Monday, November 25, 2019

Free Essays on Maryjane

Think again. Cigarette companies will have you believing anything just as long as you continue to buy their products. The fact is, although insoluble tars are a contributing factor to the lung cancer danger present in today's cigarettes, the real danger is radioactivity. According to U.S. Surgeon General C. Everette Koop (on national television, 1990) radioactivity, not tar, accounts for at least 90% of all smoking related lung cancer. Tobacco crops grown in the United States are fertilized by law with phosphates rich in radium 226. In addition, many soils have a natural radium 226 content. Radium 226 breaks down into two long lived 'daughter' elements lead 210 and polonium 210. These radioactive particles become airborne, and attach themselves to the fine hairs on tobacco leaves. Studies have shown that lead 210 and polonium 210 deposits accumulate in the bodies of people exposed to cigarette smoke. Data collected in the late 1970's shows that smokers have three times as much of these elements in their lower lungs as non smokers. Smokers also show a greater accumulation of lead 210 and polonium 210 in their skeletons,though no studies have been conducted to link these deposits with bone cancer. Polonium 210 is the only component of cigarette smoke which has produced tumors by itself in inhalation experiments with animals. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the lungs react by forming irritated areas in the bronchi. All smoke produces this effect. However, although these irritated spots are referred to as 'pre-cancerous' lesions, they are a perfectly natural defense system and usually go away with no adverse effects. Insoluble tars in tobacco smoke can slow this healing process by adhering to lesions and causing additional irritation. In addition, tobacco smoke causes the bronchi to constrict for long periods of time, which obstructs the lung's ability to clear itself o... Free Essays on Maryjane Free Essays on Maryjane Think again. Cigarette companies will have you believing anything just as long as you continue to buy their products. The fact is, although insoluble tars are a contributing factor to the lung cancer danger present in today's cigarettes, the real danger is radioactivity. According to U.S. Surgeon General C. Everette Koop (on national television, 1990) radioactivity, not tar, accounts for at least 90% of all smoking related lung cancer. Tobacco crops grown in the United States are fertilized by law with phosphates rich in radium 226. In addition, many soils have a natural radium 226 content. Radium 226 breaks down into two long lived 'daughter' elements lead 210 and polonium 210. These radioactive particles become airborne, and attach themselves to the fine hairs on tobacco leaves. Studies have shown that lead 210 and polonium 210 deposits accumulate in the bodies of people exposed to cigarette smoke. Data collected in the late 1970's shows that smokers have three times as much of these elements in their lower lungs as non smokers. Smokers also show a greater accumulation of lead 210 and polonium 210 in their skeletons,though no studies have been conducted to link these deposits with bone cancer. Polonium 210 is the only component of cigarette smoke which has produced tumors by itself in inhalation experiments with animals. When a smoker inhales tobacco smoke, the lungs react by forming irritated areas in the bronchi. All smoke produces this effect. However, although these irritated spots are referred to as 'pre-cancerous' lesions, they are a perfectly natural defense system and usually go away with no adverse effects. Insoluble tars in tobacco smoke can slow this healing process by adhering to lesions and causing additional irritation. In addition, tobacco smoke causes the bronchi to constrict for long periods of time, which obstructs the lung's ability to clear itself o... Free Essays on Maryjane IS THE ILLEGALIZATION OF MARIJUANA VALID? The debate over the legalization of Cannabis sativa, more commonly known as marijuana, has been one of the most heated controversies ever to occur in the United States. Its use as a medicine has existed for thousands of years in many countries world wide and is documented as far back as 2700 BC in ancient Chinese writings. When someone says ganja, cannabis, bung, dope, grass, rasta, or weed, they are talking about the same subject: marijuana. Marijuana should be legalized because the government could earn money from taxes on its sale, its value to the medical world outweighs its abuse potential, and because of its importance to the paper and clothing industries. This action should be taken despite efforts made by groups which say marijuana is a harmful drug which will increase crime rates and lead users to other more dangerous substances. The actual story behind the legislature passed against marijuana is quite surprising. According to Jack Herer, author of The Emperor Wears No Clothes, the acts bringing about the demise of hemp were part of a large conspiracy involving DuPont, Harry J. Anslinger, commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), and many other influential industrial leaders such as William Randolph Hearst and Andrew Mellon. Herer notes that the Marijuana Tax Act, which passed in 1937, coincidentally occurred just as the decoricator machine was invented. With this invention, hemp would have been able to take over competing industries almost instantaneously. According to Popular Mechanics, "10,000 acres devoted to hemp will produce as much paper as 40,000 acres of average [forest] pulp land." William Hearst owned enormous timber acreage so his interest in preventing the growth of hemp can be easily explained. Competition from hemp would have easily driven the Hearst paper-manufacturing company out of business and significantly lo...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Risk Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Risk Management - Essay Example on the definition of an organization’s objectives, specification of possible risks to the business, identifying specific risks to each objective and specification of a tool to be used for risk management. One such tool that is used for managing risk in the global business environment is the risk level matrix. The risk level matrix is a matrix that identifies each possible risk to the organization’s objectives and classifies it in terms of consequences and likelihood of occurrence (Hopkin, 2010). The risk level matrix helps the organization determine the level of concern for each risk, where common levels of concern include catastrophic, major, moderate, minor and insignificant. Once the levels of concern have been identified, the organization can then implement preventive or mitigation strategies for the identified risks. This risk management tool is an effective tool in the face of uncertainty in the global economic environment. The risk level matrix helps the organization analyze all possible risk types and prepare an advance plan in case the risk comes to pass (Hopkin, 2010). Other risk management tools do not give the organization the ability to plan ahead for the risks that they might

