Geography writing assignment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Geography writing assignment - Research Paper Example Series of Quakes Rattles South West China, Killing at least 64† (McDonald) examined multiple occurrences of quakes and aftershocks within a 5.6 magnitude strength causing more damage to property, displacing 100,000 people and killing at least 64 civilians. In the month before that, the Reuters news agency reported â€Å"Two Earthquakes in Iran Kill 300 and injure 5,000† near the towns of Ahar, Varzaghan and Harees. (Torbati) Earthquakes are naturally occurring phenomena that are beyond human control. People can however initiate early warning systems to help them escape the rather deadly effects of the earthquakes. Faulting and earthquake effects that must be taken into consideration during planning and in design for the restitution of the coastal lands around the world are always overlooked. This should always include the construction as well as the maintenance of the coastal infrastructure. The continued shifting and adjustment of the plates has a dramatic effect on the landscape. These range from the development of large depressions on the surface caused by the subsidence and tilting of the land surfaces due to down throwing of adjacent fault blocks. The effects of all these are experienced both in the human-economic spheres as well as on the physical landscape. The huge geographical components of the Asian-Pacific region has worst cases of natural hazards occasioned by frequent earthquakes, eruptions, and yearly monsoons due to its relative position on the ‘Pacific ring of fire.’ Moreover, the region harbors the highest number of mega-cities with more than over 8million populace exposed to the effects of natural hazards. Foregoing research further suggests that developing countries are highly exposed to risks of natural disasters as opposed to developed nations. At the same time, the high number of natural disasters experienced along the Asian-Pacific region is largely attributed to urbanization, increased population pressure on natural resources and the

The Arguments For Regulation Accounting Essay

The Arguments For Regulation Accounting Essay History is filled with examples where crisis and scandals paved the way for regulatory interventions in the financial markets. The UK introduced major changes in its regulatory practice after the fall of the Barings Bank as a result of the financial scandals during the 1990s. The Financial Services Authority was deregulated in order to develop more rigid and consolidated regulations that conformed to the practice that were prevalent in the industry. Similarly, the US saw a major shift in its financial accounting regulations after the Enron catastrophe. The financial crisis of 2007-2009 has resulted in bringing the issue of standardizing the regulations on financial accounting practices. Regulators worldwide have realized the systematic risks inherent in the financial markets and the critical role that regulations can play in sprouting and exacerbating the fiasco. Accounting standards plays a vital role in financial accounting and reporting in order for investors to make good decisions. Financial accounting and reporting are subjected to various regulations such as the Securities exchange Commission (SEC), the financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), and the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB). They differs from countries due to the differences in the economic, social and political factors involved. (P. Brown) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created in response to the major stock market crash in 1929 to restore investor confidence. At that time, financial statements were often poor in quality and not audited. Arguments for regulation Over the years there have been many arguments over the necessity for regulation. Accounting regulations are needed in the industries that are susceptible to monopolistic behaviours to protect stakeholders interests. These monopolies undermine the competition, as they would try to beat the competitor that poses a threat to their share in the market. Hence, regulation can help the governments in maintaining the efficiency of the markets to keep them attractive for investors and maintaining fair trade. Arguments in favour of regulation correspond to the market failure, government will be able to help through regulations. Moreover, regulations should be considered when there are businesses and financial institutions that offer windfall profits due to new innovation; the organization is able to achieve high profits. Suppliers will use unethical practices to charge a large sum of money by excluding the true cost, which is known as externalities. In addition to these, there are information asymmetries that exist where firms do not fully disclose their decisions. Bushman and Landsman (2010) suggest that optimal disclosure of financial information are beneficial because failure to do so might cause investors sceptical assumptions. Proponents of the regulations maintain that markets usually place their interest above the best benefit of the society. Thus, interventions in the regulations are necessary. Regulations are considered to provide a strong and focused control over the activities that are deemed important by the society. In the meantime, regulations can be seen as the strict process for performing and action in the corporate environment such as in order to set up, manage and end an organization, one has to follow the regulations laid out in the corporations law (Sloan, 2001). But regulations should not be considered as negative as it helps in managing, controlling and getting results from various business activities. For example, the rules and checks that are built into the regulations, give people the confidence that these regulations would not allow people to step out of their authority and conform to the regulatory requirements; that are developed keeping their interests in perspective. The move from governments brought light into the issue of regulating the accounting processing in the industry. Accounting is primarily responsible for providing relevant information for decision making required to make decisions of economic nature. This information is prepared by accountants and professionals in the industry which are responsible for maintaining the record of the financial and accounting data for the company. This information is published in the annual financial reports as well as the stock exchange helping investors to make informed decisions. Moreover, there are regulations relating to the application of taxes as well as the procedure through which organizations are formed and established. The statutory and financial requirements ensure that the organizations are capable of meeting their financial and corporate responsibilities (Bushman and Landsman, 2010) Hence, regulations play an integral role in the functioning of daily business organizations in the modern world. There are a large number of operations that need regulations as they contain data that is critical for efficient operation of the organizations. This information should not be put at risk and placing regulatory requirements on its collections and maintenance is a safe way to ensure the efficiency of the accounting process (Hoogendoorn, 2006). Arguments against regulation Nonetheless, there are a number of perspectives on the issue of regulating the financial markets. The critics of the idea present the argument that these regulations are not needed as the market players act in an efficient manner to serve the society and efficiently utilize their resources. Characteristics of principles-based and rules-based standards A standard consist of principles and rules that apply to given accounting issue (Nelson, 2003). Schipper (2003) suggested that accounting standards in US are more rules-based but often based on principles while IAS and IFRS are more principles-based. Principles-based standard According to ICAS (2006), principles-based accounting standards are based on a conceptual framework. They suggest that such standards require a clear hierarchy of overarching concepts, principles that reflect the overarching concepts and limited further guidance (ICAS, 2006). The principles-based deliver a comprehensive way in preparing the financial statement yet has the flexibility to overcome any situations. Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 required the SEC to assess the viability of a principles-based accounting system. The SEC focused their studies on objective-oriented standards, which is similar to FASBs definition of principles-based standards but Benston et al., (2006) propose that it is more optimal as it offer a narrower framework that limits the scope of professional judgement but allowing more flexibility. In 2008, Grant Thornton issued a White Paper suggesting six high-quality characteristics of principles-based accounting standard. This include; faithful presentation of economic reality, responsive to users needs for clarity and transparency, consistency with a clear Conceptual Framework, based on a defined scope that addresses a broad area of accounting, written in a clear and understandable language, use of appropriate judgment (Grant Thornton, 2008). Benston et al., (2006) agrees that principles-based tend to have more professional judgement. The practice of professional judgment is reinforced to give a true and fair view of the organisations performance. The fundamental advantage of principles-based accounting is that its broad guidelines can be practical for a variety of circumstances. Precise requirements can sometimes compel managers to manipulate the statements to fit what is compulsory. Rules-based standards According to Nelson (2003), rules-based standards have more bright line threshold, more rules, have more scope exceptions and large volume of implementation guidance. Example for bright-line rules-based standards is the managing of capital lease and operating lease. The principle contrast being that a capital lease might need to show up on the asset report of the carrier whereas operating lease do not need any recording. Two distinguishable lease transactions are characterized contrastingly based upon the GAAP renting guidelines (Maines, 