Floods in India Essay

Floods are caused by weather phenomena and events that deliver more precipitation to a drainage basin than can be readily absorbed or stored within the basin. Acre-foot. Volume of water required to cover 1 acre of land (43,560 square feet) to a depth of 1 foot; equivalent to 325,851 gallons. Cubic feet per second (ft? /s). A unit of measurement expressing rates of  discharge. One cubic foot per second is equal to thedischarge  of a stream of rectangular cross section, 1 foot wide and 1 foot deep, flowing water an average velocity of 1 foot per second. Equivalent to 448. 8 gallons per minute. Discharge. Rate of flow–a volume of fluid passing a point per unit time, commonly expressed in  cubic feet per second, million gallons per day, or gallons per minute. Drainage basin. A part of the surface of the Earth that is occupied by a drainage system, which consists of a surface stream or a body of impounded  surface water  together with all tributary surface streams and bodies of impounded  surface water. Land area drained by a stream or river. Flash flood. The result of heavy or excessive amounts of rainfall within a short period of time, usually less than 6 hours, causing water to rise and fall quite rapidly. Flood. An overflow or inundation that comes from a river or other body of water and causes or threatens damage. Any relatively high  streamflow  overtopping the natural or artificial banks in any reach of a stream. Flood frequency. Refers to a flood level that has a specified percent chance of being equaled or exceeded in any given year. For example, a 100-year flood occurs  on average  once every 100 years and thus has a 1-percent chance of occurring in a given year. Flood plain. A strip of relatively flat-lying land that borders a stream and is underlain by sediment carried by the stream and dropped in the slack water beyond the influence of the swiftest current. Flood stage. The  stage  at which overflow of the natural  streambanks  begins to cause damage in the reach in which the elevation is measured. Flood stages for each USGS gaging station are usually provided by the National Weather Service. Gage datum. An arbitrary datum plane that is established for a particular gaging station to which water-surface elevations can be compared. Gage height. See  Stage. Gaging station. A site on a stream, canal, lake, or reservoir where systematic observations of gage height or waterdischarge  are obtained by a gage, recorder, or similar equipment. Peak stage. The maximum height of a water surface above an established datum. Same as peak gage height. Precipitation. Rain, snow, hail, or sleet. Real-time data. Data collected by automated instrumentation and telemetered and analyzed quickly enough to influence a decision that affects the monitoring system. Recurrence interval. The average interval of time within which the magnitude of a given event, such as a flood, will be equaled or exceeded one time. Stage. The height of a water surface above an established datum. Used interchangeably with gage height. Streambank. The margins of a stream channel. Banks are called right and left as viewed facing the direction of flow. Streamflow. The discharge or flow that occurs in a natural channel. Although the term discharge can be applied to the flow of a canal, the word â€Å"streamflow† uniquely describes the discharge in a surface stream course. Surface runoff. That part of the runoff that travels over the soil surface to the nearest stream channel. It also is defined as that part of the runoff of a drainage basin that has not passed beneath the surface following precipitation. Surface water. Water on the surface of the Earth. Water year. The water year deals with the surface-water supply for a 12-month period, October 1 through September 30. The water year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends and which includes 9 out of the 12 months. Thus, the year ending September 30, 1999, is called the â€Å"1999 water year. † NOTE:  Some definitions were excerpted from other sources. Terms 1. Current and historic stream water levels are reported as stage above a gage datum or as water-surface elevation above sea level. which is the addition of the stage to the gage datum.

My Life Changing Experience Essay

I’ve never been more sad than the day that my cousin Taron died. She had battled cancer for five years, if not more, when she took her last breath. She was in a coma for the last week of her life. She was a fighter; no matter how sick the chemotherapy made her, no matter how bad it hurt, she never complained. She was never mean to anyone, she never made a rude remark against someone, and everyone loved her. She lived for the Lord, and did everything she could for him. I believe in my heart, when she took her last breath, she went straight up the stairway to heaven. I will never forget the morning she went to the doctor and found out she had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. I had to go to school with my aunt, and I was in the fifth grade. Taron walked into my aunt Sherry’s room when she was getting ready and my aunt noticed that her Lymph nodes were swelled, about the size of a baseball. She was freaking out, but my cousin wasn’t really scared until my aunt got scared. I think my aunt didn’t say anything else about it until I got to school because she didn’t want to scare me or my cousin any worse, but when I got picked up early that day at school, I kind of had a feeling something was wrong. It wasn’t long after that that we learned she had been diagnosed with cancer. The day she passed away, my mom told me if she came and picked me up early that something would’ve happened. I was worrying, but after a while, I kind of eased up a little bit. At lunch, I was eating and I saw one of the office runners come into the lunch room, and my heart dropped. I knew that I was checking out, and when I got the note it was all I could do not to burst out into tears. Taron was gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. Read more:  Essays About Life Changing Experiences I never even got to say goodbye, and that’s the part that kills me. Whenever I think about her, all I can see is her laying in that casket in a pink suit, with her hair fixed, but bruises on her arms and face from where she had been in the hospital. I walked and hugged all our family that was sitting on the first row of benches in the church, and I didn’t break down until I got to her dad, and he was the last one I was going to hug. I broke down, hugged him, and cried. All he said to me was, â€Å"It’s ok. She’s in a better place now. I went back to my seat, and when the preacher was preaching I saw a single tear run down my grandpa’s face, and it’s the only time I’ve ever seen him cry. The way this changed my outlook on life was major. I’ve never been so devastated in my life. I learned that no matter who you are, bad things happen to you, and no one is invincible. Death is real, but it had never hit me so hard. I’ve learned that you should live every day like it’s your last, and have fun while you can. I learned that no matter how bad your situation is, there’s always someone who has it worse. You should always treat others like you want to be treated, because you don’t know if they’ll be there tomorrow to apologize to them. God can give, and he can take away. I learned that life isn’t just about the material things, and laughter is necessary, because that’s how I’ve got through this. Laughter, love, and my wonderful family. You shouldn’t take things for granted, because sometimes as soon as things are going good for you, it can all fall apart. Live your life while you can, because Taron did, and I’m following in her footsteps. I’m living my life one day at a time, and I’m enjoying as much of it as I possibly can.

The decision to terminally wean a critically ill patient Article

The decision to terminally wean a critically ill patient - Article Example Nursing, as well as the other aspects of the medical profession, is one of the most demanding of tasks, requiring as much skill as an admirable character. Nursing care is directed towards the essential and comprehensive needs of the patient, as well as the needs of their families during the entire course of the medical treatment. This is especially important during the difficult times of passing away of the patient, where the role of the nurse is to relieve the symptoms and suffering associated with the process of dying, as well as the emotional burden that the family is left to cope with. "The nurse should provide interventions to relieve pain and other symptoms in the dying patient even when those interventions entail risk of hastening death. However, nurses may not act with the sole intent of ending a patient's life even though such action may be motivated to by compassion, respect for patient autonomy and quality of life considerations"1. First, it is important to understand that the terminally ill patients, no matter of their illness, are divided into 2 main groups. The first group is the patients capable of communicating with the environment and therefore are capable to make conscious decisions about their future treatment and medical care. The second are those that are unconscious, in particular those who are on life support systems. Both conscious and unconscious patients receive pain control medications to ease their suffering. Pain control is one of the basic treatments given to terminally ill patients. It relieves the physical, as well as the emotional stress of the family. According to latest protocols administrating the pain control medications begins with you examining patients' or the families' attitude toward pain control, and then toward a specific preferred assessment tool. You also need to perform a comprehensive pain assessment by reviewing pathophysiologic or psychological causes of pain. Don't forge t to asses the patients' response after an hour of administrating the analgesic. Also, immediately inform the doctor when the pain control regiment has reached the maximum limit, or there are sighs of adverse reactions. It is also important to explain to the patient (if possible) and his family that everyone has individual pain response to illness, and that pain control is important to proper medical care. Never to forget to review the pain medications' side effects. "Withdrawing ongoing life support is a dreaded but necessary therapeutic maneuver when life-supporting devices have become hindrances rather than benefits"2. Pain control medications are still administered to ease the passing of the patient. There are 2 methods of removal: terminal weaning in which the endotracheal tube is left in place as ventilation support is slowly withdrawn, and terminal extubation in which the endotracheal tube is abruptly removed and the patient is suddenly without ventilation support. Most doctors and medical personnel believe that "terminal weaning is the most desirable mode for both ergonomic and physiologic reasons. The continued