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Financial Ratios Project Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Financial Ratios Project - Case Study Example The figure in Wal-Mart is lesser than one though higher than that in Target (Marketwatch.com). The receivables turnover ratio measures a companies’ effectiveness in collecting debt. Target’s ratio increases by a bigger margin than that of Wal-Mart over the three years. However, the receivables turnover ratio of Wal-Mart is still higher than that of Target. The inventory turnover ratio measures the effectiveness of a company in converting its inventory to sales. The ratio in Target decreases slightly over the three-year period while that in Wal-Mart increases. The asset turnover measures the management’s effectiveness in utilizing the company assets to produce sales. This ratio increases by a bigger in margin over the three years in Target than in Wal-Mart though Wal-Mart still has a higher a ratio. The profit margin indicates how much profit is generated from a company’s sales. This ratio fluctuates in Target over the three years while it remains constant with slight changes in Wal-Mart. Return on assets ratio measures a company’s effectiveness in utilizing assets to generate profits. Target’s return on assets ratio fluctuates over the three years. Wal-Mart’s ratio is higher than that of Target despite it decreasing slightly. The return on equity measures a company’s effectiveness in utilizing shareholder equity to generate profit. This ratio fluctuates in Target as it decreases slightly in Wal-Mart. Despite this, Wal-Mart ratio is still higher than that of Target (Marketwatch.com). The debt to assets ratio measures the leverage level of the company in relation to its assets. Target’s debt to assets ratio is higher than that of Wal-Mart over the three years. Free cash flows ratio shows the amount of cash flow, which is attributable to the equity holders and debt holders of a company. The ratio fluctuates in both the companies though the one in Wal-Mart is higher. Times interest, earned ratio shows the ability of

