Leagalizing Marijuana Essay Example

Leagalizing Marijuana Essay Example Leagalizing Marijuana Essay Leagalizing Marijuana Essay Smoking weed is nothing new to most Americans. This is generally speaking, but it is safe to say that most Americans have either experimented or know some that are active weed smokers. Smoking weed seems to be a relatively harmless drug when compared to legal drugs and alcohol. Marijuana and other illicit drugs became mainstream in the 1960s. Marijuana is less addictive and less fatal. Marijuana usage has been popularized across generations and cultures as an acceptable drug. The conversations about Mary Jane (slang term for marijuana) can be plenty. There are the issues of whether marijuana should be legal. Is marijuana a gateway drug to more dangerous or addictive drugs? Do the government handle marijuana related crimes appropriately? Marijuana is illegal. It is illegal to smoke, sale, and possess marijuana in Indiana. Different states are seeming to lean toward making weed legal. Many states have already adopted to allow marijuana usuage for medicinal purposes. Patients are being prescribed legal medical marijuana in places like Rhode Island for cancerous treatments. These are the trends in leniency towards a controlled substance that seemingly has less harmful physical effects than cigarettes. Marijuana usuage is moving closer towards legalization nationwide for medicinal usage and recreational usage. The only issue is the abuse of this drug by those not of legal age. According to the Webster definition, Marijuana is the dried leaves and flowering tops of the pistillate hemp plant that yield THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) and is smoked in cigarettes for their intoxicating effect. The main ingredient to marijuana is THC, and this is what causes the intoxicating effects to the user. The side effects of smoking marijuana range from delayed judgement, increased appetite, and a slight feeling of euphoria (Webster). These are the side effects of using marijuana called the high. The level of high will vary from person to person and the amount of marijuana used. Chronic usage of marijuana is not physically addictive, but it is mildly psychologically habit forming (Webster). The excessive user is usually portrayed in the media as lazy and lacks ambition. There are no chemicals in marijuana that makes it addicting like nicotin is addictive in cigarettes. Although marijuana is an illegal controlled substance, some may justify their usage by pointing out weeds positives and opposing it with the negatives of other drugs. It is not legal or socially acceptable to go into a public place and smoke a blunt (marijuana rolled in a cigar wrap). However, you can buy drinks in a bar and drive home drunk. This is not always the absolute case, but the point is, which of the two is more harsh? Cocaine has been seen as a more socially acceptable drug through a more lavish culture in the 1980s, but its effects are more dangerous than marijuana as well. Marijuana usage is the highest among all illegal drugs. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2012, alcohol and tobacoo users die in more significant numbers of any users of illict drugs (New Internationalist). People lose their lives in significant numbers from drunk drivers irresponsibility. Smoking cigarettes is confirmed to cause cancer, and they will kill you. People continue to smoke. One of the oppositions to the cigarette versus weed argument is that marijuana smoke can be just as harmful as cigarette smoke. The way you smoke marijuana and the way you smoke cigarettes are different. Marijuana smoke is inhaled and exhaled slower and longer. Cigarettes are inhaled and exhaled quicker. It is believed that marijuana has just as much carcinogens as cigarettes, which is a cancer causing agent. Marijuana has 50-70% more carcinogens than cigarettes (Winterfeld). Marijuana smokers are at some harm with the carcinogens that causes cancer, but marijuana is also known for helping to cure cancer and an array of other medical issues. Medical marijuana has been proven to be beneficial in an series of health issues and that is why it should be legalized for those purposes. Marijuana has been known to treat various forms of cancer, glaucoma, and AIDS (Webster). There is also an example of a guy being prescribed medical marijuana for stress on the job (Manley). Many states are adopting laws that allow the sale and usage of medical marijuana. There are currently 16 States and the District of Columbus that have legalized marijuana for medical use, Colorado and Washington has laws that permit marijuana for recreational use (Malinowski,Winterfeld). Medical marijuana brings revenue to states and it is taxed three ways: the grower, processor, and retailer (Malinowski). States that are adopting these laws that permit marijuana usage for medical and recreational reasons are benefiting economically, but marijuana smokers are still subject to the same smoking laws as cigarette smokers. Even in those states that have no smoking laws in public places, the same laws apply for marijuana smokers (Winterfeld). There is supposedly a second-hand high you feel from second hand smoke from marijuana, unlike cigarettes this may or may not have a negative effect on the bystander. Aside from the medical issues, and economic issues related to refer (another name for marijuana), medical marijuana is just as risky as any other drug when used irresponsibly by irresponsible individuals. Using drugs has consequences that can affect so many aspects of your life. The vulnerable teenage years can be trying and adding drugs can lead to a downward slope through negativity. The majority of addictions begin in the adolescent years. There is a significant amount of adults who support legalization of marijuana for recreational use. Since there are health issues related to marijuana usage, these supporters believe marijuana should only be legal for adults 21 years and older. The teenage brain is still developing and using drugs will damage the student putting them at risk for academic failure (Scutti). Failure in academics lead to failures in life after adolescence. The compulsive marijuana user has a list of long term health effects. Excessive marijuana usage over a long period of time will cause the teens brain to be hard wired to crave the drug. Compulsive weed smoking can cause problems in relationships, emotional maturity, and jobs. There is also studies that show marijuana usage is linked to early onset schizophrenia and a significant IQ impairment (The News Tribune). These negative issues that comes along with using drugs are very heavy for teenagers. It is important that marijuana, no matter how small we think it is compared to other drugs, should definitely be regulated. Marijuana seems to have relatively less negative effects physically and socially, but it is illegal and the minority drug dealers are often treated unfairly compared to whites that commit the same crimes. The government is seeming to have a hard time with regulating and reducing drug laws and convictions. There has not been a decrease in demand for illegal drugs. The demand for marijuana has increased by 8% from 1998 to 2008. It is also noted that cocaines demand increased by 27% and the demand for opiates increased by 34% (The Internationalist). The harder the drug, the more the demand increases. The physical and social harm that any drugs cause cannot really be compared as to which one is worse, but this logic can be applied when we look at the resources that the government use for drug related cases and the unfair convictions when it comes to race. Whites use drugs just as often as blacks, and they are arrested for drug related crimes in the same numbers. Blacks and hispanics are convicted more often than whites though (The Internationalist). This logic is simple, it would be beneficial for lawmakers to consider or reconsider marijuana in terms of drug laws. Marijuana isnt as harmful, and to place people in prison for marijuana related charges may eventually be obsolete. One of the major concerns about legalizing marijuana, is the accessibility for the youth. Marijuana, like any street drug is easily obtainable. Drug dealers of all forms supply marijuana to users in several different venues. It is even believed that one could buy marijuana from an unnamed library in Indiana the 1970s. Marijuana is also grown as a cash crop or for personal usage (Manly). The easy access to marijuana makes it easier for impressionable teenagers to become addictive and experiment with other illicit drugs. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, World Drug Report 2012, atleast 25% of teenagers in the US have reported drug use. Drug use peaks between the ages of 18-25, and the typical age for drug related deaths is around the mid thirties (The International). This is a short window for teenagers that promote to higher drugs through their adulthood to death. The belief that weed is a gateway drug raises concern for our youth to increase their life span. Drug abusers do not live long. The issue of legalizing marijuana remains to be a multi-faceted issue. Marijuana is good because it is therapeutic in chemotherapy and other terminal illnesses. Medical marijuana is also good for struggling economies to gain extra revenue. Marijuana isnt as bad as other drugs like crack, or even legal drugs like cigarettes and alcohol. The effects from the high may not be as dangerous as a drunk from alcohol. Marijuana can be just as harmful as cigarettes, and are subject to the same laws as the states that are banning tobacco smoke in public places. More states are being more lenient in their drug laws for marijuana use, but this trend has to be regulated to protect our youth.