Robert kennedy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Robert kennedy - Essay Example Accordingly, this essay, drawing on Robert Kennedy’s posthumous chronicle, Thirteen Days, demonstrates the role of diplomacy and negotiations in the successful dissolution of the crisis (Kennedy, 2011). Essentially, the end of the Cuban missile crisis is credited to the successful missile swap between the US and the Soviet Union. The United States agreed to withdraw their missiles targeting Turkey within six months, on the condition that the USSR withdrew their missiles from Cuba. However, the success of this agreement hinged on the ability of Presidents Kennedy and Khrushchev to streamline their national interests and understand and rationalize the impending collision course they were headed towards, and steer both nations-and the entire world-- away from the threshold of reciprocally guaranteed destruction. Consequently, this state also depended on the effectiveness and ability of the people surrounding both presidents, to provide lucid advice regarding the most appropriate action to solve the crisis. According to the confessions by Theodore Sorensen, JFKs former speechwriter, JFK approached the crisis using bilateral negotiations with Moscow and within his advisory council otherwise known as the ExComm. The ExComm, was established by JFK at the beginning of the crisis to provide him with advice, and comprised of most of his trusted advisers. These negotiations played a critical role in developing an understanding between the two presidents for a peaceful dissolution of the crisis. Conversely, the ExComm officials exhibited divergent positions on the crisis: one group favored the opinion of blockading Cuba while the other group preferred some kind of military action against Cuba. However, Robert Kennedy diffused the standoff in the ExComm by likening an attack on Cuba by the US with the Pearl Harbor strike by the Japanese and ensured that his brother chose for the less violent, more

The concept of semiotics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

The concept of semiotics - Essay Example Semiotics, also regarded as semiotic study is the study of signs and processes related to signs, indications, symbolism, communication and other aspects of understanding human language and their behaviour. The study closely resembles with the aspects of linguistics that largely deals with the study and understanding of language in a more precise manner. The study is often categories in three diverse branches which comprise semantics, pragmatics and syntactic among others. The branch of semantics deals with depicting the relationship between signs and the things they might refer to. Subsequently, pragmatics includes the relationship amid the signs and sign-using agents. Correspondingly, the branch of syntactic deals with the study of the relationship amid signs in formal structure. It is believed that the study of semiotics is quite vital in the aspects of understanding human culture and behaviour on the basis of their communication (Eco, 1979). Semiotics has become an important part of contemporary business. It is implemented in various domains of business today with the intention to enhance the operations of the business. Semiotics in business examines the nature, characteristics as well as information with the aim to organise various crucial activities. It has been observed that semiotics in organisations treats the business unit as an information system where information of various types are created, processed and stored so that it could be used in future context. Among the various use of semiotics in business, its role in branding and advertising department is quite vital. Unlike conventional forms of research which deals with the buying habits of the customers, semiotics in the domain of business advertising seek

Currency Trading Restrictions Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Currency Trading Restrictions - Assignment Example Trade restrictions are widely known to impact negatively on a country’s import and export activities. The establishment of foreign exchange restrictions is often associated with high forex rates to the extent that goods become extremely expensive to export (Dothan, Ramamurti & Ulman, 1996). This in turn implies that fewer goods can be exported and the country’s domestic residence end up with little foreign currency with which to import goods. In this sense, forex restrictions negatively affect import and export trade in many cases. The move by the National Bank of Belarus to lift the forex restriction will benefit multinationals to a great extent. For one, multinationals will have the confidence to make investments in the country knowing that the forex market of the country is transport (Dothan, Ramamurti & Ulman, 1996). The move will also see multinationals that have already invested in the country produce and sell more to foreign markets and remit their earnings to their mother countries. In essence, the change adopted by NBB will encourage foreign direct investment and will boost their exports. Office for a Democratic Belarus (2011). Exchange Rate Restrictions Lifted in Interbank Market. Retrieved March 14, 2014 from

Miranda Rights and Fifth and the Sixth Amendment Essay

Miranda Rights and Fifth and the Sixth Amendment - Essay Example In case of Miranda rights, a defendant or suspect gains the right to obtain services from an attorney while he experiences investigation and interrogation despite the fact that he is under the custody of the police. The main purpose of the right to counsel under Miranda rights is to restrict police officials from using coercive methods of interrogation while the suspect is under the custody of police officials. Another purpose of the right to counsel under Miranda rights is to protect an individual’s right to plead guilty under the regulations of the Fifth Amendment. Under Miranda rights, the suspect is allowed to obtain aid from an attorney before he is interrogated and even while the interrogation process is taking place. If the suspect asks the police officials for an attorney, it becomes obligatory for the police officials to put a stop to all activities categorized as integration. In case of Maine v. Moulton case, the judge stated that the suspect or defendant should not be restricted from obtaining services from an attorney before the trial proceedings take place or while the suspect is in police custody because this action can have a much damaging effect as compared to rejection of right to counsel during the proceedings of the case (Champion, 2005, p.369). The defendant even has a right to act as an attorney himself if he has the capability to perform duties of an attorney and can defend himself if the defendant does not have these capabilities, then the defendant has to obtain assistance from an attorney.

To what extent has North Korean foreign policy became less Essay

To what extent has North Korean foreign policy became less isolationist since the Cold War - Essay Example The tension between these two states has led to the loss of million lives in each side of the parallel from 1948 until 2002 (Foreign and Commonwealth Office 2008, cited in Turku, 2009). North Korea claimed that South Korea is a puppet of the United States. In addition, the North Korea accused South Korea of being anti-national and as an aid to foreign aggressors. Kim II Sung, throughout his reign, asked South Koreans to initiate a revolution that would abolish the US fascist military dictatorship. He further reiterated that armed struggle serves as the only means in order for the South Korea to be liberated from colonizers and oppressors. Kim II-Sung asserted that South Koreans, inspired by the construction of the Northern half and achievements in the socialist revolution, will be impelled to seek for reunification of the nation (Turku, 2009). The two nations agreed to discuss normalizing their relations starting on August 1971. The Inter-Korean summit on June 13 to 15, 2000, which is followed on October 2 to 4, 2007 in Pyongyang, marked the greatest progress that these two nations took towards peaceful coexistence. The two nations agreed to produce a joint declaration for national unification in the Korean peninsula and peaceful co-existence in the first summit (Moon 2002, cited in Turku, 2009). These historical summits were facilitated by the â€Å"sunshine policy† of South Korea. This policy has three principles namely, engage in economic terms with North Korea, respect the sovereignty of the North, and lastly zero tolerance for aggression manifested by North Korea (Turku, 2009). The present administration in South Korea abandoned the â€Å"sunshine policy† term; however, its policy still continues to concentrate on cooperation, principles of engagement, and dialogue with the North Korea. A summit that occurred on June 15, 2000 serves as historical milestones for the two nations. What was deemed as impossible in the past finally

Movie Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Movie - Essay Example The analysis would be written in the light of discussing theoretical concepts of literary elements, including dramatic, cinematic and language aspects. Likewise, one would determine what the movie is really about and a "moral to the story," a theme to be explored, or comment to think about. Finally, one would present what the point of the movie is and the personal meaning of the film in ones perception. The Last Airbender is a movie written, produced and directed by M. Night Shyamalan who was nominated for 2 Oscars in the categories of Best Director and Best Writing for the movie, The Sixth Sense in 1999 (Internet Movie Database, 2010). The movie was an adaptation of Nickelodeon’s TV animated series entitled Avatar: the Last Airbender. The movie was presented as a narration by one of the principal characters, Katara (Nicola Peltz) on the theme of the story which evolves on their world being divided into four elements: Air, Water, Earth and Fire. Peace used to prevail in their world with an Avatar balancing all forces of nature. When the Avatar disappeared, the Fire Nation, led by Lord Ozai launched war on all the nations claiming superiority over all elements. The film is a depiction of Book 1: Water, where the plot evolves on the Avatar’s honing his water bending skills. The major characters are all youngsters composed of the following: the airbender, who is also the Avatar, is played by Aang (Noah Ringer). The water bender is a young teenaged girl, Katara (Nicola Peltz) was the narrator in the film. Her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone) accompanies Katara and Ang to journey to the Northern Water Tribe to seek for a master who would teach him water bending skills. Finally, Prince Zuko (Dev Patel) is the son of Lord Ozai leader of the Fire Nation, who aims to capture the Avatar and bring him to his father, Lord Ozai, so that the

