The Legalization of Marijuana Essay Example for Free

The Legalization of Marijuana Essay The legalization of marijuana is one of the many controversial debates in America today. Some people believe that marijuana is a gateway drug and is very harmful, marijuana enthusiast argue that cannabis isn’t harmful and can drastically improve the American economy. â€Å"Marijuana prohibition cost America $7.7 billion dollars a year.†(Head 2012) The legalization of marijuana would avail many people. If marijuana is legalized then the American government could tax it and help pay the U.S. debt also, another benefit of legalizing marijuana is that it can be used for several medicinal purposes, and lastly the legalization of marijuana would save the Americans tax dollars for not having to take care of prisoners who would be arrested dealing with marijuana. Approximately 440,000 people die a year from smoking tobacco products and alcohol poisoning kills 50,000 people annually, while no one dies from smoking marijuana. â€Å"Alcohol and tobacco, though are legal, are for more harmful than marijuana.†(Head 2012) Over 4000 harmful chemicals are in cigarettes that cause countless deaths each year but tobacco is still somehow legal. Many people say that marijuana is a gateway drug but over 60 million people try marijuana, if marijuana was really a gateway drug millions of crack heads and heroin addicts would be running around America right now. Since marijuana is the most popular drug in America of course people who abuse other substances have tried marijuana. America is more than 10 trillion dollars in debt. â€Å"The legalization of marijuana would create another item that could be taxed.† (Messerli 2011) The taxation of marijuana could drastically increase Americas Economy. Over 20 million people in America smoke marijuana on the regular basis. â€Å"A study found that legalizing marijuana and taxing it can produce considerable revenue for America.† (Head 2012) Marijuana is already a major cash crop in the United States and billions of dollars are made from soliciting the drug. If marijuana was taxed then the United States will not have to worry about being in a debt crisis. The government would also make money if marijuana was grown in the United States and sold to other countries around the world. Marijuana is not only used for pleasurable purposes but it also used for medicinal purpose as well. Marijuana can be used for people suffering from many different kinds of sicknesses. Marijuana can be used as a pain reliever; marijuana can also help head trauma victims, stroke victims, and  people who suffer from anxiety or depression. THC is a potent anti-oxidant which doctors rely for stroke and head trauma victims. Cannabis can be used for a cancer patient that is going through chemotherapy; marijuana would act as a nausea reducer which will help the patient be able to eat. If marijuana was legal then more studies would be done to help created more medicinal purposes for the herb. The prohibition on marijuana cost tax payers millions of dollars annually. â€Å"The marijuana prohibition cost 7.7 billion dollars a year.† (Head 2012) Marijuana illegality is helping other countries become wealthier, while the United States is losing money, by importing the substance in to America. The United States government arrest over 700,000 people a year for a charge dealing with marijuana, the money used for taking care of those offenders are coming out of the United States tax payers pocket. Tax payers are throwing away thousands of dollars to feed and shelter people who got arrested for having a plant. â€Å"Marijuana legalization would simplify the development of hemp as a valuable and diverse agricultural crop in the United States, including its development as a new bio fuel to reduce carbon emissions.† (Unknown) The legalization of marijuana could better this world, marijuana has an untapped potential to make everything better in the world. In conclusion, the legalization of marijuana could benefit everyone. If marijuana was legal the United States of America debt would drastically decrease. Also tax payers would have more money in their pockets since they will never have to pay for the marijuana fugitives in prison. If marijuana was studied more then maybe diseases would be cured that people thought would never be cured. It is no reason that marijuana should be illegal since tobacco and alcohol kills thousands a year while marijuana kills none. As Sir Paul McCartney said â€Å"I support decriminalization. People are smoking pot anyway and to make them into criminals is wrong. It’s when you’re in jail you really become a criminal.†

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Bijoy Shah Mrs. Jones Sophomore English (H) 8 January 2014 Men > Women Throughout The Odyssey by Homer, many women, if not servant girls or deities, are assigned to the powerless role of mothers or seductresses. In most instances, the women are in need of support and guidance as they are weak and fragile. Without a steady male hand to guide them, these women appear to be lost and heartbroken. Women serve little function aside from mourning their men and urging them to remain safe. In many ways, the value placed on fathers and sons in The Odyssey is far greater than the bonds with mothers or daughters. Anticleia, Odysseus’ mother, cannot even exist without her son as she dies after waiting for years for him to come home. For Anticleia and other women, the entire purpose for existence is to look after, nurture, and protect their sons and husbands. However, no female character in The Odyssey is quite as complex as the grief-stricken Penelope. Some women are known for the deeds of their sons or husbands, but never for a heroic deed of their own, thei r personalities, and what they do them...

