E Banking Is Branch Of E Commerce Information Technology Essay

E Banking Is Branch Of E Commerce Information Technology Essay E-Banking is a branch of E-Commerce that deals with the implementation of Information and Communication Technology in Business Financial Management. E-banking has come a very long way with millions spent on preparation of technological change just to make banking services accessible to their customers from anywhere, at anytime by just a click of the mouse. E-commerce offers a level playing ground for large businesses, as well as small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs) to operate in the global market-place; and for regional businesses and communities to participate in social, economic and cultural networks seamlessly across international boundaries (Mary-Anne, 1998) E-banking is a remote delivery channel for banking services ranging from opening an account, transferring funds to more complex form of online transactions like financial product sale, like insurance and brokerage to bill payments and direct debits. Making payments for goods and services in cash or non-cash forms as well as depositing money in financial institutions and managing these resources are an inherent constituent of economic life. Banks serve as important intermediates. In recent years, with the development of technologies and techniques, options for communication with banks are expanding for clients. New services are originating such as home banking, phone banking, internet banking and others. Electronic communication means are particularly coming to the forefront. These are more convenient, faster, and often cheaper for clients. Banking experience shows it is suitable to use combinations of several communication means, depending on individual segments, clients, and types of operations, products and situations. Electronic banking is a service that specifically uses electronic communication forms. Table of Content Introduction Definition E-banking Components Forms of E-banking Automated Teller Machine E-cheque Internet Banking Mail Banking SMS Banking Types of Internet Websites Informational Websites Transactional Websites Benefits of E-Banking Merits to the Customers Merits to the Banking Organisation Merits to the General Economy Global vectors of E-banking E-banking Strategies E-Banking Transactions E-banking Scenario Trends in E-banking Traditional Banking VS Online Banking Merits and Demerits of Online Banking Merits and Demerits of Traditional Banking Problems with Computerization E-Banking in Nigeria: A Case Study Concerns of E-banking In Nigeria Adoption of E-banking In Nigeria Research Design Proposed Model Efforts of the Nigerian Government and the Regulatory Authorities. Conclusion References DEFINATION E-banking can be defined as an electronically automated delivery of modified banking product and services via the use of the internet, World Wide Web, technological devices and interactive communicational channels. E-banking consists of systems that enable financial firm customers, individual and businesses, to transact business; access accounts possess financial product services and information through the internet and the web as a whole. E-Banking can also be referred to as Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT) which simply implies the transfer or funds from one account to another. Electronic banking focuses on the use of ICT to enable the external activities and financial relationships of group of individuals and inter-organisational affairs easy. E-Banking enables financial and non-financial organisations link their internal and external finance system more efficiently, flexibly and effectively, to work closely and build more sustainable relation with suppliers, customers and partners as well as satisfy their expectations. Banking customers gain access to e-banking product and services with the aid of an intelligent technological device ranging from Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Touch Tone Telephone, Smartphone, pocket surfer, Automated teller machine (ATM) to the mostly used personal Computer (PC). There are various use of E-Banking, this includes: Payment checks: checking if a payment is deposited in an account. Fund Withdrawal from account with the use of an ATM machine which requires a mode of authorisation for security reasons. Setting up Direct debit/automatic payment setup for paying a company or a person. Account monitoring: 24/7 monitoring of what goes on in your account. Use your computer and personal finance software to coordinate your total personal financial management process, integrating data and activities related to your income, spending, saving, investing, recordkeeping, bill-paying and taxes, along with basic financial analysis and decision making E-BANKING COMPONENTS The Electronic banking system can remarkably vary in their configuration pending on several factors. Financial institutions should carefully select and choose their electronic banking system configuration without excluding their outsourcing relationships based of four distinctive factors namely: The strategic aim for electronic banking Technological know-how The system complexity, scale and scope, equipments and activities; and The internal control and security requirements. The support of internal electronic banking services may be selected optionally by financial organisation but alternatively, organisations may outsource any aspect of their electronic banking systems to third parties. Firms that could host electronic banking-related services for financial organisations are: ISP (internet Service providers) A managed security service provider An internet banking software processor and a core banking vendor Other financial institution Credit sorting firm and a credit bureau A bill payment service provider These elements work together in harmony to deliver a great achievement in electronic banking services and each element representing a considerable point of control. Through a combination of both internal and external solutions, management has various options when shaping the overall system formation for the various elements of an e-banking system. Nevertheless, putting simplicity into consideration, one or more technology service provider can host the e-banking application and various network components. The organisations ISP hosts the organisations internet banking server, firewall, website and all necessary security detection system. There are some processes e-banking rely on in order to work as expected and some, if not all of the processes can be seen in operation anytime e-banking is in services and operation where each element represent a considerable control point. Some of these processes seen in a typical e-banking system include: Internal network server A core processing system Security management Network Administration Website design and hosting Firewall configuration