Legalizing Medical Marijuana free essay sample

Legalizing Medical Marijuana The debate over whether to legalize marijuana has been one of the most controversial issues dividing courts, the federal government, state governments, and voters. In 1996, Arizona and California voters overwhelmingly approved the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. Propositions 200 and 215 represented a dramatic shift from a previously united federal and state front against illegal drugs to one where state governments and voters are now at odds with the federal government over the medical use of controlled substances. Rather than focusing on how to improve and maintain the long-standing war on drugs, the policy issue has now become; who controls America’s drug laws, courts, the federal government, state governments, or the voters? In addition, the legalization of marijuana poses other questions; does legalizing marijuana undermine the seemingly endless federal war on drugs by moving towards greater tolerance of marijuana and other drugs? Is more research necessary to determine the benefits or hazardous effects of marijuana? Would legalizing marijuana open the floodgates to legalizing other controlled substances such as heroin or LSD? This paper analyzes and examines. We will write a custom essay sample on Legalizing Medical Marijuana or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The history of marijuana legalization and prohibition. The arguments for and against legalizing marijuana. This paper concludes by recommending that before marijuana is legalized for medical use there needs to be more testing to improve our knowledge and understanding of marijuana. The first recorded use of marijuana as medicine was in a Chinese pharmacopoeia in 2727 B. C. The cornerstone of drug prohibition in the United States was the Harrison Narcotic Act of 1914 which restricted the use of opiates such as cocaine, heroin, and morphine to medical purposes (Trebach and Inciardi, p. 3). In the United States, marijuana was legal until the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937 established the federal prohibition of the drug. (Grinspoon; Trebach and Inciardi). Had marijuana not been removed from the list of drugs in the United States Pharmacopoeia in 1937, it would have been grand fathered into the Comprehensive Drug Abuse and Control Act as a prescription drug, just as cocaine and morphine were. (Grinspoon). As a result of the tremendous increase in the number of recreational drug users and a more liberalized political climate, marijuana medicinal uses were rediscovered in the 1970s. In the later 1970s and 1980s, marijuana was medically used by hundreds of patients (mainly in the form of synthetic tetrahydrocannabinol) in research projects conducted by several states for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in chemotherapy. (Grinspoon). Likewise, in 1976, the federal government approved the use of marijuana as a medicine by instituting the Compassionate Investigational New Drug program (CIND), under which physicians could obtain an Investigational New Drug application (IND) for a patient to receive marijuana. (Grinspoon). However, this program was so filled with and bureaucratically overburdened that in the course of history only about three dozen individuals ever received marijuana. One argument in favor of legalization is that marijuana provides several medical benefits for individuals suffering from asthma, cancer, glaucoma, migraine headaches, multiple sclerosis, and other symptoms and syndromes. (Grinspoon, p. 1). First, marijuana is remarkably non-toxic as evidenced by the fact that there has never been a reported death caused by marijuana overdose. Grinspoon, p. 1). In addition, marijuana’s long-term and short-term effects (i. e. , increased appetite, increased memory loss/slowed memory function, etc. ) are relatively inconsequential compared to medicines for which marijuana may be substituted. (Grinspoon, p. 1). Next, once patients no longer have to pay the prohibition tariff, marijuana will be less expensive than the medications it replaces. (Grinspoon, p. 1). Finally, marijuana is remarkably versatile; case histories and clinical evidence suggests it is useful in the treatment of over two dozen symptoms and syndromes, and others will undoubtedly be discovered in the future. (Grinspoon, p. 1). Another argument in favor of legalization is that there are many activities that are considered integral parts of daily life that are more lethal than marijuana. In order to support this contention, proponents note that in the United States, tobacco alone kills over 430,000, alcohol 110,000, prescription drugs 32,000, and aspirin and Tylenol 7,600 yearly. http://my. marijuana. com, p. 1). By contrast, all illegal drugs combined, including, amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy, GHB (gamma hydroxybutyrate), heroin, LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), marijuana, mescaline, PCP (phencyclidine), and psilocybin (magic) mushrooms killed approximately 11,000 in 1999. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 1). In addition, proponents contend that prohibition has not been sho wn to have a measurable impact on the demand for drugs in general. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). Countries such as Italy, Portugal, and Spain, have decriminalized the use of all drugs, including cocaine and heroin, and offer government subsidized programs to assist those addicted to hard drugs such as heroin, providing them with doctor supervised locations to ingest their drugs. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). Likewise, the Netherlands has legalized soft drugs including marijuana and magic mushrooms. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). The result of these programs has been lower drug addiction, death, and use rates. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). Proponents of legalization contend that by preventing valid manufacturers from making these products, prohibition increases the dangers associated with drug use by preventing regulation, and forcing drug users to buy products which have no guarantee of dosage or purity. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). In addition, proponents contend that prohibition increases street violence by forcing the sale of drugs to the black market, which encourages the formation of organized crime in order to distribute and manufacture these substances under the control of a group of individuals. http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). Laws are structured in order to punish adults more heavily than minors, and due to this, minors are enlisted by these organized crime units, provided with guns or other weapons, and used to sell or transport these drugs, with the knowledge that if they are caught, they will not be as heavily punished. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). This increase in violence and the focus on c riminalizing drug use has resulted in the criminal justice system being overloaded. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 2). Non-violent drug offenders make up 58% of the federal prison population according to the ACLU. In addition, mandatory minimum sentencing laws and laws such as California’s Three Strikes law are unfairly distributed, jailing some for life, simply for selling a chemical which the buyer freely chooses to ingest, making it a harsher crime to participate in a consensual act than to commit second degree murder. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 3). Proponents of legalization also contend that the war on drugs presents an immense monetary drain on the United States economy. http://my. marijuana. com, p. 4). For example, in 2000, the Clinton administration spent more than $17. 9 billion on the war on drugs. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 4). By comparison, the president is requested $4. 5 billion in discretionary appropriations for the Department of Education in the fiscal year 2002. (Dept. Of Ed. ). In short, the United States is spending 40% as much on fighting the drug war as it is on educating for the next generation. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 4). Finally, proponents of legalization contend that prohibition is causing the government to miss out on an opportunity to raise an incredible amount of tax revenue. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. 4). The international illicit drug business generates as much as $400 billion in trade annually according to the United Nations International Drug Control Program, which amounts to 8% of all international trade and is comparable to the annual turnover in textiles. (http://my. marijuana. com, p. ). Legalizing marijuana and taxing its sale would allow the government to use this money to improve and pay for drug treatment programs, health care, homeless shelters, and schools. Legalization would not only eliminate the $18 billion per year spent fighting the drug war, but would in turn raise at least $40 billion per year in tax revenue, if one assumes a mild 10% tax on the drug trade, a number nearly equivalent to the entire United States education budget. (http://my. marijuana. om, p. 4). While pr oponents of legalization contend that marijuana provides several medical benefits, there is no concrete, convincing scientific evidence that marijuana offers benefits that patients cannot obtain from approved prescription drugs such as Marinol. However, patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy or suffering from multiple sclerosis report fewer side-effects with marijuana than with regular drugs. (http://www. cnn. com/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html, p. 4). Although the American Medical Association and other official medical groups oppose medical marijuana, a 1991 survey found 44% of oncologists had suggested use of marijuana to treat nausea associated with chemotherapy. (http://www. cnn. com/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html, p. 4). Thus, before marijuana may be approved as a prescription drug, clinical trials to gauge its therapeutic effect upon pain must be conducted. (http://www. cnn. com/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html, p. 4). Another argument opposing legalization is that marijuana is a (gateway) drug and that legalizing it will only encourage more individuals to try it. However, like the argument that providing high school students with condoms and sex education will inspire teenagers to become sexually active, this argument is logically flawed. If an individual wishes to try marijuana or to have premarital sex, he or she will not be deterred from doing so simply because it is illegal. Finally, opponents of legalization contend that medical marijuana laws are overbroad, i. . , California’s Proposition 215 is written in such a way that almost any ailment or pain could be construed as justification for the use of marijuana and also allows for the cultivation of marijuana, not just possession. (http://www. cnn. com/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html, p. 3). In addition, Arizona’s Proposition 200 goes beyond marijuana, which is often viewed as a soft drug by both opponents and prop onents of legalization, and empowers doctors to prescribe narcotics such as heroin and LSD if they see fit. (http://www. cnn. om/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html, p. 3). Although there are many arguments in favor of legalizing marijuana, more clinical and laboratory research is necessary to improve our knowledge and understanding of marijuana. First, we need to know how many patients and which patients with each symptom or syndrome are likely to find marijuana more effective than existing drugs. Next, more information is required about marijuana’s effect on the immune system in immunologically impaired patients, and its interaction with other medications. Finally, if and when marijuana is legalized, there should be a uniform distribution and enforcement system in place between federal and state governments to regulate who may obtain marijuana, its accepted uses, and quality control mechanisms. References Grinspoon, Lester. Medical Marihuana in a Time of Prohibition. International Journal of Drug Policy, April, 1999. Trebach, Arnold S. and Inciardi, James A. Legalize It? Debating American Drug Policy. The American University Press, Washington, DC. 1993. http://my. marijuana. com http://www. cnn. com/health/9702/weed. wars/issues/focus/index. html

