Mfecane Debates

Julian Cobbing against ‘The mfecane’ Has the mfecane a future? In recent times historians known as â€Å"Africanists† revived the topic of the mfecane in the early 1960s and it was well exploited and was also used to justify certain aspects of Apatheid. The word ‘mfecane’ is a characterised product of the South African liberal history that is used by the Apartheid regime state to legitimate South Africa's racially and unequal land division. In the 1970s the mfecane has become the most widely used terms in south African history and historical literature . inding the original meaning of mfecane could somehow be merely impossible reason being from on angle the mfecane was the Nguni diaspora which from the early 1820s which took Nguni raiding communities such as Ndebele, the Ngoni and Gaza and over more southern regional parts of south-central Africa which reach as far as Lake Tanzania. Astonishingly some of the selective use or the actual invention of ev idence has produced the myth of an internally-induced process known as the black-on-black destruction centring on Shaka Zulu.A re-evaluating from the ‘battles’ of Dithakong and Mbolompo suggests very different ideas and enables us to decipher the motives of subsequent historiographical amnesias and knowledge. After about 1810 the black peoples of southern Africa were caught between intensifying and converging imperialistic thrusts: one to supply the Cape Colony with labour; another, at Delagoa Bay, to supply slaves particularly to the Brazilian sugar plantations. The flight of the Ngwane from the Mzinyathi inland to the Caledon was, it is argued, a response to slaving.But they ran directly into the colonial raiding-grounds north of the Orange. The (missionary-led) raid on the still unidentified ‘Mantatees’ (not a reference to MaNtatisi) at Dithakong in 1823 was one of innumerable Griqua raids for slaves to counter a shortage of labour among the Cape settler s after the British expansionist wars of 1811 to 1820. Similar Griqua raids forced the Ngwane south from the Caledon into the Transkei. Here, at Mbolompo in 1828, the Ngwane were attacked yet again, this time by a British army seeking ‘free’ labour after the reorganisation of the Cape's labour-procurement system in July 1828.The British claim that they were parrying a Zulu invasion is exposed as propaganda, and the connexions between the campaign and the white-instigated murder of Shaka are shown. In short, the African societies did not generate the regional violence on their own. Rather, were caught within the European net and were soon transformed over lengthen periods in reaction to the attentions of external plunderers. The core misrepresentations and false understandings of ‘the mfecane’ are thereby revealed; the term, and the concept, should be abandoned.A closely related, though different, mfecane centres on the perspectives on the Zululanders and th e figured mindset of Shaka. many of those in Zulu cultures and trditionalised South Africans has come to a conclusion become a revolutionary process internal to Nguni society which leads to the development of the ibutho and the tributary mode of production. Shaka is seen as a heroic figure providing a positive historical example in South African history and created a sense of self-respect for black citizens in South Africa today.But inside these wider definitions another mfecane there are more specifically referring to the impact of Nguni raiders (the Nedbele, Hlubi and Ngwane) on the Sotho west of the Drakensberg. The mfecane encompassed many great fields of African self-destruction which extended from the Limpopo all the way to Orange. It has allegedly depopulated vast areas of what had become the Orange Free State, the Transvaal and, with the aid of the Zulu, Natal, which thus lay empty for white expansion. At the time many Africans dispersed and survivors clustered together and within a period of time formed enclave states of Lesotho, Swaziland and Botswana.A term known as the ‘general distribution of white and Bantu landownership' in South Africa was soon established. On these African-created foundations rose the Bantustans or Homelands of twentieth-century Southern Africa. Contradictions coexist within mfecane theories with contrasts sand the definitions of timing. As an era of history the latter 1trans-orangian' mfecane begins in about 1820 and ends in either 1828 with the departure of the Ngwane, or it had ended in the early mid-1830s with the arrival of the French missionaries and later followed by the Boers.The Zulu-centred mfecane on the other hand begins with the career of Dingiswayo at the end of the eighteenth century and continues until the end of the Zulu kingdom which ended in 1879. Sub continental mfecane does continue until the 1890s. In short, I would say there is no one definition of the mfecane. It can be referred to people, to an e ra or to a process of internal development. It could be destructive, constructive; anti-African; pro-African; geographically narrow, or sub continental. Not all of these ontradictions can be resolved as a whole, but there is a need for answers and its existence requires an explanation, since their origins of the mfecane are by now very much buried in the heart of South African historiography. Firstly, my mission of this essay is attend to the origins of the mfecane, how it started and give brief overviews and backgrounds between those who played a very important role in the era of Shaka Zulu and the period of the mfecane. My intentions are also to unravel the development within the mfecane as it has been handed down in South African historiography.Many writers have had a hand in creating the mfecane. The poor taste of the dish derives from the poor quality of the initial ingredients. In the second part, I suggest some lines of attack on the pillars of mfecane mythology, and leave it to the reader to decide whether the concept is worth salvaging. Julian Cobbing known best as a being against the mfecane and the critical analysis of south African history, he also had he’s own point of the subjects of who the important characters like Shaka Zulu had and the effects, whether he did or did not control the southern part of Africa or whether he played a minor role in the mfecane era.The the evolution between the ibutho amongst the Ngune, the wars between Zulu and the Ndwandwe traditions, and the rise of the Zulu kingdom are half a century after Bryant, had made integral to the mfecane. Shaka becomes a hero and Mzilikazi a creative state-builder. ‘The movement as awhole' has also expanded to bring in Swaziland and the career of Mswati,Gazaland and the careers of the Soshangane and Mzila, as well as the Ngonistates of Mbelwa and Mpezeni. The validity of both these conceptual and the geographical expansions with their linkage to the original concepts of the mfecane has so far still remained unremarked.As to the linkage of the mfecane to ‘an understanding of the contemporary Situation of the' Omer-Cooper's analysis is (unsurprisingly)subjective. It is also highly contradictory. In the one direction, ‘the traditions towards the Mfecane have retained their fascination because they provide a bulwark of self-respect, a shield against the cripplingof inferiority, encouraged by the structure of white dominated society. ‘ Whereas in the other, ‘the battles and massacres of the Mfecane being accounted for the general distribution of white andBantu landownership [in South Africa today]. This is the latter that a few Africans would claim and accept. Omer-Cooper's two claims for the mfecane have in turn underpinnedwo incompatible to the mfecane traditions in the 1970s. The more liberal part of the various traditions is located mainly within in Europe, the United States and inThe South African English-speaking universities. There are list historians of Africa who have adopted ideas of Omer-Cooperof the mfecane as a positive revolutionary idea.Before 1966,and the publication of Zulu Aftermath general text books on African History had not yet Pick up the mfecane. By 1970 it was being integrating virtually all of them. July's over simplifications are typical. ‘The driving force,' he wrote, ‘was land hunger caused by population pressure among migrating cattle keepers and the vehicle was the military outburst known as the Zulu Mfecane. ‘ In 1969 Leonard Thompson discussed a concept known as the difaqane in the influential Oxford History of South Africa. W. F. Lye has built an academic career on the mfecane.He wavers between Ellenberger's older version in which Matiwane and Mzilikazi are denigrated and the newer one in which they are talented state-builders. R. Kent Rasmussen in an analysis of the early Ndebele state describes the state as an unambiguously positive manner. In the 1960s and 1970s the mfecane was updated. Inside South Africa it was adapted to explain the origins, if not the Creation of the black homelands and societies, at a time when South Africans badlyNeeded all the help they could get in justifying this processes both to an international audience and to their own up and upcoming generations.At the same time, bizarrely, historians mainly outside South Africa,not having noticed the use in which the mfecane was being put south of the Limpopo and hitched the mfecane to an alternative history that is stressed the glories of the Africa’s past and attempted to provide for Africans self-respect, defences against European suggestions that the African past was sterile, barbaric and static. Racist interpretations have been shielded from view by the Africanist one. The result must surely bewilder any student who attempts to definite mfecane with any concise coherence. Niyaaz Nell History Assignment: Mfecane Debate Tutor: Ayanda DL4