and management E-business application (e.g. lending, bill/goods payment) FORMS OF E-BANKING: Automated Teller Machine (ATM) A stand-alone electronic machine in an open area for public use which is connected to a data system and components and then operated by a financial organisations customer to withdraw cash and other account balance and services via a very secure mode of communication. Most ATMs in the UK allow interbank use sometimes for free or charged a a fixed amount and the machines offers cash withdrawal, balance enquiry with printed receipt, money transfer between accounts, mobile top-up as well as fund deposit either in cash or cheques. Every customer belonging to a banking organisation is issued a plastic smartcard which has a chip on it and the chip contains the customers account details and a PIN (personal Identification Number) is issued with the smartcard as a mode of security for the user to access the account. The PIN gives the user authorisation into the account but the PIN has to be matched with that in the record of the card before access is granted and if upon three unsuccessful trials, the account is locked and has to be reactivated but the authority of the banking organisation. E-Cheque As the name suggests, its an electronic cheque. Basically, its the electronic version of a paper cheque which possesses the information and framework as its counterpart and functions exactly as the paper cheque works. Internet Banking This enables account users handle various banking activities via the use of the internet on their personal computer. These activities ranges from 24/7 account monitoring, balance checks, funds transfer and paying bills. To gain access to internet banking, the user must have to sign-up for this feature and in return, the banking organisation issues the customer some authorisation and security measures only to be known to the account user. This includes: An account number A password A security question (as an account confirmation if account number and password matches) A security answer. Mail Banking This enables the possibility for customer to communicate with their banks by electronic mail and the most used of this service is sending bank statements to account holders at an agreed period to the clients mailbox. SMS Banking (short message service banking) This feature allows customers to request for information either from their banks department or for their account balance information with the aid of a text message sent from the clients mobile phone which as well, can be used as both passive and active operation similar to the classic telephone baking. Information sent on request is mostly about current interest rate or exchange rate sent by the bank and this feature is convenient by the bank due to its simplicity and less-protection involved but a password is used. TYPES OF INTERNET WEBSITES Before the web as a whole was opened to members of the public, research and educational organisations and government agencies were able to view and gain available information to each other by the use of text-only websites but since the embrace of the World Wide Web, there has been more website than ever. There are various types of websites namely: Personal websites Community Building website Informational Website Online Business Brochure Blogs Photo Sharing Websites Transactional websites But in this course, two primary types of financial websites will be viewed: informational website and transactional website. INFORMATIONAL WEBSITES As the name suggests informational from information provides numerous customers access to information about a financial organisation products and services. These websites are unique because it allows visitors contribution to readymade articles and journals for editing information to be shared or sold. A business could setup a website to list product, specification, instructions and review about a certain item. This will serve as a lead for people to discover assistant and essence and this site can be linked to an e-business site for better customer experience and even expose the usefulness of your sites existence. An example of informational websites includes google.com and Wikipedia.org, the online encyclopaedia. There are certain risk issues that has to be examined and reviewed due to the nature of information stored and retrieved in informational websites which include: There is a potential access to private and confidential financial/customer information if the website isnt isolated from the financial organisations internal network. There is a huge risk in spreading virus and other malicious programming code to computers communicating with the organisations website Potential customer violations and liability for wrong and insufficient information about products and services and price listing presented on the website; and A negative public view if the organisations on-line website services are defaced. TRANSACTIONAL WEBSITES These website provide customers with the ability to process transactions through a financial organisations website by initiating banking transactions or buying products and services. Banking transactions can range from basic retail account balance inquiry to a large intra-business funds transfer. E-banking services can be classified based on the type of customer and services they support. Common e-banking retail and wholesale services mostly offered by financial institutions are listed in the table below. Retail Services Wholesale Services Account Management Account Management Bill payment and Presentment Cash management New account opening Small business loan applications, approvals, or advances Customer Wire transfer Investment/Brokerage Services Commercial wire transfers Loan application and approval Business-to-business payments Account aggregation Employee benefits/pension administration Common E-Banking services Due to the nature of transactional websites which enables the electronic exchange and transfer of sensitive customer information and funds transfer, these website expose the services of financial organisations to higher risk than any other type of website. Wholesale e-banking systems typically expose financial organisations to the highest level of risk during each transaction, since commercial transactions usually involve larger currency amounts. The following issues should be considered when reviewing transactional e-banking services: Liability for unauthorized transactions; Verification of both new and existing customers accessing e-banking services with the process of authentication; Law violations, customer privacy, anti-terrorism, anti-money laundering; Security control for safeguarding customer information; Fraud loss due to disproval of individuals identity or business applying for new accounts; and Customer dissatisfaction, negative public view and potential liability resulting from failure to process third-party payments as