APA Headers in Open Office
After searching EVERYWHERE, I’ve finally figured out how to format the APA header in Open Office. It really shouldn’t be this difficult to figure out.
This post assumes you know how to get a header on the page, just not formatting it. If you don’t, ask, I’ll post it.
When you are on the first page of the doc, press F11 key on your keyboard. Click on the fourth icon over (page styles). Click on first page, then right click – Modify. Uncheck the box that says Same Content. Click ok. Then, making sure the cursor is on the first page, double click the words First Page in the pop up box. This changes the format of that page only.
To add page numbers – Insert -> Fields -> Page Numbers.
About The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
The assignment was to write a short paper describing the theme, and identifying two literary elements that contribute to that theme, then explain how the elements affect the theme.
Before reading my paper, you can read the story it was written on here - http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/webtexts/hour/
Thanks for reading!
Tone and Symbolism in The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin
The main theme of The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin is one of personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself while being a part of something else, like a marriage, which is shown through the use of tone, symbolism, and imagery. Symbolism and imagery go hand in hand, and really cannot be discussed one without the other. They are also both most often used to set the tone of a story, whether over all or in different sections.
In The Story of an Hour, the tone changes in a couple places. In the beginning, Mrs. Mallard is portrayed as fragile and weak. We see this in the mention of her weak heart, and in the way the news is broken to her. Josephine, her sister, and her husband’s friend Richards are very worried about how the news is presented and her reaction to it.
After a moment of being overcome with grief, Mrs. Mallard goes upstairs, where she views the world outside through a window. This window represents a portal into a new world of freedom for her. She sees glimpses blue sky through the dark clouds, trees, fresh rain, sparrows, and other things, that make her think of spring and a new life. These symbols provide an imagery that changes the tone in the story, with glimpse of blue sky through clouds specifically symbolizing the happiness that is on the other side of her grief. The sparrows she sees and song that she hears not only symbolize spring and new life, but also freedom and the happiness that can bring.
While the tone changes back to sadness for a moment with the description of how she sat in the chair, showing her sadness and trepidation towards the future, it quickly changes back. This is the moment she realizes her freedom to be herself, and not answer to anyone. No longer will there be someone that she has to put before her own needs and wants. Her excitement of this prospect is shown by the explanation of her physical reaction – raised pulse, muscle relaxation, and the look in her eyes.
It’s also here in the story where we learn the main character’s name is Louise. Prior to this point, she was always referred to as Mrs. Mallard. This symbolizes a shift in her perception of herself. She is no longer just Mrs. Mallard – someone’s wife. Louise is now her own person, with an independent identity. The happiness she feels at this realization is portrayed by the mention of the way she hoped to spend the coming days during the spring and summer, as well as now hoping she would live a longer life than she had hoped before. Feeling like a goddess and the look in her eyes shows the power the feeling of freedom and being her own person gives her.
The final line in the story, along with the mention of it at the beginning, implies to the reader that Louise Mallard died of a heart attack upon seeing that her husband was alive an well as he entered the house. However, the symbolism in this line holds that heart disease is much more than a physical ailment. It implies to the reader that Louise died because she held out so much hope and excitement for the future. In seeing her husband alive, she realizes that she will not be her own person. She will not have the freedoms she desires, and is still locked into a marriage where she will have to put another before herself. Her dreams of the future died in that instant, and we are left to think this is why her heart failed, not because it was weak.
The imagery, symbolism, and the clashing and changing of tone throughout this story explain something that many women deal with even is this day and age – the conflict of personal freedom and identity in a marriage. As mentioned in the story, men and women tend to forget that the other person is also an individual in their own right; has their own hopes and dreams. It does not mean the two do not love each other, but that they push each other to mirror their own ideals and wants for the relationship. The overall theme of this story, shown by the conflicting tone throughout, explains the greatest struggle in any relationship. The best and strongest relationships are ones that conquer this conflict, and realize the individuality of each other while,at the same time, creating a strong partnership together.
