Opposition to Medical Marijuana Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Opposition to Medical Marijuana - Essay Example Over the past two decades, however, a growing controversy has arisen regarding the classification of marijuana as having no legitimate medical purpose. There is growing support among the public and the medical community to rewrite the laws currently prohibiting use of marijuana so that its medical benefits can be of use for those with no other outlet. Marijuana has been used for medical purposes in the U.S. since at least the 19th century. Legal at the time, the drug was instantly popular as a treatment for pain ranging form headaches to menstrual cramps. Of course, simply using a drug to treat pain is not the same as evidence that it does treat the pain. Proponents of legalizing marijuana use for medical reasons raise evidence that marijuana has been proven effective in treating everything from glaucoma to cancer. It has even been hailed as being capable of prolonging the life of Aids patients. Closer scrutiny of the available scientific research, however, reveals that marijuana simply falls far short of what is commonly considered a medical treatment. Dr. Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard, is one of those leading the call for reclassifying marijuana so that it can be used as a medicine. ... on would be unthinkable." Grinspoon is apparently willing to ignore that at one time or another throughout history a large majority of doctors were firm believers in treatments that run directly counter to the overwhelming majority opinion today. Indeed, the very idea that just because a minority of doctors would make a suggestion then that makes strengthens your case is fallacious. After all, if 44% said they would recommend marijuana treatment, doesn't that by definition mean that 56% of doctors would advise against it Grinspoon certainly does not rest his case based solely upon physician surveys, but the fact that puts such stock in the findings does not help his credibility. The credibility of the pro-medicinal marijuana movement cannot help but be considered a large issue. Opponents typically take the argument that the movement to allow legal medicinal use is just the first step in a plan to decriminalize marijuana entirely. This perspective has not been helped by certain facets of the pro-legalization movement. A former director of Director of National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), Keith Stroup, addressed the true motivation of the push to legalize marijuana for medicinal use as far back as 1979 when he gave a speech at Emory University audience that "medicinal marijuana would be used as a red herring to give marijuana a good name" (Souder, and Zimmer). Richard Cowan, a writer for the pro-marijuana High Times Magazine, would be even more explicit, explaining in no uncertain terms how the pro-legalization movement has used "medical model as spearheading a strategy for the legalization of marijuana by 1997" (Souder, and Zimmer). The movement suffered a major setback in 1997 failed to get a ballot initiative passed in

Demonstration Presentation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demonstration Presentation - Essay Example During my presentation am going to talk about the history of animation, types, and demonstrate how they can be designed using basic equipments. I will also elaborate on how one can benefit from the different animation designs. 1. Based on â€Å"historical dictionary of animation and cartoon† by Nichola Dobson, he mentioned that the invention of animation designs is attributed to Etienne Gaspard.This was first discovered in 1798 when he projected moving images using â€Å"Magic Lanteren†. 2. However the first animation graphic design to be produced to the public was in 1908. It was in the form of stop motion produced by a French film maker named Èmile Cohl’s with title â€Å"fantasmagorie† = â€Å"phantasmagoria† 4. During those days there were different types of animation designs. At this juncture I would kindly request all of you to be attentive as I mention some the designs. They include: 2D †¦ â€Å"2D, 3D, stop motion, and Sculpture. A. Since last year, I have been using my hobby of designing animations to get some benefits. I started by drawing free animation designs in the youth magazine until I became a member in animation

Identifying terms Essay Example for Free

