Lake Vermont to Lake Champlain: A Truncated History

Paul Fischer

2/1/2017

Professor Alicia Daniels

Lake Vermont to Lake Champlain: A Truncated History

Lake Champlain is surrounded by the Lake Champlain Basin. This extends into Canada and New York as well as Vermont. While it today contributes to a vibrant ecology and superior forest cover in the region, it’s origins are a bit more frosty in nature. A massive glacier filled the modern Champlain Valley and for a short time pools surrounding it are now known as Lake Vermont, a temporally constrictive point (Wright, 5). The Laurentide Ice Sheet carved the depression in topology which lends the region a gradually changing elevation. This occurred nearly 23,000 years ago (2). The modern waterways and lake formed closer to 14,000 or 15,000 years ago (6).

The opposite event to global warming occurred, which is a fascinating geological phenomenon known as isostatic depression (8). In this process, rather than the seas rising, they were in fact much lower than we are experiencing currently, the land actually drops. Consequently, the modern Champlain Valley was actually the Champlain Sea! The history of the Sea is almost half as long, though undoubtedly much more biologically exciting, than that of lake Vermont, or about two thousand years.

Reference:

Wright, Stephen F. "Glacial Geology of the Burlington and Colchester 7.5’Quadrangles, Northern Vermont." University of Vermont, Department of Geology. Burlington, Vermont 5405 (2003).

Recreational Marijuana Data Integrity Verification

Paul Andreas Fischer

1/19/2017

Recreational Marijuana Data Integrity Verification

The purpose of this effort to maintain cybersecurity will be to identify trends in community activity, usage, and coding on three webpages. This will be measured in a weighted per capita membership inclusive of adjustment for last month marijuana usage according to statistics of diagnoses of marijuana use dependency in the last year sourced through the National Institute of Health, statistical significance testing for key HTML or python coding which may be present on the pages ranging from common use terms such as margin and italic/bold to design oriented coding such as getOptions and fix, and finally using a theoretical W3C validation scheme borrowed from a co-operative effort by employees of Drop-box, Google, and Mozilla.

An effort throughout will be made to avoid redundancies in data and to reduce reliance on contingent terminology in order to establish statistical significance in further analysis. While this will not be used to justify any legal actions or hold significant ramifications for user, community, or legislative individuals or groups due to the hypothetical nature of the theories of security fundamental to the arguments provided, the data may be accessed and used publicly and reproduced. As with all research looking at differences in data, change over time will be critical to determining whether this is an appropriate sequence to validate the integrity of the media distributed. This data is accessed legally under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act as encryption research to enhance secure methods of encryption technologies (section 1201(g)), to measure and protect personal privacy (section 1201(i)), and security testing should readers wish to check their own computer, computer system, or computer network (section 1201(j)).

Data results

Per capita membership or following:

Conservative estimate,

Vermont Community, Vermont Collection, Colorado Community

.085%, .075%, .6%

Keyword search statistical significance test from raw test raw data with high-end tail comparison

“input” - Vermont Community, Vermont Collection, Colorado Community

“_” -  8335, 8933, 8816

“”” - 10,916, 11,181, 10,670

“head” - 48, 49, 49

“fix” - 12, 12, 15

“array” - 108, 110, 108

“marijuana” - 41, 57, 21

“cannabis” - 37, 29, 4

“meta” - 22, 21, 22

“content” - 240, 252, 259

“function” - 2264, 2256, 2264

“getOptions” - 3, 3, 3

“window” - 420, 417, 420

“element” - 125, 125, 125

“null” - 5226, 5489, 4582

“try” - 155, 159, 158

“dump” - 53, 54, 53

“exec” - 51, 51, 51

“recreational“ - 16, 24, 17

“google” - 183, 181, 205

“script” - 79, 75, 79

“true” - 151, 160, 127

“$” - 284, 284, 284

Theoretical Validation Scheme

This scheme has been chosen because it allows authentication of not only the server, which is standard in such attempts, but also the content which has been posted to the respective pages. With a variety of pegged user handles and other contributions involved in the creation and maintenance of a controlled substance which is limited in distribution to those over a certain age, and in some locations can be met with severe legal repercussions, there is an intrinsic value to vetting cyber information.

