The Sons of the Lord God in Bible versus Quran (20)

This is the 20th article (and the last one) of the series:

“The Sons of the Lord God in Bible versus Quran”

The Bible says that the Lord Jesus said no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again of water and the Spirit and that which has been born of the Spirit is spirit. The Noble Quran says that the Spirit belongs to Allah’s knowledge, about which you know not. Also the Quran replies the disbelievers who claim that the Angels are God’s daughters; and also, the Quran answers the dualists who claim that Satan is Allah’s partner.

It is interesting that the Bible claims that the Lord Jesus said that the wind blows wherever it pleases, you hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from and you cannot tell where it goes.

From the scientific point of view, winds are plotted on surface weather analyses indicating the direction the wind is blowing from as well as its strength, and over much of the globe wind speeds are measured over a ten-minute time frame. Wind direction is reported by the direction from which it originates and where it goes with the use of weather vanes. Everyday, the “Weather Forecasts” on TV, radio, newspaper etc. determine precisely the direction of the wind, where it comes from and where it goes.

Hence, the Bible initiates an important question:

Has the Lord Jesus refuted the climatology and the Wind Advisory? Has the Lord Jesus denied the Weather Forecasts?

As a matter of fact, I do not believe that the Lord Jesus said that; He knows better than the Scientists.

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The Sons of the Lord God in the Bible (20)

The Bible (John 3:1-8) says:

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.” In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”  “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.  You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’  The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

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John 3:1-8 (King James Version)

1There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:

2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.

3Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

4Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?

5Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

6That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

7Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

8The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

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The Sons of the Lord God in the Quran (20)

The Noble Quran says that the Spirit is of the command of Allah; it belongs to His knowledge, about which you know not.

Also, the Quran answers back the disbelievers who claim that the angels were God’s daughters by asking them many sensible questions.

In addition, the Quran replies the dualists who claim that Satan is Allah’s partner in that Allah created the good things while Satan created the evil ones.

Then, the Quran says that Allah exonerates Himself from the lies they attribute unto Him.  He is exalted, above what they attribute to Him in the way of His having a child or a partner.

Essentially, the Quran decisively forbids saying that Allah has a son.

It is not befitting for the Majesty of Allah to take to Himself a son.

Allah is exalted, magnified; He is above what they associate with Him of son or partner.  Allah is far transcendent above all that they ascribe unto Him!

In Islam, this point is very important faith wise.

Basically, it is unforgivable sin to say or to believe that the One Almighty Creator [who is Allah or God or the Lord or Jehovah or whatever name(s) you are giving Him] has a son or Sons.

From the Islamic point of view, the conclusion of this essential topic that may establish or tear down the faith is that:

Any one who believe that the Almighty Creator has a son or Sons; he corrupts and spoils his faith and he is considered as a disbeliever; and in the afterlife he will dwell in the eternal fire.

Any one who believes that the Almighty Creator has no son or partner, he has a good faith and he is considered as a believer; and in the afterlife, he will dwell in the eternal paradise. 

Verses 17:85 and 37:149-159 of the Noble Quran (respectively) make the topic of the Spirit and the son(s) of God plain, clear and understandable.

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The meanings of verse 17:85

The background of the verse

It is narrated that some members of the Jewish ruling council went to the Prophet Muhammad and asked him: O Muhammad, what do you say about the Spirit? They asked him this question to know if he is a true or a false prophet.  Muhammad kept quiet. Then a revelation was coming to him.

Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse (17:85):

“They are asking thee concerning the Spirit. Say: The Spirit is by command of my Lord, and of knowledge ye have been vouchsafed but little”.

The meaning of the verse 17:85

And they (that is, the Jews) will question you O Muhammad, concerning the Spirit, from which the body receives life. Say, to them: ‘the Spirit is of the marvels of my Lord; the Spirit is of the command of my Lord, that is, it belongs to His knowledge, about which you know not. And of knowledge you have not been given except a little’, relative to His knowledge, exalted be He.

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The meanings of verse 37:149

Before Islam, the ignorant disbelievers among Arabs used to hate having female girls and they preferred having sons, also, they used to kill their female because they think that it is shameful to have females and it is an honor to have sons. On the other hand, they claim that the Angels are God’s daughters!  The verse says: So ask the disbelievers (O Muhammad): are daughters to be for your Lord, after their claim that the angels were God’s daughters, while sons are to be for them? Do you wish for Allah what you do not wish for yourselves? “That is to say, the best (as they think) are exclusively theirs?

The meanings of verse 37:150

Or did Allah create the angels females as you claim while they were witnesses to the act of Allah’s creation? Were they present thereof that they might then say such a thing?

The meanings of verse 37:151

Lo! It is indeed out of their [own] mendacity, their [own] lies, it is of their falsehood) it is due to their denial that they say,

The meanings of verse 37:152

God has begotten’, for they claimed the angels are Allah’s daughters. And verily they are liars, in what they say.

The meanings of verse 37:153

And again of their falsehood, Has Allah preferred daughters to sons?

The meanings of verse 37:154

What is wrong with you? How do you judge? It means that you consider having female an evil and shameful although you choose for Allah what you would not accept for yourselves,

The meanings of verse 37:155

Will you not then remember? Will you not then reflect? Will you not take heed from what you say? That Allah, glory be to Him, is exalted above having a child?

The meanings of verse 37:156

Or do you have a clear warrant, a Scripture stating that the angels are Allah’s daughters? Do you have a plain definitive proof that God has a child?

The meanings of verse 37:157

Allah said: then produce your scripture, and show Me that the angels are Allah’s daughters in it, if you are being truthful, about this statement of yours.

The meanings of verse 37:158

And the disbelievers have set up between Allah, exalted be He, and the angels a kinship, by saying that they are God’s daughters, while the angels certainly know that the disbelievers shall indeed be arraigned, into the Eternal Fire, to be chastised therein.

It is also said that this verse was revealed about the dualists who claimed that Satan is Allah’s partner in that Allah created the good things while Satan created the evil ones; However, the angels know well that the disbelievers who claim that will be brought before Allah and will be chastised in the Eternal Hell.

The meanings of verse 37:159

Glorified be Allah, He exonerates Himself from the lies they attribute unto Him.  He is exalted, above what they attribute, to Him in the way of His having a child or a partner.

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Verses 17:85 and 37:149-159 of the Noble Quran in one translation (YUSUFALI):

Verse17:85 (YUSUFALI Translation):

they ask thee concerning the spirit (of inspiration). say: “the spirit (cometh) by command of my lord: of knowledge it is only a little that is communicated to you, (o men!)”

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Verses 37:149-159 (YUSUFALI Translation):

Verse 37:149

Now ask them their opinion: is it that thy lord has (only) daughters, and they have sons?-

Verse 37:150

Or that we created the angels female, and they are witnesses (thereto)?

Verse 37:151

Is it not that they say, from their own invention,

Verse 37:152

“Allah has begotten children”? but they are liars!

Verse 37:153

Did he (then) choose daughters rather than sons?

Verse 37:154

What is the matter with you? how judge ye?

Verse 37:155

Will ye not then receive admonition?

Verse 37:156

Or have ye an authority manifest?

Verse 37:157

Then bring ye your book (of authority) if ye be truthful!

Verse 37:158

And they have invented a blood-relationship between him and the angels: but the angels know (quite well) that they have indeed to appear (before his judgment-seat)!

