Tuesday, August 6, 2019

World Hunger Through Out the World Essay Example for Free

World Hunger Through Out the World Essay 1. Political Conditions Cause World Hunger War is a political cause for hunger. War slows or stops food production and marketing. Food supplies are often taken and used for soldiers during war, crop cycles are interrupted, seeds and livestock are consumed in desperation, and children suffer lasting health damage as a result of insufficient food. Even if fighting never occurs, heavy military spending takes away from food production, education, and health care. 2. Economic Conditions Cause World Hunger One of the main causes of hunger is poverty. Most of the people who are hungry do not have enough money to purchase the food they need. The poorest and most food-insecure people live in Africa, while the largest number of continually undernourished people live in the Asia-Pacific region. Hunger is also especially severe in South Asia, where growing poverty, debt, economic decline, poor terms of trade, fast population growth, unfavorable weather, war, and government collapse have all contributed to the continent’s food problems. In the United States, the share of the population facing hunger has risen because of poor economic conditions. But, hunger in wealthy nations is not as severe or widespread as in developing countries. 3. Environmental Conditions Cause World Hunger Hunger is also caused by environmental problems. Fresh water, land, forests, and fisheries are being used so much that they are losing their resources. In trying to use the environmental resources, poor and hungry people, lacking economic and political power, have become even more affected by hunger. This is true especially in countries where property ownership is not fair, and poor families are forced to move onto unstable land and to overcrowded cities.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Teenage Pregnancy Study in the Philippines

Teenage Pregnancy Study in the Philippines CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION The Philippines teenage pregnancy rate has increased by 60% in the year 2000- 2010, according to the Philippine National Statistics Office. This is very alarming. Teenage pregnancy often occurs between the ages of 15-19 years old, often in this age the girls are still studying. With early pregnancy the girls usually have to abandon their education to give birth or raise their child. Girls who become pregnant are expelled from school especially in a Catholic School like Lourdes College because it goes against the moral teachings of the school thus delaying the chance of earning a degree that will help them in providing for their child. Education becomes a lesser priority and is often delayed until they are able to leave the children at home are financially stable. But there are girls who are studying as well as taking care of their child and they are who we call Student Mothers. The burdens for these girls have double as to they have to take care of school as well as their child at home. The life of a Student Mother is no easy feat they have to juggle their time between attending their classes, making their requirements, taking care of their child and taking care of the house. They become the primary caregiver of their child and are expected to rear their child well. Many of these student mothers also engage in working part-time to help in the financial burdens of both studying and caring for the child. But, this becomes another disadvantage as it takes up time and effort on the part of the Student Mother. Statement of the Problem This study aims to understand how student mothers cope with their situation towards their studies and as well as child rearing. More specifically, what are the problems they have encountered in studying while nurturing their child at home.The study also seeks to find the coping strategy used by Student Mothers in their circumstances. With these in mind the purpose of the study is to help the readers understand the endeavors experienced by student mothers. The research will ask the following questions: What are the experiences student mothers? What are the coping strategies used by student mothers? What are the learnings of student mothers from their situation? What has helped them most in their situation? Scope and Limitation The study covered three (3) student mothers of Lourdes College Higher Education Department, enrolled in the second semester of S.Y. 2014-2015. The study was mainly focused on the student mother challenges, coping strategies and realizations. These student mothers were classified as students of Lourdes College that have a child under seven (7) years of age. Significance of the Study The results of the study will then be beneficial to the following persons and institutions: Student Mothers. They could gain insight about their situation and be aware of their responsibilities as both parent and student. Students. They will gain deeper understanding about the reality of student mothers and most importantly for them to learn about the experiences of student mothers. Researchers. They will broaden their knowledge about the experiences of student mothers in a college. Guidance Counselors. The findings and observations would provide them relevant data that can be utilized in their counseling interventions. Administration and Faculty. This will provide them information to promote, enhance understanding and support to programs concerning student mothers to help them cope in their situation. CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE From 2000 to 2010, the number of live births by teenage