How to Write a Successful Management Research Report

How to Write a Successful Management Research Report How to Write a Successful Management Research Report Research reports are important in all the departments. They are written in order to help the department solve some problems as well as get prepared for some of the problems that might occur in the future if there has been no way to solve the problem. There all the people in the different working stations have to learn how to write reports. The people who work in the Management department therefore have learned how to write a successful Management research report through their research. Some of the tips that they use are as follows. The employee should choose the topic in which she will do the research on. Though most of the times one is just given instructions on the topic to cover, other times one is given a chance to choose a topic therefore one should choose the topic that he is comfortable in. the researcher should also understand that the people who will judge the paper are also human beings and therefore he should do the best the he can without fearing because after all he did the best he could. If you fear the person who will mark the paper thinking that he will reject the paper then you have no option but to think like them. Try to think what they want from you and this way you will have the confidence to write what you will find out. If one is unable to do the research then he should also seek help from the computers. They at least help in correcting the minor errors that one has made in the writing and they can also help one to do the research especially through the internet. The internet helps one to find the main points that are required in that research. Any information that you find important should be recorded in the computer or should be kept in a safe place so as to avoid the loss of the information. Also try to create and draw some diagrams so that you can have a clear imagination of what you are coming up with. The diagram can tell you the kind of a report that you are coming up with whether it is correct or wrong. Use the correct verb tense in the paper. While referring to those events that occurred in the past use past tense, for those events that are happening use of present tense is recommended, and of the events to come use of future tense is recommended. This is because the use wrong tenses at the wrong places will create confusion to the readers of the report. After all the work is done then the researcher should go through the work to ensure that all the required points are written as well as all corrections are made. At you can get a custom Management research report professionally written by academic writers.

Defining toughness in college hoops Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Defining toughness in college hoops - Essay Example It is evident from the study that Jay Bilas, the author of the article â€Å"Defining toughness in college hoops† clarified that his original perception of toughness was â€Å"physical and based on how much punishment I could dish out and how much I could take†. Therefore, by using explicit description of what toughness was not necessarily what it obviously means, the author started establishing his arguments using narration, description, and comparison. For example, the guidelines expounded on setting a good screen, the author defined what it takes for basketball players to manifest the necessary actions in terms of â€Å"improving the chances for a teammate to get open†¦and greatly improving your chances of getting open. A good screen can force the defense to make a mistake†. In contrast, setting a bad screen was not effectively described. The only explanation provided was that â€Å"a lazy or bad screen is a waste of everyone's time and energy†. Th e definition is lacking and insufficient to clearly differentiate disparity with an effective strategy. In addition, as readers get to evaluate the guidelines, it was apparent that the author did not provide an effective structure or logical format of presentation. In this regard, there is failure to use logical reasoning. The guidelines, though effective in the entirety, could have been presented in a more logical structure that categorizes the topics in sub-headings. For example, the author explained â€Å"set a good screen† and another topic as â€Å"don’t get screened†. These topics could actually be lumped together under ‘techniques for effective screening’. ... Another example is the author’s discussion on: â€Å"jump to the ball† (Bilas 2) and â€Å"play the ball, see your man† (Bilas 3); which could again be discussed in one sub-heading that could be entitled ‘tough ways of handling the ball’. The guidelines were apparently written in no particular order and could have been presented depending on the ideas that came to the author’s mind. It could be rationalized though that since the author knew that the article was specifically written with basketball enthusiasts, particularly players, as the audience of his discourse, the style, format or structure would not be examined and critiqued to diminish the veracity of the contents. However, considering that the author was duly established as a renowned basketball analyst, his credibility in providing the information was rightfully validated. Further, as indicated from the discourse, his personal experiences playing â€Å"in the ACC, for USA Basketball, in NBA training camps, and as a professional basketball player in Europe† (Bilas 1) has proven that he was acquired vast authority in to relay competency in the topic. The ability to conform to ethos due to his reputable background made his contentions and arguments valid. Finally, the article’s ability to more the audience through eliciting emotional appeal could be viewed as effective. The main support to validate the author’s success was his narrative discourse attesting that when he initially wrote a short blog on the topic, the response was â€Å"overwhelming. Dozens of college basketball coaches called to tell me that they had put the article up in the locker room, put it in each player's locker, or had gone over it in detail with

