Reclassification of marijuana Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reclassification of marijuana - Research Paper Example All desirable effects of cannabis like euphoria, sense of pleasantness, more perceptive feelings and other disappear within a couple of hours after cannabis was used. Though it is a light drug and if talking medically in fact is not even a drug, it has some bad effects. These bad effects are usually of long-term and depend on the regularity of smoking cannabis and the amount of product smoked. Among negative long-term effects there are loss of concentration, slow reaction, sleepiness, inactivity and passive reaction towards the irritants of the environment which is called apathy. However these negative effects do not have somehow significantly negative influence and they appear only if cannabis is used too regularly and in huge portions. It is also clinically proved that without further using of cannabis such negative effects vanish with no trace of them. There are no inconvertible effects of cannabis and no direct damage to human organism (Goode 2007). Despite peacefulness and harmlessness of cannabis as a psychostimulant or anti-depressant its production and distribution is considered illegal in most countries. The reason of that is that cannabis is not produced by special manufacturers and cannot be taxed because of the easy ways of its cultivation. Another reason is bad influence of cannabis on the activities like driving and working. Nevertheless, cannabis is clinically proved to be a lot less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. The main advantage of legalization of marijuana for the government is an extra tax income. Also very significant is the fact that in low developed countries young people who just want to spend their time in a more interesting way will not be punished inappropriately for the keeping and using small amounts of cannabis while often such individuals are unfairly called junkies and addicts which gives them bad publicity. Progressive western countries developed a legal term â€Å"Light Drug†

A Study On A Stakeholder Approach Business Essay

A Study On A Stakeholder Approach Business Essay How should corporate boards deal with trends favouring an engagement with the ethical dimensions of business and stakeholder orientation, and with any potential tensions of this engagement with shareholder returns. Illustrate your analysis with recent specific examples â€Å"All the work contained within is my own unaided effort and conforms with the Universitys guidelines on plagiarism.† This essay explores the role of the board, different stakeholder perspectives on ethics and offers practical insights for handling them. Shareholders are significant stakeholders that expect higher returns on their investment than with risk free savings. Yet organisations cannot exist in isolation; operate without employees or acceptance by broader society. This human dimension periodically conflicts with the wealth creation objective. Employees and society are also important stakeholders, holding different perspectives. Milton Friedman (1982) Edward Freeman (1984) The only group with a moral claim on the corporation is the people who own shares of the stock (shareholders) Many groups have a moral claim on the corporation that derives from the corporations potential to harm or benefit them (stakeholders) Freeman et al (2007) The dominance of investor rights, the diminishment of good, moral decisions question if we should consider value systems when assessing a business decision. The focus is on the conflicting demands of labor, government, investors, and managers in the hopes of resolving the ‘inherent conflicts. As such, one group must dominate in order to win. Stakeholders contradictory values require consideration by the CEO to select an appropriate strategic path. Stakeholder Group Interests Ethical Dimension Managers Power, prestige, compensation, legacy Potential conflicts of interest with shareholder value Customers Service, product quality, value Not taking defective product to market No price fixing, participating in cartels, no misleading advertisements Creditors Security of capital CEO may pursue overseas expansion policy putting funds at risk for unknown returns Suppliers Regular payments, continuity of business Avoidance of paying or soliciting bribes. Policy on acceptance of gifts. Shareholders Dividends, Capital growth, safe Short term vs. long term strategy. Returns from low cost countries may be through exploitation Government Taxes, Employment Tax avoidance schemes. Corruption in developing nations may require payment of â€Å"facilitation† fees Society No harm to employees. Employment. Preservation of environment Movement of jobs to low cost countries and ensuring health and safety practices followed even if country has lower standard. The CEO/management team are also stakeholders. Thus, tensions exist between the management and the governance board, which have a fiduciary duty to the principals (shareholders). The Board performs due diligence to ensure the appointed executive managing the firm acts appropriately in the interests of shareholders. An agency problem, where the goals of the shareholders (maximising returns) and the (management) agent are in potential conflict is challenging for the principals to confirm the agent is acting appropriately. E.g. the CEO wishes to pursue an ethical approach in the supply chain that costs more than the current standard, that shareholders find unattractive due to lower returns. A strong board could experience tensions in power and influence such that non executive directors use their position to balance control in the interests of shareholders. The boards ability to replace the CEO is the ultimate threat, which should also ensure compliance with any ethical code. A firm wit h good governance wouldnt combine the roles of Board Chairman and CEO, due to conflict of interest. Non profit organisations without shareholders also balance stakeholder concerns. Ethics, the moral principles that guide organizational behaviour are an area where a strategic choice can be made to be a leader (active stance) or merely respond to legislation (passive). Its the purview of management to determine the ethical position. The organization develops a code to support the practice. The ethical stance is likely to lead to diverse stakeholder opinions. For the ethical standard to be meaningful, performance should be measured. Business results still matter but so do how they were achieved. The emergence of the triple bottom line concept, which states that measures of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) should be included equally with financial and other performance indicators has highlighted the ethical position of firms. Bartlett (1990) Concerns about shareholder value have begun to influence major strategic choices, and not always to the good. While its reasonable that shareholders expect a return on their investment, many are short term holders looking for quick returns. With CEOs under pressure to produce immediate