mothers in the Philippines rose by more than 60 percent, latest data from the National Statistics Office showed. Another alarming fact is that the number of teenage mothers who gave birth to their second or third child during their teenage year has increased in the last 10 years. This is according to the data shown in the press conference in Quezon City by Carmelita Ericta, administrator and civil registrar general of the National Statistics Office. ( Ime Morales, July 9, 2013) Teenage preganancy is a global issue and a major contributor to school drop-out among girls. Permanent expulsion was one of the solutions made for teenage pregnancy but this has been proven ineffective and unfair to the girls. Now there is a return to school policy where a student is temporarily dismissed from school due to teenage pregnancy to further pursue their education.(Okeyo, 2012) As stated by Brown and Amankwaa (2007) â€Å"As more female college students are involved in sexual relationships their risk of conception increases. However, when pregnancy occurs it is only the woman who bears the burden and risk of the pregnancy and in most cases child care.â€Å" often these types of pregnancy are unplanned or planned caring for a child becomes a full time job. Having a child while being a student becomes stressful because child rearing consumes time and energy, with a few exeptions the women are the primary care giver of the child. ( Hofferth, Reid, Mott, 2001 as cited by Brown Amankwaa, 2007). According to Kidwell (2004), rearing a child while being s full-time student may be daunting and difficult however, it will be easier if she has a partner or a family member who can help her in taking care of the child. With the increase of higher education students, 10% of this population areparents or mothers who are hoping to give their children a better future and attending to their needs through receiving a degree. These nontraditional students are often Student Mothers and should be given special attention because aside from their role as student they are also mothers and care givers at home. Many see or consider their families a hindrance to their education which is wrong they should see it as a motivator because primarily, Student mother go back to studying because they want to provide for their child. (Wilsey, 2013) When pregnant students and student mothers are expected to subordinate their needs and desires to those of their children and families, they are forced to grapple with the conflicting roles of motherhood and studentship (Berg Mamhute, 2013). Brown Amankwaa, (2007) stated that parenting is a very stressful and some women cannot handle all the tasks involved especially the first time mothers and need help or assistance from the people around them. Although having someone help the mother is good but the expectation of receiving support after giving birth to a baby often causes Stressors that may lead to depression during postpartum period. Many student mothers have expressed feelings of guilt, worry and inadequacy in both as a student and as a mother.( Thompson, 2004) Though not always does being a student mother have negative effect, it also has positive effects. Story (1999), as cited by Brown Amankwaa (2007), has found out that student mothers are more responsible than those of regular students. He has seen that girls who were irresponsible before pregnancy has become more responsible after pregnancy and ismore less likely to drop out of College than the regular students. For women who juggle family and student responsibilities, the lack of time is one of the major issues faced. (Liversidge, 2004) Many student mothers use different coping strategies to adjust to their situation. As stated by Grohman (2009), student mothers depend on time management to handle the many different tasks of a student mother. Another coping cited by GrohmanRenelamn (2009) is managing tasks to handle the things needed to be done as both student and a mother as well as emotional and physical support from both the partner and parents of the student mother. Okey (2012) has said student-mothers go through a number of challenges as they live double lives as mothers and students. Often challenges are faced like lack of support due to other factors like lack of finances and time being limited. A study by Boutan (2012) shows the feeling of student mother in regards to lifestyle she said thaGale (her participant) said she juggles multiple lifestyles as a full-time student and a full-time mom. This does make her feel disconnected from campus life. Due to student mothers’ situation being difficult they have adapted coping mechanism. According to Okeyo (2012), Their coping mechanisms included: problem-focused, avoidance and emotion-focused strategies and the support they received upon resuming studies were spiritual and social support. It was argued that raising a child involves a great deal of financial, emotional, and practical planning (Kidwell, 2004). it is necessary to make sure that there are adequate child care resources available. This may be very difficult to do if the student is going to school full-time. However, if the student decides to remain in school and take care of the child it may be more fpossibleif she has a partner or family member who will provide additional help to care for the child (Kidwell, 2004). Parenting is very stressful and some women cannot deal with all of the tasks that are involved. It is best if there are people around who are there to assist. Although it is best to have family, friends and spousal support after giving birth to a baby this expectation often causes Stressors that may