An Analysis of Antwone Fisher Essay

Abstract Antwone Fisher is a story about a young man and his life as he grows from an abandoned child to a young petty officer in the Navy. But the crux of the story centers on his reactions to all of the negative events of his life. It is based a true story and has some reoccurring themes throughout. However, despite these reoccurrences, the messages are subtle and this where the soul of the story resides. Read more: Good people David foster Wallace summary  essay An Analysis of Antwone Fisher The movie Antwone Fisher is a personal narrative about a young African-American man’s struggle with his past. The main character is Antwone Fisher, a Navy Petty Officer whose father was killed two months before his birth and mother abandoned him shortly after his birth. Antwone is raised in an abusive foster home by Rev. Tate and his wife Ms. Tate. After an argument with Ms. Tate, Antwone is kicked out of the foster home and forced into a life of homelessness as a teenager for a short period of time and then joins the Navy. Once aboard ship, he is directly involved in a fight and is sent to see a Navy psychiatrist, Dr. Jerome Davenport. Antwone’s reluctance to talk to Dr. Davenport during the initial visit, results in Dr. Davenport informing Antwone that his first session doesn’t start until he begins to talk and that there will only be a total of three sessions. Eventually, the two develop a working relationship that evolves into something more meaningful as Ant wone begins to open up and talk about his past. The movie begins with Antwone dreaming of himself as a young boy, standing out in a field all alone facing a barn. He is greeted by a man who takes his hand and leads him into the barn filled with his all of his ancestors standing around a long table. The table is covered with food and as Antwone is lead to the head of the table, he takes a seat. A plate of pancakes is placed before him. Abruptly, the sound of a cow bell followed by the sound of a gunshot awakens Antwone out of his dream and he realizes he is actually lying in his bunk aboard ship. This dream is significant for a couple of reasons. The fact that Antwone is surrounded by all of his ancestors implies how much Antwone wants to have a sense of belonging and acceptance within the context of a family. Taking a seat at the head of the table represents the desire to feel proud about his family, as opposed to shame about the lack of his familial upbringing. This dream is not the only incident of its kind, as Antwone’s past is played out through a series of recollections that gives the viewer insight into whom Antwone Fisher is and why he behaves the way he does. After awakening from the dream, Antwone heads to the ship’s bathroom to groom himself for the day ahead. While Fisher wipes his face, a Caucasian shipmate asks â€Å"Is there something on your face.† Fisher ignites into a rage, punching and choking him. This incident aboard ship is another indication of the anger that resides within Fisher. More importantly, understanding why this anger is present is central to understanding the character. Through his visits with Dr. Davenport, Antwone slowly begins to recount his past; including instances of abuse and neglect he suffered at the hands of Miss. Tate while growing up. In the first session, which does not begin until Antwone decides to talk, he tells Dr. Davenport about how his mother failed to come claim him after her release from prison and Antwone spends the first two years of his life in an orphanage. Dr. Davenport then asks the question, â€Å"How does this make you feel.† Antwone exclaims, â€Å"Rainy days.† â€Å"Kids expect it to rain sometimes but for one kid it rained too much.† This is a subtle but important metaphor that Antwone uses to describe how he felt as a child; like a kid who wants to go out and play but can’t because of â€Å"rainy days .† Again in this case, the subtlety in what is not being said by the client is just as important as what is being said. This description infers the condition of someone who, because of circumstances not of his own making and beyond his control is being restrained from activity. It infers a lack of freedom. During Antwone’s second session, he describes how Miss. Tate psychologically abuses him and his foster brothers, Keith, whom Antwone describes as being half white and Dwight. He tells Dr. Davenport how Miss. Tate beat them and constantly called them â€Å"nigger†, although she herself was black. Fisher goes on to tell Dr. Davenport about how she often pitted one child against another and told the darker-skinned Dwight and Antwone that they were not as good as the lighter-skinned Keith, although neither of them escaped being called â€Å"nigger†. Then Dr. Davenport asks Antwone