results, fundamentally conflicting values emerge within the companys stakeholders. An ethical stance could cost more through sustainable sourcing, investing in people and supporting auditing procedures. The additional expense burden may be considered too high in the current challenging economic climate. Abandoning ethical principles could be costly if Governments/trade associations levy fines for standards violations or adverse publicity results in loss of sales. Application of the Environment Strategy Competencies Organisation (ESCO) framework, Heracleous (2009), identifies potential stakeholder tensions around ethical issues, which will be discussed later. Environment Political Increasing legislation on pollution advertising. Standards for minimum wages and safety. Social Growing concern for quality of life creates pressure to reduce exploitation and conserve the environment/resources. Increasing number of pressure groups representing under privileged groups with special interests. Economic Globalisation of companies requiring many to operate in developing countries. Technological New technologies alter working practices such as automation reducing manual labour but balanced against employment loss. Strategy Low cost Outsourcing/off shoring to low cost countries requires thorough audit to meet ethical standards Differentiation Marketing ethical products at a premium requires rigorous compliance programme. Higher standards may apply to belong to â€Å"ethical† funds or associations Core Competencies Service excellence Cost control Ethics as core value helps appreciate customer perspective. Ethical position may be higher cost Organisation Process Procedures, checklists or guidance on ethical issues available and training to support Seek synergies with ethical dimensions Culture Embed values in organisation stories, management living the values. Align reward system with ethical results People Selection and retention through ethical values. Board competent to challenge management Holistic personnel development Ethics training Structure Ethics officer role, decisions on how to operate overseas may be influenced by level of control Society expects organizations not to harm employees or the environment. For profitability in the current business situation, organizations cant afford to have an ethical image at odds with the values of contemporary society. Its good for business to take ethical positions, which can directly influence consumers and also indirectly shape government perceptions of the industry to help avoid legislative hindrances. Porters (1985) bargaining power of consumers and suppliers of labour, are increasingly influenced by ethics. An ethical approach to employment through non discrimination and fair pay assists in the attraction and retention of talent that avoids further associated costs. As ethics involves exercising judgement its not easy to teach. Paine (2000) For many, running the numbers is a more enjoyable type of mental activity than deliberating about the issues. As the less favored cognitive capacities fall into disuse, they can be expected to deteriorate. This makes it harder for board directors to make sound decisions and also for firms to train personnel and codify. Yet this complexity is no excuse for not trying. The firm may target the ethically/socially aware consumer segment. Firms with high active engagement are considered â€Å"ethical organizations† where their philosophy drives both what the company does and how it achieves it. This requires commitment to high standards, rigorous training and monitoring/publishing of data. Management evaluates the advantages of this approach and determines if its appropriate for the business. There may be significant consequences for failure to deliver potential loss of status in â€Å"ethical† funds with associated loss of investment and potential decrease in market capitalisation. Some ethical funds use shareholder pressure to bring about changes in company policy. Usually an active screening process will remove organizations from the fund that have behaved negatively with respect to core values such as corruption or exploitation. There are different ways to take stakeholder views into consideration when making company decisions and it would be advisable to have principles to guide the process. Power brings influence, so large multinational companies in particular have high ethical/social impact. This can be harnessed as a force for good. However, whether it is the role of organisations is debatable. Increasingly consumers and businesses prefer to purchase from organisations with high ethical standards. Trudel and Cotte (2009) found †¢ consumers with high existing ethical expectations will allow a greater price premium †¢ punishment is greater than the premium prepared to pay †¢ companies neednt be 100% ethical to be rewarded Organisations pursuing an ethically responsible differentiation strategy could market at premium price provided consumers are educated about those products. Certain consumer groups may push for the entire range to be ethical which may increase costs or otherwise prove challenging. Equally consumer expectations may shift and force 100%. Governance At lower levels, management should enforce the ethical principles that have been set. There are two possible approaches: through compliance or integrity (value) based. Managers should explain the position with respect to issues that employees are likely to face like accepting gifts that may be deemed inducements. If employees believe their ability to do their job is negatively impacted they might not support the principles. The organisation ought to ensure rewards align with desirable behaviour and there are consequences for non compliance. Exploration of ethical issues When short term shortages exist, such as with swine flu medication an ethical debate for management may surface as to whether to exploit the situation and request higher prices. However, pharmaceutical companies elected not to, as they position themselves, as highly ethical and apparent profiteering from vulnerable people would contradict their stated values. Public sensitivity to drug pricing is high. Yet pharmaceutical companies choose to obey the letter of the law with respect to low cost generics rather than its spirit, which allows them to continue to reap high financial returns for modest payoffs. While they claim to use the revenue for further research its arguably at odds with the greater benefit of society not all stakeholders are equal. MSN (2009) As part of its drive to cut health care costs, the Obama administration wants to stop payments pharmaceutical companies make to generic drug makers to delay the launch of cheap copies. Drug companies have successfully argued in court that their patents allow them to make the deals. Conformance with legislation is expected. Companies that violate rules are rightly punished. Pharmaceutical companies could find the Obama response is more severe than the prior value of legal compliance. Marketing There are obvious ethical issues associated with advertising to children. Other marketing