lead to depression during the postpartum period. (Brown Amankwaa, 2007) CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY Research Design In this study a qualitative exploratory design was used, allowing the researchers to get an in-depth understanding of the socio-educational problems faced by Student Mothers. Qualitative research has the advantage of uncovering the lived experiences of individuals by enabling them to interpret and attribute meaning to their experiences and in the process construct their worlds (Merriam and Simpson 2000, as cited in Berg Mamhute, 2013) Respondents of the Study Respondents of the study are the student mothers of Lourdes College, in the second semester of S.Y. 2014-2015. There were a number of three (3) identified single mothers in Lourdes College who volunteered and provided time to participate in this study. Research Instrument The primary tool used in gathering data was in a form of a one-on-one interview with the respondents. The interview was focused on the challenges, coping strategies, realizations of student mothers. Sampling Procedure In this study, the researcher used purposive sampling in which the researcher chose only student mothers who are caring for a child below seven (7) years of age and are studying in Lourdes College. Data Gathering Procedure Prior to data gathering, the researcher prepared an informed consent letter to be given to the respondents of the study, voluntary participation was highly emphasized in the letter of consent. The data-gathering procedure was done in a form of one-to-one interview in which the researcher took written notes. All interviews were tape recorded. The interviews were informal and open ended, and carried out in a conversational style. Results Profile of respondents: Experiences of Student Mothers: For Ione (27), her experiences are that its tiring, struggling with subjects, concentration, especially when at home and doing her homework, and time management. As for Dianne (21) her experience and struggle is that she struggles to manage her time between school, the child and for herself. And for Tepa (23), time management is the most difficult part for her. She stated that she needs to wake-up early and prepare especially now that her son is going to school. Coping strategies of student mothers: For Ione (27), she copes by focusing on school and home separately another coping is that thinking positive and being optimistic and going with the flow. As for Dianne (21), her coping is working hard and praying. And as for Tepa (23) she copes by not getting stressed being optimistic and being welcomed by her child at home. Factors that helped them: For Ione (27), her biggest factor that helped her cope being a student mother is her Husband, For Dianne (21),its being accepted by her family and friends. And for Tepa (23) she views her mother as the biggest factor that has helped her. Learnings of student mothers: As for Ione (27) she has learned that being a student mother is not easy but challenging. She also learned that a s a mother she needs to learn to set her priorities. And she learned that one should grab the opportunity to learn and study while still single. Dianne (21) learned that one should not be careless in choosing partners and achieve your goals despite having a child. And Tepa (23) learned that you should not panic and should be knowledgeable of the consequences of your actions. Discussion Time management is seen as the common obstacle for these student mothers. Because the live double lives as a mother and as a student, they struggle to split their time to accommodate all their responsibilities. This is supported by Grohamm (2009) work, student mothers greatly depend on time management. For coping the respondents commonly rely on being positive and not being stressed about their situation. As for the factors they consider that greatly helped them cope the common factor was the help of family members and husband. This is supported be works of Kidwell (2004), Thompson(20014 and Okeyo(2012) that it lessens the burden on the student mother if there are people around her who can help in caring for the child. This is evident as stated by Ione (27) that when she has things she needs to do at home her husband is the one who takes care of the child and as for Tepa (23) she stated that her mother has helped her both financially and caring for the child at home. The most common learning of the student mothers is that one should not be rash and should know the consequences of their actions. Conclusion Time management is the biggest obstacle of being a student mother as you need to divide your time between school and caring for the child. As for the coping strategy it is seen that the having a positive outlook is effective in handling different situations as a student mother. LIST OF RESOURCES YochevedGrohman, Renelamn (2009). Coping Stategies used by student mothers to succeed in Occupational Therapy School. Donna Mcgee Thompson (2004). A tunnel of Hope: the experiences of student mothers attending Community College based developmental study Program. Students affairs: Experiencing Higher education : P.67 Brown RL, Awankwaa AA. (2007). College Females as Mothers : Balancing the roles of Student and Motherhood. From:http://search.proquest.com/pqrl/docview/218901034/fulltext/A9E614CADCC34474PQ/1?accountid=167112 Sharon Liversidge (2004). It’s no Five O’clock World : The lived experiences of re/entering mothers in Nursing Education. Students affairs: Experiencing Higher education : p. 42 ChelseyBoutan (2012). Student mothers: Joys, Hardships, Misconceptions. From: http://northernstar.info/campus/news/student-mothers-joys-hardships-misconceptions/article_e1502dba-47c5-11e1-a057-0019bb30f31a.html?mode=story Kidwell, Christine Professional Staff (2004). Some facts psychologists know about unplanned pregnancy. Retrieved March 6, from www.psc.uc.edu/sh/SH Unplanned%20Pregnancy.htm> Okeyo, LinnahApondi (2012). Schooling challenges and coping mechanisms adapted by student-mothers in secondary schools in Nyando District, Kenya. From: http://irlibrary.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/3611/Linnah%20Apondi.pdf?sequence=1isAllowed=y The Experiences of Student Mothers A Research Paper Presented to the Faculty of Lourdes College Cagayan de Oro City As a requirement for English 2 subject By: Bueno, Ma. Margarita

