Impact of Video Games in Society

A video game is an interactive computer that displays a video signal, allowing you to play thousands of games on your television or handheld video game device. (Wikipedia, Video Game) We have came a very long way since the very first type of video game console was invented by Ralph Baer in 1967. From the very first console, the â€Å"Brown Box† to the more interactive video game consoles such as the Wii, Playstation, XBOX or the handheld Nintendo DS. Regardless of which video game is being used, it has made a huge impact in life's of many children, as well as adults today.In the beginning, the games were user friendly and parents did not have much to worry about if they purchased a video game for their child. Take Pac Man for example, a very simple game where the player â€Å"Pac Man† eats dots and tries to avoid getting touched by an enemy. Now in 2012, we have games such as Call of Duty which focuses on killing members of the opposite team. As we as a society became m ore developed in technology, the video game systems became more and more high tech. For today's generation, playing a 3D interactive video game is normal.The manifest function of video game systems of today is the ability to connect the console to your television and even internet and play virtually with friends online. In 2009, it was reported by the Entertainment Software Association that nearly sixty-eight percent of households told have at least one gaming system. There are many video games aimed at children today that can be used as a learning tool. However, the amount of violent games greatly outweighs the educational ones. There are many sociological impacts from video gaming systems today.Gaming systems are a very popular way of keeping children and teenagers entertained. Teenagers and children are becoming more and more addicted to these gaming systems everyday, which could lead to many issues such as poor school work or childhood obesity. Instead of doing homework or playi ng outside as we did before video games became popular, children are spending hours a day sitting on the couch due to the addictiveness of these games. Many of the games being sold today are full violence and teaching children bad morals such as sexuality, drug trafficking and even rape. According to Dr.Craig Morrison, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, even if children are playing games without violence, these children are forty percent more likely to show aggressive behavior after playing. The latent functions of these video gaming systems are quite clear. If we continue to allow children to play them it will lead to childhood obesity, violence as they grow older and even lack of motivation to communicate with the real world. In 2007 a sixteen year old boy in Ohio killed his own mother and shot his father simply because they took a game away from him, â€Å"Halo 3. According to the boy's lawyer, he was injured in an accident that did not allow him to go anywhere, so he focused all of his time, energy, and mostly anger on playing this video game. When his parents decided the game was too violent, they took it away, causing the boy to snap. This is just one example of how video games can unintentionally lead to violence, and in this case death. The University of Texas performed a study on the relations of childhood obesity and video games.Results were found to be that video games, due to their addictiveness were the cause of the children's overweight status, and not linked to watching television as some may argue. It was found that children with a high weight status spent more time inside and less time performing outside activities, such as sports or riding bicycles. Perhaps the parents are to blame for allowing their children to do this; however, many parents today are of the working class group, sometimes being forced to leave their children unattended to do whatever they please. Each and every video game is required to have a rating. There are seven total.Early childhood being the most non-violent and inappropriate. The rating Adults Only, requiring the purchaser to be eighteen years or older. Titles in this category usually include scenes of intense violence and or graphic sexual content and nudity. Even with the ratings, these video games are still getting into the hands of children. As our society and technology begins to grow, the problem will continue to worsen.Citations: (Iowa State University Newspaper Article) http://www. public. iastate. edu/~nscentral/news/2007/mar/vvg. shtml (Cleavlead. com Article) http://blog. cleveland. com/metro/2008/12/boy_killed_mom_and_shot_dad_ov. html