In order to avoid such misunderstandings, a thorough read through of all source data was initiated and completed with the following results. Rather than sifting through user data or implementing a cryptographic hash system recommended in the theoretical scheme, evaluating the cross-origin data leakage to identify reconnaissance activities by potential or real attackers was initiated (SRI, 5.3). This is both non-intrusive, experimental, and potentially more accurate for the purposes of identification than traditional methods of code evaluation.

Discussion of data, results and conclusions

Cannabis Use Rates and Trends

The growth in Colorado is under 30% in recent years, marking a substantially larger presence than has been found in Vermont. Statistical analysis found ratios of 1:1.25:1.5 from .2% of the total populations of the respective states in the Vermont Collection, Vermont Community, and Colorado Community that were admitted to the hospital for potential marijuana dependent symptoms according to a recent update from the White House which cites data from 2010. Multiplied by a cohort with an average life expectancy of 78 years, this data could encompass almost 60% of current marijuana users. This could also comprise the entirety of the population have used before entering High School, according to a report released by the UN in 2014.

A statistically interesting point that is not addressed in this paper is that the trend for admission for marijuana related episodes shows a dramatic variance in those two populations, as the number of marijuana users per capita was about 30-40% higher in Colorado at the time. Potential explanations include the presence of higher potency marijuana in Vermont due to lack of effective regulations during the transition period of decriminalization. Another could be adulterants such as lead which decrease the flashpoint at which a joint or a bowl is lit, increasing the temperature at which smoked material is absorbed or the popularity of edibles which may be more potent than a smoked product, as there are nearly a third more tobacco users in Colorado per capita than Vermont.

Keyword search with statistical significance analysis

A perfect match was reached in four of 22 source code searches, nearly 20% of the total results. Taken as an outlier result, this demonstrates definite significance. Two of three quantitative forms found a perfect match in exactly half of the searches. The natural odds of these events occurring are one over 4.2 times 100,000,000. This determines that there is a high probability of interactivity occurring between these web-based pages.

While there are no prohibitions between communications of two online communities, this can also serve as a template to verify that such communication is not occurring between any of the communities and communities tailored towards those who underage. It is also a possible indicator of a malware presence, which could include a BOTNET, synthetic code injector algorithm, sniffing agents or most likely a combination of all of the above. In order for any confirmed statements to be made with only a statistical analysis, causal proof of intent of harm or defamation and malware cyber-activity must be demonstrated. To accomplish this, an experimental form of subresource integrity is being modified and taken advantage of, referred to above as cross-origin data leakage.

DIV and Cross-Origin Data Leakage

The initial read-through looked great, though there is a major qualification which ought to be addressed present one time only in all three communities that likely represents a violation of amendments to the CFAA in 1984. Due to recent legislation and expansion of that act, these consequences could be quite serious if not administratively addressed and the responsible posts promptly deleted, though no legal responsibilities exist unless the display represents an extension or whole of a small business. Colorado had significantly greater evidence of hash use, but all three communities/collection presented enough to provide a strong sense of security. Cross-origin analysis demonstrated that “content-originated” was indeed activated upon execution of the HTML. No flag presented or evidence of any tampering of any kind.

Further analysis of the entirety of the source code, around 30 solid pages for each community, revealed the presence of a flag which discontinues the cross-origin protections and which could allow a JSON style attack, gaining access to passwords or other confidential credentials. This should allow a violation of the “same-origin” policy and may have been used to determine what content is present within the cross-origin resource. Whether this setting is coded on or off, the threat level is ultimately low.

Valuation of any Potential Threat to the Pages

A discretionary valuation of a low threat level had to be ultimately determined as users accessing the site are still protected by Google security and terms of use, i.e. dedication to privacy outlined above in this document and codified in recent US law for cyberspace, as well as amendment to the Constitution. The presence of an “Anonymous” omission of cross-origin protections is present at one time in the HTML code of all three websites. That does not indicate that the tool has been exploited. Unless there is an experimental lab underway through Google, the only data which should be accessible in the event of a general breach throughout the company would be the user names and profiles of individuals who are on the pages.