directed or unauthorized access to confidential customer information during storage. BENEFITS OF E-BANKING Since the introduction of e-banking, there has been a rapid spread in its daily use either to the financial organisation or for the customers all around the globe. All financial organisations are making greater use of the facilities provided by e-banking to better the services and to have an edge in the competitive market. The following points summarize the merits of e-banking. Merits to customers: Customers generally, have been distinctively affected in a positive way by E-banking. Ordinary tasks have now been replaced automatically which results in comfort and stress free. The merits include: With the use of ATMs, customers have access to their account to withdraw funds at any time of the day at any ATM cash point throughout the country. Transactions can be done at any time of the day, seven days a week by just a mouse click away. Increase in the usage of smartcards in different format which is widely used across the globe i.e. credit cards and debit cards. Online banking made easy to customers with an online account. Services available in a banks local branch can all be accessed in the banks website. The customer hardly needs to visit the local bank branch only if necessary due to the flexibility provided by the online service. Attractive interest rates and many incentives given out when accounts are opened online. Consolidated portfolio Interface for customers managing their debit, credit, mortgages and other financial assets. Merits to banking organisation When the use of ICT is been incorporated into any business, there are advantages engraved in it due to the growth of E-banking infrastructure and these are sighted below: The wide reach and delivery capabilities of computer network such as the internet are better off than any other branch network. Enormous paper work in the banking sector has been reduced due to the implementation of e-banking. Financial organisation has become highly competitive amongst each other as a result of increase in e-banking. E-banking has helped the banks in controlling their overheads and operating cost. Huge data warehouse for documentation, storage and retrieval of records, transactions and customer details has been sorted out by e-banking. Banks save money in the long run by not paying for tellers or managing branches. Efficiency and customer satisfaction is improved. Huge customer attraction due to online services offered (see image below). e-bill effect.png Source: Aspen Analytics, The E-Bill Effect: The Impact on Customer Attrition from Banks that Offer E-Bill, Nov. 2007 Merits to the general economy: The invention of the internet and the World Wide Web has triggered an electronic/automatic revolution in the financial banking sector with its flexibility and dynamic nature aided in balancing numerous services of banking activities. The adoption and delivery of electronic banking products and services is existing partly as a product of customer demand and because of the rise in competition within the banking sector but many few banks have succeeded in deploying effective strategies for fully utilize the services of the internet. GLOBAL VECTORS OF E-BANKING E-banking has widely serviced both the members of the public as well as the financial organisation which created a creation of a better enabling society that supports growth and development, productivity and prosperity. Setting aside its benefits in form of cost reduction, delivery time saving, high efficiency, waste reduction, electronically controlled e-banking and thoroughly environment monitoring discourage many illegal and illegimate conducts associated with banking industry like frauds, money laundering and embezzlements. Customer database been closely monitored by e-banking. E-banking has also helped in documentation of the economic activity of the masses. Global E-banking organisation is covered by four primary sections namely: E-banking Strategies: key strategies that all banks must utilise to achieve peak value through the electronic channel. E-banking Transactions: this sector deals with cross border transactions, mobile payment, B2B transactions and E-billing system. E-banking Scenario: the state, prospects and issues relating to e-banking and the impact of e-banking on the banking organisation structure. Trends in E-banking: this section focuses on the creation of new technologies in banks. E-BANKING STRATEGIES A study revealed that less than 15 percent of banks with transactional website will reap profits directly as a result to those sites. Therefore, financial organisation must acknowledge the seriousness of the challenge ahead and come up with a strategy that will enable leverage chances presented by the World Wide Web. E-banking relies on the development of new business strategies based on networks. The world has become increasingly inter-connected through telecommunication networks and computers. These offer fast, flexible, and cost-effective ways of doing business. There is no set appropriate strategy in E-banking that is suitable for every banking industry but whether they embark on a defensive or an offensive strategy, they still have to be up to date with the business trends and technological evolution of the Web space although, not every business has been e-business understood. Like Wells Fargo, early electronic businesses espouse, who firstly- not only entered the electronic banking sector but showed flexibility to change as the market expands. The level of e-banking should be well considered by the financial organisation that will provide numerous customer segments based on their needs and risk management assessment. An approved strategic e-banking broad should be consulted before reaching an agreement or final decision should be made with considerations to the customer demands, expertise, expense implementation, maintenance cost, competition and capital support. Financial organisations often consider the most appropriate mode of overall business strategy in terms of publishing its products and services on informational websites or transactional websites which can sometimes used to determine organisational success and to ensure the delivery of those product and services; the financial organisation may possess multiple pages within a website for different business functions. E-banking is a remote delivery channel for banking services ranging from opening an account, transferring funds to more complex form of online transactions like financial product sale, like insurance and brokerage to bill payments and direct debits. Although internet banking is still the most influential and most widely used, a new challenge has emerged in the form of mobile banking which is an additional opportunity for banks to offer basic urgent request for their new and existing customers. Mobile banking allows financial organisations