Counseling and psychotherapy

When two people are head-over-heels in love with each other, the immediate decision that comes up in each mind is marriage. Marriage is a very exciting phase in one’s life. It challenges one’s capacity and ability to handle responsibilities (responsibilities for the children’s education and future and the obligations of spouses with each other especially in their sexual life) for the future family that will be made by two people united in marriage.Some people will just get into marriage without any apprehensions what might be the possible problems that will arise in the family; especially the young people who are very impulsive to get into it. Yes, the relationship would be abnormal and boring if there is no testing and crises; thus, it is usual for the marriage life to have problems because problems strengthen the relationship. But how about if the problem arises is regarding the sexual incompetence? What if one’s partner is not satisfied of what the othe r partner is doing or having a trauma in the past related to sex?Is there any solution for this? There are many factors why sex problems arise. Some of these are lack of sexual desire, problems with erections, premature ejaculation and retarded ejaculation, lack of orgasm in women, painful intercourse, vaginismus, and sexual trauma (see Boulware, Carol. â€Å"Sex Therapy: Is it for you? † 2006). In this present generation, there are many broken marriages occurring because one of the reasons is the sex incompetence of the present partner. It cannot be denied that there are couples who quarreled so much because of the â€Å"sex† issue but how can this problem be resolved?Due to this problem, experts present the counseling and psychotherapy in marriages to resolve the problems specifically in their sexual life. These kinds of treatments really help the marriage work well. The purposes of this study are to: (1) know what the difference between psychotherapy and counseling is and; (2) recognize how counseling and psychotherapy help the marriage who has sex problems. II. Discussion A. Psychotherapy and Counseling Most of the time, counseling and psychotherapy are terminologies that frequently interchange when used.Actually, counselor would refer to advisor and it includes two individuals working together in order to provide solution for the dilemma. It is a treatment that has several types in giving advices (see Schimelpfening, Nancy. â€Å"What is the difference between Counseling and Psychotherapy? † Psychotherapy 101, page 1). This would mean that counselor provides solutions to the couple who has sex problems by conducting a study related to case presented by the couple. Moreover, a licensed professional counselor named Deborah Reeves stated that: â€Å"A well-trained therapist understands the difference between counseling and psychotherapy.In counseling the therapist focuses on the â€Å"here and now† reality situations and helps on e become better equipped to deal with various life situations† (see Reeves, Deborah. â€Å"Differences between counseling and psychotherapy. Healing-Minds. com). On the other hand, psychotherapy denotes as the therapy of emotional and mental sickness. Psychotherapy includes a procedure, a connection between a patient and a therapist. A psychotherapist is an individual that is very good in: ? Listening the client carefully and sincerely ? Reflecting sympathetically ? Suggesting some views ? Giving comments and advices? Assisting the client/clients to search and discover other options ? Guiding the client/clients in exploring the depths of experiences and emotions (see Jaffe, Jaelline and Segal, Jeanne. † Psychotherapy and Relationship/Marriage Counseling†. Mental health Issues. Helpguide, July 14, 2004). These qualities of the psychotherapist help the married couples solve their sexual problems by tracing back what are the reasons behind why they encounter such dil emmas in their sex life. The psychotherapist sets different goals in order to identify the reasons why the marriage encounters sex problems.The psychotherapy will: first, develop insights regarding the sex problems of the couple; second, learn to communicate more efficiently to the client/clients; third, learn to work out the interpersonal and internal incompatibilities; fourth, manage to lessen or relieve signs of emotional disturbances that may possibly be the reason why sex incompetence arises; fifth, alters actions and activities to develop relational, social and vocational functioning; sixth, client’s personal growth and improvement and; the last one is, rebuild the client’s life due to faulty sex experiences in early life (see Jaffe, Jaelline and Segal, Jeanne.â€Å"Psychotherapy and Relationship/Marriage Counseling†. Mental health Issues. Helpguide, July 14, 2004). B. how do counseling and psychotherapy help marriage with sex problems? Marriage counseling is also known as couples’ therapy which assist married couples recognize, realize and work out the conflicts and develops their relationship. Marriage counseling and psychotherapy provide the couples the methods to make their communication better, understand differences, solve the problem and have a discussion in a healthy way. Marriage counseling is usually provided by therapists that have licensed who are called as marriage and family therapists.Moreover, majority of the marriages are not perfect. Every individual has his own values, principles, and personal background in the relationship and more frequently, those characters do not always go with the partner’s character. Furthermore, marriage counseling can help the marriage life in dealing many issues especially in the marriage-sex-life that can create pressure in the relationship. Generally, marriage counseling normally put together the couples in joint therapy sessions where the counselor or therapist assists th e couples identify, recognize and understand the root cause of their sex problems and attempt to solve them.Both spouses will examine and analyze the good and the bad sides of their relationship that affect their sex drives. In this case, the marriage therapist or counselor will not show biases in any of the sides in the conflicts (see â€Å"Marriage Counseling: Working through relationship problems†. MayoClinic. com, tools for healthier life. October 17, 2006). Moreover, as mentioned earlier that psychotherapy is a process of treating emotional or mental sickness by means of chatting which concern the client’s condition and other issues that are related with a mental health expert.It is also called as talk treatment, psychological therapy, counseling or just therapy. Same in counseling, psychotherapy sessions also help the couple able to learn regarding the root cause of their sex problems so that they can understand it, find out in how to pin point and change thought s which influence their sex life, look for better methods to overcome and work out the sex problems and find out to established practical objectives for their sex life (see â€Å"Psychotherapy: An overview of the types of therapy. MayoClinic. com, tools for healthier lives. October 17, 2006). b. 1 Sex TherapySex therapy is a specialized and virtuous treatment procedure to dilemmas of sexual expression and function. In a current research of the Journal of the American Medical Association stated that 3 out of 10 men and 4 out of 10 women have undergone sexual dilemmas. The problems that usually arise for men are the premature ejaculation, low sexual desire and dysfunction. While for women, the sexual problems are with arousal, pain through out the intercourse and low sexual desire. These kinds of matters are needed to be treated to avoid deeper problem that may lead to separation or divorce.Individuals or married couples look for sex treatment after they attempted to solve their sex problems yet failed (see Boulware, Carol. â€Å"Sex Therapy: Is it for you? † 2006). III. Conclusion Counseling and psychotherapy are such a big help to keep the relationship intact. It is really true that sex is one of the spices in a married life. Married people who have sex problems should not be hesitant to consult counseling and psychotherapy because it will help them identify and understand the root causes of their problem.They are also given suggestions and solutions that make their sex life more exciting and interesting. Bibliography: 1. Jaffe, Jaelline and Segal, Jeanne. â€Å"Psychotherapy and Relationship/Marriage Counseling†. Mental health Issues. Helpguide, July 14, 2004. http://www. helpguide. org/mental/psychotherapy_relationship_marriage_counseling. htm 2. Schimelpfening, Nancy. â€Å"What is the difference between Counseling and Psychotherapy. † Psychotherapy 101, page 1. http://depression. about. com/cs/psychotherapy/a/whatistherapy_2. htm 3. R eeves, Deborah. â€Å"Differences between counseling and psychotherapy.Healing-Minds. com. http://www. healing-minds. com/vs. html 4. â€Å"Marriage Counseling: Working through relationship problems†. MayoClinic. com, tools for healthier life. October 17, 2006. http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/marriage-counseling/MH00104 5. â€Å"Psychotherapy: An overview of the types of therapy. MayoClinic. com, tools for healthier lives. October 17, 2006. http://www. mayoclinic. com/health/psychotherapy/MH00009 6. Boulware, Carol. â€Å"Sex Therapy: Is it for you? † 2006. http://www. psychotherapist. net/sextherapy/sex-therapy. htm#anchor520639

