Biotech & Food Essays - Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering

Biotech & Food INTRODUCTION This paper is about Biotechnology and its use in creating new food products. In researching this paper, I found there is a lot of information on this subject and a lot of debate on the creation of genetically altered food, medicine, crops, and more. I decided to do my paper on the genetically altered food part of the subject. I will discuss what biotechnology is, who is for it and who is against it, and what some of the ethical concerns are when it comes to growing genetically modified (GM) crops. THE FOOD BIOTECHNOLOGY DEBATE WHAT IS BIOTECHNOLOGY? Biotechnology is a broad term that applies to all living organisms. It is used for everything from microorganisms used to ferment beer to the most sophisticated forms of gene therapy. There are two categories of activities in biotechnology: the traditional methods and new scientific methods. The traditional methods are the way that farmers have been breeding their crop for centuries, cross breeding plants until finally some generation down the line is exactly the way they want it. The new methods are taking genes from different organisms and inserting them into another organism in the lab. This eliminates the waiting period to get the results they want, instead they get the exact plant they want right away. The United States government defines it as being any technique that uses living organisms or parts of living organisms to (1) make or modify products, (2) improve plants or animals, or (3) develop microorganisms for specific uses. The purpose of biotechnology in foods is to create better tasting and more nutritious foods, that have higher crop yields, and plants that are naturally protected from disease, insects, and drought. Through biotechnology scientist can develop plants with only specific beneficial traits and leave out the undesirable traits. They can change one characteristic or a few characteristics at a time with current technology. This enables them to release, for use, the modified seeds one step at a time instead of spending years to develop the best tasting and hardiest plants all at once. It takes 10 ? 12 years to breed plants in the traditional way. With biotechnology, breeders can select the exact traits they are looking for and mix them together enabling them to get the plants they want in only 1 - 2 years. Crops that are currently produced in the U.S. through biotechnology are soybeans, corn, canola, tomatoes, squash, and potatoes. These crops are suppose to be improved versions of the traditional ones with added beneficial traits. RISKS S ome of the risks, to humans, that scientists have identified are new allergens in the food supply, antibiotic resistance, a concentration of toxic metals, and enhancement of the environment for toxic fungi. NEW ALLERGENS New allergens could cause problems for people that are sensitive to certain things and do not know that they are now part of something else that they were not allergic to. For example if they put certain milk proteins into carrots, parents would know not to give children allergic to milk the milk but they would not think twice about giving them the transgenic carrots that now contain milk proteins. A study done at the University of Nebraska showed that soybeans that were genetically engineered to contain proteins from Brazil nuts caused people allergic to Brazil nuts to have reactions to the soybeans. ANTIBIOTIC RESISTANCE In genetic engineering the often use antibiotic resistant genes as what they call selectable markers. The markers help select cells that have tak en up foreign genes. Although the cells no longer have a use for the genes, they still stay in the plant tissues forever. Having these antibiotic genes in foods could cause two problems. This first is eating the foods that contain the genes could reduce the effectiveness of taking antibiotics that need to be taken with food when you are sick. An example is if you eat a tomato with the antibiotic genes at the same time as you take an antibiotic, the genes could destroy the antibiotic in your stomach. The second thing that could happen is the resistance genes could be transferred to humans making the antibiotics taken when ill useless. Although number two