Structures, Fluid Mechanics, Materials, and Soil Mechanics Math Problem

Structures, Fluid Mechanics, Materials, and Soil Mechanics - Math Problem Example Accordingly, most pretensioned concrete essentials are assembled in a workshop and have to be transported to the building site, which confines their size. Pre-tensioned essentials may be balcony components, floor slabs, beams, lintels, or foundation piles. An inventive bridge-building method by means of pre-stressing is the strained ribbon bridge design.The method I would use to prestress: I would use bonded post-tensioning methodFused post-tensioned concrete refers to the descriptive term for a process of applying firmness after pouring the concrete as well as the curing process (in situ). The concrete is placed all around a plastic, aluminum, or steel curved duct, meant to follow the region where otherwise pressure would arise in the concrete component. A collection of the tendons are fished via the duct and the concrete is drizzled. Once the concrete becomes hardened, the tendons are then tensioned by the hydraulic jacks which react (push) on the concrete associate itself. When th e tendons are all stretched adequately, according to the specifications of the design (see Hooke's law), they are then lodged in position and sustain pressure after the jacks are detached, which transfers the pressure towards the concrete. The channel is then mortared to shield the tendons from decay. This method is normally used to build monolithic blocks for house construction; this normally happens in places where the expansive soils (like adobe clay) generate difficulties for the typical foundation of the perimeter.... Pre-tensioned essentials may be balcony components, floor slabs, beams, lintels, or foundation piles. An inventive bridge building method by means of pre-stressing is the strained ribbon bridge design. The method I would use to prestress: I would use bonded post –tensioning method Fused post-tensioned concrete refers to the descriptive term for a process of applying firmness after pouring the concrete as well as the curing process (in situ). The concrete is placed all around a plastic, aluminum, or steel curved duct, meant to follow the region where otherwise pressure would arise in the concrete component. A collection of the tendons are fished via the duct and the concrete is drizzled. Once the concrete becomes hardened, the tendons are then tensioned by the hydraulic jacks which react (push) on the concrete associate itself. When the tendons are all stretched adequately, according to the specifications of the design (see Hooke's law), they are then lodged in position and sus tain pressure after the jacks are detached, which transfers the pressure towards the concrete. The channel is then mortared to shield the tendons from decay. This method is normally used to build monolithic blocks for house construction; this normally happens in places where thr expansive soils (like adobe clay) generate difficulties for the typical foundation of the perimeter. All strains from periodic expansion as well as contraction of the core soil are reserved into the whole tensioned slab that supports the building devoid of substantial flexure. Post-tensioning is similarly used in the building of several bridges, both following the curing of

Discuss the dramatic impact of act 2 scene 2 Essay Example for Free

Discuss the dramatic impact of act 2 scene 2 Essay To achieve maximum impact in this scene, unconventional methods should be used to show how Macbeth is slowly beginning to slip into madness. Shakesphere has added an owl shrieking, this is to perhaps set up a dark atmosphere to link the scene with evil. The owls shriek should just begin as Macbeth kills Duncan to show that a evil deed has been committed. Shakephere has deliberately not shown you the actual murder-taking place to show guilt and also by not seeing it we are left to imagine the murder-taking place and may, perhaps, have more affect on the viewer. It can be imagined as being bloodier than it really is. As Macbeth enters on to the stage with bloody hand he should drop to his knees to show how he realizes that what he has done is so evil and it also shows how a psychological impact is starting to take place on him. As Lady Macbeth enters, she should enter slowly and silently to symbolize how the witches disappear and appear as if from nowhere. This shows how evil she is and cold hearted. She should remain calm as if to show no feelings towards what has happened. Lady Macbeth just wants to get back to bed and have the deed finished quickly. As Macbeth begins to tell his speech of how the guards were talking in there sleep, one cried, god bless us! And amen the other. Macbeth should say it slowly as if he is worried and as he comes to say the word amen he should stutter as if to show he still cannot say it. This shows the evil taking over Macbeth as anything related to good he has problems saying. Lady Macbeth would not commit the deed herself because as Duncan sleeps she resembles her father but she would be happy to kill her own baby as shown earlier on in the book. However she will make sure that the deed is complete without any problems by framing the two servants. A feint knocking should start in the background of the scene as Lady Macbeth departs to finish off the deed, the knocking should be in such away so that it resembles a heartbeat. Macbeth at this point should start scrubbing hands vigorously to show that there seems to be an everlasting amount of blood, like a sea of blood. This shows how evil the deed was and how bloody it was also. The knocking should get louder and faster to resemble Macbeths heart beat slowly getting faster as he gets more nervous and as he slowly begins to slip into madness. In this scene the stage should be mainly dark, there should be no lights focused upon Macbeth or Lady Macbeth to show that they are in darkness and evil. The lighting should be positioned in a way so that they are behind the two characters showing how they have left the light and goodness into the darkness and evil. Macbeth should enter the stage and collapse not starting to speak for several seconds to show how Macbeth it thinking of what he has done. Macbeth should breathe heavily to show his fear and anxiety. He should stare at the daggers and keep his eyes fixed on the daggers until he gives them to Lady Macbeth. This shows how he realizes that the deed is wrong but it is too late to late to go back and change what he has done. This shows that Macbeth is slowly beginning to slip into madness. Macbeth should shout most of his lines where as Lady Macbeth should whisper to show that Lady Macbeth is calm at this point where as Macbeth is scared and angry. The shriek that the owl makes should be loud and fast to show that the murder has been carried out quickly and smoothly. As Macbeth begins to clean the blood off his hands he should scrub it clean off but carry on to show that he is seeing his hands as being still covered in blood but are really clean. This shows that he is going mad.