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay Example for Free

A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game Essay ? America’s Pastime has been the true root of sports in the United States of America. Baseball blew up in the late 19th century towards the end of the American Civil War. Before there were TV’s, internet, or DVD’s, baseball is what kids did for fun. It became the thing to do if you were a white male going into the 20th century, and that was just the beginning of a long bittersweet road of the game of baseball. Up until the 1990’s many greats had walked in between the lines showing off their pure god given talent, then an era came along that makes every baseball fan cringe, the â€Å"Steroids Era.† Steroids started to spread throughout the league like wildfire, and sadly no one was doing anything about it. The only thing administration, owners, authorities, and fans had were suspicion no one knew for sure if these record breaking seasons were real or all just a fluke. The greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Lou Gehrig, and Ted Williams all have been being surpassed in the record books by Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, Mark McGuire, and plenty more players due to the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. The use of illegal Steroids in baseball has single handily degraded and disgraced the great game that once was proud to be known as America’s Pastime. The man who started it all and really brought Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED’s) to the baseball scene in the late 1980’s was Oakland Athletics outfielder, Jose Canseco. Once Canseco starting showing his teammates how influential these drugs were to their performance through his own personal achievements it wasn’t long before a large amount of players were using PEDs. Canseco states in his book, Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant ‘Roids, Smash Hits, and How Baseball Got Big that, â€Å"About 85% of Major Leaguers have used it† (Canseco). The MLB rarely, if at all tested for steroids during this time of the â€Å"Steroids Era† and if they did there was no penalty for testing positive. At the time it was virtually a win win for the players, they could juice up, exceed the stats they could only dream about, and never get in trouble during the process. Performance Enhancing Drugs became an epidemic in the world of baseball, but not only was it enhancing players performance, it was enhancing every aspect of revenue a ball club could ever imagine. The Record books were once again open and ready for business. Athletes such as Barry Bonds, Jose Canseco, Mark McGuire, and so forth were smashing homeruns and going up on the charts little by little for the all time homerun record holder, Hank Aaron. This excitement on the field attracted more fans through these steroid years than baseball had ever seen, and when there are fans there is money, and when there is money there is no concern. The Major League of Baseball had been oblivious to the illegal use of Steroids over the years. Until 2002 there were no penalties for testing positive for PEDs. The new rules stated, â€Å"A first time offense would only result in treatment for the player† (Baseball-Almanac). Not one player was sentenced to any suspensions for this crime, until the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative (BALCO) steroid scandal came to light, and brought out many of the All-Stars of the MLB to the top of the list. Victor Cante the founder of BALCO was a god to the sports world. He was the guy that not only supplied athletes wit h their steroids, but also had ways to cheat the tests so they could come up clean. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) are always trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters workers at BALCO labs are finding ways once again come up with a new way to slide by the new and improved tests on the market (Quinn). So in 2005 The MLB created a new testing policy that was accepted by the players and owners that said, â€Å"The first positive test will result in a suspension of up to ten days. The second positive test will result in a suspension of thirty days. The third positive test will result in a suspension of sixty days. The fourth positive test will result in a suspension of one full year. Finally, the fifth positive test will result in a penalty at the discretion of the Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Players will be tested at least once per year, with a chance that several players can be tested numerous times per year† (Baseball-Almanac). That wasn’t the last adjustment Bud Selig, the Commissioner of the Major League of Baseball, was going to make to the steroid testing policy. On December 13, 2007, Greg Mitchell, an investigator who was appointed by Bud Selig in 2006 to investigate the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs in the MLB, presented a 409 page report to Selig showing his investigation and revealing 89 alleged players who used steroids during their career (Healey). Once Bud Selig had been shown the report, his 3rd written drug testing policy came in to play which was known as the â€Å"Three strikes and you’re out approach† (Verhaeghe). This final policy stated that, â€Å"The first positive test would result in a fifty game suspension. The second positive test would result in a one-hundred game suspension. Finally, the third positive test would result in a lifetime suspension from Major League Baseball† (Baseball Almanac). Bud Selig and the rest of the administration inside of the Major League of Baseball had finally seen the light, and properly taken action on how to cut down the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs throughout the MLB. Once the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released many super stars and role models for fans all around the world were printed in black under the category of the illegal use of steroids throughout their career. The most popular player named in the Mitchell Report due to his court and trial issues would have to be 7 time Cy Young winner, Roger Clemens. Once he saw that his name had been brought to light in the report he went to Capitol Hill to clear his name off the list that he felt he didn’t need to be on. Little did he know that when made the statement, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† (Healey) That he was entering a world of charges when committing perjury in a court of law. Many of the players claimed their innocence like Clemens did, but in the end they all served the types of charges. The original group of all time Baseball greats like Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Cy young, etc. set a high standard for the Players after them to strive for and gave them something to achieve. Never in their minds would they of thought that the game of baseball would have turned out the way it is today. These modern day All-stars who cheated and used Performance Enhancing Drugs for a shortcut just to go ahead of someone’s hard work and love for the game as well to achieve their personal and selfish desires should be punished and have their awards and accolades stripped from them and taken out of the record books as if they were never there to begin with. The use of Performance Enhancing Drugs has put a permanent stain on the name of Baseball and what it is truly about. Bud Selig and the Major league of Baseball has come a long way regarding minimizing the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs by enforcing harsher penalties and consequences for testing Positive for steroids. As the years have gone by thanks to the leagues stricter policies on testing positive for PEDs the amount of players getting suspended for steroid use has decreased on a year to year basis. The Major League of Baseball will never be able to completely take Performance Enhancing Drugs out of the game, but with the right consequences, and appropriate policies they will be able continue to keep the use of Steroids at a very low rate and never re-enter the once dreaded time known as the â€Å"Steroids Era† ever again. Healey, Daniel. â€Å"FALL OF THE ROCKET: STEROIDS IN BASEBALL AND THE CASE AGAINEST ROGER CLEMENS.† Marquette Sports Law Review 19.1 (September 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Roger â€Å"The Rocket† Clemens is known to be one of the best of all-time to step on the rubber in the game of Major League Baseball. The Seven-time Cy Young winner was ultimately unstoppable in the last half of his career. He was just another great phenom in the baseball world until December 13, 2007 when the â€Å"Mitchell Report† was released, revealing a 409-page report that was sent to the commissioner of baseball (Bud Selig) that investigated the illegal use of steroids and Performance Enhancing Drugs used by players in Major League Baseball. There were over 80 players put on this report, but the one who stood out the most was Roger Clemens himself. On February 13th 2008 he went to Capitol Hill to argue the allegations against him saying, â€Å"I appreciate the opportunity to tell this Committee and the public-under oath-what I have been saying all along: I have never used steroids, human growth hormone [HGH], or any other type of illegal performance enhancing drugs. I think these types of drugs should play no role in athletics at any level, and I fully support Senator Mitchell’s conclusions that Steroids have no place in baseball. However, I take great issue with the report’s allegation that I used these substances. Let me be clear again: I did not.† Once Clemens had stated that it put a rather large target on his back not only by investigators but also the judicial system. They were trying to get him to admit using illegal steroids, but now as well they were going after him on counts of perjury. After 2 years of gathering enough evidence and testimonies on August 19, 2010 a Federal Grand Jury Indicted Roger Clemens on six counts, one count of obstruction of congress, three counts of false statements, and two counts of perjury. On July 13, 2011 Clemens’ first trial began, but on the second day the judge ruled a mistrial due to prosecutorial misconduct. For now Roger Clemens is a free man, but legal sources say that he will be retried. I will be using the â€Å"Mitchell Report† and the Roger Clemens trial to portray that not only is the use of steroids extremely risky and unhealthy but also that it’s against the law and you will get caught one way or another. 1991 to 2002 was known as the â€Å"Steroid Era† in professional baseball. Over those years particularly in 1995 after the cancellation of the 1994 playoffs and World Series the statistics of a majority of the players skyrocketed, which in retrospect played a huge role in filling the empty seats back up after the 1994 strike. I’ll be explaining that up until to this point in time the MLB did not have strict regulations on testing for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) Kuenster, John. â€Å"Major League Player Records Dishonored by Steroid Users.† Baseball Digest. 