Pre-Darwinism Views Essays - Biological Evolution, Sexual Selection

Pre-Darwinism Views Essays - Biological Evolution, Sexual Selection Pre-Darwinism Views Before November 24, 1859, many people simply believed that species were created by God in their present forms, or that it was possible for organic matter to be spawned from inorganic matter. However, Charles Darwin used these ideas to create his thesis, On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection. The first true theories on evolution arise during the classical Greek period. On a handful of Greek philosophers believed in the theory of evolution and natural selection. Unfortunately, the two philosophers who influenced western civilization the most, Plato and Aristotle, opposed any theory of evolution. Plato believed that there were two worlds, one real world, and one imperfect world that we perceive with our senses. Any variations in life were imperfect images of their ideal forms. However, Aristotle didnt believe in two worlds; instead, he believed in a scale of nature. Each life form was arranged on a type of ladder. It started at the bottom with the least complex organism and continued up to the most complex organism. Each organism had a pre-determined rung, which allowed no ability to move up, and no open spaces for a new organism to fill. According to Neil Campbell in his book, Biology: Fourth Edition, Juedo-Christian culture fortified anti-evolution theories. (p. 400-401) The creationist-essentialist dogma that species were permanent and created for a specific purpose became deeply embedded in Western thought. Any person who dared to theorize or believe in theories about evolution were instantly labeled heretics. The medieval church saw evolution as saying that God did not exist, that we are not the supreme creation, and that humans could just be evolutionary mistakes. However, in the later 1700s and early 1800s there was a scientific revolution taking place. People began to use scientific experiments to explain what they had always put faith in. According to Campbell, the first big step in the development of the theory of evolution was made by Carolus Linnaeus. (p. 400-401) Linnaeus was the founder of taxonomy and developed the naming system for organisms that we still use today. He grouped organisms based on similar characteristics. This, for Darwin, would become a focal point of his theory of evolution. When Darwin began his research aboard the H.M.S. Beagle in 1831, he had some pre-constructed ideas. The first was that he rejected Platos, Aristotles, and the Churchs ideas that organism were made the way they are, and will never change. The second was about Linnaeus filing system; Darwin believed that similar species must of evolved from similar ancestors. During his trip on the Beagle, Darwin collected 13 different types of finches that he believed were different species. When he returned to Great Britain in 1836, he learned from ornithologists that the 13 different types of finches he collected, were indeed separate species. This discovery led Darwin to theorize that if a species was isolated, then it would adapt to fit its surroundings; just like how the finches adapted new beaks depending on their native types of food. Finally in 1844, Darwin wrote an essay on his theory of natural selection and the origin of species. When Darwin finished his book on evolution, The Origin of Species, he had two major ideas: the first was that evolution was the explanation for lifes unity and diversity; the second was that natural selection is the cause for adaptations. Darwin provided numerous example of his theories, but he was still doubted. However, on of his modern day supporters named Ernst Mayr has provided his own theories and proof of Darwins ideas. With respect to Darwins ideas on natural selection and adaptation, Mayr used an closely related group of insect species to prove this point. In Malaya round, pink flowers are common; so the mantid native to Malya is round and pink. However, in Central America, most plants have green, oval-like leaves; so the mantid to Central America is green and oval-like in shape. This example shows how species of common ancestry have adapted to fit their individual surroundings. With respect to Darwins ideas on evolution, we will look at the mustard plant. The mustard plant is the evolutional ancestor of six different vegetables: cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi. Breeder have been able to prove this by focusing on one particular part of the plant to accentuate. The process of accentuating the plant parts by breeders is evidence of evolution, except that humans are manipulating the results to meet their own needs. There really is not much more information on

Internship Report Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Internship Report - Term Paper Example In the historical period of its establishment, it used to operate as a simply creative agency. However, with the passage of time, it has been successful in expanding its business towards performing multiple tasks such as advertising consultancy, public relations, management of creative event, brand design, animation, brand activation and provision of social media. This company is popular in providing complete assistance and solution throughout the country based upon the network design, which follows similar culture and values (Publinet, â€Å"About Us†). In the initial period of Publinet’s establishment, it was operating merely as a creative agency. However, with the modernization and the evolution of advanced technologies, it has been able to spread its wings towards the expansion of business through numerous scales and varieties. Specially mentioning, the company has expanded its business from creative agency to the provision of delivering wide range of services such as branding, advertising, animation and many other services through various quality based networks of communication. The company has basically four departments through which it operates its entire business activities. These include client servicing/ account management, creative department, production team and media department. There are various hierarchical orders of staff members persisting in the organization. The higher authority of the organization ranges from CEO to graphic designer, account executive, creative consultant, IT Coordinator, finishing artist, personnel manager, office manager, copywriter, web developer, production manager and digital services director (Spark, â€Å"People†). Publinet serves the mission of delivering those services to the customers that they expect from the company (Ali & Sons Co., â€Å"Publinet†). With a particular notion of working, the company has been able to acquire the position of locally developed communication specialists’ network.

Contemporary Dance Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Contemporary Dance - Thesis Example Perhaps one important fact to note is that visual arts, which were initially part of the musical dance, had been significantly diluted by the 20th century. This was especially so due to the elimination of the painting works that was so common in the duration that the whole meaning of music lost sense. Additionally, the pigmentation aspect in terms of music choreography underwent significant change on the onset of modern music, hence eliminating the significance of color in music choreography. When it comes to poetry and other literary works, poetry stands in direct contrast with the emotional expressions that the romantics bring about. In a similar manner, the contemporary novels focus more of the facts of the matter rather than going deep into the description of the characters and phenomena involved. This has greatly diluted the many literary and artistic works over the years, thus making them less desirable compared to other areas of creativity. As far as dialogues are concerned, two types of human personality exist, one depicting that human beings react rationally to various situations that come their way. Human beings react according to their beliefs and not the consequences however expensive the consequences might be. On the other hand, some scholars like Susan belief that human beings are both practical and logical meaning that they react in a reasonable and realize manner according to the situations that face them. The truth of the matter is that the vocabulary of the moral feeling is undoubtedly the most influential concept arising out of the belief in the inner self.