Identifying terms Essay Oppression The definition of oppression is broad as it encompasses many subgroups but according to Hurtado (1989), oppression is caused by society’s view that men, both white and of color, are more powerful then women. Oppression is not classified only by gender differences but other societal groups as well. Gender is only one category of many, such as, race and ethnicity. Social class is another category is which the wealthy have oppressed the poor. An example of this would be the opportunities for wealthy Americans to afford housing and health insurance and the job opportunities afforded them. Many women of color, African American, Asian, and Hispanic are found to be working in low wage jobs more often then white women. The minorities are unable to receive the same educational and financial benefits as the majority and so they must settle for less. Economic differences can be found between white men and white or colored women, colored men and colored women, and white women and women of color. This difference represents the different levels of oppression, with white men being the top oppressors. In today’s society, most oppression is seen in social class. As the wealthy are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer and the middle class is slowly being wiped out. Therefore the poor are at the mercy of the rich. Beyond Bean Counting The United States has become obsessed with classifying society into subgroups, causing each group to have a stereotypical value. Lee (2001) wrote of her personal experience with her growth and understanding of feminism. Bean counting is considered the attempt to classify people according to class, gender, ethnicity or sexual orientation (2001). Bean counting is marginalization, considering certain societal groups as inferior or as being limited as to their abilities. Women, and especially women of color, have been marginalized throughout history, by being considered the fairer sex. Different ethnic groups have excluded one another by not recognizing their similarities and accepting their differences. Lee (2001) explains that by bean counting women are causing immobilization and narrow thinking. Seduction and Rejection White men are socialized into believing women are inferior, however they are also taught that white women, though inferior, are an appropriate choice for relationships (Hurtado, 1989). This socialization causes the oppression of women; especially women of color because they are seen as a deviation from the norm and they are then excluded from the many rights given to those who fit the norm. White men and women tend to have a better chance at a good education, financial assistance etc. however colored men and women do not share the same good fortune, they are rejected from the benefits that white men or women can receive. Heterosexuality as a Modern Invention Lorber (1992) explains in her article that women and men were not seen as biologically different pre-eighteenth century and once that difference was established women began to suffer gender inequalities. Society has become two classes; men and women, which has created gender stereotypes of each. Today’s society compares women to the abilities of men because society see’s women as so biologically different than man; and thus inferior. Heterosexuality categorizes men and women as seen as the norm. Compulsory Heterosexuality Compulsory heterosexuality is the assumption that men and women are naturally attracted to one another and to defy the norm is deviant behavior. Lee (2001) describes this â€Å"norm† as excluding many other groups in society. As Lorber (1992) explains, society has created social differences between men and women and with that, ideals which consider heterosexuality to be the right way. This has caused homosexual individuals to be discriminated against. Any person not practicing the â€Å"norm† is considered wrong and therefore has fewer rights than others. Homosexual or bisexual women are forced to compete not only with men being superior, but also heterosexual women. Women of color are in even fiercer competition for their rights, as they are seen as in society as inferior to white women, heterosexual women, men of color and heterosexual men.

Ethics Theories and the competing values framework

Ethics Theories and the competing values framework Ethics Theories and the Competing Values Framework Introduction Management theory and practice implicitly endorse some ethical values over others and this provides the basic ethical orientation of managers. But managers have to understand different ethical theories to find out best for a particular situation â€Å"Ethics can be defined as the systematic attempt to make sense of individual, group, organizational, professional, social, market, and global moral experiences in such a way as to determine the desirable, prioritized ends that are worth pursuing, the right rules and obligations that ought to govern human conduct, the virtuous intentions and character traits that deserve development in life, and to act accordingly. Put more simply, ethics is the study of individual and collective moral awareness, judgment, character, and conduct.