extend their customer relationship and personalized information with the use of new technologies to their valued customers. E-BANKING TRANSACTIONS With the increasing cost of banking transactions, providing numerous customers with cost effective services; huge volume of e-banking transactions are been processed everyday and this is becoming increasingly popular as the number and value of e-banking transactions in the country have shown a rather impressive growth in years. This is achieved with the aid of new technologies which transformed traditional banking transactions. The traditional means of banking involves physically going to the bank to execute all banking operations from the simplest to the complex transactions which the banks had to employ several staffs to attend to the customers enquiries. Electronic Fund Transfers got introduced and this minimised the average customer waiting times by allowing customers to carry out banking transactions on their own and at anytime. There are several practical services offered by Electronic fund Transfers and this includes: The use of Automated Teller Machines otherwise known as ATM or 24-hour tellers are electronic terminals that allows banking almost at anytime of the day. These machines enable bank customers to make deposits, withdraw cash, or transfer funds between accounts. To use this service, account holders make use of a plastic card with chip and a PIN (Personal identification Number) to access the account and carry out necessary actions in the account. Unauthorized users are declined and the card can be block to avoid fraud. Some ATMs are free and some charge a little access fee. E-check conversion converts a paper check into an e-payment in a store or when a firm receives check in the mail. Using the e-check in stores, the cashier runs the e-check through an electronic system that captures the banking details and amount details on the check and stores the record. Thereafter, a receipt is issued as a confirmation of acceptance for the customers record. The e-check functions exactly as the paper check and all terms and conditions are applied equally. Direct Debit Transactions allows payment to be made with a bank debit card in the name of the account holder which also can be your ATM card. Payments for purchases can be used in business stores, shopping outlets, online and over the phone. The process is fast and easy to transfer funds and make payments provided the amount in the account covers all purchase necessary. It should be encouraged to read through the cards terms of use and conditions of the banking organisation. Direct deposit enable authorization of specific deposits such as Social Security checks, pay checks to your account on a regular basis. Pre-authorize withdrawals may also be set up so as to pay recurring bills such as insurance premium, mortgages and utility bills, paid automatically. Phone banking allows instant contact with the bank society to authorize certain payment, transfers, account balance request and transactional acknowledgements to be sent to the account holder over the phone. Agreement has to be made with the banking organisations to use this feature and is sometimes charged at a stated fee. ebanking_chart_howmake.jpg Bank account information is very sensitive and hence, special care should be taken into consideration when giving out details of debit card or credit card either on the internet or over the phone. Financial organisations should be contacted about any protections offered for these transactional cards. E-BANKING SCENARIO E-banking is mostly used in the financial sectors across the globe and it tends to be the lead master in E-business but studies revealed that e-banking still has a lot to offer. E-banking is adopted mostly in developed nations as a mode of working ethics through the availability of the internet as an online bank branch while the developing nations make use of the internet as information dissemination. E-banking started in the early 1980s in New York, US. According to Banking and Finance on the Internet, which was edited by Mary J. Cronin, distinctive banks offered home banking services to individuals and small-businesses to maintain e-check book registers, check account balances and fund transfers between accounts. Although e-banking was introduced in the mid-1970s so as to reduce back-office check-processing costs, the banks which embarked on the system failed to attract enough customers to break even and were deserted in 1989. In 2001, over 50 percent of the banks were offering E-banking services in the US but however, small banking organisations had no competitive merit over huge banks in terms of services rendered although internet business strategies was been implemented. In the 1990s, large banks awaken to the vast popularity and opportunities of the internet to advertise their products and services heavily. According to a research carried out by Online Banking Report, at the end of 1999, less than 0.4 percent of households in the U.S. were using online banking. Later in early 2004, some 33 million U.S. households (equivalent to 31% of the market) were using a form of e-banking or another and five years after, according to Gartner Group Survey, 47 percent of the Americans bank online. The FDIC statistics published revealed that only 40 percent of US banks offer e-banking facilities worth mentioning. The others may possess an online presence but dont have website transactions to prove their existence on the internet. Hence, the internet was used as a brochure without physical interaction to the customers. This offered entry and expansion opportunities that small banks traditionally lack. E-banking arrived in the UK almost simultaneously with the US. It was introduces by the Nottingham Building Society in 1983 which introduced UKs first home banking service via a computerised information service owned by British telecom. Approximately 60 percent of the UK financial industry was centralised in e-business in early 2001 and with the anticipated 10-fold surge of the e-business market in 2005 in UK, the share of the financial services will further increase. Some bank customers turn to internet banking due to dismay with normal procedures, policies and practices. The total cut of human intervention tends to appeal to some people and some people switch to internet banking for security reasons and convenience. This arises because of the assurance banks give to safe guard transactions and better security. The internet is accelerating hard to reset the banking organisation into three divisions namely: production, distribution and advice. This is due to the combined effect of internet drive: New technological equipments to reduce transactional cost and physical bank relationship The adoption of new and more focused business models High degree of uncertainty posed by new entrants on business models. ebanking.jpg E-banking in