2007). Rules-based increases the comparability especially when accountants and regulators have different opinions on interpretation of accounting issues. The FASB developed rules-based standards to increase verifiability for management, auditors and regulators who seek for a clear view of accounting issue. This is related to the reduction in litigation as guidance to protect them from any lawsuits or criticism for aggressive reporting (Benston et al., 2006). If organisation fails to conform to these rules, it has to face legal consequences due to the fact that investors entrust the organisation to meet the regulatory requirements and make their decisions based on the interpretation of financial data. Regulators often prefer rules to avoid unpredictable of later enforcement. Rules reduce discretion of preparer making their judgement less likely to be motivated by the yearning of personal benefits (Coglianese et al., 2004). Moreover, some managers prefer rules-based standards as business arrangement to prepare financial statement. To achieve desirable financial result, they get to gain opportunities by lobbying for treatment of different type of business arrangements (Maines, 2007). Why are principles-based standards more useful than rules-based standards? Many commentators have suggested that the US accounting standard is more rules-based. Rules are thought to be simple but in reality it could complex and easily be manipulated. For instances, tax regulations are mainly rules-based causing problem to arise when organisation start a new transaction not under the rule guideline. Making it difficult for auditors to clarify the inconsistencies (Coglianese et al., 2004). Benston et al., (2006) agree that the complexity of rules can become dysfunctional when the economic changes or when managers structure transactions that meet the rules. Therefore, theres no need to reduce earnings management and improve the quality of financial reporting because mangers will eventually find his way to meet rules by violating them that overcompensate for judgemental discretion. Thus, many regulators are now leaning towards the principles-based approach. Application of rules-based according to Schipper (2003) is undesirable because the check-box mentality tend to risk the quality of financial reporting whereas principles-based exercises professional judgement. Regulators believe that rules-based approach foster creative accounting, neither comprehensive nor comparable. It is a delusion that rules-based could completely eliminate risk of litigation. Instead of rules-based, principles-based accounting systems provide a true and fair framework with effective communication that are required by stakeholders. Risk of litigation will always remain but principles-based will minimise the risk (ICAS, 2006). Rules exist because a standard is based on poor principles. Using applicable principle would reduce the need of having detailed set of rules, therefore complexity of the rules could be minimised and standard will increase its comparability (Nobes, 2005). Furthermore principles-based standards are meant to provide a more precise accounting statement reflecting the companys performance reason because as the used of principles-based increase, manipulation of rules would reduce. Study result shows that corporate managers prefer principles-based. Objectives are yet again the flexibility when they could report what they believe of the consequences, beneficial of forecast earnings and if management reimbursement is related to their target (Philips et al., 2010). The study have also indicated that principles-based focus more on reporting the true economic circumstances, however with that much liberty auditors might challenge managements misappropriation of standards. Thus, focusing on one or the other standard will not necessary solve the transparency of financial reporting. There are two matters to take into consideration when engaging into principles-based standards. The issues are to reduce the weighting given to comparability relative to other qualitative characteristics in the conceptual framework and to increase professional judgement in both transaction and financial statement (Bennett et al., 2006). Problems standard setters have in promulgating standards that are principles-based Accounting standards are promulgated to assist the objective of financial reporting; some parties believe that collapse of a company was caused by the incompetent standards. Problems standard setters find promulgating principles-based standard is because rules-based standard is favourable at times. Rules-based standards are able to achieve qualitative characteristic of comparability in financial reporting whereas principles-based are not able to. Criticism of principles-based arise when uncertainty of the standard reflects a risk of regulator sanctions. Uncertainty can be accepted only if regulator agree to the firms interpretations and respond correspondingly (Black, 2007). Level of uncertainty will increase if standard setter developed internal understanding of the guideline not shown in the firms statement. Moreover, applying principles-based standard will have diminishing effect on the aggressive reporting than strengthening audit committee. (Agoglia et al., 2011) According to Coglianese et al., (2004) move to principles-based may rise problem such as insufficient training to make professional judgment, therefore training will be required. Moreover in the absence of rules, managers may disclose biased information thus company may need to professional resolve (Maines, 2007). Managers do not always apply accounting standards in good faith, they are always biased and now with the flexibility of principles it is criticised that rise of potential for earning management (Nelson, 2003). Providing suitable resolve may be challenging because auditors find difficulty in predicting how principles will be applied to certain litigation. Despite the limitation of rules-based, some standard setter would still prefer rules to principles just to avoid both uncertainties and litigations. Conclusions We can conclude from this discussion that accounting has been not been able to receive a complete regulatory pack that can provide a theoretical foundation for the financial accounting domain. The individualistic approach to developing these theories has not been successful because they miss out on some important factual information. Globalization has caused a number of challenges to the accounting domain as more and more companies have moved their systems from manual to computerized systems. Therefore, regulators face a raising problem of devising regulations that ensure the integrity and confidentiality of the accounting information. There are many mixed feelings regarding the ideas to regulate accounting. However, despite the mixed opinions, the idea to regulate accounting is strong. It is not only the responsible thing to do, but it will also safeguard the public form companies and fraudulent activities that could occur. To not regulate accounting laws and practices will only leave room to gather more mistrust in the accounting.

Beowulf Cheat Sheet Essays -- Epic of Beowulf Essays

1. Weapons serve as the tools that the soldiers must use > to do their job: killing beasts or men without getting > killed. As a artist may be fond of his paintbrush, the > soldiers greatly cherish their weapons. Often a weapon is > valued for its pedigree. The author often interrupts action > to delve into a weaponà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s previous owners and its history. > In the introduction, Burton Raffel states, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The important > tools, in this poem, are weapons: proven swords and helmets > are handed down from father to son, like the vital > treasures they were. Swords have personalities, and names: > à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (xi) > Beowulf uses Hrothgarà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s helmet and armor to protect > him from serpentsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ claws while he descends into the lake to > meet Grendelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mother. The helmet is said to à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ block all > battle swords, stop all blades from cutting at > himà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?(1451-53) However, the monster bites holes in it. > Grendelsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢ mother is frustrated by the almost impenetrable > armor. She à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“tried to work her fingers through the tight > ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore and scratched in > vain.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (1503-05) > Hrunting is the sword that Unferth lends Beowulf for > the battle against Grendelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mother. Hrunting is a lucky > sword, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“No one whoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢d worn it into battle, swung it in > dangerous places, daring and brave, had ever been > deserted-à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?