Monday, November 18, 2019

To what extent is social class relevant in relation to those who make Essay

To what extent is social class relevant in relation to those who make the law and those who break it - Essay Example There are four main a social classes, such as â€Å"upper class, middle class, working class and the lower class† (Murray, 1995). In order to discuss relation of a social class to lawbreakers, it is relevant to consider a a social class of Britain as the biggest class of lawbreakers. Law breakers in Britain are often accused of avoidance of tax payment, are undercharged in shops etc. A dishonest behavior was admitted by more than 50% of Great Britain inhabitants. A paradoxical behavior of British society is defined in the following terms: â€Å"While nine out of 10 people demand action against those committing these offences, the majority actually admit to committing one of them† (Carrabine&South, 2000). In America there is no strict and intense relation between representatives of different classes. Nevertheless, American constitution was developed in the eighteenth century, but in the modern time there is a lack of special social and economic rights (Carrabine&South, 2 000). A social class is more objective entity in relation to the society than race. A social class has been shaped under the influence of economic relations, symbolic systems and other external factors. Therefore, it is relevant to claim that representatives of a social class are shaped under the influence of education, surrounding people, family traditions, income rates and many other factors. As a result, representatives of lower class have fewer possibilities to realize themselves as successful politicians. It can be supposed that they will become criminals or lawbreakers sooner than lawmakers. Lawmakers/breakers and social class Symbolic context of a social class has been influenced by politics freight. The western considerations about the nature and the culture and thus further considerations about what class is, is usually conducted in terms of â€Å"binary oppositions†. In the theory of criminology, social class considerations in terms of â€Å"binary oppositions† have remained relevant to the modern society. On the one hand, in accordance with criminologists, it is impossible to differ between â€Å"criminals† and â€Å"non-criminals†. Nevertheless, starting from the XXI century it has been claimed that nature of criminals is related to gender, race and class. More often criminals are accounted for representatives of an underclass, i.e. the most disadvantageous people who are unemployed or neglected by the society (Andersen and Collins, 1998). It is relevant to trace these interrelations in terms of four main sociological approaches: â€Å"quantitative studies; time and place studies; ethnographic studies, and social construction studies† (Andersen and Collins, 1998). In quantitative studies individuals’ misbehavior leads to a crime. A representation of certain socio-economic groups is usually questioned in this approach, because very often data collection for such kind of researches limits background data of c riminals. Some analysts claim that â€Å"The lack of both significant class effects and any race effects in our general crime scale may suggest a possible interaction effect between a social class and race† (Ibid, p. 607). Therefore, in making their judgments lawmakers often take into account an interrelation between a social class and a crime or between who may be potential lawbreakers or lawmakers. Gender, age and family income are often influential factors of crime’