Verse 37:159

Glory to Allah! (he is free) from the things they ascribe (to him)!

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Back to my question to the smart and interested reader:

Is the Quran quoted from the Bible?

The Cyprus weather forecast and Cyprus property for sale market are hot. Cyprus property for sale has an eclectic mix of property and a Cyprus beach villa is highly sought after. Cyprus property for sale is still available at great prices, your money could go much further than you think and you can be sure of the safely of your investment as the legal and banking systems are based on the British examples. The Cyprus beach villa that you have always dreamt of is not unattainable.

Cyprus has been voted the best place to retire by the Homebuyer and Property Investor show based on eight key financial categories – income tax, inheritance tax, property tax, property costs, ease of gaining residency, healthcare, climate and culture and all of these categories are relevant to the non-pensioner as well!! Crime levels on the island are the lowest in Europe and with English taught in schools as the second language and driving on the left with the same road signs makes holidaying or living permanently in Cyprus an easy transition.

Whilst in Cyprus, don’t limit yourself to the main cities and coastal resorts. Spread your wings by venturing into the countryside. You will discover fragrant citrus orchards and olive groves, rolling vineyards, wide open plains carpeted with colourful wild flowers, to cool pine forests and pristine beaches where turtles nest, Cyprus’s nature will delight you at any time of the year.

Why not take day trips from your Cyprus beach villa and try a wine or culinary tour discovering age-old villages cascading down hillsides with shady squares where you can sit at the coffee shop and integrate with the locals. Spend a relaxing day at one of the salt lakes where you can observe nature and wildlife to your heart’s content; or why not visit some of Europe’s most amazing ancient sites, Neolithic settlements and quaint medieval churches.

The Cyprus weather forecast can be found on any search engine, so just put in “Cyprus weather forecast” and you will see what the Cyprus weather forecast is today. The Island has around 320 days of blissful sunshine every year and can sometimes reach the high 30 degrees mark in the summer months. The climate makes Cyprus property for sale and especially a Cyprus beach villa particularly desirable as you make use of the outside space as an extension of your home, plan barbies and pool parties weeks in advance as you know the Cyprus weather forecast will be perfect. Many Cypriots move into the garden for the season, have a summer kitchen out there and put the television on the verandah to catch the cooler evening breezes. It is a great way of life.

The Cyprus weather forecast gets better and better, so if you want to catch some rays and also catch a bargain of your own Cyprus beach villa you had better hurry. Check out our Cyprus weather forecast for yourself, just look on the internet for “Cyprus weather forecast” and be amazed at just how hot the sun is and also the property prices.

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In the current business settings, ventures should always strive to be very creative and highly innovative to ensure success of business initiatives. Weather stations and devices are made and are now widely distributed to awe and be useful to people. What has been more surprising is that demand for such materials and items is becoming stronger and stronger. It is now advisable to establish businesses that would involve such products. And to further ensure success of such endeavors, using an appropriate and useful trade portal will definitely be useful and advantageous.

What are the usual weather stations devices that are currently sold in the market? Among such products are the thermo-anemometer, clocks, radio, temperature recorder, forecaster and sun-moon predictors and monitors. Why are such items such a hit? Remember the times when people heavily relied on portable transistor radios for weather updates and predictions? Well the influence and inspiration is still very much covered and carried on until today. With such portable and easy to carry gadgets, weather forecasting and monitoring is made easier, more comprehensive and more convenient. For travelers and outdoor enthusiasts, such weather stations devices are truly must haves

The rising demand for the products make establishing businesses to distribute and sell such weather stations gadgets ideal and highly lucrative. If you decide to put up such a venture, you would find that sales and revenues would be very positive and encouraging. To further generate more sales and widen sales, using a trade portal for selection and buying of the products would be made easier and more effective. In any trade portal for weather stations devices, there are numerous reliable trade leads that are made and crafted to further boost sales and arouse further interest and patronage among potential consumers.

Businesses that are already distributing and selling weather stations gadgets could readily attest that marketing and selling the products is really lucrative and profitable. The strong demand for the products is matched by the very ideal and strategic price schemes. Businesses really would be more profitable if they would focus further on finding the best and most interesting weather stations products and innovative devices and offer and roll out such merchandise to the market. In the end, consumers would also benefit because they would have greater chances and opportunities for earning and generating more sales and revenues.

In these days when the market environment is at its most challenging, businesses and enterprises should be more competitive and creative in finding opportunities and looking at market potentials. Weather stations devices surely would make up good items that are highly marketable. Trade portals are the online venues that would facilitate more effective and accurate business to business transactions of such goods.

British tour operators have been preparing for poor summer sales figures for traditionally popular holidays in Majorca and other areas of Spain, but an awful summer for the weather in the UK has led to a pick up in holiday bookings, rescuing what could have been the worst year for a long time for overseas travel.

The wash-out in Britain has been so sustained that those tourists who hadn’t booked by the time the summer holidays arrived often changed their original plans for a UK holiday to one abroad – and Majorca has benefitted from a late surge in holiday bookings from British families anxious to get some sun before facing the winter back home.

Compounding the dilemma many families have faced over whether to holiday at home in the UK or to take one in Majorca has been that so many weather forecasts have been wrong – even weather forecasts for 24 hours or less away.

Meanwhile the weather in Majorca has been consistently good, and while the British weather forecast has been unreliable, it’s a little easier for Majorca as the summer has been exactly what people expect with sunshine and good temperatures – and a look at a Majorca weather forecast has been enough for many to leave the rain behind for a holiday in Majorca.

But despite the late surge from tourists opting for an overseas holiday instead of one at home, most estimates within the travel industry suggest a near 20 per cent fall in the number of Britons taking a holiday in Spain this summer, due to the fragile state of the British economy and worries over job losses.

It could be a while before the number of holidaymakers visiting Majorca returns to levels seen in the last few years as one leading tour operator has just reported that their winter bookings are down 17 per cent on last year – and in recent years there have been more people taking holidays in Majorca in the winter months – often for three day visits – as cheap flights to Majorca make it more affordable.

                                               Cheap Majorca Flights

But with the British taking holidays at home this year and being disappointed with the weather, there is a good chance that the number of people taking holidays in Majorca in 2010 will improve as people return to their old haunts – especially if the economy picks up.

Happily for the island the number of German people taking their holidays in Majorca this year hasn’t fallen nearly as much as the British market – and with the German economy officially coming out of recession recently it will help the holidays in Majorca industry should the British market fail to improve in 2010.

How many people do visit the island in 2010 doesn’t just depend upon the economy overall and how secure they feel in their jobs, but the strength of Sterling against the Euro is also an important factor. A couple of years ago a thousand pounds spending money would buy nearly fifteen hundred Euros, but currently British tourists would be lucky to get close to twelve hundred Euros given the state of the British currency.

In recent years there has been a trend away from staying in a hotel to villas, but recently this trend has reversed back in favour to the hotels in Majorca among British tourists, as all inclusive packages cut down costs and less spending money is needed. Not such good news of course for the independent bars and restaurants which many holidaymakers would frequent during better times, but something the hotels in Majorca are quite happy to see.

The future for tourism in Majorca is good – the island has a successful and active tourism board that actively promotes the virtues of the island as a holiday destination in a co-ordinated way compared to some other areas, and moves with the times by for example creating cycle tracks for the more eco-friendly holidaymaker as well as having the traditional reasons for a holiday – great beaches, hotels and a friendly people.