Plan of Discipleship Essay

Introduction In due course of ministering to the body of Fairway Church it has become apparent that there is a greater need for discipleship among the un-churched and the de-churched of the surrounding community. It is therefore, the goal  of this exposition to introduce, clarify, and expound the goal of the discipleship ministries of Fairway Church in said context. This action must be seen as imperative not only to the church but also in the broader context of mission as a whole. It is the hope therefore, in the following curricular plan that there would be adequate space and definition given to the following areas of concern: Scriptural Foundations Core Ministry Values Behavioral goals (including Slogans and Visuals) Measurable Objectives Base Path of Development (Measurable Steps) Encompassing Vision Statement Identification and description of characteristics of the target group. Action Plan Scope and Sequence Plan Budget and Communication Tools and Techniques Through the further defining and examination of the above factors the goal of this curricular plan should be well established in the collective efforts of the church as a whole. With this in mind one should be capable of appreciating and desiring to continue in the work of discipleship at Fairway Church. Furthermore, it should be noted that discipleship is no easy task, yet it is a worthwhile one. It should be the overarching goal of the local church as well as individual believers to be involved in the representative work of Christ in the local context. The command has been given, the call has been sent out, as individual followers the response therefore, must be to follow well and seek to make other followers. Scriptural Foundations Perceiving, therefore, a need for valid and comprehensive discipleship it is the desire of this program to integrate Scriptural content into a practical outreach format. It should therefore, be the purpose of this expositional section to deal with the Scriptural foundations of the below development of  a discipleship strategy. This must be done through a successful examination of the call, the example, and the sacrifice of Christ as well as the model of Paul. First, one must see that Jesus has given a call to make disciples. If the local congregation does not understand the basic imperative of Christ toward discipleship, there is no hope that a successful model might be attained. This call is expressed nowhere more clear than in Matthew 28:9 which states to the followers of Christ, â€Å"Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.† 1 It should be seen that the goal of the disciple-follower should be to make other disciple-followers. This must not be compromised; it is the foundational block of any successful discipleship strategy. Furthermore, one must seek to gain an understanding of Christ’ example of discipleship. Here one must dissect the concern as to the question of, â€Å"Why?† Why does one make disciples? Although, it can easily be seen that Christ commanded this in the above passage, there is more to this than a mere call to do something in Christ’s name. As Francis Chan states, â€Å"God wants us to pursue certain actions, but as we put God’s commands into action, our motivation makes all the difference.† 2 A student of scripture must understand that discipleship is at the heart of Christ Himself. In reality Christ held a special call to make followers. This can be seen nowhere better than in Matthew 4:18-22. One reads: â€Å"While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, â€Å"Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.† Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.† 3  This passage is key in understanding the example of Christ as he sought to create and lead disciples. Christ called people to come and follow Him. The local church should be about the same business as they seek to reach the culture around them for Christ. This is more than a command, it is a lifestyle exhibited primarily by Christ. Next, one who seeks to be a disciple must embody the sacrificial life of Christ. This does not dictate that one must seek to die in order to follow Christ. However it should lead believers to understand the call to live sacrificially even unto death, if necessary. Dietrich Bonheoffer points this out by stating that, â€Å"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.† 4 This does not mean that Christ calls men to be killed but rather to live sacrificially. The idea is the same when one sees in Luke 9:23-24 that Christ calls people to live sacrificially. The student of this text reads, â€Å"And he said to all, â€Å"If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.† 5  This passage is also a key in the concept of successful discipleship strategy. In short, the believer must be willing to live as if a cross was their goal. The disciple should understand that ultimately following Christ leads to the death of self. Without this understanding there is no means to successfully accomplish the objective of creating solid disciple-followers of Christ. Lastly, one should see the practical applications to the above theological themes concerning discipleship. This is nowhere exhibited more fully than in Pauls’ ministry to the Philippians. Paul states in Philippians 3:17 concerning the church that, â€Å"Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us.† 6 This should be seen as directly related to the nature of disciples as followers. Paul is pointing to himself as an acceptable example for disciples to follow. This point is of great importance in that it is attainable to the average believer. The individual congregant of a particular church should seek to embody this model in any effort to be a disciple-making disciple. Individuals should seek to create followers of themselves and in this lead others to Christ. Core Values With firm scriptural texts established one should further seek to develop  and implement the core values of discipleship. These values are highly important in the forming of vision and the continuation of a successful disciple making structure. The local church must be seen as central to this and should be placed in context of discipleship structures. It is therefore, the hope of this expositional section to place the local church at the center of effective disciple making. In this context one should see that the core values of discipleship in the local church congregation should include a healthy understanding of, engaging culture (mission), organic relationship building, accountability, and lastly reproduction. These core concepts should sit at the center of the discipleship efforts of Fairway Church. First, the congregation should seek to understand the reality of the culture in which the church exists. The current culture is one in which most seem to be hostile toward Christianity. The spectrum shows it obvious that, â€Å"Christian faith is quickly losing traction in Western culture, not only as a result of unchristian behavior, as significant as that is, but because we haven’t recognized our new reality and adapted.† 7 The path forward is defined by how the local body interacts with this culture.  Interaction must be seen as key. Considering discipleship and the way in which the church engages culture dictates their ability to reproduce disciples. Tim Keller, speaking of the Israelites, and their engagement of Babylonian culture gives three options. These options are: â€Å"Move into the city and lose your spiritual identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Don’t move into the city and keep your spiritual identity†¦ â€Å" â€Å"Move into the city and keep your spiritual identity†¦Ã¢â‚¬  8  It is frightful to think of the number of churches that embody the first two models in the modern context. Furthermore, it should be seen that Gods model for cultural engagement is one in which believers engage culture. One reads in Jeremiah 29:7 that believers should, â€Å"seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.† 9 The situation is one that is  clear. Church people should not live in isolation of culture, in fact, individual believers should be engaged with culture yet not lose their spiritual identity. The church must be engaged with the world around it. This must be a core value of any successful discipleship strategy. In connection to the above idea of engagement, the local church should seek to understand the value of organic relationship building. It is through relationship that community is formed and this concept must be seen as central to the very nature of being Christian. This was the practice of the early church in Acts. One reads in Acts 2:42-45 the following: â€Å"And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.† 10  The idea is one of community. Here the church must be about building relationships in community. Through engaging culture the gospel becomes attractive and as relationships are developed there should be people added, first, in areas of common interest and then as firm followers of Christ. In the context of relationship building there should also be an aspect of accountability. It should be noted that the ultimate goal of successful discipleship is to make people accountable to Christ first and each other as an outflow of the primary relationship with Christ. This however, must be linked to healthy accountability in relationship. Some may refer to this as creating healthy boundaries. Although, this may seem abstract to many, in its exposition it should become clear. Some may find it offensive to even suggest that disciple makers should consider relational boundaries. However, this is important in two ways. These ways are easily seen as maintaining proper doctrine and picturing proper Christian love. First, one must see that doctrinal boundaries must be maintained. As Jonathan Leeman points out, that the church is rampant in its, â€Å"loss of doctrinal, boundary making thinking,† 11 furthermore, that this loss is linked to allowing churches to, â€Å"veer toward number-counting or Spirit-chasing (or both)†. 12 This has ultimately led the church to see an influx of people. Yet, also there is a lack of spiritual maturity or ability to reproduce disciples. This must be seen in direct connection to the cultural phenomena of, â€Å"individualism, consumerism, and a reluctance to commit, and skepticism toward all forms of dogma† 13 The goal however, should be in relationships to picture the opposite of this mentality. The goal should center on accountability and self sacrifice, healthy boundaries and love from a biblical context of community. Furthermore, it should be understood that in picturing proper, restorative love in community is essential. The culture to which disciples will be sent is one intoxicated by love. This is a problem, in that the predominant cultural perception of love is so often implied upon the church and furthermore, Christ. It is expected that Christ is all accepting rather than concerned about belief or accountability. Restorative ministry in a community context must be fleshed out in a context of Gospel transparency. The church cannot disciple sinners with out loving them enough to picture this model in relationship. Hold true to doctrine and do not compromise for the sake of â€Å"love†. Lastly, one must seek to operate a framework of discipleship that can be reproduced. The church in too many cases has tied itself to structures that cannot be reproduced on an individual level. It is key to understand that, â€Å"Reproduction ensures that a movement will live past its founding stages.† 14 This must be acknowledged in greater depth. Jesus understood the need for reproductive discipleship and so should the modern church. The model of Jesus must be seen as the most successful model in that he understood and implemented a strategy of reproduction centered on a small handful of original disciples. Robert Coleman notes this in his book the Master Plan of Evangelism by stating the following: â€Å"His concern was not with programs to reach the multitudes but with men whom the multitudes would follow†¦ Men were  to be His method of winning the world to God. The initial objective of Jesus’ plan was to enlist men who could bear witness to His life and carry on His work after He returned to the Father.† Jesus understood the value of organic reproduction. The local church as well should seek to embody this. However, it seems this has not been the goal in much of the historical efforts of discipleship. Behavioral Goals Discipleship as Frank Viola states is, â€Å"a lifestyle—an authentic journey with the Lord Jesus and His disciples.† 15 Therefore, any process seeking to make disciples should desire to integrate fully a successful plan of curriculum. This curriculum should hold a clear-cut concept of behavioral goals. As Mitchell states, â€Å"Step number one in developing the curricular plan is establishing both institutional and individual goals and expectations.†16 This must be assessed if discipleship is to be accomplished. An overarching goal statement should be established to guide the educator as they seek to lead and make disciples. The goal then of this curricular plan must be seen as follows: To make disciples capable of living on mission, in journey, and reproductive in nature. This goal statement should be seen at the heart of successfully making disciples. However, the statement in itself is incapable of fleshing out the reality of this goal. There must be an expectation of personal goals accompanying the discipleship goal statement. Behavioral goals should be built around the framework of this statement. These goals should follow as well the model seen in the core ministry values. Individuals in the discipleship structure should be encouraged to integrate the following principles into their lives on a daily basis: Engage Care Build Reproduce Individuals should be encouraged to integrate these behaviors in their own  lives on a daily basis. The terminology of Scripture should point this out. One reads in Matthew 28:19 that the call is to, â€Å"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,†17 The point of â€Å"going† is better conveyed in the Greek, which reads as, â€Å"πΠ¿Ã ÃŽ µÃâ€¦ÃŽ ¿ÃŽ ¼ÃŽ ±ÃŽ ¹Ã¢â‚¬ 18This therefore is defined as, â€Å"to lead over, carry over, transfer, to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one’s journey.†19 This must be seen as important in the behavioral goals of a discipleship effort. Individuals must be encouraged to integrate the four core values into a lifestyle of evangelism, rather than the more common structure of catapulting oneself into culture. Such an effort is often times defined by congregants in the form of confessional faith alone. The goal should be to integrate people into the journey before ever assessing the nature of their salvation. Salvation should be the goal yet; it should not be the point of the spear. Far too many have presented Christian community as transactive, whereas it should be seen as transformative in nature. The above format however may be seen as drastically different than the model shown in the historical model of church. Individual disciple-followers should begin to acknowledge that the need is not to go â€Å"on mission† but to â€Å"do life† as mission. There should be a language component to this shift. An individual slogan therefore could be stated simply as, â€Å"Keep Calm and Disciple on†. The goal of such a slogan is two fold. The desire should be to create a common language as well as a framework for motivation in a comfortable and familiar style. This must be understood in order to fully integrate discipleship into ones life. Furthermore, there should be a visual component to this as well. This visual can be seen in the following: . The above visual should be seen as key in the integration of material into the teaching and educative principles concerned with behavioral objectives. The form can be utilized as a further tool to incorporate and engage the culture at large concerning the building of relationships. This must be seen as key in the implementation of the above described discipleship structure. Therefore, it should be assessed that the behavioral objectives of this  discipleship strategy are to lead others to integrate the â€Å"engage, care, build, reproduce† strategy into their lives. Individual disciple-followers should be lead to, engage culture, care for their communities, build relationship through that caring, and reproduce disciples from those relationships. These are the behavioral objectives of this strategy and are essential to its implementation. Measureable Objectives Measurable outcomes should also be seen as important to the accomplishing of valuable discipleship structures. The question of what expectation is held by the leadership of Fairway Church for the individual disciple-followers is important and should be well defined at the onset of the structure. Dietrich Bonheoffer stated in his classical work Life Together that as believers, â€Å"We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God, God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans†¦Ã¢â‚¬  20 This quote should help individual leaders as they seek to integrate measurable objectives into a successful framework for discipleship. Successful discipleship should create disciples willing to have their lives interrupted by Jesus. The measurable outcome in conclusion should be centered on the ability of individuals to live in such a way that discipleship is accomplished regardless as to the inconvenience to their personal lives. It should therefore, be noted that at the end of this discipleship course individuals should be integrated into community and motivated to form community in whatever context available to them. These measurable outcomes must be placed as central to the success of this plan of discipleship. Each component must be seen more in depth as to understand the importance of each. First, one must see the importance of individuals being integrated into community. Darrin Patrick notes this in his book For the City in a remarkable way. After noticing the large amount of non-believers in his congregation Patrick also noted that they (leaders), â€Å"learned that what stood out to people was the context of challenging, biblical teaching in the context of a community of people who seemed to genuinely care for one another and spend time together.