First nations approach to natural resource management Assignment

First nations approach to natural resource management - Assignment Example A recognition and reconciliation act was the proposed outcome of these negotiations but later on such legislation was dismissed as dead by the First Nations summit in August 2009. (All Chiefs Assembly 2009) Though the act in its proposed form was not acceptable to the majority of indigenous people, all these new debates have an importance of their own as stepping stones towards evolving consensus. The whole thing failed only because of the ambivalent acts of the Province as on one side the authorities said they were implementing the New Relationship while on the other, the court cases against the indigenous communities and conflicts lingered as usual. (All Chiefs Assembly 2009). But this debate provided a platform for the aboriginals to demand that â€Å"enforcement of (the) indigenous titles and rights as called for by the United Nations’ Declaration on the rights of indigenous people† is the only viable solution. Christian paper, 2009, para.3). Thus a tilt in public discourse is evident which in turn will put weight on the arguments of the First Nations people. So the negotiations have to continue and any new legislation must be based on deep consultation. Question 2-The authors of the Christian paper see their titles and rights as â€Å"inherited from (their) ancestral origins as indigenous people (Christian paper, 2009, para 4). This includes sovereign rights to the land they have inhabited in British Columbia for centuries. This also includes rights on the natural resources of that land. The Christian paper also declares without doubt that the Province had no jurisdiction over the indigenous titles and rights of the aborigines (Christian paper, 2009, para 2). The paper clearly states that the indigenous people would accept nothing less than an endorsement of the United Nations’ Declaration on the rights of Indigenous people (Christian paper, 2009, para 3).

The Things They Carried Discurse Essay Example for Free

The Things They Carried Discurse Essay â€Å"The Things They Carried† displays men in the heart of war trying maintain some sort of semblance of their normal lives.   The main character of the story, First Lieutenant Jimmy Cross, spends a good deal of his time thinking about his love interest back at home.   In fact, the story opens by saying that he â€Å"carried letters from a girl named Martha†¦They were not love letters, but Lieutenant Cross was hoping, so he kept them folded in plastic at the bottom of his rucksack† (PAGE #). Immediately the reader is thrust into this world of war, and what is important to the men who live it.   There are countless different clichà ©s/sayings regarding how one can tell a lot about a man by X or Y (by the way he dresses, by the way he treats his mother, etc.); in this story, we can tell everything at the heart of a man by what he carries with him trekking through the jungles of Vietnam. Jimmy Cross is a dreamer; he spends his time fantasizing about building a life with a woman who hasn’t really expressed the same kind of interest in him, and who maintains a great deal of emotional distance from him.   But it is this idea of a â€Å"normal† life, a life in which he can focus on marriage and children and just life, a life he hopes to return to after the war.   The thought of Martha, as well as her letters, acts as a beacon of normalcy for him, and it is what he feels he must cling to for his own survival. Jimmy ultimately ends up shunning his own need of maintaining some sort of focus on life outside of the war because he feels his own incessant daydreaming was the cause of another soldier’s death; in a great symbolic gesture, he burns her letters and her pictures, turning his back on any hope he clung to of a normal life and vowing to be the solider he failed to be: â€Å"Henceforth, when he thought about Martha, it would only be to think that she belonged elsewhere.   He would shut down the daydreams.    This was not Mount Sebastian, it was another world†¦a place where men died because of carelessness and gross stupidity†¦He was not determined to perform his duties firmly and without negligence† (PAGE #).   Jimmy is so shaken by the experience of witnessing one of his men’s death that it forces him to become a different person—in a sense, to adapt, and to become hard and cold.   As much as his daydreaming was for his own survival before, his hardened personality after the death of Ted Lavender is as well. The use of Ted Lavender’s name and story is the dominant theme throughout the story.   O’Brien uses Lavender’s tragic demise as a constant reminder of the horrors of war.   Throughout the whole story, in the middle of what might seem to be a casual description of various items being â€Å"humped† by the men, O’Brien drops Lavender’s name attached to a reminder of how he was shot.   This occurs towards the beginning, when the narrator is describing the different things the men carried: â€Å"Ted Lavender, who was scared, carried tranquilizers until he was shot in the head outside the village of Than Khe in mid-April† (PAGE #). His name is brought up repeatedly throughout with this same kind of cryptic reminder of his death.   When referring to how everyone had to carry a poncho, it is noted that it â€Å"weighed almost two pounds, but it was worth every ounce.   In April, for instance, when Ted Lavender was shot, they used his poncho to wrap him up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (PAGE #). This name-dropping of Ted Lavender throughout the story is an effective tool that O’Brien utilizes the emphasize the point that this man died.   The deeper-lying message behind the use of Lavender’s demise as a running metaphor is that people die in war; it is terrifying; these men are children (with the Lieutenant being a mere 22 years old) and they’re scared and they want to go home, and these things they carry they keep because it makes them feel safe and reminds them a little of home. There is emphasis in the story about how their constant marching and their humping of endless items from village to village seemed pointless to them—as pointless as Ted Lavender’s life ending.   â€Å"By daylight they took sniper fire, at night they were mortared, but it was not battle, it was just the endless march, village to village, without purpose, nothing won or lost†¦They had no sense of strategy or mission.   They searched villages without knowing what to look for†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (PAGE #). These men, who have to hump a great many number of items (of both the personal and the protective nature) from one place to the next to the next, are being shipped off to war without a clear sense of what it is they’re doing there and are sacrificing their lives without really understanding what their lives are being sacrificed for.    They do what they are told because they are told to do it, and because they are too afraid not to: â€Å"Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to.   It was what had brought them to the war in the first place, nothing positive, no dreams of glory or honor, just to avoid the blush of dishonor.   They died so as not to die of embarrassment† (PAGE #).   These young men were dying for little other reason that they knew of besides that they felt that they had to. O’Brien’s message throughout this story is clear: war is terrifying.   O’Brien uses the lists of what they had to carry with them to illustrate the heavy burden each of them had to hump around everywhere they went, with the underlying theme that the things they carried physically were nothing in comparison to the things they each carried around with them emotionally.    All of them were scared for their lives; all of them wanted to go home.   Much of their personal belongings were things that would remind them of home, that would possibly allow them to escape for brief moments (like Jimmy Cross did with Martha’s letters) and fantasize about the lives they could and did have outside of this war, reminding them that there is still another world outside of Vietnam.   Many of the men carried with them the hope of a safe return; many more carried with them the fear that there wouldn’t be one for them. O’Brien is very careful to allow these characters’ lives (and one death) speak for themselves.   He uses their example of their experience in war to speak for a greater number of young men across the country who had been shipped off to Vietnam to die without understanding why.   Part of O’Brien’s message is that these experiences—the hopes, the fears, the daily terror and the struggle to combat it—are universal, and can universally be applied to anyone who has been through war.   The bottom line is that war is hell, it is terrifying, and no amount of pride or glory can change that, and whether or not the war was being fought for the â€Å"right† reasons (a big debate during the Vietnam conflict) couldn’t change that either. O’Brien is largely concerned with the pointlessness of all of it, and he succeeds in making his point effectively by using these very poignant lists of things the men carried and for what reasons to hammer his point home.   He is able to do so without being preachy or pedantic; the story is so simple that the message becomes just as simple.   Whether or not you support war, you cannot deny that the men fighting it are forced to live through things that the rest of us would rather not know about.   We would rather remain in our self-deluded bubble in which we understand war only as far as its being for freedom, for honor, for the greater good†¦we would rather be spared the knowledge of the blood loss and the body counts.   Not to mention the terror.   We would rather not hear the story of the Ted Lavenders, but O’Brien insists that we have to. Works Cited O’Brien, Tim.   â€Å"The Things They Carried.†Ã‚   (1986) [NAME OF ANTHOLOGY.] Ed. [NAME OF EDITOR(S) OF ANTHOLOGY.]   (DATE OF ANTHOLOGY’S PUBLICATION.)