The island will be hoping it’s enough to tempt British holidaymakers back in 2010.

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by Karon Thackston © 2005 http://www.copywritingcourse.com

You’ve got a great product or service. Now, how do you make
buyers sit up and take notice? How do you get them excited about
what you’re offering? You have to pull the trigger.

There is at least one trigger for every product or service on
the market today. Finding it is the hard part. Once you
determine what will set your customers in motion, you’ve won
half the battle. This was the case with ForecastWatch.com.

With a new site, the owner of ForecastWatch.com (Jeff) was
unsure of what to do with the copy in order to connect with his
site visitors and cause them to take the action he wanted them
to take. Not to mention, Jeff wanted to rank highly with the
engines as well, so search engine optimization (SEO) had to be
taken into consideration, along with the selling aspects of the
copy.

The Problem

The only real problem was finding the right trigger. The
original site had little to no usable copy. That’s not an
insult; it’s the truth. You can see the original home page here:

http://www.copywritingcourse.com/forecastwatch-original.pdf.

Jeff knew he needed help from a professional copywriter, so he
spent little time on the site content.

The Solution

To determine the most powerful trigger, I took a look at all the
segments of ForecastWatch.com’s audience. It was broken down
into three distinct types of customers. They were all interested
in the most reliable weather forecasts possible, but for three
very different reasons.

One group was made up of meteorologists. Their obvious interest
was in being able to provide the most accurate forecasts to
their viewers and listeners. A second group was compiled of
weather risk managers. It is the job of these professionals to
accurately assess weather for industries such as the stock
exchange, construction, transportation, national defense and
more. The last group needed weather forecast accuracy for
personal reasons, usually as a hobby or for sports reasons
(coaches, etc.).

While the last group was primarily interested in the weather as
amateurs, the first two segments (meteorologists and
weather-risk managers) have a lot on the line when it comes to
weather forecast accuracy. Their reputations and their jobs are
on the line.

And that’s the trigger! I put it right up front in the headline,
which read:

ForecastWatch.com Because Your Reputation Depends on Being Right
About the Weather

The headline hit the nail on the head. It got the attention of
weather professionals, was of great interest to hobbyists and
included part of one of Jeff’s keyphrases. The last word in the
headline (weather) tied into the first sentence of the copy and,
thus, created a keyphrase.

Keep in mind that engines don’t read spaces or line breaks or
punctuation within the copy, so having one word of a keyphrase
in the headline and the remainder of the keyphrase in the first
sentence of the copy is an excellent way to make the copy flow
and keep in line with SEO protocol.

Now, the task would be to keep that same emotional twist and
energy throughout the copy. With the old copy, Jeff had no
rankings with the engines for his chosen keyphrases, so the
optimization of the copy needed to give him a presence.

The Rewrite

In the opening paragraph, I touted the praises of weather
professionals, letting them know their expertise was recognized
and appreciated. I also used one keyphrase twice and the second
keyphrase once. In addition, I used the individual word
“weather” and substituted “specialist” for “risk manager” in
some instances to add to the flow and give a well-rounded
environment for the spiders and bots.

Next, I provided a good overview of what ForecastWatch.com
offered. Again, a keyphrase was used in the headline (because it
worked for both the visitors and the engines, not strictly for
SEO purposes), and a keyphrase was used in the paragraph.

Finally, the copy was broken out into segments that targeted
specific individuals. This gave them precise information on what
benefits ForecastWatch.com offered them. Boxes for
meteorologists, weather risk managers and weather enthusiasts
were created. Within the copy for each block and again in the
anchor text for links to internal pages, keyphrases were used
where appropriate. These boxes lead each visitor to information
that was most relevant to him/her.

You can see the new copy here:
http://www.copywritingcourse.com/forecastwatch-rewrite.pdf.

The Results

I always like to let the customer take over in this section.
Here’s what Jeff had to say about the rewrite of his home-page
copy.

“Traffic has steadily increased, and I’ve gotten a lot of leads
and my largest non-weather-company business customer from
Internet search. The rewrite helped me with more than just the
website. It helped me to define my business goals and to
articulate them in other marketing materials as well.” In
addition, rankings continue to rise with current positioning in
the top five for one of his keyphrases.

Take the time to do a little research. Put yourself in your
customers’ place. Uncover what’s most important to them, and
you’ll be rewarded with greater conversions in the long run.

Some businesses are affected by powerful trends and irresistible trends more than others. In this article we’ll look at a business that is sensitive to consider how to anticipate shifts in trends and forces.

Rigged to Win

Imagine for a moment that you rent drilling rigs and crews to petroleum companies exploring for oil and gas. You would like to rent your rigs out for the longest period of time at the highest possible price.

To achieve this goal, you have to decide how many rigs to build, staff, and operate. If you have idle rigs, you have to decide if you should take a long-term contract at the current rental price or hold out for an even longer-term contract or a higher price.

Exploration rig demand is heavily influenced by the level and direction of oil prices. The best environment for you is a combination of high and rising oil prices. The oil companies will project a rosy future, and will pay very high prices to get to the oil sooner. The worst environment is having both low and dropping oil prices because oil companies will forecast a great drop in profitability and cash, and drilling will shrink dramatically.

So, the trend in oil prices turns out to be a better indicator of your future business level than is the absolute level in oil price. If you are a rig operator, you watch that oil price trend every day. When you see it start to slow or change direction, you may have to shift your strategy in a heartbeat.

Checking the Barometer

Weather forecasters find that changes in the barometer, a device that measures atmospheric pressure, are valuable leading indicators of weather conditions. The following examples provide ideas for finding the irresistible force barometers that your organization should use and how to interpret them.

The Chicken or the Egg?

This example focuses on anticipating the direction of oil prices to show you how to find the most likely cause for your own irresistible force changes.

If you want to do more than watch the oil price trend as the barometer of your future oil rig business, you can go one step further and find the barometer for changes in oil prices themselves. The benefit of this latter approach is that you’ll have more warning than anyone else in your industry, because it is generally believed that oil prices cannot be forecast.

Fortunately, you don’t need to forecast the oil prices, only their direction, which is a much easier task. This advance warning on the oil price direction will allow you to hold out for higher prices for your oil rigs and crews when higher demand will follow, and rent out quickly at current prices when prices for renting your rigs are about to fall.

How might you obtain this advance warning? Clearly, this is one of those problems that no one may ever solve in terms of accurately estimating the exact future price of oil on a certain date.

You have an advantage in addressing this issue in that, for your needs, you don’t have to be exact. You just have to do better than the results you would get by guessing blindly. Encouraged by the fact that your new insights from this examination can be relatively modest and still provide large benefits over time, let’s begin.

You can break the problem down into constituent pieces. Start with the supply side. Experience with the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s should remind us all that the supply of oil has a big impact on the price level. Generally, OPEC (the oil cartel) is trying to pump less oil than it could in order to keep oil prices high.

Non-OPEC countries and some less cooperative OPEC nations may not always go along with that policy. These countries produce surges in supply that are usually associated with economic crises in those nations, where desperate measures are required to raise cash quickly. You can begin your analysis, then, by monitoring what is happening to new supply, what the pumping agreements are, and watching out for countries that may pump extra oil.

Next, you should look at demand for oil. When world economies are growing, oil demand is higher than when those same economies are in recession. You’ll want to establish some connection between the leading economic indicators for the world’s economies and future demand for oil.