References
Clugston, R.W. (2010). Journey into Literature. (Ashford University Ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.
Ethics and Social Responsibility in Legalization of Marijuana
Rhonda L. Patterson
SOC120 Introduction to Ethics and Social Responsibility
Prof. Carrie Quiza
April 30, 2012
Ethics and Social Responsibility in Legalization of Marijuana
Although Congress classified marijuana as a Schedule 1 substance that had no medical value in 1970, making it instantly the widely used illegal drug in the United States, many disagree with this and the fight (in the media, courts, and on the streets) brings up many ethical issues, such as whether or not the government should be allowed to govern what people do in their own homes if it doesn’t harm anyone else and actually helps them medically. In fact, up until the government started imposing restrictions in 1930, physicians still widely prescribed marijuana to their patients for a variety of reasons that are similar to the reasons people use it today (Bostwick, 2012).
In 1972, John E. Ingersoll, Director of the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs in the United States Department of Justice, delivered a speech to the Maryland Chiefs of Police at their annual conference. Even at that time, he realized that the current laws were in need of major reform. Director Ingersoll felt that the answer did not lie in making marijuana or other drugs completely illegal with stiff penalties, nor was a free-reign approach the answer. With free-reign, Ingersoll was afraid that the public would not realize the possible repercussions of marijuana use, or would believe that it was safe, if there were no laws regulating it’s usage (Ingersoll, 1972).
In many ways, Director Ingersoll was correct in his thoughts. Without proper education, people will not realize the possible side effects of marijuana use. Many people could have allergic reactions, over use the drug, and many will have no adverse reactions at all. Currently, we educate on the use of cigarettes and other nicotine related products. There are laws in place making it illegal for anyone under the age of eighteen (in most states) to buy these products. Thoughts are, that at eighteen, one is old enough to have been properly educated and understand what it is they are doing when they use nicotine containing merchandise. Why can’t we do this with the legalization of marijuana?
Maybe we should look to European countries for the answer to the drug legality issue. Many of them have already loosened or repealed their laws, which were fashioned after laws made here in the United States, in favor of the legalization of marijuana. Rick Steves, who is a widely popular authority on European travel, stated in a 2011 interview with Nick Gillespie for Reason Magazine that he believed marijuana use to be a civil liberty, and that it should not be a criminal offense (Gillespie, 2011). Many Europeans think along the same lines as Mr. Steves.
Commander Brain Paddock in a neighborhood of London called Brixton, ran a little experiment. Over a six month period, he instructed his officers to warn those caught with small amounts of marijuana rather than arrest them. At the end of those six months, Scotland Yard issued a report that stated more than 2500 hours of manpower was saved by giving warnings (Katz, 2002). Not making arrests meant not spending valuable time transporting prisoners and filling out paper work, not to mention court time and costs saved prosecuting those arrested. That time could then be spent on investigating and enforcing other more serious criminal activities.
Marijuana use is legal, or otherwise overlooked, in many European areas such as Holland. In an article called Europe Loosens It’s Pot Laws, written for Rolling Stone Magazine, Gregory Katz wrote that Senior Drug Policy Advisor to the Dutch Minister of Health, Bob Krizer, has said marijuana consumption in Holland has been consistently lower over the past twenty-five years than it has in the United States. During those same twenty-five years, the United States had been waging the “War on Drugs,” while Holland had been embracing a more liberal policy. Mr. Krizer also states that their rate of harder drug addicts is largely lower than many other countries that have stricter drug policies (Katz, 2002). If true, this goes a long way towards proving education is a much better way to get a message across than making laws and arresting people.
The Netherlands (of which Holland is a part) and Switzerland have already made marijuana legal. Many other European countries are not far behind. At the time Katz’s article was written, Great Britain had announced the potential of legalizing small amounts for possession. Portugal already allows it. Several countries (Canada, Australia, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany) still have laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, medically or otherwise, however they are unofficially liberal on arresting and prosecuting these offenses, including lessening offenses and making them civil rather than criminal.