However, the possibility that it is a “wait and see” placement should be treated with caution as well as corrective measures should be taken to eliminate the offensive code from the pages. It is worth mentioning, once again, that the only parties which have any liabilities for such a piece of code are those who posted the sequence and any small business owners involved with the pages that may have turned a blind-eye or aided the malware. Possible legal explanations which could indicate that one did not know about updates to the CFAA or if the code had been prepared before 1984 may be possible, but even if it is the case, does not mean that the threat or potential threat should not be snuffed immediately.

References:

Braun, F., Akhawe, D., Weinberger, J., & West, M.. Subresource integrity. W3C working draft. (2014).

The Digital Millennium Copyrights Act. 17 U.S.C. § 512 (1998).

Kesteren, A. van. Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (URL: http://www.w3.org/TR/access-control/). W3C (2014).

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Recent statistics and trend analysis of the illicit drug market. (2014).

W3C Recommendation. HTML5, A vocabulary and associated APIs for HTML and XHTML, W3 (2014).

Crusades in the New World

  A lecture was given recently by former History professor Alfred Andrea, of the University of Vermont at the Waterman Lounge. The presentation was well-sourced, and he has certainly kept a speaking capability which has not suffered after 15 years in retirement. One thesis was included, that the conquest of the New World could be termed as a Crusade.

  It is an interesting point, and one which has been explored in the past. One question which arose and was acknowledged in questioning as a good point was about the Treaty of Tordesillas. There must have been included among some primary sources discussion of calling this conquest a Crusade as Spanish conquistadors and royalty alike wished to prevent the double-entry into the New World by Britain and France. 

  Portuguese encroachment upon the perceived divine entitlement of Spain to the New World could be acknowledged as long as similar deferment to the superior naval capabilities of the Spanish Imperial Navy. Unfortunately, these other potential players who had not proven effective in the Middle East or in the Spice Islands yet, and had little bargaining position with which to enter the New World. Whether there will be an attempt to reclassify greater parts of the period of colonization in the New World as a crusade remains to be seen.

Tree Nurseries and the Enabling Acts: Examples of State and Federal Responses to the Unregulated Timber Industry Prior to the Great Depression

Paul Fischer

4/4/2016

Professor McCollough

Tree Nurseries and the Enabling Acts: Examples of State and Federal Responses to the Unregulated Timber Industry Prior to the Great Depression

The process of altering the landscape requires resources, and historically the dominant forms of construction, whether for the famous log cabins of the American frontier or the scaffolding for cement and steel structures which punctuate and bridge the distances in this nation even today, have been dependent on the timber industry. Previous discussion has been offered on the technical innovations which transformed the timber industry as well as the face and character of the United States, it is now time to move a generation forward and see the effects these innovations had on the new industry and the resources over which it presides. By examining the Green Mountain State Forest News during its heyday between the years of 1925 and 1935 it will be possible to retrospectively analyze the changing industry in a momentous period in American history, during the onset of the Great Depression and tail end of the Roaring 20s. The expansion and, for all intensive purposes, initiation of reforestation efforts on behalf of state tree nurseries will be viewed as an example of local regulation and offsetting of industrial efforts to increase production while the advent of National Forests and subsequent Enabling Acts passed by states under Calvin Coolidge’s presidency will be critically acclaimed as a fundamentally constitutional regulation of each state's timber industries, without which would most certainly have yielded devastating effects on the national economy under the conditions of the Great Depression.

Reforestation and Forest Nurseries

The Green Mountain State Forest News preceded the January edition of their

second volume, 1926, with “SET YOUR IDLE FOREST LAND TO WORK BY REFORESTATION” (Vermont Forest Service, V. 2: 1), and this was a process which had begun many years earlier, around the turn of the century. At that time, only thirty five thousand trees were being planted in Vermont. Just a couple decades later, this had become thirteen million with two million planted through two state tree nurseries (Vermont Forest Service, V. 2: 1 August). That same month, the Calvin Coolidge State Forest was authorized (Vermont Forest Service, V. 2: 5) and a fundamental change in the manner in which forestry in the United States was carried out occurred. President Calvin Coolidge entreated listeners to “treat our forests as crops , to be used but also to be renewed” as a domestic crisis was likely becoming apparent in the form of the rampant and careless deforestation occurring at the time (Vermont Forest Service, V. 2: 4 January).