issues that may stimulate debate between management and the board are withholding information that may adversely influence purchase decisions or handling unhealthy products. The Independent (2009) French government bans all advertising of mobile phones to children under 12 is announced by the Environment Minister, and he will ban the sale of any phone designed to be used by those under six. The majority of children in Western society have mobiles and many firms have used â€Å"pester power† to their advantage. The introduction of legislation confirms societys distaste for the practice and good boards should have used environmental scanning to see this trend emerge, proactively determine a favourable company stance and if necessary challenge management executives on their policy. Failure to clean up ones own area can lead to harsher standards when Governments are forced to act. The firm should recognise the importance of satisfying different stakeholders but agree that customers are vital, as it costs less to retain customers than to attract them. Reichheld (1994) found a 5% increase in customer loyalty led to significant increases in profits (25 100%) through further purchases and recommendations, providing a cost effective marketing advantage. A strong ethical stance could be a strategic lever to generate consumer loyalty. Innovations that are more environmentally friendly or ethically based are key for future success to align with societys expectations and could also be a source of competitive advantage. Ethics may become a tiebreaker between competitors so companies need to understand key customer values that drive purchase decisions. Ultimately consumer pressure may require ethical standards to become a core business driver rather than representative of the philanthropic values of the company. Tobacco firms have been heavily criticised for their advertising. BAT has gone beyond the requirements of legislation in many countries and is proud of their stance as evidenced on their website. Operating responsibly If a business is managing products which pose health risks, it is all the more important that it does so responsibly. Our International Marketing Standards (IMS) set down detailed guidance on all aspects of tobacco marketing. Central to the IMS is our long held commitment to ensuring that no marketing activity is directed at, or particularly appeals to, youth. The IMS are globally applicable. Adherence by our companies forms part of our regular internal audit process. We publicly report any instances of incomplete adherence each year. Supply Chain The Co operative website declares While other retailers have recently discovered the commercial benefits of an ethical approach to business, our beliefs define who we are. Were proud that our ethical approach started in 1844 when the Rochdale Pioneers established a set of values and principles in response to a society that was being exploited. Understandably the co op is the UKs longest supporter of Fairtrade products. Fairtrade ensures producers operate sustainably and applies a premium for investment in education healthcare or farm improvements. UK Fairtrade sales have increased 4267% since 1998. (Fair trade website). The Co op also offers banking, which operates ethically including its investment portfolio. They experience little conflict between stakeholders positions as they trade on their philosophy. The Guardian reported Primark fired three of its Indian clothing suppliers after discovering they were using child labour to work long hours in poor conditions. Many organizations are pursuing cost cutting in the current economic climate. However, there are clearly ethical and monitoring issues related to outsourcing to low cost countries. Global trading now impacts even minor purchasing decisions. Financial concerns like tax efficiency and lower overheads are increasingly becoming a more important element of competitive (cost reduction) strategy. This puts pressure on management to ensure such sourcing is conducted to appropriate standards and a robust audit programme exists for overseas subcontractors. With management from a distance there are options for visibility and control. The debate to exercise a high degree of control in local markets may mean elevated costs associated with establishing a subsidiary or joint venture. As the higher costs of ethical control may not be in the best financial interests of shareholders this conversation may reach the Board for discussion of congruence with the financial position and overall strategy. In some countries managers preferentially employ family members. From an ethics perspective employment should be offered to the best qualified candidate. It can readily be envisaged that managers put pressure on employees to meet targets and this may give rise to ethical dilemmas. The tensions that arise could be simply whether to lie about the reason for a late delivery to appease a client. However, honesty is what most people desire and forcing this issue could damage the company reputation if it later came out, but is also likely to demoralise employees such that they disengage in other aspects of their work, standards fall and higher costs ensue. The board would want evidence that management are fostering the correct approach in the culture of the organisation so access to reports is fundamental. Mintzberg (1983) viewed shareholders control as inadequate as they are usually passive. However, Shell shareholders voted against the companys executive pay plan (BBC 2009). This increased shareholder activism was prompted by poor performance and high executive rewards were inappropriate in such circumstances. The board should have a compensation committee to recommend appropriate levels and be cognisant of public opinion. Stakeholders, including some shareholders consider excessive pay unethical. Corruption Guardian (Dec 2008) Siemens Ex chairman and chief executive Heinrich von Pierer is under heavy suspicion of failing to stop the bribery when he and his board were informed. He has consistently denied any knowledge of corruption. Without naming names, the DoJ/SEC findings point the finger at the former board for failing in its fiduciary duties. Siemens is already demanding compensation from 11 former executives. as part of the US settlement, Siemens made Theo Waigel, former German finance minister, its first compliance monitor. At Siemens organisational culture permitted participation in bribery as an acceptable standard of conduct. There was insufficient influence from the board to fully embed an ethical stance in the processes or daily culture. Nor did the board or management set an appropriate tone as a cultural reference point. The board had an obligation to prevent illegal practices. They should have realised the risks of non compliance and sought pertinent information if it was not offered. Siemens should have had a compliance role at senior management level. There is less flexibility in the response when its mandated than had they been proactive. The board didnt effectively monitor management on behalf of shareholders or evaluate