of Black Writersâ€Å" The New Yorker. October 27, 2003.

Italian Cuisines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Italian Cuisines - Essay Example The first course (primi or minestra) can be a risotto, a soup, or pasta served in a broth or sauced. No matter what is served first, it is served in a bowl, and it always, always precedes the meat, fish, or fowl course. When dining out in Italy, the choice of a second course is made after you've eaten the first course. This way, a diner can evaluate the experience of the first course and decide on its best counterpoint for the second. One or two vegetable dishes (contorno) often round out this course. For example, "fish" is the theme of this meal composed by Marcella Hazan. The antipasto is tiny boiled shrimp served warm and seasoned with lemon juice, olive oil, and parsley. Next (primi) comes a squid and clam risotto to make "peppery comments." Then (secondi), a turbot baked with potatoes and garlic is served. After the turbot, a bitter salad of radicchio and field greens cleanses the palate. The closing course is fresh fruit sliced and served in wine. The Mediterranean diet is all the rage these days - it has a reputation for being sinfully delicious while possessing the virtue of being extremely healthful. Yet when asked to define it, many folks have hard time coming up with a good description. Not surprising. Any country contiguous with the Mediterranean Sea, from Morocco to Greece and from Spain to Israel, can rightly claim that its cuisine qualifies as a form of the Mediterranean diet. Indeed there are hundreds perhaps thousands of variations of the Mediterranean diet as micro-cuisines vary from village to village. In Italy alone there are subtle nuances that distinguish the cuisines of different regions and villages. Roman, Tuscan, Ligurian, Neapolitan and Sicilian cuisine, to name handful of broad categories, are all variations on the Italian version of the Mediterranean Diet. It is the south/central Italian version of the Mediterranean diet, which we will focus on in this course. It is among the healthiest of all Mediterranean cuisines, and we believe is the most delicious. Despite the many variations of the Mediterranean diet, there are some common characteristics that are found in all the healthiest versions. Perhaps the single most important feature that unites all these cuisines is olive oil. It is a vehicle for the tastes that permeate these cuisines and it is the elixir of health that makes them so beneficial. Olive oil is the source of almost all fat in the health Mediterranean diet, there is very little saturated fat from meat and not many other vegetable oils either. Not only is olive oil a beneficial monounsaturated fat, it carries many important anti-oxidants along with it. But perhaps the most important characteristic is simply that it makes vegetables taste absolutely delicious. This encourages the avid consumption of vegetables that is so characteristic of the healthy Mediterranean diet. Broccoli, spinach, tomatoes (technically a fruit), and scores of other vegetables and plant foods have, individually and collectively, been associated with lower

Discussion Question 2 Week 1 Accounting Assignment

Discussion Question 2 Week 1 Accounting - Assignment Example Bookkeeping was explicitly defined as â€Å"the process of recording, in chronological order, the daily transactions of a business entity. It forms part of the accounting information system† (Miss CPA, 2011, par. 6). The accounting equation is actually defined as â€Å"An equation that reflects the two-sided nature of a business entity, assets on the one side and the sources of assets on the other side (assets = liabilities + owners’ equity)†¦ The accounting equation is the foundation for double-entry bookkeeping, which uses a scheme for recording changes in these basic types of accounts as either debits or credits such that the total of accounts with debit balances equals the total of accounts with credit balances. The accounting equation also serves as the framework for the statement of financial condition, or balance sheet, which is one of the three fundamental financial statements reported by a business† (Financial Terms, 2012). As such, the basic theoretical framework significantly impacts business decision making since it clearly pinpoints and accurately identifies the sources of changes in the different accounts of the organization. As such, understanding the concept of the accounting equation would facilitate determination of any evident deviation that significantly impacts current operation, and which were not according to the organization’s plans, thus, should be appropriately and immediately

