Tribute To Usain Bolt

Usain Bolt, young and playful like a colt, powerful like its father, A stallion you are racing down the track
The track that you have sealed with your track record of glory and triumph, the country's pride stands on your back!

Usain Bolt, your confidence makes you stand taller than Xerxes, your collection of gold brighter than all of his combined
You rein dominant, King in your field, outrunning other nations and leaving your legacy behind.

Usain Bolt, you achieved the greatest times ever, Greatest of all time in your time. Flying to the finish line on invisible wings, some may say Pegasus wings but you are far from mythical,
You are as real as a lightening bolt, true to your name powered by strength and motivation, your
ability is super but natural.

Usain Bolt, you are the definition of athletic greatness, other runners have to confess that your skills are unmatched. Even on your worst day you challenge other greats and push them to their limit
On your best day, you create new records and reformat old digits.

Usain Bolt, Blazing your way to victory, emblazoning our flag in sports history, you tell the story of our people overcoming strife as we strive for our medals,
Fleeing only the wind as you chase the time and kick up the dust, with your unfaltering essence, you are without a doubt unequivocal.

Usain Bolt, You are ready and set to go, and your country supports you. We love you and thank God for you and cheer you on because you deliver
And even when the sun sets on your wary feet, it doesn't matter, the unprecedented foundation you've created will always make your our winner.

By: Charm White ©

Marijuana Is A Plant First And Foremost...

After watching the CNN documentary WEED,(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-bYi-LkDTo) I felt brave enough to blog about the cannabis plant. I have been hesitant for some time now to give my opinion on the subject of marijuana because of the controversial nature of the topic, but after almost being moved to tears by the touching documentary hosted by Sanjay Gupta, I could not resist because he only confirmed my thoughts about marijuana.

Let me first start out by saying that I do not advocate the use of dangerous street drugs, neither do I advocate the abuse of prescription drugs. However, I have never, nor will I ever consider marijuana to be a "dangerous drug" and therefore I do not think it belongs in the category of street drugs. I believe it ought to be considered equal to if not better than the consumption of alcohol or cigarettes which are legal but have caused more damages or death directly or indirectly. I say "better than" because in all my life, I have never heard of someone dying directly or even indirectly from marijuana. That is, there are no statistics out there that can link marijuana with accidents or death but the mortality rate that stems from the intake of alcohol and cigarettes are overwhelming.

However, before I expound any further on my perspective of marijuana, I would like to state some facts about marijuana that should enlighten many people that are anti-marijuana simply because they were indoctrinated on the negative effects of marijuana and probably did not take the time out to research credible reports out there on the plant and the use of marijuana.

Many studies show that marijuana has psychoactive effects on users due to the THC property that is found in the cannabis plant. This property travels to the brain in the blood stream by way of the lungs and heart after an individual smoke the substance. Once it reaches the brain, a series of activities takes place that ultimately leads to the release of the chemical Dopamine which is the reason individuals will feel a sense of euphoria, "high or "buzz". Many people actually try to obtain different strains of marijuana with greater THC potency so that they can achieve the ultimate high. However, using marijuana in a controlled environment often times only leads to moments of deep relaxation and increase in appetite.

Another negative effect of marijuana that has been tossed around as a reason to stay away from marijuana is that theory that smoking weed also leads to the decrease in or loss of motivation to complete tasks. While this may be the case for some people, I have found that it is not a guaranteed effect of marijuana. What I have found instead is that many people will wait until they get off from work and are trying to wind down. They will smoke weed in order to quickly reach a state of relaxation. In other cases, people will smoke before work as a way to reduce their tension so that they can face their day with a better attitude. I do in fact notice that the individual might actually be less alert and sometimes slow down their cognitive process and overall movement but they remain quite functional.

Another substance that is found in marijuana but is being accredited more and more for its medicinal property is the compound CBD. It is claimed by Sanjay Gupta and a few other daring doctors that both THC and CBD kill cancer cells. In addition to this, marijuana has been known to help patients suffering from depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), (http://medicalmarijuana.com/experts/expert/title.cfm?artID=65). It has also been used to diminish pain in patients, increase appetite, and even help to reduce high blood pressure. However, the most compelling claim that I have heard was on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's documentary "Weed" where a five year old who suffered from Dravet Syndrome and suffered from over 300 seizures a day was able to live normal life after being treated with cannabis. The parents had exhausted treatment and medical options, none of which improved the child's condition. It was not until the parents decided to try marijuana that was low in THC and high in CBD that the child showed significant improvement. They extracted the oils from the plant and administered doses of the oil to their daughter via syringes. The result was fast acting and effective.