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Oracle :: essays research papers

Dates in Oracle are stored in numeric format. Each date represents the century, year, month, day, hours, minutes, and seconds. The default date format is DD-MON-YY. Using the SYSDATE function, you can display the current date and time. You can use SYSDATE as you would use any other column name. In order to view the time you will need to use the TO_CHAR function along with a format mask which includes a time format element. For example, you can display the current date by selecting SYSDATE from a table. You usually select SYSDATE from a dummy table called DUAL. All users can access the DUAL table. It is owned by the SYS user. It consists of one column known as DUMMY, and one row with the value X. When you want to return a value - not necessarily a date - once only, the DUAL table is useful. To display the current date using the DUAL table, you use the command shown. And the output displays the current date. Dates are stored as numbers in the database, which enables you to perform arithmetical calculations on them. You can add or subtract a number to or from a date for a resultant date value. You can subtract one date from another to find the number of days between them. You can also add hours to a date and time value. This is performed by dividing the number of hours in the time value by 24. Let's take a look at how you can manipulate dates. Let's say that you want to add and subtract days from the current date. To add one hundred days to the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE+100. If you want to subtract 34 days from the current date, you type the command shown. The result is displayed in the column SYSDATE-34. Let's say you want to subtract the hire date from the current date - you type the command shown. The result shows the number of days between the current date and the hire date. Let's say you want to display dates in terms of weeks. To show the number of weeks each employee in department 10 has worked, you first subtract the hiredate from the current date. Then you divide the result by seven. You can use date functions in a similar way to number functions to operate on Oracle dates. The MONTHS_BETWEEN function finds the number of months between two dates. The result is displayed as a numeric value. This is the only date function that does not return a date value.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

The Diffusion and Adaptation of Public Achievement in Northern Ireland †An Activist’s Perspective. :: Politics Political

The Diffusion and Adaptation of Public Achievement in Northern Ireland – An Activist’s Perspective Acknowledgements – This paper and its presentation was made possible by funding from the European Programme for Peace and Reconciliation, Measure 4.1, from the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, Stormont, Belfast. The author would also like to acknowledge the assistance of his Northern Ireland based and international colleagues, and the patience beyond reason of his family, Kim, Raffy and Evie. ‘For years I would not let the dark gods of politics and religion possess me. Unlike many of my age and background, I had made that mythic leap and crossed the Jordan. My Protestant working-class background and all its shibboleths would not contain me. I chose to ask questions and not accept ready made answers. We discover our own answers if we have the will to do so; and if we are not afraid of the confrontation with ourselves that such a journey might entail. †¦Those who ‘cross the Jordan’ and seek out truth through a different experience from the one they are born to, ... theirs is the greatest struggle. To move from one cultural ethos into another, as I did, and emerge embracing them both demands more of a man than any armed struggle. For here is the real conflict by which we move into manhood and maturity. For unless we know how to embrace the other we are not men and our nationhood is wilful and adolescent. Those who struggle through turbulent Jordan waters have gone beyond the glib definitions of politics or religion. The rest remain standing on either bank firing guns at one another. I had had enough of gun-fire, the rhetoric of hate and redundant ideologies.’ Brian Keenan – An Evil Cradling (p16) Introduction In telling the story of Public Achievement in Northern Ireland, I want to employ 3 interweaving narratives – personal, organisational and societal. The organisational spans the period from May 1998 to the present (November 2003), as does much of the societal - though I will touch on some historical and more recent events and developments to illustrate this story. I approach the subject as a participant, a practitioner and one who has invested large chunks of my life in pursuit of more humane, democratic and life-enhancing ways of living in what has been a brutal and stunting place.