†[1] Researchers propose three types of ethics namely, descriptive, normative and analytical. Ethical Theories There are a number of ethical theories. All these theories can be exhibited in four quadrants in the figure below[2]: Teleological Ethics Theories Teleological ethics theories proposes that beneficial ends and/or results determine the ethical value of actions. If, on balance, any action provides more benefits than costs to the relevant stakeholder (s) than by any other alternative, teleological ethics endorses the goodness of that choice. Three major types of teleological ethics are eudaimonism, utilitarianism, and egoism. Ethical Egoism Ethical egoism, is a teleological theory that holds that an action is good if it produces or tends to produce results that maximize a particular persons self-interest as defined by the individual, even at the expense of others. Ethical egoism discourages a person to help others when the person gets nothing out of it. Enlightened egoism emphasizes long-range self-interest simultaneously endorsing altruistic concern for the well being of others. An enlightened egoist, for example, may well avoid cheating and support community projects, not so much because these actions benefit others, but because they help achieve some ultimate goal for the egoist, such as social image enhancement that could lead to carrier advancement within an organization. Utilitarianism Principle of Utilitarianism proposes that an action can be considered as right only if the action produces most utility for all the people affected by the action. Utilitarianism principle holds that the action whose net benefits are greatest relative to the net benefit of all other alternative actions. Both future as well as immediate costs and benefits are taken into consideration in this principle. Utilitarians have come up with an alternate version of the principle of Utilitarianism called rule utilitarianism. According to this, an action is ethically right, if the actions would be required by moral rules which are correct. A moral rule is correct if the sum total of the utilities produced is greater than sum total of utilities produced if everyone follows an alternative rule. Rule Utilitarianism is applicable to a great extent to an organizational context. In an organizational situation, according to Rule Utilitarianism the correct moral rule is the one that would produce greatest utility for everyone affected. Eudaimonism or Theories of Happiness Eudaimonism is a teleological theory that endorses a course of action if it promotes or tends to promote the fulfillment of goals relating to human nature and its happiness. For example, this theory says that a manager enforces employee health and safety standards at work to ensure that employees derive happiness and satisfaction out of it. This theory is based on the premise that when a choice has to made between having a good time (maximizing pleasurable utility) and leading a good life (maximizing happiness) and the latter outcome was to be preferred to the former. Deontological Ethics Theories Deontological ethics theories maintain that responsibly fulfilling obligations, following proper procedure, â€Å"doing the right thing†, and adhering to moral standards determine the ethical value of actions. Deontological ethics maintains that irrespective of the consequences of an action, an action is ethical if it is morally right. Among the major types of deontological ethics are negative and positive rights theories, social contract theories, and social justice theories. Negative and Positive Rights Theories Negative rights theories hold that an action is right if it protects an individual from unwarranted interference from government and/or other people in the exercise of that right; for example, if a person has a right to privately use, sell, or dispose of his personal property as he chooses, this means that every other person has the correlative duty not to prevent him from privately using, selling, or disposing of his property as he freely chooses. Positive rights theories hold that an action is right if it provides any individual with whatever he or she needs to exist. For example, if he has a right to adequate health care to survive, this means that other agents (perhaps the government) have the correlative duty to provide him with entitled adequate health care, not merely to avoid interfering with its competitive acquisition. Social Contract Theories Social contract theories hold that an action is right if it conforms to the terms agreed upon, conditions, or rules for social well-being negotiated by competent parties. Social Justice Theories Social justice theories hold that an action is right if it promotes the duty of fairness in the distributive, retributive, and compensatory dimensions of social benefits and burdens. For managers, this approach stresses monitoring adherence to standard operating procedures and rewarding persons for adhering to contractual agreements in a coordinated manner. Virtue Ethics Theories Virtue ethics theories maintain that habitual development of sound character traits determines the ethical value of persons. For the virtue ethicist, sound, balanced character, motivation, and intention of an individual is more important than the persons actual conduct and its consequences. Three major types of virtue ethics theories focus on individual, work, and professional character which defines the required characteristics of the character of an individual or work or professional. System