The issues in conformity

The issues in conformity Theory Conformity to group is another issue depicted on the movie to be researched. Based on Farlex, 2010, conformity means take action based on certain accepted normal standard. If we talk in context of group, so this conformity to group can be described as the action that accepted in a group as a foundation of an agreement. This is a need for each people to be in custom as a part of in-group people, rather than becomes out-group people in a certain group, gang, or organization that leads to a sign that that person is similar to people within that group which follow the consistency of the rules, despite of threatening the rules it selves (Sique, 2010).Basically high conformity to group means that when one persons will is defeated by others will in deciding something because they dont want to act opposed his/her groups will that may result in unsafe and high pressure community. Actually this conformity to group is the result of some cultural dimensions created by Dutch sociologist; Geert Hofstede and Fons Trompenaar. Based on doch and luthans, 2006, hofstede examined four cultural dimensions, while on the other hand Trompenaar developed seven dimensions. Not all dimensions can be linked as the result of conformity to group, however there are some factors that have strong bond with conformity that werent come from those dimensions. Application of Theory Based on hofstede, dimension in power distance, uncertainty avoidance, and collectivism lead to high conformity, while particularism, communitarianism, neutral, and ascription from Trompenaar may give participation as well. Power distance describe when a superior in a group is accepted to have the greatest power in that group, therefore that person must be obeyed (Viaweb, 2010). In high conformity, high power distance is exists based on people who act as superior or made superior by others because of their ability or even race. They must be followed otherwise we can be treated as outsider in our group. High conformity may caused by situation in which its member feel uncomfortable in unusual or different circumstances (Itim International, 2009). People with this high level of uncertainty avoidance will be passive and tend to follow the rules, therefore they dont want to express their emotion to the group which makes them comfort with their group choice. Collectivism as opposite of individualism makes people tend to loyal with their group and share their value and belief that may lead to community interest. In high conformity, people may look after their group decision and be likely to forgone their own w ill. The problem is occurred when it comes to a question, â€Å"if everyone goes after others will, so whose willingness that must be complied with?†The answer might be related closely with power distance, in which the superior is the ruler. High conformity to group is a result of particularism in which the community of the group may help their friends using any other ways, including breaking rules as long as they are in one community. Based on doh and luthans, 2006, communitarianism refers to people that look upon themselves as a part of group not individual with own will that becomes requirement oh high conformity to group. high conformity tend to have neutral culture in which peoples emotion are not doing in an open or ordinary ways, thus people keep silent even the decision is contradictive with their will. Later if we see conformity characteristic, we can see that people in that group tend to be ascription culture that means the people who become â€Å"the leader† is the one that mature either in age, or gender, not based on their ability or knowledge. So even someone who has better idea, but if the older one said something worse, people tend to choose the older one. Another issue that closely related with conformity to group is because of ethnocentrism. Its the belief that â€Å"ones own way of doing something is superior to others† (Doh and Luthans, 2006). This meaning can be applied to all aspect, such as one culture belief that their culture is highest among others. And in other words we can say it is when people everything based on their own way, without accepting that other people might have their own perspective. People could have high conformity in their group if they think that people on their group is the best, which is characteristic of ethnocentrism, and look other as low level group. This will lead to external conflict in society life. â€Å"Even though it may cause external conflicts, it creates internal unity. It also makes individuals feel more certain about their beliefs. Through providing individuals with a sense of belonging to a particular community, ethnocentrism enables social order. Societies need that kind of solidarity and order so as to continue â€Å"(Charon, 2007). Implication to business The issues in conformity to group and ethnocentrism itself may have implication to managing across cultures either in domestic or international organization. Most likely the negative effects will occurs based on those cultural issues. Ethnocentrism may result a bad effect where it goes into business or organization world. Firstly it may result in the bad decision when it comes to a company that did offshore and use home country managers. managers from home country with high ethnocentrism may think that the best business decision is the one like in home country as they might think that business decision in host country is not the best one. This may result in the failing in companys business. if we go to personal level, we will see more issues that can be raised. Based on the high ethnocentrism level, a person with high level of managerial may makes decision with any issues, such as they might think that their race is higher than local people in the workplace, so that the managers might support the employee with same race or nationality that similar with him/her. That kind of managers will hear more and approved employees idea that come from similar background with the manager, rather than any idea from local employ ee, even that idea is greater. Even in case where a manager must fire the employee, the manager will let off employee based on their certain background. In the case of conformity any subordinate may find any difficulties in give their brilliant idea, or aspiration to their superior. Most likely they are afraid that if they dont agree with their superior decision or idea, they will be marked as an opposition party, which later on resulting in their future career. Even the subordinate mindsets that think their superior is the best person with all excellent business approach. Moreover Pech (2001) reach a finding that high level of conformity in organization may resulting in disadvantage effects such as avoidance of individualism, reduce individual sense of creativity, discovery, and ownership. And final disadvantages to organization may occurred because of low morale and incompetency in taking action to competitor or external pressures through low capability in low cost and product differentiation. Recommendation In order to prevent the negative effect of conformity and ethnocentrism to group, there are some ways to be applied. First of all, the main effort that must be applied is communication and training. Such in case of off shoring company, the managers from home country must get any training before start to become the leader in the host country. They must know how to interact with local employee in their behavior, including socialization, appraising, and cultural rules. Communication is important factor that must be applied in certain issues that both faced by managers and employees in order to resolve with win-win solution. Then the next thing to do is managers should change their own habits and have ability in understanding others by learn to see different reaction to such business approach that may be seen from other people. Groupthink can also be used rather than individual will of a manager by asking opinion from their subordinates and thinking out of the box. This groupthink may ch ange both the managers and employees behavior and positively will reach good results (Helium, Inc, 2010). However in a journal by manz and neck (1995) they state that groupthink only focus on the negative effect in team decision making and thus there is a tendency within the member of group to fail in discussing and analyze any alternative course of action. Therefore they offer new ways of thinking by using Team think that will produce effective synergies thinking in belief and assumption that improve decision making and the outcome of performance. Charon, J.M. (2007). Ten Questions: A Sociological Perspective. (6th ed). Belmont: Thomson. Doh.J.P, Luthans.F, 2006, International Management culture, strategy, and behavior 7th edition, McGraw-Hill. Farlex, Inc, 2010, conformity, viewed 5th April 2010. Helium,inc,2010, Understanding the effects of groupthink in the workplace, viewed 5th April 2010. Itim International, 2009, Geert Hofstede Cultural Dimension. Viewed 5th April 2010 Manz.C.C, and Neck.C.P,1995, Team think: beyond the groupthink syndrome in self-managing work teams, Journal of Managerial Psychology Volume 10 No 1 pp. 7-15 Pech,R.J, 2001, Reflections termites, group behavior, and the loss of innovation: conformity rules, Journal of Managerial Psychology Volume 16 · No 7 pp. 559-774 Sique, 2010, the need for: conformity, viewed 5th April 2010. Viaweb, 2010, Power distance, viewed 5th April 2010.