† 21 This is for the purposes of this paper a  successful picture of what it means to integrate people into valuable community. This integration however, must be driven toward further goals. Next, one must be capable of thinking sacrificially to accomplish the goals of engaging and reproducing. This must be seen in the context of community. Darrin Patrick exhibits this point by describing the establishment of the fifth campus of his church â€Å"The Journey†. Darrin notes that, â€Å"we launched our fifth campus, which started because of the heart of a member of our church who owned a thrift store and desired a place for people who frequented there to go to church.† 22 This must be seen as an embodiment of the measurable outcome of being motivated to form community. The individual disciple saw a need in community, as a result a new congregation was started and discipleship was carried on. In summation concerning the point of measurable outcomes leadership should assess individuals in their ability to be part of community and their ability to form community. A successful disciple-follower will reproduce the discipleship model in different context outside of the original community. This must be seen as the most important measurable objective of this discipleship structure. Base Path of Development (Measurable Steps) A base path of development should also be considered at this point in the development of a discipleship structure. These steps should be assessed on both a corporate and an individual level. The larger context of the local church should benefit from the advancement of discipleship efforts. This would be the measurable steps assessed in the corporate context. However, it should also be seen that assessment on an individual level is needed. Furthermore, the benefit to the church is not one of a superficial nature. The church itself should be seen as being reproducible. The goal is to build from smallest to largest. The smallest being individual disciples and the largest being the reproduction and continued proliferation of church planting movements. The symbiotic relationship that exists between the corporate and the individual nature of discipleship is seen by the statements of Dennis McCallum who disciples through a process of, â€Å"using one-on-one or one-on-two relationships to h elp people who have only recently met Christ and need help just getting started at the most rudimentary  level.† 23 However, this is also integral to the model of reproduction. The above quote points to the greater implication of multiplication. McCallum goes on to point that; â€Å"Each home church in Xenos seeks to replicate itself within one to four years, depending on the type of group. To succeed, the home church must raise up a new team of leaders and double the size of the group.† 24 In short, it should be seen that a measurable outcome in the discipleship process of Fairway Church it the reproduction rate of both discipleship groups and church plants. As one evaluates the outcomes of developing disciple-followers there must be an emphasis placed on the corporate reproduction as well as the individual reproduction of disciples. As individuals are encouraged to â€Å"disciple on† there should be an understanding that an organic structure driven toward reproductive fellowships (i.e. church in whatever context) must be realized. Therefore, it must be noted that two measurable outcomes must be considered. First, are individuals making disciples? Second, are these disciples forming relational fellowships built around the tenants of church? If these two outcomes are not seen leadership should re-assess and equip individual disciples to continue by other means. This is key to the understanding of measureable outcomes in the context of the above discipleship st ructure. Furthermore, individuals should be encouraged to be experimental in their application of biblical teaching in the context of discipleship. One reads in the book the Trellis and the Vine concerning this theme: â€Å"†¦just as some sort of framework is needed to help a vine grow, so Christian ministries also need some structure and support. It may not be much, but at the very least we need somewhere to meet, some Bibles to read from, and some basic structures of leadership within our group.† 25  It should therefore, be embodied in the relationship between structure and organic growth that a supportive leadership model gives guidance but not directives. The goal should be to keep first things first in the context of community application. There should be a solid vein of doctrinal agreement, leadership authority, and oversight. However, this does not mean that the communities are manipulated to look alike in any context. A vibrant community of faith should be one in which the practical application of doctrinal belief binds a community together rather than driving them apart. Encompassing Vision Statement Furthermore there should be an encompassing vision for any discipleship structure. The vision of a group must be well defined in order to keep the group as a whole motivated and driven toward a goal. A successful leader will continually measure the progress of the group. This leader should also be willing adjust the methods used as needed. Transformative leadership is leadership that must not be fixated with plans but capable of accomplishing goals through working and changing with the group. Vision, it seems should be viewed in a dualistic nature. Vision can be a catalyst or a nail in a coffin. Darrin Patrick notes this in his book Church Planter. He comments that a pastor without grace is a man characterized as, â€Å"a blind man elected to a professorship of optics, philosophizing upon light and vision, discoursing upon and distinguishing to others the nice shades and delicate blendings of the prismatic colours, while he himself is absolutely in the dark!† 26 It must be seen therefore, that vision can be very dangerous if given from the wrong perspective and through the wrong person. However, this should not lead one to think it unwise to have vision. Paul is noted as have thought strategically about vision. In short, it must be seen that vision does not trump strategic thinking and strategic thinking does not cancel out the value of vision. One reads concerning this that, â€Å"Paul had two checks in his spirit and an open vision, but it wasn’t until he concluded—put all these things together cognitively—that he knew where the Spirit was leading.† 27 It should be therefore, that the leader of a discipleship effort should seek to combine an open vision with cognitive practical thought. Therefore, in considering the above exposition concerning the proposed discipleship structure of Fairway Church there should be a desire to define a vision built in the notion of Paul. This vision should be moldable as well as practical. At this point individuals should see the following vision statement as functional as well as doctrinal and spirit formed. Fairway Church discipleship exists to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to all those outside the walls of this church. We will live missionally, give sacrificially, and never stop encouraging others to join us on our way to Jesus. This vision should be implemented to encourage individuals to successfully accomplish the goals of discipleship. In conjunction with leadership on a personal level it is hoped that people will be motivated toward replicating the discipleship structure on their own. Identification and Description of Characteristics  of the Target Group The target group of this discipleship model is two fold. These two groups are best and most easily identified as follows: Church Attenders and believers  Un-churched and De-churched peoples Each of the above groups listed groups possess its own challenges as well as concerns. However, the success of this structure must be gauged in its ability to mesh the two together. First, one must integrate the existing resources of people and facilities toward accomplishing a greater understanding of evangelism in the context of discipleship. Ed Stetzer speaks of this by emphasizing the importance of a successful, â€Å"evangelistic strategy. â€Å"28 he points out that such a strategy, â€Å"requires stages, helping people move from the ranks of the inactive and unreached to being active followers of Jesus Christ.† 29 Therefore, these steps must start with those who already believe. Furthermore, this provides great comfort to the leader. Community in this seed group or core group will help not only to build new leaders but also give courage to the one in place. As the group develops and begins to implement the strategy of discipleship momentum will build and individuals will become bolder in their discipleship efforts. Second, one must seek to broaden the base from which the discipleship efforts can begin to take shape. This stage would further develop the core values of engagement and relationship building. In a sense this stage would be the branching out stage. Individuals from the core would be encouraged to engage, care for, and build relationships with their community. In this  process these individuals would seek to understand and acknowledge the individuals that can be identified with the un-churched and the de-churched. This however, may seem a daunting task. However, when placed in context it should be seen that this task, although daunting, could be accomplished. One term seems to predominantly describe those that remain outside the church. The term of post-modern has taken on a prolific hatred in the contemporary American church. Yet, the hope remains that through engaging this culture there can be Gospel work accomplished. First, one should understand what a â€Å"post-modern† person is. Stanley Grenz notes that post-modernism is, â€Å"a questioning, and even rejection of the Enlightenment project and the foundational assumptions upon which it was built, namely, that knowledge is certain, objective, and inherently good.† 30 In examining this definition the church may react rather than respond. However, the church should ask itself whether this shift is necessarily a bad thing. Gabe Lyons notes that over all, â€Å"Americans are spiritual, but they have begun to seek spiritual experiences outside the framework of traditional religions.† 31 If this is the case than why should the church be frightful of reaching out to engage this cultural shift? In a sense should not such a culture find value in Christian community? Not to say that Christian community should bend to accommodate but that a mentality defined by, â€Å"Think, hence I am† 32 by its very tenant, accommodates one who acknowledges Christ. Therefore, the church should seek to engage this group in an effort to integrate them into greater biblical community. The question is well phrased when reading, â€Å"What if it’s (the post modern culture) actually a harnessable wind that can refill the sails of our faith?† 33 Action Plan An action plan should further the discipleship effort of Fairway Church. This plan should be all encompassing as well as directed toward the context of each individual target group. The following steps should be taken in the goal to accomplish successful discipleship in the congregation of Fairway Church. The activities should be seen the context of two activities of a Biblical context. These activities can be defined as net casting and pulling  in the nets. First, one should see the first steps of the action plan as a net casting activity. These steps include the cultivation of existing believers and the utilization (pulling in) of such to broaden the discipleship pool. In a sense one is casting nets into the relevant communities in order to find the workers for discipleship. These individuals are then brought into the discipleship conversation as a means to parlay such resources toward the greater community. In this step of action one seeks to find where God is already working an d align themselves in an effort to have greater community impact toward making disciples of the un-churched and de-churched. Second, this step should be repeated on a broader scale. It is in this second step of action that one should look for areas in which the church can truly make a difference. In this context Christians should be encouraged to build relationships by engaging the culture around them. The net casting in this step is defined by the individual disciples living on task and on journey in their community context. Continual long-term engagement should be encouraged at this point. Furthermore, this second step should be defined by the individual efforts of disciples to become more involved in the lives of those outside the church. Although, disciples should be encouraged to invite disciples to Christian activities the main point is to form valuable organic relationships with those in the community. This step is hugely important to the continual development of discipleship efforts. Scope and Sequence Plan Scope and sequence planning should be seen as important as well. In such an assessment there should be adequate evaluation given to the curriculum, calendar, and personnel needed to accomplish the goals of the discipleship efforts. It is in this portion of development that one may see the options as limitless. However, for the sake of being organic it should be noted that scope and sequence planning should be a minimalistic activity. Curriculum must be seen as standardized. Regardless, as to which group or facet of the discipleship structure, there should be a successful implementation of curriculum. It is the suggestion of this paper that there should be an emphasis placed on book studies. These studies however, should be developed from practical to theological and from larger group to smaller. As individuals who already self identify as disciples arise in congregations they should immediately be integrated in a cohort structure of discipleship training. The curriculum for such a group should be focused on training and empowering these individuals to cast nets for themselves and train future disciples. Each cohort should last no more than six weeks and should consist of a high level of accountability. These groups should be no more than six participants in number. This number should allow for adequate leadership and training. In this context there should be a practical book such as For the City by Darrin Patrick and Matt Carter. In conjunction to this there should also be a Theologically significant book such as The surprising Offense of Gods Love by Jonathan Leeman. To second these efforts there should also be practical training involved. Each disciple should also be engaged for up to three weeks after the initial cohort. Each disciple-follower would be encouraged in this time to begin a personal outreach to his or her local community. Creativity would be emphasized and applauded. The leader of the cohort would be there only in a supportive role. Budget and Communication Tools and Techniques A budget plan should also be taken into consideration. However, with an emphasis on an organic model and structure, the budget should also be very minimalistic. Within the confines of such a structure the main cost would be book materials. Although individuals can be encouraged to buy the books there should be adequate understanding on the part of leadership. Books should be purchased in bulk and distributed at cost to leaders of individual groups. This budgetary model should be seen as helpful in several ways. However, the lower the cost the more likely reproduction will be. Individual participants should be encouraged to take ownership of the discipleship model and its proliferation. Too many churches have launched into discipleship efforts with an emphasis on church structural centrality. This in turn has made the portrayed model barren not easily reproduced. This mistake should be avoided  at all cost. Bibliography Bevins, Winfield. Grow: Reproducing through Organic Discipleship. Resurgence , 2009. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Christian Community. New York , NY: Harper Collins , 1954. Bonhoeffer, Detrich. The Cost of Discipleship . New York , NY : Thouchstone, 1959. Chan, Francis. Multiply: Diciples Making Disciples. Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2012. Coleman, Dr. Robert E. The Master Plan of Evangelism . Grand Rapids , MI: Revell Books , 1993. Descartes, Rene. Discourse on the Method and the Meditations . New York , NY: Cosimo, Inc, 2008 ESV Study Bible. Wheaton , IL: Crossway Bibles , 2008. Grenz, Stanley J., interview by Rogier Bos. Next Wave Interview (1999). Leeman, Jonathan. The Church and the Surprising Offense of God’s Love: Reintroducing the Doctrines of Church Membership and Discipline . Wheaton , IL: Crossway Books , 2010. Lyons, Gabe. The NExt Christians: Seven Ways you Can Live the Gospel and Restore the World. Colorado Springs, Co: Multnomah Books , 2012. Marshall , Colin , and Tony Payne . The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-Shift that Changes Everything. Kingsford : Matthias Media , 2009. McCallum , Dennis , and Jessica Lowery . Organic Discipleship: Mentoring Others Into Spiritual Maturity and Leadership. New Paradigm Publishing , 2006. Patrick , Darrin, and Matt Carter . For the City: Proclaiming and Living out the Gospel. Grand Rapids , Mi: Zondervan , 2012. Patrick, Darrin. Church Planter: The Man, The Message, The Mission. Wheaton , IL: Crossway, 2010. Patrick, Darrin, and Carter Matt. For the City: Proclaiming and Living Out the Gospel. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Scrivener, Fredrick. Interlinear Greek New Testament Bible (Kindle Edition). 2010. Stetzer, Ed. Comeback Churches: How 300 Churches Turned Around and Yours Can Too. Nashville, TN: B & H Publishing Group, 2007. Gospel [in] Life . Performed by Timothy Keller Redeemer City to City . Viola, Frank. Finding Organic Church. Colorado Springs , CO: David C. Cook.