the CEOs performance in an honest and open manner. As CEO and chairman roles were combined one person had a high degree influence. While this may have made it harder to challenge him they should have used their legitimate powers to do so. They failed the interests of shareho lders and didnt perform their fiduciary role, which is serious dereliction of duty. Further they ignored their role of understanding and determining strategic risks and ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. Siemens competed aggressively and unfairly with their competitors. They risked Government intervention to free markets and financial loss. As illustrated the introduction of a code of ethics is not sufficient by itself to encourage ethical behaviour. Senior management should positively support a cultural change to foster the appropriate values, patterns of thinking and behaviour. As McKinney and Moore (2008) attest: The mere existence of written codes of ethics cannot be expected to be the answer to the international bribery problem. Ethical behavior must be modeled in the corporation from the top down so that it permeates the entire organization. Organizations should utilise HR practices to recruit /select for promotion people who model the correct values, provide further training and align incentives to objectives around ethics. In extreme cases they may need to discipline people for non compliance. BP reports how many employees it has fired for violations. In some countries gifts/incentives to companies or government officials are prevalent. Even in civilised societies like Japan use gifts but a policy will help prevent confusion. Bribery, extortion and facilitation fees are more clearly delineated as unethical conduct. Firms need to determine their level of engagement, which may acknowledge it, exists and try to change practice from within or avoid altogether. Head office has to set the tone for overseas managers who may feel they should adopt the local custom because they see it as acceptable through continued exposure. Telegraph Mabey website Mabey Johnson plead guilty to 10 charges of corruption and violating sanctions. The company tried to influence officials in Jamaica and Ghana when bidding for public contracts. It also paid more than â‚ ¬422,000 to Saddam Husseins regime. Mabey Johnson faces fines and will make reparations to Jamaica, Ghana and a UN programme which benefits Iraq. It has agreed to an internal compliance programme carried out by an SFO approved independent monitor. The SFOs director said: These are serious offences and it is significant that Mabey Johnson has co operated with us to get to this landmark point. This †¦is a model for other companies who want to self report corruption and have it dealt with quickly and fairly. Peter Lloyd, (new) managing director, said: We deeply regret the past conduct of our company, and we have committed to making a fresh start. Staff have been retrained and sales and associated systems reviewed. The move follows the companys voluntary disclosure to the SFO of evidence that it may have engaged in corrupt practices. The information came to light in the course of an internal investigation by the companys solicitors. Five of Mabey Johnsons eight directors have stepped down since spring 2008 when the company told the SFO of the corruption offences. Excerpt from their code of ethics: policy not to offer, give or accept bribes, excess hospitality or substantial favours Failure to align with the environment is a common mistake evidenced by Siemens and Mabey. Secondly the organisational elements of process, structure and culture are critical factors where misalignment highlights ethical tokenism saying one thing but rewarding another. Kerr (1975) found people respond to what they think others value so hoping for a positive outcome while rewarding contrary behaviour is a mismatch. Organisational culture can seriously undermine strategy and the pursuit of ethical objectives. If the reward system doesnt encourage ethical conduct and managers or board turn a blind eye to conduct in order to achieve business objectives its no surprise that employees follow suit. Discussion The companys strategic direction could incorporate an ethical position that becomes a differentiator. As value drivers are different for the various points on the ethical continuum, management makes conscious trade off decisions in selecting a particular strategy, which may be dependent on firm specific factors and their core competencies. There is also a balancing of ethics and economic logic. Innovation to meet new regulations or ethical demands by consumers can mean better products and services are developed, providing a competitive edge. Technology now exists to recycle rubber from training shoes into playground flooring. Conformance with legislation is the minimum expectation and companies that violate the rules increasingly face more acute and vocal penalties for unethical conduct such as disruption of shareholder meetings. Successful companies with formal ethics rankings have codes of conduct, CSR/ethics officers, demonstrate management support and publish results on the company scorecard (e.g. Boots). Practical checklists would be helpful for employees to record decisions and also enable effective monitoring to take place. Good governance requires moral fibre and mental fortitude to make difficult judgment based decisions. Boards are accountable and need to use their powers to enforce the appropriate actions. Companies could seek compensation for board failures to act so the acceptance of the role comes with responsibilities. Good stewardship of the companys ethical integrity is an important board role. Recommendations Boards should proactively engage in strategic decisions, overseeing compliance and fulfilling their obligations. In addition, a mitigation plan to deal with disclosure of unethical behaviour is beneficial. Boards should take immediate action on any violations and review the circumstances for lessons learned. Scenario planning could identify possible scandals so boards can prepare how to respond while maintaining the highest ethical position possible. In Siemens case they were defensive, reactive, and slow, taking action after the public were aware. Conversely at Mabey they uncovered the issue themselves through audit, contacted the authorities and took a proactive stance using their website to communicate the issue and resolution. They even obtained valuable 3rd party endorsement for their actions from the Serious Fraud Office, who held them up as an example. Boards reviewing strategic choices need access to data and useful tools. They should use their legitimate authority to request information if its not forthcoming. As well as investigating misalignments highlighted in an ESCO model the board are advised to apply the Cultural Administrative Geographic Economic (CAGE) distance framework (Brennan 2009) to proposals for operating overseas. This tool highlights the types of issues to be encountered and shows risks that might otherwise be overlooked in a traditional country portfolio analysis. The