Optometry Essay example -- essays research papers

Over half the people in the United States wear glasses or contact lenses. Optometrist, also known as â€Å"Eye Doctors† or â€Å"O.D.’s, have to provide there services in order to meet the demands. Optometrists have to be well-educated and friendly people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  All States and the District of Columbia require that optometrists be licensed, which requires a Doctor of Optometry degree from an accredited optometry school and passing both a written and a clinical State board examination. Licenses are renewed every one to three years and in all states, continuing education credits are needed for renewal. The Doctor of Optometry degree requires a four-year program proceeded by at least 3 years of study before they even start. Most students hold a bachelor degree or higher. You must have passed college English, Mathematics, Optics, Physics, Chemistry, Biochemistry, and Biology to get accepted into an optometrist college.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Employment of optometrists is expected to grow about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2008 in response to the vision care needs of a growing and aging population. As baby boomers age, they will be more likely to visit optometrists and ophthalmologists because of the onset of vision problems in middle age, including computer-related vision problems. The demand for optometry services will also increase because of growth in the oldest age group, with their increased likelihood of cataracts, glaucoma, diabe...

Pakistan’s War on Terror Up to and Beyond 2014

While Pakistan continues to be a frontline state in the global war on terror, it is simultaneously fighting domestic terrorism in a war that will seemingly continue well beyond 2014. In recent months, terror attacks targeting the Shia Hazara minority in Baluchistan indicate a transformation of the terror problem in Pakistan. The Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi present two different sides of Pakistan’s terrorism problem, however, the two organizations have increasingly converged operationally to the extent that Pakistan cannot eliminate one without simultaneously confronting the other. BACKGROUND: The September 11 terrorist attacks on the U. S. in which thousands of innocent lives were lost led Pakistan to join the U. S. -led global war against international terrorism in which Pakistan has over the years made an invaluable contribution. However, with the passage of time, Washington increasingly came to view Islamabad as part of the problem rather than the solution. Most U. S. and European policy makers believe that Pakistan is providing a safe haven for the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Western media is full of stories about a presence of the Taliban leadership in Pakistan, including of Mullah Omar’s alleged base in Quetta. Since the summer of 2008, U. S. military and intelligence agencies are sharing minimal intelligence with its Pakistani counterparts, instead focusing on drone attacks against suspected terrorist movements and hideouts. Pakistan is a signatory to the UN’s Palermo Convention. At the regional level, Pakistan has signed and ratified SAARC Regional Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism and the SAARC Convention on Narcotic Drugs Substances and the ECO Protocol against drugs. It has extradition treaties with 29 countries and bilateral agreements or MOUs on terrorism with 50 countries. Pakistan has played a major role in eliminating a number of terror networks such as the Al-Qaeda Anthrax network, the Alghuraba network, the UK-based Anglo-Pakistani group and Jundullah. Prominent targets captured include Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, Abu Alfaraj Alibi, Al Shib, Abu Zubaida, Abu Talha, Khalid bin Attash or Walid bin Attish, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, Mohammad Naeem Noor Khan, Abu Laith al-Libi, Hasan Bana, Hamza Rabbi, Sharif Al Masri, Abu Mushab Masri, Jaffar Uttayyar Alkashmiri Yassir Al-Jaziri, and Abdul Rehman Al-Masri. Umar Patek was arrested in Abbottabad by Pakistani forces and may have provided important leads to Osama bin Laden’s whereabouts. Since 9/11, Pakistan has also become a victim of terrorism. The direct and indirect cost suffered by Islamabad in the war on terror has been around US$ 35 billion. There has been a constant increase in the number of terror attacks in Pakistan since 9/11 and a number of prominent Pakistanis have lost their lives in such attacks. These include the two-time Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto and the former head of the Pakistan Army’s Special Service Group, Maj. Gen. (Rtd) Ameer Faisal Alvi. Most of the jihadists in Pakistan, especially the splinter groups of various organizations, are now operating under the umbrella of TTP, a Deobandi Sunni organization established in December 2007. TTP’s objectives include cleansing Pakistan of foreign, meaning the U. S. and overall Western, presence, implementing Sharia and establishing a Caliphate. Over the years, TTP has been involved in a