Fashion Buying and Merchandising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Fashion Buying and Merchandising - Essay Example The paper "Fashion Buying and Merchandising" discovers the Merchandising and the process of the Fashion Buying. In the fashion industry the fashion retail buyers play an important role. There are many important factors like supplier’s selection and product decision. The most important fact to be noticed is the shift of the retailers from the purely operational background to more strategic background. According to Douglas (2009) the merchandising is the fundamental factor for all of those commercial activities which have distribution attached with it. The fashion wears for the kids have become a new trend in the market. According to the Key Note Childrenswear market report (2009) the UK children’s wear market was valued at 5.29 billion pound in 2008. The primary responsibilities of the buying and merchandising team are identifying the vendor, evaluating the best vendor, negotiation, and placing the order. In the retail industry the fashion and merchandising go parallel. According to Packard et al (1983) the primary role of the buyer’s team is the proper selection of the merchandise to ensure the availability of the new stocks in the store. According to Jackson T, and Shaw D. (2006) the merchandising and the buying team should identify the main responsibilities to add some values to the shop and the main responsibilities are one: pre-selecting and editing product range, two: negotiating value for money price, three: breaking down bulk orders, four: holding stock, five: providing product support.

Autopsy Examination and Tracking Gun Ownership

Autopsy Examination and Tracking Gun Ownership A. Introduction â€Å"The Long Goodbye† is a film in 1973, which was critically acclaimed as a story of humans’ morality in a self-obsessed society. Not being a scientific film, it however comprises few murder scenes and forensic investigation, which provide us with very good examples to study and perform analysis with our knowledge. B. Synopsis The story consists of two concurrent story threads, which first appear to be unrelated, but generally become connected by the stories end. It began with a night when private investigator Philip Marlowe (the main character) was visited by his close friend, Terry Lennox, who asked for a drive to Mexico border at Tijuana. Philip was convinced that Terry was in a fight with his wife, Sylvia, and agreed to help. However, he later discovered that Lennox was wanted by police and being accused of murder of his wife. Having refused to co-operate and provide any information, Marlowe was arrested as an accomplice. However, three days later, he was released after it was found that Lennox had committed suicide. The case was closed with Lennox’s death. The story continued with another story thread which Eileen Wade hired Marlowe to find her missing husband. Her husband, Roger Wade, was an author with drinking problems. He had disappeared on previous occasions, usually to rehab institutions, but not this time. Marlowe took the case and surprisingly discovered the relationship between the Wade couple and Lennox couple throughout the search. The suspicious connection and clues motivated Marlowe to find out the truth behind the death of Lennox couple. He started to conduct a thorough investigation. To obtain more information and prove Lennox’s innocence, Marlowe encountered a doctor, a gangster boss and a guard. He followed the leads, but more and more signs of suspicion were disclosed. Integrating pieces and pieces of puzzles, he finally discovered that Lennox had faked his death to cover his murder and possession of dirty money. Being used and betrayed by his best friend, Marlowe shot Lennox by himself at the end of the story. C. Evidence Gathered With Lennox’s death, evidences were collected for examination and documentation by the police force. Black and white photographs of crime scene were taken to record essential information or clues, condition and position of the dead body, possible weapons and other physical evidences were recorded. Photographs of the dead body in a bathtub (Screenshot from â€Å"The Long Goodbye†) Fingerprints were also collected in the crime scene of Lennox’s death for further identification and comparison. They contain individual characteristics, the identity of the dead body and those who had access to the crime scene can be distinguished and known. Multiple fingerprints collected in the crime scene (Screenshot from â€Å"The Long Goodbye†) Meanwhile, the gun used in the Lennox’s suicidal death was claimed to be retrieved. It was found to be registered under Lennox’s name which proved a possible suicide. Further examinations can be conducted to determine whether the weapon was connected to the death of Lennox. The physical evidences were further sent to examine with different techniques. D. Techniques Moving on to the techniques, autopsy examination and gun tracing were employed to investigate Terry Lennox’s suicidal ‘death’. Results concluded that Terry’s death was instantaneous by a gunshot triggered by a gun registered under his name. Should the investigation be free from bribery and bureaucracy, a forged harmless gun wound should not fool the coroner. Subsequent specimen analysis should reveal a high degree of intoxication through Terry’s injection of drugs to fake his death. A toxicology examination should thereby be carried out to determine the kind and type of drug that caused his ‘death’. 