Dragon in China A Symbol of Empowerment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mythical serpent in China A Symbol of Empowerment - Essay Example By experiencing the depiction of ‘Ladle with mythical serpent handle’ on the site of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, it has been seen that the sort of old thing gave by the gallery at their site, exhibits the imaginative and philosophical foundation of old Chinese culture. The scoop has been utilized in the third century for kitchen errands and whisky pouring. The chronicled object in the historical center scoop can be situated with a dragon’s head, which is especially at its handle. A guest to the historical center can see that the winged serpent has pointed ears and protruding eyes as the most noticeable highlights. Furthermore, its two long horns and weakened nose are likewise those components that serve in drawing the consideration of the crowd. According to the soothsayers, the scoops were uncovered from the place where there is Kingdom of Wu. This indicates spoons were vital for the Kingdom (The Metropolitan Museum of Art). Thinking about the verifiable presence of monster in Chinese culture, it is obvious that the spoon with mythical beast heads are minor image of solidarity and force for the realm. On the off chance that the historical backdrop of Yangzi waterway valley is evaluated, monsters are constantly discovered serving the realm with good karma and favors (Fiero 14). In Chinese culture, the scoop with mythical beast head have consistently been considered as the indication of quietness as it was utilized in the kitchen; hence, during the ongoing time of modernization, the significance of winged serpents can't be disregarded. It ought to likewise be noticed that the foundations of such image return to the convictions introduced in Confucianism’s content (Visser and Coleman 21-23). Then again, the pieces, for example, scoop with monster head in China were continuing the Chinese ascent to domain; in this manner, the help gained from the mythical beast and its symbolization had consistently u pheld the realm with quality and force. The most extravagant culture of the locale holds the mythical serpents at each pace of the progress; consequently, the nearness of winged serpents over scoops and other broadly utilized utensils can be watched. This gives an away from of the value of the pieces, Ladle, for Emperor Qianlongs rule of the Qing Dynasty at its best. To be more summary, the time was (220â€265), third century. As a large portion of the individuals are discovered accepting that Chinese Dragon really represents the malevolence there is as yet a specific level of misguided judgment. Chinese likewise accepted that mythical beasts give agreement to the patients. In less difficult words, the winged serpents can assist patients with mending during disorder. The confusion seemed well known, on the grounds that the mythical beast in west is considered as the image of Satan, in light of the malicious perspectives (Visser and Coleman 71-83). It ought to be noticed that spo on is of incredible worth and kept in the gallery since it features Chinese social legacy. It is perceptible that scoop 36.8 cm which is over more noteworthy expense. The value of the scoop is noted to be past millions for its make. The convictions of old Chinese populace and realm exhibit their brain science that an every day utilizing utensil with engraved or cut mythical beast head may enable their reality over the world to control with the mastery they need to obtain. The advanced Chinese society likewise trusts in the old ideas, that significance, goodness and favors are reveled with the image of monster that may favor them as their predecessors were honored. Such worth of scoop with winged serpent head in Chinese history is because of the way that the devotees regard mythical serpents as the controlling intensity of the

Early Childhood Developmental Path

Question: Talk about theEarly Childhood for Developmental Path. Answer: Presentation A four-year old kid is unobtrusively fabricating a ring nook with wooden squares on the floor. He carries two rectangular squares into the fenced in area, which he shapes into a seat. Next, he brings a 4-legged life-size hassock and spots it into the walled in area. He gets his pet hamster from the hamster confine and puts it into the nook. The hamster strolls into the stool sanctuary and remains inside for some time. It returns and hops on to the seat. The kid goes to his toy box and takes out a cheddar container box, which has a little bit of wipe at the top. He stands and faves the hamster in the walled in area. He puts the cheddar container box close to