(1459-1461) However, Hrunting is useless against > Grendelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s mother, although no swords made by mortals would > have pierced the monsterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s skin. It takes a sword à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“hammered > by giants, strong and blessed with their magicà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (1557-1559) > that Beowulf finds hanging on the wall to cut through the > monsterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s neck. The monsterà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s blood melts the sword but > Beowulf brings the sword hilt to Hrothgar as a gift. > In the battle against the dragon Beowulf uses a sword > named Nagling. It first cracks against the tough dragon > skin and then breaks to pieces against the dragonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s head. > Once again, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“his weapon had failed him, deserted him, now > when he needed it mostà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. Although the iron shield is > somewhat effective against the dragonà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s scalding breath, > throughout the poem Beowulf is little aided in battle by a > weapon. The author suggests that à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“his hands were too > strong, the hardest blade could not help him, th... ...m hilde-deor > hearpan wynneà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. In the translated edition Burton Raffel > uses a more subtle style, although alliteration can still > be easily found on every page. An example is the > description of Hrothgar playing a harp and how he à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“stroked > its silvery stringsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (2108) > Kenning is the use of figurative phrases instead of a > simple noun. Instead of just saying ship the author might > use à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the ringed prowà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“sea-farerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?, or à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“the bent-necked > woodà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬?. The dragon is refered to as a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“twilight-spoilerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? and > à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“whale-roadà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? is an ocean. A king or important noble is > called a à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“ring-giverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? many times throughout the poem. > There are several similes is the poem. One example is > the description of Grendelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s claws as à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“nails as hard as > bright steelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (985) Another simile poetically depicts the > Geats journey stating, à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“The ship foamed through the sea > like a birdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬? (218). > An Epithet is an identifying repeating adjective used > to take the place of a personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s name. The kenning term > ring-giver is an epithet. Patronymics, a specific type of > Epithet, is the naming of people in terms

Australia – the Unknown Southern Land

â€Å"The Unknown Southern Land† Even in medieval times there were stories about a large continent in the Southerh Hemisphere. But Europeans had never seen it. They wondered what it was like and whether it inhabited. They called this land terra australis incognita 1 or  «the unknown souther land » – Australia. Nowdays when people speak of Australia they can mean three things: 1) Australia as a continent; 2) Australia as an island and 3) Australia as an indenendent country. Australia is the world's largest island and its smallest continent. Asia is the continent nearest to Australia in the north. The icy shorts of Australia lie to the south. New Zealand is to the east. To the west of Australia stretches the vast Inddian Ocean. In the east the continent is washed by the Pacific Ocean. Australia is a land of striking differences. In the centre of the continent and in the west more thab 50% of the land is desert – dry and uninhabited. There are three – the Great Sandy Desert, the Great Victoria Desert and the Gibson Desert? Situattd between them. Naturally very few people live there. Most of them live on the narrow coasts of the tast and southeast. Main cities, where people live among tall office buildings? Automobile plants and busy factories, are situated there. In the nothearst? Tropical forests cover the coast. In the mountains of the southeast the snow lies for ceven months of the year. Australia is divided into six states and two territories. 1terra australis incognita (Latin) [`tera aust`r? :l? s ? n`k ta] New South Wales is Australia's leading indastrial state. Most people live along the east coast, and most of them are in Sydney. Sydney is also the largest city in Australia. It was founded on January 26, 1788. It is a pretty and indastrial city. Population of 3,700,000. In Victoria most people live in the south. Melbourne is the cfpital of the state and the largest city. Sheep and peaches and apricots are grown along the Muurray River. Population about 3,200,000 Queensland is Australia's second largest state. Drisbane, its capital, is . sitbated on the east coast. It is important export center exportihg wool, meat, wheat, sugar. Population over 1 mln people. Queensland has long beatifull sahdy beaches. Its coast is a popular place for holidaymakers. The climate along the east coast is hot and humid. It is the tropical corner of Australia. Bananas and other tropical fruits are grown here. Most of the land in the south is too dry for farming. Some of Australia's unprodnctive desert lands occupy the bigger part of the state. The state of Western Australia is dry and inhospitable except the southwestern corner of the state. Nearly all of the state's farms, sheep stations and fruit gardens are situated there. The rest of the state is dry desert land with very few towns or lonely cattle stations. South Australia is the third largest state. Most of South Australia's people, farms and industry are in the southeastern pert of the state. Adelaide is the capital and the largest city. Population over 1 mln people. It is a large center exporting wine. Most of South Australia is too dry for farming. Farming very much depends on irrigation1 or underground water. Some of Australia's most unprodnctive desery lands 1 irrigation [? r? `? e n] 2 nectaries [`nekt? r? nz] occupy the greater part of the state. Wheat and fruit (apricots, pears, peaches, nectaries2 and grapes) are grown along the lower part of the Muurray River. Tasmania, the island, is sometimes called the apple isle becaus it produces most of Australia's apples. Tasmania is one of the few plaaces in Australia that have enough rain all year. Tasmania is Australia's leading produes of pears and berries of different kinds. Potates are also grown in some areas. Northern Territory is the least populated and least developed part of Australia. Crocodiles still live in some of the twamps along the coast. Darwin is its capital and the only large settlement in the norsth. Population of about 70,000. Alice Springs, generally called Alice of the Alice, is th eonly town in the south. The capital of Australia is Canberra. The city doesn't belong to any state. It is situated on the Australian Capital Territory, which occupies an area of 2,432 square kilometres. It was builting in 1923-1927. Population of about 300,000.

Persuasive Essay

â€Å"It's not Just a game. † to many athletes this statement rings true. Sports fuel the drive and determination within people, and provide them an essential learning tool from which they can grow. Competitive is defined as, â€Å"of or relating to a situation in which people or groups are trying to win a contest or be more successful than other : relating to or involving competition . â€Å"(Merriam-Webster. Com) This concept of competitiveness is the foundation of all sports.The competitive spirit and thirst to ant to better oneself in order to be at the top is a fueling force that will propel our children far beyond their years on the court. Providing children with equal playing time in youth sports discourages the necessary need for healthy competition and takes away valuable life lessons that will prepare them for the future. With over six years of experience coaching girls basketball at the grade school level, the debate over playing time Is one thing that I have enco untered a lot. For the most part people are strongly on one side or the other.Although there are other people Like me that agrees with this rule, in most grade school sports this rule has become a mandatory enforced aspect of the game – slowly and forcefully crushing the heart of the competitiveness that so many athletes Join sports for. There are many counterclaim to this debate ranging from psychological harm all the way to it creating the obesity epidemic we are currently facing in our country. One debate that I have heard numerous times is that children learn through playing an actual game verses only in practice. This is ridiculous!To start off, any good player treats practice as Hough it Is a game and puts forth Just as much effort. Coaches demand this Intensity level In practice, so they can adequately prepare their team for the actual games. Practice Is where you learn; games are where you put your skills to the test. If kids actually learned more from games, and the purpose of coaching girl's basketball at the beginning grade school level was in fact to Children should have to earn their playing time. When we enforce the equal playing time rule we are taking away the goal in which the athletes aspire to achieve.We demise the competitive nature of the port, and destroy the heart of the game. Not everybody can be winners, that is the harsh reality of life! Kids put in the effort in practice in order to win games, therefore the best players should be the ones on the court representing their team. Why even keep score if the important is not who wins? Sports are suppose to be a competition thus they are going to have winners and losers. This teaches the kids the importance of sportsmanship and give them something to work towards. Similar to grades In school, some students earn better grades than others and they are rewarded for It.Sports should not be any different and we should allow the better athletes to shine, excel and be praised for their valu ables rather than try and hold them back in order to even out the playing field for other players. No where in life are harder and catch up to the level in which their opponents are at! The physical benefits that some argue are important to implement at such a young age is another argument put forth by the opposing side that I have heard numerous times. They claim that the importance of allowing children