stonewall jackson Essays -- essays research papers

General Thomas J. â€Å"STONEWALL† Jackson Thomas Jonathan Jackson was born January 21, 1824, in Clarksburg, Virginia. While he was a child both of his parents were laid to rest. He was raised by his uncle, and moved to what is now, Jackson’s Mill, West Virginia. When he turned 18 years old, he was appointed to attend West Point. During the Mexican War, he was appointed to order the First Regular Artillery. At this time, Jackson started to become religious. He started to study the Bible, and joined the Presbyterian Church. In 1851 he accepted a teaching position at the Virginia Military Institute at Lexington, Virginia. He made this home for nearly 10 years. While he was there, he married Eleanor Junkin. She pasted away a little more than a year after they were married. He then married in ...

Citibank: Launching the Credit Card in Asia Pacific

Citibank: Launching the Credit Card in Asia Pacific Citigroup is an American multinational financial services company based in New York City. Citigroup was formed from one of the world's largest mergers in history by combining the banking giant Citicorp and financial conglomerate Travelers Group. Nowadays is one of the world’s largest banks. In 2010 was in 22nd position worldwide, ranked on its total assets. Finally, it has the world's largest financial services network, spanning 140 countries with approximately 16,000 offices worldwide, 260,000 staff around the world and holds over 200 million customer accounts. In 1989, Citigroup tried to penetrate in Asian Pacific countries by establishing new ways of payment such as credit card. The risk was high and the New York headquarters should take a decision soon, in order to face the rival banks. The Asian Pacific countries (Australia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan and Thailand) are emerging markets and their rapid growth economies were incredible for several years until now. Since 1978 Citibank has a representation there, but approximately 10 years later (in 1989) launched the most innovative service, a new product named credit card. Citibank’s mission in the Asia Pacific region was to be the most profitable provider of financial services to an increasingly affluent and middle-income market. First of all we should bear in mind that entering into new markets means that Citibank has more opportunities to sell the same product to multiple clients or sell multiple products, such as Citibank’s core products, car loans, deposits and mortgage products, to the same customer. Also, in some countries there are very large population potential customers. In the sector of security, Citibank has quite high technology that can make users feel safe. On the other hand, many people express doubts about this venture. There are many regulations designed to protect local banks and limit the expansion of foreign banks. In addition there is lack of credit experience and the market is undeveloped yet. Also, economics in these countries are not as developed as in the United States. In some regions the risk is high, because of the political corruption. I recommend the card launch and I focus on the possibility that some countries could be success. However, in Asia Pacific area you can find different people among countries, with different habits, traditions, religions, so each country has their own market characteristics in comparison with the others. So, we must take into account the fact that it is impossible for the bank to target all these different countries-cultures at the same time. In my opinion a â€Å"safe† choice could be: Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia. Malaysia: 16,726,766 population in 1989 and growth rate 8. 1%. It has successful business population and growing along with infrastructure. Also, middle and upper class is growing sharply. With 61% of the population living in rural areas, people had plenty of card options to choose from 1989. However, according to Malaysian law, only consumers with an annual income of 9,000$ or more could own a credit card. Also, 25% of its population earns more than 12,000$. Citibank is very possible to get customers at this country, due to high growth rate, 8% is higher than the average value of the latest 5 years (from 1985 to 1990). A total 390,000 desired customers could achieve 900,000 cards (regardless the kind) annually, with revenues approximately 88,200,000$. (Exhibit 4, 8, 10) Australia: 16,500,000 population in 1989, growth rate 4. %, but is already saturated market. However, it is the most stable country with small political/economic risk. An average Australian carries 2 cards. Visa and Mastercard hold 35% of the market, but half of the cards issued by local banks. (Exhibit 4) †¢ Break even: SP-(FC? VC)=BE 525,000-(104,300,000? 626,000,000)=BE 525,000-0. 16=BE BE=5249 99. 84 SP=10. 500. 000(1)? 5%(2)=525,000 (1)10. 500. 00 cards (2) Market share Hong Kong: 5,709,330 population in 1989, growth rate 7. 3%, is a developed country, with strong credit card and financial infrastructure. Also there is wide using of cards and especially for shopping. By 1989, Citibank held an 8,7% share of the credit card market. Projected 170,000 cards annually, with revenues of 16,279,144$ is the desired result. (Table B, page 6) †¢ Break even: SP-(FC? VC)=BE 12. 18-(104,300,000? 626,000,000)=BE 12. 18-0. 16=BE BE=12. 02 SP=(100,000+140,000)(1)? 8. 7%(2)= 12,180 (1)140,000 Classic and Gold Visas 100,000 Diners Club cards (2) Market share SP: Selling price FC: Fixed Cost VC: Variable Cost BE: Break Even The Fixed Cost (FC) is the same in all countries, so FC=104,300,000$ (Exhibit 3, page 11, Total Other Assets in 1988) The Variable Cost (VC) is the same in all countries, so VC=626,000,000$ (Exhibit 3, page 11, Net Income in 1988) Citibank should make concurrent entry to these countries and estimate how many cards totally needs to issue in order to achieve the desired profitability. The marketing strategy which Citibank should follow differs among countries. The bank must establish direct marketing product with Bind-ins, direct sales force, direct mail and takes-ones. Also must create a Greenfield market development. In case of Malaysia the credit card service should focus on family and traveler. Advertising must be targeted in the countryside (61% of the population living there) in order to earn new customers. In case of Australia the marketing strategy should focus on pricing. Joining and annual membership fee should be reduced in order to compete AMEX and Diners club. Also, Greenfield market development is needed to be more intensive. Finally, in case of Hong Kong, Citibank need also to choose Greenfield market development. However, developed operations infrastructure in addition with trained staff is necessary. The country which Citibank should avoid is Korea. Local regulations do not permit banks to issue cards. Another problem is that transactions must be done only in local currency. This is too risky, so it is better to ignore this region. Taking everything into consideration and for the above mentioned reasons I feel that Citibank should launch its new product, because it is very possible to success in emerging Asia Pacific region. Its experience guarantees a promising future. References: http://www. bankersalmanac. com/addcon/infobank/bank-rankings. aspx www. citigroup. com http://www. geographic. org Vasileios Sekertzis