To what extent does wealth equate with happiness Essay

To what extent does wealth equate with happiness - Essay Example This was considered after recognizing that personal happiness has not increased in the Western countries regardless of the growth experienced in economic wealth (Penec, 2008:18). Brandon Keim noticed the same trend in China, where the Chinese have not achieved any life satisfaction from the two decades of speedy economic growth. The wealthy people are a bit happier than before, the middle class have not had any changes while life satisfaction for the poor has decreased sharply. This indicates flaws in the conventional system used to examine life satisfaction and happiness. Keim refers to a research conducted by Easterlin, an economist, who discovered that money only created happiness to a certain degree after which, people returned to the usual. Easterlin concluded that money could not buy happiness because after some crucial needs are met, life satisfaction begins to decline with increasing income. Of course, many theorists disapproved this theory (Keim, 2012). Domestic product incr eased by four times but surveys conducted in China showed a decrease in personal satisfaction. Could Easternlin’s theory or paradox be right after all? The wealth in China seems to be concentrated among the few wealthiest people, therefore, the surveys could have indicated just how much the Chinese people resent inequality. However, Penec’s article shows that money increases individual happiness but when the entire society becomes wealthy, people do not feel prosperous. People feel happy after they achieve a certain financial status but they get used to it and take it for granted. Other factors also play a role in an individual’s happiness, for example, type of job, stress levels, and environment factors (Penec, 2008:18). An article on The Economist, a weekly newspaper, analysed the situation in China indicating gain that the Chinese masses are not happy with their situation. In ancient China, Chinese leaders ruled by ensuring that their subjects were happy. Thi s is not the case with the country experiencing over five hundred protests every day. This shows that the people are not happy despite the immense economic success that China enjoys today. The main problem is the gap created between the wealthy and the poor, which has resulted to inequality among Chinese citizens where the poor are in a struggling situation while the wealthy decide on the country’s economy. The article tries to show that the people’s happiness does not depend entirely on a rapid economic growth but relies on proper distribution of a country’s expanding wealth (The Economist, 2012). Tim Weber, an editor, claims that there is a research that shows that money makes people happier. The only problem is that economists are finding it hard to describe happiness, therefore, making it hard to measure it. Weber notes that a high gross domestic product translates to a lower chid morality, better education, and better quality of life. These are some of the factors that economists measure when they explain happiness. Weber writes that though an individual can earn more money than everyone else, some factors such as education, literacy, life’s longevity, and health, can only reach to a certain level, therefore, an economist’s happiness cannot exceed a certain level. Weber also indicates that happiness is subjective meaning that people have

If terrorism ever justify Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

If terrorism ever justify - Essay Example A review of key studies done regarding terrorism show that it is not an easy topic to discuss much less understand. They point out that terrorism has deep roots in socio-political issues and as such have a great range of motivations and objectives (Edwards). It is for the same reason that the debate on whether terrorism can be justified or not is hard to settle. In general, most materials have been very critical of terrorist acts, citing their indiscriminate and long-term impact. There are also common assumption about who terrorists are and who are against it. At the same time, Jenkins says that there is an assumption that terrorism is always subversive or against social institutions. Singh points out that the radical ideas at the core of terrorism are not new or unique. It is considered as a valid military strategy and has been used successfully in many military campaigns among the world's greatest civilizations (377-379). At the same time, Jenkins points out that in consideration alone of the worldwide response to recent terrorist activities, there is no denying that it can be used against perceived abusers (71).