to rest in the game is crucial to maintaining their physical health and preventing injuries.The obvious factor in which this statement fails to ring true is that at any level players should be in a good enough physical condition to not only run the full amount of the game but to also be able hustle and go one hundred percent the entire time. This is why practices are usually twice as long as games and any good coach expects their player to hustle throughout every drill. The obesity issue in which parents argue that by benching children it discourages them from playing the sport and thus results in a decrease of physical activity. If the child's main goal is to get physically fit than they should not be n a team sport.There are many individual sports in which a child can strictly work towards bettering themselves without hurting the rest of the team. If a parent is trying to put their child's physical well being on the responsibility of their child's coach that is absurd. A sports season is strictly Just that a season and no coach should have to worry about the child's physical fitness level during a game. If the coach allows the child practice with the team than by far he has fulfilled his duty. Lastly, the main argument that so many parents think they are Justified in preaching s the physiological harm that is instilled in a child that rides the bench.Lack of self confidence and the feeling of unworthiness are claimed to have a more damaging affect on children than the fairy tale reality that equal playing time blinds them with. Why lie to our children? As pa rents and coaches we are suppose to prepare kids to excel at the next levels in life. The ability to get back on their feet after being knocked down and make the most out of any situation by far out shines this cushioning effect that parents insist that coaches to provide. This does nothing but Ella the inevitable and handicap our children from learning the correct coping techniques to excel in not only sports but also in life.One of the best basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan, has been quoted saying, â€Å"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. † It is not Just a game, it is a way of life. When the debate over equal playing is brought up the most important thing to remember is to keep the bigger picture in mind.Yes sports at the grade school level do have t he task of introducing the fundamentals of the game to individuals but they also carry the ability to teach so much more! Let the sport be the teacher and don't manipulate the self guided lessons that players will encounter and benefit immensely from. To instill a sense of entitlement rather than a hard working mentality is exactly what giving the children equal playing is doing. Playing time at any level should be something that an athlete has to earn and the competitive spirit within a game should be praised and fueled not manipulated. Persuasive Essay â€Å"It's not Just a game. † to many athletes this statement rings true. Sports fuel the drive and determination within people, and provide them an essential learning tool from which they can grow. Competitive is defined as, â€Å"of or relating to a situation in which people or groups are trying to win a contest or be more successful than other : relating to or involving competition . â€Å"(Merriam-Webster. Com) This concept of competitiveness is the foundation of all sports.The competitive spirit and thirst to ant to better oneself in order to be at the top is a fueling force that will propel our children far beyond their years on the court. Providing children with equal playing time in youth sports discourages the necessary need for healthy competition and takes away valuable life lessons that will prepare them for the future. With over six years of experience coaching girls basketball at the grade school level, the debate over playing time Is one thing that I have enco untered a lot. For the most part people are strongly on one side or the other.Although there are other people Like me that agrees with this rule, in most grade school sports this rule has become a mandatory enforced aspect of the game – slowly and forcefully crushing the heart of the competitiveness that so many athletes Join sports for. There are many counterclaim to this debate ranging from psychological harm all the way to it creating the obesity epidemic we are currently facing in our country. One debate that I have heard numerous times is that children learn through playing an actual game verses only in practice. This is ridiculous!To start off, any good player treats practice as Hough it Is a game and puts forth Just as much effort. Coaches demand this Intensity level In practice, so they can adequately prepare their team for the actual games. Practice Is where you learn; games are where you put your skills to the test. If kids actually learned more from games, and the purpose of coaching girl's basketball at the beginning grade school level was in fact to Children should have to earn their playing time. When we enforce the equal playing time rule we are taking away the goal in which the athletes aspire to achieve.We demise the competitive nature of the port, and destroy the heart of the game. Not everybody can be winners, that is the harsh reality of life! Kids put in the effort in practice in order to win games, therefore the best players should be the ones on the court representing their team. Why even keep score if the important is not who wins? Sports are suppose to be a competition thus they are going to have winners and losers. This teaches the kids the importance of sportsmanship and give them something to work towards. Similar to grades In school, some students earn better grades than others and they are rewarded for It.Sports should not be any different and we should allow the better athletes to shine, excel and be praised for their valu ables rather than try and hold them back in order to even out the playing field for other players. No where in life are harder and catch up to the level in which their opponents are at! The physical benefits that some argue are important to implement at such a young age is another argument put forth by the opposing side that I have heard numerous times. They claim that the importance of allowing children to rest in the game is crucial to maintaining their physical health and preventing injuries.The obvious factor in which this statement fails to ring true is that at any level players should be in a good enough physical condition to not only run the full amount of the game but to also be able hustle and go one hundred percent the entire time. This is why practices are usually twice as long as games and any good coach expects their player to hustle throughout every drill. The obesity issue in which parents argue that by benching children it discourages them from playing the sport and thus results in a decrease of physical activity. If the child's main goal is to get physically fit than they should not be n a team sport.There are many individual sports in which a child can strictly work towards bettering themselves without hurting the rest of the team. If a parent is trying to put their child's physical well being on the responsibility of their child's coach that is absurd. A sports season is strictly Just that a season and no coach should have to worry about the child's physical fitness level during a game. If the coach allows the child practice with the team than by far he has fulfilled his duty. Lastly, the main argument that so many parents think they are Justified in preaching s the physiological harm that is instilled in a child that rides the bench.Lack of self confidence and the feeling of unworthiness are claimed to have a more damaging affect on children than the fairy tale reality that equal playing time blinds them with. Why lie to our children? As pa rents and coaches we are suppose to prepare kids to excel at the next levels in life. The ability to get back on their feet after being knocked down and make the most out of any situation by far out shines this cushioning effect that parents insist that coaches to provide. This does nothing but Ella the inevitable and handicap our children from learning the correct coping techniques to excel in not only sports but also in life.One of the best basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan, has been quoted saying, â€Å"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. † It is not Just a game, it is a way of life. When the debate over equal playing is brought up the most important thing to remember is to keep the bigger picture in mind.Yes sports at the grade school level do have t he task of introducing the fundamentals of the game to individuals but they also carry the ability to teach so much more! Let the sport be the teacher and don't manipulate the self guided lessons that players will encounter and benefit immensely from. To instill a sense of entitlement rather than a hard working mentality is exactly what giving the children equal playing is doing. Playing time at any level should be something that an athlete has to earn and the competitive spirit within a game should be praised and fueled not manipulated. Persuasive Essay Keep Cigarette Sale and Production legal: Save the Economy Cigarette smoking dates back to the 9th century; when cigarettes were first invented in Central America, and has become a popular habit since then. Smoking is prevalent all over the world, and it has been estimated that the number of smokers will continue to rise despite the various campaigns taken against it. It is a widely accepted fact that smoking causes many health problems and thousands of people die each year, but should smoking be made illegal?Although smoking is hazardous to health and the environment, but making it illegal is a serious implementation which if not enforced successfully, will lead to huge losses for a particular economy. Should smoking be made illegal, the sale and production of cigarettes will drastically go down as will the number of smokers dying from lung cancer and other smoking related diseases, but prohibiting it by law is too extreme. All over the world, especially in poorer underdeveloped cou ntries a huge number of people are employed by cigarette making companies. If the production of cigarettes is banned, a lot of people will lose jobs.The probability of all of these people getting employed again is low; as most of them are not educated enough to meet the minimum requirement for other jobs and are the sole sources of income for their families. The main reason governments all over the world have not banned cigarette production is the huge amounts of revenue and taxes generated from its sale. These taxes are used to build many important institutions like public schools and hospitals. While it is true there are many more sources of income for the government, in present age we cannot deny the part tobacco companies play in increasing our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In the year 2000 tax revenue from cigarettes totaled Pak Rs. 19. 