Models In The Search For Knowledge

Models In The Search For Knowledge 10. A model is a simplified representation of some aspect of the world. In what ways may models help or hinder the search for knowledge? Models as representations of one or another aspect of the world are applied in a vast number of areas. There are many types of models in numerous areas of knowledge including the natural sciences and mathematics. Models are valuable tools, though sometimes imperfect, that help us in the search for knowledge. Models are not only visual representations but also possess an epistemic value. Therefore the term model could be divided into two main categories, that is, physical and conceptual representations. In most areas of knowledge these two are integrated together to help us understand various phenomena better and eventually gain knowledge. Models have purposes; they help us look for solutions to certain problems. For example, models in the field of engineering are developed in order to get a basic idea on how to control or prevent certain properties of materials, processes and procedures. These observations can then lead to imagination of what could happen during the processes or to an improvement in the performance of the system. Models have objectives; what they actually represent in the real world. Models give us knowledge because they represent these supposed objectives more or less accurately analysed in terms of resemblance or concept. In most areas of knowledge where models apply, they represent evident phenomena. Most scientific models assume that there is an obvious relationship between the structure of a model and that of the real world system, that is, the objective. For example, computers that model the path of hurricanes are created by scientists and consequently their objective is to predict the path of a hurricane. Modellers use these indirect representations to analyse the real world phenomena. The term indirect in this case would imply the construction of simple models with fewer properties attributed compared to the objective. If this is the case, then naturally, models exhibit a lot of idealizations, abstractions and approximations. Models are formed in such a way that the problem is easily accessible and approachable more than once so that they can be dealt with in an organized manner. However, models being too simplified may hinder the search for knowledge. A child may see a paper-plane as a model that represents its objective that is, a real aeroplane. The basic physics of a paper-plane has some similarity to that of real aeroplanes. For example, in both cases, the wings are an important factor as the lifting of a plane occurs when the wing slices the air to cause more pressure underneath it. However, paper-planes often lead children into confusion when compared with a real one an actual aeroplane floats longer and a paper-plane eventually rests to ground. Maps are also another example of simplified representations as they define the Earth on a flat surface with some semantic approach. Maps are created in order to communicate information to the map readers and consequently they represent their objectives according to the intentions of the readers. However, cartography being called modelling can be questioned if the reader lacks map reading skills and is unable to locate himself, wont maps then hinder the search for knowledge for that individual? Mathematical models play a vital role in almost all kinds of fields, especially those in the natural sciences, engineering and the human sciences. A mathematical model represents a structure or a system using mathematical language which can exist in many different forms. These include statistical models in the human sciences, exponential growth in the natural sciences and differential calculus in engineering fields. Mathematical terminology and symbolic equations are difficult to understand and therefore the theoretical aspect of the models is reinforced by visual representations such as charts, graphs and diagrams. For example, a building can be modelled not only by creating replicas on small scale or creating a three dimensional visualization but also by mathematics, as I learnt this when I was working on my mathematics portfolio. This falls under the discipline of architecture, which is both an engineering discipline and a social science. The task was to design an office block with certain specifications in a curved roof structure and the scopes and limitations were given. The concepts of differential calculus and optimization were to be applied in this case. From such a model we can determine the maximum volumes of cuboids within a curved structure and eventually maximise and minimize office space and wasted area respectively. This type of mathematical model appears to be accurate and the architect can ensure the contractor that the building is going to be stable, will utilize maximum space and have aesthetic values. Mathematics is a vital area of knowledge when it comes to models. Scientific modelling today comprises all aspects of modelling, including physical, conceptual and mathematical aspects. Scientific modelling is the process of generating a model that would help develop a proposed hypothesis. Scientific models provide a scenario of the actual system where the elements are easier to read and interpret as they are simplified. The objective of these is to portray pragmatic objects and their phenomena and processes in a logical manner. However, not all mathematical models are so accurate. An example is that of exponential growth where a mathematical function is used as a model to represent certain rate of growth. Human population trends can be expressed as exponential growth. Such a model is weak and leads to vague knowledge. This is because there are numerous factors affecting human population and it is difficult to predict accurately what is going to happen in the future. Also, this model would apply to a limited region only. In addition, the exponential growth model is only valid for a certain period of time as in the long run it does not make sense to people who argue that nothing can keep on growing forever or for the case of human population the model is not credible for people who believe in the judgement day. Global warming is a recent trend that people are concerned about which describes climate change due to human activity and other factors. In physics this year I learnt that models are developed in order to help scientists predict the future climate state of our planet. These are, but are not limited to, changes in the component of green house gases, volcanic activity and cyclical changes in the Earths orbit. Though the warming of the Earth is caused by certain natural forces, scientists believe that humans have been enhancing these effects by contributing to the greenhouse gases since industrialization began. Such models help us know about the current climate state of the Earth and the models might be accurate for a short period of time. There are knowledge issues that are brought up in the case of models and reliability and accuracy are the most important of these in my opinion. Some experts claim that the Earth might end up in a cooling phase instead of getting warmer. However, because there is comparatively more evidence to support the warming of the Earth, these claims are easily countered. But what if the global climate change has nothing to do with humans, and it is an unavoidable natural cycle? There are some contributing factors like increased solar flare activity and volcanic activity which are inevitable. Nonetheless, these models suggest that humans have enhanced this rate by contributing to the overall warming and show rapidity of this effect. As previously mentioned, assumptions are part of models, and therefore the more assumptions that are made in a scientific model, the less accurate it becomes, which affects the resulting knowledge. While models help scientists to simulate real systems that are difficult to get access to and conditions do not allow room for experiment, direct measurement will always have an advantage over just simplified representations. The degree of imagination is also important when it comes to model making. A modeller has to define his imagination well in order to convey the objective. This leads us to the importance of language in a model. If the model is not expressed well in any kind of language, be it symbols in maps, equations in mathematical models or even flow diagrams in human sciences, the model is not effective and can affect the search for knowledge. If models are defined as simplified representations of an aspect in the world, then what about complex systems that exist and yet cannot be put into simplified representations with a valuable objective? If models help us in better understanding of certain aspects of the world, then why can we not model human or animal behaviour? These questions cannot be directly answered but they can be resolved to some extent by expressing a narrowed definition of the term model and its limitation of application. Models are somewhat useful in areas of natural sciences and engineering as mentioned in this essay. Conversely, models are not whatsoever useful when it comes to certain areas of knowledge, for example ethics. This is because a model cannot represent moralistic situations and it is difficult to predict human behaviour. To create a model that would help resolve an ethical dilemma of what is right or wrong simply does not make sense. Human psychology cannot be predicted logically and therefore even if such a model existed it would create many conclusions and in the end the objective of the model becomes vague. The same applies to religion where the entire area of knowledge is based on beliefs and facts that already exist there is no need of models for prediction; the future has already been decided. Therefore whether models help or hinder the search for knowledge significantly depends on the area of knowledge.