Other factors can complicate the picture that you should consider. For instance, how much oil is already in storage and in transit through pipelines and tankers?

An unusually large or small inventory can accelerate the timing of a changed price direction. And some types of crude oil require special refineries for processing.

Refineries require rebuilding from time to time, sometimes creating spot shortages. Sometimes refineries explode unexpectedly, also affecting supply. Investigate whether there is sufficient refinery capacity to handle the supply of oil that will actually be available.

Consider, too, that a lot of oil goes into home heating. If the weather during the winter will be unusually mild or harsh, that will have a big impact on demand.

You’ll have to check your El Nino and La Nina charts for clues. Governments can change the way they tax gasoline, encouraging or discouraging consumption. Further, vehicle styles can change the fuel efficiency for the miles driven. SUVs burn a lot of gasoline while compact cars use much less.

A valuable next step is to assemble all of this information and these potential indicators, and see how well these data series predicted the direction of oil prices in the past. Sometimes you can learn even more by looking for clues only at those past environments that are the most like the current one.

From these data and observations, you can begin to assemble rules about what combinations of circumstances have indicated an above-average likelihood of oil prices rising or falling. Multivariate correlations will help (if you are not sure what these are or how to develop them, find a statistics or math major to help you).

As you begin to apply these rules to make your decisions, you should keep track of how well they work in practice. If they work significantly better or worse than you expected in helping you anticipate oil price increases, you should study further to understand why. What you learn will often help you to establish better decision rules for the future. A streak of better or worse prediction will often help you isolate additional factors to consider.

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“If anything could happen, Offshore is usually where it happens.” I find this true… it’s the relentless motion from the sea on your vessel. Sure, I’ve been Offshore several times where it was flat and I mean flat… Had to do a lot of motoring with the sailboat. One time I was coming from Port Everglades Inlet (Fort Lauderdale) to Beaufort North Carolina. There was not even a ripple as far as the eye could see. We would swim off the boat and around it ….this was fun until someone mentioned shark watch. Then all stayed by the ladder … that meant four people clamoring by the stern. Another time was a Bermuda run, Montauk to Bermuda in early June. Enough wind for the 150% Genoa and full Main to catch on a tight reach. Just beautiful, and that was a four and a half day run. Even crossing the Gulf Stream was uneventful. Seeing the beautiful deep blue waters of the Gulf Stream was memorizing… it’s a color you think can only be put on paper, yet all around you this color seems endless and unreal. We dragged along a thermometer to see if there would be a temperature change. I heard there would be one and to our astonishment it went from the mid 60 degrees to 80s. What a planet. The Gulf Stream keeping that warmth all the way from Florida and beyond. Here we are in the north and it still holds that kind of temperature….it’s just amazing.

Now I have to say I have been in some nasty stuff also. The worst was …. You’re right …. In the Gulf Stream going North from Florida to Beaufort, North Carolina once again. This time for 2 ½ days, winds from the south were 58 to 64 knots and peaked for about four hours at about 74 knots. The whistling in the rigging was very intense, but as we slid down the waves the whistling went further and further up the mast till it was gone. Out mast was 58 feet high, the wave? You guess… But our sailboat rode well even though it looked like our cockpit canvas would explode at the seams.

This is what I was thinking about as my new crew members, Emory and Katherine, checked in on their approximate arrival at Summit Marina on the C & D Canal(Chesapeake & Delaware Canal) for the 2nd part of the trip. It started from Herrington Harbor, just south of Annapolis MD. I was told Delaware Bay, where it meets the C&D Canal could be treacherous with 6 to 9 foot waves. I reviewed all the charts and the chart books I could about this, but just felt we’d hit it at slack tide and light winds for no worries. What I did find was the rarity of marinas and harbors along the Delaware Bay. That’s a 50-60 mile stretch. If the waves kick up along with the wind… we have plenty of Lee shore… Bad for sailboats.

I was stowing everything I could, yet leaving essential things at arms length in all compartments. I work all over the boat in no particular order but my final preparation is from bow to stern, inside and out. For example, the anchor is locked in with a pin on the anchor mount. Chain snugged up tight on the windless with a line on the anchor shackle to a cleat. I try to have three safeties. The inflatable dingy on deck is tied to stanchions, deck holds, and railings from the D rings on the dinghy. We also tie it over the top. Halyards not running to the cockpit are tied to and wedged to shrouds and tied again. Below in the forward head, all is secured with containers put away in locked cabinets. Anything lose is secured, everything gets a place. The ice box (refrigerator/freezer) tops are hinged so they won’t go flying in a knockdown… books, coffeemaker, pots pans, all get their spot, but also can be readily available.

The Weather forecast says seas off Cape May to Chesapeake are 12 to 15 feet with winds 25 to 30 knots gusting to 35 from the northeast… very bad! But the additional forecast says winds switching to the southwest, 10-15 knots by tomorrow evening and southwest 5-10 knots thereafter. With winds coming in the opposite direction, the seas will quickly diminish… very good! It actually means one Front is moving out and another is taking it’s place. That’s the way you want it… Bad weather changing to good. Not to have good weather now, and rushing to beat the bad weather that’s coming in. All things seem to be falling into place.

Emory is coming in this evening and we will pick up Katherine in the morning from the airport. Emory has been Offshore with me numerous times, well come to think of it… all the major trips for more years I care to remember. He has been on some that to say the least didn’t go smoothly. On some trips the cabin below looked like scrambled eggs. Everyone was fine, but things would go wrong. As I mentioned before, “The Sea is Relentless”. Emory would talk about “The Domino Effect”. It seems when things go wrong it starts becoming a Domino Effect. In a Domino Effect, one thing goes wrong, than another, than another. Not good, especially when you’re Offshore. How many spares do you have? Did you anticipate this or that? You are limited out there. With the Domino Effect, you must stop it cold, there is no harbor Offshore.

All below and above have been tightened up, fuel and water topped off, spares such as filters, solderless connectors, wiring, epoxy, and tools are made easily available. All that matters now is the weather and it seems to be cooperating very nicely.

Katherine has had many hours on the water, and by owning her own 18 foot run-about, she knew boat handling and inland navigation. Docking was no problem for her, it came easily. She has a sense of feel not all of us have. But this is her first time Offshore, with no land in sight. She was nervous but confident at the same time. I have known her for a few years and found her level headed and inquisitive. Not afraid to voice an opinion or an objection. I felt we could have used one more crew member, but I will figure out a good schedule that will suit us all. With the Watch Schedule, you can’t have it feeling like work, it just has to flow.

It was late but Emory was excited when he arrived. He hadn’t seen the boat yet, just pictures, and what I sent him he liked. When onboard he could not believe the room below. He looked into every compartment stunned by all the storage. I told him of the weather window that was happening as he checked out “Island Time”. We spoke and listened to the weather reports over the VHF radio. The other Front was moving out. It had sat Offshore to the northeast up to New England for quite some time, throwing off those winds and seas. We talked of Katherine’s arrival the next morning, made some coffee and also discussed how we’d round Cape May. We could take it down the shipping channel and out to the Atlantic, or if the weather was as nice as they were predicting… we could cut her close to shore and I mean close because of some shallow areas and make it out that way, saving miles and hours. But we’ll see when we get there. Cape May canal is also a great route to go instead of rounding the cape, but in our case, being a sailboat, our mast is 60 feet and will not fit under the bridge. We turned in for the night. In the morning, we headed over to the Baltimore International Airport to pick up Katherine. She was all smiles as she jumped into the car all excited also. “I can’t believe I’m here” she said… “I’m nervous about Offshore … I know I’ll be alright, but I can’t believe I’m here”. The excitement in the car was electric. We were all set to go. Arriving aboard, we went right for the VHF and listened to the weather report. There were still waves of 8 to 10 feet, but the winds had turned to the southwest at 10 knots. The predictions now were 5 to 7 feet tonight, 3 to 5 feet tomorrow, which made it easy to decide for an early AM departure tomorrow. We ended up having lunch in Chesapeake City and checking out the surrounding area.