Friday, November 15, 2019

Roots of Hindu-Muslim Tension in India

Roots of Hindu-Muslim Tension in India India has had a long history of religious violence, stemming as early as the Middle Ages when Muslim expansion spread into the Indian peninsula to the British Invasion of the middle 19th century. Various events throughout history have contributed to the tension between the Hindus and the Muslims; some Indians converted to Islam to lessen tension, but the fragile coexistence between Indian Hindus and Indian Muslims continually gave way to violence between the two groups.       As basic context, Hinduism is considered one of the worlds oldest religions. It predates Christianity and Islam by centuries. Hinduism is a difficult religion to understand because it doesnt have a strictly structured set of beliefs. In more ways than one, Hinduism is inclusive of other religions, such as Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism, etc. It is often considered more of a way of life or a philosophical set of beliefs rather than a religion as other faiths would be considered to be. Hinduism views life as a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, with Karma acting as a guiding force. Islam is a monotheistic religion based on the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who lived between 570-632 BCE. Followers of Islam are called Muslims and Muslims worship the Supreme Being, Allah, and follow his revelations contained in their sacred text, the Quran. This history of Hindu-Muslim tension has mostly been studied in political sciences, as it is one of the most striking examples of Indian Politics, and the question of how and why riots occur has been a pressing issue for years. However, such history is also discussed in religious- studies professors, such as Valerie Stoker, a religion philosophy and classics professor at Wright State University. Her book, Polemics, and Patronage in the City of Victory: VyÄ satÄ «rtha, Hindu Sectarianism, and the Sixteenth-Century Vijayanagara Court, uses the Vijayanagara Court as a way to understand the dynamic interaction between religious and royal institutions during the time period of 1346-1565. While Stokers main question is how did the patronage activities of Indias Vijayanagara Empire (c. 1346-1565) influence Hindu sectarian identities?, she addresses that the Vijayanagara Court was actually very selective in its patronage of religious institutions. The Vijayanagara Court was the precolonial Southern Indian primary political power, with Vijayanagara, meaning city of victory for its status as the center for emerging global economy. It attracted merchants and business from Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Because of the wealth Vijayanagara Court had acquired by the early 1500s, it had become one of the greatest and most diverse urban populations of the world. Due to the increased interest from the Middle East and invasion of northern India, it was primarily known as a Hindu wall against Muslim invasion. Geographically, Vijayanagara Court was located in the center of the country, encompassing people primarily of the Hindu and Christian faiths, as shown in Map 1. In Map 1, the region that is indicated by Vijayanagara is the only region that is still primarily Hindu and Christian, and its important to note that all of the other regions above have been marked with Muslim invasions, such as: Faruqi Imad Shahi Nizam Shahi Barid Shahi Qutb Shahi Shitab Khan The origins of the Vijayanagara Court have been noted to be the result of the Sangama Dynasty of 1336-1337, in which the rulers, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, were commanders-in-chief when stationed in the Hoysala Empire to ward off the Muslims during the early invasion attempts of South India. The Hoysala Empire was the last of the Hindu states that survived the invasion at that time. However, these origins are not confirmed, but Stoker claims that after the death of Hoysala king, Veera Ballala III, during a battle against the Sultan of Madurai in 1343, the Hoysala Empire merged with the growing Vijayanagara empire. Until 1509, the Vijayanagara Court warded off five invasions from the Deccan Sultanates, five dynasties combined into one large empire. These five dynasties included the Muslim-ruled late medieval kingdoms of Bijapur, Golkonda, Ahmadnagar, Bidar, and Berar of south-central India. This Sultanate seems to be what caused bitter relations between the Hindu and the Muslims bec ause at this point in time, beginning 1500 AD, India went through an extensive period of religious violence at the hands of the Sultans Army. Of the two sects of Islam, the perpetrators were Sunni Muslim and the primary victims were Hindus. Between the years of 1000 and 1500, the population of the Indian subcontinent had decreased by eighty million. Even the Hindus that has converted to Islam were not spared in the violence. Stoker primarily focuses on South India, and religion is mainly discussed in the chapter called Hindu, Ecumenical, Sectarian: Religion and the Vijayanagara Court, in which the above information stems from. However, it is important to note that the Vijayanagara Court in itself, as a strong Hindu Empire, had strict rules on which sect of Hinduism would primarily be followed and which sect had the governing power during the reign. Within Hinduism itself, there are many sects. These sects, since Hinduism has no central doctrine, follow traditions and beliefs in accordance of the three main gods: Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. Shiva, being The Destroyer, Vishnu, being The Protector, and Brahma, being The Creator. The Hindu denominations who follow Brahma as their guiding force, are the ones that considered to be the most pure and the utmost followers of Hinduism. Historically, the Brahmins; followers of Brahma, were primarily the royalty or upper middle class. So, the Vijayanagara Court were also strong Brahmins, and Vijayanagara royals religious patronage played a critical role in shaping the various practical mechanisms that enabled the empire to function (Stoker, Chapter 6). Now, it is important to note that the Vijayanagara Court wasnt always governed by the Brahmins. Originally, when the empire was created, the founders, Harihara I and Bukka Raya I, were strong devotees of Shiva. Despite their sectarian preferences, the Vijayanagara rulers, on the whole, adopted the deliberate policy of tolerance towards all sects to incorporate them all within the policy. The next ruler after Harihara and Bukka Raya, Devaraya II, took over the empire and was deemed the most successful of all of the rulers that had power over the Vijayanagara Court. Devoutly religious, Devaraya II endowed Sri Vaishnava temples at Srirangam and Tirumalai, and favored Jain institutions in the capital and elsewhere since the highest form of devotion was found in intricate temples. Most importantly, Devaraya II employed Muslims in his army and allowed them to practice their religion freely. Thus, Vijayanagara royals well-maintained Indian traditions of tolerance and inclusivism