Response Paper #3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Response Paper #3 - Essay Example The short story ‘Recitatif’ by Toni Morrison brings out the racial relations in America even after the country became free and slavery was system was destroyed. The story essentially focuses on the friendship between two girls of opposite races meeting as children. They meet at St. Bonny’s and are roommates. They are similar in many ways. The most ambiguous part is the identification of their race, which is not clearly mentioned for any of them. Initially it seems that Twyla is white and Roberta is black but later in the middle of the story it seems the opposite and then again the vision somewhat changes towards the end of the story. However after careful examination of the details one would say that Roberta is black. The most important part here is the racial difference. The difference is so severe that it is carried over to the children in schools. Towards the end of the story one finds the mothers (racially opposite groups) fighting for their rights. The story outlines the typical life style of an Afro-American girl who drops in and out of school and could not read. She (Roberta) is taken to drugs and wears large earrings, curls and has an appointment to meet Jimi Hendrix, a black singer. However when she meets Twyla after several years, she behaves coldly towards her. Later she explains it was because of the racial social structure –â€Å"Twyla, you know how it was in those days: black-white. You know how everything was† (Morrison, 255). The inner bonding between the two girls is quite strong and prominent but the social structure prevents them from free expression of the affection they share. They make it up in the end and Roberta, who accused Twyla of kicking a black woman Maggie (who perhaps was not black at all), clarifies her mistake to Twyla and explains that she need not carry the guilt anymore. The friendship

Investments, Corp. Finance and Financial Markets Essay

Investments, Corp. Finance and Financial Markets - Essay Example This has adverse effects on the financial institution such as insolvency and therefore banks employ the 5 C’s of Credit Scoring to evaluate whether or not a person should be entitled to a loan. The 5 C’s are based on the characteristics of the borrower and are explained in detail as follows. Character- The bank seeks basic information from the borrower such as his trustworthiness, integrity, work, reputation based on previous history with lenders, any defaults. Some of this information could be accessed easily through credit reports. A credit report is a report generated by the Credit Reference Bureau detailing information on a person’s credit history including identifying information, credit accounts and loans, bankruptcies, late payments and enquiries. Because credit history shall make up the biggest percentage of a borrower’s eventual credit score, it makes sense that he focuses his attention on that factor. This helps evaluate whether he is credit worthy. Capital- The borrower’s equity or net worth is checked in comparison to the amount he so wishes to borrow. If the capital invested is way below the amount borrowed, then that could raise red flags in his ability to repay the loan. Capacity- The borrower is gauged on his sufficiency of yielding positive cash flows during the loan repayment period and the amount is pre-calculated using different analysis criteria such as the Net Present Value, Profitability Index. If he passes this stage, he has to provide a credible plan on his willingness to repay his loan when it’s due. Conditions- Economic conditions dictate whether a loan should be granted to a borrower. For instance, in periods of economic recovery or boom, it is safe for a borrower to be granted a loan because chances of him defaulting are minimal. However, in the recession period, it’s most likely that the borrower will not be in a position to fully settle his obligations and therefore banks

Social work (choose any two different topic to write on) Research Paper

Social work (choose any two different topic to write on) - Research Paper Example es, there is a dire need of benefit programs to assist the struggling drug addicts, but such programs should not be used to finance the illegal use of drugs. According to the article, many individuals miss on employment opportunities if they fail the drug test. The editorial supports this liberal view. Liberals emphasize that discrimination will maintain the illegal status of the distribution and sale of illegal drugs. According to liberals, such forced drug testing will hurt the right of individuals such as civil rights and welfare transfers to the poor citizens. Liberals advocate for drug abuse legalization rather than forced drug testing or decriminalization in the welfare transfers. Liberals generally assert that drug abuse problem is as a result of social, cultural or psychological causes and mainly stems from inequality in the society. According to liberals, controlling drug problem should entail rehabilitation through education, employment opportunities generation and social skills enhancement. According to liberals, the solution to drug abuse would be to legalize drugs since individuals are capable of making rational choices of their happiness and lifestyles and abstain from drugs that are relatively harmful such as cocaine. The liberals support government-funded drug abus e treatment with minimum punishments and drug testing as an unwarranted intrusion on people’s privacy and liberty (Yee, 3). On the other hand, conservatives advocate for stringent crime control models like discrimination in social welfare transfers or lengthy imprisonment terms for people convicted of drug abuse. Conservatives try to maintain the status quo by asserting the drug abusers generally fail to succeed in the overall economic or political system thus making irrational choices that puts them in to trouble with the authorities. Conservatives advance the use of threat of punishment in order to control drug abuse thus rewarding a drug user with social benefits is immoral.

The Sports Restaurant (Final Paper) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Sports Restaurant (Final Paper) - Essay Example critical skills and abilities needed to start and run the proposed business would come from the management team with the following skills: entrepreneurial, leadership and management, communication, problem-solving, conflict-negotiation, and genuine enthusiasm as well as knowledge in running a restaurant. It would make money through effective strategies using the 4Ps: Product: since the core competency of the sports restaurant is the use of very healthy and high protein organic food and supplements, as well as the preparation food could be tailored according to the customers’ distinct tastes and preferences, the restaurant is expected to be appealing to the health conscious clientele. Place: to be situated in commercial district where business or even universities abound. Price: competitively priced since sources of raw materials could be supplied by local dairies, farms, and reliable suppliers. Promotions: initially in local advertising medium: radio, flyers, posters, to name a

Health Science and Medicine and CDC Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Health Science and Medicine and CDC - Coursework Example According to the study  the chain management said that they are tracking the handling of their ingredients from the farmer to the restaurant to ensure all standards were followed and improved. The cases of microbial contamination of food are out of control and can be scary hence individuals are advised to cautious. One way of protecting oneself from this situation is through consuming home cooked foods and avoiding manufactured or packaged food.This research highlights that ninety-four percent of soybeans and seventy-two percent of corn grown in the country are genetically engineered. This is done for them to be able to withstand Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide or glyphosate. A study done in 2008 established a link between Roundup and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. An early study made a connection between high rates of DNA damage in populations that had been aerially sprayed. This shows there is a valid reason for concern about GMO foods and the health impacts. Further environm ental concerns have also been raised. On is that, because a majority of GMO crops are engineered to withstand certain types of herbicides, targeted weeds are becoming highly resistant to the herbicides. This means that more of the toxic chemicals have to be used to fight them. Based on the amount evidence presented, environmental concerns seem to be more valid but this is not to say health concerns should be ignored.

A)The impact of misrepresentation, mistake, duress and undue influence Essay

A)The impact of misrepresentation, mistake, duress and undue influence on the validity of a contract.b)The circumstances in whic - Essay Example For a statement to be actionable misrepresentation, it must satisfy several requirements: it must be a statement by one party of a contract, to the other party. A misrepresentation by a third party, as a general rule, shall have no effect to the contract. The statement must have been of an existing fact or law, but not an opinion (Bisset v Wilkinson). Finally, the misrepresentation must have formed part of the reason why the claimant entered into the contract. The effect of misrepresentation in a contract generally, is that it makes the contract voidable at the option of the innocent party. That is, the contract remains valid, but may be set aside by the innocent party. However, the remedy available to the innocent party depends on the type of misrepresentation. There are three types of misrepresentation: Innocent misrepresentation, negligent misrepresentation and fraudulent misrepresentation. Once one has established presence of misrepresentation, the next course of action is to det ermine the type of misrepresentation in order to determine the remedy available. There are several remedies available. The contract may be rescinded under the common law; damages may be recovered under the Misrepresentation Act 1967: the tort of deceit can provide further avenues to claim damages. Rescission is available for all types of misrepresentation. Rescission involves returning the parties to their pre-contractual position, as though the contract was never entered into; any party that has already gained benefit is required to make it up for the other party. The injured party may rescind the contract by giving notice to the injured party or by any act evidencing rescission. However, rescission is an equitable remedy, given at the discretion of the court. Some things act as a bar to rescission. They include where the injured party affirms the contract by, with full knowledge of misrepresentation, they expressly state they wish to proceed with the contract. Secondly, where the innocent party fails to take action within a reasonable time, the equitable right is lost. Finally, the court will not order rescission if restitution in integrum is impossible: that is, the parties cannot be restored to their original positions. Secondly, the injured party may recover damages under the tort of deceit. This happens if there is fraudulent misrepresentation. Additionally, for negligent misrepresentation, the injured party may recover under the tort of negligent misstatement. In Royscott v Rogerson [1991] 2 QB 297, it was held that the principle of fraudulent misrepresentation under the tort of deceit also applies to negligent misrepresentation. The purpose of damages is to restore the innocent party to their pre-contractual position. The injured party recovers all the direct loss incurred as result of the fraudulent misrepresentation. If there is innocent misrepresentation, the remedies available is rescission or damages in lieu of rescission. The innocent party canno t claim both. Mistake Mistake exists when one or both parties to the contract believe that an event or a condition exists when in reality it does not. One of the key requirements of existent of a contract is that the parties must be at consensus ad idem, that is, both parties must have a uniform understanding on the terms of the contract. Mistake negates the presence of a common mind understanding meaning that