8 billion, representing approximately 25% of all excise revenue generated in the country for that year†. (â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan, 1†). Apart from tobacco farmers and nicotine suppliers, cigarette production provides income for advertising firms, whitening products and mouth fresheners companies. One of the biggest side effects of making cigarette production illegal is the rise of the black markets. Black markets are underground trading places where goods banned by the government are bought and sold.They may also involve trading across borders. It is very likely they start operating in economies where selling cigarettes is banned. Ireland, East Bourne, and Paraguay have some of the highest illicit cigarette trading. The government in UK took strong measures to cut down cigarette production resulting in cigarettes being illegally sold across borders. â€Å"The UK Government has lost at least ? 16. 7 billion tax revenue from the black market sale of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco over a 5 year period, according to its own statistics†(â€Å"? 16. 7 billion loss in smoki ng tax revenues† ).Though the cigarette companies play an important role in maintaining the economy, the harmful effects of smoking cannot be overlooked. In the recent years, smoking has been known to be the cause of oral cancer, lung cancer, and heart diseases and many more problems, most of which have proved to be fatal. Nicotine used in cigarettes causes brain damage and even abnormalities in child birth. Smokers have bad breath, yellow teeth; burned fingers and are looked upon with disgust. The estimated number of deaths each year by cigarette smoking is 445,000 in the United States.By 2030, this number is expected to rise even more, especially in developing countries where smoking is constantly on the rise. In trying to tackle this problem, governments in almost 30 countries across the world including Pakistan, have made it mandatory to issue warning messages on the cigarette packets by law orders. Even the advertising companies are required to show health concern message s at the end of the advertisement. This means that people buying cigarettes are fully aware of the health risks involved but they still continue to do so.Smoking in a voluntary habit, it is a choice. The solution to this problem lies in educating people about how valuable a human life is and not banning smoking. Cigarettes are an environmental hazard. Cigarette fires are a major threat of smoking, caused mainly by the carelessness of the smoker. While it is true it is a serious problem, it can be prevented by taking a few simple measures. Fire-safe cigarettes are a lot less likely to catch on fire when left unattended and by taking this simple precaution many of these fires can be avoided.Furthermore cigarettes are not biodegradable. It can take a lot of years for them to decompose. This problem can be tackled by improving the recycling and disposable systems of the country. These problems are not so difficult to deal with if just some simple safety measures are taken while making t hem completely illegal will have much more disastrous effects. While the harmful effects of smoking are widely known, research has shown some of the positive effects of smoking as well. Smokers admit that smoking causes soothing, relaxes the mind and helps deal with depression.Scientific studies show that smoking improves concentration and helps to focus. Smokers have proven to have better responsiveness and sharper memory than non-smokers. â€Å"After 40 years  of scientific research on the effects of nicotine, researchers now say that they have sound scientific proof that smoking and nicotine have a significant positive effect on human brain performance†(â€Å"Science is conclusive: tobacco increases work capacity†). Nicotine also is said to enhance new blood vessel development and decrease chances of Parkinson’s disease.Furthermore, nicotine boosts up creativity and innovation. Many famous celebrities, artists, musicians have committed to smoking in the pea k time of their careers. Tobacco which is a major component of cigarettes is also widely used in many other addictive substances, like water pipe tobacco and snuff. The main purpose of making the production of cigarettes illegal is to stop the rising number of deaths occurring each year because of smoking, but if many other alternatives which provide the same level of addiction are available the purpose of the ban is likely to fail.Keeping in mind the pros and cons of making the sale and production of cigarettes illegal, banning smoking will cause more serious and long lasting problems than it will solve. The income generated by this sector of the economy will fall down immensely. Black markets operating in the country will start selling them as smoking is an addiction and is not a habit which can easily be quit. Smoking is often associated with suicide, while it is true smokers die earlier than non-smokers; the final decision depends on the smoker’s discretion.As far as the health and environment issues of smoking are concerned, they are upon the smokers own will and can be stopped if people start caring about their lives and their loved ones. An issue as serious as this one needs to be inspected properly if any decision has to be taken. If the ban on cigarette production is not implemented properly, it will lead to a huge fall in the employment level. If smokers dying every day is such an important concern, what about those people who will lose their jobs permanently? How will they feed their families?In poorer countries no other jobs are available for them and hundreds of families may lose their source of income. The taxes generated by the government will be cut off and much of the development in countries will die down. The true cure lies in making people more aware through advertisements and warning labels which is already been done by many countries all over the world. Because in the end the choice mainly lies in the hand of the smoker, what he or she thinks is more important: his or her own life or the pleasures of smoking. Words: 1310. Works Cited â€Å"? 16. 7 Billion Loss in Smoking Tax Revenues. Freedom 2 Choose. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Khan, Javaid. â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan. †Ã‚  Editorial. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Science Is Conclusive: Tobacco Increases Work Capacity. † International Liberty News Network. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Should Smoking Be Banned? † Debate. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Smoking Thrills but Kills. † Pakistan Today. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Persuasive Essay â€Å"It's not Just a game. † to many athletes this statement rings true. Sports fuel the drive and determination within people, and provide them an essential learning tool from which they can grow. Competitive is defined as, â€Å"of or relating to a situation in which people or groups are trying to win a contest or be more successful than other : relating to or involving competition . â€Å"(Merriam-Webster. Com) This concept of competitiveness is the foundation of all sports.The competitive spirit and thirst to ant to better oneself in order to be at the top is a fueling force that will propel our children far beyond their years on the court. Providing children with equal playing time in youth sports discourages the necessary need for healthy competition and takes away valuable life lessons that will prepare them for the future. With over six years of experience coaching girls basketball at the grade school level, the debate over playing time Is one thing that I have enco untered a lot. For the most part people are strongly on one side or the other.Although there are other people Like me that agrees with this rule, in most grade school sports this rule has become a mandatory enforced aspect of the game – slowly and forcefully crushing the heart of the competitiveness that so many athletes Join sports for. There are many counterclaim to this debate ranging from psychological harm all the way to it creating the obesity epidemic we are currently facing in our country. One debate that I have heard numerous times is that children learn through playing an actual game verses only in practice. This is ridiculous!To start off, any good player treats practice as Hough it Is a game and puts forth Just as much effort. Coaches demand this Intensity level In practice, so they can adequately prepare their team for the actual games. Practice Is where you learn; games are where you put your skills to the test. If kids actually learned more from games, and the purpose of coaching girl's basketball at the beginning grade school level was in fact to Children should have to earn their playing time. When we enforce the equal playing time rule we are taking away the goal in which the athletes aspire to achieve.We demise the competitive nature of the port, and destroy the heart of the game. Not everybody can be winners, that is the harsh reality of life! Kids put in the effort in practice in order to win games, therefore the best players should be the ones on the court representing their team. Why even keep score if the important is not who wins? Sports are suppose to be a competition thus they are going to have winners and losers. This teaches the kids the importance of sportsmanship and give them something to work towards. Similar to grades In school, some students earn better grades than others and they