if Miss. Tate was ever nice to them. Antwone says yes, and refers to those times when she was nice to them as â€Å"chummy times†. He goes on to say that he could tell what kind of day it would be when he awoke by the scent in the air. If the smell of grits and eggs or wet pavement was in the air, he had to watch out the entire day, but if the smell of pancakes was in the air, it was going to be a good day. This symbolism is referenced in the first scene of the movie during Antwone’s dream. In the dream, when he takes a seat at the head of the table, a plate of pancakes is placed before him. The pancakes represent â€Å"chummy times†. These times represent the periods when Antwone felt free from the persistent harassment and scolding of Miss. Tate. When asked if Miss. Tate cooked pancakes often, Antwone replies, No sir. The second session ends on this note. The third session begins with Antwone telling Dr. Davenport about his dream the night before. More importantly, he tells Dr. Davenport about the confrontation with Miss. Tate that led to him being kicked out of the Tate home. The confrontation culminates in Antwone taking the same shoe from Miss Tate that she was trying to beat him with. Antwone described the feeling of power during this moment. He said, â€Å"It felt like I won a prize† (Fisher, 2002). Since birth Antwone Fisher never had control over his own life. The â€Å"prize† Antwone is describing is the feeling of being in control over his life for the first time. Dr. Davenport gives Antwone a book called The Slave Community, and explains that what he went through with the Tates was in part due to result of the treatment that slaves received from their masters during slavery and then is passed on to the slave’s children, generation to generation right on down to the Tates. This too is an important aspect of the counseling relationship between the two, because although it does not justify, at least it explains some of the behavior of the Tates, which might help Antwone to understand some of what he has gone through. Dr. Davenport explains that we all have choices and it is up to each individual to make the right choices. He goes on to say that despite the fact that Antwone has the right to be angry, it is up to him to channel that energy constructively. He tells Antwone to use that energy to benefit himself. Dr. Davenport then informs Antwone that this completes their third session and that he will recommend that Antwone be given a second chance to remain in the Navy. As Antwone leaves Dr. Davenport’s office the impression is one full of anxiety as Antwone rushes out of the office. However, after experiencing another incident aboard the ship, where Antwone’s anger nearly embroils him in a fight, he returns to the waiting area of Dr. Davenp ort’s office and is the source of a scene where he gets the undivided attention and angst of Dr. Davenport. Antwone explains that he feels lost and doesn’t know what to do and walks out of the office, leaving Dr. Davenport speechless and in thought. After some consideration Dr. Davenport contacts Antwone aboard his ship and informs him that if he is willing, they can continue their sessions after working hours. It is from these sessions that the therapeutic relationship changes into almost a father /son relationship. Apparently, Dr. Davenport made the decision to cross the therapist/client boundary in order to help Antwone. I believe that this was a conscious choice on behalf of Dr. Davenport despite the risks involved. Despite the attempt by Dr. Davenport to modify Antwone’s behavior, he is involved in yet another fight while on liberty, and is detained by the proper authorities. When Dr. Davenport is notified, he goes to see Antwone to discuss what happened. After a brief explanation, Antwone tells the doctor about how he was sexually abused repeatedly by a baby sitter as a boy. Antwone would seek refuge at his best friend Jesse’s house. Jesse was the only person that Antwone ever told about the sexual abuse unti l Dr. Davenport. It is important to note here what caused Antwone to react violently this time. Antwone has trigger points that cause him to dissonance and the only way he knows how to handle this dissonance within him is to react the way he does. These trigger points are all issues from his past. Unresolved issues that he has yet to deal with and the shame that goes along with those issues. The lack of a family structure and abandonment issues, the racial issues and self-hatred, the lack of being in control of his life, and the sexual abuse are all points of contention within Antwone Fisher that cause him to want to fight the source of the dissonance at that particular time. Anything that can remind him of his shameful past can trigger an episode. After a