Groups and Teams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Groups and Teams - Essay Example well as respective roles and leaders, there was no one who took into account the need to monitor the progress of performance of the project on a regular basis. This included ensuring that members were well informed in meetings and attend, as required. Due to the lack of consensus in assigning tasks, as well as respective roles and leaders, there was no one who took into account the need to monitor the progress of performance of the project on a regular basis. This included ensuring that members were well informed in meetings and attend, as required. According to Tuckmans five stages of group development, conflict occurs as the second stage after the orientation phase in ordinary groups. Compare the two groups in respect to the conflict process that took place in each using the Tuckmans as a framework. As noted by Borkman (1996), Team A’s conflict existed both at the beginning and at the end of the project. The conflict at the beginning of the project allegedly emerged as a result of the Too Nice Syndrome, especially when roles and responsibilities were not appropriately established. In addition, the presumption that All Talk would lead the members also caused eventual conflict when he eventually left the group and the rest of the members had to conceptualize another project in lieu of that which was suggested by All Talk. This is consistent with Tuckman’s stages of group development which asserted that â€Å"although conflicts may or may not surface as group issues, they do exist. Questions will arise about who is going to be responsible for what, what the rules are, what the reward system is, and what criteria for evaluation are. These reflect conflicts over leadership, structure, power, and authority† (5 Stages of Group Development, n.d., p. 1). Likewise, towards the end of the project it was pointed out that the inability of the three isolates to contribute to the project would eventually render them kicked-out. As such, some form of conflict in verbal

An Annotated Bibliography Essay Example for Free

An Annotated Bibliography Essay Chin, Jean Lau. (2004). The Psychology of Prejudice and Discrimination. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group This book discusses the effects of prejudice and discrimination on the psyche and one’s participation in society as a whole. The relevant section in this book discusses the unique plight of gay or bisexual black men that have to contend with homophobia as well as racism. Of special note is the section in which sexual orientation often has a negative effect on the career development of many gay black men. This is an interesting resource since most of the material on the subject does not address the secondary sub-category of sexual orientation (Chin, 2004). Daniels, C. (2004). Black Power Inc. : The New Voice of Success. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons C. Daniel’s Black Power Inc. is a book of medium length that explores the phenomenon of black people placing a growing emphasis on economic rather than political power. The book is geared toward young to middle-aged black professional men and women, who are Working While Black (WWB). C. Daniels writes for Fortune magazine with an extensive history in writing about the social dynamics inherent in big business—especially as it relates to the unique issues black men and women face in the corporate world (Daniels, 2004). Davis, G. Watson, G. (1982). Black Life in Corporate America: Swimming in the Mainstream. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press Although written twenty-seven years ago, this account by Davis Watson (1982) is still relevant in chronicling the early stages of Black integration into corporate American life. The book describes the upstream struggles of educated black professionals as they attempt to make a living commensurate with their skills. While also observing the lesser tolerance of open bigotry in the workplace, certain â€Å"jokes† and comments are often alienating to black men (Davis Watson, 1982). Gates, Henry Louis. America behind the Color Line. New York: Warner Books, 2004 This book contains interviews from several powerful African-American men including Russell Simmons, Quincy Jones, Vernon Jordan, Colin Powell and Morgan Freeman. Written by Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , one of the premier scholars of African-American studies today. This book shows the diversity of successful Black men from the corporate and political arenas to the performing arts and community activism, and discusses triumphs and challenges. A very good read for anyone studying black achievement (Gates, 2004). Livers, A. Caver, K. A. (2002). Leading in Black and White: Working across the Racial Divide in Corporate America. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons This book by Livers Caver (2002) describes the challenges faced by Blacks who occupy a higher level on the corporate ladder (i. e. managerial positions). They challenge the popular assumption that black leaders have the same issues as white leaders, and underscore the problems of trust many black men have with their white colleagues because of lack of common experiences. This book was intended for black managers that need help in continuing to navigate the system (Livers Carver, 2002). Merida, K. (2007). Being a Black Man: At the Corner of Progress and Peril. Washington: Public Affairs This is a collection of essays about the personal and professional struggles of black men in America. Many points of view deal with identity intersections of different roles—husband, father, employee, and businessman—as well as dreams and ambitions. This book generated a great deal of interest in the reading public as it offers a personal glimpse of the realities of black life. K. Merida is a reporter for the Washington Post, and was thus able to use his credentials to find many contributors to this volume (Merida, 2007). Van Horne, W. A. (2007). The Concept of Black Power: Its Continued Relevance. Journal of Black Studies, 37(3), 365-389 This is a study of the growth of Black Power in America as the middle-class grows slowly and quietly. Even though over time, black people have gained more civil rights in America, there is still a significant lag between them and the white majority. However, W. A. Van Horne notes that the black underclass often overshadows the slow, but inexorable growth of the black middle class. He also raises questions of whether the black power movement is still relevant (Van Horne, 2007).