one side eye and squeezed the wipe and made the sound chug-chug. According to the vignette given above, as per Hayes Johnston (2014) depicts that the youngster is in the phase of acquainted play in Partens five play where the kid is concentrating on reaching the hamster through sharing toys or giving him cheddar. It tends to be depicted that the youngster is speaking with the hamster inside and is attempting to reach through a comprehension of the outer world. As opined by Lev Vygotsky in youngsters at play at this age attempt to detect the world through internal discourse in which they are talking boisterous to themselves (Grzesik, Grzesik Vena, 2012). Be that as it may, this is lost in the grown-ups because of social turn of events. Different attributes is that they attempt to investigate things like the manner in which the kid realized that by giving hamster a cheddar will keep him outside or causing a sound will to identify with nourishment for the hamster. Then again, Vygotskys social advancement makes language of the kids as a useful asset of scholarly adjustment, which is coordinated to self (Siraj-Blatchford Brock, 2016). This can be additionally featured by the manner in which the kid sees its toys particularly constructing squares and doing riddles and art. Then again, as per Richter (2016), it depends on Sara Smilansky phases of improvement. This multi year kid is in its helpful play where the youngster is starting to control things through various item and examples like uniting two rectangular squares is the portrayal of the seat as the kid is endeavoring to take a shot at making a spot to remain for hamster. The qualities that the scholar can expound on the vignette is given as: Initially, the kid has been subbing depictions for the affirmations and activities as verbal pretend concerning activities and circumstances (Lindon Brodie, 2016) The equivalent can be delineated as utilizing rectangular squares in making seat for the hamster. As it were, the wipe goes about as a spot where the cheddar is saved for the hamster to eat. Different qualities that can be featured is the imitative job in which the individual or item is communicates through impersonation or verbalization. In the model it tends to be extensively delegated the hamster bounces on the seat to sit and gets back only the manner in which the people sit on the seat and gets up and moves and again comes and sit. The other conceivable trademark would be pretend as to objects in which not just kid substitutes the developments or verbal announcements yet in addition accept to fabricate copies through materials and toys by reproducing objects with the genuine articles (Pellegrini, 2016). In the vignette, the equivalent has been utilized for 4-legged life-size hassock where the hamster uses to be inside as a position of safe house simply like in people where home should be a position of security and sanctuary. Association is the other element that causes the two players to cooperate as well as aides in setting up a method of correspondence (Roseberry, Hirshà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Pasek Golinkoff, 2014). As delineated here, the kid is named to be a novice in collaboration where the kid is playing likewise with no help and mindfulness from the individuals close by while building a position of sanctuary for hamster with hinders through a ring fenced in area portraying the region of wellbeing. In addition, it can likewise be seen that the structure a hamster home is the demonstration of sharing the experience where explicit individuals are should be put. Nonetheless, the kid is applying a similar demonstration with hamster. References Grzesik, T. A., Grzesik, S. M., Vena, K. J. (2012). The Developmental Path: From Boyhood to Older Adolescence.Counseling Boys and Young Men. Hayes, M., Johnston, J. (2014). Section Three: EI and children's.Emotions in Education Settings, 36. Lindon, J., Brodie, K. (2016).Understanding Child Development 0-8 Years fourth Edition: Linking Theory and Practice. Hachette UK. Pellegrini, A. D. (2016). Item use in youth: Development and potential capacities. InEvolutionary Perspectives on Child Development and Education(pp. 95-115). Springer International Publishing. Richter, K. M. (2016).Universal screening through play: recognizing preschool hazard factors(Doctoral exposition, California State University, Sacramento). Roseberry, S., Hirshà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Pasek, K., Golinkoff, R. M. (2014). Skype me! Socially unforeseen connections assist little children with learning language.Child Development,85(3), 956-970. Siraj-Blatchford, J., Brock, L. (2016). Youth Digital Play and the Zone of Proximal.