are rewarded for It.Sports should not be any different and we should allow the better athletes to shine, excel and be praised for their valu ables rather than try and hold them back in order to even out the playing field for other players. No where in life are harder and catch up to the level in which their opponents are at! The physical benefits that some argue are important to implement at such a young age is another argument put forth by the opposing side that I have heard numerous times. They claim that the importance of allowing children to rest in the game is crucial to maintaining their physical health and preventing injuries.The obvious factor in which this statement fails to ring true is that at any level players should be in a good enough physical condition to not only run the full amount of the game but to also be able hustle and go one hundred percent the entire time. This is why practices are usually twice as long as games and any good coach expects their player to hustle throughout every drill. The obesity issue in which parents argue that by benching children it discourages them from playing the sport and thus results in a decrease of physical activity. If the child's main goal is to get physically fit than they should not be n a team sport.There are many individual sports in which a child can strictly work towards bettering themselves without hurting the rest of the team. If a parent is trying to put their child's physical well being on the responsibility of their child's coach that is absurd. A sports season is strictly Just that a season and no coach should have to worry about the child's physical fitness level during a game. If the coach allows the child practice with the team than by far he has fulfilled his duty. Lastly, the main argument that so many parents think they are Justified in preaching s the physiological harm that is instilled in a child that rides the bench.Lack of self confidence and the feeling of unworthiness are claimed to have a more damaging affect on children than the fairy tale reality that equal playing time blinds them with. Why lie to our children? As pa rents and coaches we are suppose to prepare kids to excel at the next levels in life. The ability to get back on their feet after being knocked down and make the most out of any situation by far out shines this cushioning effect that parents insist that coaches to provide. This does nothing but Ella the inevitable and handicap our children from learning the correct coping techniques to excel in not only sports but also in life.One of the best basketball players of all time, Michael Jordan, has been quoted saying, â€Å"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. † It is not Just a game, it is a way of life. When the debate over equal playing is brought up the most important thing to remember is to keep the bigger picture in mind.Yes sports at the grade school level do have t he task of introducing the fundamentals of the game to individuals but they also carry the ability to teach so much more! Let the sport be the teacher and don't manipulate the self guided lessons that players will encounter and benefit immensely from. To instill a sense of entitlement rather than a hard working mentality is exactly what giving the children equal playing is doing. Playing time at any level should be something that an athlete has to earn and the competitive spirit within a game should be praised and fueled not manipulated. Persuasive Essay Keep Cigarette Sale and Production legal: Save the Economy Cigarette smoking dates back to the 9th century; when cigarettes were first invented in Central America, and has become a popular habit since then. Smoking is prevalent all over the world, and it has been estimated that the number of smokers will continue to rise despite the various campaigns taken against it. It is a widely accepted fact that smoking causes many health problems and thousands of people die each year, but should smoking be made illegal?Although smoking is hazardous to health and the environment, but making it illegal is a serious implementation which if not enforced successfully, will lead to huge losses for a particular economy. Should smoking be made illegal, the sale and production of cigarettes will drastically go down as will the number of smokers dying from lung cancer and other smoking related diseases, but prohibiting it by law is too extreme. All over the world, especially in poorer underdeveloped cou ntries a huge number of people are employed by cigarette making companies. If the production of cigarettes is banned, a lot of people will lose jobs.The probability of all of these people getting employed again is low; as most of them are not educated enough to meet the minimum requirement for other jobs and are the sole sources of income for their families. The main reason governments all over the world have not banned cigarette production is the huge amounts of revenue and taxes generated from its sale. These taxes are used to build many important institutions like public schools and hospitals. While it is true there are many more sources of income for the government, in present age we cannot deny the part tobacco companies play in increasing our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In the year 2000 tax revenue from cigarettes totaled Pak Rs. 19. 8 billion, representing approximately 25% of all excise revenue generated in the country for that year†. (â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan, 1†). Apart from tobacco farmers and nicotine suppliers, cigarette production provides income for advertising firms, whitening products and mouth fresheners companies. One of the biggest side effects of making cigarette production illegal is the rise of the black markets. Black markets are underground trading places where goods banned by the government are bought and sold.They may also involve trading across borders. It is very likely they start operating in economies where selling cigarettes is banned. Ireland, East Bourne, and Paraguay have some of the highest illicit cigarette trading. The government in UK took strong measures to cut down cigarette production resulting in cigarettes being illegally sold across borders. â€Å"The UK Government has lost at least ? 16. 7 billion tax revenue from the black market sale of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco over a 5 year period, according to its own statistics†(â€Å"? 16. 7 billion loss in smoki ng tax revenues† ).Though the cigarette companies play an important role in maintaining the economy, the harmful effects of smoking cannot be overlooked. In the recent years, smoking has been known to be the cause of oral cancer, lung cancer, and heart diseases and many more problems, most of which have proved to be fatal. Nicotine used in cigarettes causes brain damage and even abnormalities in child birth. Smokers have bad breath, yellow teeth; burned fingers and are looked upon with disgust. The estimated number of deaths each year by cigarette smoking is 445,000 in the United States.By 2030, this number is expected to rise even more, especially in developing countries where smoking is constantly on the rise. In trying to tackle this problem, governments in almost 30 countries across the world including Pakistan, have made it mandatory to issue warning messages on the cigarette packets by law orders. Even the advertising companies are required to show health concern message s at the end of the advertisement. This means that people buying cigarettes are fully aware of the health risks involved but they still continue to do so.Smoking in a voluntary habit, it is a choice. The solution to this problem lies in educating people about how valuable a human life is and not banning smoking. Cigarettes are an environmental hazard. Cigarette fires are a major threat of smoking, caused mainly by the carelessness of the smoker. While it is true it is a serious problem, it can be prevented by taking a few simple measures. Fire-safe cigarettes are a lot less likely to catch on fire when left unattended and by taking this simple precaution many of these fires can be avoided.Furthermore cigarettes are not biodegradable. It can take a lot of years for them to decompose. This problem can be tackled by improving the recycling and disposable systems of the country. These problems are not so difficult to deal with if just some simple safety measures are taken while making t hem completely illegal will have much more disastrous effects. While the harmful effects of smoking are widely known, research has shown some of the positive effects of smoking as well. Smokers admit that smoking causes soothing, relaxes the mind and helps deal with depression.Scientific studies show that smoking improves concentration and helps to focus. Smokers have proven to have better responsiveness and sharper memory than non-smokers. â€Å"After 40 years  of scientific research on the effects of nicotine, researchers now say that they have sound scientific proof that smoking and nicotine have a significant positive effect on human brain performance†(â€Å"Science is conclusive: tobacco increases work capacity†). Nicotine also is said to enhance new blood vessel development and decrease chances of Parkinson’s disease.Furthermore, nicotine boosts up creativity and innovation. Many famous celebrities, artists, musicians have committed to smoking in the pea k time of their careers. Tobacco which is a major component of cigarettes is also widely used in many other addictive substances, like water pipe tobacco and snuff. The main purpose of making the production of cigarettes illegal is to stop the rising number of deaths occurring each year because of smoking, but if many other alternatives which provide the same level of addiction are available the purpose of the ban is likely to fail.Keeping in mind the pros and cons of making the sale and production of cigarettes illegal, banning smoking will cause more serious and long lasting problems than it will solve. The income generated by this sector of the economy will fall down immensely. Black markets operating in the country will start selling them as smoking is an addiction and is not a habit which can easily be quit. Smoking is often associated with suicide, while it is true smokers die earlier than non-smokers; the final decision depends on the smoker’s discretion.As far as the health and environment issues of smoking are concerned, they are upon the smokers own will and can be stopped if people start caring about their lives and their loved ones. An issue as serious as this one needs to be inspected properly if any decision has to be taken. If the ban on cigarette production is not implemented properly, it will lead to a huge fall in the employment level. If smokers dying every day is such an important concern, what about those people who will lose their jobs permanently? How will they feed their families?In poorer countries no other jobs are available for them and hundreds of families may lose their source of income. The taxes generated by the government will be cut off and much of the development in countries will die down. The true cure lies in making people more aware through advertisements and warning labels which is already been done by many countries all over the world. Because in the end the choice mainly lies in the hand of the smoker, what he or she thinks is more important: his or her own life or the pleasures of smoking. Words: 1310. Works Cited â€Å"? 