62.2 (March 2008): SPORTDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. John Kuenster touches on a very valuable subject when it comes to records, and honors given in the MLB. Back in early in mid 1900’s the greats of the game like, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Hank Aaron, Joe DiMaggio, Bob Feller, and Ernie Banks. They all set legitimate records that should never be shadowed by the players who eventually broke them. These few players all had something in common. That was hard work and love for the game. They didn’t use PEDs to up there stats or to get to a higher number in a certain category. These historic greats earned their records off pure talent that was god given and worked hard to mature. The greats of our time such as, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Alex Rodriguez, or Mark McGwire also hold records like men mentioned earlier. The only difference between the past greats and the current greats is that these new all-stars were accused of using Steroids to achieve their records. Not only are the players the ones to blame for the whole â€Å"Steroid Era.† Stricter steps should have been taken from the get go through the league to enforce steroid testing to ensure the safety and fair play in professional play of baseball before the use of steroids spread like wildfire through the MLB. Will records and awards be stripped from players who’ve been tested positive for performing enhancing drugs? We don’t know for now, but who knows what the future holds. This article about dishonoring the awards given to players who have achieved them unfairly will allow me to voice my opinion on the topic of record breakers involving steroids. I personally am against the use of steroids solely because all it does it degrade the great game of baseball. Even though these cheaters didn’t use PEDs their whole career and achieved some of their record off pure talent doesn’t change the fact they broke the rules that is stated in the contract that’s signed by every professional player. It’s not fair that history’s greatest baseball players prior to the steroid era should be passed up in the record books by players that made themselves better by an illegal drug. Not only is it a disgrace to the violators name, but more importantly it’s a disgrace to the game of baseball. Rutecki, Jared. â€Å"A Study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball.† Open Sports Sciences Journal 3 (2010): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. A chart in the article, A study of Media Impact on Public Opinion Regarding Performance Enhancement in Major League Baseball shows the percent of the coverage on specific sports and PEDs through 1968 to 2006 in Sports Illustrated, Newsweek, and Time. Baseball ranks number one in all 3 magazines with 43 percent, 39 percent, and 39 percent. Coming in second was football with a significant lower percent of 19, 14, and 15. Over the year’s magazine articles about PEDs have increased by a huge amount due to the popularity in steroid use among professional athletes. With the widespread use of steroids in sports particularly baseball, it’s apparent that the talk of it in magazines and media in general has shot up too. When something isn’t a public issue the media obviously isn’t interested in it which is why steroids in the earlier years weren’t written and talked about much. When the â€Å"Steroid Era† came into play that’s when the number of articles in magazines skyrocketed year by year and it all of sudden became a huge topic in our society. I will also be touching on the fact that even when people knew that steroids were an issue media didn’t start writing about it like crazy until the 104 MLB players tested positive for PEDs in 2003. From that year on the number of articles per year were above 49. The media writes what sells and in this day and age information and insider news about the world of baseball and steroids will always sell. Solberg, Joe. â€Å"Performance-Enhancing Drug Use in Baseball: The Impact of Culture.† Ethics and Behavior 21 (April 2011): 91-102. Philosopher’s Index. Web. 8 November 2011. Joe Solberg explains that once the steroid era of baseball blew up and became steady that it wasn’t out of the norm anymore, it became part of the culture. Once everyone was doing it the person below them had to use PEDs in order to get to the next level. The use of Steroids is a ladder that started in the pro’s and worked its way down to the minors. Major League Contracts are more than less based off offensive performance rather than defensive performance. To be more specific on offensive performance homeruns are what really can land you a big money contract. Over the years the biggest category that PEDs have helped is homeruns. Of course players want a lot of money, and in order to get that money is to hit homeruns, and in order to increase the amount of homeruns is to take performance enhancing drugs. Players will do what they have to do in order to make the money that they are satisfied with, and as a result for most players it is to partake in using steroids to increase their status as an all-star. The information I gathered in this article will help me explain the player’s motives for wanting to use PEDs. It’s not only used just to break records and be known as an all-star even though that is a plus that comes with it, but it’s the fact that if the person above you is using these substances then in order for you to excel above him and potentially take his spot you almost feel obligated to take PEDs as well. It was once a bad thing to be associated with the group known to take steroids back when it was a rare thing to do. Now days it’s such a common thing to partake in its part of the culture, it’s fairly normal in the MLB now to use PEDs. Sommers, Paul. â€Å"The Changing Hitting Performance Profile in Major League Baseball, 1966-2006.† Journal of Sports Economics 9.4 (August 2008) SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011. Paul Sommers showed charts over the decades of average years played by an average starter in the pros. It went from 5.2 years in the 60’s to 6 in a half years in 2006. That shows that the use of steroids in the MLB increased a player’s career by almost 2 years. He also explains that the use of PEDs in baseball lets you peak at a higher level of skill. A persons overall skill level will increase by a big number while using steroids. Someone hitting .267 without the use of steroids could jump anywhere from a .324 to .378 average depending on the person. With all the statistics shown throughout the article it’s proven that Performance enhancing drugs increase a player’s batting average, peak, years played, MPH, and overall skill level. Before the 1960’s after a player’s peak their batting average tended to decline steadily due to falling off from their prime, but after the 1960’s a large amount of players started to excel past their peak year and raise their batting averages past their prime which was unusual. As we know now the reason for that was the use of PEDs. After 2004 the statistics seemed to start trending again like the 1960’s due to the random and mandatory drug tests which disabled the players to partake in using Anabolic Steroids of HGH. I will be using this information to show how all PEDs have been proven in many to not only better athletes, but make them more durable and tack on extra years of successful productivity past their prime. PEDs aren’t physically making them younger, but they sure are making them produce younger aged stats in a past prime aged body. Stone, Brad. â€Å"Another Poison Pill† Newsweek 146.7 (August 15 2005): Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 November 2011. The MLB is by far the top sport when it comes to the abuse of Performance Enhancing Drugs, but yet it holds the weakest punishment in the sports world for testing positive. Rafael Palmeiro in 2008 tested positive for Performance Enhancing Drugs in early August of 2008 just months after he testified before a U.S congressional committee stating that he had never used PEDs in his life. Not only did he test positive for steroids, he failed the test after lying under oath in a court of law, and all he was punished with through the MLB was a 10-day suspension and a $164,000 fine. Due to the particular steroid Palmeiro took, Stanozonol, which travels through your digestive system within 2 weeks, makes it hard for the court to prove that Palmeiro was lying when he testified. Baseball wants to stop the abuse of Steroids, but at the same time it seems like all these players that test positive these substances just get slaps on the wrist and are told not to do it again. If you want a problem to come to a halt you have to go the extra distance in order to get the results you’re looking for. PEDs have been persistent in the MLB for decades now; telling a player to stop will ultimately not stop them. There needs to be an ultimatum put into action to make the abusers consider that these PEDs aren’t worth the loss of their career. Every other sport that has extremely harsh penalties if tested positive for PEDs don’t have a very high percent of positive tests because the players don’t want to take the risk to put their career on the line. In the MLBs case they aren’t putting a severe enough consequence for the use of Performance Enhancing Drugs. My main point I’ll be using from this article is that if you want the use of PEDs to lower then you have to put consequences that the players don’t want to deal with out there in order to produce more negative resulting drug tests. Quinn, Tom â€Å"BASEBALL’S STEROID ERA.† Men’s Fitness 23. (August 2007): SPORTSDiscus. Web. 8 November 2011 Throughout the history of baseball testing for either steroids or street drugs really hasn’t been a big part of the games policy. Player’s played the game and what they did off the field was their own business. Once the early 80’s hit, and PEDs came on the scene the use of them among players got out of hand. It became an almost regular regime for a majority of the MLB. Tests were eventually being given, but that didn’t stop the players. When there’s motive to do illegal substances there’s always the backup plan to keep these athletes out of trouble. There were plenty of ways to come up clean on a test, and when the testers would find a way to stop it, Victor Cante and his crew at BALCO labs would just simply find another way to cheat. Even when the few unlucky players’ get caught all they have to do is admit it and simply explain they were told it was something else. For Example, Barry Bonds, when he spoke in front of the BALCO grand jury he came clean about all the PEDs he had taken, but the catch was he stated that he was oblivious to what he was actually using. People of this stature will make their illegal decisions, but don’t think they don’t have all the answers for when the going gets tough. I’ll be using Quinn’s article â€Å"BASEBALL STEROIDS ERA† to inform how little baseball can really do to not only catch these users, but to actually put a stop to the Performance Enhancing Drugs. If not cheating tests to save their own ass’ these professional athletes will just find a perfect window of time to where they know they won’t be tested in the offseason to fit in a couple cycles here and there to maintain the gains through using PEDs. Testing companies such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the U.S Anti Doping-Agency (USADA) will never stop trying to improve the efficiency of the tests to make cheating near impossible if not totally full proof, but as those agencies are working to stop the cheaters don’t think the cheaters at BALCO labs aren’t finding ways to break through and find loop holes in their tests. Verhaeghe, Dan. â€Å"Bud Selig Lays Down the Hammer on Performance Enhancing Drugs†. Bleacher Report. (January 2008): Web. 30 November 2011 A Single Needle; Single Handily Changing the Game. (2017, Aug 13).