Europe as well as the rest of the world is still at the evolutionary stage, its obvious that a huge impact is been felt on the traditional way of banking. Large banks in parts of the developed world will surely have a competitive advantage over small banks due to the competence to implement new technologies but are still not prepared. Hence, medium-sized and small banks have a significant role on the electronic banking front end if strict measures can be implemented rapidly and effectively. TRENDS IN E-BANKING The trends in e-baking varies from time to time although e-banking is gaining huge ground from banks operating through websites enabling customers not only to request account checks, interest rates but also to explore a whole wide range of transactional product and services. Internet banking data seems to be scarce and definitional differences make comparison difficult in cross-countries. Internet banking has gained muck popularity in Korea, Spain, Austria, and Switzerland, where all banks offers up to 75 percent on internet services. ebanking_chart_onlineusage.jpg According to a research carried out by yStats.com, a research company founded in 2005 for the research of objective, demand-based and up-to-date data on markets and competitors for top managers, made key findings on the global use of online payments. The Quantitative information on different payment methods used in B2C E-Commerce markets worldwide quotes: In the US, Credit Card (67%) was the preferred payment method for holiday online shopping in 2009, followed by Debit Card (36%). While German men use credit cards for more than 40% of online purchases, women continue to use the traditional direct debit method. Sella (31%) was Italys preferred online payment company in 2009, followed by Cartasi (19%) and PayPal (15%). Furthermore, iDeal was the most accepted payment method in the Netherlands in 2009, with 89% of merchants accepting it. Money Transfer (43%) was the preferred payment method of B2C E-Commerce consumers in China in 2009. TRADITIONAL BANKING VS ONLINE BANKING There are several differences between traditional banking and online banking although some people are still sceptical about the safety of sensitive information when using online banking so therefore, they stick with their old way of banking. The distinctive feature between both is that one is physical and the other is virtual but they both offer the same products and services. The major difference lies in the convenience opportune by online banking specifically when it deals to making payments, obtaining

The One and Future King :: Once and Future King Essays

The One and Future King In The One and Future King by T.H. White the main character, Arthur, learns many important lessons. He is taught many of these lessons by animals. For instance, he learns that "might is right" (White 47) from a fish (which turns out to be false), that ants live dictated lives devoted to war (121), that owls only kill another animal if they are starving (69), and a badger teaches him the story of man's creation (168). One of the most important lessons Arthur learns is from a goose, who tells him of a perfect society. When Merlyn turns Wart (Arthur's nickname) into a goose, another goose named Lyok Lyok teaches him about the lives of geese. Wart migrates with the geese and talks to them. He finds out that geese are very peaceful animals; they do not fight with each other, they share any food that they acquire, and each bird only has one nest (172). This greatly affects Wart because it is so different from humans. He still thinks that he likes war, but then begins to notice how many bad effects war has. Wart starts to question his initial gut-feeling that war is right and necessary. This also allows Arthur to have a more open mind towards other animals' lifestyles. This lesson is also important to me, the reader, because it makes me feel that war is not necessary. If other animals have the ability to live peacefully, so should humans. It enforces the idea that people should be kind to one another. It also opens the eyes of readers by letting them get to know the lifestyle habits of other animals and causing them to be accepting.

The Three Most Important Things I Learned in Economics Class :: Class Reflection

The three most important things I learned in Economics Class The first important concept I learned was the ‘goals of monetary policy’. The primary goal of a central bank is price stability (low and stable inflation). Some of the Feds (short for the Federal Reserve Bank) other concerns are: †¢ high employment †¢ economic growth †¢ stability of financial markets †¢ interest rate stability †¢ stability in foreign exchange markets The Fed desires to maintain high employment because the condition of high unemployment, the alternative, creates idle workers and idle resources. This leads to closed factories, unused equipment and materials, ultimately decreasing our GDP. Now, let me further explain that the goal for high unemployment is not an unemployment level of zero, rather a level above zero where labor demand equals labor supply. This is known as the ‘natural rate of unemployment’. Economic growth focuses on encouraging firms to invest or encouraging people to save, which in turn creates funds for firms to invest. It runs hand-in-hand with the goal of high employment because in order for firms to be comfortable investing in assets such as plants and equipment, unemployment must be low. Hereby, the people and resources will be available to spur economic growth. If financial markets are instable, it will lead to sharp contraction of economic activity. For example, in this most recent financial crisis, a deterioration in financial institutions’ balance sheets, along with asset price decline and interest rate hikes increased market uncertainty thus, worsening what is called ‘adverse selection and moral hazard’. This is a serious dilemma created before business transactions occur which information is misleading and promotes doing business with the ‘most undesirable’ clients by a financial institution. In turn, these ‘most undesirable’ clients later engage in undesirable behavior. All of this leads to a decline in economic activity, more adverse selection and moral hazards, a banking crisis and further declining in economic activity. Ultimately, the banking crisis came and unanticipated price level increases and even further declines in economic activity. Interest-rate stability is very important for the Fed to control because otherwise consumers, like you and I, will be reluctant to buy things like houses due to the fluctuation which will make it harder to plan for the future. The value of the US dollar relevant to other currencies is a major consideration for the Federal Reserve. If they prevent large changes in the value of the dollar, firms and individuals can comfortably plan ahead to purchase or sell goods abroad.