1. Autopsy Examination An autopsy is a medical examination carried out on both external and internal surfaces of a dead body, to determine the cause of death and what caused the death. It is performed when someone dies suddenly and unexpectedly while in apparently good health. Thus, Terry’s instantaneous and suspicious death would surely be subjected to further autopsy investigation by a coroner. After proving the gun wound fake, Terry’s high degree of intoxication should deem suspicious enough for a toxicological analysis by a pathologist to confirm his cause of death. External examination Fingerprinting is carried out before any autopsy analysis of the dead body, for identification and the matching of the fingerprints found on weapons and other physical evidence. The method adopted in this process depends primarily on the condition of the dead body. If the body is in poor condition, like Terry’s body which has been soaked in water, fingerprints have to be recovered through first ‘degloving’ and removing the finger skin, placing them on the fingertip of one operator. Powdering will then be applied to the prints to enable their transpose onto paper for record and future comparison. After fingerprinting the body, the coroner will carry out systematic external examination of the body in terms of these few aspects. (i)Stature determination (height, gender etc.); (ii)Description of recent or old traumatic elements and congenital abnormalities; (iii)Phenotypic characteristics (hair color, axillar description etc.) The gunshot wound found on Terry’s body will therefore lie in the second category as a recent wound that directly contributed his death. However, had the coroner be free from bribery, he should be able to distinguish it as a harmless forged wound. This abnormality should create enough suspicion for internal examination to determine his real cause of death. Internal examination To reveal Terry’s high degree of intoxication, pathologists are responsible for collecting a variety of biological specimen necessary for toxicology tests. Conventional biological specimen includes blood, vitreous humour, urine, stomach and liver contents, which will be sent to toxicology laboratories for separation, identification and quantification. Lethality and toxicity in the concentration of drug molecules will thus serve as a determinant of one’s cause of death. 2. Gun ownership registration Gun ownership tracing has also been used to determine the ownership of the gun, which is suspected to be the weapon that directly caused Terry’s ‘death’. By tracing the serial number and registration record, the police officers confirmed that the gun is registered under Terry’s name in the counter of Los Angeles, thus, rendering Terry’s case as suicidal death. E. Addressing Toxicology in Autopsy in detail a) Specimen Collection (Postmortem Specimen some of them will be discussed below) According to The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (TIAFT), a forensic toxicology organization founded in London in 1963, there are some recommendations on sample collection, which are listed below: i) Blood – According to the â€Å"Laboratory Guideline† provided by the Society of Forensic Toxicologists (2006), it mentions, â€Å"in majority of the postmortem cases, blood is always the most crucial and single specimen for the toxicology analysis†. However, it also suggests that experts should collect at least 2 blood specimens if it is possible in each case. Flanagan, Connally and Evans (2005) suggests the method and procedures for blood collection that firstlyâ€Å" 30 ml of central blood (from the right atrium of the heart, inferior vena cava, or another large vessel) should be collected for qualitative analysis and secondly â€Å"10 ml peripheral blood from the left and right femoral veins should be collected by direct vascular access.† ii) Urine – Levine (2006) mentions that most of the drugs and metabolites will still remain in a relatively higher concentration and for a longer period in urine than in blood. Therefore, it is important to collect all the urine available from the specimen for analysis. iii) Vitreous Humor – According to TIAFT, vitreous humor is a biological fluid that can be collected from the lens of the eye. Drummer (2002) mentions that it has a desirable characteristic of being so stable that can be more resistant to any putrefactive changes than other specimens. Therefore, for a better analysis, if possible, it is suggested that all vitreous fluid should be collected from each eye (Levine, 2006). Apart from the above specimens, others specimens including gastric contents, bile, cerebrospinal fluid, tissues (liver, lung) are also needed to collected for further testing. Limitations: Time is a major problem. It is important that all the specimens are collected as fast as possible being put in separate containers for accurate analysis. For most specimens, Skopp (2004) suggests disposable hard plastic or glass tubes should be used for the storage of specimens. Also, Flanagan, Connally and Evans (2005) suggest that samples should be stored at a maximum of 4 ºC when being analyzed after autopsy, if not, they should be stored at -20 ºC. b) Analytical Process According to Fitzgerald, Rivera and Herold (2010), most of the drugs molecules cannot be distinguished directly through the post-mortem specimens, thus they have to be separated from the biological matrix before they undergo the toxicology analysis. For the separation, there are few steps. Firstly, the specimens need to undergo heating at 60 80 degrees in a sealed container. Secondly, it is the protein precipitation that we need to concentrate the proteins and purify them from various contaminants. Then, it is the liquid-liquid extraction. Sapkale, Patil, Surwase and Bhatbhage (2010) mention that this process is used to â€Å"separate compounds based on their relative solubility in two different immiscible liquids, usually water and an organic solvent†. After that, the analysts can be identified and quantified by techniques, such as spectrophotometry, chromatography and immunoassay. 