While timbering issues were one cause of deforestation in Vermont, other concerns existed as well. In January of 1926 it is reported that 10% of losses were due to insects and disease, while half of forest fires were due to “carelessness”, primarily on railroads. During this period of prohibition, this may be that this is doublespeak for workplace inebriation. Accidental sources of railroad fueled forest fires began with sparks flying from the wheels of trains, which were inches long. This would later provide an incentive to change the design of elevated rails and local rail commuters (McCullough, 2016). Different solutions were advised for the various problems which faced forests which ranged from the advice of a W.E. Buton, the State Entomologist of Connecticut, to use Blackleaf-40, with the active ingredient of nicotine sulfate and soap to combat insect populations (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 12, December). This may also have been apparent in Fish and Game surveys as detrimental to bird populations, a demonstration of the particular relationship between hunter and prey (Modu) which will be returned to as the wildlife also plays a certain role in securing the lands for the National Forests that may have stopped the collapse of American ecosystems. The new insecticide began use in 1926 in Vermont, and replaced the lead based insecticide used previously (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 5, July).

Consequences of Spanish Deforestation and European Input

One of the incentives for change in the industry were the efforts of European foresters. A speech in Vermont outlined an official’s trip to Spain, and the total devastation to ecosystems and economic capabilities as a result of widespread deforestation there (Vermont Forest Service, V. 2: 6, December). Without the appropriate husbandry from humans to the forests, the crops and wider ecosystems also failed. With them dropped entire economic developments. Speculative investments to restore the glory of Spain were lost. In order to avoid such a future in the United States, or at least Vermont, this official recommended a regimen of “Study, Service, and Sacrifice” for students and future foresters. The amount of lumber cut in Vermont at the time was 112 million, outstripping reforestation efforts by a factor of nearly ten (Vermont Forest Service, V. 3: 2, July). While research abroad indicated that use of 35 seed trees (5) instead of 6 seed trees per acre (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 8, March) could mitigate damages, the consequences of deforestation were yet to be firmly established in the United States or Vermont. The number of trees which would have to be bought from a tree nursery in order to reforest an acre is 1200 (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 12, October), so considerable savings were found in either scenario.

Without complete social acceptance of these beliefs, however, there was sufficient evidence for state legislatures and the President to act. In 1925, funds were secured from Congress to request permission from private and state organizations for the Federal Government to purchase land on sovereign territory of the states for the purpose of the preservation of forests and the “nation’s natural resources” and an Enabling Act was proposed and passed in the Vermont Statehouse with a call for opinions occurring in January 1925 (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 5-6) and legislation being passed in March of the same year, just in time for Forest Protection Week (Vermont Forest Service, V. 1: 1). A critical part of passage of this Enabling Act was competition with New Hampshire for state forest lands and the resources that came with them.

Political Legislation as a Cause of Preservation of the Landscape

By examining the political process which allowed the preservation of our nation and state’s forests, a historiography of changing perspectives is offered in regards to natural resources. This gives constitutional and fundamental grounds for the institutions maintained in current legislation and operations. From the Forest Service to the Bureau of Forestry, many of these institutions remain. 

New resources have entered the economy and horizons of human exploitation, from dangerous new methods of extraction from the earth to safely extracting energy from dangerous radioactive elements and even, perhaps one day, utilization of the boundless expanses beyond our atmosphere. The trend to understand our landscape and the economic potential it holds remains critical to the success of the United States. Implementation into the political process is, for America, not extraneous but intrinsic to the process of development, growth, and security.

References:

McCullough, William. History on the Land., 2016. Lecture.