Terrorism - Analysis of Pan Am 103 and the Tokyo Subway :: Exploratory Essays Research Papers

Lessons from Pan Am 103 and the Tokyo Subway      Ã‚   ABSTRACT: Terrorists were very active long before September 11. This essay reviews the 1988 downing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland and the March 1995 gas attack in the Tokyo subway. The results of these terrorist acts, who carried them out, how they were carried out, and what can be done in the future to prevent such incidents from happening again are all investigated.    On December 21, 1988 the world was shocked as a Boeing 747 Pan American Airlines flight from London's Heathrow Airport to New York City crashed in a fiery ball due to a terrorist-placed bomb in the forward luggage compartment. After the explosion the plane proceeded to break up into three different parts. The wings broke off separately, as did the main fuselage, and the first-class/cockpit area. All 259 people on-board, from twenty-one different countries, died, as well as eleven people of the town of Lockerbie, Scotland, where the plane was downed.    In a remarkably short amount of time after the crash hundreds of people were on the scene doing the initial investigative work that would eventually lead to finding the crash's cause as well as the perpetrators of the offense. Over one thousand police officers were dispensed on to the scene, over six hundred military personnel, morticians from the Royal Air Force, and teams of investigators from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, the National Transportation Safety Board, the U.S. State Department, the Federal Aviation Agency, the Boeing Company, and Pratt and Whitney. These people started surveying a land area that was seemingly too large to negotiate, 845 square miles. The United States also moved some of their extremely sophisticated spy satellites over southern Scotland to give the investigating teams high-resolution reconnaissance photographs of the area being searched.    The investigators were able to figure out fairly quickly that what brought down Flight 103 was a bomb, as it had all of the tell-tale signs, including no emergency or distress calls prior to the crash. The bomb had been concealed inside a Toshiba radio, which was placed inside a hard-sided Samsonite suitcase that had been designated as an unaccompanied bag. The suitcase had been transferred from an Air Malta feeder flight out of Valletta.    By June of 1990, six months after the

Friday, August 2, 2019

James I of England and Macbeth

Some say he's mad; others, that lesser hate him, Do call it valiant fury† (Caithness: Act 5, Scene 2) Consider Macbeth as a gothic protagonist in the light of this comment.Although William Shakespeare's ‘Macbeth‘ was written in a time before the introduction of the Gothic genre, it is fair to argue that he fits the role typically prescribed to Gothic protagonists. However, the question of whether he is ‘mad' or shows actions of ‘valiant fury' is a matter open to interpretation. Sickness and madness are common themes in Gothic texts, and it is arguable to suggest that as a Gothic protagonist, Macbeth is indeed driven to madness.Firstly, his repeated association with various supernatural elements in the play present him as being a character who is perhaps driven by his own mental manifestations; upon seeing a levitating dagger, Macbeth questions whether it is in fact â€Å"a dagger of the mind†, citing the possibility of his â€Å"heat-oppress'd br ain† being the factor behind this vision. However, while many Gothic protagonists are associated with elements of the supernatural, that is not to say that they are mad. For example, when Macbeth witnesses Banquo's ghost – â€Å"Never shake thy gory locks at me!† – it is perhaps fairer to argue that the ghost is a manifestation of his own guilt as opposed to an outright madness which possessed Macbeth.Those who argue that Macbeth is mad may relate his madness back to the notion of Gothic protagonists possessing an all-consuming passion or goal which they are determined to reach. In Macbeth's case, this desire is arguably his thirst for power and desire to kill the king. Some critics would refute this point, and argue that Macbeth does not harbour such a passion, and that it is the femme fatale-esque character of Lady Macbeth who taunts Macbeth with demeaning rhetorical language such as â€Å"Are you a man?