Berkshire Hathaway

Berkshire Hathaway IssuesWarren Buffet invoked the substance-over-form concept to justify accounting for the GEICO and General Foods transactions as dividends distributions rather than sales of stock. Do you agree with Buffet that the substance of each of the proportionate redemptions was a dividend and not a sale of stock?In deciding how to account for an unusual or unique transaction for financial reporting purposes, should one consider the tax treatment applied to the transaction?Did Peat Marwick have a right to change its position on the proper accounting treatment for the stock redemptions? What factor or factors may have been responsible for Peat Marwick's decision to change its position regarding these transactions?FactsIn 1983, GEICO announced plans to purchase several million shares of its outstanding common stock for $60 per share. Among GEICO's largest stockholders was Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., an investment company. Executives of the two companies decided that Berkshire would tender approxi mately 350,000 if its GEICO shares in the stock buyback plan, which would allow Berkshire to treat the transaction as a proportionate redemption.English: Berkshire Cotton Manufacturing Company, A...In a proportionate redemption, the percentage equity interest of on company in a second company is maintained at the level that existed immediately before the transaction. For federal taxation purposes, the proceeds received by the investor company in a proportionate redemption are taxed as dividends by applying the effective intercorporate dividend tax rate. In 1983, that tax rate was approximately 6.9 percent.Berkshire also chose to treat the proceeds from the redemption of the GEICO stock as dividend income in its 1983 financial statements. Berkshire's audit firm, Marwick, Mitchell Company, approved that accounting treatment. In 1984, another company in which Berkshire had a significant equity interest, General Foods, announced a stock buyback plan. Again, Berkshire structured the sal e of stock to General Foods...