Word of the Week! Formication Richmond Writing

Word of the Week! Formication Richmond Writing Be sure to not let Autocorrect fix this word. Yes, it sounds like Formica too, and that trade name of a laminate countertop has a seeming relation to our Word of the Week. According to Writing Consultant Griffin Myers who nominated the word, it is  the medical term for the sensation like bugs crawling over the skin. This lead me to the Latin term formica meaning ants, which I kind of already knew because of the Formics in Enders Game.   Those aliens are really rather terrifying, but Im still stuck on how a company could think that anything associated with bugs crawling could sell a consumer product, except pesticide. The OED specifies ants as the creepy-crawlie in its definition. The word is of recent origin, dating to the 18th Century (yes, that is recent for etymology or, for that matter, entomology). But what about the building material? According to the official Formica account, the name came when the two inventors needed a substitute for mica, so they swapped in the plastic resins, which led to the company name â€" you guessed it â€" Formica. The company site is worth your time, to see those fantastic countertops from the 1950s that still appear in retro diners across the nation. With talent like Raymond Loewy working with the firm, one sees how the trade name became synonymous for any laminate counter. But ants on the counter? Reach for a damp paper towel and clean up. Update 1/28/18: Dr.  Kristine Nolin,  Associate Professor of Chemistry at UR, reminded me that Ants produce formic acid, which is delivered when the ant bites. You can learn more from this site. Thanks to Dr. Nolin and the surprisingly large number of readers who saw this post! Send us new words and metaphors! Please nominate a word or metaphor useful in academic writing by e-mailing me (jessid -at- richmond -dot- edu) or leaving a comment below. See all of our Metaphors of the Month  here  and Words of the Week  here. Creative-Commons image, Ants Crawling, courtesy of Ky at Flickr.

Christianity s Domination Of The Roman Empire - 1253 Words

Some may credit Christianity’s domination of the Roman Empire to Constantine’s Edict of Milan. This edict was a continuation of the Edict of Galerius, which essentially stated that despite the disapproval of the Roman government, Christians were allowed to continue worshipping, as long as they prayed for the well being of the state and allowed the government some control of the magistrates (Knipfing 697). The Edict of Milan furthered this by granting â€Å"both to Christians and to all men freedom of choice in following such form of worship as they wish† (â€Å"The Edict of Milan† 1). However, due to evangelistic practices already in place, the Edict of Galerius and the Edict of Milan was superfluous to the rise and spread of Christianity. The Edicts of Galerius and Milan were decreed to stop persecution of the Christians that had lasted since the movement began. Persecution of Christians had begun as early as the Emperor Nero’s rule. â€Å"Persec ution went on automatically, if sporadically†¦until the third century† (G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, â€Å"Early Christians† 15). Christians were persecuted simply for being Christians. At the beginning of their movement, many pagan Romans believed all Christians were incest and cannibals because of the secrecy of their rituals. Once the apologetic works of Augustine and others were written to defend the Christian practices that were the source of these ideas, the only claim against someone being a Christian was their questionable loyalty to the state.Show MoreRelatedThe Rise And The Spread Of Christianity Essay1154 Words   |  5 PagesThe rise and the spread of Christianity   The Christianity thought to have been rise at the time when Jesus began to predicate his lessons to his followers in Judea and Galilee round the year 30 A.D. 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For example both religions teach that â€Å"there is One true and only God, the righteous and transcendent Creator of all things in heaven and earth† (34). Both religions have foundational texts, Christianity has the bible and Islam has the Quaran. Although among theirRead MoreThe First Crusade During The Crusades1721 Words   |  7 Pagesinherited a weakened empire in 1081 Byzantium was under siege from all sides, primaril y by the Seljuk Turks. Alexius tried everything including making peaceful negotiations with the Turks that involved giving up pieces of land in exchange for peace. However, despite his attempts the Seljuk Turks just kept on coming. As a last resort in 1093 he sent a letter to the european noble Robert of Flanders intending to have it passed to Pope Urban II. 