† and â€Å"I would be ashamed to wear a he art so white†; there is certainly evidence to suggest that Macbeth's desire to be king does not lead to his madness, and that it is his wife's power that leads him to the first of many murderous acts.However, this interpretation may be too narrow in its analysis, and it is perfectly possible to argue that Macbeth's inherent thirst for power is what leads to his ‘madness'. In act one scene four Macbeth expresses quiet dismay at  Malcolm's appointment as the Prince of Cumberland, referring to the obstacles in his path to glory as â€Å"a step / On which I must fall down, or else o'er-leap†. In terms of structure, this scene occurs before Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's onstage discussion, and suggests that Macbeth's madness does indeed stem from the typical Gothic protagonist role as one who is driven to madness or inner conflict by an all-consuming passion. Furthermore, this passion is present even in Macbeth's first meeting with the witches, where Banquo notes that M acbeth is â€Å"rapt withal† at the possibility that he â€Å"shalt be king hereafter†.Another typical feature of a Gothic protagonist is a high social rank, which â€Å"noble Macbeth† certainly adheres to. It may then be in his nature as a worthy warrior to strive for greatness and power; perhaps Macbeth's actions are down to ‘valiant fury' after all. Shakespeare's use of adjectives such as â€Å"brave† and â€Å"worthy† establish him as a high-ranking soldier before he is even introduced; this of course contrasts with the language used to describe him later, where demonic imagery such as referring to him as a â€Å"hell-hound† and â€Å"something wicked† associates him with inherent evil.In act one scene two, the Captain describes Macbeth's fearlessness and fury on the battlefield, describing how Macbeth ran his sword â€Å"from his nave t'the chops† in what is considered an act of bravery. This may lead to the assertio n that Macbeth is not ‘mad' after all, and that the nature of his character is far more likely to succumb to ‘valiant fury', since he is a warrior and, as already mentioned, has the will to kill the king harbouring within him as soon as he hears the witches' prophecy. However, the word ‘valiant' suggests a sense of honour and dignity surrounding Macbeth's tyrannical reign.Macbeth's actions may have been valiant, had King Duncan been a cruel and oppressive king. However, Shakespeare presented Duncan as a kind and virtuous character, perhaps to appease King James I, who was the king at the time of writing and admired Shakespeare's work. The fact that Macbeth murders the king is already contrary to the divine right of kings at the time, but the fact that the king was virtuous allowed for little interpretation calling Macbeth ‘valiant'. Furthermore, Macbeth's duplicitous nature in the play sets him aside as a character who does not possess ‘valiant fury' at all.He openly lies to Banquo, his trusted friend, by replying with â€Å"I think not of them† when questioned about the witches, and after Duncan's body is found he  delivers a melodramatic and duplicitous monologue expressing his professed grief. The fact that Macbeth is called â€Å"noble† and is described indirectly as â€Å"a gentleman on whom I built an absolute trust† directly contrasts with his duplicitous and cunning nature. This contrast is perhaps best explained as the extremes of Macbeth's behaviour as a character, a feature typical of Gothic protagonists.Most Gothic protagonists are caught in a dilemma or inner conflict, which often leads to extremes of behavior. In Macbeth's case, it is as though he is aware of his own actions and cannot even say the word ‘murder', instead making use of euphemisms such as â€Å"this bloody business†, yet he is also flippant in certain orders, such as the request that Macduff's â€Å"wife and babesâ €  should be killed. Therefore, considering his conflicting and deceptive nature, it is indeed possible to refer to Macbeth's actions as fury rather than madness. Valiant fury, however, is perhaps not true; there seems to be almost no honor or nobility in Macbeth's actions and willingness to lie.Macbeth's alleged madness is often linked to his use of emotive language. For example, the metaphor â€Å"full of scorpions is my mind† makes it sound as though Macbeth's mind is poisoned, or out of his control. However, as just one of many instances where Macbeth uses Gothic language, it is not necessarily true to link such metaphors to madness. Instead, it is perhaps likely that Macbeth is referring to the conflicting nature of his mind, and the inner turmoil that he is facing as a Gothic protagonist. In conclusion, the assertions that Macbeth is either ‘mad' or harbours ‘valiant fury' both seem to undermine his nature as a Gothic protagonist.Macbeth's ‘madness' is perhaps better described as the conflicting nature of any Gothic protagonist, and the notion that Macbeth's fury is ‘valiant' contrasts the numerous times where Macbeth's cunning is anything but valiant or noble. Macbeth is indeed typical of a Gothic protagonist but, like many, does not necessarily fall into just one category.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Banning Performance enhancing Drugs from Sports