Application paper 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Application paper 1 - Essay Example Correspondingly, the fundamental features of the theory will be elaborated in this thesis, along with their application in the real life experiences. Criticisms of the theory will also be paid due significance in context to assess the applicability of the theory. DISCUSSION Key elements of the theory. SCT, as described by Griffin (247-250), is a universal theory within the broad framework that accounts for human communication. Precisely, SCT focuses on learning the sharing process of emotions and values in a small group, defining those as fantasies. The SCT communication is also used to observe the cohesiveness of a small group, wherein it is assumed that individuals will tend to dramatize their messages to a larger extent when confident in the group. Notably, communication is used to create a bond between small groups of people. The theory revolves around the emotions and fantasies of the people in a group wherein the conceptual framework of the theory attempts to analyze shared sym bolic meaning, which lies at the fantasy theme a person desires. The conversation begins with a fantasy of a person and continues with different opinions of the people in the group. SCT also helps to identify the symbolic reality that the member of the group shares through his/her conversation (Young, â€Å"Bormann's Symbolic Convergence Theory†). As argued by Griffin (247-250), SCT can be extremely useful to obtain critical understanding of the views and the thoughts of different persons in a group. SCT is principally based on the ideas of the member in a group who exchange their fantasies in order to formulate a cohesive group framework. The fantasies involve the emotion of the person supported by the group; it helps to understand the feeling and emotions of different individuals. Contextually, the fantasy chain can be considered as a positive response to the initial fantasy by the member of the group. It is in this context that symbolic convergence helps to form a cohesive bond and create a sense of togetherness in the group through the symbolic communication as described in SCT. The views and opinions of every individual are given emphasis based on the initial fantasy. Conceptually, SCT aids to recognize how the group associates, interacts and offers a way of inspecting small group culture. Also, this theory also makes it easier to understand who the active member is and is supporting the theme of the fantasy, building a fantasy chain (Young, â€Å"Bormann's Symbolic Convergence Theory†). A brief background of the situation. It was a normal working day when I, with my colleagues, was discussing about the upcoming salary hikes that were to be declared on the basis of our performances throughout the year. Undoubtedly, everyone in the group had great expectations and desires with the salary hike. In the middle of the conversation, one of my colleagues suddenly fantasized that with the aid of his increased salary and some help from loan facilitie s, he plans to purchase a duplex in one of the posh areas of the US within the next two years. This fantasy statement made the atmosphere in the work environment much informal, where the conversation was turning to a more comfortable level and

