Plants and Superstitions Essay -- Botany

Plants and Superstitions For many years plants have played a large part in superstitions. Although, they are not so much believed now, as they used to be. They were used to help one's fortune, wealth and fertility. It is amazing that bread was ever eaten; there were so many superstitions about it. It was used to aid in all of these things and many more, It is ironic, however, that the one thing they worshipped and used to keep harm and disease away made them ill and killed some of them. When all of this happened they blamed another superstition, which was witchcraft. "Almost all of the witchcraft misunderstandings were caused by Christianity's persecution of those who refused to abandon pagan beliefs" (Zolar, 1995), but not in the case of the Salem Witch trials. In 1692 superstitions somehow became the way of thinking. The misuse of it led to the executions of many innocent people in this country. Witchcraft was the crime, for which they were wrongly accused. Fact Net Inc. (see Internet Source) defines superstitions as "Beliefs held despite evidence. They are based on the belief that some people, Plants, animals, stars, words, numbers or special things have magical powers, which contradicts what we know about the world." A mysterious illness overcame Salem, Massachusetts. Thrashing around, moaning, babbling, and crying made up what were called "convulsive fits," which suddenly occurred in eight girls daily. Hallucinations were also a part of their fits. (see Internet Source). Everyone was terrified. Doctors came to visit, but they did not know much about disease and medicines at that time. One doctor questioned the idea of witchcraft and soon rumors spread that there was a witch in town, or maybe even a group of them we... ...tific thinking has almost swept away the ignorance of superstitions that once kept people from learning about out world. Like in the case of the Salem Witch trials "When minds are poisoned by the ignorance of superstitions, terrible things happen" (see Internet Source). Bibliography Bennett, J.W. 1999. Pride and Prejudice: The story of ergot. Perspective in Biology and Medicine 42 (3): 333-355. Spanos, Nicholas P. 1983. Ergotism and the Salem witch panic: a critical analysis and an alternative conceptualization. Journal of the History of Behavioral Sciences 19 (4): 358-369. Starkey, Marion L. 1949. The Devil in Massachusetts, Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., New York. 39- 48, 138-158. Zolar.1995. Encyclopedia of signs, omens and superstitions. Carol Publishing Group, New York. 50-52,380. Internet Source: http://www.xenu.org/factnet/GEN/FILES/BOOKS/TRUE.TXT