Board could then determine if operating in the proposed country is economically viable and doesnt compromise their ethics position. Detailed economic analysis may be required as overseas financial rewards are often over estimated the costs of corruption could offset lower production costs. Hills, G; Fiske,L Mahmud, A (2009) Corruption adds expense throughout the corporate value chain and can lead to costly operational disruptions. Current studies suggest corruption adds more than 10 percent to the cost of doing business in many countries, and that moving business from a country with low levels of corruption to a country with medium to high levels is equivalent to a 20 percent tax. Cultural Administrative Geographic Economic Diverse ethnic backgrounds in workforce potential discrimination issues. Society norms do not include basic safety or hygiene factors. Child labour prevalent Gifts accepted practice Political ambivalence may require organisation to pay â€Å"facilitation fees† Remoteness and time differences may risk diluting organisations values Different attitudes to quality more likely to approve defective or dangerous products. Higher costs of training employees in developing nations to internal standards. Higher potential for fines with less educated workforce With so many aspects to ethics a critical limitation of this review is the range of dimensions covered. Conclusion The role of the board in oversight of organizations is critical to ensuring shareholders interests are appropriately reflected amongst diverse stakeholder views. While there may be some tensions, increasingly opinion on ethical issues is aligned and organizations are expected to operate to a moral code. Ethics are context specific as countries have different standards. Judgment on ethical issues isnt easy. Hence ethics programmes should cover overarching principles, and firms should have processes to train personnel and monitor results. Over time societys values can change and new trends emerge, so environmental scanning is important for all strategic positioning, including ethics. Boards should review this information and managements perspective on what opportunities these conditions create to set strategic direction. The pressure to perform financially has adversely influenced ethical decision making and embedding an ethical philosophy within the organisation is challenging, yet br ings significant rewards. References Bartlett CA, (1990), Facing up to Complexity, McKinsey Quarterly, Spring pp27 35 Brennan (2009) Warwick MMBA Strategy Practice course notes delivered June 8 12. Freeman, RE ,(1984) Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach, Pitman, Boston, MA Freeman, RE, Martin, K Parmar, B, (2007), Stakeholder Capitalism, Journal of Business Ethics, vol 74, pp303 314 Friedman, M, (1982) Capitalism and Freedom, University of Chicago Press, IL Heracleous L, Wirtz J Pangarkar (2009) Flying High in a Competitive Industry Secrets of the worlds leading airline, McGraw Hill, Singapore, p172 Hills, G; Fiske,L Mahmud, A, (May 2009), Anti corruption as Strategic CSR: A call to action for corporations, Ethics Resource Center, accessed from www.ethics.org 1 Jul 2009 Kerr, S (1995) On the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B, The Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, pp 7 15 McKinney, JA. Moore, CW., (2008), International Bribery: Does a Written Code of Ethics Make a Difference in Perceptions of Business Professionals, Journal of Business Ethics, Vol. 79, Iss. 1/2; pp 103 12 Mintzberg H, (1983), Power In and Around Organizations, Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs, NJ Paine, Lynn Sharp, (2000) Does Ethics Pay?, Business Ethics Quarterly, Vol. 10, Issue 1, pp319 330 Porter, M, (1985), Competitive Advantage, The Free Press, NY Reichheld FF, (1994), Loyalty and the renaissance of Marketing, Marketing Management, 2, 4 pp10 20 Trudel, R Cotte J, (2009), Does It Pay to Be Good?, MIT Sloan Management Review, Vol. 50, Iss. 2, pp 61 68 www.news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8058103.stm accessed 1 Jul 2009 www.co operative.jobs/ourbusinesses/food/ethics accessed 1 Jul 2009 www.ethics.org accessed 7 July 2009 www.fairtrade.org.uk accessed 1 Jul 2009 www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/dec/16/regulation siemens scandal bribery accessed 7 July www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/22/india.humanrig

Malcolm X Richard Rodriguez essay --

Richard Rodriguez in â€Å"The Achievement of Desire† by Richard Rodriguez, displayed his early thoughts on education, how he learned from them as he grew older and how he ultimately alienated his parents do-to the way he went about getting his education. Malcolm X’s path toward education is explained in â€Å"Learning to Read† by Malcolm X. His influences, his beliefs and the actual process of what it actually took for X to become educated is explained in great detail. Malcolm X’s reasoning for wanting to be educated was to be able to reach out to Elijah Muhammad, -leader of The Nation of Islam and present himself as an educated person so Muhammad would be able to take notice. Moreover, Richard Rodrà ­guez wanted to become more educated was due to his parent’s lack of education. In addition, education was Rodriguez’s way of distancing himself from his parents and isolating himself into the world of books. There are some similarities between Malcolm X and Richard Rodriguez, like the fact that they both wanted to overcome their past and make something better of their respective situations through education. For example Rodriguez clearly states that when he was younger and would need help with his homework his parent’s absence of an education limited their abilities to help him and he had to find a way to do it himself. Moreover Rodriguez’s parent’s inability to help him was something that he learned from and later indicated that he changed his process of dealing with his schoolwork and his parents. X similarly to Rodriguez had an experience in his past that he worked to change. The work of X reveals that when X attempted to write a letter to Elijah Muhammad, he could not find the words to write that would accurately express his thoughts witho... ... educated so he decided to bury himself into his studies and leave his family life as an afterthought. Rodrà ­guezes parents were always supportive of him and his academic success but he did not embrace them as he should have. Next, Rodriguez rightly points out that at his graduation ceremonies throughout life his parents would attend and someone would always say that â€Å"your parents must be proud.† and those words always registered with him. Rodriguez’s influences were his teachers during his school years. Rodriguez wanted to obtain the same knowledge that his teachers possessed so he would be able to concentrate on the benefits his education could bring him. Later he realized that he alienated himself from his parents. Rodriguez indicates the time he was in the closet reading a book and his Mother finding him was something he looked back on as one of his regrets.