Causes of the French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution Revolutions are not simply actions committed from impulses, rather, they are a set of protests to express disagreements with the current society. This was the case of the French Revolution. Around the 18th century, British colonists in North America accused England for unequal treatments. Inspired by Enlightenment ideas, Americans overthrew the British power and created a republic. Driven by the successful American Revolution and the new ideas of liberty and equality, the French were inspired to do the same with the ruling royalty and to establish a new political order. This was mainly because France continued the system of the â€Å"Old Regime†, a type of feudal system where the king held absolute power. Under the Old Regime, there was an unequal distribution of wealth and rights of citizens. In addition, the enormously high prices of life necessities were also critical because many people had barely enough to eat and live. Consequently, the observed of Enlightenment ideas an d witness of American Revolution’s success, disparity in wealth and rights of the citizen, in addition of corruption in the ruling royalty’s power over government inspired the occurrence of the French Revolution. Among one of the factors that had played into the French Revolution was the philosophical view of human right and government structure. At the Age of Reason, many philosophers created new ideas about the government and questioned the basic rights of all humans. Such ideas influenced the French Revolution. There were three major enlightenment thinkers, and they were John Locke, Montesquieu and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Locke was an English philosopher who witnessed political turmoil in England during the 17th century. One of his most influential ideas on French Revolution was the equality of human and the three natural rights, which are life, liberty and property. In France, serfs and peasants didn’t have the same rights as aristocracy because they didn’t enjoy the same freedoms and property that the wealthy population enjoyed. Furthermore, they made up 80 percent of the population (Kreis). Thus, they were unsatisfied with their unequal rights. In addition, the â€Å"bourg eoisie†, or the middle class, could be as rich as the some nobles because the bourgeoisie were the people to get engaged in trades and a variety of businesses that helped them to gain a good amount of wealth and influence the French economy. However, the bourgeoisies were still considered as commoners because their statuses in society were not heritable as nobilities (Kreis). Consequently, the bourgeoisies wished the government to open more positions to base on the individual’s merits. But it was impossible to do this under the Old Regime due to the huge differences in social classes and privileges. Hence, the commoners, including both peasants and bourgeois, were inspired to revolt from the new philosophical ideas that were widely spread and accepted of the individual human rights. In addition, Montesquieu published The Spirit of the Laws in 1783 and claimed the best government was a kind of constitutional monarchy, which was a monarchy that shared its political powers with another governing power. Consequently, Montesquieu suggested that France should model this kind of government in order to achieve the same success as England did. With this form of government Montesquieu suggested the sharing of sovereignty with the aristocracy. Hence, his view didn’t represent the whole population of the country, including the bourgeoisie and peasants. (The French Revolution: Ideas and Ideologies). The king also rejected the sharing of power, so it was considered as an impractical solution. However, Montesquieu had made an essential influence on the French Revolution with this new idea of sovereignty, which was expressed in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. The clause three stated that no individual could exercise the power of controlling over others. Another Enlightenment philosopher, Rousseau, however proposed the idea of self-ruling and direct democracy. The idea stated all citizens have the equality to participate in politics (MacAdam). According to an authority of