that nevertheless privileged specific religious formations. That is quite different from European states in the same period, which, for the most part, waited until the Enlightenment to recognize the political value of religious tolerance. Yet while in some ways, these enlightened Indian attitudes toward religious diversity. To contrast the heavy emphasis on precolonial South India that Valerie Stoker places in her monograph, Audrey Truschke, a postdoctoral fellow at Stanford University, discusses the Northern Indian aspect of the Hindu-Muslim tension in a chapter of her new book, Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court. Truschke argues that most of the religious conflict India is fueled by ideological assumptions about that period [medieval times] rather than an accurate rendering of the subcontinents history. In pages 27-63, Truschke discusses the influence of Brahmins in the Mughal Empire, which was the primary governing Islamic empire of the North. The Mughal Empire was about a century later than the Vijayanagara Court, ruling during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, founded near the end of the Vijayanagara Court, in 1526. Babur was the founder of the Mughal Empire, and subsequently its first ruler. He invaded India from Central Asia with only 12,000 men, and defeated many larger armies, eventually forming the Mughal Empire. Humayun, Baburs son, lost control of his empire soon after taking the throne. With the help of his Persian advisors, Humayun regained his empire and even expanded to the South and East. It is important to note here the Persian influence and the help of Persian and Central Asian advisors straightened what was to be a long lasting cultural impact from the subcontinents western neighbors. Later during his reign, the presence of Persian advisors was a constant feature of his court. The Emperor Akbar the Great, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, was one of the most important Mughal rulers for fostering religious cohesion amongst Muslims and Hindus. His trusted friend and advisor, Abul Fazl, wrote a book, the Akbarnama (Truschke, Chapter 4), describing the rule of emperor Akbar including Akbars religious views and policies toward Hindus. Abul Fazl wrote a lot about the interactions and policies that the Muslim government established in response to the Hindu majority. This shows the tolerance of the Muslim leadership toward another religion in order to keep power peacefully. The text even talks about the similarities in the religions. The tolerance and acceptance shown to the Hindus by the Muslim rulers of the time were a politically savvy move. Ruling an empire where the majority of the population did not have the same religious views as the ruling class presented many obstacles, and required the Mughal rulers to practice religious sensitivity in orde r to maintain power. However, what is interesting about Truschkes argument in the first chapter of her book is that she also finds it important to highlight that the Muslim invasion wasnt all negative. While it is not to lessen the negative impact of Muslim Invasion on the Indian subcontinent, it is also important to note that Muslim rule in India from the 16th to 18th centuries was, in fact, one of tremendous cross-cultural respect and fertilization, not religious or cultural conflict. She said her research overturns the assumption that the Mughals were hostile to traditional Indian literature or knowledge systems. In fact, her findings reveal how Mughals supported and engaged with Indian thinkers and ideas. Early modern-era Muslims were, in fact, deeply interested in traditional Indian learning, which is largely housed in Sanskrit, says Truschke. For example, in the Vijayanagara Court, Brahmins were the primary governing Hindu denomination; similarly, in the Mughal Empire, the Brahmins had detailed interactions with the intellectuals of the Mughal Empire. The Brahmins became influential members of the empire through composing Sanskrit works for Mughal readers and through writing about their imperial experiences. Through this observation, it seems as though Truschke looks at the Hindu-Muslim interaction in a precolonial era of the Indian subcontinent more positively than in contrast to the more common, media-based views that assume that Muslim interaction and presence has always been malicious to Indian religions, languages, and culture. This example of Mughal artwork depicts Emperor Akbar presiding over discussions in the Hall of Religious Debate, ca. 1600. (Image credit: Chester Beatty Library, Dublin). The original painting is found in Dublin, and naturally, the image has been cleaned through computer graphics. This artwork is found in The Akbarnama. Akbarnama means Book of Akbar and it is an official, imperial biography, written by Akbars close friend and associate, Abul Fazl, who was mentioned earlier in this essay. In the illustrations to the text, Akbar is portrayed as a powerful, versatile, and heroic figure, as he seems to have been perceived by his contemporaries. In this painting, however, another aspect of the emperors personality is portrayed: his intense curiosity about other religions. Akbar is shown in the midst of a theological debate with Jesuit missionaries in his Ibadat Khana, or House of Worship. Hindu-Muslim has long been a source of conflict in India and the Indian subcontinent as a whole. While it was not discussed in this paper, religious violence began as early as the 7th century with the earliest of Muslim invasions, and that time onwards, the conflicts have only risen. From the Vijayanagara Court to the Mughal Empires, hundreds of invasions and wars have been fought. The Mughal Empire was the precursor to the British Empire, who brought a new wave of imperialism once again in the Indian subcontinent. This occurs in the beginning of the 19th century. The British benefited from pitting Hindus and Muslims against one another and portrayed themselves as neutral saviors who could keep ancient religious conflicts at bay. While colonialism ended in the 1940s, the modern Hindu right has found tremendous political value in continuing to proclaim and create endemic Hindu-Muslim conflict. More of the British invasion, and the Partition of 1947 will later be discussed in paper two . Works Cited:    Fazl, Abul. Akbar and the Jesuits. 1600-03 India. Chester Beatty Library, Dublin, Ireland. Chester Beatty Library Image Gallery. Chester Beatty Library. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.http://www.cbl.ie/cbl_image_gallery/collection/detail.aspx?imageId=99ImageNumber=T0004641collectionId=2page=8>. Mughal Artwork from the Akbarnama book written by Abul Fazl Truschke, Audrey. Culture of Encounters: Sanskrit at the Mughal Court. Columbia University Press, 2016, www.jstor.org/stable/10.7312/trus17362. Stoker, Valerie. Polemics and Patronage in the City of Victory: Vyasatirtha, Hindu Sectarianism, and the Sixteenth-Century Vijayanagara Court. Oakland, California, University of California Press, 2016, www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1kc6jt3.