Euthanasia Should Be Legalized

Euthanasia should be legalized The gift of life is the most precious gift of god to us. but all the good things have some gray shades. If our loved one is suffering from a long lasting illness, sans any hope of recovery, should we take the easy way out and go with euthanasia, or should one allow the patient to suffer in hope of a miracle. Nowadays,how often we see a person’s life being wasted away on the hospital beds after being through a terrible accident or health problem, when there is no scope of improvement. They go through a terrible ordeal not only physically but also emotionally And they are not the sole sufferers. Along with them suffer their loved ones. The life of such patients become living hell. Therefore, euthanasia should be legalized. Mercy killing of such people will be like doing them kindness, after their content lives and saving them from going through living torture. As it is better to have a short,happy and content life as opposed to a long one full of sufferings. Today is the era of cut throat competition. As the professionalism increases, people find less and less time for their family. When their family member is terribly ill without any hope of recovery, he becomes a burden on them. According to them, he has now not only become incapable and dependent on others, but also demand their time, money and care. As people have become sagacious, they see euthanasia as an easy option to get rid of their ‘burden’ as well as responsibility. Making euthanasia legal will give such people open license to murder and move on with their lives. in my opinion, euthanasia should not be legalised, but it should be an available option for those whose chances of recovery are way to bleak. If the case is genuine, that is, the patient is alive only on ventilators and shows no sign of improvement for some years, then euthanasia would be a better option. But if the family of the patient are only looking for an easy way out, then it should not be granted. It all depends on the nature of the case as well as the circumstances. Making euthanasia legal will always be a debatable issue. Humans by nature are strongly bonded to their loved ones, and in general will only go for euthanasia,if all the doors close and even the last ray of hope has been extinguished. But when the time comes in life to make this decision, it is essential for ourselves to use not only our minds but also our hearts.

Frostbite Chapter 13

Thirteen PEOPLE STOOD UP AND SHOUTED, everyone wanting their opinion to be heard. As it was, most of them held the same view: Tasha was wrong. They told her she was crazy. They told her that in sending out Moroi and dhampirs to fight the Strigoi, she'd be expediting the extinction of both races. They even had the nerve to suggest that that was Tasha's plan all along- that she was somehow collaborating with the Strigoi in all of this. Dimitri stood up, disgust all over his features as he surveyed the chaos. â€Å"You might as well leave. Nothing useful's going to happen now.† Mason and I rose, but he shook his head when I started to follow Dimitri out. â€Å"You go on,† said Mason. â€Å"I want to check something out.† I glanced at the standing, arguing people. I shrugged. â€Å"Good luck.† I couldn't believe it had only been a few days since I'd spoken to Dimitri. Stepping out into the hall with him, I felt like it'd been years. Being with Mason these last couple of days had been fantastic, but seeing Dimitri again, all of my old feelings for him came rushing back. Suddenly, Mason seemed like a child. My distress over the Tasha situation also came back, and stupid words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them. â€Å"Shouldn't you be in there protecting Tasha?† I asked. â€Å"Before the mob gets her? She's going to get in big trouble for using magic like that.† He raised an eyebrow. â€Å"She can take care of herself.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, because she's a badass karate magic user. I get all that. I just figured since you're going to be her guardian and all†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Where did you hear that?† â€Å"I have my sources.† Somehow, saying I'd heard it from my mom sounded less cool. â€Å"You've decided to, right? I mean, it sounds like a good deal, seeing as she's going to give you fringe benefits†¦.† He gave me a level look. â€Å"What happens between her and me is none of your business,† he replied crisply. The words between her and me stung. It sounded like he and Tasha were a done deal. And, as often happened when I was hurt, my temper and attitude took over. â€Å"Well, I'm sure you guys'll be happy together. She's just your type, too- I know how much you like women who aren't your own age. I mean, she's what, six years older than you? Seven? And I'm seven years younger than you.† â€Å"Yes,† he said after several moments of silence. â€Å"You are. And every second this conversation goes on, you only prove how young you really are.† Whoa. My jaw almost hit the floor. Not even my mother punching me had hurt as badly as that. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw regret in his eyes, like he too realized just how harsh his words had been. But the moment passed, and his expression was hard once more. â€Å"Little dhampir,† a voice suddenly said nearby. Slowly, still stunned, I turned toward Adrian Ivashkov. He grinned at me and gave a brief nod of acknowledgment to Dimitri. I suspected my face was bright red. How much had Adrian heard? He held up his hands in a casual gesture. â€Å"I don't want to interrupt or anything. Just wanted to talk to you when you have time.† I wanted to tell Adrian I didn't have time to play whatever game he was into now, but Dimitri's words still smarted. He was looking at Adrian now in a very disapproving way. I suspected he, like everyone else, had heard about Adrian's bad reputation. Good, I thought. I suddenly wanted him to be jealous. I wanted to hurt him as much as he'd hurt me lately. Swallowing my pain, I unearthed my man-eating smile, one I hadn't used to full effect in sometime. I walked over to Adrian and put a hand on his arm. â€Å"I've got time now.