1) Spectrophotometry According to Watson (2008), she states that color tests can able to test an unknown drug with a chemical or mixture of chemicals. Therefore, the change of the colour of the test substance can help find out the type of the drug it belongs to (See Table 1). Drugs like Heroin, Morphine, Cocaine, Barbiturates and Marijuana can be screened by the color test. Other drug tests include ultraviolet spectrophotometry is used to identify other drug classes. Wilkinson, Dale, Wayne and Martin (2002) mention that ultraviolent spectrophotometry can analyzes â€Å"how the substance reacts to ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) light.† The spectrophotometry machine will emit UV and IR rays, and then it will measure how the sample reflects or absorbs these rays so as to identify what type of substance is present in it (Watson, 2008). (Table 1: Source from Westchester Department of Laboratories and Research) 2) Chromatography According to Pervez (2001), this technique is widely used because â€Å"it can distinguish the presence of a certain chemical in a highly complex mixture.† There are 2 types of chromatography, including Gas Chromatography (GC) and Liquid Chromatography (LC). GC is usually used to identify volatile toxicants and those that contain carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and halogen-carrying molecules. Comparing with spectrophotometry, Pervez (2001) also mentions that GC is a highly sensitive toxicology test, which is good at identifying the drug molecule. For liquid chromatography (LC), it is used to identify non-volatile and/or thermally labile toxicants. 3) Immunoassay According to ImmunoChemisty Technologies, LLC, immunoassays are â€Å"quick and accurate tests that can be used onsite and in the laboratory to detect specific molecules†. It also mentions that it is dependent on the inherent ability of an antibody to â€Å"bind to the specific structure of a molecule† so as to detect the presence of drugs in the specimen. Analysts in biological liquids like serum or urine are frequently measured using this method for medical and research purposes. F. Mismatch In the film, Lennox fakes his death by drug injection and bribing the policeman (who acts as the coroner too), who, interesting, simply takes photos of the dead body and announces his death of intoxication, without any surgical procedure to determine and evaluate the cause and manner of the Lennox’s â€Å"death†. But it is quite a mismatch in reality since: 1) bribing not only one policeman, but all the police, coroners and other all officers to fake one’s death sounds unreasonable and impossible. Moreover, according to Laws of Hong Kong, medicate practitioner shall provide certificate where cause of death of certain deceased should be clearly stated with proof. 2) Forensic toxicology for autopsy was widely used (even already available in 1970s). That means in the film, coroners should carry out drug test to further obtain and interpret the cause of death. As for tracking gun ownership, according to Laws of Hong Kong, no person shall possess any firearms or ammunition unless one holds a license for possession of such items. So we should look into the situation in other countries, for example, the U.S. where the murder case happens in the film. While the Gun laws nowadays in the United States are dependent on different states, they require owners including sellers and buyers to have specific license to possess firearms. In crime science investigation, these license for sure are used to trace the registration and ownership of guns. Instead of saying it as a ‘mismatch’, it, as similar to the ways in the movie, is still a very useful way in nowadays to solve crimes. G. Conclusion By investigating this film, we have examined the use of autopsy examination and tracking gun ownership, which are used in the movie. We address forensic toxicology in autopsy like Spectrophotometry, Chromatography and Immunoassay in detail. Finally we come to a conclusion that faked death is almost impossible to happen nowadays in reality, but tracking gun ownership is still made possible and useful nowadays. Bibliography Beauthier, J.-P., LefeÃÅ'â‚ ¬vre, P., De Valck, E. (2011). Autopsy and Identification Techniques. In N.-A. M. (Ed.), The Tsunami Threat Research and Technology. InTech. Drummer OH and Gerostamoulos J (2002) Ther. Drug Monit. Flanagan RJ, Connally G, and Evans JM (2005) Toxicol. Rev. 24:63-71. Pervez. F (2001). Gas Chromatography / Mass Spectrometry. Bronx Science. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.bxscience.edu/publications/forensics/articles/toxicology/f-toxi01.htm Immunochemistry Technologies, LLC (2013). What is an Immunoassay? Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.immunochemistry.com/what-immunoassay National Criminal Justice Information Center. Retrieved April 24, 2014, from http://www.ncjrs.org/DrugsandCrime.asp Levine B (2006) Principles of Forensic Toxicology. American Association for Clinical Chemistry, Washington, DC. Fitzgerald, Rivera and Herold (2010). Broad Spectrum Drug Identification Directly from Urine, Using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry. Clinical Chemistry. Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.clinchem.org/content/45/8/1224.long Skopp G (2004) Forensic Sci. Society of Forensic Toxicologists/American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Forensic Toxicology Laboratory Guidelines. (2006).Retrieved April 24, 2014, from www.soft-tox.org. The International Association of Forensic Toxicologists (2010). Retrieved April 23, 2014 from http://www.tiaft.org/abouttiaft Valdes, R. (2004, August 03). How Autopsies Work, HowStuffWorks.com. Watson, S. (2008). Forensic Drug Testing. HowStuffWorks.com. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/forensic-lab-technique2.htm Westchester Department of Laboratories and Research. Forensic Chemistry. Retrieved April 25, 2014, from http://www.westchestergov.com/labsresearch/forensicandtox/forensic/ Wilkinson, Dale, Wayne and Martin, (2002). Physics and Forensics: Synchotron Radiation is helping to Identify Tiny Amounts of Paint, Drugs, and Fibers Found at Crime Scenes. Physics World. Sapkale, Patil, Surwase and Bhatbhage (2010). SUPERCRITICAL FLUID EXTRACTION. Sadguru Publication.