The term Medical Marijuana is a bit too broad. There are three types that are sometimes considered for medical usage: endocannabinoids, phytocannabinoids, and synthetic cannabinoids (MedicineNet, Inc., n.d.). Endocannabinoids, which the medical community generally considers to be a “marijuana-like substance” rather than actual marijuana, have to do with the skin (endo). This form of the drug dilates the blood vessels and decreases blood pressure. While this would be helpful for someone with high blood pressure, if someone who already has low blood pressure injests the drug, they could become very ill, even die.
The second form, phytocannabinoids, is the plant based form of marijuana. This is the standard, the one that is most talked about when referring to medical and recreational marijuana. It is the naturally occurring THC. The problem with these, however, is that over the years recreational users have cross pollinated plants looking for the best “high.” Some of these can have an extreme reaction in those already predisposed to mental illness, causing them to go into full mental break down.
Synthetic cannabinoids, however, are not naturally occurring and are made in a laboratory. These can be very dangerous. Recreational users, who do not know what they are doing, can mix the wrong things, causing major illness and in many cases death.
Legalizing marijuana would also create several jobs. Farms would need to hire workers to plant, care for, and cultivate the product. From there, the product would need to be packaged and distributed. Sales people would set up accounts where the product would be sold. The government would have new openings for regulators and inspectors to ensure everything was being done properly. Lastly, you have retail outlets, marketers that get the product directly to the hands of the people using it. In the case of marijuana legalized only for medicinal purposes, this makes pharmacies the retail outlets. Pharmacists have to go to school and be licensed by the state to practice, which creates more revenue and another department for state government.
Oaksterdam University was founded in 2007 by Richard Lee in Oakland, California, where state law allows personal growth of twelve plants for medical use (some localities allow such as Oakland (seventy-two) allow more). Though state law does not yet require any special training, Oaksterdam was created as a part of the rapidly expanding medical marijuana industry, and teaches everything you need to know about it from growing and dispensing, all the way to how not to get robbed. The course also teaches students, who come from every walk of life and are not the typical “Hippy” types one would envision, the basics of running a business such as incorporation, taxes, and becoming involved in the local community.
All aspects of product are also taught. One learns how to detect good from bad; and what strains are available, as well as their price points and the affects of each variety when used; and what equipment (lights, ventilator fans, grow table) is necessary to produce the plants. In Grow Lab, students put all of this knowledge to use in a class project that runs from planting to harvest (Green, 2009).
This doesn’t even begin to take into consideration all the taxes the local, state, and federal governments can collect from the sale of legalized marijuana. As of 2009, medical marijuana crops in California were valued at approximately $14 billion. There were 200,000 physician certified users, and hundreds of dispensaries that utilized advertising venues such as billboards, flyers, and newspaper and magazine ads. The tax revenue generated in the state of California for legal medical marijuana sales is estimated at about $100 million per year (Green, 2009). Imagine if we could use all that extra income towards a health care system. Many of the aforementioned countries in Europe facilitate programs through taxes collected from sales such as these.
One major flaw with California’s system is that federal law has not changed to make medical marijuana legal. Oaksterdam University posted the following on the main page of their website: “On the morning of Monday, April 2, a small army of federal agents – including representatives from the US Marshals, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service – descended upon Oaksterdam’s brick-and-mortar facility. They seized instructors’ curriculum and student records, among other items. Federal authorities also froze Oaksterdam’s bank accounts, resulting in immediate lay-offs to the facility’s 40+ full-time and part-time staff. Why? As of yet, no one in a position to know is talking. (Oaksterdam University, 2012)”
To many, this shows that the federal government is not willing to allow the public to be educated, but instead follow archaic laws, creating an environment that encourages illegal activities. Without the proper education to legally grow and dispense medical marijuana, the possibility of those in need getting product that’s tainted, incorrectly cultivated, or harmful in some other way that could cause more harm than it would help, raises exponentially. An entire industry that could help a struggling economy is shuttered, and people who could be helped are left to suffer.