16. 7 Billion Loss in Smoking Tax Revenues. Freedom 2 Choose. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Khan, Javaid. â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan. †Ã‚  Editorial. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Science Is Conclusive: Tobacco Increases Work Capacity. † International Liberty News Network. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Should Smoking Be Banned? † Debate. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Smoking Thrills but Kills. † Pakistan Today. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Persuasive Essay Keep Cigarette Sale and Production legal: Save the Economy Cigarette smoking dates back to the 9th century; when cigarettes were first invented in Central America, and has become a popular habit since then. Smoking is prevalent all over the world, and it has been estimated that the number of smokers will continue to rise despite the various campaigns taken against it. It is a widely accepted fact that smoking causes many health problems and thousands of people die each year, but should smoking be made illegal?Although smoking is hazardous to health and the environment, but making it illegal is a serious implementation which if not enforced successfully, will lead to huge losses for a particular economy. Should smoking be made illegal, the sale and production of cigarettes will drastically go down as will the number of smokers dying from lung cancer and other smoking related diseases, but prohibiting it by law is too extreme. All over the world, especially in poorer underdeveloped cou ntries a huge number of people are employed by cigarette making companies. If the production of cigarettes is banned, a lot of people will lose jobs.The probability of all of these people getting employed again is low; as most of them are not educated enough to meet the minimum requirement for other jobs and are the sole sources of income for their families. The main reason governments all over the world have not banned cigarette production is the huge amounts of revenue and taxes generated from its sale. These taxes are used to build many important institutions like public schools and hospitals. While it is true there are many more sources of income for the government, in present age we cannot deny the part tobacco companies play in increasing our GDP (Gross Domestic Product). In the year 2000 tax revenue from cigarettes totaled Pak Rs. 19. 8 billion, representing approximately 25% of all excise revenue generated in the country for that year†. (â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan, 1†). Apart from tobacco farmers and nicotine suppliers, cigarette production provides income for advertising firms, whitening products and mouth fresheners companies. One of the biggest side effects of making cigarette production illegal is the rise of the black markets. Black markets are underground trading places where goods banned by the government are bought and sold.They may also involve trading across borders. It is very likely they start operating in economies where selling cigarettes is banned. Ireland, East Bourne, and Paraguay have some of the highest illicit cigarette trading. The government in UK took strong measures to cut down cigarette production resulting in cigarettes being illegally sold across borders. â€Å"The UK Government has lost at least ? 16. 7 billion tax revenue from the black market sale of cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco over a 5 year period, according to its own statistics†(â€Å"? 16. 7 billion loss in smoki ng tax revenues† ).Though the cigarette companies play an important role in maintaining the economy, the harmful effects of smoking cannot be overlooked. In the recent years, smoking has been known to be the cause of oral cancer, lung cancer, and heart diseases and many more problems, most of which have proved to be fatal. Nicotine used in cigarettes causes brain damage and even abnormalities in child birth. Smokers have bad breath, yellow teeth; burned fingers and are looked upon with disgust. The estimated number of deaths each year by cigarette smoking is 445,000 in the United States.By 2030, this number is expected to rise even more, especially in developing countries where smoking is constantly on the rise. In trying to tackle this problem, governments in almost 30 countries across the world including Pakistan, have made it mandatory to issue warning messages on the cigarette packets by law orders. Even the advertising companies are required to show health concern message s at the end of the advertisement. This means that people buying cigarettes are fully aware of the health risks involved but they still continue to do so.Smoking in a voluntary habit, it is a choice. The solution to this problem lies in educating people about how valuable a human life is and not banning smoking. Cigarettes are an environmental hazard. Cigarette fires are a major threat of smoking, caused mainly by the carelessness of the smoker. While it is true it is a serious problem, it can be prevented by taking a few simple measures. Fire-safe cigarettes are a lot less likely to catch on fire when left unattended and by taking this simple precaution many of these fires can be avoided.Furthermore cigarettes are not biodegradable. It can take a lot of years for them to decompose. This problem can be tackled by improving the recycling and disposable systems of the country. These problems are not so difficult to deal with if just some simple safety measures are taken while making t hem completely illegal will have much more disastrous effects. While the harmful effects of smoking are widely known, research has shown some of the positive effects of smoking as well. Smokers admit that smoking causes soothing, relaxes the mind and helps deal with depression.Scientific studies show that smoking improves concentration and helps to focus. Smokers have proven to have better responsiveness and sharper memory than non-smokers. â€Å"After 40 years  of scientific research on the effects of nicotine, researchers now say that they have sound scientific proof that smoking and nicotine have a significant positive effect on human brain performance†(â€Å"Science is conclusive: tobacco increases work capacity†). Nicotine also is said to enhance new blood vessel development and decrease chances of Parkinson’s disease.Furthermore, nicotine boosts up creativity and innovation. Many famous celebrities, artists, musicians have committed to smoking in the pea k time of their careers. Tobacco which is a major component of cigarettes is also widely used in many other addictive substances, like water pipe tobacco and snuff. The main purpose of making the production of cigarettes illegal is to stop the rising number of deaths occurring each year because of smoking, but if many other alternatives which provide the same level of addiction are available the purpose of the ban is likely to fail.Keeping in mind the pros and cons of making the sale and production of cigarettes illegal, banning smoking will cause more serious and long lasting problems than it will solve. The income generated by this sector of the economy will fall down immensely. Black markets operating in the country will start selling them as smoking is an addiction and is not a habit which can easily be quit. Smoking is often associated with suicide, while it is true smokers die earlier than non-smokers; the final decision depends on the smoker’s discretion.As far as the health and environment issues of smoking are concerned, they are upon the smokers own will and can be stopped if people start caring about their lives and their loved ones. An issue as serious as this one needs to be inspected properly if any decision has to be taken. If the ban on cigarette production is not implemented properly, it will lead to a huge fall in the employment level. If smokers dying every day is such an important concern, what about those people who will lose their jobs permanently? How will they feed their families?In poorer countries no other jobs are available for them and hundreds of families may lose their source of income. The taxes generated by the government will be cut off and much of the development in countries will die down. The true cure lies in making people more aware through advertisements and warning labels which is already been done by many countries all over the world. Because in the end the choice mainly lies in the hand of the smoker, what he or she thinks is more important: his or her own life or the pleasures of smoking. Words: 1310. Works Cited â€Å"? 16. 7 Billion Loss in Smoking Tax Revenues. Freedom 2 Choose. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Khan, Javaid. â€Å"Tobacco Control: Current Challenges for Pakistan. †Ã‚  Editorial. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . Science Is Conclusive: Tobacco Increases Work Capacity. † International Liberty News Network. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Should Smoking Be Banned? † Debate. org. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. . â€Å"Smoking Thrills but Kills. † Pakistan Today. N. p. , n. d. Web. 9 Mar. 2013. .