THE IMMORAL PROPOSAL FOR THE CHANGE OF DRUG LAWS Essay -- Drugs

In the United States the use of illegal drugs is prohibited. If one uses or possesses any type of an illegal substance it is considered a criminal offense. One must know that 15 million Americans use drugs each month (Husak 7). There are various points of view that disagree and agree with this law. An advanced society must realize that the idea of any attempt to allow illegal drugs to be legalized, in any way in society, cannot be morally permissible; a sound minded person cannot allow more addiction in a drug infested country. For our purpose an advanced society is a large number of persons that are morally knowledgeable of human wellbeing. A drug, for our purpose, is described as any substance other than food which by its chemical nature affects the structure or function of the living organism. The idea of changing illegal substance laws started with drug legalization, which stretches back to the early decades of the 20th century, but the contemporary debate emerged in1988. Kurt L. Schmoke called for the debate on drug control and strategies. Schmokes’s argument was that for generations the United States has been pursuing policies of prosecution and repression that resulted in little more than overcrowded courts and prisons, increased profits for drug traffickers, and higher rates of addiction. There are two main view points on the changing of drug laws. One is the Prohibition view point which is against drug legalization. Prohibitionist believe that laws that are set in place are enough and that the legalization of drugs would further disrupt family structure and imply drug use to American youth that would lower perceptions of harms and risks, as well as failing to eliminate drug addiction.( Inciardi 20). The parallel v... ...n illegal substance must consider after addiction free choice is no longer free. The first few times an individual uses an addictive substance, but that choice disappears as addiction becomes an experienced reality (Inciardi 39). Work cited Heath, Samuel . "The Relationship between Parental Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Child Maltreatment ."childabuse,com (2011): n. pag. Web. 15 Apr 2011. Husak, Douglas . The Legalization of Drugs . Cambridge, New York: Cambridge Press, 2005. 198. Print. Inciardi , James A. The Drug Legalization debate . 2nd . Thousand Oaks, California : Sage Publications Inc., 1999. 1-117. Print. University of California - San Francisco. "Prescription Drug Addiction Is Under Investigation." ScienceDaily, 19 Apr. 2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. Wills, Suzanne. "Marijuana policy questions ." Drug Policy Forum of Texas (2004): n. pag. Web. 15 Apr 2011.