Modu, S., B. S. Binta, and A. U. Mani. "Effect Of Lead Exposure On Egg Production, Quality And Hatchability In Quail Birds (Coturnix Japonica)."Nigerian Quarterly Journal of Hospital Medicine 9, no. 3 (1999): 234-237.

Vermont. Forest Service. Green Mountain State Forest News., 1924-36.

Burlington Vermont - Jennifer Green Interview Notes

Jennifer Green - Sustainability Director in Burlington Vermont

Interview by Darby Minow Smith

Old in sustainability: 11.3 million dollar bond for energy efficiency in the 90’s, working on climate change since 1996

8% of food from within city limits

problems: high poverty rate

transportation

air quality increases and decreases

very low vacancy rate means housing costs are very high

1-2% vs. 12% as a national average

energy consumption has been level since the mid-‘80s

municipal energy department

energy efficiency measurements, surcharge towards energy conservation

easy access to information, public domain as Burlington Electric is owned by the citizens

floodplain, Winooski River through the city floods regularly making it unsuitable for housing

also a historic farming hub

Intervale - several dozen community-supported agriculture endeavors

sold in the city market, a cooperative

A fair portion of what the kids in Burlington Schools eat is locally sourced, creativity is key

Sustainability: Connecting four E’s

Environment

Equity

Education

Economics

First Climate Action plan of its kind in the country under Peter Clavelle

Now ICLEI software helps

Institute for Sustainable Communities, Montpelier

prominent nonprofit in the realm of climate change

new resiliency project in Vermont

ideas are beginning to percolate around this topic

infrastructural and agricultural challenges as a result of climate change

Source: Jennifer Green Interview - Sustainability in Burlington, Vermont

Unity in Vermont During Eugenics Programs (1920s-1981)

Paul Fischer

Vermont History

6/25/2015

Unity in Vermont During Eugenics Programs (1920s-1981)

The Eugenics program in Vermont was pioneered by Professor Perkins, from the University of Vermont. While he died an alcoholic of liver failure, the racial nature of the eugenic program espoused and exported from his work has left a lasting and tangible scar on the population and culture of Vermont, even today. While the program officially ended in 1936, amid rising tensions with Nazi Germany and domestic policies there coupled with loss of financial support from private interests, notably Shirley Farr, Vermont continued to teach the barbaric practices of both negative and positive population control in zoology courses until the 1960s. While the number directly affected was small (though the process was carried out upon approximately the same intensity as Nazi Germany per capita for most social or psychological disorders), academic involvement in these violations of human reproduction could arguably be said to have surpassed other attempts with little exception.

Lack of public interest in this field is actually an important statement for Vermont unity; failure to ensure the integrity of academic procedures in this and other states meant that not only 250 men and women were sterilized, but their families or potential families were also affected. Discrediting such work was a simple task, both with publicly available biological research as well as using basic economic measurements and comparisons.  Some would argue the negative impact on freedom of behavior and cultural expression which arose from this created a nearly theological nature to social norms in this state which are strictly unconstitutional, both federally and in the state.

Motivation remains unclear: “Aboott and later Eugenics Survey fieldworkers rarely received any credit for their work” (Dann, 12) and monetary considerations must be taken into account. The breakdown of communication between academic and public resources issued and reflected upon a breakdown of the state’s unity (though it should be noted that federal public works projects and other economic investment did allow Vermont to enjoy some prosperity lacked by the rest of the nation during this time) and the results of this program in the long-term hindered intellectual and social pursuits in both the state and nation. One possible mechanism of this destructive educational stagnation was the appointment of half of the University of Vermont’s board of trustees, in opposition to later university policies which required elective democratic procedures to determine the University’s decisions and procedures (Borgmann, 22).