philosophical studies, Jim MacAdam, concluded Rousseau impacted French Revolution by the idea of human equality. This was because the proposal of self-ruling outlined the equality among all citizens to have the rights participating the affairs of the nation. The idea that the general population could participate in politics was also deeply appealing because compared to clergies and nobilities at the time, commoners had no social status, privileges, and rights to manage political affairs. Inspired by the idea of equality in politics from Montesquieu and Rousseau, the commoners were inspired to take actions to fight for their political freedom. Combining the ideas proposed by philosophers and American Revolution, the French was very inspired to create a revolution in the overall societal structure. During the 17th century, America was a colony to the Great Britain. Unfair treatment such as over-taxation and a monarchal government, spurred the American Revolution (Mackey), so that they could fight for freedom, liberty and reasonable taxation (Emerich, Dalberg, Acton). Observing the Americans, the French commoners also wished to have the equal freedom and liberty that they gained. Due to the similar reasons in France and America, it provided a suitable explanation to start a revolution. Moreover, Paris was the origin the enlighten ideas, so it was easy for revolutionary ideas to spread around France and the French people. Hence, the new idea for equality promoted action to commence a revolution in France. In addition, the poor economic condition provided a demonstrated factor to revolt. The poor economic condition in France included accumulated debts and issues of the deregulatory market of grain after a drought in 1788. As a participant of the Seven Years War and American War of Independence, huge debts were accumulated in order to fund armies. The assistance to the American Revolution had built up the debt in France to 13 billion livres (Schiff). Hence, the French government was bankrupted. However, England, also a participant of both wars, was able to manage the financial problems brought by the wars (Karan). The financial problems in France were not as manageable as England due to the lack of advisers and the inefficient tax collecting system (Smith). Since France was still controlled by an absolute monarchy, who believed in absolute control, most decisions, including economical decisions, were only made by the monarchy alone. Without others advisors to suggest practical solutions , the financial problems were hard to improve solely with decisions from the monarchy. In addition, the tax collecting system was also unsuitable, because the monarch gave power to local officials to collect taxes (Smith), which caused some corrupt officials seize the tax money for themselves, rather than turning the money back to the state. Thus this made the financial problems even more difficult to resolve, because there was no taxation money into the state, so the debt was unable to be paid off. Apart from economical issues, the agriculture in France suffered a deadly blow. A devastating drought in 1788 caused peasants to have difficulty maintaining their health mainly due to lack of food caused from the lack of growth of grain. The failure of grain growth resulted the increased pricing on bread, because bread was made from the grain. Bread was a daily staple in France, so peasants couldn’t live without bread (The French Revolution: The causes of the revolution). However, due to the drought in 1788, the prices of bread inflated. The portion of income spent on bread thus increased eighty-eight percent, compared to fifty percent before the drought (Walinger). In addition to the increase in bread prices, the peasants also had to pay taxes, which created unsatisfactory living conditions for many peasants. There was also an unequal societal structure in France at this time, because the Old Regime divided French social structure unequally. The monarch held all power of the state and there was no parliament in France. Around 1770 to 1780, Louis XVI was in charge of the throne. However, he wasn’t prepared to become king, because he was too shy and irresponsible (Louis XVI biography). Also because France was controlled under an absolute monarchy instead