number of suicide bombings, rocket attacks, remote controlled bombs, abductions, and beheadings. It has widened its area of operations beyond Pakistan’s tribal areas and targeted a number of government installations and organizations in the mainland, including the Federal Investigation Agency’s Lahore office, the Naval War College in Lahore, the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, the Wah ordinance Factory, the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore, a police training school, the GHQ Rawalpindi and the Navy’s Mehran base in Karachi. It is also involved in kidnapping for ransom, bank robberies, forced taxes and drug trade. IMPLICATIONS: Since 9/11, the TTP has increasingly converged with the staunchly anti-Shia militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. A number of prominent TTP operations were conducted by known Lashkar-e-Jhangvi operatives. In recent months, the Hazaras in Baluchistan are increasingly becoming a prime target of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Both TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi consider Shias kafirs (infidels) and hence legitimate targets. Terrorist activities showed no sign of receding in 2012, indicating that after more than a decade of fighting terror, Pakistan is nowhere close to the finishing line in this war and the problem is taking an even uglier shape. According to various sources, Pakistan suffered more than 6000 casualties in different terror attacks in 2012. More than 450 terror attacks were recorded in 2012 in which at least 39 were confirmed suicide attacks. Another important development in 2012 was the increasing operational alliance between the TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, although the two groups have cooperated with each other also in the past, the group led by Amjad Farooqi in 2003-2004 being a case in point. However, in 2012 the two groups largely converged operationally in the sense that they declared a war against Shias. This convergence has resulted in the worst attacks to date against Shias, especially the Hazaras in Baluchistan. In 2012, Shias were targeted in 113 attacks in which 396 people lost their lives, indicating the increasingly sectarian features of Pakistan’s terrorism problem. So far, more than a thousand terror-related deaths have occurred in 2013. Apart from a closer alliance emerging between TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, TTP has also established Ansar Al-Aseerian (Helpers of the prisoners) in partnership with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan. According to media reports, Adnan Rasheed has been appointed the head of this group. The purpose of this group is to free all militants held in custody by Pakistani security forces and in various jails. TTP is also attempting to expand its activities and area of influence to Karachi, Pakistan’s major financial hub. Karachi, which is also considered to be Pakistan’s major Pashtun center, has been a preferred hideout for TTP, while some TTP and other jihadi activists have received medical treatment in Karachi. 2013 also witnessed two developments that will have long lasting effect on Pakistan’s war against terrorism. Firstly, Pakistan’s national Assembly unanimously passed the National Counter Terrorism Authority Bill 2013 on March 8, 2013. The establishment of a National Counter Terrorism Authority (NCTA) will play an important role in the efforts to combat terrorism. According to the mandate given to NCTA, it will â€Å"coordinate counter terrorism and counter extremism efforts in view of the nature and magnitude of the terrorist threat; and to present strategic policy options to the government for consideration/implementation by the stakeholders after scientifically studying the phenomenon of extremism and terrorism in historic and professional perspective. † Secondly, Pakistan’s army is taking a tougher stance and increasing its attention to the terrorism problem, as indicated by the decision of Pakistan’s army chief to treat the problem of terrorism as an operational priority. 013 is also an election year in Pakistan, with national and provincial elections scheduled for May 11, 2013. TTP has already targeted a number of political events in Khyber Paktunkhwa and especially the Awami National Party’s election campaign. The political party or parties that will form the next government will not only inherit a crisis in the energy and financial sectors but will also have to make hard decisions about the country’s war against terror. CONCLUSIONS: Developments in Pakistan suggest that the country’s terror problem will only increase in the lead-up to 2014 and Pakistan will have to fight its war on terror well beyond 2014, if concrete and decisive steps against TTP and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi are not taken. Both organizations want Pakistan to be a Sunni state and are increasingly targeting Shias. The Pakistani people and armed forces have paid a huge price in people and material in this ongoing war. Unless Pakistan addresses the root causes of the problem, it will not only persist but also get worse.