Financial support for the eugenics program in Vermont is important for an understanding of the mechanisms of how this perversion of social justice was able to occur. “During the Eugenics Survey’s first year of operation, Mrs. Eggleston gave another $2,500 and then Perkins found a continuing source of support in another VCAS sponsor, Shirley Farr” (Dann, 8). Female involvement in the process was extremely high, as were the victims, though Vermont is notable for being among the states with highest levels of male sterilization among such movements: “Women were perceived by their male superiors as uniquely suited to eugenic field work for which intuition, politeness, and an eye for detail were thought to be essential” (Dann, 13) which suggests as well that there was a recognition at this time period that the work done by field workers necessitated an elevated level of direct female involvement, though it is clear when evaluating the intentionalism of the actions that their educated male superiors made some fundamental errors. In the popular film Transformers III it is said, “you were our leader, Optimus, it is your right to lead us again.” While Perkins was allowed to retain his position teaching zoology and continued to propagate sterilization until his death as an alcoholic of liver failure (ironically one of the conditions sterilization was advocated as a cure to), educational and academic structures eventually proved strong enough to check him or financiers from repeating this sort of wayward academic endeavor.

Works Cited:

Borgmann, Carl W. "UVM": The University of the State of Vermont (New York: The Newcomen Society in North America, 1956)." The program is explained in An Exposition of the System of Instruction and Discipline in the University of Vermont, published by the faculty in. 1829.

Dann, Kevin. "From Degeneration to Regeneration: The Eugenics Survey of Vermont: 1925-1936." Vermont History 59.7 (1991): 16.

Vermont in the 1840’s: a Time of Revival, Religion, and Expanding Horizons

Paul Andreas Fischer

6/1/2015

Paul Searls

Vermont in the 1840’s: a Time of Revival, Religion, and Expanding Horizons

The population growth of the early 1840’s was fueled by deforestation efforts as agricultural potential expanded greatly. The population had matured and was now part of a great effort to redefine the national identity that had progressed across New England. Early secessionist movements in New England after the war of 1812, during the presidency of Andrew Jackson in reaction to early attempts to expand liberty throughout the Quebec peninsula (Buchanan, lecture) had become directed inwards; the small state and nation as a whole began to see a unique transformation. Important factors of this internal revolution can be seen as religious and political changes (these forces were still operating in lockstep), expansion of economic frontiers as well as technological competitiveness with Southern states who already enjoyed an economic transformation, and educational maturation. All of these combined into a new and cooperative effort to bring a new dawn to the Vermont countryside and the bustling townships which finally saw westward expansion stunted by squabbling over the nature of westward states and military paranoia of invasion from the North and Atlantic.

The religious revival is nationally noted for the education of African-American citizens and slaves, along with their baptism (Thornton, lecture). This revival can also be seen in the unanimously white states of the North, as the young nation had finally seen reason to expand educational efforts in the countryside and established extensive schooling efforts which saw literacy rates rise (Opal, lecture). Liberty was not the sole goal of these efforts, and the nature of the debates which shaped up affected Vermont in a unique manner.

Two primary objectives of the revivalism in Vermont are of particular interest. Which one came first is not immediately apparent, but logically it can be deduced that the stronger was a reaction to the weaker as this is the nature of successful social movements, society defined as a growing entity (Weiner, lecture). Firstly, the temperance movement attracted a great following in a young state (both in demographics and politically); it is likely the great population shifts described later in economic analysis of the state encouraged a persecution of apple orchard farmers who provided the raw materials which fueled the degenerative behavior of alcohol consumption. “An average of one in every four adults volunteered to take one temperance pledge” (Potash, 182). While demographics are unavailable, it is known that this effort was certainly unappreciated in rural and military circles; the latter had militias in which whisky was used as a reward and the former depended on distilleries to boost consumption of their crop.

What sort of political reaction may have occurred cannot be certain, but prosecution of secret groups and the anti-masonic sentiments of the state may be an endogenous reaction to these events in play. “Rousing greater moral and political ardor among Vermonters than temperance or any other reform was the issue of anti-masonry” which played a major role in the natural backlash which occurred as other states likely proved all too willing to provide a bountiful amount of alcohol, but had much less incentive to purchase the raw materials Vermont was capable of producing.