Case Study of Changing the Business Model of NovoCure Ltd

Case Study of Changing the Business Model of NovoCure Ltd Introduction: Novocure is a privately held medical device company focusing on the treatment of various types of cancers. It has developed NovoTTF 100A device that uses specially tuned, low intensity electric fields called Tumor Treating fields to disrupt the divisions of cancer cells. The Tumor Treating fields are applied to the tumor region using non-invasive insulated electrodes placed on patients scalp. The electrodes which look like bandages are attached to a battery operated portable device that generates the fields. NovoTTF 100A device has completed pivotal trials for Recurrent Glioblastoma successfully. NovoCure needs to transform itself quickly from a research oriented organization to commercial business once it receives the Pre-Market Approval for the treatment of Recurrent Glioblastoma using NovoTTF 100A. This would require several capabilities to be built within a short time frame. A new business model needs to be developed. Tumor Treating Fields is an oncology therapy that needs to be delivered by a portable hardware, which apparently is a new delivery model for the oncologists, neurosurgeons and even for patients for that matter. There are various challenges which need to be addressed with this business model especially how this therapy should be provided to patients. NovoCure needs to choose a distribution and service delivery model, billing and reimbursement process. NovoCure also needs to ramp up its manufacturing and establish a supply chain management process to ensure reliable product availability. It also has to build patient and physician support infrastructure around the world. NovoCure has the potential to generate huge revenues from the cancer treatment using Tumor Treating Fields technology. NovoCure had to find a way to finance their path to market. NovoCure would also like to retain commercial rights to all possible cancer indications. But, getting to the future needs funding. NovoCure would need an additional $35 million to file the PMA application for recurrent glioblastoma, complete the non small cell lung cancer pilot trial and complete the two year enrollment of the pivotal trial for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. There were three options available for NovoCure which included attracting additional venture capital firms, approaching a strategic corporate partner and/or attracting a significant angel Investor. Recommendation 1: Attract a strategic corporate partner to fund $35 million to get to the future. Since the elements of the strategic fit of NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields with the chemotherapy manufacturers is apparent, NovoCure is expected to generate significant interest among the manufacturers of chemortherapy agents. NovoCures TTFields technology can be used to make chemotherapy more effective. TTFields could be prescribed in conjunction with the chemotherapies. This can provide an advantage to NovoCure because NovoCure can exploit the existing elaborate global distribution infrastructures of the pharmaceutical companies to market therapies to oncologists and patients. The commercial life of TTFields is long compared to the chemotherapy drugs. As a result TTFields can make each drug better in its turn as the new chemotherapy drugs are developed. Since NovoCure is not really keen on licensing out any of its target cancer indications, NovoCure can approach in-house venture funds of the large pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer, Johnson Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline which have established investment organizations managing significant assets. These funds will not only bring equity financing, but also the credibility and halo effect of having passed the inspection by a leading industry player. The leading venture capital firms who are known for making quick decisions were at a stand-still due to the liquidity crisis when NovoCure was in a critical stage. As a result raising additional venture capital was not an option. Although attracting venture philanthropy is a feasible option, NovoCure will not get the advantage to exploit the global distribution infrastructures which is apparently available when they attract a strategic partner. As a result NovoCure should attract a strategic partner to fund for $35 million to go forward. Recommendation 2: Hire Management Consulting teams to analyze existing business problems/challenges and develop plans for improvement. NovoCure needs to transform itself quickly from a research oriented organization with only 38 employees worldwide to commercial business. This transformation would result in many changes and create many challenges which need to be addressed. NovoCure might need assistance from a Management Consulting firm which is experienced in Change Management assistance. The Change Management needs a structured approach to be followed to transform Individuals, teams and organizations from a current state to desired future state. It is an organizational process which is aimed at helping employees accept and embrace changes in their current business environment. Various types of organization changes where NovoCure might need assistance are strategic changes, technological changes, structural changes and changes in the attitudes and behaviors of personnel which can be provided by experienced Management Consulting firms. If we look at the statistics, Annual occurrence of human glioblastoma in only United States, Europe and Japan is 20,000 25,000 cases. Apart from these countries, if NovoCure wants to expand to the Asian Markets as well, there will be a huge influx in demand once the PMA approval for recurrent glioblastoma is obtained. In this case, NovoCure might have to set up their bases in different parts of the world for manufacturing the devices. It also needs to focus on providing support infrastructure, choosing product delivery model and choosing payment services. In this case, NovoCure might need assistance from a Management Consulting firm which can bring their experience to plan for development of coaching skills within the organization and operational improvement services. NovoCure can try to adopt the Supply Chain and Operational model which is implemented by the successful companies like Dell or Wal-Mart for the Operations process which will be very crucial after the PMA approval with the help of experienced Management Consulting Firms. Recommendation 3: Invest on Innovation, Research and Development to start trials on different forms of cancer in parallel and to provide price and product differentiation for various types of cancer treatment. One of the major issue/draw back with NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields device is that the cost of the device is exorbitantly high. It would be difficult for NovoCure to reach wide customer base (Customers in this context will include physicians who will prescribe the treatment/device, drug stores who will distribute the device and patients who will use the device) with such a high price. NovoCure needs to investigate in its Research and Development to innovate on producing price and product differentiation. Although the Product is portable, it is comparatively big especially because it has to be worn throughout the day. NovoCure needs to reduce this patient treatment time and also try to reduce the size and weight of the product. Cancer can occur for various types of patients depending on age, stages of cancer and medical condition. NovoCure can innovate on these lines by providing different versions of the product for different age group, stages of cancer and different medical conditions. Ex: Very young age / Old age and Individuals with prolonged medical problems need to be provided a product with extensive features to cure their disease. If NovoCure has to expand to Asian Markets where there is a huge population of middle class people, NovoCure needs to provide this Price and Product differentiation to customize products and charge customers closer to their reservation price. Although NovoCure is conducting clinical trials for different types of cancer, this process needs to accelerated. Innovation and Clinical trials for different types of cancer needs to carried in parallel. NovoCure need to hire skilled individuals from all over the world for this process. The Management Consulting firm would help NovoCure in this whole process. NovoCure needs to expand its RD base and start clinical trials for different types of cancer in this way. Summary: NovoCures Tumor Treating Fields Technology can be used effectively as Blue Ocean Strategy to Market their products especially because of minimal side effects compared to other chemotherapies. NovoCure needs to raise funds for conducting clinical trials which can be achieved by attracting a strategic investor. Once they raise funds, they also need to analyze and solve the business challenges which can be done and taking help from Management Consulting firms. NovoCure also needs to continue its innovation process to roll out different products with price and product differentiation to reach wide customer base. With NovoCure, World can be a better place for cancer patients to live in and the Cancer Patients all over the world can say Never, never, never give up.