Gun Laws in Foreign Countries

Due to recent events occurring in America, people have been seeking out reforms in our nation’s gun laws so that they may feel safer inside their homes and inside the nation’s schools. Unlike some countries, America cannot be considered â€Å"harsh† with its gun laws, nor can it be considered weak when compared to still other countries. When looking to reform our gun laws, our nation should revise and remodel our laws after countries with stronger guns laws, such as Switzerland and Canada. With 3. 4 gun related deaths per 100,000 people, and only . 52 of those deaths being homicides, Switzerland is one the countries with the lowest gun deaths per year (â€Å"Wikipedia†). This is due to the countries strict control on guns and gun usage. One of their most unique laws in the government requirement for all able-bodied men to have an automatic weapon in their home, and ammunition, in the case of a call to military duty. The ammunition for the gun must be kept sealed and is strictly accounted for by the government.Citizens are required to keep this weapon from age 20 to age 42, the duration of their militia service, and are then given the option to keep the gun with the automatic function removed (Cotter). Along with the required militia weapons, the Swiss government also has strict policies on privately owned firearms. Much like the military guns, the privately owned weapons and the ammution are all registered and accounted for by the government. Any and all unregistered ammunition must be used at a government owned firing range, and none is allowed to leave the premises (Cotter).Finally, the Swiss government has strong laws on â€Å"conceal and carry† hand guns. The citizen who will be carrying the weapon must have a reason to be carrying the weapon, know how to carry the gun, and know how to use it safely to carry the weapon (Cotter). It is no surprise that Switzerland is one of the safest countries when it comes to guns. Much l ike Switzerland, Canada has stricter gun laws than the USA, with 2. 13 gun related deaths, . 5 being homicide, per year compared to the US’s 10. 2 gun related deaths, with 3. being homicide (â€Å"Wikipedia†). The Canadian Firearms Program, or CFP, is the group of people in charge of making and enforcing gun related laws in Canada. Some of the biggest laws they have concern certification, licensing, and investigation. The certification laws state that all individuals who want to own a nonrestricted firearm must pass the Canadian Firearms Safety Course, which â€Å"teaches basic firearms safety practices, operation of firearms, safe handling, carrying and storage, and responsibility of the owner and user† (Byrne).The licensing laws states that all individuals must be screened when they apply for a license and that the individuals will continue to be screened after they obtained their license. The CFP does not allow citizens who pose a potential risk to their own or anyone else’s safety to obtain a license and removes guns and licenses from those who do not have a safe and responsible way of using their firearms (Byrne).Finally, the investigation laws states that the CFP have the ability to track gun owners with the Firearms Investigative & Enforcement Services Directorate and law enforcement to investigate illegal firearms activities. Chief Firearms Officers supervise Chief Firearms Instructors to ensure that citizens are always taught to be safe and responsible when handling a firearm (Byrne). While not all of the above stated laws would help to improve the United States gun situation, some people find it may be wise to amend and fit these laws into ours as to make our country safer.Our country does not need to give every young man a gun, but teaching the young men how to properly use and handle a gun and pass a test in order to safely and responsibly use the weapon would be wise. Also, requiring a form of licensing and continuing t o keep an eye on citizens with a license in order to be sure they maintain the safety they are taught to use while handling weapons would be in the countries best interests.Finally, the government should add a clause to conceal-and-carry in order to make it necessary for the citizens carrying the hidden handgun to have a pressing issue that requires the safety of a dangerous weapon. Though it is impossible to make our country one hundred percent safe from firearms and criminals, it is the country’s best interest, I believe, to change our gun laws as to make it harder to obtain a weapon and safer to both use a weapon and to be around those who use weapons.It may be hard to be completely safe, but it never hurt anyone to try a bit harder to keep the citizens in this country safer from others here. It is much more worth losing a bit of our â€Å"freedom†, so long as we can be sure we are safe in our homes and our schools. Works Cited Byrne, Drake. â€Å"Canadian Gun Safe ty. †Ã‚  eHow. eHow. Web. 11 Feb 2013. . Cotter, Mitch. â€Å"Switzerland Gun Safety. †Ã‚  eHow. eHow. Web. 11 Feb 2013. . â€Å"List of Countries by firearm related death rate. † wikipedia. wikipedia, 11 Feb 2013. Web. 11 Feb 2013.