The raid and seizure at Oaksterdam University worries me for a much greater reason. How many constitutional rights are violated by this invasion? An attack on an institution that is teaching information, seizing monies paid by people wanting to learn, scares me. The government doesn’t want us to have the ability to learn about medical marijuana, so they come in and shut it down. Yes, the legality of medical marijuana is a hot issue right now, but what’s next? Letting our government get away with such unethical use of their powers opens the door to so many more of such violations in the future.
Utilizing utilitarianism, the greatest good would be to not allow people to injest the drug without medical supervision, or proper labeling and identification. There are too many side effects, too many different types, and it would be too easy for people to take something that was tainted or the wrong kind. Therefore, I feel institutions like Oaksterdam University should be welcomed in our society, not persecuted. They ensure patients receive the best quality product. A department could be set up, probably inside the Food and Drug Administration, to govern the entire medical marijuana industry, creating even more jobs and revenues.
Relatively, these actions may make the cost of marijuana rise to the extent that people who needed it medically, could no longer afford the drug. We see this today in the debate on healthcare and it’s subsequent reform. However, it would also allow insurance companies to cover the added costs, making medical marijuana available to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
Personally, I believe that marijuana, as well as other drugs, should be made legal. As long as a person knows what it is they are taking, knows the consequences of taking the drug, controls it and themselves properly, and doesn’t adversely affect the rights or activities of others, I see no reason why they cannot take them in the privacy of their own home. Creating an environment where the industry is regulated will ensure the product is safe, and that patients get the right kind for their medical needs. People who use drugs have made a conscious choice to do so. In making them aware of the side effects of the drug, they are responsible for that choice. With legalization, it becomes easier to label, identify, and generally tell people what it is they are taking and what will (or could) happen to them if they do.
Resources
Bostwick MD, J. (2012) Blurred Boundaries: The Theraputics and Politics of Medical Marijuana. Retrieved April 15, 2012 from: http://www.cannabisguild.com/MED-MJ-FOLDER/MMJ-ARTICLES/Blurred-Boundaries-Therapeutics-Politics-of-MMJ.pdf
Gillespie, N. (2011). Rick Steves: ‘I just Do What I Think is True’. Reason, 43(7), 37. Retrieved April 30, 2012 from EBSCOhost.
Green, J. (2009). Cannabusiness. Atlantic Monthly (10727825), 303(3), 23. Retrieved April 30, 2012 from EBSCOhost.
Ingersoll, J. E. (1972). The Effect Of Legalizing Marihuana & Heroin. Vital Speeches Of The Day, 39(1), 24.Retrieved April 30, 2012 from EBSCOhost.
Katz, G. (2002). EUROPE LOOSENS ITS POT LAWS. Rolling Stone, (899/900), 55.Retrieved April 30, 2012 from EBSCOhost.
MedicineNet, Inc.(n.d.). Medical Definitions. Retrieved April 16, 2012 from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=31402.
Mosser, K. (2010). Introduction to ethics and social responsibility. San Diego, Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Retrieved April 30, 2012 from https://content.ashford.edu.
Oaksterdam University. (April 2012). No Title Given. Retrieved April 30, 2012 from http://www.oaksterdamuniversity.com/
Rough Draft Grade
Received 19.76/20 on the rough draft of my paper. I apparently have some APA issues. Now I just have to figure out at least 3 more pages of stuff to stick in there and resubmit by Monday night for the final paper!
Pretty happy I’ve managed to bring my class grade from an F to a high B.
Grade on Research Proposal
Received 9.88/10! Docked points because she said one of my sources wasn’t valid. I’ve emailed and asked why a newspaper article isn’t vaild, so we shall see what comes of that. I think she thought it was a blog site.
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