Warrantless Wiretapping

Dave Gorman November 20, 2008 Writing About World Affairs Word Count: 708 Warrantless Wiretapping Since the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, many of the counterterrorism measures taken by President George W. Bush and his administration have been questioned concerning their legality, morality and practicality. Chief among the issues being debated is that of warrantless wiretapping and data mining inside of the United States. This unprecedented use of executive power has been directed by the National Security Agency since 2001. Bush administration officials argue that the civil liberties concerns are unfounded. They also state the NSA program does not target Americans. â€Å"Nothing could be further from the truth,† wrote John Yoo, a former official in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel. Several official also assert that the program had helped expose a plot byIyman Faris, an Ohio truck driver and naturalized citizen who pleaded guilty in 2003 to supporting al Qaeda by planning to demolish the Brooklyn Bridge with blowtorches. Another plot involving fertilizer bomb attacks on British train station was revealed and thwarted in part due to the NSA’s program, officials said (Bush Lets U. S. Spy†¦). Many law scholars, judges, activists, and intelligence experts have pronounced that the counterterrorism actions taken by the Bush administration, namely warrantless wiretapping have been unlawful, impractical, and immoral. While the administration contends that the measures it has taken since September 11 have made the United States safer, those same opponents would vie that it has not, while still violating civil liberties and Constitutional law.

Paris Essays

Paris Essays Paris Essay Paris Essay A weekend trip was spent in the great city of Paris touring, eating French food and experiencing a new culture. Our first night in Paris we went out to eat at a restaurant where every student tried something new. Ranging from eating raw meat, also known as Tartare in France, to eating a rocket salad, we all enjoyed sharing and taste testing the unfamiliar supper creations. The next day we went on a walking tour. The tour guide was great and full of historical information which hearing the stories made the tour even more interesting. He took us to the Pont Neuf, which is the oldest standing bridge in Paris. Another famous bridge he brought us across was the Pont des Arts. The bridge is known for its locks of love. All across the bridge couples place a lock on the bridges fence wall to symbolize their commitment to one another. The bridge is also famous for a non-sentimental reason as well. The Pont des Arts is the bridge that the father in the 2008 movie Taken was captured jumping off of! We went and toured the Notre Dame but unfortunately could not clime to the top due to the cold rainy weather conditions outside. When we arrived at the Louvre our tour guide informed us it was originally the Palais du Louvre which housed the royal estate until Louis XIV felt it was not good enough and built the Palace of Versailles. The Louvre museum was enormous with many different eras and types of art to view. We had a unanimous vote, however, that seeing the â€Å"Mona Lisa† was by the far the best artwork in the place, mainly because it is such a famous piece of history. At nightfall we headed to the Eiffel Tower. All we could do was stand in awe at the beautiful architecture. The lights on the tower were on and once every hour they would put on a light twinkling show. Unfortunately because of the time we arrived they were no longer letting people go up past the second floor of the tower but the view was still indescribable. The final day before boarding the train back to Germany we went to the Palace of Versailles. This place was by far the most stunning sight in Paris. The Palace itself was very big and everything about it was remarkable. The palace had a large garden that you could easily spend hours in. The entire Paris weekend was so full of beauty and history that we have never seen anything like it and it is a place we will surely never forget.

Free Essays on Plea Bargins

I feel that plea bargains are justice avoided. Prosecutors accept plea-bargains not because the justice system is overworked and understaffed, rather it is the lack of desire to uphold the â€Å"justice† in the justice system. In the article reviewed the statement is made that approximately ninety percent of the cases heard result in plea-bargains rather than going through a full trial. If ninety percent of these cases are accepted plea bargains, the system should be able to â€Å"push through† to the next case; therefor overcrowding of cases shouldn’t exist. It is an escape from being honestly punished for an offense that has been committed to accept a plea, and our â€Å"justice system† does not follow through the values that our Constitution has founded. It is easier for the system to quickly resolve matters, and give persons a lesser criminal sentence and/or record by allowing them to accept a plea bargain, yet it doesn’t serve the punishmen t that is required for the offenses that he/she has committed. Plea-bargaining is more of a slap on the hand and a time out in the corner instead of the true punishments deserved. Our legal system has weakened its core by accepting plea bargains and not truly punishing those who are well deserved of the punishments. Prosecutors uphold their reputations as well as the defense lawyers because both parties are still coming out clean and their parties are receiving what they want versus what they deserve. The defendant gets the lesser sentence which allows he/she to think that they can get away with a lesser punishment and providing them the feeling that if they offend again they will be able to get away with it once more. So, my belief of due process and plea bargaining is that it only repeats the cycle of offend, arrest, accept a plea bargain, go out again and start all over. Plea-bargaining does not instill an understanding of punishment in the offender and this allows the crimi nal cycle... Free Essays on Plea Bargins Free Essays on Plea Bargins I feel that plea bargains are justice avoided. Prosecutors accept plea-bargains not because the justice system is overworked and understaffed, rather it is the lack of desire to uphold the â€Å"justice† in the justice system. In the article reviewed the statement is made that approximately ninety percent of the cases heard result in plea-bargains rather than going through a full trial. If ninety percent of these cases are accepted plea bargains, the system should be able to â€Å"push through† to the next case; therefor overcrowding of cases shouldn’t exist. It is an escape from being honestly punished for an offense that has been committed to accept a plea, and our â€Å"justice system† does not follow through the values that our Constitution has founded. It is easier for the system to quickly resolve matters, and give persons a lesser criminal sentence and/or record by allowing them to accept a plea bargain, yet it doesn’t serve the punishmen t that is required for the offenses that he/she has committed. Plea-bargaining is more of a slap on the hand and a time out in the corner instead of the true punishments deserved. Our legal system has weakened its core by accepting plea bargains and not truly punishing those who are well deserved of the punishments. Prosecutors uphold their reputations as well as the defense lawyers because both parties are still coming out clean and their parties are receiving what they want versus what they deserve. The defendant gets the lesser sentence which allows he/she to think that they can get away with a lesser punishment and providing them the feeling that if they offend again they will be able to get away with it once more. So, my belief of due process and plea bargaining is that it only repeats the cycle of offend, arrest, accept a plea bargain, go out again and start all over. Plea-bargaining does not instill an understanding of punishment in the offender and this allows the crimi nal cycle...