At the onset, drugs are chemical substances that can affect the physical body. They are primarily made to treat illness and disease. However, there are some drugs that are used for other purpose beyond treating physical illness. These drugs are commonly known as the social drugs and are usually taken â€Å"to help people to or to give users an enjoyable experience† (Beashel, P. Sibson, A. & Taylor, J. p. 140).While there are social drugs that are illegal, Beashe, Sibson, and Taylor (2001) aptly stated that many of these drugs are available within social institution and can be taken in the context of relaxing experience and enhancing sports performance (p. 140). There is nothing wrong with these so long as these drugs are publicly available which means their uses by the public are allowed by law. In other words, they are particularly not harmful to the physical body. Most of the performance enhancing drugs belongs to the so-called â€Å"social drugs.† They are drugs that are available within social institution and are therefore not particularly harmful to the physical body, hence they should not ban from sports merely in the context of unfair competition since anyone can avail of those drugs within social institution. Currently, all performance enhancing drugs are banned in sports regardless of its positive physical effect. According to Beashel, Sibson, and Taylor, there are some performance enhancing drugs that are harmful but many are not.Doping drugs like Nandrolone, testosterone, stanozolol, clenbuterol have the effect of reducing recovery time to be able to train harder and longer. These drugs also â€Å"increases muscle bulk, strength and endurance when combined regular exercise† (p. 141). These drugs are not harmful when taken correctly or responsibly, their impacts are obviously enhanced through regular exercise. Analgesics (narcotic) like Codeine, Methadone, and heroin are pain killers which their effect â€Å"allows training and c ompeting even when injured† (p.141). Other performance enhancing drugs such as Human growth hormone (HGH), erythropoietin are thought to improve performance, and increase number of red blood cells, which means that more oxygen can be carried to the muscles and endurance is improved. On the other hand, there are some drugs that need to be ban from sports. These drugs are those that are harmful to the physical health. Among these drugs are the Beta blockers. This drug according to Beashel, Sibson, and Taylor â€Å"keep heart rate and blood pressure low (p. 141).While there are some benefit for low heart rate but this is only during the resting time not during the time of extreme activities. This is same with low blood pressure. Low blood pressure means that the does not pump enough which is important when doing extreme activities such as sports competition. Low heart rates may lead to dizziness and weakness in the flow of blood to the brain. Alcohol and tobacco drugs are no dou bt harmful and should be banned as they also contribute to the reducing blood pressure and the heart rate. Banning only harmful drugsSince performance enhancing drugs can be easily identified as harmful and not harmful, the government should ban only those that are harmful but allow with minimal restriction the use of non harmful drugs in sports. Responsible use of these drugs will not pose health problems rather it will enhance the potential of the athlete. Therefore what is needed is for the authorities to come up with better guidelines on the proper and responsible use of these drugs. Banning only harmful drugs will help athletes avoid using the wrong drugs that causes the health problems.Thus, by categorizing harmful and non harmful, health authorities can easily provide necessary guidelines and information that will help the athlete avoid those harmful drugs, and they may be able to identify what type of drugs that they need. Banning all the performance enhancing drugs in sport s is counter productive as it only leads to criminal offense due to substance abuse in the sense that it was use against the existing ban and not against the law concerning public health protection.Allowing athletes to use performance drugs should they decide to do so Given the many hazardous and more dangerous substances that that are practically available to every body such as alcohol and tobacco which are among the top causes of deaths in America and in many parts of the world, it would be unjust to ban athletes from using performance enhancing drugs simply because of isolated case of death relating to the use of such drugs.As it has been argued above, the lack of proper guidelines as to which drugs are harmful and which are not makes it more dangerous for those who really wanted to explore their potential rather than the drugs it self. Athletes who may wish to use such drugs should be given freedom to do so just as anyone who may wish to drink alcohol or they want to smoke