If PR professionals do their jobs well, they will serve the interests Essay

If PR professionals do their jobs well, they will serve the interests of the people who have paid them. There is a direct confl - Essay Example To aid in coming up with a clear comprehension of the communicative function of the two, a significant number of study theories and concepts have been produced by different research workers. Although the research works have not been fully able to address the subject, they have provided a wide basis as regards theoretical and conceptual notions on the subject. Thus, the most significant quest here is on the idea of the complex and conflicting communicative function of a journalist and public relations professional as regards their day-to-day interaction with their targeted user groups (Bivins 2009, p.103). Since the two professionals are closely related and have great complexity in terms of what exactly differentiates them, it is essential to have a thorough understanding of their respective fields of work. Journalism entails the process of collecting, jotting, editing of news from the public and related areas all around a specified geographic terrain. These news articles are then pre sented in newspapers, radio stations, magazines and television for broadcasting to other members of a whole nation, globally or depending on the defined geographic area to be covered. That is, a journalist’s daily operations involve interaction with the public in gathering and presentation of information. On the other hand, a public health professional’s communicative function is almost the Ð µsame as that of a journalist (Narasimha, 2010, p. 230). Public health professionals involve themselves in putting into practice the act of performing and maintaining a strong (healthy) relationship between the organizations they work for and the members of public and respective stakeholders. That is, their communicative function essentially revolves around a close interaction and sharing of information with the public (Narasimha, 2010, p. 20). The idea in public relations is for an organization to gain exposure to their targeted audience. In the process of gaining exposure, topi cs based on public interest are usually put into practice and items are brought forward with no interest for direct payment. The most significant aim for public relation professionals is to persuade the public, business partners, investors and other stakeholders to keep into practice or mind a specific viewpoint as regards products, leadership and its political aspirations (Bivins 2009, p. 102) It is thus clear that public relation professionals and journalists almost have the same communicative functionality which possesses a conflicting bird’s eye view of the subject. A number of research theories, organization case studies and concepts have addressed this subject. The aim of all these is to clarify or make it clear what each profession puts into close consideration on the notion of communication and interaction with the public (Van Ruler & Vercic 2004). Public relation profession and journalism engross a key set of concepts, readings and theories that make it easy for a pr ofessional, individual or an organization to build reputation among public members and respective stakeholders. Usually businesses or organizations have to be adept in practicing public relations and to put off the idea of considering public relation as only a means of reacting to a scandal (Watson & Noble 2007). As mentioned earlier, journalism puts into close consideration several practices that are closely related or almost the same as public relations. In this

European Politics in the 16th and 17th Centuries Essay

European Politics in the 16th and 17th Centuries - Essay Example From the Spanish point of view, any resistance that the natives demonstrated to the conversion was a work of none other than the Satan. The Spanish presented the natives with an ultimatum to both adopt Christianity and then swear allegiance to the Spanish crown of Castile. Those who would refuse to do that would then face military action. This occurred as one of the immediate and unfortunate effect of the reformation. The intolerance that developed expressed itself in religious wars and persecution. Albeit the main motive should have been to generate the true spirit of Christ or the fatherhood of God and brotherhood of man, the reformation made millions of people to suffer on the account of religion. The main subjects of the Italian, Spanish and Portuguese monarchs were deliberately forced to remain catholic. Those who refused to convert to catholic suffered death or imprisonment. The main aim behind ‘a Short account of the Destruction of the Indies’ was to inform the King of Spain regarding the gold hoarding and the murders that were occurring in the New World. The reason of the expeditions was chiefly to convert the natives to Christianity and as a result protect them from the eternal damnation. In contrast to this, the Spaniards that were sent did not follow the rules that were given to them. Instead they targeted and killed millions of natives for their gold. A minor percentage of the gold that was hoarded was allocated for the Spanish purse. At this time, Christian missionaries such as Las Casas tried their best in order to bring justice to the land.

Effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace Research Paper - 1

Effectiveness of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace - Research Paper Example Harris, Lynette, Alan Tuckman, and Jereme Snook. 2012. "Supporting Workplace Dispute Resolution in Smaller Businesses: Policy Perspectives and Operational Realities". The International Journal of Human Resource Management. 23, no. 3: 607-623. This study was conducted in order to identify the different ways of resolving disputes used by small business entrepreneurs. The researchers identified that ADR has several benefits to offer to small business to both the employer and employees but there is lack of knowledge of ADR concept. Another issue is their failure to defend the solution of ADR in case litigation takes place. Emerson, Robert D., R. Edward Minchin, and Stephen Gruneberg. 2013. "Workers’ Compensation in Construction: Workers’ Benefits Under Alternative Dispute Resolution Systems". Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction. 5, no. 3: 113-121. This research was conducted in order to identify the effectiveness of ADR in case of helping workers obtain benefits and compensation. The researchers identified that the levels of benefits gained through ADR were lower and so was the chances of attaining the benefits. The researchers even identified that when attorneys were involved in ADR case, it was easier to obtain employee benefits. This research was conducted in order to identify how ADR is used in different organizations in different regions. Furthermore it tried to identify the outcomes that have taken place as a result of adopting ADR. The research even focused on the issues connected with the use of ADR in workplace. Brubaker, David, Cinnie Noble, Richard Fincher, Susan Kee-Young Park, and Sharon Press. 2014. "Conflict Resolution in the Workplace: What Will the Future Bring?" Conflict Resolution Quarterly. 31, no. 4: 357-386. This research was conducted in order to exhibit the trends of the use of ADR in solving conflicts that are taking place in organizations and the article even