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They had previous splits in the past but they were never a permanent situation because they usually found a solution to their issues and differences. The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 seemed to have noRead More Spread of Christianity Among People Groups Essay1777 Words   |  8 PagesSpread of Christianity Among People Groups From the very beginning times of Christianity, its message has identified with and transformed communities of people. Christianity itself grew out of a people group who had an identity that stretches back in time thousands of years. The worship of Yahweh, geographically born in ancient Mesopotamia (modern day Iraq) has spread through history to the farthest islands of the seas. Born into the people of Israel, Jesus gathered a small group of followersRead MoreSpain: Then and Now Essay783 Words   |  4 Pagesestablished Cartagena as capital. In the Punic war the Roman army defeats Hannibal and the Carthaginian Empire is inhibited. (It is actually said they ground the stones of Carthage). By the 1st century Roman rule was complete. But this was not an entirely terrible thing, Rome brought, as they did to many colonies both peace and prosperity. But in Spain the most lasting legacy of the Romans would be the introduction of Christianity to Spain. In the 5th century the Germanic tribes sweepingRead MoreWhy Were The Crusades?2293 Words   |  10 Pagestime period of 1095 A.D. to 1291 A.D. and it is the intentions of this paper to provide the reader with reasons why the crusades took place, provide a brief synopsis of the different Crusades, and did these Crusades accomplish anything to promote Christianity? Historical and Political Considerations The best place to start in order to understand why the crusades took place would be to define what a crusade is. The Cambridge dictionary defines the word â€Å"crusade† as: a long and determined attempt to

Interesting Facts About Metal Alloys

Chances are you often encounter metal alloys in your everyday life in the form of jewelry, cookware, tools, and most other items made of metal. Examples of alloys include white gold, sterling silver, brass, bronze, and steel. Here are some interesting facts about metal alloys. Facts About Common Alloys An alloy is a blend of two or more metals. The blend can form a solid solution or can be a simple mixture, depending on the size of the crystals that form and how homogeneous the alloy is. Here are some distinctive alloys: Although sterling silver is an alloy consisting mainly of silver, many alloys with the word silver in their names are only silver in color. German silver and Tibetan silver are examples of alloys that have the name but dont contain any elemental silver.Many people believe steel is an alloy of iron and nickel, but it consists primarily of iron, carbon, and any of several other metals.Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, low levels of carbon, and chromium. The chromium gives the steel resistance to stain, or iron rust. A thin layer of chromium oxide forms on the surface of stainless steel, protecting it from oxygen, which is what causes rust. However, stainless steel can be stained if you expose it to a corrosive environment, such as seawater. That environment attacks and removes the protective chromium oxide coating more quickly than it can repair itself, exposing the iron to attack.Solder is an alloy used to bond metals to each other. Most solder is an alloy of lead and tin. Special solders exist for other applications. For example, silver solder is used in the manufacture of sterling silver jewelry. Fine silver or pure silver is not an alloy and will melt and join to itself.Brass is an alloy consisting primarily of copper and zinc. Bronze, on the other hand, is an alloy of copper with another metal, usually tin. Originally, brass and bronze were considered to be distinct alloys, but in modern usage, brass means any copper alloy. You might hear brass cited as a type of bronze or vice versa.Pewter is a tin alloy consisting of 85 to 99 percent tin with copper, antimony, bismuth, lead, and/or silver. Although lead is used much less often in modern pewter, even lead-free pewter typically contains a small amount of lead. Lead-free is defined as containing no more than 0.05 percent (500 ppm) lead, which remains appreciable if the pewter is used for cookware, dishes, or childrens jewelry. Facts About Special Alloys These alloys have interesting properties: Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver with small amounts of copper and other metals. Considered by the ancient Greeks to be white gold, it was used as far back as 3000 B.C. for coins, drinking vessels, and ornaments.Gold can exist in nature as a pure metal, but most of the gold you encounter is an alloy. The amount of gold in the alloy is expressed in terms of karats, so 24-karat gold is pure gold, 14-karat gold is 14/24 parts gold, and 10-karat gold is 10/24 parts gold or less than half gold. Any of several metals can be used for the remaining portion of the alloy.An amalgam is an alloy made by combining mercury with another metal. Almost all metals form amalgams, with the exception of iron. Amalgam is used in dentistry and in gold and silver mining because these metals readily combine with mercury.