The Heir of the Ancient Celtic Artistic Tradition Essays

The Heir of the Ancient Celtic Artistic Tradition Essays The Heir of the Ancient Celtic Artistic Tradition Essay The Heir of the Ancient Celtic Artistic Tradition Essay Celtic art is a complex, unique and beautiful style. Through its history it has undergone many changes and yet remained a distinct and identifiable style. Celtic art underwent a number of changes like the adoption of a number of Roman motifs, which continued to be used during the Christian era, during the Roman occupation of the Celtic heartland. Celtic art was also greatly influenced by foreign artistic styles, including Germanic and Mediterranean art, and underwent a rapid shift, from symbolic to realistic, during the Celtic conversion to Christianity. This essay will argue that the illuminated manuscripts of the 8th-9th centuries CE are the heirs of ancient, pagan Celtic style; that despite all the changes and foreign influence that Celtic art experienced that the genius, ingenuity and resilience of the Celtic artists and his artistic traditions allowed Celtic art to remain a distinct identifiable style. Early Celtic is full of complex and beautiful abstract patterns and aimed to situate itself between the two extremes of realism and abstraction1. The La Tene style of the last four hundred years BCE is described by Ramsey MacMullen as showing a fondness for abstraction [ through] the reduction of faces to triangles or in the rendering of hair in straight lines [ ] or in the reduction of the joints of an animals legs to mere circles. The La Tene style also utilized a more fluid type of abstractism illustrated by the wild patterns of whorls, spirals and volutes2. One of the best examples of the La Tene style is the Petrie Crown. It shows almost no foreign influence3. Early Celtic art also had a tendency to reduce three dimensions to two; it had a tendency to flatness, to decorate line. Motifs were designed to fill space, not to narrate4. But, the fact that some motifs are repeated throughout Celtic art fosters the belief that there was a meaning behind the some of the images. Those repeated symbols could have had a communicative property. According to D. W. Harding Celtic art [would have ] conveyed a meaning, overtly or subconsciously, to those who were aware of its significance5. Until it was engulfed by Rome, the heartland of Celtic art was in the Souths of them include paterae or skillets. Some of these skillets are decorated with the names of Roman outposts and/ or designs thought to be of representative Hadrians Wall9. During the occupation of Rome Celtic artists also attempted to imitate classical forms. The Celts were largely unaware of the meanings behind the images they copied and most attempts resulted in a very unrefined rendering. This was due, according to Ian Finlay, because the poetic abstraction of early Celtic art was unable to co-exist with classical realism10. As Roman pressure increased in the South, a number of peoples moved North into Wales, Scotland and Ireland. There, they were able to preserve their artistic traditions; because only where the legions did not penetrate did the [Celtic] style survive in sufficient strength to continue developing11. This is especially true of Ireland. There the basis of the next evolution in Celtic art developed. In Ireland, Celtic artists continued working in a[n artistic] tradition long forgotten on the continent12. The dominance of Rome in Celtic lands was not absolute. With the Celts Rome encountered a resistance never met within [the other] countries that had known Romes military domination13. This sentiment is echoed by Judith Mederos. She states that the Celts had a stubborn capacity to outlast [ ] alien conquers and still emerge as a victorious and imaginative people14. While the culture brought by the Romans probably never greatly influenced more than the ruling and official classes15 it did have a profound impact on the art of the early Medieval Celts16.

The Glass Menagerie Discuss the symbolism used in Scene Five Essays

The Glass Menagerie Discuss the symbolism used in Scene Five Essays The Glass Menagerie Discuss the symbolism used in Scene Five Paper The Glass Menagerie Discuss the symbolism used in Scene Five Paper Essay Topic: Literature The Glass Menagerie Before I look into the symbolism used in scene five of the Glass Menagerie I have to look at the actual name of the play The Glass Menagerie. Tennessee Williams has used this choice of title to show how delicate and fragile Laura is in this play. She cares for these glass animals and polishes them with great care, protecting them from dangers that dont necessarily exist in the Wingfield household. This is also how Lauras mother Amanda acts towards her only daughter who is terribly shy, withdrawn from the outside world and also crippled which Amanda chooses to ignore. Williams set this play in a poor quarter of St Louis in the 1930s, a time of great change in more ways than on. In Spain Guernica was bombed by the Germans in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War, this created a lot of unrest between governments of the world. There was a lot of uncertainty about everyones future. Also the 2nd World War was immanent and in everyones minds. Tennessee Williams use of names to symbolise certain things is done in an interesting and clever way. The Wingfields apartment block is opposite the Paradise Dance Hall; the use of the word paradise triggers of lots of thoughts in my mind, one of these is the biblical reference to the Garden of Eden. God created a perfect place for Adam and Eve to live but Eve persuaded Adam to take liberties and were banished from their perfect world. The people attending the dance hall have no cares in the world; this is far from reality as I stated before. There is a loss of innocence about to take hold of the innocent American nation that no one can expect or plan for. This Symbolism also shows how Amanda feels, her optimism about finding her young inexperienced daughter a husband to care for both Amanda and Laura. Since Amanda doesnt accept the reality of her situation its like she is living in a fools paradise. She ignores the fact that her daughter doesnt have the correct social skills to entertain gentlemen callers, as she is very reclusive and terrified of the opposite sex and also that Laura is crippled, Amanda must realise the more she ignores the fact it wont just disappear. Tom tries to point this out to Amanda and she doesnt want to accept the truth. As she had lots of gentlemen callers in her youth she keeps reminiscing about her days as a beautiful and well sought after southern belle. This behaviour although she doesnt realise is damaging her already very fragile and frail daughters outlook on life. The use of music in this scene has a large impact onto what the audience feels, as the stage is not laden down with props the music sets the scene and also makes the audience aware of the characters feelings at that moment in the play. The titles of the songs are very symbolic and emulate the characters actions. When the dance music All the world is waiting for the sunrise! is played it is done so when Amanda is gazing at the picture on the wall of her estranged husband, who ran away to Mexico. He only sent the family a postcard, this was no use as all it contained was hello, goodbye. Amanda often just daydreams about the past it is almost as if she would rather be living in the past than actually in the present day full of uncertainty and worry. The choice of music is very well selected as when the directions for the music change the dance-hall music changes to a tango that has a minor and somewhat ominous tone This represents what is to come in the next chapter, the arrival of the gentleman caller, Jim. He doesnt know what is in store for him, and that he was invited under false pretences by Tom. This change in music also symbolises the change in mood of the whole American population with the uncertainty about the war and life in general. Most people would visit these dance halls as a way of escaping, just as Tom escapes to the movies every night to escape the harsh reality of his life. When Williams was actually writing this play he already knew about the war and the trouble in Spain so keeps including these different types of music to make the audience actually think about the time that the play was set. Tom was just keeping his side of the bargain with his mother though, as soon as he brought back a gentleman caller for Laura, who was working and could provide for his mother and sister he could leave and follow his dreams of becoming a writer. Tom was going to invite anyone round as long as it meant he could leave his boring mundane life just working to keep his family and not actually enjoying the quality of life. At the end of scene five a single violin rises and the stage dims out, this suggests the optimism of both Amanda and of Laura regarding Jim the gentleman caller. This could on the other hand symbolise something totally different and relating back to the ominous tango could symbolise the devastation that the people, the country and economy would suffer in the coming years. This play makes clever use of legends on the screen. At the back of the stage these words have real meanings, which the audience can relate to the play. The beginning of this scene opens with a legend on screen reading Annunciation this is relating back to the bible when the Angel Gabriel told Mary that she was pregnant. This is like Tom telling Amanda that they will be expecting a gentleman caller, it is something that Amanda has always wanted for her daughter. It manifests the imminence of the gentleman caller. The use of the portrait hanging in the dining room of Tom and Lauras father is a constant reminder of his disappearance. It is also a reminder to Tom of what his aims are, to leave the family, and hopefully never come back. To Amanda the picture is a constant reminder of her failed marriage and almost makes her even more insistent on finding the correct husband for Laura, which Laura does not appreciate at all. She would prefer just to sit at home fussing over her delicate glass menagerie. Their fathers portrait represents the reality of life, there isnt always a happy ending and make Amanda even more worried that Tom will leave in search of bigger and better things. As he always goes to the movies he will have seen how the other half live and want those things for himself and the only way he thinks he will ever get them is if he leaves his mother and sister. The set itself symbolises a lot of different things for instance, the only way into the Wingfields apartment is through the fire escape. Amanda has romantic fantasies and imagines this rusty old fire escape being a Mississippi veranda with a swing chair on it, which is so far from the truth it is ridiculous, which emphasises Amandas resilience to facing the truth in the here and now. For Tom, the fire escape symbolises his desire to leave the apartment and make his way on his own doing what he wants to do and not complying to what his demanding mother wants him to do. He also uses this fire escape every night to escape from the harsh reality of life by going to the movies that seem to be his sanctuary. The symbolism in this memory play exists on many levels not only is it in the dialogue but the visual as in the fire escape, the legends and the music. As Tom is looking back onto his life some aspects are fairly vague but all of the different props and dialogue used help create a more vivid picture of the Wingfield household in the audiences eyes.