Challenges Faced By General Motors

Challenges Faced By General Motors The United States (U.S) Multi National Enterprise (MNE) General Motors (GM) is one of the worlds largest automakers, tracing its roots back to 1908. With its global headquarters in Detroit, GM employs 235,000 people in every major region of the world and does business in some 140 countries. GM and its strategic partners produce cars and trucks in 34 countries, and sell and service these vehicles through the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, Golden, Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Saturn, Opel Vauxhall and Saab. In 2006 it sold over 9 million cars and trucks globally in 5 continents with a global market share of 13.5 %. GM has been involved in a range of global ventures aimed at extending their penetration in the carmakers market and has also increased its share of the market as well as sales. GM uses exports, acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances to enter foreign markets based on business considerations. GM has also expanded its capabilities in manufacturing through technological competences. This was achieved by forming subsidiaries, strategic alliances and joint ventures with other automobile companies in different parts of the world. According to (GM Press Release, 2006), the company has been involved in a range of global ventures throughout its history, each of which has aimed at extending its market penetration. Partnering enables GM to rapidly expand its technical fields and brings that knowledge in-house transferring it to multiple levels within the business, even extending it sometimes to corporate issues. Through the various stages of internationalisation, GM was able to enl arge its distribution and provide access to essential materials. Additionally, the company developed and improved its operations, facilities and processes all of which have provided access to new technologies and a rich database of knowledge and new capabilities. The American automobile industry is the biggest in the world in terms of number of cars manufactured and sold. The U.S. automobile market is saturated with the global car manufacturing companies however; the majority of the market share is occupied by domestic and Japanese companies. The outcome of this is a drop in the level of consumption as there are too many entrants competing in the same industry. Because of this decrease in consumption, the automobile industry leaders have been offering attractive incentives and lower prices leading to a loss in profitability. The world-class automakers are gradually expanding into foreign markets, as new emerging markets in China, South East Asia and South America are showing signs of sustainable economic growth. GM overseas operations were a method of diversifying themselves against the risks and uncertainties in their domestic market life cycle, by setting up new operations abroad multinationals can diminish adverse economic downturns. Most MNEs also follow a pattern that has often been laid out in front of them by competitors or similar sized companies that have adopted or mimicked behaviour that has been tested and proven to be success, if the right measures are taken when adopting it. For instance, it has been argued that organizations tend to imitate actions that have been taken by large numbers of organizations, because such practices are legitimized or their success is taken for granted (Fligstein; Haunschild; Haveman; Kraatz; Lewitt). This can also have an adverse affect on an MNE when entering a new market, leaving them less cautious and with a diminished aspiration towards growth, knowing that the chances of that market already being saturated and that the first come first served knowledge is already guaranteed not to be in their possession. This often happens when the specific market they enter does not suit their domain of expertise and experience, resulting in them investing much faster and with a lesser de gree of uncertainty that they would have usually applied. GMs move to internationalise was mainly to reduce costs, attract a larger market and the creation of strategic alliances. The company strategically allied with Fiat in 2000 by acquiring 20 percent of Fiats equity to establish a joint procurement venture. With a split of 50 percent of the capital each, giving them a concentrated purchasing power of about $32 billion per annum, this alliance has the capacity to strengthen their bargaining power as well as reducing the supplier management cost. GM also moved production overseas, as the number of internal competitors grew too high in most of the emerging country home markets. GM needed to find a new incentive to manage a new market while remaining at low cost. GM is a good example of an MNE which underwent internationalization whilst maintaining its position as one of the leading carmakers. It has also followed the theories laid out about internationalisation such as the typical way a company proceeds to penetrate and enter a foreign market. Firstly it will look at the options available and analyse what will be best suited for them considering the high degree of uncertainty and risk associated with entering an unknown market. One such option is licensing but it has to be assessed in a precautious way, due to the fact that they might be risking firm specific advantages by engaging in premature licensing agreements, this is also the least preferred of all three options due to the fact that there is a risk of knowledge dissipation. The only instance when licensing will be considered as a viable option is if the revenue generated from the licensee exceeds the cost of policing it. But also, if they do choose go for an early licensing agreement it may be because their firms specific advantage is hard to duplicate or they have a tight control over the licensee, meaning that they would find it very hard and potentially dangerous to resell any kind of sensitive material to any potential competitor or a third party of any kind. The second option is the possibility that the MNE might only be willing to export at first if the demand of the local market is not high enough for them to want to engage in foreign direct investment and set up an overseas subsidiary, or they may also consider this as a possibly a bit longer down the line depending on the potential growth generated from initial sale patterns and the profitability a larger scale operation would yield. The exporting option also depends on the trade agreements, tariff barriers, taxes, transportation costs and quotas between the two countries involved which sub sequentially determine if the operation will be profitable or maybe another option should be considered. There are two strong examples of how this has been reproduced by GM. The first is the case of General Motors do Brasil, which is GMs third largest operation outside of the U.S after being recently overtaken by China. In the beginning, the activities were in the assembly of vehicles imported from the United States. After five years, GMB officially opened its first plant in 1930 in Sà £o Paulo. Here we can see that exporting lead to the full scale creation of a production facility which was so successful a second one was opened 28 years later, thus resulting in Brasil being the main exporter of GM automobiles in the whole of South America. Breaking out of their domestic market and becoming an exporter themselves in a very short space of time and for such a large operation really does provide evidence that internationalisation does not spread from one point outwards with only one epicentre at its core but rather creates and distributes smaller nodes that in time expand themselves and r epeat the process so on, just as how it is described in the network approach. Once the firm has passed the cultural barriers and had its first experience of foreign operations, it is generally willing to conquer one market after another (Carlson, 1966). The second example is when the Cadillac brand was introduced to China in 2004, starting with imports from the U.S, which then lead to the Chevrolet making its first appearance on the Chinese market one year later. They were then able to move production operations to their Shanghai GM plant which opened as a joint venture with SAIC in 1997, initially created for the Buick brand that is especially strong in China. In this case exporting was clearly used as a testing method for foreign products penetrating the Chinese domestic market, market-specific knowledge and general knowledge are important for firms internationalization (Johanson and Vahlne, 1977). Dunnings Eclectic theory which sets out to explain that foreign direct investment as a theory can be unified as long as the firms applying it consider the ownership, location and internalisation of the process that will produce substantial benefits if applied accordingly. This is also the case if the extent, the form and pattern of international production is founded on the juxtaposition of the ownership to specific advantages that a firms posses when contemplating foreign production. This is reflected in GMs move to manufacture most of its China-market vehicles locally, through its Shanghai GM joint venture, GM also plans to create a research facility in Shanghai for $250m to develop hybrid cars and alternative energy vehicles. Therefore GM follows a path suggested by Dunning to gain advantage in terms of competitiveness and cost by ownership in foreign market and aim to expand. The Network Approach emphasises the industry as a system of networks, each firm within network has relationships with customers, suppliers etc†¦ These relations are important competitive advantages which the Network model also suggests the firm needs to take into account and evaluate not only its own position in the market in relation to its customers, but also the environment of that market in relation to others such as competitors, new entrants etc†¦ GM and Fiat formed a strategic alliance, with GM owning a 20% share in Fiat and Fiat SpA receiving 5.1% of GMs shares in exchange. Production and ownership have both been improved when a recent alliance took place under the form of two joint ventures (owned 50% by Fiat and 50% by GM). The first will conduct purchasing activities, while the second will produce engines and gear equipment which is mainly aimed at cutting expenses. Hence GM has followed the network model to some degree as their joint venture come in terms of rela tions with Fiat. By collaborating they have reduced the cost and the innovation has resulted in new production techniques. Which gave both of them some degree of competitiveness as they have gained purchasing power as well as reduced cost in terms of purchasing from the suppliers.