The Effectiveness of Medical Marijuana Essay -- Drugs

Marijuana, also commonly referred to as pot, weed, cannabis, or a variety of other names, has been cultivated as early as 4000B.C. in China, from the hemp plant cannabis sativa (Miller, 2012). There have been reports of it being used for medicinal purposes dating as far back as 1500B.C. (ProCon.org, 2012a). Although cannabis contains a variety of different chemicals, the main, and most understood, ingredient is THC, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol. The amount of THC in marijuana determines the drug’s strength and can be affected by the growing conditions. Marijuana is usually smoked by being rolled into â€Å"blunts† or â€Å"joints† or by being smoked through a pipe or bong. The difference between blunts and joints is that joints are rolled in cigarette paper, while blunts are wrapped in a cigar shell. Smoking is not the only route of administration. Often times marijuana is baked into brownies or other baked goods. Marijuana, in the form of baked goods, has become very widely used, so much in fact, that some high schools banned students from bringing baked goods from home (Villarosa, 2012). The legality of use of marijuana for recreational as well as medicinal purposes has been a controversial issue for a long time, dating as far back as 1913, and still remains a controversial issue today (Gieringer, 1999). So far, 16 states and Washington DC legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes, and 18 states are still pending legalization (ProCon.org, 2012b). Some major reasons why legalization of marijuana remains such a controversial issue is because of its previous advertisement as a drug that will cause you to be committed to a mental asylum and also the potential harmful side effects. A review of the FDA Adverse Events from 1... ...rce.php?resourceID=000145 ProCon.org. (2012a, March 8). Historical Timeline. MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=000143 ProCon.org. (2012b, March 9). 18 States with Pending Legislation to Legalize Medical Marijuana. MedicalMarijuana.ProCon.org. Retrieved from http://medicalmarijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=002481 Solowij, N., Stephens, R., Roffman, R., Babor, T., Kadden, R., Miller, M., & ... Vendetti, J. (2002). Cognitive functioning of long-term heavy cannabis users seeking treatment. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 287(9), 1123- 1131. Villarosa, L. (2012). Brooklyn Tech Students Broiling Mad over Baked Goods Ban. The Local. Retrieved from http://fort-greene.thelocal.nytimes.com/2012/02/16/brooklyn-tech- students-boiling-mad-over-baked-good-ban/

The Premature Burial

â€Å"The Premature Burial† reflect the terror that the characters suffer from and lead them to be isolated from the society. The use of the single effect in Poe's short stories supports the structure and the actions in the story. The use of the words † premature, horror, interments, buried while alive, entombment† and others support the overall atmosphere, which is full of fear and terror from being not dead yet but buried.According to John Kitterman â€Å"The Premature Burial† is a story that â€Å"presents the experience of being buried alive from the first-person point of view†,The unnamed narrator suffers from the horror of being buried alive. As he says â€Å"To be buried while alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality†(357). According to John Snart the narrator believes premature interments are commonplace.From the beginning of the story the narrator starts to tell t he reader about some events that show the human sufferings because of the premature burials. Those events and his illness keep the narrator's life full of fear and terror from being buried alive. â€Å"Fearful indeed the suspicion –but more fearful the doom!. It may be asserted, without hesitation, that no event is no terribly well adapted to inspire the supremeness of bodily and of mental distress, as is burial before death†.The narrator shows his fear not only from the premature entombment, but also from the suffering that he would face inside the grave while trying to get out. Moreover, he starts to describe the atmosphere inside the tomb and the presence of the â€Å"Conquror worm† and the things that keeps him torrified from being in grave while alive. According to Freud the interpretation of dreams is the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious. The narrator beleives that most of the buried people are victims of premature burials, and those beleives a re repressed

Does Source B support the evidence of Source C about the Suffrage campaign?

During the early 20th century, Women's battle for equality reached its very peak as their campaign to be granted suffrage became even more passionate and frantic, as. It was around this time that the first real changes started occur; and as with any revolutionary crusade, there was a great deal of controversy surrounding it. It therefore comes as no great surprise that an immense amount of media was published concerning the subject. This was created by people on both sides of the campaign, and so there is a very wide range of the opinions voiced through forms of books, newspaper articles, speeches and in particular propaganda posters. Both these sources depict an extremely disdainful view towards women's suffrage, however to what extent they support each other in the rest of their views is rather debatable and needs to be considered to a further degree. Although these two sources were written for entirely different purposes, they surprisingly share one of their common principles, sending out an almost identical message on the actions of Suffragettes. Both authors feel that they were behaving in a maniacal manner which was totally unacceptable, and one which would only be used by the most preposterous lunatics. Source C depicts a suffragette protesting [maniacally], in a very emotional posture with greatly exaggerated and unwomanly actions. The viewer immediately feels contempt towards her, seeing her as nothing but a [nuisance]. This feeling is then enhanced by the label underneath- ‘The Shrieking Sister'. This is implying that the suffragette is very mentally unstable, to the extent of hysteria. Also, by ‘Sister' it is associating her into an [organization], as part of a brethren which we are led to believe are all like this. This immediately lowers all suffragette campaigners, making their cause worthless. Source B is portraying a very similar [feeling], labeling the protests as a ‘shrill cry'. The word shrill here implies how they are [hysterical], irrational and desperate. It's purpose, similar to that of Source C's is to demote them and point out how ridiculous their actions are. Another way in which the two sources are [linked/similar] is in the way they dehumanize women suffrage campaigners. Source B does this simply by the title of the book- â€Å"Women or Suffragette†. This suggests that a woman