of a constitutional monarchy, most decisions were based on the monarch himself. However, the monarch wasn’t fully considerate of the whole nation due to lack of consideration from Louis XVI. For instance, Louis XVI’s construction of the palace of Versailles wasted over seven to ten percent of the national treasury (Smith), which had put more stress on the treasury from the debts created the American Revolution and the Seven Years Wars. To resolve the debt problems in France became a critical issue, so Louis XVI turned toward the â€Å"Third Estate† that generated most of the country’s income. The Old Regime was divided into three Estates. The First was composed of clergy, the Second of the nobility and the Third of the commoners, which comprised of 25 million people. Because this social structure was based on customs and traditions, it created inequalities in law (Keris). For instance, although the Third Estate formed 80 percent of the French population, including the bourgeoisie who owned 25 percent of the land, they only held one vote in the Estate General (a general meeting of the three Estates). (Unit 4: French Revolution Napoleon). Compared to the other two Estates, this was generally not fair. The First Estate owned ten to fifteen percent of land in France and constantly received tithe and did not pay taxes. The Second Estate owned thirty percent of the land and they usually get their wealth fr om rents from the peasants who lived on their land. However, the people of the poor Third Estate used their little income to live and pay taxes to the Church, monarchy and landowners (Keris). Compared to the First and Second Estates, the people of the Third Estate were extremely unsatisfied with unequal privileges, heavy taxes, and inequality on voting rights in the Estate General. The French Revolution was a remarkable event on French history, and it was created mainly from new ideas of Enlightenment philosophers, enormous economic problems, and inequality of rights, which were also observed from the success of the American Revolution. Moreover, the economic problem resulted over taxation and the raised of the daily staple created an unsatisfied living condition for the peasants. In addition, the failure of the ruling monarch, such as the fact that the monarch managed all decisions of the state without putting the population into consideration and unwillingness to adapt to new form of political structure. Works Cited Cranston, Maurice. â€Å"The French Revolution: Ideas and Ideologies.† History Today, HistoryToday Ltd., 5 May 1989. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Choi, Insun. â€Å"Economic problem that caused French Revolution.† KIS World History. n.p., 26 Oct. 2009. Web. 6 Dec. 2014. Emerich, John. Dalberg, Edward. Acton, Lord. â€Å"Lectures on the French Revolution: The Influence of America†. Google online book. Google, Mar. 30 2006. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. The French Revolution. Go Social Studies Go. n.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2015. Karan, Priya. â€Å"Economic Causes of The French Revolution: Debt.† Suite.com. n.p., n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2015. Kerise, Steven. â€Å"Lecture 11: The Origins of the French Revolution.† Historyguide.org. The History Guide, 30 Oct. 2006. Web. 28 Sep. 2014. â€Å"Louis XVI biography.† Bastille-day. n.p., 1 July. 2012, Web. 28 Sep. 2014. MacAdam, Jim. â€Å"Jean-Jacques Rousseau and the Revolution.† Montreal Symposium. n.p., 28 May 1989. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. â€Å"Marie Antoinette biography.† Bastille-day. n.p., 1 July. 2012. Web. 28 Sep. 2014. Mackey, Richard. â€Å"American Revolution Influences of the French Revolution†. Google online book. Google, n.d. Web. 3 Dec. 2014. Prest, William. â€Å"The French Revolution, Locke and Rousseau. † HubPages. n.p., 31 Jan 2013. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. Smith, Nicole. â€Å"France’s Pre-revolutionary Financial Crisis: The Lead-up to the French Revolution.† Article Pyramid. n.p., 7 Dec. 2011. Web 10 Mar. 2015. Waldinger, Maria. â€Å"Drought and the French Revolution: The Effects of Adverse Weather Conditions on Peasant Revolts in 1789.† Academia.edu, n.p., 7 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2014.