Ideology and Political Education Development Research

Ideology and Political Education Development Research A study on College Students Ideological and political education from the perspective of system harmony and traditional culture Summary In this paper, we analyze the unique paradigm of ideological and political education, ideological and political education of traditional paradigms no longer meet the growth of university students, by ideological and political education paradigm from Monologue to dialogue conversion, combined with the actual college students, give full play to college students the role of ideological and political education paradigm. The arrival of the era of big data, not only brings opportunities to the ideological and political education of college students, but also posed a serious challenge. Virtual social identity shaken the existing system, a profound impact on the ideological and political education environment, threats Students privacy and how to interpret scientific data become big new issues. Promote ideological and political education work based on large data Mechanism Innovation students, educators to enhance their level of information, to take a scientific means to enhance the ef fectiveness of large data acquisition, based on innovation paradigm of big data, improve the relevant rules and regulations, Big Data Application processing procedures, accurately grasp the ideological trend of dynamic students, sharing complex associated data. From Effectiveness departure ideological and political education, noting that the era of ideological and political education needs paradigm shift, put forward the ideological and political education paradigm shift orientation: Students diversification purposes of ideological and political education, humanity; target specific ideological and political education technology, equalization; ideological and political education of life, flexible technology; ideological and political education means of penetration, interactive. Four aspects of ideological and political education of the people Paradigm conducted a preliminary inquiry, hoping to take this direction to ensure the ideological and political education Paradigm successfully converted. Keywords Students; ideological and political education; paradigm shift; teaching evaluation; orientation Ideological and political education involving teaching paradigm major culvert and Research Paradigm Paradigm these two core level, the traditional ideological and political education paradigm into a monologue instead of focusing on an increasingly prominent theory diehard Lack of Realistic. For ideological and political education of college students real practical results, the building is conducive College Students Growth paradigm of ideological and political education has become essential, which also makes educators actively seek reasonable paradigm ideological and political education has become inevitable. Ideological and political education refers to a certain class, political parties, social groups with certain ideas, political views, ethics, applied to its members purposeful, planned, organized influence, so that they meet certain social formation, a certain class of the social practice needs moral character. Ideological and political education is a relatively independent of the particular system, there are more perfect the basic theory, basic concepts and basic methods, educators to certain ideological and political education and information by means of a certain carrier media, effectively act on the process of college students . Common body in the ideological and political education, some common beliefs or views on the ideological and political educators recognized in the field of education and ideological and political nature of the Institute of Theoretical support, produced a series of ideological and political education ideas and genres, formed the ideological and political diversified Education development Paradigm. Ideological and political education paradigm is that people has occurred in the ideological and political education of views held, general way of thinking and thinking framework, its core is the way of thinking. Thought educators engaged in educational activities, follows the norms, ways of thinking, mode of education, experience and learn from others through examples and so called ideological and political education paradigm, the paradigm ideological and political education mainly with the characteristics of ideological and political education of college students formed unique educational system, it provides tools for the concept of ideological and political education of college students. Construction of ideological and political education paradigm is both ideological and political education of practical reason and call return, but also a reflection on the value of ideological and political education and the integration of scientific rationality. Despite ideological and political education paradigm undisputed facts, but because of the special nature of the ideological and political education, the division of its type paradigm has divergent views. Depending on the standard paradigm of ideological and political education can be divided into different types. According to the different fields of application, the ideological and political education into ideological and political paradigm Education Paradigm and Paradigm. Teaching Paradigm is the path of ideological and political workers in the teaching practice followed, an important factor in the ideological and political education concepts, theories and techniques routes include. Paradigm is the ideological and political education theory researchers to obtain results of a path of thinking, conduct and mode of discourse. According to the status of ideological and political education, the content and methods of three perspectives, ideological and political education models can be classified as instrumental paradigm ideological and political education, ideological and political education knowledge-based paradigm and instill ideological and political education paradigm. Instrumental ideological and political education is an educational paradigm based on the existing ideological and political education in society to define, and the ideological and political education as a tool for countries in need of salvation, contrary to the nature of the ideological and political education, shelter human values ideological and political education paradigm function and meaning of functions. Knowledge-based paradigm of ideological and political education is an educational paradigm in accordance with the content of ideological and political education to define, excessive pursuit of knowledge economy era thirst for knowl edge, ideological and political education lost its essential function of teaching people to learn in life. Type instill ideological and political education paradigm is to educate those who use mechanical, simple way to inject educated fixed values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and behavior required for specific social habits educational paradigm from teaching methods to the existing level of ideological and political education to define the way of education advocating simple infusion method, the object will be placed in the educated, passive acceptance of the status. Based on ideological and political education to understand the nature, it can be divided into ideological and political education paradigm paradigm and text Humanistic Paradigm. Text paradigm is to the book-oriented, policy-oriented policy document from the theory of ideological and political education philosophy and time mode. It is talk about abstract theory while ignoring students practical, pay attention to the text while ignoring students need logic, summed up only heavy books, than to men present. Humanistic Paradigm people-oriented, to meet the reasonable needs of people play human body, promote personal improvement and achieve comprehensive human development as the purpose and the starting point of ideological and political education. Students believe that education is both the object and the subject is education, not only education, guidance, encouragement, and respect, understanding, care and help students grow talent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   At any time, ideological and political education in the ideological field will not disappear, cultivate socialist builders and successors, maintain its existing regime is always the same mission. However, in the ideological and political education course in order to achieve the set goals, we need to take into account the relationship between good individual needs and social needs, adhere to the people-oriented, and only in this way can always get peoples sincere support and cooperation in the implementation process. Marxist ideological and political education science paradigm is to be the times produced, it only emphasizes the social function of ideological and political education, but also take into account the individual features of ideological and political education, new perspective and height to locate the object of ideological and political education scientific and rational handling of the relationship between social needs and the needs of the individual. R ound development of people has become the main theme of ideological and political education. Purpose of ideological and political education in modern society continues to be diversified, humane, this is not a historical regression, on the contrary, ideological and political education of college students is in self-denial and constantly explore new trend of ideological and political education of survival and development.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Affected specific social environment, collectivism, value orientation in all areas of China has been fully developed and carried forward. This tendency to pursue the centrality of collective interests, the collective interests of one-dimensional thinking absolute priority in order to achieve collective interests, to achieve the desired goal of collective, personal interest in a certain range is weakened, or even limit. This situation is reflected in the ideological and political education objects, particularly reflected in the university student body, the college students is abstract, and college students into a passive capital of the people. Anti-Japanese War and the process of socialist construction, it unifies the ideological, college students gather strength, greatly enhancing the capacity-building and the construction of a new socialist enthusiasm of Chinese college students, the history of the mountain had also once appeared Students the countryside, the de velopment of the western region and other boom, visible contribution to the construction of the motherland Students tremendous power. However, with the economic and social development, multiculturalism began life full of college students, college students consciousness continues awakening, significantly enhanced sense of independence, this time should have timely adjustment of the kind of neglect, even limiting ideological and political education of college students individual needs, However, due to the lag of action, combined with ideological and political education for ideological and political education to understand the function of individual weaknesses, so that ideological and political education in modern society has become a university student can not fully reflect the thoughts of college students from reality pure class life. So, the social philosophical paradigm ideological and political education is facing serious challenges in modern society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Common body in the ideological and political education, some common beliefs or views on the ideological and political educators recognized in the field of education and ideological and political nature of the Institute of Theoretical support, produced a series of ideological and political education ideas and genres, formed the ideological and political diversified Education development Paradigm. A. Meaning Education Paradigm Ideological and political education paradigm is that people has occurred in the ideological and political education of views held, general way of thinking and thinking framework, its core is the way of thinking. Thought educators engaged in educational activities, follows the norms, ways of thinking, mode of education, experience and learn from others through examples and so called ideological and political education paradigm, the paradigm ideological and political education mainly with the characteristics of ideological and political education of college students formed unique educational system, it provides tools for the concept of ideological and political education of college students. Construction of ideological and political education paradigm is both ideological and political education of practical reason and call return, but also a reflection on the value of ideological and political education and the integration of scientific rationality. B. Path Selection Despite ideological and political education paradigm undisputed facts, but because of the special nature of the ideological and political education, the division of its type paradigm has divergent views. Depending on the standard paradigm of ideological and political education can be divided into different types. According to the different fields of application, the ideological and political education into ideological and political education Paradigm Paradigm and Paradigm. Teaching Paradigm is the path of ideological and political workers in the teaching practice followed, an important factor in the ideological and political education concepts, theories and techniques routes include. Paradigm is the ideological and political education theory researchers to obtain results of a path of thinking, conduct and mode of discourse. An educational paradigm, ideological and political education as a tool for countries in need of salvation, contrary to the nature of the ideological and political education, ideological and political education paradigm obscured human value function and meaning of functions. Knowledge-based paradigm of ideological and political education is an educational paradigm in accordance with the content of ideological and political education to define, excessive pursuit of knowledge economy era thirst for knowledge, ideological and political education lost its essential function of teaching people to learn in life. Type instill ideological and political education paradigm is to educate those who use mechanical, simple way to inject educated fixed values à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹and behavior required for specific social habits educational paradigm from teaching methods to the existing level of ideological and political education to define the way of education advocating simple infusi on method, the object will be placed in the educated, passive acceptance of the status. Based on ideological and political education to understand the nature, it can be divided into ideological and political education paradigm paradigm and text Humanistic Paradigm. Text paradigm is to the book-oriented, policy-oriented policy document from the theory of ideological and political education philosophy and time mode. It is talk about abstract theory while ignoring students practical, pay attention to the text while ignoring students need logic, summed up only heavy books, than to men present. Humanistic Paradigm people-oriented, to meet the reasonable needs of people play human body, promote personal improvement and achieve comprehensive human development as the purpose and the starting point of ideological and political education. Students believe that education is both the object and the subject is education, not only education, guidance, encouragement, and respect, understanding, care and help students grow talent. C. Predicament and Breakthrough Bearing on the ideological and political education paradigm abstract scientific theory, then under the specific educational practice, it is