† I gave a nod of my own to Dimitri and steered Adrian away, walking close to him. â€Å"See you later, Guardian Belikov.† Dimitri's dark eyes followed us stonily. Then I turned away and didn't look back. â€Å"Not into older guys, huh?† asked Adrian once we were alone. â€Å"You're imagining things,† I said. â€Å"Clearly, my stunning beauty has clouded your mind.† He laughed that nice laugh of his. â€Å"That's entirely possible.† I started to step back, but he tossed an arm around me. â€Å"No, no, you wanted to play chummy with me- now you've got to see it through.† I rolled my eyes at him and let the arm stay. I could smell alcohol on him as well as the perpetual smell of cloves. I wondered if he was drunk now. I had the feeling that there was probably little difference between his attitudes drunk or sober. â€Å"What do you want?† I asked. He studied me for a moment. â€Å"I want you to grab Vasilisa and come with me. We're going to have some fun. You'll probably want a swimsuit too.† He seemed disappointed by the admission of this. â€Å"Unless you want to go naked.† â€Å"What? A bunch of Moroi and dhampirs just got slaughtered, and you want to go swimming and ‘have fun'?† â€Å"It's not just swimming,† he said patiently. â€Å"Besides, that slaughter is exactly why you should go do this.† Before I could argue that, I saw my friends round the corner: Lissa, Mason, and Christian. Eddie Castile was with the group, which shouldn't have surprised me, but Mia was as well- which certainly did surprise me. They were deep in conversation, though they all stopped talking when they saw me. â€Å"There you are,† said Lissa, a puzzled look on her face. I remembered Adrian's arm was still around me. I stepped out of it. â€Å"Hey, guys,† I said. A moment of awkwardness hung around us, and I was pretty sure I heard a low chuckle from Adrian. I beamed at him and then my friends. â€Å"Adrian invited us to go swimming.† They stared at me in surprise, and I could almost see the wheels of speculation turning in their heads. Mason's face darkened a little, but like the others, he said nothing. I stifled a groan. Adrian took me inviting the others to his secret interlude pretty well. With his easygoing attitude, I hadn't really expected anything else. Once we had swimsuits, we followed his directions to a doorway in one of the far wings of the lodge. It held a staircase that led down- and down and down. I nearly got dizzy as we wound around and around. Electric lights hung in the walls, but as we went farther, the painted walls changed to carved stone. When we reached our destination, we discovered Adrian had been right- it wasn't just swimming. We were in a special spa area of the resort, one used only for the most elite Moroi. In this case, it was reserved for a bunch of royals I assumed were Adrian's friends. There were about thirty others, all his age or older, who bore the marks of wealth and elitism. The spa consisted of a series of hot mineral pools. Maybe once they'd been in a cave or something, but the lodge builders had long since gotten rid of any sort of rustic surroundings. The black stone walls and ceiling were as polished and beautiful as anything else in the resort. It was like being in a cave- a really nice, designer cave. Racks of towels lined the walls, as did tables full of exotic food. The baths matched the rest of the room's hewn-out d? ¦cor: stone-lined pools containing hot water that was heated from some underground source. Steam filled the room, and a faint, metallic smell hung in the air. Sounds of partygoers laughing and splashing echoed around us. â€Å"Why is Mia with you?† I asked Lissa softly. We were winding our way through the room, looking for a pool that wasn't occupied. â€Å"She was talking to Mason when we were getting ready to leave,† she returned. She kept her voice just as quiet. â€Å"It seemed mean to just†¦ I don't know †¦ leave her †¦Ã¢â‚¬  Even I agreed with that. Obvious signs of grief were written all over her face, but Mia seemed at least momentarily distracted by whatever Mason was telling her. â€Å"I thought you didn't know Adrian,† Lissa added. Disapproval hung in her voice and in the bond. We finally found a large pool, a little out of the way. A guy and a girl were on the opposite side, all over each other, but there was plenty of room for the rest of us. They were easy to ignore. I put a foot into the water and pulled it back immediately. â€Å"I don't,† I told her. Cautiously, I inched the foot back in, slowly followed by the rest of my body. When I got to my stomach, I grimaced. I had on a maroon bikini, and the scalding water caught my stomach by surprise. â€Å"You must know him a little. He invited you to a party.† â€Å"Yeah, but do you see him with us now?† She followed my gaze. Adrian stood on the far side of the room with a group of girls in bikinis much smaller than mine. One was a Betsey Johnson suit I'd seen in a magazine and coveted. I sighed and looked away. We'd all slipped into the water by then. It was so hot I felt like I was in a soup kettle. Now that Lissa seemed convinced of my innocence with Adrian, I tuned into the others' discussion. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I interrupted. It was easier than listening and figuring it out myself. â€Å"The meeting,† said Mason excitedly. Apparently, he'd gotten over seeing me and Adrian together. Christian had settled onto a small shelf in the pool. Lissa curled up beside him. Putting a proprietary arm around her, he tipped his back so it rested on the edge. â€Å"Your boyfriend wants to lead an army against the Strigoi,† he told me. I could tell he was saying it to provoke me. I looked at Mason questioningly. It wasn't worth the effort to challenge the â€Å"boyfriend† comment. â€Å"Hey, it was your aunt who suggested it,† Mason reminded Christian. â€Å"She only said we should find the Strigoi before they find us again,† countered Christian. â€Å"She wasn't pushing for novices fighting. That was Monica Szelsky.† A waitress came by then with a tray of pink drinks. These were in elegant, long-stemmed crystal glasses with sugared rims. I had a strong suspicion the drinks were alcoholic, but I doubted anyone who made it into this party was going to get carded. I had no idea what they were. Most of my experiences with alcohol had involved cheap beer. I took a glass and turned back to Mason. â€Å"You think that's a good idea?