they can simply buy tobacco practically anywhere. This is an inherent rights and the essence of the freedom of choice exercise freely by tobacco smokers or the alcoholics.The arguments concerning natural and unnatural enhancement which emphasized that drug enhanced performance is illegitimate is not sound argument every athletes are taking all sorts of drug supplement such as vitamins, pills and so forth, just to keep themselves fit. The Database Book (2004) points out, â€Å"There is nothing â€Å"natural† about taking vitamin pills or wearing whole-body Lycra suits. The book noted that diet, medicine, technology, and even coaching already give an artificial advantage to those athletes who can afford the best of all these aids† (p.88). By allowing athletes to use of performance drugs, it will provide equal playing field for everyone and athletes can compete openly and fairly. Allowing athletes to use performance enhancing drugs if the so wished enhanced the quality of spor ts and the entertainment it provides to the viewing public. Vincent Parrillo (2008) pointed that the most obvious reason why athletes wants to use performance enhancing drugs are â€Å"to become a better athlete and have enhanced sports related outcomes† (p. 263).Parrillo further add that athletes use such substance â€Å"to recover from and prevent injuries, to improve their appearance, and in some cases in response to pressure from coaches† (p. 263). These reasons are not at all subjective and they are valid. Regardless of what others say, athletes are being pressured to do more than they can do with their natural capacity by their coaches to win their games. The argument that allowing athletes to use performance enhancement drugs is like sacrificing the health of the athletes for the sake of better entertainment does not really hold much.With proper information and guidelines on the use of such chemical substances, there is no way that the athlete’s health co uld be sacrificed. It could not be denied that the public enjoys watching high level competition. The public are the tax payers where the money for sports development is coming from and they deserve high level sports. The incidents of deaths among athletes who used performance enhancement drugs can still be considered isolated compared to the deaths caused by alcohol and tobacco.If there is any thing that should be banned in sports it is certainly not those harmful drugs, but first and foremost are tobacco and alcohol and those drugs that are proven harmful to the health not only of the athletes but of everybody. The use of performance enhancing drugs among athletes continued to scandalize different sports competition spawning splinter group of competitors and sports administrators to promote the concept of officially legalizing the use of some of the substances that enhanced performance.Legalizing drugs will not only eliminate the problems of unfair competition but also the shame a nd embarrassment of athletes who may have use the substance not for winning a particular game but for fast recovery from injury to be able to play the next game. Allowing the use of performance enhancing drugs for athletes is very practical and a solution to the conflicting view of what is drugs and what is not. Nigel South (1998) noted that even tea and Coffee â€Å"have both been illegal drugs and vilified, as is alcohol today in Saudi Arabia and a number of other Muslim countries† (p.104) while cannabis and other stimulant drugs â€Å"have been and continue to be not only legal in some parts of the world but also an important aspect of their culture in which they are used† (South, p. 104). Conclusion While most of the authors and important personalities in sports are against the use of drugs in sports, they cannot deny that no matter were the efforts to make sports drug free, it remains the source of scandal and embarrassment not only for the athletes, but also for the nation they represents.Just like the problems of illegal drugs on the street that have never been beaten despite on the war on drugs, the use of performance enhancing drugs will persist so long as the athletes are being pressured to do beyond their capacity in order to win the game. Because of the nature of some drugs and its medical prescription on patient, there will always be an effort to exploit the situation to gain an advantage in sports.Only when athletes are allowed to use such substances should they decide to use them can the fair playing field will be realized. Thus, Athletes should be allowed to use such substances in the name of fairness and high level competitive sports. Reference Beashe, P. Sibson, A. & Taylor, J. (2001) The World of Sport Examined China: Nelson Thornes The Debatabase Book (2004) USA: IDEA Parrillo, V. (2008) Encyclopedia of Social Problems USA: Sage Publication South, N. (1998) Drugs USA: Sage Publication.