Black Panther Organization Essay

The African American people, living in the United States of America, are one of the minority groups in the country that experience terrible situations wherein they are marginalized. This group of people have been often targeted by acts of violence, racism, bigotry, unfair treatment and other acts of injustice. Every once in a while, there are selected individuals who fought for the cause and the rights of the African American people, individuals like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X are familiar names from the black Left. It also included â€Å"radical black theologian James Cone, left-wing black civil rights activist James Forman, left-wing black sociologist Robert Allen, 1960s radical black essayist Julius Lester, and James Boggs, black worker-socialist writer and activist (Mc Cartney 133). † Standing shoulder to shoulder with these individuals who contributed largely to the advancement of the African American cause is one of the very prominent groups that became the vanguard that defended, protected and advanced the cause of the African American people as an organization. And this is the Black Panther. This paper is focused on discussing several important aspects about the Black Panther as a political organization that influenced the society as much as it influenced its individual members, in the process of establishing the social prominence and influence that the group managed to create for itself since its creation and during the time before it declined to power and social clout. The Black Panther History To be able to understand the Black Panther Party better, it is important to know how the organization started, what prompted the formation of the group, how it rose to social prominence, how it managed to recruit more members and grow in numbers, the goals and ideas of the Party and how it eventually affected the society. While there are historians who would talk about the chronological development inside the Black Panther Party to attribute to the beginnings of the party, there are those who will explain the beginnings of the party in different manner. They explain how the party was a result of the efforts of some of the people who believed that it is about time that a group is organized. There is an organized approach towards fighting the social injustice that the African Americans in the country are facing. While other historians point to the date, the founding father of the Party and other data to establish the roots and early beginnings of the Party, others simply refer to the beginnings of the party as more of a collective reaction by the people who cannot take the social injustice and oppression any longer. â€Å"It grew out of the social evils of an unjust, oppressive system (Seale 3). † Some believed that the creation of the Black Panther Party was a product of a necessity. While others believed that the creation of the group was a result of a calculated scheme undertaken by the founder and early leaders of the group. They foresaw the change coming in the national and international social spheres and saw that such a group with the intentions like the Black Panther party has the potential to prosper and be an important social institution (Seale 3). Others merely believed that the birth of the Black Panther party traced its roots on similar vein like equally radical group which broke away from the original nationalist organization and decided that it was best to create a group which is more radical to achieve more concrete actions and results; considering the party as something created after the â€Å"split† that happened in the ranks and in the strategy of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee or the SNCC (Simpson, Yinge 424). â€Å"While it was, at the same time, a very strong sign that a part of the nationalist movement is moving towards radicalizing its actions, its beliefs, its tenets and other aspects of the organization design to accomplish social change (Simpson, Yinge 424). † The Black Panther Party officially became an organization after founders Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale created the organization on October 15, 1966. It started with the name Black Panther Party for Self Defense. This is because the main thrust of the organization was the protection that the African Americans desperately need during the time when most of them believed that they are defenseless from the racist attacks on them. This attack was done by white police officers who came to symbolize the role of the main oppressors in the ideals of the group that would be later known via its shorter name, The Black Panthers Party (Simpson, Yinge 424). The Rise The rise of the Black Panther Party was attributed to the time immediately after the foundation. Most historians noted that the rise of the group to social prominence happened sometime in the late 60’s and in the early 70’s (followed soon after wards by the steep decrease in popularity halfway through the 70s). The rise to prominence was attributed to the efforts, success and concrete actions that the group has undertaken and achieved through the relatively short influential period that the group had. Many people believed in the ideals of the group, especially the ten-point program and the belief of the leaders that there is no reason why people from different racial background can’t get along with each other. This was the idea that the Black Panther and its leadership was trying to put forward. Because of the admirable ideology, many supported the group, allowing the group to rise to fame and prominence especially in cities, states and neighborhoods where Black Panther Party chapters are visible and active (Lazerow, Williams 84). The Black Panther Party was successful in achieving prominence because of its presence in many affairs that made them a household name. Soon, people were already aware of the Black Panther party, especially after numerous incidences with the police and the very active radicalism and activism that the group is not afraid to show in the streets. They were part of the consciousness of the masses, may it be the white or the black. The media and the press contributed to the growth of the Black Panther Party by talking about it in the newspaper, in the television and in the radio (Jones 41). The mass communication tools paired with the word of mouth improved the reputation of the Black Panther party and communicated to the people who they are and what they want to do. This act of reaching out to the people and reaching out to the government through violent and non-violent actions gained nationwide support and catapulted the organization into new and greater heights never experienced before by the Black Panther Party (Jones 41). An important note that serves as proof of the rise of the Black Panther Party in the society is the rise of the position of the organization particularly in the American left wing movement during the height of its social influence. Many believed that there was actually a time that the Black Panther Party was the leading organization that controls the leftists in the country, that the group is actually armed with a high level of clout and influence to go with a high number of Party members including soldiers who are armed and are willing to resort to acts of violence through the use of lethal force to defend its claims and social rights which it believed was, for the longest time, denied to them (Simpson, Yinger 424). â€Å"For about five years, the left wing of the black protest movements was occupied by the Black Panthers. Reference to the period when they were subjects of public attention and controversy may be of value in suggesting some of the consequences of harsh confrontation as a way of trying to increase interracial justice (Simpson, Yinger 424). † Even if the authors believed that the Black Panther Party ruled the American left for half a decade, their influence and role in the civil protest action for the African American rights and privileges extended a few more years before the perceived height of their power and a few years later leading to the decline