† I asked him. I sipped the drink, cautiously. As a guardian in training, I felt like I should always be on alert, but tonight I once again felt like being rebellious. The drink tasted like punch. Grapefruit juice. Something sweet, like strawberries. I was still pretty sure there was alcohol in it, but it didn't appear strong enough for me to lose sleep over. Another waitress soon appeared with a tray of food. I eyed it and recognized almost nothing. There was something that looked vaguely like mushrooms stuffed with cheese, as well as something else that looked little round patties of meat or sausage. As a good carnivore, I reached for one, thinking it couldn't be that bad. â€Å"It's foie gras,† said Christian. There was a smile on his face I didn't like. I eyed him warily. â€Å"What's that?† â€Å"You don't know?† His tone was cocky, and for once in his life, he sounded like a true royal touting his elite knowledge over us underlings. He shrugged. â€Å"Take a chance. Find out.† Lissa sighed in exasperation. â€Å"It's goose liver.† I jerked my hand back. The waitress moved on, and Christian laughed. I glared at him. Meanwhile, Mason was still hung up on my question about whether novices going to battle before graduation was a good idea. â€Å"What else are we doing?† he asked indignantly. â€Å"What are you doing? You run laps with Belikov every morning. What's that doing for you? For the Moroi?† What was that doing for me? Making my heart race and my mind have indecent thoughts. â€Å"We aren't ready,† I said instead. â€Å"We've only got six more months,† piped in Eddie. Mason nodded his agreement. â€Å"Yeah. How much more can we learn?† â€Å"Plenty,† I said, thinking of how much I'd picked up from my tutoring sessions with Dimitri. I finished my drink. â€Å"Besides, where does it stop? Let's say they end school six months early, then send us off. What next? They decide to push back further and cut our senior year? Our junior year?† He shrugged. â€Å"I'm not afraid to fight. I could have taken on Strigoi when I was a sophomore.† â€Å"Yeah,† I said dryly. â€Å"Just like you did skiing on that slope.† Mason's face, already flushed from the heat, turned redder still. I immediately regretted my words, particularly when Christian started laughing. â€Å"Never thought I'd live to see the day when I agreed with you, Rose. But sadly, I do.† The cocktail waitress came by again, and both Christian and I took new drinks. â€Å"The Moroi have got to start helping us defend themselves.† â€Å"With magic?† asked Mia suddenly. It was the first time she'd spoken since we'd got here. Silence met her. I think Mason and Eddie didn't respond because they knew nothing about fighting with magic. Lissa, Christian, and I did- and were trying very hard to act like we didn't. There was a funny sort of hope in Mia's eyes, though, and I could only imagine what she'd gone through today. She'd woken up to learn her mother was dead and then been subjected to hours and hours of political bantering and battle strategies. The fact that she was sitting here at all seeming semi-composed was a miracle. I assumed people who actually liked their mothers would barely be able to function in that situation. When no one else looked like they were going to answer her, I finally said, â€Å"I suppose. But†¦ I don't know much about that.† I finished the rest of my drink and averted my eyes, hoping someone else would take up the conversation. They didn't. Mia looked disappointed but said no more when Mason switched back to the Strigoi debate. I took a third drink and sank into the water as far as I reasonably could and still hold the glass. This drink was different. It looked chocolatey and had whipped cream on top. I took a taste and definitely detected the bite of alcohol. Still, I figured the chocolate probably diluted it. When I was ready for a fourth drink, the waitress was nowhere in sight. Mason seemed really, really cute to me all of a sudden. I would have liked a little romantic attention from him, but he was still going on about Strigoi and the logistics of leading a strike in the middle of the day. Mia and Eddie were nodding along with him eagerly, and I got the feeling that if he decided to hunt Strigoi right now, they'd follow. Christian was actually joining the talk, but it was more to play devil's advocate. Typical. He thought a sort of preemptive strike would require guardians and Moroi, much as Tasha had said. Mason, Mia, and Eddie argued that if the Moroi weren't up to it, the guardians should take matters into their own hands. I confess, their enthusiasm was kind of contagious. I rather liked the idea of getting the drop on Strigoi. But in the Badica and Drozdov attacks, all of the guardians had been killed. Admittedly the Strigoi had organized into huge groups and had help, but all that told me was that our side needed to be extra careful. His cuteness aside, I didn't want to listen to Mason talk about his battle skills anymore. I wanted another drink. I stood up and climbed over the edge of the pool. To my astonishment, the world started spinning. I'd had that happen before when I got out of baths or hot tubs too quickly, but when things didn't right themselves, I realized those drinks might have been stronger than I thought. I also decided a fourth wasn't such a good idea, but I didn't want to get back in and let everyone know I was drunk. I headed off toward a side room I'd seen the waitress disappear into. I hoped maybe there was a secret stash of desserts somewhere, chocolate mousse instead of goose liver. As I walked, I paid special attention to the slippery floor, thinking that falling into one of the pools and cracking my skull would definitely cost me coolness points. I was paying so much attention to my feet and trying not to stagger that I walked into someone. To my credit, it'd been his fault; he'd backed into me. â€Å"Hey, watch it,† I said, steadying myself. But he wasn't paying attention to me. His eyes were on another guy, a guy with a bloody nose. I'd walked right into the middle of a fight.

Term Limits essays

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