The alarm clock sounded… it was still dark this early AM, but final checks have to be made like weather and final chart plotting. Tides and currents also need to be dealt with, plus I always give the crew plenty of time to get themselves together. And coffee helps! We untied her lines and pulled away from the dock. It was funny moving by a forest but the marina sat in one. Completely enveloped. I knew the current would be against us in the C&D canal. It had about an hour and a half until it turned with us. The marina sat right on the north side of the C&D canal so as you leave the marina you are in the C&D. I have a Tide Tracker unit from years ago that tells you the tides and currents from Nova Scotia to the Virgin Islands. It’s a great little portable electronic item for quick checks (not made anymore I hear). This morning showed the current at 1.7 knots against us, but diminishing quickly. When we exited the marina I anticipated current but it really took us. We have a winged keel at 5 foot draft, and I was just thinking if we had a full keel … wow … it would carry you way back. I eased the throttle forward, turned her more to port and slowly she came bow to. Our progress to say the least was slow, so checking out the sites were no problem. The bridges here, one after another were beautifully done. One different from the next. We slowly made our way eastward through the C&D. No breeze to speak of and the waters flat. The weather window is doing great, blue skies as we make our way out of the C&D Canal into the Delaware Bay. I don’t remember breakfast and I don’t remember feeling hungry so someone must have made something.

As we turned southward down the Delaware Bay, the serenity is taken up by the Nuclear power plant. I have never seen one so close up like this, but it is expansive. Talking about scenery… it was going by fast. The tide was pulling us out…. We were getting sucked out to the Atlantic. Winds were very light… like they predicted, 5 to 10 knots. We continued motoring, watching the marsh like shore go by. In the distance past the marsh were trees with the land rising slightly. It seemed wide open. The freighter traffic picked up as they passed us heading north towards the C&D Canal. As we continued south the winds picked up slightly, letting us open up to full sails. “Island Time” heeled lightly to port, and as we shut the engine down the drone of the exhaust gave way to the water rustling by. Our slow progress under sail was made up by the outgoing tide. It only took six hours to get down the Delaware Bay. We made the decision to round Cape May close, so Emory took over the helm from the autopilot. He would match up latitudes and longitudes I gave him off the paper charts, to that on the chartplotter by moving the cursor. As you moved the cursor, your latitudes and longitudes change. We would agree on that heading to the cursor, or if not, Emory would giving me his coordinates. All went smoothly around Cape May, a little close, but the winds and waves were cooperating. We discussed heading into Cape May harbor to fuel up. I didn’t know if the electronic tank indicator was accurate, so topping off would alleviate that question and at the same time tell me fuel consumption per hour on our 4 cylinder Yanmar 56 horse power.

The seas were lumpy, 3 – 5 feet as predicted. Cape May harbor entrance faced seaward, but the jetties calmed things down. As we made our way into the harbor, we were greeted by a pair of porpoise happily playing around. Marina entrances in this Harbor were not marked and local knowledge was a must. We called ahead after trying this way and that and got the secret from the marina. After fueling, I found our consumption a little less than 1.3 gallons an hour. The electronic tank indicator had to be kept an eye on because the fuel being pumped on board did not match the indicator. It seemed to show we had more fuel than we had. As we pulled out of the marina we all knew the run to Montauk Offshore has begun. The Offshore Watches were discussed and basically put together aloud. I would have the 8pm to 11pm shift, Emory, the 11pm to 3am, and Katherine the 3am – 7am, but I would be on deck with Katherine on her watches. Daytime was up for grabs… meaning we knew someone would be on deck, we all pulled our weight during the day light hours… we all did what we wanted but we knew to cover the daylight hours.

Sails up and in the Atlantic at 6:30pm. The wind was coming from the southwest, the seas as I had mentioned were very lumpy at 3 – 5 feet. The waves were basically coming from the southwest, but a lot were from the east, which were the remnants from the last front. It made the ride at first uncomfortable. When you would get used to the motion another lumpy wave would come at you from a different direction. I called the seas lumpy because they were not typical to what you might expect. A usual sea is waves coming from one direction following the wind, rolling on by, spaced apart somewhat evenly. The bigger the seas, the longer the wave tops are. As the winds picked up the bigger waves crest a bit here and there. This is what you find Offshore typically. Lumpy conditions are from a wind shift, usually abrupt. The waves want to come from the wind direction but the waves from the last front are still rolling in from a different direction. As they meet, they push each other around causing wallowed up waves from confused directions. This is as I say uncomfortable at these present winds speeds around 10 knots. Can you imagine it at 20 or 30 knots? This is where skill comes in and danger begins. The waves are incredible because one going into another makes for a bigger wave. Prudent sailors wait in the harbor for better weather, but others less fortunate coming from a distant port get stuck out there… trouble can definitely begin. In our case the weather is improving calling for small wave heights and lighter winds. I find motor sailing more comfortable in these seas, and don’t want Katherine to feel uneasy. We are doing 6.6 knots SOG (speed over ground) with a course of approximately 60 degrees (the seas are moving us around quite a bit). As you remember, the knot meter was intermittent, and now quits completely. I am cautious about this, thinking if it is electrical, will my other electronics go out one by one? My back up is a handheld GPS which will give us latitude and longitude, easily put on a paper chart to see our progress. I turn off all unessential equipment basically only running the electronics and running lights, all other circuits are off. This is what I do normally anyway. I try to keep the Domino Effect in check. I give a last look around including bilge and through-hull fittings, securing anything that needs to be. Then let the watches begin… oh wait, I’m up. Emory makes a light dinner… some soup in hot cups which warms us up and bread. With the wave action, light and easy was good. After, Emory got some shut eye and I watched the stars appear. The evening was getting chilly and a jacket was in order. I can tell you that every hour that went by, the sea came more and more from the southwest, making the ride more comfortable. This was the first evening running with “Island Time” and found the engine gauges had a switch to illuminate them, and the red night lighting down below at floor level was convenient for quick checking around. All I can say is that the boat seemed tight, no groans or creaks were coming from hull movement or any other undesirable places. Things are looking good and strong. Emory comes on deck… I realize my watch went by quickly. We chat about my watch and what to keep an eye on. Through the years my crew knows not to switch anything on while I’m off watch asleep (as a captain, I really don’t know if I do sleep… maybe deep resting). They know to alert me of any changes, especially electrical. I had one crew member years back that did not listen and I awoke to the sounds of circuit breakers being switched on and off, one after the other. They were labeled but he just kept switching them all to get whatever on. To say the least, I banned him from the panel and explained again I needed to be there in case something happened… I’d hate to be awakened to an electrical fire. Things happen Offshore from the relentless movement… we’re miles and miles from any help. How do they say it? “Better safe than sorry”.