join the ideological and political education theory and practice of ties and bridges. The current lot of ideological and political education paradigm was unable to meet the needs of development of college students, ideological and political education must be based on Marxist epistemology and methodology as a starting point, strive to get rid of the existing paradigm fetters, build a reasonable paradigm, the students of human dignity, freedom, happiness and overall development as the ultimate concern of ideological and political education, students fairness, tolerance, integrity, independence, self-reliance, self-consciousness and ideas. From the ideological and political education paradigm type of view, instrumental only pay attention to ideological and political education paradigm social needs, ignoring the overall development of the people, who put their professional education as a means to earn a living, pay attention to the teaching of the theory of norms preaching, not too much consider the relationship between political theory and the development of students, and students is that learning is the ideological and political theory needs of the country, we need to test, regardless of their own development, not to be combined with their own growth, there is no urgent need to learn, eventually leading to the ideological and political education value lost. Knowledge-based ideological and political education paradigm of the function of ideological and political education is only limited to imparting knowledge level, the ideological and political education equivalent to the intellectual, focusing on students knowledge indoctrination, ignoring the student body characteristics, according to the students knowledge learning logic to arrange teaching, moral education to make educated, humanistic value of training style education, ideological and political education is lost. Instill type of ideological and political education paradigm emphasizes subjectivity body, ignoring subjectivity object, ignoring the object carried by the culture, interests, needs and realities of life factors likely to cause differences in ideals and beliefs of society and college students real desire between educational purposes and human development out of touch, ideological and political education by subjectivity lost. D. Significance of Education Ideological and political education paradigm coupling ideological and political education and ideological and political education community, education is the intermediary between the subject and object of education. Reasonable ideological and political education paradigm, ideological and political education subject and object of education closely linked, so that the subject of education, education and education paradigm object organic education recognize the overall composition. Paradigm has a point to ideological and political education practice features and content, can be thought of education, practice methods lead to a common paradigm-based research who are committed to the same rules and standards in the practice of science. Formation of ideological and political education paradigm established a common belief common body of ideological and political education groups, ways of thinking and common theoretical basis, so that researchers from scattered to integration, relatively close, you can conduct in-depth exchanges of academic community. The researchers thinking, ideas and methods of ideological and political education focused on the existing problems, to keep the achievements that have been made to deepen. Ideological and political education is the ideological and political education paradigm real-world complexity in the method for decomposing the ideological and political education, paradigm, once formed, it will have a strong vitality, when the paradigm can not be used to explain and guide the resolution of the ideological and political education in the field most problems, paradigm shift will occur. Therefore, the current ideological and political education paradigm from monologue to dialogue with the conversion will be the ideological and political education theory and practice to promote the in-depth and in full swing. Big Data era, many privacy protective efficacy have shown a downward trend, whereas the previous privacy protection mechanisms have also been hit hard, for example, in anonymity, blurring and other aspects, its role is gradually reduced, and the new set up for the protection of privacy institutional mechanisms right is also facing many challenges. Fast developed communication technology, social development and structural change and gradually form a network of virtual structure, are showing growing trend change. The newly formed venture is likely to be caused by the use of advanced technological means to prevent and defuse the risk, not only of the existing system is facing greater challenges of identity, and even lead to the acceleration of normal social order into chaos. Thought awareness and value judgments big boost Students wave data from the network for more internet. It is due to the growing diversity of the characteristics of the network information content presented on both the mainstream concept of a strong impact, one-way interaction between the members of society as a guide for both methods produced profound effects sexuality, network development process by showing innovative mode of transmission for both itself has produced a strong challenge stereotyping. To enhance the ideological and political education, ideological and political education workers is an urgent need for large data essence, features in-depth understanding, and thus establish a large data thinking, that is comprehensive, ambiguity, open mind, and ultimately to develop a scientific accurate large data collection, and analysis judged the ability to choose. Big data can threaten the privacy and freedom of college students, exacerbated by its dependence on big data. Related Information Students Internet use is likely to be compromised, even by others or some unscrupulous people to grasp. Meanwhile, college students are actually a lot of information of the data, a dedicated, the corresponding database information system. Therefore, those in the more vulnerable party information university administrators and students will seriously affect the effectiveness of ideological and political education, which seriously threaten student privacy issues. In the data age, social dependence on big data is growing, but the reliability and interpretation of scientific certainty how big data is becoming a challenge in todays society. If the poor quality of the collected data is large, reach the quantification purposes, data analysis, there is bound to highly misleading or even wrong. Standardized data to test the ideological and political quality of college students on a comprehensive assessment of its university set reasonable incentive issues, whether objectively reasonable to highlight the desired quality of teachers? For these problems, data analysis is difficult to ensure the reliability of conclusions. At the same time, gradually to the era of big data transformation process, we can not accurately predict the existence of data between non-objectivity and even misleading, as similar risks if not addressed, will affect the Ideological and Political Education Effectiveness. Advanced information technology to continuously promote ideological and political education and the high degree of integration between information technology, it has become an inevitable choice of ideological and political education of college students study. Opportunity data Ideological and Political Education in the following areas. A. Enhance the comprehensive study Big data can be used to record the ideological and political education of the complete process. Through data integration platform to build, constantly bringing together public data relating to a public network platform and network questionnaire presented, can fully understand the needs of contemporary college students, more personalized service to student growth and success; the original resource data, intermediate outcomes to be three-dimensional applications, so that the ideological trend of college students to highlight the problem and empirical quantification, with a distinct sense of the times and lead, is conducive to strengthening the whole dynamic of research on college students ideological; through the collection of data and large campus induction, both ideological and understand the whole picture, living conditions, concluded that sampling can not be obtained, but also validate previous findings by the full sample data, discover the intrinsic correlation between data to pre dict trends, which has targeted to carry on the thinking and behavior of college students early warning. B. Scientific structure   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the rapid development of information era, microblogging, letter, forum, Baidu Post Bar and BBS and other social media use has become college students space for free speech, mobile phones, tablet PCs and other mobile network terminal equipment, in favor of the Internet to view the information, opinions and participate in the network a hot topic, so in a timely manner crawl structured data and unstructured data, data-oriented, structured process to become a reality. Universities also through the campus network and campus card business and other relatively sophisticated systems have been built up, the gradual accumulation of student data, overall objective and accurate simulation of diversity. C. The depth of excavation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rich data types between the depth of data mining association offers the possibility, through rapid data calculations can quickly synchronize even reflect the real life world, reflect the students thinking, living, learning situation. Compared to traditional static data, sync data with higher reliability, which overcomes the shortcomings of inference based on experience or intuition. Ideological and political education by restructuring the data, revealing the depth of the problem difficult to deal with the idea of à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¹dynamic or unpredictable, is conducive to play a personalized education, easier to promote the health of students, so as to enhance the ideological and political education work effective. D. Scientific research methods   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Big Data is changing the existing forms of communication, new media presents a series of distinctive features, such as data, personalization, etc., are at large continue to strengthen the development of the background data, and presents many new changes. Large data-based terminal and new media content hosted, for the audience to provide more detailed information and personalized service. In the field of ideological and political education, through a complex network analysis, large-scale data collection and other scientific methods, significantly enhances the Science of Humanities and Social Sciences Research. E. Analysis on Ideological and Political Education to University Students Big Data Based   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   How reasonable and lawful access to large data college students, and scientific and effective analysis and Interpretations, ideological and political education workers become urgent to resolve the issue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The presence of harmful information on the proliferation of network, such as violence, false advertising, pornographic sites, etc., have increasingly become the new network nuisance. How quickly and accurately tease out the information in the complicated wave of the required information has become a major problem. Data mining era of big data needs depth, the complete use of structured, semi-structured and unstructured variety crawler. Data Source is currently working with the Students Ideological closely related, there are four categories: One is the campus Web site, including the campus network, the official micro-Bo, the student network platform, various departments of office automation platform, anti-technology platform and campus security services campus card platform. The main source of such data contains the students academic performance, classroom attendance, borrow books, the campus card consumption, awards, funded situation, employment intentions and oth er individual sample data. The second is social media, such as microblogging, letter, forum, paste it, quiz communities, social networking sites, the main source of such data to reflect public opinion and association between samples society. The third is the search engines, such as Baidu, Google and so on, this kind of data by searching the index highlights major social hotspots and trends. The fourth is the portal, such as Peoples Daily, Xinhua, Sina, Netease, mainly reflecting the social hot and students attention and relevance feedback. F. Data Mining   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Better access to useful data, need to determine the so-called keyword parameters on the basis of huge amounts of data collected on. The keyword is just not enough, we also need an interdisciplinary group of experts from fields such as management, computer science and other disciplines. Hadhoop is currently the more popular access to massive data information platform, through this platform, any individual or organization can own needs related to data mining. College authorities can collect various types of structured, semi-structured data is processed through hadhoop platform to educate students to obtain useful information. G. Big Data Analysis   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Big data analysis is a huge amount of data to search, compare, clustering, statistical analysis, to explore the correlation between the data to arrive at the appropriate conclusions. Depending on the problem, the use of the ideological and political education, sociology, psychology and other related theories selecting different analytical methods, such as regression analysis, neural network method, and select the appropriate point of observation and quantification procedures. In particular, the use of visualization technology, the data can be converted to describe the state of mind, thinking and behavior of college students in a profound grasp of the development on the basis of ideological and timely manner to dynamic analysis, forecasting and guidance, to explore the ideological development of the law of Students. Conclusion Information collection and analysis process is a key step in the ideological and political education, ideological and political education research paradigm to innovate, and constantly improve the level of quantitative analysis. To this end, efforts need to do the following: First, the resource-rich and data-related departments, media and enterprises to carry out extensive cooperation, with its advantages of large volumes of data, legal compliance dig Students relevant information to formulate and improve ideological and political education policy provide a scientific basis; the second is to create suitable for all levels of ideological and political education work in big data platform, and further work to establish long-term effective mechanism for data collection and analysis process; third is to actively set up an interdisciplinary research group, give full play to the advantages of multi-disciplinary , formation of force; Fourth, identify the starting point and focus thought Stude nts collected information, and effectively improve the timeliness of information analysis, both online and offline from good grasp of the overall state of mind contact with the student population and various events between more emphasis on the accumulation of individual data of students, revealing the depth of individual thinking and behavior situation, and then to carry out personalized, customized educational activities to provide strong support, in order to improve the relevance and effectiveness of different types of ideological and political education.