This came pursuant to various political and economic changes which had occurred in Vermont prior to the establishment of significant organized religion in the public sphere. While by the 1840s, Vermont was on the threshold of breaking through with new threshing machines that would transform agricultural capabilities and allow the conquest of the American South later after allegations of unfair democratic procedures and unconstitutional secession (which is only permitted in the event a state or states’ constitution is in conflict with the United States’ constitution, not when federal statutes and state statutes or constitutions conflict). “In the years following the war of 1812, New York Governor Dewitt Clinton backed the projected Erie Canal that promised to reroute trade form the rapidly growing Great Lakes trade region and Montreal to the Hudson River and New York City” (Potash, 168).

While temperance movements may have decried this as a corruption of social morals and code at the time, the economic success of the action cannot be denied; trade across Lake Champlain subsequently increased by a factor of 500%. This is double the rate of agricultural growth in Addison County as measured by sheep count after 1832 pursuant to recovery from the banking crisis at the time (Potash, 173). Slowly for industrialists hoping to finally dot the Vermont countryside with urban areas, but rapidly given modes of transportation and conservative social values, the state saw a distinct demographic transformation.

“In the decade after 1820, although the population increased by almost 19% to almost 280,652, a large number of towns actually lost population” (Potash, 167) though it is possible this change was not as beneficial as it first appears. Unlike today, when the expansion of the technological frontier can rapidly expand economic horizons, during that time period it was difficult to make significant gains, even as economic policies appeared to work. This is likely due to natural barriers from toxic substance use and semi-natural pollutants (medicine and industry were equally barbaric in the release and exposure of workers and customers to dangerous elements). These changes economically have roots in educational changes that occurred at the time.

Prior to the 1840s, “during the 1820s and 30s Middlebury graduated three times as many students as the University of Vermont” (Potash, 179). This gives an example of this principle in action as no significant technological gains are reported until 1850 when this trend can be presumed to have reversed: with an excess of Middlebury graduates in comparison to UVM graduates, despite an abundance of the former, local economic systems simply became saturated without industrial or agricultural concerns to support them; closer to the lake and transportation proved to be more fertile ground for educational investment. In modern times, we can see that as the population increases in intelligence, such as when lead was removed from paint, automobiles and the environment in general, the economy and graduation rates also increase in kind; in this case it can be seen that a change of around 5 points in IQ resulted in triple the number of college graduates and corresponding gains in gross domestic product.

Earlier reference to sheep in Addison county plays a particularly important role to early Vermont educational development. While it is well known that timber played an important role in Vermont’s history, “the state’s economy flourished initially, then absorbed war-time setbacks, and slowly overcame them, while developing an increasingly precarious agricultural dependence on a single crop, wool” (Potash, 146). The expansion of the agricultural capacity of the state must have marched hand in hand with widespread deforestation. With this would come the educational maturation which allowed Vermont citizens to lead some of the most brilliant military victories in the United State’s history as well as several key technological innovations which played a key role in the survival of the state despite numerous human rights violations and keen competition for valuable resources, whether maple sugar to flavor tobacco or the granite which formed the foundation of the nation’s political and economic capitals.

Works Cited:

 Buchanan, Andrew. "US Military History." University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. 2013. Lecture.

 Opal, Jason. "American History to 1865." McGill University, Montreal, Quebec. 2010. Web.

 Potash, P. Freedom and Unity: A History of Vermont. Vermont Historical Society: 2004.

 Thornton, Kevin. "US History to 1865." University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. 2010. Lecture.

 Weiner, Mathew. "Introduction to Logic." University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. 2014. Lecture.

The Recreational Marijuana Logic Tree:

Graphic obtained with permissions on Googleplus

Even a tiny bush like this has 1024 individual leaves, here is a logic tree which tries to break down some of the most important points on marijuana legalization:

Recreational Marijuana logic tree:

Marijuana and Crime:

   2 million of 4 million parolees have tried marijuana. 200 million of 350 million Americans have tried marijuana. 16% of prisoners are there solely for marijuana charges, which means that marijuana users commit significantly less crimes than those who do not make the life style choice. While data on intoxication from marijuana use and driving is not complete, the Federal Government has found that the likelihood of marijuana users to be involved in traffic fatalities is approximately the same as the non-using and non-drinking populations.