Wednesday, November 13, 2019

Essay --

Political systems in Latin American countries have been ever-changing. Long periods of dictatorship were often followed by long periods of democracy in an on-going cycle that is one, if not the main reason as to why Latin American countries have not been able to develop quickly. Political instability has affected many aspects in countries such as Peru and Argentina, one of these aspects is freedom of the press. Freedom of the press has played a key role in Latin America, serving not only as a voice for the people, but as a trail of evidence for some of the most heinous crimes committed throughout the Cold War and post-Cold War eras. Many people have been punished and even died all in the struggle to freely criticize political, economic, or even religious issues in their own countries. Freedom of the press, a right that should always be preserved, has often dwindled in the light of dictatorships and governments that do not take criticism lightly. Freedom of the press is called by many a â€Å"negative† freedom or liberty. While positive freedoms are described as rights that allow people to take action about their own lives, negative freedoms are rights that no other person or entity is allowed to put constraints on. The government is not allowed to put obstacles on the people’s rights to communicate their sentiments. Nations were built under the principle of democracy, where people are granted the liberty to express and publish their criticisms and where it is the people who decide who stays on top and who leads them. For Peruvians and Argentineans, it has been a constant struggle to maintain this right. Through and after the Cold War, freedom of the press was easily taken away by oppressive governments, which is why freedom of the pr... ... the simple lack of it at times. The conclusion is simple: a country with no press and with no freedom for its citizens to express their opinions or discontent is a country with no democratic values. In the aftermath of the Cold War and the era of dictatorships, freedom of the press has taken its time to flourish once again. Slowly, Latin American countries such as Peru and Argentina have managed to recover and to trust the press as they previously had. It seems like this time around however, democracy has become a permanent feature in the political systems, and will be for a long time. Even though both of these countries are only partially-free at the moment, one hopes the future is a bright one. For too long the story reflected by the freedom of the press in Latin America has been the story of oppression and disillusionment, it is time for the story to change.