Analysis of A Perfect Ganesh :: Perfect Ganesh Essays

A Perfect Ganesh Analysis of the play elements. The author: Terrence Mcnally’s career began in the New York off-off-Broadway boom of the late 1960s. Most of his 60’s plays are not really relevant although some are funny. However, during the 70’s his plays began to get recognition. Nowadays, his plays are performed in off-Broadway theaters and he is known as the author of tragicomic plays, filled with breadth and depth. He still lives in New York and is one of the America best playwrights. He is the author of numerous plays, including Master Class and Love! Valour! Compassion! (both winners of the Tony Award for best play), The Ritz, and Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune, which became a movie starring Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer, and the books for the musicals The Rink and Kiss of the Spider Woman, which won the Tony Award for the best book of musical. Other successes include Lips Together, Teeth Apart and The Lisbon Traviata. Other plays by Terrence McNally are: Andre’s Mother; Corpus Christi: a play; It’s only a Play;Â   !Cuba si! Bringing it all back home, last gasps; and Where has Tommy Flowers Gone. McNally has received two Guggenheim Fellowships, a Rockefeller Grant, and a citation from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He also serves as vice president for the Dramatists Guild, the American organization of playwrights, composers, and lyricists. His plays have been adapted to many languages, and performed in different countries. The plot The play concerns a two-week travel to India by two rich middle-aged women, who seem to be empty and frivolous. They both have indifferent and painful memories of the deaths of their sons. Although being friends for many years, it is only in this trip that they get to know each other (and also themselves) by experiencing the humanity of India. Katharine Brynne, one of them, is a mother who lost a homosexual son, killed by homophobics, and is haunted by the fact she rejected him. Katharine is also a woman who must deal with her racism, fueled by the fact that the men who killed her son were black. She is also an exuberant and open-minded woman who is willing to take risks and to accept the reality she sees about herself. In contrast to Katharine, there is Margaret Civil, who is more reserved, conventional, and motherly.

Lord of the Flies Ralph and Piggy’s Glasses Symbolism Essay

The novel, â€Å"Lord of the Flies†, deals immensely with characterization and symbolism. William Golding packed his story with a great deal of literary color, making it alive and vivid to the reader. Golding’s use of symbolism is obvious throughout the entire novel. The character that stood out the most in the novel was Ralph, who was excellently developed by Golding as a leader. Golding made Ralph in to a round character by using heavy descriptions of him that almost made the reader think as if he or she actually knew Ralph by the end of the story. Golding’s very first introduction of Ralph into the novel the reader could already see his sense of observation even in the first sentence that he says: â€Å"This is an island; at least I think it’s an island. That’s a reef out in the sea. Perhaps there aren’t any grownups anywhere.† Although this quote may not be a direct characterization of Ralph it shows the audience how observant and wise he is. Throughout the rest of the novel Golding characterizes Ralph in a deeper sense giving the audience a real feel of what kind of kid he is. For example later in the novel when the rules are being broken and the boys are turning into salvages Ralph tries to keep order. He says â€Å"So remember rocks for a lavatory. Keep fire going and smoke showing as a signal. Don’t take fire from the mountain. Take your food up there.† Golding including this passage of demonstrating how Ralph is trying to enforce rules to keep an organized civilization shows Ralph as being a true leader, and keeping his morals. This truly shows Golding’s deep descriptions of Ralph in order to form Ralph into a round character. In Golding’s description of Ralph throughout the whole book I would categorize Ralph as a dynamic character. Although Ralph’s change in the novel wasn’t as evident as the other’s, he does change. The main change I noticed in Ralph throughout the novel was the way he acts towards Piggy. In the beginning Ralph insulted him and treated him awfully. In Piggy and Ralph’s first conversation Piggy requested him to not tell anyone his name was Piggy. In the first meeting Jack calls him â€Å"Fatty† but Ralph interrupts with a shout: â€Å"His real name’s Piggy!