Thanksgiving Day invite by Dr. Davenport, Antwone is again reminded of his â€Å"inadequacy† when Dr. Davenport’s father innocently asks the question, â€Å"I bet you miss your mother’s holiday cooking. Don’t you† (Fisher, 2002). Instead of reacting with anger Antwone quietly excuses himself from the table, and retreats into another room. This nonviolent reaction represents growth on Antwone’s part. Shortly thereafter he is joined by Dr. Davenport. Antwone hands him a poem that he wrote. After reading the poem Dr. Davenport advises Antwone about how important it is that he locate his biological family. Antwone responds with, â€Å"Why do I need my family when I got you doc† (Fisher, 2002). It is at this point when Dr. Davenport realizes that the risk he took to allow Antwone to breach the client/therapist relationship may have unintended consequences that he failed to consider. Antwone has become comfortable in knowing and meeting Dr. Davenport’s family, but this is not what he needs to keep growing into the person he needs to become. To keep growing into that person, Antwone needs to seek out his own biological family so that all of the unanswered questions can be answered. Dr. Davenport realizes this now and knows what he must do. Dr. Davenport meets Antwone aboard the ship to tell him that the time has come to end their sessions. Breaking the news to Antwone results in him feeling abandoned all over again and his anger rises to the surface once more. This time there is a constructive purpose, as his anger yields the recollection of what happened to his childhood best friend, Jesse. Antwone tells the story of how Jesse was shot and killed trying to rob a neighborhood store. Antwone witnessed the entire ordeal and remembers how he heard the cow bell ringing above the store door after seeing his best friend shot dead on the floor. Again this is symbolism from the first scene in the movie where Antwone is awakened out of his dream by the sound of a gunshot and the ringing of cow bells. These sounds are auditory reminders of that incident and the day that his best friend â€Å"abandoned† him. Dr. Davenport hugs Antwone and tells him to contact him once he finds his family to tell him all about it. From this point the stage is set for Antwone to locate his biological family. Antwone takes leave from the Navy and travels to his hometown Cleveland, Ohio, to find his family. On the day he arrives it is raining. The trip turns out to be a first on several fronts as Antwone loses his virginity, confronts Miss Tate and the woman who sexually abused him as a child. He also receives an important piece of information, the name of his father, which he never knew. Using the area phone book Antwone uses this information to track down some possible relatives and sets up a meeting the next day. On the following day it is raining again as Antwone meets his prospective aunt and uncle and is taken to meet his mother, whom he has not seen since birth. Upon arrival Antwone is timid and walks up to his mother’s place to meet her. After entering, he meets his mother, who reacts with shock after seeing her first born son. Antwone’s first question is â€Å"Why did you never come for me (Fisher, 2002). He asks several questions and then proceeds to tell his mother about his life and telling her how he has longed for her for many years. He wants his mother to know what kind of person he has become . That he is a good person and a good man. He kisses her on the cheek as if to say â€Å"I forgive you†, and walks out of the apartment. After returning to his aunt’s house he is greeted by many members of his newly found family and introductions ensue. Then he is lead to two doors that open to reveal the elders of his family, sitting at a banquet table. On the table lies a feast, in celebration of his homecoming, including pancakes. Antwone Fisher sits down at the end of the banquet table and is given an approval by the eldest elder and once again it is what is not said during this moment that carries the most weight. The rest of the family rushes in to begin the feast. After returning to the Naval base Antwone waits outside Dr. Davenport’s office and when Dr. Davenport comes out, Antwone tells him that he has met his family and thanks him for his influence. Alternately, Dr. Davenport thanks Antwone for his effect on his life also. The Antwone Fisher story is about confronting the past, and learning from the present. It is a story about the power of relationships and second chances. Ultimately, it is the story about the self-determination of a young man, and his journey from shame and brokenness to forgiveness and wholeness. Let the church say Amen. References Fisher A 2002 Antwone FisherFisher, A. (2002). Antwone Fisher [Motion Picture]. : Twentieth Century Fox.