Prohibition and Marijuana History Does Repeat Free Essays

string(82) " a mandatory life sentence without parole must be given for third-time offenders\." Decriminalization or to not decriminalize. That is the big question. Will the decriminalization of marijuana be the next revolution of America? Marijuana prohibition has been in effect since 1937, with trends that closely resemble those of alcohol prohibition-meaning an increase in crime, distrust, and dissension. We will write a custom essay sample on Prohibition and Marijuana: History Does Repeat or any similar topic only for you Order Now If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to stop Americans from using it, then it has failed, just like the other prohibition failed to make America a â€Å"dry† country. It is important to go back and look at the factors leading to marijuana prohibition-especially the stages of exaggeration, silence, and the imposition of severe penalties-before looking at the effects of prohibition during the last half-century. Let me first point out that I am an advocate of marijuana, and will not argue that marijuana is not harmless. Research shows that marijuana damages short term memory, distorts perceptions, impairs judgment and complex motor skills, alters heart rates, and has the potential to trigger severe anxiety, paranoia, and lethargy (www. ndsn. com). Yet I also feel its effects are in many ways less harmful than those of alcohol and tobacco-for instance, alcohol’s potential to cause cirrhosis and tobacco’s links to lung cancer and heart disease. Both are considered carcinogenic. In addition, alcohol is cited as a factor in half of this country’s highway fatalities, half of all arrests made for any criminal charge-including homicides-and one-fourth of all suicides. In 1972 the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse estimated the social costs of America’s alcohol habit to be $15 billion a year (www. ndsn. com); it has steadily increased since then. When comparing tobacco, alcohol, and marijuana, there is strong evidence that marijuana has the least addictive power (www. peretto. com). However, this does not hide the fact that all three can have a strong impact on an individual. As with all drugs, they are capable of disrupting home life, affecting job performance, and causing withdrawal from society. In my opinion, all drugs share this power on equal terms because of the emotional problems of the people who use them; no single drug has more potential for harm than any other in terms of social impacts. While hemp has been grown in America since 1611 (Grinspoon, 1971, p. 1), the practice of smoking marijuana did not become widespread until the 1920’s-a period of strong drug intolerance during the â€Å"great social experiment† of alcohol prohibition. Marijuana use was highest among people who also used opiates, primarily recent immigrants. In the 1930’s, the common belief that immigrants were inhumane and violent included a strong belief that marijuana was part of the cause. Since it was associated with opiates, marijuana was quickly defined as a narcotic (Thies, C. F. , 1993 p. 71), and by 1931 all but two states had passed anti-marijuana legislation. The final two did so by 1937, the same year the federal government created the Marijuana Tax Act . For which no tax stamps were ever issued. Not once during this period of prohibitive legislation was any research conducted on marijuana and it’s effects, nevertheless it was almost universally assumed that marijuana was a narcotic, caused psychological dependence, provoked violent crime, and led to insanity. The first of three strategies used to fight marijuana was silence. It was believed that if youth didn’t hear about marijuana, they wouldn’t become curious and experiment with it. Therefore, in the 1930’s discussion about marijuana was forbidden in all public schools, and from 1934 to 1956 the Motion Picture Association of America banned all films showing the use of narcotics (www. legalize. com). The strategy did not work as well as hoped, so anti-marijuana groups adopted the next strategy: exaggeration. The goal was to scare potential marijuana users. Even such respected periodicals as the American Journal of Medicine went along with this strategy, publishing such warnings as: â€Å"Marijuana users will suddenly turn with murderous violence upon whoever is nearest to them. They will run amuck with a knife, axe, gun, or anything else that is close at hand, and will kill or maim without reason†. F. T. Merrill of the Opium Research Committee wrote: â€Å"While numerous crimes [have been] traced to its abuse, its peculiar virulent effect, leading sometimes to insanity, makes its use dangerous to the individuals and to society in general . . . [it] leads to uncontrollable irritability and violent rages, which in most forms cause assault and murder† (Grinspoon, 1971, p. 17). During my research I found a medical handbook written in 1970 that continued to report these myths as fact, going so far as to imply that the words â€Å"hashish† and â€Å"assassin†Ã¢â‚¬â€œwhich do have a common root in terms of word history–have a cause and effect relationship. In the same