Friday Essays - Friday, Ice Cube, Life In The Ghetto, Marijuana Leaf

Friday Essays - Friday, Ice Cube, Life In The Ghetto, Marijuana Leaf Friday The movie Friday is a comedy, but it also depicts many important social issues. The story is set in the city of Los Angelos, California, in what could be called a high class ghetto. The main theme of the movie is about a young black man who looses his job and is influenced by his best friend to smoke marijuana. The movie also shows the relationships of his family and other members of his neighborhood. With a zany cast of characters and a hilarious script this movie touches on everything from gang violence to the use of drugs, crime, guns, relationships, sex and life in the ghetto. Because of all these issues, I found this an interesting movie with a wide variety of topics to address. Marijuana has been around for a long time. It's use is once again becoming popular. Although it's not legal, many people use it socially and for medicinal purposes. The Hollywood elite smoke it. Musicians such as Dr. Dre and the Black Crows celebrate it's use. Television shows like Saturday Night Live and Kids In the Hall depict it as harmless fun. Marijuana fashion has grown into a ten million dollar industry, with the seven branch marijuana leaf showing up on caps, T-shirts, earrings and tattoos. Studies show that after a decade of declining drug use, marijuana use has increased sharply among school students and college students in the last two years (Duschbaun 8). In the movie Friday, rap star Ice Cube plays the character Craig. Craig has never smoked marijuana. However, his best friend "Smokey" smokes marijuana everyday. Craig looses his job, leaving him home all day with nothing to do to occupy his time. He just hangs out in the neighborhood with his friends. Smokey tries to convince Craig to try some marijuana. At first Craig doesn't want to. Smokey is persistent. He points out to Craig that he doesn't have to work and doesn't have anything better to. Craig and Smokey eventually sit on the front porch and get stoned. Peer pressure is obviously the only reason Craig gives in. Actually he had other options, but he chose not to use them. Common sense and a simple explanation would have worked for aig just fine (How to Say No and Keep Your Friends 23) Everyday we are faced with choices. It is up to us to decide what's right and wrong. Craig decides to try it and things start to happen that he really doesn't like. Craig and Smokey get into some trouble with the neighborhood dealer, Big Worm. Smokey sells pot for him, but can't pay him the money he owes because he and Craig smoked the pot. Big Worm threatens them and sends a gang of "hoods" after them with guns. They just barely escape and are scared shitless. The amount of gang violence that can be contributed to the use and sale of illegal drugs has risen dramatically in the past seven years (Gates 67). It's no wonder that this is happening with th use of marijuana becoming so popular again. Violence and crime are issues we hear about every day. We can watch any news broadcast and see the evidence of these increasingly worrisome problems. In Friday, both of these issues are very apparent. Debone, the neighborhood thief and "bully" is constantly harassing the people in Craig's neighborhood. He breaks into their homes, steals their possessions, beats people up to take their jewelry and other items and is just generally a pain in everyones ass. He is the most violent person in the movie Craig gets into a fight with him and pulls a gun on Debone. Craig feels confused and not sure what to do. His father convinces him to give him the gun. He insists that Craig should fight like a man with his fists. I don't think that was very good a ice. Debone was twice as big as Craig and probably 100 pounds heavier. They do fight and surprisingly Craig wins. You would think that most problems can be solved without violent acts. The reality is that sometimes, under certain circumstances, t hat ust doesn't work. Obviously, this was one of those times. Sexual promiscuity was also depicted in this movie. Craig's

Definition and Discussion of the Minutes of a Meeting

Definition and Discussion of the Minutes of a Meeting In business writing, minutes are the official written record of a meeting. Minutes serve as a permanent record of  the topics considered, conclusions reached, actions taken, and assignments given.   Minutes may be kept by any individual in attendance at a meeting and are usually distributed to all members of the unit represented at the meeting.Minutes are generally written in the simple past tense. The Main Parts of Meeting Minutes Many organizations use a standard template or a special format for keeping minutes, and the order of the parts may vary. HeadingThe name of the committee (or other unit) and the date, location, and starting time of the meeting.ParticipantsThe name of the person conducting the meeting along with the names of all those who attended the meeting (including guests) and those who were excused from attending.Approval of previous minutesA note on whether the minutes of the previous meeting were approved and whether any corrections were made.Action items (including unfinished business from the previous meeting)A report on each topic discussed at the meeting. (For each item, note the subject of the discussion, the name of the person who led the discussion, and any decisions that may have been reached.)AnnouncementsA report on any announcements made by participants, including proposed agenda items for the next meeting.Next MeetingA note on where and when the next meeting will be held.AdjournmentA note on the time the meeting ended.Signature lineThe name of the person who prepared the minutes and the date they wer e submitted. Observations A good set of minutes  can give the group a sense of progress; incoherent jottings (which may more closely resemble verbatim transcripts) leave everyone bewildered.(David R. Buchanan, An Ethic for Health Promotion: Rethinking the Sources of Human Well-Being. Oxford University Press,  2000)In writing minutes, be clear, comprehensive, objective, and diplomatic. Do not interpret what happened; simply report it. Because meetings rarely follow the agenda perfectly, you might find it challenging to provide an accurate record of the meeting. If necessary, interrupt the discussion to request clarification.Do not record emotional exchanges between participants. Because minutes are the official record of the meeting, you want them to reflect positively on the participants and the organization.(Mike Markel, Technical Communication, 9th ed. Bedford/St. Martins, 2010)Guidelines for Writing Meeting Minutes- The recorder should be able to write the minutes in near final form as the meeting prog resses.- The minutes should focus on results and agreed-on actions. . . .- The minutes should be highly summarized, not a burden to read. Be brief; summarize outcomes and points of agreement and disagreement; dont record detailed input.- Avoid writing minutes for the purpose of informing those absent from the meeting.- Write the minutes soon after the meeting and distribute them promptly (within a day or two).(Murray Hiebert and Bruce Klatt, The Encyclopedia of Leadership: A Practical Guide to Popular Leadership. McGraw-Hill, 2001) The Lighter Side of Minutes Russell Stringer  Bell:  [W]hat is that?Sean Shamrock  McGinty: Robert Rules say we gotta have minutes for a meeting, right? These the minutes.Russell Stringer Bell:  [I]s you taking notes on a criminal . . . conspiracy?(Idris Elba and Richard Burton in Straight and True. The Wire, 2004)