From: Bay Eagle - how 2 txt n cla$$

By Chase Bougeon

            Sitting in class, most students cannot help the fact that they find no interest in the Whisky Rebellion, the consequences of dividing by zero, or how much of an isotope of carbon-14 will decompose after 6,000 years.  They have Wikipedia for that. So, to help ease the crushing boredom, these tortured souls do what they must -pull out cell phones and text friends in other classes. The act of global telecommunication must be executed in the most precise, surreptitious manner, a feat worthy of any Bond film; if such precautions are not taken, the student must suffer the consequence of having their phone taken away by the teacher and endure the humiliating walk of shame to the office with a parent. This leaves some to question why someone would text in class, if the punishment is so much worse than the crime.
                Why do students text? Simply put, it is because we can. Students text to communicate with their friends and escape boredom or in order to stay informed on the day to day drama. Or perhaps they are texting to get answers to their history test or to pass answers on (disclaimer: do not do this, cheating is bad).  Maybe such actions are driven by a need to communicate and to have social interaction. It could also be because that student forgot their energy drink this morning and is too tired to pay attention to the lesson. Some text to throw off the chains of establishment and silently defy the system. Others feel the need to text as a social expectation. The real motivation might also be that these teenagers cannot figure out when in life they will need to know how the inbreeding in the Russian Royale Family led to sickle cell anemia being passed down through their decedents, or other such nonsense.
                To communicate by texting, the best and brightest of the student population have come up with these techniques to avoid getting caught:

• Under the desk – The quintessential beginners move: simply hide your phone under the desk and text away.

• In the bag- If you feel like being a little more tricky, hide your phone inside your backpack, purse, or book bag and make it look like you are reaching for a book or pen when you text.

 

• In the sweater- This requires (if you haven't figured it out) a sweatshirt. Simply hide your phone inside your sweatshirt or sweatshirt pocket, concealed from prying eyes and alert teachers.

• Between the legs- Simply conceal your phone in your lap, hidden behind your legs.

• Behind the book- For the most cunning disguise in this deceptive art, hide your phone behind your text book.

• Or perhaps if you have nothing to lose, on top of the desk- Want to show how cool you are to everybody around you? Want to show the teachers that they aren't better than you and you are besides way to cool to be here in class anyways? Then whip out your phone and start sending your all-important messages. When everyone starts looking at you and the teacher walks up to your desk, don't worry- the teacher is only there to tell you how cool you are.

 

Why California Should Love Weed Too

By Michael Munch

$1,000,000,000.00. That, faithful readers, is one billion US dollars. That is the estimated amount that a $1 tax per half-gram joint of marijuana would garner; the same amount as the current excise tax on cigarettes, would raise per year in tax dollars. The tax on the marijuana alone, not to mention the additional revenue created from retail sales on the legal market (an estimated $250-400 million), and the saved money for legalizing it (over $156 million in law enforcement costs for arrests, prosecution, trial and imprisonment of marijuana offenders), would pump enough money into the Californian economy each year that it would greatly improve the state’s chances of moving out of debt which is currently over $60 billion (and growing). If marijuana were to be legalized, not only would tax revenue be increased, but would create tourist attractions, such as Amsterdam-style coffeehouses and paraphernalia shops which would generate an estimated 50,000 jobs, as well as even more income and business tax revenues for the state. Another industry would be opened to the state, industrial hemp, if marijuana were to be legalized. This would create a major business, comparable to the $3.4 billion cotton industry currently in California.
            While the legalization of marijuana seems to be a no-brainer on an economic level, there is still the question of health and morality. Fear mongers claim that smoking marijuana kills brain cells and causes long-term psychological damage. Such is not the case, as there is no convincing scientific evidence that marijuana causes psychological damage or mental illness in either teenagers or adults. Although some users experience psychological distress following ingestion, this effect is temporary, and none of the medical tests currently used to detect brain damage in humans have found harm from marijuana, even from long-term high-dose use.
            Currently, smoking cigarettes is legal for those over the age of 18. It is widely known and accepted that it is a very dangerous habit, but still it has remained legal. Although marijuana smoke does contain some of the same carcinogens as tobacco smoke, marijuana users on usually smoke much less often than tobacco smokers, and over time, inhale much less smoke. This results in a decreased risk of serious lung damage. Also, there have been no reports of lung cancer related solely to marijuana, even heavy smokers were found not to have any increased risk of lung cancer. Yet another interesting fact is that unlike heavy tobacco smokers, heavy marijuana smokers exhibit no obstruction of the lung’s small airway, indicating that people will not develop emphysema from smoking marijuana. How is it that tobacco, something much more dangerous is readily available for those over the age of 18, but marijuana, something studied and proven to be safer, and a promising lucrative industry, still illegal?
Most people who smoke marijuana smoke it only occasionally. A small minority of Americans - less than 1 percent - smoke marijuana on a daily basis. An even smaller minority develop a dependence on marijuana. Some people who smoke marijuana heavily and frequently stop without difficulty. Others seek help from drug treatment professionals. Marijuana does not cause physical dependence. If people experience withdrawal symptoms at all, they are remarkably mild.
            Some suggest that marijuana users become unmotivated to become productive members of society. This is, in fact, a complete farce. There is nothing about marijuana specifically that causes people to lose their drive and ambition. In laboratory studies, subjects given high doses of marijuana for several days or even several weeks exhibit no decrease in work motivation or productivity. Among working adults, marijuana users tend to earn higher wages than non-users. College students who use marijuana have the same grades as nonusers. Among high school students, heavy use is associated with school failure, but school related failure usually comes first.
In a time of international economic crisis, the state can no longer afford to debunk a viable means by which the debt could be eliminated. The legalization of marijuana, as recently proposed once more by bill AB390 which is currently under consideration, would solve a multitude of problems in terms of the economy, while simultaneously addressing the social injustice created by the unfair and unwarranted classification of marijuana as dangerous, while it is actually a substance not shown to be more harmful than current legal alternatives such as tobacco, simply because of backwards societal taboos.