In my personal experience, people that I have observed smoking marijuana have claimed that it treated headaches and toothaches. I have known college students who claimed that they were able to study better and retain more information from studying after smoking the plant because it allowed them to relax and concentrate and even allowed them to understand the material better. One memorable instance I have observed, was when a friend of mine had smoked some marijuana prior to work. This person was a regular smoker of marijuana as well. The person was a landscaper. The person's demeanor was quite mellow for the entire morning and you could tell that they were "buzzing", however, it did not interfere with the job and even more impressive was the fact that each time the person asked for something to be tossed to them, they caught it with such precision, that it was clear that their reflexes were in tact despite their "buzz". It was amazing because people generally expect the opposite. I was able to see the claim by Dr. Sanjay Gupta that regular marijuana users were more functional after smoking marijuana than occasional users, in practice.

I believe that due to the fact that marijuana is a plant, it is possible to find many properties that can cure many ailments that affect the human body as herbs are widely known to do that. In Jamaica, many people could actually go into their backyards or to the market, select a herb or plant root remedies to treat simple ailments. An example of this would be a plant we call "fever bush". I remember occasions when I would get a fever and my mother would acquire the "fever bush" and make some tea with it and give it to me. In about an hour or so I would be feeling better. There are many people in my country that know of natural remedies that could cure high blood pressure or cure blood clots as well as ridding the body of unhealthy toxins overall. This not only saved on hospital bills but also reduced side effects that occurs when we take prescription drugs. It may be a simplistic view to have but considering that marijuana is a plant as well, I believe that it also has the capacity to naturally treat or cure many diseases and ailments and studies have shown that this claim is in fact true. Of course, some plants are poisonous such as poison ivy, and clearly not fit for consumption. Realistically speaking, marijuana is not like such plants.

Of course, organizations are concerned that if states should start legalizing marijuana across the board then the repercussions can be quite devastating because we may not only be encouraging a nation of addicts but would also be making it easy for marijuana users to carry out tasks while under the influence, some of which might be hazardous for themselves and others around them. However, I do not believe that this can be any different from legalization of alcohol which statistically had even more fatalities than ever when it pertains to overdosing or completing tasks such as driving while under the influence. Since the research on marijuana is still a slow and lingering process, making the use of marijuana compatible with the law is clearly the answer. By this I mean, implement regulations that encourages that marijuana users smoke in moderation and smoke responsibly.

Another thing that we need to understand is that marijuana sales are through the roof despite its illegal status. Many people make a living selling the plant for whatever reasons, whether it is for medicinal use or recreational use. With unemployment being a real crises for many individuals, self-employment or creative methods of employment have increased. However, because the use of marijuana is illegal, so is the selling or distribution of the plant. This places added pressure on those that sell marijuana part-time or full-time making it more difficult to benefit from the sale of marijuana. Conventional individuals believe that this is the correct way to go. However, for others who empathize with the struggles of the unemployed or individuals who receive low income, we understand that this is a "necessary evil" for many marijuana sellers.

I believe that people need to recondition their initial ideas and reconsider the potential of this plant. I believe that the study of marijuana should be federally funded if it is not being federally funded already. I think that we are sitting on something that has great potential to improve humanity in it's natural form as well as in it's isolated form. I believe that marijuana can be modified to increase or decrease chemical components that can be used to treat whatever disease at whatever age and as such we cannot ignore the fact that we have the ability to genetically alter this plant to suit our medical needs. We need to also look at the fact that it is a source of income for many individuals. We need to take a practical approach to the marijuana plant and I hope that I will live to see the day when marijuana is legalized world wide.

Safe-Guarding Our Children Against Sex Offenders

One of the most uncomfortable
topics that a parent could ever find themselves discussing is sexual molestation or sexual abuse regarding our children. Most parents try as best as possible to shelter their children from this matter. Some may never even talk about this with their children unless they are forced. However, the fact is, I believe that we live in a world that warrants such a discussion among parents and with our children once they are at that age to understand. This discussion is warranted because we live in a world where pedophiles exist, sex trafficking is rampant and where children are being kidnapped and molested by not only strangers, but people that they actually know.

Just recently, a friend of mine disclosed to me that a minor was sexually assaulted by the maintenance man at her apartment complex. Prior to this incident, there were reports of this same man taking pictures of children at the playground. When he was asked about his actions, he explained that it was to notify the parents of the children that they (particular children) were misbehaving. He was asked to desist taking pictures and everything seemed to be back to normal until about a week ago when police arrived on the complex searching for this man for allegedly assaulting a minor.

This hit very close to home because whenever I visit this friend, I allow my children to play with her children at the playground. Thankfully, I never leave them unsupervised but to discover that a person that worked at the complex was possibly a pedophile, was actually quite horrifying. I have actually seen this person and spoken to this person on occasions and he seemed like a really affable person. Little did we know that this man was a potential threat to the safety of our children.