† All the boys unite in laughter while Piggy cleans his glasses in embarrassment and shame. Ralph disobeys Piggy’s first request in a happy manner embarrassing him in front of everyone. This is one example of Ralph not treating Piggy in a positive way and being mean to him. Not until Piggy dies Ralph realizes how much he needed Piggy not only because he was smart and had morals but because he was the only one Ralph could trust. The purpose of Golding including Ralph in the novel is to symbolize order and democracy against evil and dictatorship, which was Jack. The whole story Ralph and Jack were butting heads. Jack envied Ralph because he was democratically elected as the leader. Many decisions about the boys’ life on the island were made as a result of democratic discussions during meetings, in which every boy had a right to speak. When Ralph told the boys off about not sticking to the rules he reminded them â€Å"you elected me chief!† William Golding does an amazing job characterizes Ralph and giving the readers an image of how Ralph is not only a character, but a real boy. A big part of the book â€Å"Lord of the Flies† is symbolism. Golding uses Piggy’s glasses as a symbol of intelligence, rationality and common sense, all qualities possessed by a civilized human being who functions in a society bound by rules and laws. The glasses are one of two man-made objects on the island, which demonstrates a symbol of intelligence through the technology needed to create such an object. Golding shows the symbol of new technology when the boys say â€Å"His specs use them as burning glasses!† This shows the glasses are symbolic of the technological advances that can be made by man. Piggy’s glasses started the fire which is first used to make a signal fire, and later to catch the attention of the ships that could be passing by the island. Throughout the novel, the specs become soiled with dirt, or the sins of the boys. When he speaks in front of the assembly, Piggy often finds himself â€Å"taking off his glasses and wiping.† them in attempt to remove the blur of sins from the falling society. Also Jack slaps Piggy, the glasses â€Å"fly off and tinkle on the rocks one sides broken† the lens is demolished. As Piggy`s vision begins to diminish and he becomes literally blind, the boys are metaphorically blinded to reason, common sense, and rationality. Therefore, the specs are used throughout the novel to foreshadow events and as a symbol of intelligence, rationality and common sense. The entire purpose of the specs is destroyed by savages, proving Golding`s belief that â€Å"savagery is more powerful then evil.† Throughout Lord of the Flies, William Golding exhibits his belief that â€Å"human nature corrupts all society.† The glasses are used as a symbol of intelligence. However, as they slowly deteriorate, so does the social structure of a civilized society with a movement from structure to savagery. In the novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies† William Golding’s way of writing brings the characters and the symbols alive.

Research and testing on animals essays

Research and testing on animals essays Humans are the only hunters who kill when they are not hungry. This is a quote by Steven Spielberg. He was referring to the millions of animals that have been killed every year in the name of testing and research. The use of animal research has been an ongoing debate for many years. Is it right to use animals for research? To me, this is a very tough subject. My initial thought is absolutely not, but then there is that one part of me that says that some animal research that has been conducted has been used to create vaccines and medications that have been useful to me. I dont know though that it is right to harm and even kill other living creatures for our gains. I was reading an article off the internet that had an unknown author. He asked a few simple questions, then made what I thought to be a very good point. He asked, How many of you people have animals at home? A very simple question. Then he asked, What do you do when the animal gets sick? Thats an easy question too. You take it to the vet. Now he asked, How difficult is it to get your sick animal to swallow a pill that is going to help them? Having two dogs and a cat, I know it can sometimes be impossible. His last question was, knowing how hard it is to get an animal to take medication that would help it, why would you try to force something on the animal that would very well harm or even kill it? To me, this just doesnt sound like the right thing to do. As I was reading over the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals, I found many things that were a little disturbing to me. Many of the guidelines refer to having the animals euthanized . The quote by Steven Spielberg is true. These animals are dying for as far as I am concerned, no reason. Another point that was made in the Guidelines for Ethical Conduct in the Care and Use of Animals is in section five of the guide ...