Analysis Of Morality :: essays research papers fc

The Republicans Were Right, But –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The sanctity of the oath† (Keillor 102), the controversial hot topic of this year. This is a subject that has sparked great debates not only to those in Congress, but among the American people as well. Some hold the oath as a promise of civility and humanity. On the other hand, others view the morality the oath is supposed to stand for as unreachable and unattainable. In my opinion Garrison Keillor sums it up in his essay, â€Å"The Republicans Were Right, But.† I feel this is a good essay based upon the author’s argument of morality, his use of symbolism, and the entire structure of the essay.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The rhetorical situation in any given essay or editorial contains three main parts: the author, the audience, and the medium. The author of this essay, Garrison Keillor, was born and raised in Anoka, Minnesota in 1942. As Mr. Keillor points out quite clearly in the first paragraph of his essay, he is a democrat. According to the Minnesota Public Radio home page, he hosts a weekly talk show on public radio called â€Å" A Prairie Home Companion.† He also hosts the â€Å"Writers Almanac,† a daily five-minute program. He is a frequent contributor to Time Magazine, and the author of ten books, including Lake Wobegon Days (1985). Keillor’s recording of Lake Wobegon Days received a Grammy award; he has also received two ACE awards for cable TV and a George Foster Peabody Award. In 1994, he was inducted to the Radio Hall of Fame at the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago (Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia). The intended audience for this essay is people that are interested in current affairs. The medium for this essay is TIME Magazine, a general news purpose magazine. Given the rhetorical situation, his argument appears to be very specific.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To argue is to attempt to convince a reader to agree with a point of view, to make a decision, or to pursue a particular course of action (Eschholz, Rosa, and Clark 429). In an argument there are three main elements: ethos, logos, and pathos. In ethos, the author tries to build his/her character to the audience. In this particular essay, Mr. Keillor does not build his credibility very well. The only information he reveals is that he is a democrat, which can be found in paragraph one of the essay. The details of Mr.

American Ethic History

In the onset of the year 1776 that a writer named Thomas Jefferson conceived and drafted the Declaration of Independence. Such eloquent phrasing made it to be such a masterpiece in the history of political writing. The declaration, in its fight for democracy and sovereignty as it was besieged by Great Britain that time had constructed a way in which to breakaway and attain their freedom that is through the declaration of Independence.The Declaration of Independence consists of three parts; one is about the grievances that England’s King, George III had initiated, the second is the legitimacy of the revolt and third is the statement of principles concerning the rights of men. In which case, it was stated in the declaration that all men are created equal and has inherent right as endowed by the Creator to pursue a life of happiness, life and liberty.It illiterates that the government exists to protect these rights as given by the people but when thwarted, it is the right of thes e people to obstruct and alter these by creating a new government that will be in accordance to the principles, that is their right. It was through this declaration that the people of America were able to express their desire for equality and independence. Through this powerful remark as written by Jefferson that â€Å"all men are created equal,† that several race and nations alike were able to fight for their right as humans as it is inherently theirs.The phrase, not to mention the masterpiece itself has up to now, creates a great deal of impact to the people, especially to the oppressed so that they have something that they can hold on to in times of grievances and despair. Through these words, many people, countries and races suffering have been strengthened, as the words lit the fires for the battle ahead, for democracy and the right to be treated as equals. It is then a contradiction that the Naturalization Act of 1790 was proclaimed with the discrimination against race and sex.Naturalization Act of 1790 Naturalization is a process in which a person who has other countries of origin or birth is given the right to become citizens of the country. In the Naturalization Act of 1790, the Congress passed an act stating that any alien, being a free, white person can be a citizen of the country after two years of stay. The Act came to be when the Congress realized that the newly independent country consists of many different races, African slaves, the French, Native Americans, and other immigrants from European countries.With the right of citizenship, the selected few have the capacity to vote and exercise their right to make decisions. The Issue It is such a contradiction to the part of the Congress to discriminate the people in means of color. The others who are not given the rights to citizenshp are treated as inferiors. This is also the time where trade of African slaves are afoot and wherein women are not given the right to vote and work as they pleas e.It is then to that aspect that the Naturalization Act even though there is no naming of gender, in particular it only states â€Å"any free white alien† but with the deprived right of women to vote, the Naturalization Act for women is of no use to them. This onslaught of discrimination through the creation of the Naturalization Act is a contradiction to the Declaration of Independence that was uphold in July 4 of 1776, that all men were created as equals by the Creator and therefore shoulf live a life that is just and meaningful.To treat the Africans not to mention other races with a color different from theirs in a way that is no different from the buying and selling of an inanimate object is a violation of such constitution. To restrict women in doing household chores and caring for children without any priveledge to express their thoughts or without a means of independence such as freedom to work is also a violation to the constitution they once so proudly uphold. The Ro ot Cause Slave trading has been prevalent in the United States since the 17th century wherein natives from Africa are captured and sold as slaves.They served their purpose as they were forced to labor on productions crops that includes sugar, tobacco, coffee, and cotton. It was not until 1865 that they were given the rights to be a part of the country In the part of women suffrage, it took a longer time before women were granted the right to vote (1920’s). Women during that time are have no means to acquire education nor work. Like the slaves, they are treated as second-class citizen and not much was expected from them.It was a time where white male individuals were the only ones who was able to have the full grant of being citizens to the country. Conclusion In conclusion, one of the reasons that may come into consideration when thinking about the contradictions in American history maybe due to the influence of culture and strong tradition that occurred. During that time, th eir way of thinking was not that advanced and modernized so as to free slaves and give women the right to vote because that is a situation wherein they are not used to.It took a lot of time before thay can accommodate that into their minds that not only male and white persons are Americans. Africans and women had long been with them and in such time have proven their right to be a part of the country. In the light of today, some problems are still in need of a solution, it cannot be said that we have attained true freedom. There is still many who suffer due to discrimination of their gender and their race and that is a challenge to attain the true equality we all hope for. References Foner, Eric, and John A. Garraty, eds.(1991) The Reader's Companion to American History. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. Gilje, Paul A. â€Å"Declaration of Independence. † Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2007 [DVD]. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 2006. Kerber, Linda K. (1998). No Constitutional Right t o Be Ladies: Women and the Obligations ofCitizenship. New York: Hill and Wang. Kettner, James H. The Development of American Citizenship, 1608–1870. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press,. Smith, Rogers M. (1997). Civic Ideals: Conflicting Visions of Citizenship in U. S. History. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Jet Airways Essay