Cannabis Use in Canada: Legislation and the Future

Cannabis Use in Canada: Legislation and the Future Crime refers to behaviors that are a violation of codified law. However, the exact definition of crime is complex and ever-changing, as it depends on social, political and economic factors. For example, what may be considered a crime one day, may be seen as legal the next (Law Commission, 2004). This concept is exemplified by the evolution of laws regarding the possession of cannabis that has occurred throughout the years in Canada. Ever since cannabis and its derivatives have been introduced in Canada years ago, government prohibition of it has been the subject of an ongoing debate of whether it should be legalized or not. Proponents of cannabis use argue that there are numerous medical benefits and that the drug is no more harmful than tobacco or alcohol (CAMH, 2014). Therefore, prohibiting cannabis intrudes on an individuals fundamental freedoms. On the other hand, opponents argue that cannabis is too dangerous; its legalization would increase the chances of the drug falling into the hands of children and that cannabis use often progresses to the use of more dangerous drugs like heroin and cocaine (Evans, 2013). This paper analyzes the current approach to possession of cannabis in Canada, paying close attention to relevant laws and legal cases. This paper will further argue that from a variety of approaches to deal with cannabis, legalization is the most useful and effective method. Background Cannabis, primarily derived from the female plant, Cannabis sativa, is believed to have evolved on the steppes of Central Asia. The history of cannabis use goes back as far as 12,000 years, which places the plant among humanitys oldest cultivated crops (CAMH, 2014). The first record of the drugs medicinal use dates to 4000 B.C. where it was used as an anesthetic during surgery. From the 17th to the mid 20th century, standardized cannabis found their way into British and US pharmacopoeias and was widely used in western medicine, often considered a household drug used for treating various kinds of ailment ranging from headaches and toothaches to menstrual cramps (MacQueen, 2013). Cannabis eventually fell out of use in western medicine, and was banned in most countries as part of national and international drug control legislation that was originally designed to control traffic in opiates but was extended to include a broad range of other psychoactive agents. However, in the 1970s, cann abis use rose dramatically and became a part of the youth culture due to its mood and perception altering properties, which made it a recreational drug of choice for many individuals (Blaszczak-Boxe, 2014). Throughout its long history, parts of the cannabis plant have been smoked, chewed, eaten, and even brewed for its effects on the human biochemistry. Marijuana- also called weed, pot, grass, reefer, and a vast number of other slang terms- comes primarily from the flower part of the cannabis plant and is one of the most abused drugs in the world (Evans, 2013). There are hundreds of compounds in marijuana, but the chemical responsible for the drugs psychoactive effects is tetrahydrocannbinol, or THC. Marijuana affects two main parts of the human body, the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system (CAMH, 2014). The central nervous system, which mainly controls thoughts and registers sensations throughout the body, can be impacted through varying doses of marijuana. For example, a low dose of marijuana results in a sense of well being and drowsiness/relaxation (Ponto et al., 2004). As the dose increases, other effects tend to come in, usually altered sense of time and sensory a wareness. At much higher to extreme doses, paranoia, hallucinations, panic attacks and delusions have been reported to occur. The cardiovascular system can be affected by cannabis use through increased heart rate and dilation of eye blood vessels. There can also be difficulties in body movement and coordination as the dosage of cannabis increases (Ponto et al., 2004). As with some other psychoactive drugs, the use of cannabis is not benign. Research has found both benefits and harms associated with cannabis use. Cannabis has therapeutic qualities and many people consume it for its psychoactive effects (Room et al., 2010). A number of the potentially useful effects have been well studied and confirmed scientifically in both experimental animals and human volunteers and patients. One of these is the moderately good analgesic action, principally against chronic musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain (Evans, 2013). Furthermore, only about ten percent of individuals who consume the drug become dependent, a rate that is extremely low in comparison to other illicit and legal drugs. In fact, tobacco, a drug that is considered legal in Canada, has a dependency rate of 32% (Health Canada, 2015). The potential for harm exists, particularly for people who consume it frequently or begin using in adolescence. These harms include impairment of learning, memory, alertness, reaction speed and judgment (Babor et al., 2010). Those who are dependent on cannabis have been documented to face both cardiovascular and respiratory issues such as chronic bronchitis. In addition, research suggests that high levels of cannabis use can be linked to lung and prostate cancer (Room et al., 2010). Despite the negative effects of high levels of cannabis use, it is crucial to acknowledge the fact that most individuals do not become dependent on the drug. Rather, most will experiment with cannabis use only a few times in their life (Room et al., 2010). Canada has one of the highest rates of cannabis use in the world. Despite the existence of serious criminal penalties for possessing, producing, and selling cannabis, the 2013 Canadian Tobacco, Alcohol and Drugs Survey found that 40% of Canadians have used cannabis in their lifetime and about 10% report having used it in the past year (Health Canada, 2015). Additionally, the survey indicates that Canadian youth aged 15 to 19 are more likely to consume cannabis than adult Canadians. In fact, Canadian adolescents have among the highest rates of cannabis use compared to their peers in other developed countries (UNICEF Office of Research, 2013). According to the 2012 Canadian Community Health survey, 22.4% of youth aged 15 to19 reported past-year use of cannabis and in total, youth use cannabis at a rate 2.5 times higher than adults aged 25 and older (Statistics Canada, 2015). In view of these statistics, it is unsurprising that cannabis is widely available throughout Canada and that a w ell-established cannabis market exists in Canada. Laws surrounding the possession of Cannabis in Canada In Canada, cannabis use became illegal in 1923 after the Act to Prohibit the Improper Use of Opium and other Drugs added cannabis to the list of illicit substances. Cannabis then became an illegal substance under the same category of harder drugs such as cocaine and heroin, despite lack of scientific or criminal correlations to suggest such categorization (CAMH, 2014). An increase in illicit drug use in the 1960s and 1970s was met by greatly increased criminalization and the associated individual and social costs. The strain on the courts, and the rising numbers of otherwise law-abiding youth being sentenced for recreational use of cannabis created pressures for the liberalization of Canadas drug laws. As a result, the Commission of Inquiry in the Non-Medical Use of Drugs in 1972 (commonly referred to as the Le Dain Commission) was formed to address the growing concern about drug use and appropriate responses. The Le Dain Commission concluded that drug prohibition, specifically canna bis use, results in high costs but relatively little benefit. The Le Dain Commission proposed that all criminal penalties associated with cannabis be removed, along with the development of less coercive and costly alternatives to punitive punishments, but was immediately rejected by the government at the time (Broughton, 2014). By the mid-1980s there was growing acknowledgement of the limitations of law enforcement in reducing the demand for drugs as the Canadian police forces were pursuing more cannabis arrests than ever before (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). As a result, in 1987, the Canadian federal government announced a harm reduction model approach to drug use to address substance use with both supply and demand reduction strategies. This model views drug use, particularly cannabis use, as an undeniable fact in society and seeks to reduce the harms caused by it rather than advocating abstinence (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). Despite this model, Canadas approach to cannabis was still largely a model of criminal prohibition. For example, Dian Riley of the Canadian Foundation for Drug Policy argues that this model is an ineffective and inappropriate drug policy that causes more harm than the drug itself (Broughton, 2014, p.4). In fact, since the first three years after the implementation of the program, the proportion of drug offenders in Canadas prison rose from 9 percent to 14 percent (Hathaway and Erickson 2003). The Controlled Drugs and Substances Act In 1997, there was the introduction of a new drug law that was meant to address some of the problems of past law and to adapt some of the positive experiences of other countries around the globe. The new law, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996), is Canadas federal drug control statute and establishes eight Schedules of controlled substances and two Classes of precursors. This act outlines penalties for possession, trafficking and production of the substances established as illegal, including cannabis (MacQueen, 2013). Under this act, cannabis and its derivatives are considered as schedule II drugs and possession of it is illegal (Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, 1996). However, due to R. v. Parker (2001), the Supreme Court of Canada declared that section 4 of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, which deals with the prohibition against possession of marijuana, was too broad insofar as it failed to create an exception for medical marijuana use. As such, in 2001 Health C anada issued a set of regulations giving individuals access to marijuana for medical purposes. The Medical Marihuana Access Regulations (2001), which went into effect in 2002, outlined two categories of individuals who may legally access marijuana prescribed by their doctor. These two categories mainly deal with individuals suffering from severe pain as a result of medical conditions. Individuals who have a medical condition described in category 1 or who are approved under category 2 can legally obtain medicinal marijuana distributed by the company CannaMed or can grow their own for personal consumption (Broughton, 2014). Thus, it is possible to have legal access to marijuana for medical purposes in Canada while recreational use of marijuana is still a criminal act. Despite the tough penalties in place, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)has been criticized for criminalizing drug users and its failure to reduce drug availability while at the same time the financial and human costs of criminating cannabis continue to rise. Additionally, analyses of current policy practices demonstrate a failure to achieve the set out goals of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)in reducing the consumption of cannabis (Broughton, 2014). Instead, criminalization has created further social issues. For example, an increase in arrests under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) has not led to a decrease in the use of marijuana, with around 60,000 Canadian arrested for simple possession every year. On the contrary, the number of distributors and consumers has only increased in recent years (Room et al., 2010, p.60). The experiences within Canadian courts also demonstrate the inefficiency of the current approach to cannabis. For example, th e case of R. v. Malmo-Levine (2003) deals with the possession of marijuana. Malmo-Levine was charged with possession and trafficking of marijuana. He argued that the criminalization and punishment of possession of marijuana goes against his rights as stated in section 7 in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Section 7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms declares that everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of the person and the right not to be deprived thereof except in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice (Canadian Charter, 1982, s 7). Malmo-Lavine argued that, by attaching a criminal penalty of imprisonment for simple possession of marijuana the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996)deprived him of liberty in a manner that is not in accordance with the principles of fundamental justice. Malmo-Lavine suggested that it is a principle of fundamental justice that the criminal law can only prohibit activities that cause some sort of harm, and the