Development Ethics Theories System development ethics theories maintain that the ethical value of actions is determined by the nature and extent of the supportive framework for continuous improvement of ethical conduct. Managers should assess and develop work cultures supportive of ethical conduct. Ethical problems faced by Personnel Managers: The ethical issues faced by individual employees and managers are very different, since managers are responsible for the entire range of human resources activities such as hiring, firing, disciplining, and performance evaluation. A large number of the ethical issues that arise in business are human resources related and these can usually be addressed by local managers, who act quickly, fairly, and with compassion.3 Hiring and Work Assignments: A manager hires, or brings new people into the organization, and determines employee work assignments once employees are on the job. The new people may be permanent employees, or they may be part -time employees, temporary workers, or consultants. Performance Evaluation: Many times performance evaluation is not done objectively but is based[3] on the relationship of the executive with his appraiser. This defies the entire purpose of Performance Appraisal System which should ensure that a fair and transparent appraisal is done. This kind of favoritism may lead to demotivation of star performers and sends a bad signal in the company. One good way to ensure continuous performance evaluation is to establish a formal appraisal system where performance of an employee is measured continuously and through quantifiable parameters. By measuring the objectives and targets are quantifiable and objectively measured, the process becomes fair and ethical. An ongoing process can greatly reduce misunderstanding, resentment, and charges of discrimination or bias. Terminations: Termination done in any form is never pleasant and should be avoided at all times but at times management is faced with no choice but to terminate the employees. Layoffs can result from many kinds of reorganizations such as mergers, acquisitions, relocations, or as the result of economic reasons, or changes in business strategy. A layoff can stem from a decision to trim staff in one department, or from a decision to reduce head count company-wide. 4 There are steps a manager can take to make it easier for the employee being terminated. The main goals are to be fair, ethical and to allow the employee to maintain personal dignity. Manager should ensure that this step is taken as a last possible resort and if it is inevitable, manager should ensure that the employee is given sufficient notice to get a new job or come up beneficial schemes like voluntary requirements. Also, it would be more beneficial if management engages outplacement counselors or human resources professionals to meet with people who are laid off. Managing workforce diversity Managers are often placed with ethical issues of discrimination and unfair favoritism on the basis of the society and community that the employee belongs to. It is important for a manager to discourage any kind of bias based on religion, community and gender. Importance of Ethics in Business context Enron Scandal Enron Scandal a saga of how the truth unfolded and the one-time most reputed business of America went into trash. As the Consequential Theory of Utilitarianism says, an act is ethical or morally right only if the consequences of that action are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. As in the case of Enron, it can be seen that whatever the top management did was favourable to only a bunch of officials while the sufferers were the stakeholders in the form of shareholders, employees, financial institutions, accounting firms etc. Also later, when the mask was off, all the culprit officials were penalized and punished which proves that truth cant be hidden for long. And the short-term benefit is too short when compared with long-term cost which one has to pay for its unethical acts. [4] Enron entered into a range of shady dealings, including concealing debts so they didnt show up in the companys accounts. This can be justified as according to the Normative Principle in Applied Ethics which talks about the â€Å"Right to information†. Enron lied about its profits as during its heyday from 1999 to 2000, the company reported very strong net income by dubious accounting exercises. But the actual amount of cash that Enrons businesses generated wasnt nearly as impressive. Wrong information is more catastrophic than no-information. This can be justified as according to the Normative Principle in Applied Ethics which talks about the â€Å"Principle of honesty† which says that one shall not deceive others. Insider Trading refers to the process where a person is in hold of certain information due to ones position in the organization and he uses it for his own advantage. Insider trading is both illegal and unethical. Enron CEO Ken Lay had been consistently selling Enron stock in 2001. Top management promoted Enron shares as a bargain to employees and linked all their pension plans to the same. These employees had lost up to 90 percent of their 401(k) retirement savings as Enrons shares trashed into ground. As per principle of Principle of Paternalism, one should assist others in pursuing their best interests when they cannot do so of themselves. In this case, employees were ignorant of the fact as to what was the company doing, moreover, they were ignorant of best practices so they relied on the advice of their CEO to invest in stocks.