Naresh Goyal, who already owned JetAir (Private) Limited (which provided sales and marketing for foreign airlines in India) took advantage of this opportunity by setting up Jet Airways as a fullservice scheduled airline that would give competition to state-owned Indian Airlines. Indian Airlines had enjoyed a monopoly in the domestic market between 1953, when all major Indian air transport providers were nationalised under the Air Corporations Act (1953), and January 1994, when the Air Corporations Act was repealed, following which Jet Airways received scheduled airline status. Jet Airways’ 45 destinations include most of the big cities in India. International destinations include Kathmandu, Colombo, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, London’s Heathrow Airport, Bangkok, Brussels and Newark. Jet Airways was the first private airline in India to fly to international destinations. It started international operations in March 2004 between Chennai and Colombo after it had been cleared by the Government of India to operate scheduled services to international destinations. MACRO ENVIRONMENT FACTORS: Economic Economic environment of India and world affects the airline industry to a great extent. Factors like fluctuations in global fuel prices, exchange rates, slowdown etc have varying impact on the way Jet Airways has been operating in this sector. One of the most important aspect that has greatly affected the world’s transportation system is the high fuel price. Besides high taxes, jet fuel prices have become costlier than crude oil prices which have greatly affected the bottom-line for many airlines including Jet Airways. State taxes on ATF available through government agencies vary between 4% and 30%, making the fuel 30% to 50% costlier than the global average. In Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh the cess is 25% or higher. The three listed airline companies – Jet Airways, Kingfisher and SpiceJet – all of which reported losses in the quarter ending December 2011, blamed rising ATF cost for their bad financial performance. In February 2012, the Centre gave a nod to direct import of ATF on a case-to-case basis But once airlines start importing ATF, traffic at the country’s congested ports is likely to increase, making matters worse for exporters and importers. Airlines will also have to factor in the cost of transporting ATF from the various ports in the country to airports around the country, something which could eventually lead to increase in the ATF cost. Jet Airways in its financial report has also indicated the losses that it has incurred due to rupee depreciation. It has been reported that revenue from exceptional items decreased by 61% from Rs. 18,919 lakhs in Fiscal 2011 to Rs. 7,319 lakhs in Fiscal 2012 mainly on account of depreciation of the Rupee against the Dollar in the current year. Even in the past Jet Airways has experienced slowdown because of global recession. In 2008 during recession, Jet Airways was forced to discontinue the following routes: Ahmedabad–London, Amritsar–London, Bangalore–Brussels and Mumbai–Shanghai– San Francisco. It also had to put an indefinite delay on its expansion plans. Naresh Goyal, Jet Airways promoter is unable to put in more funds via his holding company due to FDI restrictions. He holds 80% in Jet Airways through Tailwinds. He claims NRI status, where 100% ownership is allowed. However, Goyal’s investment is via Tailwinds, which is considered FDI by the Indian government. Tailwinds is registered in the Isle of Man. In India, only 49% FDI investment is permissible in aviation. Airline business is a complicated one and only airlines would be interested in investing domestic carriers. The government is looking at allowing foreign airlines to invest in domestic carriers but there would be no change in FDI cap of 49%. In this 49%, currently foreign airlines are not allowed to participate. So if this change happens then there would be inflow of funds from foreign airlines. The announcement of ECB (External Commercial Borrowing) with a limit $1 billion in the Budget 2012 will also give some relief to debt ridden airline companies. Shareholding Naresh Goyal 80% FII 6. 7% DII 7% Public hold 6. 3% Social The backbone of the airline industry is people. Individuals in the management, technical and crew are responsible for undertaking the task of serving their customers with utmost care and excellence. These individuals are trained and tailored to the industry’s needs before they are allowed to work. They need to meet certain standards of service and technical knowledge designed to satisfy the customers. For this reason the players invest millions of dollars to improve the knowledge of their workers. Jet Airways plans to set up a marketing services firm and launch an aviation training academy, with a total investment of Rs 1 crore. The proposal is, however, subjected to regulatory approvals, including those from the Foreign Investment Promotion Board and the Reserve Bank of India. The proposed academy would be based in Mumbai and offer certificate courses in in-flight services, ticket reservation and check-in services, according to a brochure brought out for the institute. Operations in the northeast are guided by the government’s Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) which entails that all Indian carriers fly to the northeast and other remote parts of the country, more so as a social obligation. After posting a loss of Rs 298 crore in the last quarter, Jet Airways has sought government clearance to scale down its flights to the northeastern region by about half to stem the losses. Technological Technological factors in macroenvironment are the most dramatic forces in changing the market place. They help the business to create new products and harness new opportunities. Jet Airways makes strategic use of the latest technology to interact with passengers at a global level. Its significant presence on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and Flickr ensures increase in awareness and reach of the company brand. The company’s growth on the social media networking platform has been noteworthy registering an exponential increase in the number of followers and fans on Twitter and Facebook. In the coming year, the Company aims to introduce state-of-the-art mobile applications for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and