   Legalization of marijuana is estimated in the first year to have cost the South American Cartels nearly 4 billion dollars. Since 1970, when the majority of marijuana users also used other narcotics, the rate of co-dependence has fallen steadily, with the 50-50 point being reached in the 90’s. The vast majority of marijuana users now use marijuana exclusively. The rate of hard drug use in the nation has also dropped in a similar fashion from 10% to as low as .5%.
Marijuana and foreign policy:
   Unlike previous attempts to make marijuana illegal, when supporting foreign fighters in marijuana producing countries offered an incentive for the United States to encourage or foster an illegal trade in marijuana, and rigorously enforce prohibition, today foreign policy goals have changed and these rebels, whether in South American countries that during the cold war may have swung to communism, or in Afghanistan and the Middle East, now do not provide the same incentive to prohibit. In fact, as these organizations have struck against the United States in the past militarily or economically, continued prohibition may be a breach in national security by providing necessary means to acquire funding for enemies of the state. This is especially true in cases in which users are dependent on marijuana, either for medical purposes or as maintenance medication for co-occuring addictions. 

Marijuana and Education:

   Marijuana has been shown to increase IQ by a significant amount in current and former users with responsible adult use. This is exemplified by a lower crime rate, and after adjustment for marijuana-related legal or social sanctions, higher educational performance. This has also been causally proven with brain imaging work that shows marijuana increases functional connectivity.

Marijuana and public health:

   Marijuana has been shown to have a protective effect on the lungs and bronchial system. THC has been proven to attack cancer cells, and reduce both the prevalence and the exacerbation of cancer-related disease. While it is true that marijuana consumed as a child (the age the state of Vermont looks to set with legalization is 21, though further research here is being done) will negatively affect bone density in a manner similar to alcohol use over time, this effect is also matched by an increase in bone density with responsible adult use.

   Marijuana has medical benefits for those with terminal illness, which may extend lives significantly. Social discrimination or segregation may have a significant impact on these populations.

Marijuana and dependence or potential for abuse

   Research has shown that marijuana releases slightly less dopamine than a good meal, about half that of a sexual encounter or alcohol use and between 3 and 20 times less than other illegal or prescription narcotics available in the USA. Release of certain dopamine receptors initiated by marijuana use have been proven in adults to have a positive effect on various hormones, while not negatively affecting sperm count or other fertility measures, though in pregnant women some negative effects can be determined.

   It has also been proven that marijuana use acts as a result of the same receptors of the brain that coffee blocks, the adenosine receptors. While low doses of caffeine will reduce the amount of THC cravings, high doses will allow someone to take larger amounts of THC, and feel the need to do so. This is yet to be proven as effective treatment, but has the potential to provide a unique advantage to marijuana that drugs or alcohol do not.

The marijuana community and illegal or unconstitutional discrimination or attacks:

   Production of synthetic THC or spice, a schedule 1 substance, occurred in the United States legally for around 3 years. In 2010 alone over 11,000 Americans were hospitalized pursuant to consumption of the drug, which was classified by the White House as three times to 800 times more addictive than marijuana when they were added to the Controlled Substances Act with the Safety and Innovation Act of 2012. Dozens were killed. This is a direct result of job application urine screening and marijuana prohibition which resulted in use of the substance; many people did not even know this was not legitimate marijuana. 

   As noted before, marijuana use is not associated with fatal traffic accidents, but there are states such as Vermont, which have significant (a 5X increase from the national average) and consistently deviant marijuana traffic fatalities, suggesting social discrimination or prejudice in these areas. There are not corresponding states with abnormally low marijuana-related traffic fatalities, suggesting this is not the result of random distribution.

   RICO funds intended for legal prosecution of narcotics cases have been diverted to anti-marijuana lobby efforts. Organizations were found to divert money as well from pharmaceutical corporations to anti-marijuana efforts, in a massive breach of scientific ethics. This resulted in some pseudo-science arising in the anti-marijuana field, which was non-reproducible, something extremely rare in the world of academics and indicative of a massive economic investment in preventing the legalization and regulation of marijuana.