[5] Conclusion The collapse of Enron has made it clear that no matter how much profit an organization makes in short-run, for its survival in the long-run, it has to stick to the policies of ethical practice. Any organization that deviates from this, will suffer in the long-run. A manager would invariably be faced with ethical dilemmas in the daily working of an organization but he or she should not endorse unethical practices since it would harm the organization in the long run and no organization can sustain in long term on unethical practices and policies. References 1. Joseph A. Petrick John F. Quinn, (1997), Management Ethics: Integrity at Work, Sage Publications, Sage series in Business Ethics. 2. Ken Blanchard, Ch. 8. Managing by Values, P.33-36, in Integrity at Work, Edited by Ken Shelton, Executive excellence publishing, 1998. 3. Ken Blanchard, Ch. 8. Managing by Values, P.33-36, in Integrity at Work, Edited by Ken Shelton, Executive excellence publishing, 1998. 4. Willlmot Hugh, â€Å"Contributions of Poststructuralism and Posthumanism†, Ethics Organization, Sage Publications, 1998, Pg. 76 -121 5. Hart, O. , 1995, Corporate Governance: Some Theory and Implications, The Economic Journal 105, 678-689. 6. Retrieved from http://www.ethics.org/ [1] Joseph A Petrick John F. Quinn, Management Ethics: Integrity at Work, Sage Series on Business Ethics , 1997, p.43. [2] Ibid, p. 48 [3] Ken Blanchard, Ch. 8. Managing by Values, P.33-36, in Integrity at Work, Edited by Ken Shelton, Executive excellence publishing, 1998. [4] Willlmot Hugh, â€Å"Contributions of Poststructuralism and Posthumanism†, Ethics Organization, Sage Publications, 1998, Pg. 76 -121 [5]5 Hart, O. , 1995, Corporate Governance: Some Theory and Implications, The Economic Journal 105, 678-689.

Reducing Symptoms in Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder Through

Reducing Symptoms in Bulimia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder Through Drug Treatment Bulimia nervosa is a chronic psychiatric disorder that haunts the lives of many young women. The disorder is characterized by frequent episodes of binge eating followed by some sort of purging. The purging usually involves self-induced vomiting and can cause great damage to the body. Persons diagnosed with bulimia nervosa have a loss of control over these behaviors. Affecting the lives of 3-5% of young women, bulimia is a problem that is spinning out of control and nothing seems to be able to stop it. Binge eating disorder is another psychiatric disease that causes problems for many people. In this disorder, persons binge frequently but do not attempt to compensate for their eating by using purging techniques such as those used by persons suffering from bulimia nervosa. There are many types of treatments that attempt to mitigate the symptoms of bulimia and binge eating disorder. But what causes the binges in binge eating disorder and what causes the binge-purge cycle in bulimics? How can the symptoms of these disorders be reduced or eliminated? If the causes of these behaviors are discovered, the behaviors can be reduced. There are several therapies that have proven to be fairly effective in treating persons diagnosed with bulimia nervosa. Drug therapy has made great advances in recent years and goes straight to the root of the problem. Drug therapy attempts to uncover the biological causes of the symptoms of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder. A discovery made recently found that there is an inverse correlation among women with bulimia between the frequency of binge-eating and cerebrospinal fluid concentration of the major ser... ...very effective. This manual should be researched and developed further because not only can people educate themselves, but therapists can have more time to focus on deeper problems and on patients who do not respond well to such therapies. Works Cited Hartman, Boyd K., Faris, Patricia L. Treatment of Bulimia Nervosa With Odansetron. Archives of General Psychiatry. 1997; 54: 969-970. Hudson, James I., McElroy, Susan L. Fluvoxamine in the Treatment of Binge-Eating Disorder. The American Journal of Psychiatry. 1998; 155: 1756-1762. Rissanen, Aila., Naukkarinen, Hannu. Fluoxetine Normalizes Increased Cardiac Vagal Tone in Bulimia Nervosa. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. 1998; 18: 26-32. Treasure, Janet., Schmidt, Ulrike. Sequential Treatment for Bulimia Nervosa Incorporating a Self-Care Manual. The British Journal of Psychiatry. 1996; 168: 94-98.