Windows mobile phones. These applications will provide passengers with a convenient and seamless option to book tickets, check-in, access their JetPrivilege account etc. using their mobile phones. Additionally, the Company intends to commence the use of 2D Mobile Bar-coded boarding passes for guests who have checked-in for their flights, thus providing a paperless travel experience. Political In India, one can never over-look the political factors which influence each and every industry existing in the country. Like it or not, the political interference has to be present everywhere. Given below are a few of the political factors with respect to the airline industry: The airline industry is very susceptible to changes in the political environment. One instance of Government Policy resulting in great uncertainty is the fact that the Indian Government has not allowed foreign airlines to participate in FDI in aviation as yet. So the airline industry, which is currently facing draught of funds can still not expect foreign players to chip in. International airlines are greatly affected by trade relations that their country has with others. Unless governments of the two countries trade with each other, there could be restrictions of flying into particular area leading to a loss of potential air traffic (e. g. Pakistan & India) Political factors can also affect the day-to-day working of the airline industry. For instance, in 2009, Jet Airways announced plans to lay-off 1800 employees that were undergoing probation with the Company. What happened was a PR disaster for the Airline. First the laid off employees suddenly became socialist in their approach and later went a step further managing to politicize the whole matter by seeking support from MNS’s Raj Thackeray. Other parties and sundry ministers then followed the suit and jumped into the bandwagon, until the Jet Management had to revert the decision and ask laid off employees to join the duty back. Legal and Regulatory Operating in a cross border network of alliances and partnerships, multinational companies like Jet airways are subject to international and national regulations in terms of assignment of routes and destinations; international aviation regulations; partner’s legal standing as well as local laws. These constraints not only leave little room for airlines to operate but are also the sources for its highly efficient value chain. Another aspect is industrial relations. Personnel in the airlines industry from pilots to cabin crew to technicians everyone work in the capacity and provisions given by the laws prevalent globally. For this reason, everyone is cognizant of their rights to legal aid if required. Since most of the airline personnel in the world have associations and unions they tend to have an upper hand over management. The management therefore has to comply with their demands if it is within the capacity of the law Not only is this but the airlines also subject to strict safety, hygiene and efficient regulations. Airlines that do not deliver services according to international standards do not only lose out in the competition but are also subjected to aviation penalties. The principal regulatory authority that regulates the civil aviation sector in India is the Director General of Civil Aviation, or DGCA. To operate scheduled services in India, an airline requires an operating permit from the DGCA. This permit is required to be renewed on a year-to-year basis. An airline incorporated in India and operating scheduled services is also required to register all its aircraft with the DGCA, save and except aircraft which are wet leased. On July 10 2012 aviation regulator E K Bharat Bhushan was abruptly removed from his key position in the backdrop of his tough stance against debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines over its failure to pay salaries to its employees. Newly-appointed chief of the Directorate-General of Civil Aviation Prashant Sukul on 13th July 2012 asked all airlines to strictly adhere to prescribed safety standards. Demographics Indian aviation industry promises huge growth potential due to large and growing middle class population, favorable demographics, rapid economic growth, higher disposable incomes, rising aspirations of the middle class, and overall low penetration levels (less than 3%). Few prominent factors we need to look at from demographics perspective: Working age population India is blessed with a young and growing population. India has amongst the best demographic ratio globally and this would continue to improve over next three to four decades. As compared to children and elderly, a relatively higher percentage of the earning population travels by air to save working hours and for business. The rising proportion of people of working age also implies higher disposable income as pressure on household for the needs of dependent children & elderly comes down. Both the above factors along with a growing working age population would lead to higher demand for air travel. Exploding Middle Class McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) predicts that the India’s middle class will reach 583 million from the current 50 million by 2025. With this exploding middle class the demand for air travel is bound to go up in a unidirectional way. Nuclear families increase – Increasing VFR (Visiting Friends and Relatives) Travel The traditional ‘joint-family’ system in India is rapidly breaking up. With increasing expenses and with more people migrating to cities for work, people are increasingly opting for nuclear and small families. This trend of smaller families has also bought a change to their lifestyles, with friends & relatives visiting more frequently and families taking more vacations – implying greater frequency of travel. Air travel is finding a growing proportion of this additional travel, with smaller families making air travel for the entire family more affordable. Increasing Employment Growing employment means higher disposable income, more business travel and higher opportunity cost of travel time. All these contribute to higher demand for air travel. Increasing Leisure Travel Tourism accounts only for 2. 5% of India’s GDP, versus 6% in Asia Pacific and 5. 3% in China. However this ratio is fast changing with India emerging amongst the fast growing tourism destinations in the world.