I am sure many of us are familiar with the case of Ariel Castro who kidnapped and sexually tortured three young ladies for a period of ten years. Just recently, a man attempted to kidnap a five year old girl in Pennsylvania. He was still lurking within the community with the young girl in his car when he was spotted and chased until he released the little girl. These are just cases of young girls. Our young boys are also in danger of sexual abuse and sex trafficking. Just recently, Ronnie Johnson, a former principal at Young Leaders Academy in Milwaukee was accused of sexually assaulting three young boys who he would invite for sleepovers to his home. The sad part is, the parents and the young boys were very familiar with this man and they respected him.

As a young girl, way before my pubescent years, my mother was one of those parents that would instill certain "golden rules" into my DNA. Some of which were:

• Do not talk to strangers
• Do not accept gifts from strangers
• Do not let anyone touch you inappropriately 
• If someone touches you inappropriately tell my mom or dad.
• Never go anywhere with a stranger
• Scream and try to run away if someone is trying to touch, harm or kidnap you
• Try to bite them as hard as you can.

She would tell me these instructions as if they were apart of the ten commandments. As a child I believed that if I defied any of these "rules", I was committing a sin and there would be serious consequences. She would also tell us stories of little girls that got hurt by dangerous people.  I suppose it was a scare tactic but it was very effective with my sisters and I.

Of course, we do not want to scare our children but we want to safeguard them against people that threaten their security, innocence and lives. Therefore, it is actually beneficial to sit and converse with our children about the dangers of trusting strangers and to show them how to identify when someone they do know is being inappropriately attentive to them and their bodies. We need to effectively explain to our children what "inappropriate" is and let them know what they can do if someone is trying to harm them or kidnap them.

It becomes even more complicated when the perpetrator of the sexual abuse are family members or worst, the child's own parent(s). In cases like this, we can only hope that the poor child is brave enough to tell a teacher, guidance counsellor or even the police.  

We are living in a world where too many children are falling prey to dangerous pedophiles and sex traffickers. Too many children are turning up missing or dead because of these predators. Too many children are found when it is already too late because they have been prostituted or enslaved for sexual purposes and they are more than likely scarred and traumatized beyond repair.

We need to help and protect our children against these dangers and we need to help our children to help themselves. We need to enable them with knowledge that gives them the option to protect themselves. We need to talk to our children about the "bad seeds" in our world. Thus, creating a safer world where the innocence of our children can be preserved.

Community Policing With Zero Casualties

Recently in Lancaster Township in Pennsylvania, a five year old girl was abducted from her yard which prompted a community search. Many individuals within the community alongside law enforcement searched the area fervently with hopes of finding the child. Included in the search party were two teenagers, Temar Boggs and Chris Garcia who chose to use their bikes in their effort to find the 5 year old, Jocelyn Rojas. Their efforts were ultimately successful as they spotted the abductor with the child inside his car. The two teenaged boys immediately chased the car and continued chasing the car for fifteen minutes until the abductor finally gave up and released the little girl. The boys in turn, returned the terrified child to her family.

I can't imagine a better ending to a horrifying start. Thanks to the efforts of these two boys, a kidnapping was intercepted and there is now one less missing child out there. Due to the actions of these boys, the kidnappers agenda was thwarted and the man was not able to destroy the life of yet another innocent child. I am so happy for the family of this little girl and grateful to these young boys.

I also wanted to make the point that when community assistance and policing is done right, the results can only be positive for everyone involved. Unfortunately the man was not caught and the police officer's are still searching for this child kidnapper whom I presume is either a pedophile or sex trafficker. However, it is more important that the young girl was found and no lives were lost in the process.

I believe that if we are going to take matters in our own hands when we believe a crime is in progress, as in this case, let us not chase after suspects with loaded guns and with the mentality of using the gun when things start going awry. In this case, the police were on the scene trained for any volatile situation and these two boys chased the car after identifying the kidnapped child inside the car. The boys were able to follow the man safely until the man decided to release the child, after which, instead of continuing the chase and accosting the suspect, they opted to return the child to her family and divulged the critical information they observed from their chase  to the authorities to help further the investigation of the suspect.

The situation could have also gone terribly wrong if the suspect had decided to react to being chased in an aggressive manner. He could have decided to start driving recklessly, or to threaten the life of the child inside the car or even had a gun and decided to use the gun on the teenagers, the child and or himself. In all those cases, the law enforcement was there and could immediately intervene.

I am satisfied with the way this scenario unfolded as we have seen how community policing have gone terribly wrong in the case of Trayvon Martin, who lost his life after being confronted by someone who believed he was "protecting" the community from the teenager. My hope is that we try to learn from both these cases to make "community policing" more effective and successful for all parties involved, even the suspects. This way, we can prevent future unnecessary deaths.