could only be one or the other, and that should they be a suffragette they are letting go of an femininity. Even by just reading the title of the book, the public feel forced into making a decision between the two sides- between being a respected, charming woman or being an indistinguishable/undefinable monstrosity. Source C uses similar tactics in putting this point across, using the label and the drawing of the Suffragette behaving in an animalistic way to highlight the beastiality and violence of the woman. Text is used to great advantage by both Corelli and Partridge to make their views [noticed], and both use fonting techniques to capture the readers attention, Partridge using a larger, bolder, more noticeable font and Corelli simply putting it in italics to stress the importance of that view. This results in the viewer being able to interpret their main [points] even at a glance, which increases the liklihood of success of their work. (Success being that people begin to reflect on the situation through the view of the authors). Whilst the Sources may support each other in their fundamental [reasons], they differ quite a bit in the rest of their views. One of the biggest ways in which their opinions vary is on the whole suffrage campaign. Source B is quite clearly against the whole cause, as Corelli does not differentiate between Suffragists and Suffragattes whilst she is slandering female campaigners, and simply generalizes them together. On the other hand, Source C makes it clear that they have no [issues] whatsoever with Suffragists. In the portrait, the Suffragists is represented as calm, mature and is standing very upright and [sensibly]. She is making no radical actions, and appears to be heavily critizing the [actions] of the Suffragette. In the caption, she is even labelled as the ‘Sensible Woman'. This implies that Partridge is by no means against the cause, and that if campaigners behave in appropriate and [sensible] manners then he is perfectly happy to listen to their cause, and that he is simply refusing to tolerate the violence of Suffragettes. However, this view is not very clearly shown by the poster, and it left to the viewer to interpret it themselves. In general, Source C is only commenting on the tactics used in the campaign, not the reasoning behind the campaign. Source B is completely different to this, and it is full of critism of Women for demanding suffrage. Corelli clams that ‘Women were and are destined to make voters rather than to be voters themselves'. By the comment, she is stating that she feels that the situation is never going to change, and that women should just stay in the Private Sphere where they are expected to be. She feels that women are not capable of voting, and that the injustices they suffer should be stopped through other means. Corelli suggests that the lack of equality it women's own fault, saying that it is a result of ‘the way in which mothers have reared their sons'. This is saying that if Women want to change the way in which they are treated in society, they must do it by giving their sons, the generation which will shape the future as they become adults, a more [morally intact] view of women. Whereas contrary to this belief of it being due to women's own mistakes that society is so obvlivious to their rights, Source C suggests that it is due to Suffragettes that the campaign is still failing, as is exampled by the Suffragists commenting that Suffragettes were the cause's ‘worst enemy'. In conclusion, I feel that Source B does support a great deal of the evidence in Source C- that about the campaigning techniques of Suffragettes; however it can vary a great deal in other views and in some ways they even contradict each other, such as with the opinion of who was to blame for the great sexism of the time. In general, I feel that although the views of the two sources are in places identical, this is just a coincidence, as they are for different reasons. This is most likely due to the fact that the original media had different purposes. Source B was from a book which was very clearly anti-women's suffrage. Anyone who would be reading the book would clearly already be leaning towards these views, and Corelli was simply trying to persuade them more, or share her opinions with them. Partridge was using his poster to appeal to Suffragettes, and to the public, to try and make them realize that violent, militant campaigning was not helping the cause, and making the whole thing seem just rants of hysterical, moronic women. By acting like animals with ‘shrieking' and ‘shrill cries', they bring a bad reputation to all women, and simply give support to the claims that women were 'emotionally weak'. The one thing which they most storngly support each other in is in blaming Suffragettes for the level of disfain the public have towards Women's Suffrage, and it is this solely which links the too.

Dare to Dream Essay

Batangas is a first class province of the Philippines located on the southwestern part of Luzon in the CALABARZON region. Its capital is Batangas City and it is bordered by the provinces of Cavite and Laguna to the north and Quezon to the east. Across the Verde Island Passages to the south is the island of Mindoro and to the west lies the South China Sea. Poetically, Batangas is often referred to by its ancient name Kumintang. Batangas is one of the most popular tourist destinations near Metro Manila. The province has many beaches and is famous for excellent diving spots including Anilao in Mabini, Sombrero Island in Tingloy, Ligpo Island in Bauan, these areas more popularly known as Anilao. Matabungkay in Lian, Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Calatagan and Laiya in San Juan. Batangas is also where Taal Volcano, one of the Decade Volcanoes is located. It is also where the Taal Heritage town lies, a small picturesque town that has ancestral houses and structures dating back to the 19th century. The first recorded name of the Province was Kumintang, after the Datu who inherited the dominion from Datu Balensusa. Its centre, the present day Balayan, was the most progressive town of the Province and the traditional centre of governance. Later, as the eruption of the Taal Volcano destroyed a significant portion of the town, the provincial centre was transferred to Taal, which was then called Bonbon and the name of the province was changed after that of the town. The term batangan means a raft, the people used so that they could fish in the nearby Taal Lake. It also meant the numerous logs found in the Calumpang River, the body of water that runs through the northeastern portion of the town and assumes the shape of a tuning fork. Batangas is a combination of plains and mountains, including the world’s smallest volcano, Mt. Taal, with an elevation of 600 meters, located in the middle of the Taal Lake. Batangas also has many islands, including Tingloy, Verde Island(Isla Verde), Fortune Island of Nasugbu.Although