Assigment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Assigment - Essay Example sion for an industry that has spent millions to attract customers in the countrys growing Latino community and among the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. As a business owner, you sell to whoever comes into your store. You sell to whoever buys from you online. Its easy, normally, said Steven Camarota, director of research at the Center for Immigration Studies in Washington. Just in some cases where specific identification is needed, like in financial services, its more complicated. But getting less so Last month, Bank of America said it had started a pilot program in the Los Angeles area late last year that didnt require a Social Security number to sign up for a credit card. The Charlotte-based bank insists the card isnt specifically designed to attract illegal immigrants, and says that so far, it has not. The bank hasnt decided if it will offer the card elsewhere, but it would likely be popular with a population that generally lacks access to something as common in most American wallets as the dollar bill and a drivers license. Its a no brainer. Its a very large market, said Jim Johnson, director of the Urban Investment Strategies Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The bank is just the latest example of a major corporation recognizing the impact of doing business with Hispanics. ‘In 2005, the nations 6.6 million illegal immigrant families had an average annual income of $29,500 and accounted for nearly $200 billion in purchasing power, a figure thats only expected to grow,’ said Pew Hispanic Center demographer Jeff Passel. They are impacting the economy, Passel said. The unauthorized are explicitly coming for an economic basis. While credit card use among the nations 42 million Hispanics is on the rise, a substantial number of Latino households dont have access to credit, according a survey conducted by the National Council of La Raza, which found that 80 percent of American households use credit