European economic community :: essays research papers

Britain's entry into the European Economic Community was a source of great conflict in Europe. There were suspicions that French President de Gaulle did not want Britain to enter in order to maintain his country's hegemony over the EEC. De Gaulle spoke of the cultural and institutional differences that would make Britain incompatible with the Six. The British governments motives were even questioned as to whether they only wanted to reap the economic benefits of the EEC. The following is my assessment of these situations according to the Salmon documents. Throughout document 23, Prime Minister Macmillan continuously states, " I must remind the house that the EEC is an economic community, not a defense alliance, or a foreign policy community, or a cultural community. It is an economic community,† Although it is clear throughout the document that the British were aware of the wider political agenda of the Six, their main focus was certainly economic benefits. I do think, however, that The United states had a great influence on Britain's desire to join the EEC. In document 23, Prime Minister Macmillan discusses how remaining outside the EEC could cause Britain to lose its influence not only in Europe but in Washington as well. He fears that the U.S. would pay more attention to the issues of the Six rather than Britain. On the other hand, Britain's conditions for entering the union suggest that they are only interested in the economic benefits. Britain wanted the Six to agree that Britain would be free to create their own foreign policy, fulfill their pledge to the EFTA, plan their own economy, and safeguarding of British agriculture. These conditions made me think that Britain still wanted to be their own country and handle their own affairs, but still benefit from the economic situation in the EEC. It seems that deGaulle felt his country's hegemony over the EEC would be threatened if Britain were to enter the EEC. In document 29 a Gaullist minister gives reason for deGaulles veto of Britain's membership saying,† Now, with six members, there is five hens and a rooster. If you join [with other countries], there will perhaps be seven or eights hens. But there will be two roosters. That isn't agreeable,† It is clear that because of Britain's financial status and power that deGaulle feared his country would no longer be the final say in the EEC.

Are Group Rights Justified? :: essays research papers fc

Are differentiating measures justified in the name of a group right or interest or should they be condemned as violating the rights of individuals to equal treatment? It has been argued that differentiating measures that grant rights exclusively to groups are unjust as they trespass on the individual’s fundamental right to equal treatment. This essay seeks to prove that when applied in a fair manner group rights can enhance the equality of treatment received by the individual. The notion that equal treatment is of vital importance and that discrimination is immoral is widespread. The interpretation of â€Å"equal treatment† and â€Å"discrimination† however, is not . For some, equal treatment implies that each individual will be treated in the exact manner all other individuals are treated. There should be no distinction made between race, sex, religion or language in order to allow individuals receive preferential treatment because of their membership of a certain group. Others argue that if each person is given exactly the same rights regardless of race, sex, religion or language then members of minorities are put at a disadvantage and equal treatment is impossible. In order to justify the entitlement of certain groups to exclusive rights it is important to define what the exclusive rights are. According to Baker these rights can be divided into two groups, those pertaining to intra-groups relations and those pertaining to inter group rights. The first type of rights involves relationships between group members and may lead to individual oppression. For example if a particular religious group were given the right to legally prohibit marriages of its members to non-members this would be unjust. Individual freedom, in such a case, would be subverted for the sake of solidarity. Intra groups rights can be very treacherous to individual rights especially in theocratic and patriarchal cultures where there is a huge danger that women will be oppressed . Having established that intra-groups are potentially subversive and therefore undesirables the remainder of this essay will deal with inter group rights. Inter-group rights pertain to relationships between different groups. Inter-groups rights can, therefore, only exist in a pluralist state. Such preferential treatment seeks to protect a minority group against the larger society. The belief is that these rights will rule out the unfair advantage members of the majority group may have over members of the minority and will prevent marginilisation and segregation of the minority . These special rights can take various forms.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne :: essays research papers

The forest a great place of evil. The story of the Scarlet Letter and Goodamn Brown bolth portray the forest as being evil according to Puritan society. According to the Puritans anything that had to do with great freedom was evil. They were a very strict people, and had many rules. The people belived that everuthing that gave them hiding from their lords judgment was evil. They wanted evil to suffer during their life , and to not commit sins. By this belief it was thought that people might get lucky and go to heaven. In the Scarlet Letter the forest is portrayed as a very evil place. It is a plce where people could hide from their judgment of the Puritans. For Hester it was a place where she could relax, and take off the A. By the judgment of the Puritans Hester was never allowed to take off her A. In the forest Hetser has the power to express her true feeling, and to enjoy her life. She does this without the Puritans of the town judging her. The forest lets her do whatever she wants in it, and not be seen or punished for it by the Puritans. To the Puritans an act like that would be very sinnester, and would receive great punishment. A true Puritan according to their law should never endulge themselves. The forest hid these aspects of Hester from the Puritans, and allowed for lots of freedom. Which made it evil to the Puritan people. For Dimmesdale the forest was a place where he could get away from the Puritans. In the forest he commited many things that would be consider very evil by the Puritans. The forest let him express his true quilt anou the letter. Also it let him be the person he was, and no the pure preacher. In the forest he met with the people who he should of never talked to in town. He met Hester and his child Pearl their.

Child Consumerism Essay

The essay â€Å"Kid Kustomers† by Eric Schlosser talks about how children got sucked into the idea of consumerism. It all started in the 1980’s with parents wasting more money on their kids. Now companies such as Kid2Kid, the Gepetoo Group, and Just Kids and other big corporations specialize in finding ways to get kids to buy their products. The author mentions the different ways children nag to get what they want, such as the pleading, persistent, forceful, demonstrative, sugar-coated, threatening and pity nag. The television plays the biggest role in consumerism because of the advertisements that children are watching all day and the effect it has on them. The reason advertisements are the best tactic when it comes to consumerism is because children think that advertisements are part of the television show. Schlosser brings up several good points throughout the essay. This world is a materialistic world. Most people nowadays are sucked into being the consumers and buying things that they do not even need because now it is all about who has the best clothes, shoes, car or house. It’s one big competition and hardly anyone is ever happy because there is always someone who has something that you do not have. Another reason people like to be consumers is because like to own the newest version of something. One example would be the millions people who buy the new iPhone or iPad when in reality it’s practically the same as it predecessor. If these marketing techniques work well on adults than that is the reason they are more effective on children. Lastly Schlosser’s points are valid because I too have seen children being convinced to buy a product by people on the streets ,beg to their parents and have seen the effects advertisements have children. It happens all the time, whether people realize it or not. When a child sees a guy with a big sign advertising toys or food the kid is going to want to ask their parents if they can get the toy or that they are hungry. It is sad that almost all children know who Ronald McDonald is and when they get hungry they are most likely to go to McDonalds because it is convenient. Children are more easily targeted now because now their friends influence them and if that one friend has something that they like, they will find a way to own it too. My little cousin Max who is ten years old feels he has to own the newest thing. It saddens me because he is in a competition with his friends and these companies are making money off him when he may not truly be interested in their product. Companies target children specifically because they get what they want the majority of the time. Companies depend on their children to beg to their parents so that they can buy their product. Whenever my cousin Max beg to his parents he eventually gets what he wants because he is persistent and persuasive and makes his parents feel guilty if he does not get what he wants. Sometimes while I am walking down the street or in the mall I see a kid with a iPhone wondering what they with something that sophisticated at such a young age. It makes me wonder if kids have things such as the iPhone then what else do they have? These are the children who are sucked into consumerism and have to buy everything that is considered cool or new. To me one of the biggest reasons companies invest time and money on marketing advertisements directed towards children the most is because children have not learned the true importance of t the dollar bill. They no value behind it and do not think it of as much when their parents are the ones out their spending there money on them. Advertisements on television play the biggest role in consumerism. One effect that advertisements have on children is that the advertisement gets suck in their head. Children remember the words or specific tune that went along with the advertisement. A majority of children that I know are watching television most of the day. When I was a kid advertisements played a role in what I should buy or eat. The majority of the things that I had heard of had come from advertisements. This is true because most people do not eat at a place they have never heard of because they do not want to take the risk. The same thing goes for things such as video games and toys for kids because advertisements make the product look good, which gives people a sense of hope that it will not be a waste of money if they buy it for full price. An example would be my cousin Rachel buys most of her toys because she sees them on the television. The advertisements reassure her that buying the toy will be worth it. She falls for the same toys each time because they are not much different from each other. She mostly gets dolls and princess castles, which all virtually look the same but only, differ in color. In the end advertisements effect our decision when we go out to buy the things we want. Companies have succeeded when it comes to convincing children to buy their product. It doesn’t matter where a pers on is at now. They can be outside or in their house and they will still be surrounded by advertisements. The advertisements are on the television all day, billboards, people on the streets and one of the stronger forms of advertisement the Internet. Whenever a person watches a video on YouTube they are stopped by a short advertisement and overtime a majority of the world knows the advertisement and may be a little more tempted to go out and buy it. This world has become a world where humans feel need to buy everything even if they do not need it. As long as companies keep releasing new products then children will be consumers because children always buy the newest toy even if they just bought their last toy two weeks ago.