manual the word â€Å"amuck† was associated to a characteristic of the drug; according to its author, the word, which means â€Å"to kill,† â€Å"was the word the natives of Malay would shriek as they dashed down the street, maddened by hashish, in a murderous frenzy† (Williams, 1970, p. 140). From the official California police officers’ guide of the same period came this warning: â€Å"Marijuana is the immediate and direct cause of the crime committed . . . the user is very often dangerous to handle or control, has no fear, feels no pain, and may commit crimes of violence. Penalties for marijuana use fluctuated with popular belief regarding its level of danger. If people believed the effects were particularly bad, the penalties were stiff, but during some decades public attitudes were more lenient, therefore penalties were reduced. Drug use declined, fear increased, and so did penalties throughout the 1950s. One of the first federal mandatory prison sentences was established at that time: 10 years minimum for marijuana possession, and a mandatory death sentence for selling marijuana to a minor (Theis, C. F. ,1993 p. 46). During the 1960s and 70s, penalties declined as use increased, with eleven states decriminalizing possession for personal use (Thies and Register, 1993, p. 389). Then, in the 1980s, drug use declined and penalties rose. The â€Å"three strike† program was established, under which a mandatory life sentence without parole must be given for third-time offenders. You read "Prohibition and Marijuana: History Does Repeat" in category "Essay examples" Judges no longer have the power to use their own discretion in sentencing, but are required to base their punishment on the â€Å"most serious readily provable charge†, including a mandatory death sentence for anyone found guilty of managing a major marijuana plantation of 60,000 plants. It appears that the current attitude toward marijuana prohibition is based on the belief that relaxed policies lead to greater use. Statistics argue otherwise: nationwide, marijuana use in 1984 was measured at 26. 3%, and in the eleven states that decriminalized marijuana, it was 27. 3%. In 1988 the percentages were 15. and 16. 1, respectively. In those eleven states, decriminalization meant that individuals were no longer arrested for simple possession. In ten of those states there is a $0-100 fine for possession-the result of a threat by the federal government to withhold highway money for states that did not have minimum punishment standards (Thies and Register, 1993, p. 387). Going outside the country for another example of how legalization does not lead to greater use, Holland has witnessed a 40% decrease in marijuana use since the Dutch government legalized it in 1976 (Grinspoon, L. 1971, p. 4). During the same time period, marijuana use has decreased in the United States, so it cannot be definitively argued that either stronger penalties or decriminalization is better at affecting the number of people who use marijuana. It seems clear that social policy, and not legal policy, had the greater effect in Holland. Accusations of marijuana’s addictive powers are also under attack from well-designed research studies. During the Nixon administration (1972), the federal government reviewed existing studies and concluded that marijuana did not possess physically addictive traits. The great majority of articles published in medical journals since that time have agreed. For example, Dr. Jack Henningfield of the Addiction Research Center (part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse) and Dr. Neal Benowits of the University of California ranked heroin, cocaine, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and marijuana in terms of their power to induce psychological dependence. Nicotine was first, marijuana last. Marijuana also ranked last in terms of producing a physical tolerance to the drug, and was deemed least likely to produce signs of withdrawal upon quitting (Theis, C. F, 1993, p. 92). It seems as though the primary result of the three-pronged attack using strict penalties, silence, and exaggeration has been increased ignorance. Regardless of research findings refuting long-held claims about marijuana addiction since 1972, the old arguments of the 1930s continue to be used when establishing new soft drug laws. People’s tendency to hold onto their initial beliefs means that most of their knowledge on the topic of marijuana is based on what their parents taught them. While it is the responsibility of all parents to teach their children values, this is not an acceptable basis for creating law. If the purpose of prohibition is to eliminate the use of a substance, then marijuana is certainly another example of how prohibition fails. In 1979, 68. 2% of all 18-25 year olds had tried marijuana at least once, and 35% said that they were regular users (U. S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1991). While those respective numbers have decreased to 50% and 13%, its clear that marijuana is still readily available and used by a large number of Americans. Two other detrimental effects of marijuana prohibition are the large amounts of money spent on enforcement and prosecution, and prison overcrowding. The percentage of the American population living in prison has increased from . 