Advertisment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Advertisment - Essay Example But one finds this appropriate because the picture really says it all. The paragraph below is just additional information to emphasize the message the advertisement wants to convey. The advertiser wants to persuade those who will see the advertisement that cigarette smoking does not have to be manly. As written in the paragraph below, it is an expression for one’s love for pretty things (Lindstrom). Additional information is given in the paragraph stating that the cigarette is also available in menthol (Lindstrom). The messages in the print advertisement are arranged in such a way that the most important message that the advertiser wants to convey is presented first. The use of big letters in the statement, â€Å"Farewell to ugly cigarette. Smoke pretty.eve.† is very fitting (Lindstrom). The prominent picture of the pack of cigarettes also contributes to the message that the advertiser wants to put across his audience. On the whole, one thinks that the print advertisement is very effective in capturing the attention of its market. Even without the paragraph below the picture, the readers have already understood and absorbed the message. The advertiser has achieved his goal. Eve Filter Cigarettes. Advertisement. Lindstrom, Andrew. "50 inspiring vintage advertisements." 30 September 2008. wellmedicated.com. Web. 12 March 2013

MKTG 406 = MID EXAM & FINAL EXAM Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6250 words

MKTG 406 = MID EXAM & FINAL EXAM - Assignment Example This can be anything, a stable income or job, etc. The next level of needs which is requirement by the person is the need of love and society. The sense of belongingness is his concern at this stage. He or she starts a family and wants to become a part of the society. The next step in the level of needs is the requirement of self esteem. The person wishes to have a successful carrier and wants to be known for his success. He or she thinks himself or herself to be special. Once the self esteem stage has been achieved, the person goes on to the final level of needs known as the self-actualization. This need is way more important than anything; the aspirations come into play over here. Now having discussed the Maslow’s Hierarchy, let us go on to relating these 5 levels of needs with marketing. As the person goes through the different level of needs, he is always influenced by the some products or services at some point of time. In the first step where the person is looking for the basic needs such as food and shelter, he or she will try to select a food is cheap at the same time nutritious, the advertisement displayed or shown will play a major role in his choice. Similarly, in the second stage the person is looking for security and safety. The security can job or life insurance. Again in this situation, the various firms will try to divert his or her mind to purchase their product or services by saying how different and exclusive their services are. This way the person may or may not get manipulated in purchasing the above services. Again in the next three stages also there are various forms of marketing involved which are used against the consumers. For e xample Vodafone might call a person saying that he or she is their most valued customer and that is he or she is being offered a new mobile connection free of charge. This in return tends to affect the person emotionally and the person will most likely go ahead with the deal. Another