Katherine comes in the aft cabin to let me know she is going on watch. I groggily come awake thinking it was an instant before I just laid back. As I moved through the boat I can tell the erratic motion has greatly subsided. Let the late night watch begin! This was Katherine’s first Offshore shift watch. She wanted to make sure not to make a mistake, and we reassured her she wouldn’t. Emory bought us up to speed on our location, course, sea conditions, and changes. Nothing out of the ordinary and at this point, things were running smooth. Katherine asked Emory a few questions to get the feel of the evening. And within hours Katherine seemed comfortable with her abilities and surroundings. This makes for a good crew member. I told her how the stars get so close to you at night, but a brightening glow off to port prevented this. We realized Atlantic City was the only area bright enough to do this. It’s funny… when you’re out sailing you realize the amount of energy needed to make something that bright. You realize your simplicity to that, but the glow that high into the atmosphere and this far out to sea is amazing. Katherine stayed behind the helm as I lounged on the starboard side of the cockpit in one of those adjustable lounge seats…. Oh what perfection. I dozed with her permission and her knowing I was there in a moments notice. She would get familiar with the chart plotter and other electronics, asking me questions here and there as she figured out each knob, button, and switch.

Dawn started bringing color to our watch. In the evening everything seems black and white around you… and then dawn. It’s like seeing a color TV for the first time, a great feeling. Emory came on deck. At around 6:30am I noticed a large sized super white moth come flying in. The wind was generally behind us and I thought nothing of this till another and another and another came aboard. Within 20 or 30 minutes, herds of them came in on us. I had to close the hatchway. This made me think of the movie “The Birds” from Alfred Hitchcock. The moths would disappear under cleats, coiled lines, hatchway edgings, anywhere there was an opening. And with this all disappeared and it was like it didn’t happen…. Until…. A black and yellow breasted sparrow type bird appeared. Just one and very small at that. He landed on the aft deck, hopping around. But as it turned out… he was looking for the moths. He was pulling them out of their hiding spots, shaking them hard to knock off there wings, and than consuming them. For over an hour he was magnificent and relentless. He pulled them from everywhere… places I would not expect. He knew his trade and with a bow before he left, he sprung into flight. Talk about nature and this far out at sea. We were all amazed.

Breakfast went down easy in these calming seas. No shore to be seen so looking for whales, dolphins or other sea life was exciting. You didn’t know what you would or would not see. We had been clicking off the miles and found that we had 70 miles to go. Montauk here we come. During the day the cockpit stayed busy with conversation. I went below checking the bilge and through-hull fittings again, and giving an all around check out. No problems to report was brought back to the cockpit and with that, everyone found their comfy spot. Sandwiches were consumed for lunch; music from CDs came out of the background. We talked about our bird buddy and Emory mentioned that he noticed on the yellow breast a kind of black bowtie. For dinner chef Emory brought out ravioli with a great salad. The sailing was great, this weather window was holding up and the company was the toping. The sunset was magnificent. I have seen many Offshore before, but this one drew my attention and camera. The skies turned red as it spread along the horizon. The red sun settled on the sea top ready to plunge below. Instead it stacked itself like pancakes making an intenser red. A halo around the stacking formed from the different shades of red. When it finished stacking, it hung there saying “I’m not going away yet,” and seemed to muscle itself aloft… then like a feather, a slight downward motion was noticed. And like a feather it held itself aloft awhile. And gently down again as the pancakes of red slowly, but so slowly, got swallowed by the sea. Its remnants in the sky above changed shades of red that seemed to be a part of the whole sky.

Once again an inspection down below and some tidying up is done. We are zoning in on Montauk and will be there in two hours or so. That would make it close to 11pm. It will be dark but we will have plenty of sea-room to round Montauk. Coming into unfamiliar harbors at night is not really prudent, but this is no problem. I have decided to anchor in a slight cut out on the east side of Gardners Island for the evening. It will add a few more hours to the trip, but will give us a gorgeous view come morning. If the trip Offshore was longer I feel confident this crew would have no problem handling it. We all gelled nicely and time went by quickly. Seeing the illumination of the Montauk lighthouse excited us all. I reflected on the Offshore trip we have just accomplished with ease. Being mainly land bound the past 4 ½ years was not a factor at all…I guess it’s like riding a bike…ya just gotta get on it. The combination of crew, weather, sea conditions, and boat was the key to an enjoyable trip. No other component on board barked back, but don’t think I wasn’t ready… you never know …. Happy sailing.

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ABSTRACT

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND ICT

D.AMUTHA M.A.M.PHIL

ASST.PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

TUTICORIN.

E-mail: amuthajoe@gmail.com

                                      ICTs play a key role in improving the availability of agricultural production and market information in developing countries. ICT-based market information systems have a proven track record for improving rural livelihoods in middle income developing countries where they have been introduced. However, these systems are generally limited in scale and have not been effectively replicated beyond the local level. This paper attempts an analysis of the ICT play an important role in bringing about sustainable agricultural development and future perspectives in agriculture and ICT.

                                       It is recommended that, in drought-prone and less endowed areas, future ICT initiatives provide information services such as facilitation of access to land records, question-and-answer services, information on rural development programmes, weather forecasting, marketing information, best package of practices for dry land agriculture, information on crop insurance and post- harvest technology.

                                     It is also recommended that, before ICT services are set up in a region, efforts are made to develop among the farmers both a satisfactory level of faith in the intentions of the ICT staff and a firm commitment to the goals of the proposed project. It is also suggested that participatory and rapid rural appraisals are carried out to ascertain what information the farmers need. In the process, the farmers’ self-fulfilling faith in the information services provided should be enhanced. It is further recommended that the farmers be instructed in how to get the best possible use out of the services provided.

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND ICT

D.AMUTHA M.A.M.PHIL

ASST.PROFESSOR OF ECONOMICS

ST. MARY’S COLLEGE (AUTONOMOUS)

TUTICORIN.

E-mail: amuthajoe@gmail.com

Introduction

                                    Today a new paradigm of agricultural development is fast emerging: in both developing and developed countries the overall development of rural areas is expanding in new directions; old ways of delivering important services to citizens are being challenged; and traditional societies are being transformed into knowledge societies all over the world.  ICTs play a key role in improving the availability of agricultural production and market information in developing countries. ICT-based market information systems have a proven track record for improving rural livelihoods in middle income developing countries where they have been introduced. However, these systems are generally limited in scale and have not been effectively replicated beyond the local level. This paper attempts an analysis of the ICT play an important role in bringing about sustainable agricultural development and future perspectives in agriculture and ICT.

Convergence of ICT with agricultural development

                                     Broad basing agricultural extension activities; developing farming system research and extension; having location-specific modules of research and extension; and promoting market extension, sustainable agricultural development, participatory research, etc. are some of the numerous areas where ICT can play an important role. Several research studies conducted on extension organizations have revealed that the delivery of goods is effective when the grass roots extension worker covers a small area of jurisdiction, with multiple purposes (broad basing). The existing system of large jurisdictions, each with a narrow range of activities, is less effective. However, broad basing requires grass roots workers to be at the cutting edge of extension and master of many trades, which is not really possible. IT can help here, by enabling extension workers to gather, store, retrieve and disseminate a broad range of information needed by farmers, thus transforming them from extension workers into knowledge workers. The emergence of such knowledge workers will result in the realization of the much talked about bottom-up, demand driven technology generation, assessment, refinement and transfer. Agricultural extension systems in most developing countries are under-funded and have had mixed effects. Much of the extension information has been found to be out of date, irrelevant and not applicable to small farmers’ needs, leaving such farmers with very little information or resources to improve their productivity. ICT helps the extension system in re-orienting itself towards the overall agricultural development of small production systems. With the appropriate knowledge, small-scale producers can even have a competitive edge over larger operations. When knowledge is harnessed by strong organizations of small producers, strategic planning can be used to provide members with least-cost inputs, better storage facilities, improved transportation links and collective negotiations with buyers.