possession of marijuana does not constitute as harm to others(R. v. Malmo-Levine, 2003). Justice Arbour, in the dissenting opinion, stated that the criminalization of cannabis punishes those who pose little risk to society and limits their Charter rights. Nevertheless, the majority of the Supreme Court of Canada did not agree with Justice Arbours argument and instead ruled that the law against the recreational use of marijuana did not violate the Charter in any of the ways suggested by Malmo-Lavine (R. v. Malmo-Levine, 2003). The cases of Readhead (2008) and Evers (2011), further exemplifies how the approaches outlined in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) leads to unnecessary arrests and unfair targeting of individuals. In R. v. Readhead (2008), the accused was charged with the possession of marijuana and possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and was sentenced to a term of imprisonment of two and one half years. Readhead argued that the sentencing judge erred in his decision and asked for a fairer sentence. The British Columbia Court of Appeal stated that the sentence prescribed by the sentencing judge is within the proper scope of his judgment, but still reduced the sentence to two years less a day. As pointed out by the British Columbia Court of Appeal, Readheads past experience with the law, in which he has three previous charges for trafficking marijuana, did not deter or rehabilitate him in any way( R. v. Readhead, 2008). In R. v. Evers (2011), the accused was charged wi th the offences of unlawfully producing a controlled substance and possessing this substance for the purposes of trafficking. However, despite Everss lack of remorse for producing marijuana and her explicitly stating that she intended to continue her grow operation, the trial judge did not impose any jail time. The trial judge stated that there was no point in imprisoning Evers as doing so would only make her a martyr for the legalization of marijuana (R. v. Evers, 2011). Both of these cases show the ineffectiveness of the current law in deterring individuals from possessing and using cannabis. The prohibition of cannabis and criminalization of its users does not deter people from consuming it. The evidence on this point is clear: tougher penalties do not lead to lower rates of cannabis use (Chandra, 2014). Perhaps it is time that there should be an examination of the actual effects of cannabis on Canadians rather than blindly prohibiting the possession of cannabis. Alternatives to Cannabis Prohibition As discussed above, all available evidence indicates that the criminalization of cannabis use is ineffective, costly, and constitutes poor public policy. Globally, there is growing debate about the efficacy of criminalizing drugs such as cannabis, in particular that the health, social, economic and criminal harms of this approach outweighs any intended benefits (Chandra, 2014). As such, there are three main alternatives to full cannabis prohibition: decriminalization, partial prohibition and legalization. Models of cannabis decriminalization vary greatly, but generally involve removing possession of small amounts of cannabis from the sphere of criminal law. Essentially, prohibition remains, but instead of incarceration the use of cannabis becomes civil violations punishable by fines (Babor et al., 2010). Removing criminal penalties for cannabis possession should result in a reduction in both the number of individuals involved in the criminal justice system and the cost of enforcement , thus reducing the burden to individuals and to the legal system. Moreover, evidence suggests that a decriminalization approach can reduce some of the adverse social impacts of criminalization (CAMH, 2014). An example of a country that follows a decriminalization model is Portugal. Since the implementation of this system, Portugal has seen declines in substance misuse and in drugà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ related harm, a reduced burden on the criminal justice system, and a reduction in the use of illicit drugs by adolescents (Room et al., 2010). While it is not possible to conclusively attribute these trends in Portugal to a shift in decriminalization, these findings present strong support that at the very least, decriminalizing cannabis does not result in major problems. Partial prohibition regimes of cannabis possession are brought about by two distinct approaches, namely either de facto legalization or de jure legalization. Within the model of de facto legislation, cannabis use is formally prohibited by criminal law, yet applicable laws are not enforced and thus not sanctioned by any punitive interventions (Babor et al., 2010). Netherlands famously takes a de facto legalization approach to cannabis. Although the drug is still deemed illegal, personal use of cannabis is tolerated and is made available through dispensaries called coffee shops. Cannabis use or sale outside of the regulated spaces of these coffee shops is followed by police warnings or fines (Babor et al., 2010). In other words, personal cannabis use and supply to the end consumer in the Netherlands is regulated similarly to alcohol or tobacco use in many jurisdictions. One of the major benefits cited for the legally tolerated dispensaries is that it helps consumers from being exposed to illegal markets where there may be availability of harder drugs (Room et al., 2010). Evidence demonstrates that the Netherlands has a lower rate of cannabis use than in the United States which suggests that partial legalization of cannabis will not necessarily lead to an increase in use. Within the model of de jure legalization, personal use quantities are allowed to be carried and consumed by citizens. Punishments of cannabis use are either explicitly written into the drug statute or the scope of the law does not include cannabis possession (Chandra, 2014). These reforms have so far predominantly been aimed at selected places (e.g. the home) or at specific populations (e.g. medical marijuana users) (Babor et al., 2010). An example of a country that follows a de jure model of legalization is Spain. In Spain, possession or use of cannabis is prohibited by the law, yet there is no punishment or enforcement when involving small amounts. In 2002, Cannabis Social Clubs appeared in the country. These are non-commercial organizations of users who get together to cultivate and distribute enough cannabis to meet their personal needs without having to turn to the black market (Alonso, 2011, p. 2). Since, 2002 it is estimated that Cannabis Social Clubs have enabled several thou sand people to stop financing the black market and to know the quality and origin of what they are consuming, whilst creating jobs and tax revenue (Alonso, 2011). A third alternative that has been widely supported is legalization of cannabis with health-focused regulation. Legalization removes the social harms and costs associated with prohibition. In effect, legalization endorses marijuana as socially acceptable. It eliminates criminal penalties, reducing prices, increasing availability, and de-stigmatizing use (Broughton, 2014). Moreover, it is estimated that removing criminal and civil penalties for possession of cannabis would eliminate more than $ 1 billion dollars that is spent annually in Canada to enforce these ineffective laws (Evans, 2013). Advocates of legalization of cannabis point out that cannabis is no more harmful than alcohol or tobacco and should therefore be regulated in a similar fashion. In the same way that alcohol prohibition in Canada was an abject failure which promoted crime and actually loosened the federal governments control over the importation and production of the substance, cannabis can also be seen as leading down the same path (CAMH, 2014). Moreover, advocates in favor of cannabis legalization claim that cannabis use is not an act of criminal nature and thus the federal government does not have the authority to ban it. They further argue that cannabis is neither harmful nor immoral and thus only the province has the power to regulate the use, distribution, and sale of marijuana (CAMH, 2014). This argument would equate marijuana with alcohol, which is also regulated independently by the governments of each province. Like all drugs, cannabis use has negative outcomes (Evans, 2013). However, the evidence shows that this does not justify the prohibition of the drug. For example, legal substances such as alcohol and tobacco can be far more dangerous and addicting than cannabis can ever be capable of, but these substances are still considered legal in Canada. Instead of focusing on the evidence, the mere prohibition of cannabis use only leads to further harm for users. Some opponents of legalization fear that it would send the wrong message about the risks of cannabis. But current rates of cannabis use in Canada already suggest that youth are not getting the right message (MacQueen, 2013). For instance, despite prohibition, 23% of Ontarios high school students and 40% of young adults use cannabis. A 2013 UNICEF study of 29 Wealthy nations found that Canadian youth rank first in cannabis use, but third from last in tobacco use -even though cannabis is illegal while tobacco is legal (MacQueen, 2013). Moreover, an examination of public opinion polls over the last few decades shows a steady increase in the proportion of Canadians who support the legalization of marijuana, rising from only 19 percent in 1977 to 57 percent in 2012 (Grenier, 2013). Lorne Bozinoff of Forum Research Inc says that given these statistics, the public no longer favors devoting time and resources required to restrict marijuana use and possession, instead favoring a legalize and tax strategy (Grenier, 2013, p.4). It is also important to note that legalization alone does not reduce the health risk and harms of cannabis. Instead legalization presents the government with the opportunity to regulate cannabis to mitigate those risks something that cannot be effectively done under decriminalization or prohibition (CAMH, 2014). Legalization under a health-focused model is based on the fundamental principles of harm reduction. Harm reduction is a pragmatic approach to reducing individual and social harms associated with drug use. This approach accepts that certain interventions focused on diminishing the harmfulness of a substance, even if they increase the extent of substance use, may be able to reduce the total adverse consequences on the individual, as well as society (Pates Riley, 2012). In regards to cannabis use, harm reduction approaches acknowledge that there are no known effective solutions for completely eliminating drug-use or drug-related problems in the public. Therefore, the main char acteristic of harm reduction is that it focuses on the reduction of harm as its primary goal, rather than reduction of drug use per se (CAMH, 2014). It is important to note that harm reduction principles are not meant to promote drug use, but instead recognizes the reality of drug use and measures success in terms of quality of life improvements for the individual (Broughton, 2014). For example, legalization of cannabis would attempt to reduce the harmfulness of cannabis use, without necessarily stopping drug use altogether. To reduce harm, legalization of cannabis is a necessary but definitely not a sufficient- condition. It must include effective control on availability and regulation that steers users towards less harmful practices. Conclusion Prohibition of cannabis use has not succeeded in preventing cannabis use or mitigating its harms. On the contrary, it has exacerbated the health harms of cannabis and created costly social ones as well. Legalizing and strictly regulating cannabis allows for more control over the risk factors associated with cannabis-related harm and is a better alternative to the current approach (Broughton, 2014). It is important to realize that the Canada of 1997 when the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act (1996) was first established bears almost no resemblance to Canada of today. This explains why since its inception, the Criminal Code has changed many ambiguous laws to legalize and decriminalize certain actions (e.g., prostitution, assisted suicide, etc). Essentially, the laws have needed to evolve in order to better accommodate societal needs and advancing scientific research. Similarly, based on current research showing that criminalizing cannabis has not been an effective policy, perhaps it is time to re-examine our approach to cannabis use and advocated for legalization. References Alonso, M. (2011). Cannabis social clubs in Spain: A normalizing alternative underway. Series on Legislative Reform of Drug Policies, 9. Retrieved March 3, 2017, from http://druglawreform.info/en/publications/legislative-reform-series-/item/1095-cannabis-social-clubs-in-spain Babor, T., J., Caulkins, Edwards, G., Fischer, B., Foxcroft, D., Humphreys, K., . . . Strang, J. (2010). Drug policy and the public good. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Blaszczak-Boxe, A. (2014). 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