061 in 1880 to . 1 in 1920 to . 35 in 1995, with an associated tripling of real tax dollars required to house inmates. Today, 62% of all inmates are in prison for drug offenses-the result of a 1,100% increase in drug arrests between 1980 and 1992, even though marijuana use dropped from 35% to 13% during the same period. The increase in violent offenders incarcerated during that time was only 50%. Of felons convicted of crimes related to marijuana possession, production and trafficking during this period, 58% had no prior arrest history, 91% were not identified as organizers, leaders, managers or supervisors of drug-oriented organizations, and 92% did not own or possess a gun. In other words, the large majority of these felons should not be viewed as individuals endangering our society. I believe the main point of these statistics is that an enormous amount of money is spent each year on incarcerating non-violent and otherwise law-abiding citizens. Not including the money spent on prison management and construction, the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) now spends $1. 3 billion a year â€Å"fighting† marijuana. Overall, federal anti-marijuana efforts have cost taxpayers $30 billion. The result: $2 billion worth of cannabis being seized and destroyed, 4 million people being arrested, and 250-thousand individuals being jailed for more than one year–but no basic change in usage patterns from the 1970†³s (www. bergen. com). Is it worth it? Mark Young is a victim of a US District Attorney’s overzealous efforts to enforce federal marijuana laws. Young, a resident of Illinois, went on a fishing trip in Florida with some old friends, bringing along some marijuana for everyone to enjoy privately. His Florida friends asked Young to introduce them to the grower, which he did, then was cut out of the deal from that point onward. He was later arrested and charged with conspiracy to manufacture marijuana. He had two strikes against him-minor possession charges that were twenty years old-so he faced a life sentence with no possibility of parole, even though he did not benefit at all from the transaction. The District Attorney offered Young a reduced charge if he testified against his friends and others whom he had no prior knowledge of. He refused, and the DA won his case without having to inform the jury about Young’s two-strike status. The judge had no choice but to pass down a sentence of life without parole. In a prison interview, Young was quoted as saying, â€Å"They’ve only proved I’m capable of smoking a joint, or of introducing a guy to another guy who needs some pounds. That’s the most they’ve proved me capable of. What they [the prosecutors] are doing, they’re destroying these families and passing out life sentences, taking people’s lives, putting children on the street-I mean horrendous acts. I don’t know of anyone that would do anything that malicious for a salary† (Williams J. B. , 1970, p. 46). It is my opinion that the state has no right to interfere with anyone’s private conduct, especially under the guise of protecting anyone from our own folly. The government is free to educate people as much as it wishes on the effects of using marijuana, education being the best way to alter behavior. However, it must not dictate what behavior an individual can or cannot practice in private. This opinion is the same one given in the 1972 report published by the National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse; in their summary, the authors of that report argued that private production and consumption of marijuana should be made legal (National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, 1972, p. 152). They also recommended continued efforts to arrest anyone involved in trafficking or in the commercial production of marijuana. The report was accepted by the President, Speaker of the House, and President of the Senate, and the argument was later given support by President Jimmy Carter (Theis, C. F. , 1993, p. 45). However, political pressure prevented him from making concerted effort to reform marijuana laws. The original motivation for marijuana prohibition was based on a lack of knowledge. Nevertheless, the hate and fear resulting from initial attitudes still echo in current arguments against marijuana. Despite research to the contrary, a significant number of people refuse to have their beliefs challenged. And so billions of tax dollars continue to be spent on enforcement and prosecution, while use patterns remain the same-a return on an investment that no private business would ever tolerate. And it is important to remember that statistics describe many casual marijuana users such as M. Y. , and families that are affected by overly strict laws. Prohibition was established due to a misunderstanding, has not achieved its goal, and goes against an American philosophical approach. I believe it is time to reconsider its consequences. How to cite Prohibition and Marijuana: History Does Repeat, Essay examples

Understanding of the Accounting Profession.