                                 ICT can also play an important role in bringing about sustainable agricultural development when used to document both organic and traditional cultivation practices. Developing countries can create Traditional Knowledge Digital Libraries (TKDL) to collect and classify various types of local knowledge so that it can be shared more widely. These libraries could also integrate widely scattered references to Indigenous Technical Knowledge (ITK) systems in a retrievable form. Thus IT could act as a bridge between traditional and modern knowledge systems.

Areas of IT convergence

                                  Applications of IT in support of agricultural and rural development fall into five main areas. These are:

Economic development of agricultural producers;
Community development;
Research and education;
Small and medium enterprises development; and
Media networks.

                                  Some agricultural development services that can be provided in the developing world, using ICT, are:

Online services for information, education and training, monitoring and consultation, diagnosis and monitoring, and transaction and processing;
E-commerce for direct linkages between local producers, traders, retailers and suppliers;
The facilitation of interaction among researchers, extension (knowledge) workers, and farmers;
Question-and-answer services where experts respond to queries on specialized subjects ICT services to block- and district-level developmental officials for greater efficiency in delivering services for overall agricultural development;
Up-to-date information, supplied to farmers as early as possible, about subjects such as packages of practices, market information, weather forecasting, input supplies, credit availability, etc.;
Creation of databases with details of the resources of local villages and villagers, site-specific information systems, expert systems, etc.;
Provision of early warning systems about disease/ pest problems, information regarding rural development programmes and crop insurances, postharvest technology, etc.;
Facilitation of land records and online registration services;
Improved marketing of milk and milk products;
Services providing information to farmers regarding farm business and management;
Increased efficiency and productivity of cooperative societies through the computer communication network and the latest database technology;
Tele-education for farmers;
Websites established by agricultural research institutes, making the latest information available to extension (knowledge) workers and obtaining their feedback.

Future Perspectives in ICT

1. Shared Computing: Developments in shared technology, under the umbrella of cloud computing, are reducing costs and changing the equation on speed, complexity, and risks associated with deploying both application and computing services.  An increasing number of technology providers now offer services based on remote computing and on a subscription or pay-for-usage model. For example, Software as a Service (SaaS) providers host applications that are offered on demand or by subscription. Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) models provide remotely managed hardware services, enabling customers to pay based on their use of servers, storage, and networks.

                                           Since the 1990s, there has been increased attention among developing nations on providing different forms of shared access or community computing, commonly delivered through “telecenters.” These shared technology access centers offer rural communities the ability to use Internet-based services in a publicly shared manner. Telecenter pilots in multiple countries have led to innovative economic models around such centers, and have sparked the development of rurally relevant ICT-based services. Typically, these include education, microfinance, and government-to-citizen services.

2. Attracting Investment:  Over the last decade, there has been a quiet revolution in the ICT sector of countries in the International Development Association (IDA)—countries that can least afford such investments. A total of US billion was invested between 1997 and 2006; more than 80 percent of it from the private sector.4 The World Bank has been working actively with governments to establish an Internet backbone infrastructure and to increase Internet access through public investments that, in turn, attract additional private investment. Globally, the 3.7 billion people at the bottom of the economic pyramid have incomes averaging about per day; totaling .3 trillion annually and growing at 8 percent per year.5 Private-sector companies are showing an increasing interest in serving this large potential customer base with innovative services based on new business models.

                                     Various microfinance initiatives illustrate the capacity of rural citizens to operate busi­nesses and profitably serve their fellow citizens. For example, the Grameen Bank provides non-collateral credit to the poor for micro business in Bangladesh,6 and Kiva.org provides similar credit funded by individual donors.7 The entrepreneurs helped by these programs range from women who operate cell phones for community use to people who sell and maintain solar-powered home systems. These innovative experi­ences in microfinance provide valuable insights into how to attract entrepreneurial talent and micro investment.

3. Ecosystem Collaboration: Social networking and emerging tools such as wikis, blogs, and video sharing have dramatically changed the ways people collaborate. It is now easy for dispersed com­munities to share, discuss, and develop solutions. These tools and a new culture of open sharing are enabling dynamic collaboration within organizations, between organizations, and among communities. Collaboration technologies can bring together a deep and broad ecosystem of stakeholders to solve complex issues. Global alliances such as the United Nations Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID) illustrate the use of such technologies. GAID’s online community has many emerging social networking features that encourage both individuals and formal groups to join, contribute, and collaborate.

Internet for sustainable rural economic development

1. Connectivity to the last mile: Extending last-mile connectivity requires a framework that drives “coopetition” among telecom service providers to spur innovation and drive down costs; a program that combines rural demand generation and initial pub­lic investment to attract private investment; and collaboration among an ecosystem of partners to implement the connectivity infrastructure.

2. Telecenters: Attracting private investment for telecenter operation requires the establishment of regional services agencies that develop locally relevant service offerings and market them to rural entrepreneurs who set up and run the telecenters. Telecenter operators act as facilitators for the local community’s flow of informa­tion. The regional services agencies should be for-profit enterprises, supported by public-sector policies that offer some level of exclusivity for a region or for certain e-government services. This gives the agencies time to recoup their initial investment.

3. Smart services: Telecenters provide the delivery mechanism for a wide range of solutions, including those that improve the quality of life via healthcare education, those that reduce the cost of needed services such as land registration or subsidy applications, and those that enhance agricultural productivity and commerce.

                                The public sector’s role is to lead by creating government-to-citizen services and by promoting the creation of critical agricultural information services.  Global technology companies provide proven and rich software platforms for the various services, and can accelerate adoption of shared computing models by forming local alliances and bringing proven technology platforms and skills to developing countries.

E-Agriculture Services

                                  ICT-based agricultural development services focus on enhancing the skills and knowledge of smallholder farmers and enabling smallholder value chains to improve their competitiveness and flourish.  To identify the right services to offer, public-sector planners need to understand where ICT can have an impact and which services are likely to attract private investors. They can build these insights by synthesizing three areas of analysis:

1. Agricultural value chain analysis helps identify the value chain issues to be addressed and the size of the opportunity for improvement.

2. ICT analysis looks at the feasibility of ICT to address those issues and the size of the opportunity that can be captured.

3. Service value chain analysis determines the financial viability of the ICT services and identifies the ecosystem partners who are willing to invest and deliver those services.