attached to the big Island of Luzon, Batangas boasts of flora and fauna that is distinctively theirs. The local tree malabayabas is endemic to the province alone while the endangered flying fox thrives there without fear. Batangas is also home to the kabag, one of the world’s smallest fruit bat. In the Municipality of Nasugbu, wild deers are still inhabiting the remote areas of Baranggay Looc. But although Batangas has these land flying mammals, marine wildlife remains to be the province’s crowning glory. In fact, in the second half of 2006, scientists from the United States discovered that the Sulu-Sulawesi Triangle has its centre at the Isla Verde Passage, a part of the province. According to this study, made by the American Marine Biologist Dr. Kent Carpentier, Batangas Seas host more than half of the world’s species of coral reefs. It is also home to dolphins and once in a while, a passage of the world’s biggest fish the whale shark or the butanding, as the locals call it. Batangas also has other industries that makes it famous not only in the country but also in the world. More than anything else, Batangas is known for its fan knife, called balisong by the natives. This industry has become so famous that an urban legend exists about every Batangueà ±o carrying a balisong everywhere they go. This is also the reason why most Filipinos would warn never to mess with a Batangueà ±o. Pineapples are also common in the province. Aside from the fruit, the leaves are also useful that it becomes an industry of its own. In the Municipality of Taal, pineapple leaves are being processed to be a kind of cloth known as the gusi. This is further processed to become the Barong Tagalog, the National Costume of the Philippines. In fact, the Barong Tagalog that was used by the heads of states in the last Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation in 1995 was from Batangas. Princess Diana Spencer was also known to possess a scarf made of gusi. Batangas is also known for its livestock industry. Cattle from Batangas is widely sought throughout the country. In fact, the term Bakang Batangas (Batangas Cow) is actually synonymous to the country’s best species of cattle. Indeed, the cattle industry in Batangas is so famous, that every Saturday is an auction day in the Municipalities of San Juan, Bauan and widely-known and famous Padre Garcia every Thursday and Friday. Being near the sea, it is only expected that fishing plays a very important part of the Batangan Economy. Although the tuna industry in the country is mainly centered in General Santos, Batangas is also known for the smaller species of the said fish. The locals even have their own names for the said fish. Some of them include the term, Tambakol,yellow-finned Berberabe, tambakulis, Tulingan, Bonito and another species also called Bonito but actually the Gymnosarda unicolor. There is also an important industry for the Tanigue. Aside from the South China Sea, Taal Lake also provides a source of fresh water fishes to the country. The lake is home to Sardinella tawilis or simply tawilis, a species of freshwater sardine that is endemic to the lake. Taal Lake also provides farmed Chanos chanos or bangus. There is also a good volume of Oreochromis niloticus niloticus and Oreochromis aureus, both locally called tilapia. It is ecologically important to note that neither bangus nor tilapia are native to the lake. Thus they are considered invasive species to the lake. As mentioned in the section of culture, Batangueà ±os are indeed fond of drinking. This is of no surprise as it lies in what is called the coconut belt that is the raw material for the local liqueurs, the lambanog (with 90% proof) and the tuba (which is made of 5.68% alcohol and 13% sugar). Sugar is also a major industry. As a matter of fact, after the Hacienda Luisita, the country’s former largest sugar producer, was broken-up for land reform, the Municipality of Nasugbu has been the home of the current largest sugar producing company, the Central Azucarera Don Pedro. This also means that Batangas is also a home for a wide industry of sweets. Rice cakes are also a strong industry. Last May 7,2011, We, my family and my auntie and her daughter who were just here in the Philippines for a vacation went to a resort in batangas called La Virginia Hotel & Resort, it is set in 6 hectares of secluded grounds yet only 2 hours from downtown Metro Manila. La Virginia offers one of the largest privately-owned natural getaways in Lipa City. The resort is located in the Batangas side ridge around the Taal Lake, it offers breathtaking views of the lake and the Taal Volcano Islands. It is completely surrounded by coconut groves and forests so that is is set in a pristine environment. The resort boasts of five (5) world class swimming pools and a heated jacuzzi for family and personal fun. In that day also, I with my co-vacationist saw a flying 6 jets roaming around who are just from the air based near in the resort. There is a small chapel located inside the resort as well. The resort also offers well-appointed accomodation and picnic facilities for day trippers and extended stay visitors. Well, I will share to you the things that I experience and enjoyed on having a vacation. First, The View of Taal Lake in this nature’s beauty never fails to amaze me. La Virginia Resort offers a generous view of Taal Lake. It brought serenity down to my soul. Naks. But seriously, it did. Second, The Buddha View Deck I had a couple of pictures in front of the huge Buddha statue and when I used one of the photos as my Facebook profile picture, a couple of friends thought I went to Thailand! Nah, it’s one of the best backgrounds there for photo, with family. Make sure you have a picture with the Golden Buddha as your background. Aha! Third, The Ifugao Village, I’m Ilocana and that’s why I have close affinity to what’s there up north; not an Ifugao native though. This part of La Virginia features cottages which resembles the abode in Ifugao. It’s like you’re visiting the Tam-Awan Village in Baguio City. Fourth, The Infinity Pool because it gives you a good spot for the sunset. Imagine swimming in the infinity pool while the sun sets on the horizon. Then we went to the Hanging Bridge, I like bridges because it brings that certain shake on your nerves but at the same time, it challenges you to go on keep walking until you reach the other end. And last, The Tree House, See the best features of La Virginia Resort from the top of the tree house and you’ll wonder how it was landscaped to become what it is now. It was breathtaking up there. Perfect for some more picture taking. I wasn’t able to experience the La Virginia Zipline Rides due to its expensive price and my mother wouldn’t allow me to ride without my father due to his fear and we just went their because of my auntie’s vacation here in the Philippines and lack of time because after their we went to Laguna and explore in Enchanted Kingdom and take some rides.