Questions: 1. When you think of the accounting profession what comes to your mind? 2. What contextual factors do you think could influence the accounting profession? 3. Describe the people you expect to interact with as an accountant? 4. What role do you think you should play in contributing to your community as an accountant? 5. What might the clients and fellow employees expect of you as an accountant? 6. What skills do you think you should possess to be a successful accountant? Answers: 1. When I am critically involved in thinking about the profession of accounting, certain things come to my mind. However, these things have changed with the passage of time, as I have gained new knowledge regarding the profession. Before attending the beginning seminar of my course, my view was that accounting is mainly deals with passing journal entries, creating ledger accounts, forming trial balance and final accounts. Moreover, I thought that accounting work is associated with handling large number of files in office and such task is complex and time-consuming to perform. Furthermore, accounting profession is associated with certain other functions like taxation, management and auditing services. However, my perception regarding accounting has now changed, as it is associated with spending one on one time and working with the clients. The accounting professionals devote their time sitting in computers and networking. Thus, developing strong association with the clients is a major part of the profession of accounting. 2. In the current competitive environment, there is presence of various contextual factors; w3hich could affect the profession of accounting. Before gaining a thorough knowledge of the accounting profession, I have a mindset that the contextual factors like the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) and Australian Accounting Standards Board (AASB) have direct impact on the accounting profession. However, after reading the articles of ACCA and CIMA, I have identified other contextual factors like technological innovation, globalisation and ethics and these play a major role in affecting the profession of accounting. 3. In an accounting profession, an individual could expect interacting with different types of people. As an accountant, I expect interacting with the staffs and managers involved with planning, controlling and leading the former for conducting the work in an effective fashion. IN addition, it is also the responsibility of the accountant to interact with the other organisational stakeholders, which comprise of suppliers, investors and customers. The other individuals with which I could expect to interact with include debt collectors and clients for carrying out professional stuffs. 4. It is a proven fact that an accountant plays a pivotal role in community contributions. One such role is providing accurate financial information to the different users for undertaking key decisions for my organisation. The information delivered needs to be trustworthy, correct, timely and comprehensible. In addition, developing strong relationships with the customers and managers and protecting the reliability of financial reporting are other major roles in community contribution. However, there are different issues confronting financial reporting, which include malpractices on the part of the accountants. Hence, as an accountant, it is needed to eliminate these malpractices to enhance the reliability of financial reporting for assuring the different users of the accounting information. This would help in increasing the accuracy of the financial reports for assuring effective decision-making. The main reason that the accounting professionals conduct accounting malpractices is to evade taxes from the government. However, I would be involved in providing assistance to the corporate strategies for providing advice and helping the organisation in minimising costs. Thus, accounting has an important role in imparting capabilities, knowledge and ethical foundations of profession to the upcoming generation. 5. The clients and staffs expect the accountant to behave diligently and ethically with entire dedication to the organisation. In addition, the staffs of the organisation expect me to increase the work life quality and satisfaction level. Secondly, another expectation of the staffs includes forming effective working associations by developing a trustful environment for supporting teamwork. Thirdly, the employees expect me to espouse the workplace values and norms displayed on the part of both formal and informal groups. In addition, the clients could expect me to reveal capabilities like communication skills, leadership and decision-making power to resolve workplace issues rapidly. 6. In order to become a successful accountant, it is necessary that I possess effective leadership skills like long-term goal planning and strategic thinking for my organisation. I need to develop my communication skills for managing the customers. The other necessary skills include adaptability due to the dynamic nature of the accounting industry. Time management skill is crucial for an accountant to complete a task within the scheduled time. Finally, it is necessary for an accountant to possess relevant computer skills, as most of the organisations use specialised computer programs to manage the accountancy work. Thus, according to me, the accountants need to adopt both soft skills and technical skills for accomplishing their career objectives.