Evolution of Women’s Rights Since 19th Century

Equality Rights 1 The Evolution of the Extension of Equality Rights from Classical to Modern Liberalism Malak Alkadri Social Studies 30 Mrs. Kadaoui November 30, 2012 Equality Rights 2 Towards the latter part of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, classical liberalism underwent great modifications in terms of equality rights. Its modified form even came to be known as modern or positive liberalism. It differed from classical liberalism in so far as it emphasized the significance and rationality of equal opportunities and justice.Modern liberalism has promoted the positive rather than the negative aspects of the liberation movement. The extension of women’s equality rights of the final step in the revolution of classical liberalism to modern liberalism has extended this particular group’s rights economically, socially and politically to an uttermost extent. Initially, women’s lives have improved economically. Modern liberalism has come to in terpret freedom as involving a right to basic requirements of the development and security necessary to assure the equal opportunity and personal dignity of women.Nevertheless, in the nineteenth century’s Victorian era, the emergence of women’s rights was limited. Feminism had influenced the ideology of separate spheres in which men inhabit the public sphere – the world of politics, commerce and law – and women inhabit the private realm of domestic life – child caring, housekeeping and so on (Christison, etal. 2009, p. 158). Women of all classes worked hard, yet, were still a supply of cheap labour. Whereas today, more women are employed, more girls are being educated, women are living longer and having fewer children, and the number of females in business and in politics has increased dramatically.According to the Center for Women's Business Research, female entrepreneurs generate $2. 3 trillion to the Equality Rights 3 American economy and emplo y more than 18 million people (qtd. In newint. org). One area in which women have made major progress in is education. Modernly, more women are enrolled in law school, medical school, and schools of business and finance. Young women today do not feel  social pressure to pursue only those professions which were once traditionally reserved for them, most commonly teaching and nursing.As a result, millions of women today succeed in professions that were completely closed to them in the past, such as working in open, public areas rather than at home or in healthcare areas. Also, women’s economic rights and acceptance have evolved dramatically since the final evolution of equality rights in the classical liberalism. Women have now acquired the freedom to work as they please, with rather no restrictions and a lot less government involvement. Women's economic authority has severely improved in the modern setting as opposed to thirty years ago, when women were first entering the wo rkplace.It was a rare occurrence, and rather â€Å"odd† at that time to see women at work, and now it is something common, accepted, and even encouraged. Surely, on a social level, women’s rights have defiantly evolved in the way people collaborate and treat women. There has been a collective change of consciousness in how men are expected by law to communicate with women in the workplace. While some personal Equality Rights 4 attitudes might not have changed; men and women both understand that the workplace is to be a setting to be free of hurtful and insensitive comments.Additionally, women have successfully fought for family leave rights. Afterwards, the occurrence of the â€Å"Family and Medical Leave Act† had emerged in the US by federal law in 1993 (qtd. in en. wikipedi. org). The fight is more prevalent now than it was back then. However, focusing on the cases of the United States and England, we show that the historical expansion of women’s rights also unfolded through equal treatment in the labour market. In contrast, in most African countries women gained formal political rights, at the end of colonialism before receiving economic rights.Moreover, there are many specific traditions such as foot binding and child marriage, which impact the rights of women that are specific to certain cultures. Contemporary phenomena, such as HIV/AIDS also represent challenges to gender equality that were not present in earlier time periods (Kristof and WuDunn 2009). Likewise, women’s political rights have also been extended now than ever before. You may agree that the near end of the classical period is similar to modern liberalism because people with disabilities, prison inmates, women eighteen year of age and older, and nationsEquality Rights 5 such as the Inuit without surrendering their culture were allowed to vote hence, there has not been much change in the political rights of women. I beg and plead to differ. Thirty years ago, all types of women eighteen and older may have been granted the right to vote but that’s as far as it went. Now, women are CEOs and presidential candidates. Hillary Clinton for example, serves as an American Secretary of the United States. Women are now not only given the right to vote, but the right to be voted for. Currently, US citizens can vote in the US elections.Yet, back when the country was founded; in most states, only men with real property or substantial wealth were permitted to vote. Almost all women and their votes were denied at the time. Now, since the US constitution, every individual has gained the right to vote. Although, in the 1920’s, the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labour is formed to collect information about women in the workforce and safeguard good working conditions for women (Ann-Marie Imbornoni. 2009). You may say that the workforce now-a-days also provides a great source of security and freedom for women similar to the 19th c entury.Not necessarily. The freedom of women in the workforce has also been extended. President Baraak Obama, for instance, signed the Lily Ledbetter Fairpay Restoration Act, which allows victims of pay discrimination to send a complaint to the government against their employer within 180 days of their last pay check. Previously, victims (most often women) are now allowed to claim an unjust pay check whereas Equality Rights 6 back in the 19th century, their freedoms were under more authority than they are in the modern society (Ann-Marie Imbornoni. 009) Finally, the evolution of the equality rights of women has extremely extended since classical liberalism in the 19th century. The rights of women have extended in several different aspects especially in terms of economical, social and political rights. Men and women are now equal in regards to occupations, elections, education, job pay checks, security, and collaboration. Despite the amount of freedom women have gained, it is no long er a shock to see a women play what was then called a â€Å"man’s role† in society. Women have the right to not only vote but run for candidates as well.Young women today are not enforced to occupy the domestic part of life, or jobs that were traditionally reserved for them. Millions of women today succeeded in professions that were completely prohibited to them in the past, such as working in open, public areas. Women’s economic rights and acceptance have evolved dramatically since the final evolution of equality rights in the classical liberalism. â€Å"I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience. (Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre Equality Rights 7 References Imbornoni, Ann-Marie. â€Å"Women's Rights Movement in the U. S. : Timeline of Events (1921-1979). 30 Nov. 2012. ;http ://www. infoplease. com/spot/womenstimeline2. html; â€Å"What women have gained and what they are in danger of losing — New Internationalist. †Ã‚  New Internationalist. Nikki van der Gaag, n. d. Web. 1 Nov. 2004. ;http://www. newint. org/features/2004/11/01/women-want/; Lambert, Tim. â€Å"Women's Jobs in History. â€Å"A World History Encyclopedia. Tim Lambert, 14 Jan. 2012. Web. 14 Jan. 2021. ;http://www. localhistories. org/womensjobs. html;

Prohibition and Marijuana: History Does Repeat

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. 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. 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.