The Difference Between Vice and Vise

American English makes a distinction between vice (moral depravity) and vise (a tool). However, that distinction is not made in British English, where vice is used for both senses. Definitions The noun vice means an immoral or undesirable practice. In titles (such as vice president), vice means one who acts in the place of another. The expression vice versa means conversely or the other way around. In American English, the noun vise refers to a gripping or clamping tool. As a verb, vise means to force, hold, or squeeze as if with a vise. In both cases the British spelling is vice. Examples In those days the worst vice in England was pride, I guess—the worst vice of all because folks thought it was a virtue.(Carol Ryrie Brink, Caddie Woodlawn, 1936)The vice president acted as an intermediary to resolve disputes involving two or more agencies.Animals breathe in what animals breathe out, and vice versa.(Kurt Vonnegut, Cats Cradle, 1963)American usageHe went to the end of the tool bench and cranked open the vise, then slipped a small piece of sheet metal in and clamped the vise tight.(Trent Reedy, Stealing Air, 2012)American usageSometimes Rupert defined things in a new way—love grips you like a vise, then caresses you like a silk scarf, then bangs you on the head like an anvil.(Sabina Murray, A Carnivores Inquiry, 2004)British usageAfter softening a horn by boiling it in water, he flattens it in a vice before taking his razor-sharp penknife to carve a pheasant, fox, leaping salmon, or ram’s head as decoration.(Tony Greenbank, Master of the Crookmakerà ¢â‚¬â„¢s Craft. The Guardian [UK].,  May 4, 2015)British usageI had caught her in my arms, and the sting and torment of my remorse had closed them around her like a vice.(Wilkie Collins, The Woman in White, 1859) Usage Notes In American English, a vice is an immoral habit or practice, and a vise is a tool with closable jaws for clamping things. But in British English, the tool is spelled like the sin: vice.(Bryan A. Garner, Garners Modern English Usage, 4th  ed. Oxford University Press, 2016)Warren County deputies were called to investigate a shooting in Lake Luzerne, New York, on the evening of May 12, 2007. When they arrived, they found the victim, Damion Mosher, had sustained a wound in his abdomen from a 22-caliber bullet. Even though the deputies werent from the vice squad, they quickly discovered that the perpetrator was . . . a vise. Mosher had been discharging the bullets by clamping them in a steel vise, putting a screwdriver on the primer, and striking the screwdriver with a hammer so he could sell the brass shell casings for scrap (which goes for $1.70 a pound). Mosher was on his nearly hundredth bullet when he lost the final round.(Leland Gregory, Cruel and Unusual Idiots: Chronicles of Mea nness and Stupidity. Andrews McMeel, 2008) Practice (a) The problem with a lot of people is that what they think is a virtue is actually a _____ in disguise.(Kevin Dutton, The Wisdom of Psychopaths, 2012)(b) Migraines, the bane of my life, surged up; my head felt as if it were clamped in a powerful _____.(Maud Fontenoy, Challenging the Pacific: The First Woman to Row the Kon-Tiki Route, 2005)(c) What used to happen in fashion was that the pendulum would swing: if thered been short hair for a while, then it would go long, and _____  versa.(Sam McKnight, Kate Moss Hair Stylist: British People Wear Their Hair as a Tribal Badge. The Guardian [UK],  September 15, 2016) Answers (a) The problem with a lot of people is that what they think is a virtue is actually a vice in disguise.(Kevin Dutton, The Wisdom of Psychopaths, 2012)(b) Migraines, the bane of my life, surged up; my head felt as if it were clamped in a powerful (vise [US] or vice [UK]).(Maud Fontenoy, Challenging the Pacific: The First Woman to Row the Kon-Tiki Route, 2005)(c) What used to happen in fashion was that the pendulum would swing: if thered been short hair for a while, then it would go long,  and vice versa.(Sam McKnight, Kate Moss Hair Stylist: British People Wear Their Hair as a Tribal Badge.  The Guardian  [UK],  September 15, 2016)