Fraud And Capital Market Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Fraud And Capital Market - Research Paper Example These eroded financial statements are referred to as fraudulent financial reporting which can be defined in broad sense as deliberate misstatements or oversight of monetary values or disclosures in financial statements prepared to mislead financial statement users. Previous cases of fraud have left investors and regulators looking for answers like how can creative accounting be stopped, how it start and who is to blame when its revealed in their companies. Generally, these entire questions seem to be answered by putting liabilities to management for failure to comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). Again, failure to detect fraud can be a backlog of independent auditors for failure to apply Generally Accepted Auditing principles (GAAP) accordingly. To counteract these frauds, regulators, corporations and government have instituted various professional ethics and liability laws to reduce such cases. Fraud detection and procedure Fraud detection is not necessarily the duty and obligation of the obvious and recognized agents such as investors, SEC and the independent auditors; rather it is the obligation of community which includes the media, industry regulatory actors, and the company employees. According to the research conducted by the (Kuhn & Sutton, 2006) whistleblowers defer in their capacity to detect frauds. Essentially, the researches indicate that, under legal duties and obligations, the independent auditors and the security regulators are the primary detector agents, auditors can either be internal or external. A fraud can either be detected by an internal auditor or external auditor since both have mutual interests in regard to internal financial controls. The internal auditor is usually part of the company or organization; their roles are stipulated by their respective boards, management and the professional standards while external auditors are not part of the organization but in the line of duty they are engaged by the organization (Harrison 2002). Their roles are set by their client and primary statute for a purpose of providing an independent opinion toward the organization financial statement and this is done annually. Both external and internal auditors ought to meet and share common interest which are directly related to auditing Procedures that auditor needs to go through to discover fraud There are three main steps auditors go through in detecting fraud, these steps are planning, execution and reporting, these steps involve follow up actions that reflect the performance of the audit. In a normal audit, fraud detecting can be done during the planning and execution stage. The table below show procedures an auditor ought to go through in order to detect fraud. Overview of fraud and detection process during normal audit During planning, the auditors assess the risk of fraud; this involves discussions between auditors to consider how and where the financial entity is lik ely to be susceptible to fraud (Harrion 2002). This assessment involves known external and internal factors that affect the financial entity and also consider risk of management overrule of control, and how the auditor is likely to react to the susceptibility of the entity in regard to fraud. During planning, it is important to obtain information required to identify fraud. The auditors are supposed to get sufficient

Manufacturer Brief Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Manufacturer Brief - Case Study Example Number of employees: According to the data as at 2013, the company has an approximate of 2,000 employees. The number of employees has been increasing for the last five years an indication that the company is growing. Annual revenue: The Company’s annual revenue is approximated to be $150 million. According to the world’s statistic, the company’s revenue has been increasing with 2 per cent for the last seven years. Recent news release: The Company introduced four digital TLM 103D microphones for vocal applications building. The microphones have a little self-generated noise. They also have a clear sound transmission that is clearly heard at a distance. The Company’s interaction with its clients: The Company has an active interaction with its customers. Through the company’s website, clients can submit their proposals and complaints. More so, the company has created a page in social media like Facebook. The created page enables the company to market itself and also to receive customers’ opinions. It has helped the Company produce microphones that meet the customers’ tastes and