Animal Farm, by George Orwell :: Animal Farm Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Animal Farm   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Theme. What is it? A theme is a central idea of a story that usually reveals something about human nature. A theme is usually unstated as are the themes in George Orwell’s Animal Farm. One theme that can be taken away from the story is weakness can be easily dominated through language and ignorance. This will be seen through the manipulative language of Squealer and the gullibility of the animals.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One way in which this can be seen is through Squealer. In one situation all of the apples and milk will be given to the pigs a few animals disagree with this. â€Å"Comrades!† he cried. â€Å"You do not imagine I hope, that we pigs are doing this in a spirit of selfishness and privilege? Many of us actually dislike milk and apples. I dislike them myself. Our sole object is to preserve our health. Milk and apples (this has been proved by Science, comrades) contain substances absolutely necessary to the well being of a pig. We pigs are brainworkers. The whole management and organization of this farm depends on us. Day and night we are watching over your welfare. It is for your sake that we drink the milk and eat those apples. Do you know what would happen if we pigs failed in our duty? Jones would come back! Yes, Jones would come back! Surely, comrades,† cried Squealer almost pleadingly, skipping form side to side and whisking his tail, â€Å"surely there is no one among you who wants to see Jones come back?† The animals all are in agreement that they do not want Jones back, therefore; believing that the pigs health was the upmost concern (Orwell 820). Here one can see that the animals are easily deceived through a few big words and a lot of fast talking that can be easily confused if one does not pay attention closely. When the animals agree with the fact that they do not want Jones back they assume that they must also be saying that the pigs need the apples and milk to help keep them in health. Although this is not what they are saying, they are saying that they do not want Jones back, and they believe that the way to keep him away is to give the pigs the apples and milk because they stand vehemently against Jones. So now the animals believe that the pigs are entitled to special privileges in order to keep Jones from coming back. Time and time again the animals are deceived because by agreeing with one thing they believe that they are agreeing with everything.

10 examples of political rhetoric Essay

1. â€Å"Medicare is the binding commitment of a caring society.† In President Bush’s State of the Union Address, he describes what medicare is to the public. I honestly cannot make any sense of this statement. It sounds like he is trying to make Medicare into something it is not. It appears that Mr. Bush is just trying to sound intelligent in my opinion. 2. â€Å"Axis of evil† This is the term by which President Bush refers to North Korea, Iraq, and Iran; he uses this term so people will associate these countries with â€Å"evil†. He is giving enemies a name that makes them look worse to the public. 3. â€Å"Weapons of mass destruction† President Bush uses this term to make the atomic/nuclear weapons that Iraq supposedly possesses seem more intimidating to the public. He is literally trying to scare people with this rhetoric. After people hear and believe this phrase, any action that Bush chooses to carry out on Iraq will seem justifiable. 4. â€Å"Evil doers† Rather than naming the specific people or group he is speaking of (such as Osama bin-Laden or members of the Al-Qaeda network), Bush refers to them as â€Å"evil doers†, which is a very emotionally charged phrase, used to ensure that the public share his sentiments toward the â€Å"evil doers†. 5. â€Å"Shuttle contingency† Before NASA was positive that the shuttle Columbia had exploded, the situation was referred to as a â€Å"contingency† (a possible emergency). 6. â€Å"Inner-city areas† 99% of the time the phrase â€Å"inner-city area† is used; it is referring to an African-American or Hispanic neighborhood. They use this term because it’s more â€Å"politically correct†. 7. â€Å"Equal Opportunity† This term is used usually when one minority is, in reality, getting preferential treatment in order to make things â€Å"equal†. 8. â€Å"War on Terror† This phrase is used to imply that the U.S.A. is targeting possible or actual terrorists and more than ready for war with them. 9. â€Å"War on Drugs† This phrase is used to imply stricter drug policies on people and places by longer prison sentences, mandatory minimums, and many other tougher penalties for drug offenders. 10. â€Å"Third World Nation† When someone refers to a â€Å"third world nation†, they are referring to a rather poor, â€Å"underdeveloped† nation.