of the influence of the organization. The Fall But just like any other good thing, the fervor that was the flame of the organization was soon consumed, and just like any other organization, the Black Panther Party was vulnerable to internal strife and external pressure. There are those who believed that a large part of the fall of the group was attributed to the negative publicity that the group had during the time when its founder Huey P. Newton was put under trial after he was apprehended as a suspect for manslaughter. Of course, there was also other internal instability that contributed to the collapse of the organization. With the changes that are happening inside and outside of the party and how the party was responding to it in return, it became clear through the signs that were displayed by the Party and its members that it would not be long before the group completely loses the breadth and depth of public support, social prominence and popularity that it once had, leading to the chapter in the life of the Black Panther party known as their fall from social prominence. One day, the group stopped becoming the leader of the American revolutionary left (Jones 286). Another possible reason why the Black Panthers lost its influence and power and the hold of the sympathy of the masses is because it disintegrated from within and imploded eventually. It was because of the problems that the Black Panther Party has to face internally, particularly the friction that was created after some of the women members asserted more and more power and influence and tried to be independent and authoritarian individuals themselves. It resulted in the subjugation of some of the male members of the Party, a development which is not in line with the thinking and dogma of the Party (Jones 286). â€Å"It is female chauvinism and Black women’s complicity in the castration of Black men primarily through the receipt of an alleged economic advantage that destroyed relationships and families in the Party and elsewhere (Jones 286). † What happened was an ironic and odd twist of fate. In the pursuit of equality and justice, the Black Panther Party made it a point that inside the group no, form of injustice would happen. That is why, they did not try to undermine or put the women members in a lower echelon. But this move proved to be one of the sources of confusion because some women had a distracted and distorted view of the essence of women empowerment inside the party, living the Party ideals about women members somewhat differently and counter to what the male Party members expected of them (Jones 286). â€Å"Obviously influenced by the pseudo-historical analysis of Black woman as domineering matriarchs and was seemingly unaware (or unconvinced) of the revised Party rhetoric highlighting the significance of revolutionary comrade sisters to the movement (Jones 286). † Perhaps, the most notable reason for the fall of the Black Panther Party – aside from allegations of internal strife, the participation of its members in illegal activities and the negative image it has been generating through continuous acts of violence directed against law enforcement agents some of whom are fellow African Americans – is the trial and eventual death of Newton. Newton was considered as a charismatic, intelligent and powerful leader that held the group strongly together during his time. But when he started losing control of the group, the group faltered and failed (Mc Cartney 133). â€Å"Newton was undoubtedly the most forceful, the best-known, and the most ambitious theorist-practitioner of left-wing Black Power, and for these reasons alone his profile is a small-scale representation of the entire Black Power left (Mc Cartney 133). † The Ideas There is a saying that the leader or founder of the group and what he or she stands for greatly describes the ideas and the general ideologies of the group. In the case of the Black Panther Party, understanding the ideas of the groups can be made by understanding its founder Huey P. Newton. Analysts believed that Newton symbolized what the group is all about, including the leanings of the group towards what John T. Mc Cartney explained as counter-communalism or the idea that the civil rights advocates demanded not a separation by the African Americans from the rest of the US, but a change in the system that can improve the lives of the African Americans in the country (Mc Cartney 133). This was one of the important aims of the organization and its founder represented what the group was aiming for. â€Å"In the 1960s, certainly the most visible, if not the most articulate, advocate of Counter-Communalism was Huey P. Newton, the leader of the Black Panther Party (Mc Cartney 133). † The Goals and Aims The main goal and aim of the group is to influence social and political spheres. The leadership provides sufficient and equal attention to the needs of the African American population and not subject this particular minority group in further acts of discrimination and marginalization. The Black Panther Party, like any leftist group, talked about giving the people what they deserve, what they need, what was deprived of them in the past, what they need in the future, pressuring the government to yield to their demands and using the power of the strength of their number as leverage to gain prominence and voice that can help the government hear their demands and act upon these demands efficiently and in a just and satisfying manner (Simpson, Yinge 424). The Black Panther Party, no doubt, was a different group compared to the other groups for African American civil rights advocates that came before. After its time, historians, critics and analysts believe that at some point, the Black Panther Party, despite its reputation for violence and police clashes, also shares some similarities with other groups, organizations and movements in the US that looked after the welfare of African American. One of the similarities that the Black Panther party shared with other groups is the aim which the Party and the other organizations wanted to accomplish (Simpson, Yinge 424). Although there are little differences, all in all, the aim of the Black Panther party was very much similar to the aims of the nationalist movement and groups in the US during the time of the Black Panther Party. â€Å"The aims of the Black Panther were similar to those of other Black Nationalist groups, except perhaps for the explicit demands that the government furnish jobs and decent income for all (Simpson, Yinge 424). † The Members The Black Panther Party is composed of male and female African American sympathizers and activists. They recruited heavily. The group was full in ranks in no time, establishing its presence in areas that included Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other key cities and states. These same locations are where the group’s newspaper which goes by the same name was printed in large scale and heavily distributed for information dissemination. Like any other organization, the Black Panther assigned individual and group tasks. The duties and responsibilities of each member were, in detail, different from each other but in scope similar since they all worked to achieve one single goal (Lazerow, Williams 37). The higher echelon members of the Black Panther Party membership were the ones responsible for the role of the party as a spokesperson of the African American communities who, prior to the creation of the Black Panther Party, was speechless and was not heard by the local and national leaders. Some of the members of the party were tasked with gathering information about the grievances of the African American communities; while some are tasked in double checking these facts so that they are credible and real (Lazerow, Williams 37). The leaders of the group are the ones who present this information to the government officials who are responsible for the different aspects of the grievances that the African American citizens are laying out for the government to address and take action on. â€Å"Party activists also defined their anti-colonial politics in terms of