Ist Corinthians Essays - First Epistle To The Corinthians

Ist Corinthians Essays - First Epistle To The Corinthians Ist Corinthians First Corinthians is a single, whole document written by Paul in the early 50s C.E. The letter was written in Ephesus, and intended for the members of a church that had been newly built in Corinth, Greece. Paul focused the correspondences, to the church, on some issues that were plaguing the citizens of Corinth. The issues included sex, Christian unity, behavior in the church, and resurrection. Through each correspondence, Paul gives rules and directions for the people of Corinth to follow. Pauls letters to Corinth were the most extensive correspondences to any one church or city in the entire New Testament. Paul converted to Christianity from Judaism because of a revelation of Jesus Christ. Now, Paul was traveling around northern Greece to churches in Phillipi, Thessalonica, and Beroea. Paul briefly stopped in Athens before taking a trip to Corinth. The fact that Paul was able to make this long trip shows the strength, stamina, and the deeply felt beliefs that carried Paul along the way. Paul stayed in the city of Corinth for about a year and a half, before sailing to Ephesus. It is from this city that Paul wrote the letters to the church in Corinth. The people of Corinth were by no means saints or angels. The Emperor, Augustus, made the city of Corinth the most luxurious and richest city in all of Greece, as well as the most inhabited. In fact, the city was the Greek capital in 27 C.E. By the time Paul arrived in 50 C.E., the city had a reputation for prosperity, trade and materialism. Corinth was also a large and very busy seaport that had many sailors, which would visit from all across Europe. These sailors were notorious for hanging around the legions of prostitutes that inhabited the city. The patron goddess was Aphrodite, and it was no surprise that many citizens of Corinth were engaging in sexual acts that they should not. It is for this very reason that Paul wrote two letters, setting forth the principles of sexual ethics that the people should follow. Also, the first letter to Corinth shows that early Christians were from different backgrounds, both rich and poor, not just the poor. It is this socioeconomic diversity tha t promotes different views and practices in the church. These different views and practices are what threatened the unity of the church in Corinth. This city was in dire need of the letters from Paul, to help show them the correct way to live their lives. The first thing that Paul wanted to do, was to end all the rivalries and problems among the Corinthians that were causing a division among the masses. As stated in 1 Corinthians 8-10, he wanted the people of Corinth to work together in a cooperative way that would be mutually beneficial to all. Now there were not that many in the congregation, maybe 50 or 100, but the group was divide into several cliques. It was the cliques that Paul wished to end. Differences in social, economic, and educational backgrounds were a big part of the reason why there was any division at all. These differences led to a competitive nature because of some groups thinking they were better, and more superior to other groups. Pauls belief was this, there was no difference if you were black, white, Greek or Roman, and each person is one in Jesus Christ. He was trying to show the people of Corinth that in the new faith, there was no place for either competitiveness or individual pride. In fact it was the pride , or boastfulness that Paul aimed at the most. Paul knew that some of the citizens in Corinth thought themselves to be able to have a deeper understanding of things, than that of their fellow Christians. Paul wanted to put every citizen of Corinth on the same playing field intellectually. In fact, he let it be known to the citizens that they did not find Christ, Christ revealed himself to them, on his own accord. Paul also, in this first correspondence, tried to define the limits of a Christians freedom. Paul wanted the people of Corinth to not even worry about Torah. Basically, the citizens were free

Surveillance of literature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Surveillance of literature - Essay Example These imbalances are identifiable in tenses and temporal orientation. The imbalance has been brought about by constant development of new technologies, which have served to displace historical literature analysis, and introduced new ways of literature analysis. This has caused tracing the historical development of the social environment a big challenge, which can only be overcome through learning the history of surveillance, notably the change from the pre-computerized duration to the computerized age of post modernity (Genosko & Thompson, 2006 p123). Therefore, this article presents two major issues, which are analyzed from their traditional perspective to their post-modernity nature. The two major concepts are: Temporal disunity This is a major concept presented by the article, where a disparity between the traditional concepts of time and the present concepts are identified. In the post modernity era, the concept of time has become more and more vivid, especially as it relates to the present and real time definition (Genosko & Thompson, 2006 p129). There is a thin line between the present and the real-time in the post-computer era, as compared to the pre-computer era, where the sequence of activities was traceable, giving a clear difference between what was happening presently and what was happening in real-time (Mehlbaum, 2011 p29).... However, this has changed in the post modernity era, where information is generated from the computer, where it has been stored, losing the temporal essence of the literature (Hedgecock, 2008 p63). This is because, although the information could be recorded with details such as the date and the time a transaction occurred, it is not possible to define the actual behavior of the individual at the time of the occurrence of that event (Genosko & Thompson, 2006 p130). Thus, the introduction of ICT has changed surveillance of literature from an initial form where it was visible, to the post modern form where the event remains known, but invisible. The post modernity surveillance of literature is beneficial since it has simplified and automated the process, making it possible to easily record and retrieve information on any given subject, whenever such an action is deemed necessary. However, it has made the process of recreating meaning both hard and uncertain (Lyon, 2007 p209). This has o ccurred because, while the pre-computer era allowed for physical observation of literature and the consequent construction of meaning, based on the observable behavior, the case is different for the post modernity era. The transformation of the temporal horizon by the ICT in the post modernity era has eliminated the chances of criticizing past events, since the visible aspect of the literature is nonexistent. Additionally, the transformation of the temporal horizon has made it difficult for the interpretation of the history of past events to occur (Genosko & Thompson, 2006 p131). The emphasis on the concept of real-time by the post modernity era has resulted to the convergence of both the past and the future in duration-less platform, where it is no longer

Explain the significance of Hamlet hecuba speech Essay

Explain the significance of Hamlet hecuba speech - Essay Example The significance of this monologue is in expressing the thought of Shakespeare, that the world is theatre, and all people are actors in it. 'World-theater' metaphor is the core of the whole Shakespeare's work. This monologue does not separate him with the First actor, but only makes them closer. It is based on the plot, which is far from being familiar to the English audience of XVII century, and can be supposed the most emotional of all tragedy. By asking 'What's Hecuba to him' Hamlet implies the whole story, taking place in the Danish kingdom, and this question makes Hamlet stand further away from the reader and from himself, making him the commentator of his own story. This monologue is the means of discovering the deep sense of tragedy - the metaphor 'theater-world' and to trace, how sophisticated is the transition from one reality into another. The significance of Hamlet Hecuba speech is in being the principal Shakespeare's means of showing the implications and thoughts of the tragedy. The work is abundant in parallels and comparisons of the reality with the theater. Thus, the significance of the described speech in making this plot line evident can be subjected to no argument.