Free Essays on Drug Abuse

The word drug is defined as â€Å"any substance other than food that can affect the way your mind and body work.† There are hundreds of different drugs, each with its particular effect on the body's nervous system. For instance, narcotics are a series of drugs that affect the mind, causing mental changes. Unstable drugs, referred to on the streets as Crack, PCP, Ice, LSD, Speed, and many others, are made up of several chemical substances, which are produced illegally under poor circumstances. These drugs are responsible for killing thousands of young people each year, those who escape death are sometimes confined to a mental institution. People are spending their hard-earned money on Ice, Crack, LSD, and Dope!?! The money spent on drugs is less money for taxes to pay for the building of better schools, or making of better roads, money not being spent on helping a child, or even buying video cassettes. Let’s relate to the our generation: You're walking down the street, i t’s a beauti! ful Saturday afternoon, and there's a big anniversary date that night with your girlfriend. You see a guy you recognize and he offers you marijuana for $100.00. You accept the deal thinking nothing of it. Later that night the bill comes in at the Italian restaurant, that same restaurant where you had your first date at, and the bill comes out to $95.41. Now, the money you spent on drugs for Sunday would have bought you the meal, but instead you have to stay after and wash dishes to work off the money. I think that we are the people of the new millennium, we do not need drugs. People used drugs to be cool in the 70's. My parents did that, maybe because it was new thing or maybe they weren't cool enough. But now we know the effects of drug and how it can ruin our life. I expect people to use their brain and to see what is actually in drugs so they can avoid it.... Free Essays on Drug Abuse Free Essays on Drug Abuse Drug abuse is one of the most discouraged behaviors in our country. Use of illegal drugs is harmful to the user and all those with whom the user comes in contact. There are over 40 million illegal drug users in the world today and America is the biggest market for drugs. There are more drug dealers in this country, than there are dentists. Illegal drug abuse must be stopped. Every type of insurance goes up because of drug abuse, including auto, health and homeowners. Worst of all, the crime rate will sky rocket if we let this behavior continue. Illegal drugs and their abusers are a plague to society for many different reasons. Drugs have very harmful effects on the user and the people with whom the user interacts. The user is affected in many ways. The most popular drug in America, alcohol, is generally thought of as socially acceptable and relatively harmless. But it can have devastating effects. Alcohol might seem very harmless but it can harm the user very easily. Alcohol is easy to obtain and consume. It is taken as a beverage, and since it is legal, it can be purchased at the corner store. The immediate effects on the user are relaxation and a slight anesthetic effect. Alcohol is a very addictive drug. There are more than 18 million alcoholics in America, an indication of how widespread its harmful effects are. Alcoholics normally drink a lot on mornings and weeknights, times which separate them for normal "social" drinkers. Often, the alcohol will bring out a violent temper in alcoholics. They may physically and mentally abuse their friends and family. Drinking makes the drinker feel he or she is more confident. The drinker thinks he is in control, even if a little high, and he might get behind the wheel of his car and go for a drive. Drunk driving is deadly. Hundreds of thousands of people get killed every year due to drunk driving. Other physical effects of drinking are vomiting, passing out and sometimes, if enough alcohol is c... Free Essays on Drug Abuse The word drug is defined as â€Å"any substance other than food that can affect the way your mind and body work.† There are hundreds of different drugs, each with its particular effect on the body's nervous system. For instance, narcotics are a series of drugs that affect the mind, causing mental changes. Unstable drugs, referred to on the streets as Crack, PCP, Ice, LSD, Speed, and many others, are made up of several chemical substances, which are produced illegally under poor circumstances. These drugs are responsible for killing thousands of young people each year, those who escape death are sometimes confined to a mental institution. People are spending their hard-earned money on Ice, Crack, LSD, and Dope!?! The money spent on drugs is less money for taxes to pay for the building of better schools, or making of better roads, money not being spent on helping a child, or even buying video cassettes. Let’s relate to the our generation: You're walking down the street, i t’s a beauti! ful Saturday afternoon, and there's a big anniversary date that night with your girlfriend. You see a guy you recognize and he offers you marijuana for $100.00. You accept the deal thinking nothing of it. Later that night the bill comes in at the Italian restaurant, that same restaurant where you had your first date at, and the bill comes out to $95.41. Now, the money you spent on drugs for Sunday would have bought you the meal, but instead you have to stay after and wash dishes to work off the money. I think that we are the people of the new millennium, we do not need drugs. People used drugs to be cool in the 70's. My parents did that, maybe because it was new thing or maybe they weren't cool enough. But now we know the effects of drug and how it can ruin our life. I expect people to use their brain and to see what is actually in drugs so they can avoid it....