pushing onto the municipal political agenda the concerns of local residents – who needed jobs, better health care, improved schools, and repaired streets (Lazerow, Williams 37). † Contrary to the belief that all Black Panthers did was instigate and involve themselves in violent protests, they also have political maneuvers that included talks with leaders so that reform is achieved. An important characteristic of the Black Panther Party members is its role not just in activism but also in pro-active vigilance. At the time of the rise of the Black Panther party to prominence, the lives of most African American (particularly male) involves violence, sometimes resulting from individual or gang-related violence or even from acts of violence committed by white police officers and law enforcement units (Lazerow, Williams 37). The Black Panther Party tried to answer and remedy this problematic situation by actively moving towards police monitoring of acts of harassment and unjustified physical assault towards African Americans. This is a part of the overall strategy to remove the presence of injustice in the country which is centered among African American minorities and is reflected through acts of wanton violence and unchecked aggression by the white police officers towards African American males (Lazerow, Williams 37). â€Å"The Panther’s famous ‘policing the police’ drew attention to the spatial remove that white Americans enjoyed from the state violence that had come to characterize life in black urban communities (Lazerow, Williams 37). † The members of the Black Panther Party were unafraid to go head-on with the white cops. Their boldness somewhat pushed the white cops back to a more acceptable sense of self control and self regulation. This is an important victory for the Black Panther Party and its members. The Effects they had on Society The Black Panther Party became popular and significant not just because of how the party managed to recruit so many members in a short period of time. More importantly, it became prominent because whether the detractors of the Black Panther Party accept it or not, the organization managed to accomplish something and actually had significant influence in the society especially during the height of its power. It convinced many people to believe and join their cause, which lead to the creation of a Black Panther Party that is filled with many members who are idealists who finally found an organization to which they can affiliate themselves with and actually expect to do something concrete about the current situation of African Americans in the US (Rabinovich, Reinharz 235). Perhaps one of the important social relevance that the Black Panther Party achieved and what other people actually believed they did was the ability to identify important points of concern present inside the society; one of which is the pertinent and relevant information concerning the presence of discrimination in the particular localities where localized Black Panther Party units operate. Wielding credible information, and managing to send this information not just to the authorities who need to do something about it – who should do something about it – but to the public who needs to know about it and who is inspired and at some point agitated by what they learned from the Black Panther Party, is one of the things that it managed to effectively do especially during the height of its power and social prominence. â€Å"The Black Panthers of Detroit or Chicago had no difficulty in pinning down the exact points at which there is discrimination (Rabinovich, Reinharz 235). † In some ways, what made the Black Panther different is its synthesis of many different aspects that involved the left-leaning movement that it has managed to assemble and establish (Rabinovich, Reinharz 235). The Black Panther has taken key concepts from the past and the future and moved from national to international analysis of social issues that made them a significant group during their time and in the height of the group’s power and social influence. â€Å"By reclaiming the tradition of black radicalism that the Cold War had suppressed and linking it to the concrete concerns of black communities, the Party joined the black rights struggle in the United States to a global analysis of capitalism and imperialism (Lazerow, Williams 37). † The Black Panther Today But despite the presence of Black Panther and the task that it set about in accomplishing, oddly, the Black Panther itself as an organization was nonetheless victimized by the same problem that it is trying to solve – to have the African Americans be treated equally as how the society treats the white American citizens during its time. Then, and now, the Black Panther experienced the stigma of the African American people which it represented. Proof of which is the fact that the Black Panther as a group was still viewed or presented by the media and the rest of the society in a way that sometimes creates misconceptions about the group. Due in some part because those which talks about the Black Panther, like the media and the historians, somewhat leaned towards white Americans. That is why even now, several African American historians, writers and critics still make it their responsibility to ensure that the contemporary public is correctly informed. IT is because of the belief that there are many anti-Black Panther and anti African American propaganda that circulated in the past which may have influenced the thinking, attitude and perception of the modern day people about the Black Panthers. â€Å"There are a lot of misconceptions about the Black Panther Party. I wanted to write this book so people could have a better insight into the inner workings of the Party, so that people would have a more true understanding of the Black Panther Party – what it really does, the kind of people who are in it, their everyday lives, the things that have happened to the Party (Seale, p3). † Conclusion The Black Panther Party will always be an important name in the analysis of the different US-based African American social rights advocacy groups. In retrospect during the height of the influence of the Black Panther Party in the society, it can be noticed that the Black Panthers became a success and earned the sympathy of the people because of what it managed to accomplish, what it managed to integrate in its essence as the group improved and developed through the years, what it managed to include in its collective fight for the cause and need of the African American people in the US. The group touched concrete and critical layers of social concerns especially those which affected the African American people. It managed to balance political dialogue with immediate and simplistic social needs without being vague or general. The group proved critical as well as constructive in their pursuit of answers and in providing solutions that can benefit the African American citizens. â€Å"At the heart of the Panthers’ anti-colonial politics was an analysis of the relationship between urban black communities and the post-war American metropolis and a critique of the concept of liberal free markets in urban property, employment, and housing, on the other (Lazerow, Williams 37). † Works Cited Jones, Charles E. Black Panther Party Reconsidered. Black Classic Press, 1998. Lazerow, Jama and Williams, Yohuru. In Search of the Black Panther Party: New Perspectives on a Revolutionary Movement. Duke University Press, 2006. McCartney, John T. Black Power Ideologies: An Essay in African American Political Thought. Temple University Press, 1993. Rabinovich, Itamar. Israel in the Middle East: Documents and Readings on Society, Politics, and Foreign Relations, Pre-1948 to the Present. Brandeis University Press, 2007. Seale, Bobby. Seize the Time: The Story of the Black Panther Party and Huey P. Newton. Black Classic Press, 1991. Simpson, George Eaton E. , and Yinger, J. M. Racial and Cultural Minorities: An Analysis of Prejudice and Discrimination. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1985. The Black Panther Organization. 2008. 23 November 2008 .