The Budget Of The NASA Budget - 821 Words

In the 2017 fiscal year (Oct. 2016-Sept. 2017), the budget for NASA was 19 billion US dollars [1]. However, the total budget for the United States in 2017 is 3,650 billion US dollars [2] making the NASA budget only .52% of the United States budget for the 2017 fiscal year. Even though 19 billion US dollars seem like a large amount of money, in comparison to 1966, the height of the Apollo mission, the budget for NASA was 5.9 billion United States dollars [3] which was .83% of the National budget of 708 billion dollars [4]. Also, with the 122 million citizens [5] reported to pay federal taxes in the United States, each taxpayer only contributes about $12.98 a month to NASA, so if NASA were to disappear, the average taxpayer could afford†¦show more content†¦Only 10% of the budget is going to go to space technology because even though there is still a need to continue developing technologies for space, it does not need the same funds as other sections, and without any large spa ce missions in the near future it is not as pressing as other categories like science, exploration, and space operations. The third category is exploration which will receive 27% of the budget. The exploration budget will go to projects like space transportation systems and human missions to the moon and mars. Projects such as these require a large portion of the budget due to their expensive nature, but despite the cost, these missions gain public support. Without such missions, the public would not have supported the United States spending billions of dollars on scientific research. Additionally, these missions help gain an understanding of the universe. The fourth category is Aeronautics which will receive 7% of the budget. Aeronautic projects would include new aircraft and new air traffic control systems. This category is similar to space technology where there still needs to be research in the field but it does not require as much money as other parts of NASA. Also, there are more companies in the private sector of aeronautic that will be researching similar topics. Therefore to save money for diff erent products aeronautics received the lowest part of the budget. Lastly, space operations will receive 26% of the budget. SpaceShow MoreRelatedEssay on NASA Budget Cuts 842 Words   |  4 Pagesresponse to the Soviet Unions launch of Sputnik nine months earlier. That administration, now known worldwide as NASA, has become an icon of space exploration and mankinds accomplishments. Who would have thought that fifty years later, NASAs future would be so uncertain? Congress has recently proposed a bill that would significantly cut funding from the NASAs Constellation program. These budget cuts are unnecessary and are counterproductive to the original idea of the space program. Congress authorizedRead MoreA Bill for an Act Etitled: Budget of NASA2009 Words   |  8 PagesA Bill For An Act Entitled: Budget Of NASA Senator Austin Crilly introduced the following resolution which was referred to the Committee on NASA’s budget _____________________________________________________________________ NASA has accomplished many things in the last fifty five years of it’s existence, such as the Apollo programs, Mars missions, developing the proficiency in which aircraft flies, etc. NASA has tremendous benefits towards the future expansion and development of the UnitedRead MoreNasa s Budget Should Be Astronomical1556 Words   |  7 PagesNASA’s budget should be Astronomical When the National Aeronautics and Space Administration was founded in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower its purpose was to engage in space research and its applications. Over the years, we have seen the shifts of operation that this agency has gone through. It was re- purposed for military operations, research and development during the cold war, but quintessentially it’s priority has been space exploration and research. NASA currentlyRead MoreThe Operating Budget1261 Words   |  5 Pagesaccepted the inevitability of deep cuts to the nations massively inflated budget. While there is still rancorous debate over exactly how the proverbial belt should be tightened, with conservatives demanding reductions in so-called entitlement programs and liberals countering with decreased military spending, a consensus seems to have emerged regarding the budgetary necessity of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Considered by many symbol of bureaucratic waste, with billions of dollarsRead MoreNasa Essay1161 Words   |  5 Pages2011, NASA invested over $4.5 million in the state of Kansas by encouraging small, high-tech companies to partner with NASA to help meet its research and development needs in key technology areas (Dunbar, â€Å"NASAs Economic Impacts†). Henceforth, an investment in NASA is an investm ent in the country. Since 1958, NASA has contributed to the United States by supporting the national economy, making technological advances, and inspiring people around the world. Increasing the federal budget for NASA willRead MoreCJ Moizzis Article Should NASA Should Continue To Receive Funding?1197 Words   |  5 PagesSummary NASA should Continue to Receive Funding CJ Moizzi, argues that the biggest misconception Americans have is the amount of funding that NASA receives. Within his article he states various organizations that receives double or even up to six times the amount of funding such as the Department of Treasury. Moizzi says that the NASA budget currently has accounted for roughly .5% of the total U.S federal Budget. He argues some may be apprehensive about this, but he says that only $10 dollars ofRead MoreNasa s The Space Of Space999 Words   |  4 Pages Firstly, without sufficient funding, NASA would be politically reliant on Russia due to NASA’s need to launch its commercial crew using Russian spaceships on Russian land. According to The Guardian, NASA’s budget has dropped from 4.41 percent of the federal budget in 1966, to today’s budget of 0.5 percent of the federal budget. As a result of continued decrease in funds, NASA has been severely crippled in its ability to operate; this is why NASA’s budget needs to be increased. Without funds norRead MoreThe Nature Of Space Is A Mystery To The Majority Of The1163 Words   |  5 Pagesmystery to the majority of the population of the world. The discoveries made by astronauts and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) since the mid-twentieth century have enabled the population to have more knowledge of the planets, stars, and resources that lie beyond Earth. Recently, the United States government, particularly those who deny global warning, made the decision to cut funding for NASA for various reasons. The political spectrum plays a major role depending on which side ofRead MorePolysar Limited Case Essay974 Words   |  4 Pagescustomers for these products are tire manufacturers. The rubber Group has two divisions: NASA (North America South America) and EROW (Europe elsewhere). There is product transferring between NASA and EROW and the Vice President of NASA is required to present the performance results to the Board of Directors and explain why the bottom line is lower than expected. Performance of NASA Rubber Division Read MoreFor Thousands Of Years Humanity Has Looked To The Stars1549 Words   |  7 Pagesis not known to the human race. NASA, the number one space program of the USA, lacks the funds to further investigate the ultimate frontier. Throughout humanity’s exploration of space, many dangers have been discovered that lurk within the dark vastness of space. Things like radiation and extreme temperatures threaten astronauts’ lives when performing extensive space travel missions, leading to primary reliance on probes and rovers to explore what lies beyond. NASA and other space programs are majorly