ICT delivers value for value chain stakeholders through:

Knowledge delivery, including access to information, e-learning, and advisory services
Farm planning to help create efficiencies in agribusiness operations
Quality assurance through communication of standards and capture of auditable data
Procurement portals that facilitate input commerce and output trading exchanges
Supply chain planning to reduce cost and create visibility for logistics
Financial services that give greater access to capital and help reduce the cost of financial transactions
Community services that enable rural citizens to access basic healthcare, education, and e-government services

Recommendations

Efforts should be made to incorporate ICT in all endeavors related to agricultural development.
The organizations and departments concerned with agricultural development need to realize the potential of ICT for the speedy dissemination of information to farmers.
Government at national and state level in India has to reorient agricultural policies so that a fully-fledged strategy is formed to harness ICT’s potential for assisting overall agricultural development.
Generating awareness among young and middle-aged farmers about the availability of ICT services is the first step to be considered to increase farmers’ participation in ICT initiatives. Older farmers should be brought into the chain of ICT networks at a later stage. Also, since small and marginal farmers are using ICT services, more emphasis should be given to providing information relevant to their farming systems.
Strong interfaces should be developed at village level so that the problem of computer illiteracy among farmers may be resolved. User-friendly software, graphic interfaces and pictorial information would encourage more IT use.
It is recommended that, in drought-prone and less endowed areas, future ICT initiatives provide information services such as facilitation of access to land records, question-and-answer services, information on rural development programmes, weather forecasting, marketing information, best package of practices for dry land agriculture, information on crop insurance and post- harvest technology.
ICT services should provide early warning of disease and pest problems, question-and-answer services, information on cropping systems and planning, best and latest packages of practices for commercial crops, weather forecasting, soil testing and sampling, post-harvest technology, input prices/ availability, farm business information and crop insurance.
It is also recommended that, before ICT services are set up in a region, efforts are made to develop among the farmers both a satisfactory level of faith in the intentions of the ICT staff and a firm commitment to the goals of the proposed project. It is also suggested that participatory and rapid rural appraisals are carried out to ascertain what information the farmers need. In the process, the farmers’ self-fulfilling faith in the information services provided should be enhanced. It is further recommended that the farmers be instructed in how to get the best possible use out of the services provided.

Conclusion

                                     To sum up, for appropriate ICT applications and realistic opportunities in the field of development and social change, we need to think about combining situations from inside and outside agriculture. ICTs give the potential of integrating information in a cross-sectorial way, e.g. through ‘mobile databases’. Participatory Information and Communication Technology Development (PICTD) can play an important role in this regard.

References

Meera, S.N. (2002) A Critical analysis of information technology in agricultural development: Impact and implications. Unpublished PhD thesis, IARI, New Delhi-110012.
Narula, S.A., Sharma, N. (2008) “Implementing ICTs in Agribusiness” i4d,September, 20-22 available atwww.i4donline.net/September08/September08. pdf
Narula S. A., (2008) ” Leveraging ICT to Link Farmers to Markets: A Case of Indian E-Business Models” Paper presented in International Conference on Technology and Innovation in Marketing held at IMT, Ghaziabad, India during 18-19 April, 2008; published in Rajat Gera ( Ed.) “Technology and Innovation in Marketing”, Allied Publishers, New Delhi
Narula,S.A. ( 2009) ” Social Networking…………For Farmers ” i4d, February, available at www.i4donline.net/February09/February09.pdf

http://www.fao.org/GENDER/en/agri-e.htm

http://www.iteaconnect.org/Conference /PATT/PATT14/Wicklein.pdf

http://www.fao.org/Wairdocs/TAC/X5784E/x5784e08.htm

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On October 11, Beijing Airport Express Train Management Office has launched a new information service facility for all passengers of the train. New information service which applicable for cell phone users. The user of the service will be able to obtain latest Beijing weather forecast, flight information and etc on cell phone while waiting or traveling within the train.

The service is available for all passengers as long as possesses cell phone with Bluetooth accessibility. Special notice is pasted on all ticketing counters within the station to remind passengers about the special service. As long as you are within the station and switch on the Bluetooth of your cell phone, then you will straight be able to receive the information on your cell phone.

Currently, the information available via this service including traveling route of Beijing Airport Express train, the interval of airport express train, the site map of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, brief introduction of airline companies as well as Beijing weather forecast. “From now on, we will inform our passengers regarding any emergency, changes of schedule or any other events that require excavation via the Bluetooth information system,” explained by a representative of the Beijing Airport Line. “Generally, all information that reaches the hand of passengers will need within 3 minutes only from editing to publishing. Therefore, this is the easiest as well as the most convenient communication method between us and our passengers,” added by the staff again.

On October 11, Beijing Airport Express Train Management Office has launched a new information service facility for all passengers of the train. New information service which applicable for cell phone users. The user of the service will be able to obtain latest Beijing weather forecast, flight information and etc on cell phone while waiting or traveling within the train.

News provided by http://www.visitbeijingchina.com/information-service-available-by-bluetooth-at-beijing-airport-express-train.html

The service is available for all passengers as long as possesses cell phone with Bluetooth accessibility. Special notice is pasted on all ticketing counters within the station to remind passengers about the special service. As long as you are within the station and switch on the Bluetooth of your cell phone, then you will straight be able to receive the information on your cell phone.

Currently, the information available via this service including traveling route of Beijing Airport Express train, the interval of airport express train, the site map of Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 of Beijing Capital International Airport, brief introduction of airline companies as well as Beijing weather forecast. “From now on, we will inform our passengers regarding any emergency, changes of schedule or any other events that require excavation via the Bluetooth information system,” explained by a representative of the Beijing Airport Line. “Generally, all information that reaches the hand of passengers will need within 3 minutes only from editing to publishing. Therefore, this is the easiest as well as the most convenient communication method between us and our passengers,” added by the staff again.

More Weather Forecast Articles

Shanghai people have always had the flowers of Yaxing. Both seasons, met flower show held in parks or streets, whole family likes to watch. In recent years, Shanghai flower show almost every month. From January to May this year, Shanghai has worked in Pudong Century Park, Fuxing Park, Shanghai, tulip flower theme park in Hong Kong, Shanghai Botanical Garden, Gongqing Forest Park hosted the plum blossom, Chunlan, peach, tulips and other flower show theme. However, this practice is often flowers to be “heaven” and “joke”, often occur during the flower show flower does not open the case, this is particularly serious.

    Fuxing Park is located in the city center and Pudong Century Park Spring Festival, held during the same time, the “Plum Blossom Spring Show.” The student, who had during the Spring Festival on Xiangpiao plum blossoms, has been postponed until March before a large number of bloom, flowering a full 25 days later.

    Gongqing Forest Park flowers in the show, this should be magnolia in full bloom around the Spring Festival, on until April until mid-bloom. Nanhui District, “Peach Blossom Festival,” the usual, the Chinese peach bloom on March 3 this year, but timid reluctance early spring blooming smiles, until four months before the end of “quietly open.”

    To flowering is still reluctant to open Tuyan flowers a little annoyed the people of Shanghai, which is also the organizers of flower show much headache. “This not only wasted time and money of tourists, but also to discredit the organizers in a very awkward situation, but also the loss of tourism resources, missed opportunities.” It was not without regret to say

    Flowers fails to open, why? Landscape and weather expert said: “This year, the growth habit of many flowers by weather disturbances, or cold or hot weather so many flowers of the ‘nervous’ disorder, it can not be open during normal flower.”

    In view of this situation, many visitors can make the same as the weather forecast for flowering, please professionals to the prevailing weather conditions forecast flowering? This reporter to ask a number of garden experts, but most of them noncommittal. I’m more weather and travel experts have expressed an interest.

    Since the people in need, the departments concerned why not help, come up with practical measures to? Gardens and tourism, weather department can work together on a regular basis, pointing to the various types of flowers blooming tourist forecast period, the best viewing hours and the flower show’s dynamic. Such as recurrence of the abnormal climate phenomena flowering disorder, also allows tourists to prepare early, so disappointing.