Ethical Concerns of Genetics essays

Ethical Concerns of Genetics essays Ethical Concerns of Classical Breeding and You can stop the splitting of an atom; you can stop visiting the moon; you can stop using aerosols; you may even decide not to kill an entire population by the use of a few bombs, but you cannot recall a new form of life. - Erwin Chargoff Imagine a world free of disease, where everyone is healthy and the average life span is 100+ years. To most people that would be a dream come true. According to Biotech companies that are doing research in the field of Genetic engineering that is what GE will make of the future. Hard to believe that that could ever happen. Well it is a possibility ,but a very unlikely one to say the least. Erwin Chargoff is considered by some to be the father of modern Microbiology. He also said this about GE, An irreversible attack on the biosphere is something so unheard-of, so unthinkable to previous generations, that I could only wish that mine had not been guilty of it. He said this in reference to the huge price tag that this kind of engineering carries with it. The companies who are for Genetic engineering, in their defense, say that it is only an extension of Classical or Selective Breeding. This practice has gone on for years with a very high success rate and very few failures. Classical Breeding is a type of primitive GE that involves two subjects of the same species, a very similar species or even a VERY similar genera in a cross breed. This cross breeding is an attempt to try and get certain characteristics carried on from one generation to the next. It has a fairly high success rate but it is not at all guaranteed to work. Most people know about selective breeding in dogs, horses, and in some plants. But it has a much greater range that includes most type of animals and plants. It has had some major failures though. Some examples of these failures are Killer Bees that were an attempt to create bees that would produce more hone...

Retaining the Connotation of Retinue

Retaining the Connotation of Retinue Retaining the Connotation of Retinue Retaining the Connotation of Retinue By Mark Nichol What is a retinue, and do you need one? That depends on whether you need to be retained. This post defines and discusses the term retinue and its synonyms. Retinue, derived from the French verb retenir, meaning â€Å"retain,† or â€Å"keep,† refers to a group of associates or attendants. Originally, it applied to retainers (that word also stems from retenir), servants who attended to a person of high rank. Now, it is more likely to pertain to friends, employees, and hangers-on a celebrity surrounds himself or herself with. Associated words include entourage, from the French verb entourer, meaning â€Å"surround†; this word is cognate with tour (a tour â€Å"surrounds† the area circumscribed by the travel route) and tourist. Then there’s cortege, from the Latin term cohors, meaning â€Å"enclosure† (and the origin of court as well as cohort), by way of the Italian verb corteggiare, meaning â€Å"court,† as in an effort to influence someone politically or romantically; cortege also refers to a parade of attendants and may apply specifically to a funeral procession. Suite (ultimately from the Latin word sequere, meaning â€Å"follow†- and the source of sequence- by way of Old French), tail (from an Old English word meaning â€Å"lock of hair†), and train (from the Middle French verb trainer, meaning â€Å"drag† or â€Å"draw†) are also used in the sense of â€Å"those attending on an important person.† Following is another word with this connotation, though it can easily be misunderstood to apply to someone’s far-flung fan base rather than to close associates. Two slang terms synonymous with retinue are crew (ultimately from the Latin verb crescere, meaning â€Å"grow†- and the source of crescent- by way of Middle French and later Middle English, in the sense of reinforcement), from an association with the company of sailors or other workers who conduct operations (though with the connotation of a convivial assembly), and posse. That last word is a truncation of the Latin phrase posse comitatus, meaning â€Å"power of the county† and referring to a group of citizens deputized to assist in law enforcement or rescue. In popular culture, posse became associated with the Old West, conjuring the image of a band of men in a frontier town temporarily authorized to assist a county sheriff or a federal marshal with hunting down a fugitive outlaw. This meme inspired an association of the term with a rambunctious retinue accompanying a pop star. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:The Royal Order of Adjectives 5 Brainstorming Strategies for WritersUsing "May" in a Question

The Trial of Aaron Burr Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Trial of Aaron Burr - Essay Example It chronicles not only the alleged attempt to suborn the sovereignty of the U.S. government in the western territories, but also a titanic power struggle between the judicial and executive branches of government. On a deeper level, it offers an early example of the predisposition for interpretation inherent in the Constitution – and its potential vulnerability to political conflict. The point upon which the prosecution’s case turned in Aaron Burr’s treason trial, whether or not levying war constituted an overt act, was contested during a period in which the fledgling American Democracy was testing the very nature of the Constitution and how the law of the land Name 2 was to be interpreted. In The Trial of Col. Aaron Burr, Chief Justice John Marshall renders an opinion on a motion to arrest evidence, in which he quotes from a preliminary opinion regarding the meaning of â€Å"levying.† The judge here accords with the argument put by George Hay, chief prosec utor in the Burr trial, by stating that â€Å"levying war is a fact in the Constitution of which force is an indispensable ingredient† (Carpenter, 444). ... ‘Real life’ interpretation Justice Felix Frankfurter would speak to the issue of interpretation nearly 200 years after the Burr trial: â€Å"The words of the Constitution are so unrestricted by their intrinsic meaning or by their history or by tradition or by prior decisions that they leave the individual justice free, if indeed they do not compel him, to gather meaning not from reading the Constitution but from reading life† (Frankfurter, 1941). In the opinion referred to by Justice Marshall (mentioned above), a pragmatic appraisal of the situation is an attempt to apply the precepts of logic and common sense. â€Å"To constitute the fact of levying war, it is not necessary that hostilities shall have actually commenced, by engaging the military force of the United States; or that measures of violence against the government shall have been carried into execution† (Carpenter, 444). Name 3 It is perhaps surprising that Chief Justice Marshall should have adhe red to such a strict rendering of the Constitution in light of the unstable political climate in 1807. With the new Republic in a fragile and unsettled state, battles over Federalism vs. States Rights, the geographic destiny of the new nation and which foreign powers should be sought as allies (and which to avoid) created a turbulent, even dangerous political situation. As such, one might expect a far more in-depth interpretation of the law, which, after all, must be dynamic enough to address (without being determined by) existing need and current circumstance. As well, one must bear in mind that Constitutional interpretation was as yet a largely unplowed field. Should the document’s language be interpreted according to the framers’ intent? Should the Constitution be regarded as