Literature Review for Sustainabilty in Supply Chain Management for Essay

Literature Review for Sustainabilty in Supply Chain Management for hospitals - Essay Example However during the rapid development of the industrial age the need for a set of standards was realized which could limit or at least minimize the adverse effects of the industrial machinery on the environment as well as the society without jeopardizing the interests of the manufacturer. An integrative frameworks is discussed for sustainability practice in construction industry presented by (Amlan M., Helen M., 2010). SSCM is the strategic cooperation of organizations in order to improve the management of capital flows, materials and information as well as considering all the issues involved in a sustainable development like social, financial and ecological requirements, which in turn are provided by the customers and stake holders (Craig C., Dale R., Nov 2007)( Seuring & Muller, 2008)(Lutz P., 2009). The elements involved in SSCM have to address environmental and socially challenging issues as well as maintaining customer relationships by being competitive in the market. 2. Role of a sustainable supply chain in a hospital scenario A supply chain is the backbone of any industrial machinery that involves production of goods or provision of raw materials ( Anna N., Ladimer S., 2010 ). A ‘green hospital’ case study presented in (Anna H., 2008) for better healthcare, greening in supply chain, managing the waste stream, hospital food and other aspect discussed in this paper. The green supply chain management is an effective tool and discussed briefly by (Chen L., Shu C., Ling T., 2010). A qualitative study of UK food retailer in context of social responsibility to supply chain presented in (Laura S., Michael B., 2009) Each and every single manufacturer, service provider, transporter and designer is part of a supply chain. Being a service provider, a hospital also needs and in fact is part of a supply chain itself. Sustainability is an important issue when it comes to hospitals because this is one place that cannot afford ignorance in healthcare and envi ronmental issues. A sustainable hospital supply chain incorporates the following features. Waste management: Sustainability in a hospital supply chain will ensure the proper disposal of wastes like used syringes, infected and dirty bandages as well as clothes and in some cases amputated body parts. Recycling of wastage is also an important issue. Energy management: energy management is one of the key elements of SSCM. Energy audits are to be conducted at regular intervals for this purpose. Water management: water is an important resource and must be utilized in an optimal manner. SSCM addresses this issue as per an ecological requirement. Transport: like every other service provider, a hospital supply chain includes transport therefore it has to be managed. Communication: optimal management of communication resources as well as effective communication is also a part of a hospital supply chain. Training sessions: training of employees and awareness sessions for clients are an effecti ve method of increasing sustainability in a supply chain. 3. Examples->types->an example concerning hospitals in particular The supply chain management actually physical dispersion of goods by the efforts of manufacturers, distributors, traders and retailer and it impact on purchasing practices. Barriers and obstacles 4. Advantages and motivational factors for the implementation of a SSCM That the sustainable supply chain mana

Nursing Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing Research - Essay Example Critiquing a research work, therefore, involves a careful examination of all aspects of the study, to assess its strength, limitations, meanings and relevance, in a bid to gain adequate up to date knowledge, improve practice and provide essential data necessary for further studies (Hek, 1996; Burns and Grove, 1999). 1. Problem Statement: The study was conducted to evaluate patients' satisfaction with two different routes of follow-up monitoring care for patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis - Primary care settings involving a General Practitioner and/or practice nurse, and Secondary care settings involving a specialist team within hospitals and including case management by a Rheumatology Nurse Specialist (RNS). This research problem is of great importance to the nursing profession, as it evaluates patients' satisfaction to specialized nursing service delivery. 2. Study Purpose: The purpose of the research was to compare Rheumatoid Arthritis patients' satisfaction with a General Practitioner led primary care and a Rheumatology Nurse Specialist (RNS) led secondary care settings. ... it can be inferred from the study aim that the research question would be something like: Are patients more satisfied with primary care or secondary care settings for follow-up care and monitoring 4. Hypothesis/Hypotheses: Hypothesis is a statement, which predicts the performance of a verifiable occurrence in certain conditions, based upon theoretical considerations (Stevens et al, 1993).The hypothesis of this research was not stated, also; however, the main hypothesis the research appear to be testing was: Rheumatoid Arthritis patients undertaking disease modifying antirheumatic therapy (DMARDS) are more satisfied with follow up monitoring and care provided by specialized nurse-led secondary care settings. 5. Study Variables: The two main variables of the research, as identified by the researchers are: primary and secondary monitoring of patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis undertaking DMARDS. 6. Conceptual/ Theoretical Framework: This study was guided theoretically by the former exploratory study carried out by the same authors, which indicated factors such as attitude and empathy, information provision, continuity of care etc influenced patients' satisfaction with care received. The present study sought to explore these qualities within the context of primary and secondary care. 7. Review of Related Literature: According to Massey (1995), the essence of a literature review is to analyze what has been said so far and thus demonstrate what is known about a research problem, and, in the process establish the need for the current study. The authors of this study contend that there was a lack of adequate literatures that relates to the satisfaction of rheumatology patients with monitoring follow-up. They identified and reviewed only three articles. However, one can argue

Ethnic Literature Essay Example for Free

Ethnic Literature Essay The term â€Å"ethnic† when in conjunction with the word â€Å"literature† in the academic discourse community of students, often brings out mixed feelings of excitement and dread. On the one hand, students understand that they will be getting away from the canonical American literature – which can equal boring in their eyes; on the other hand, students interpret the term â€Å"ethnic literature† to mean distinctive – which can equal confusing or ambiguous – and perhaps at times not relatable because it is outside their scope of experiences. Perhaps before jumping into why it matters, the term â€Å"ethnic literature† should be defined first and because I am still learning how to interpret this term myself, I searched for a suitable one I could agree with. I found one in an article entitled â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†, and the article actually used another source themselves to come up with a workable, layman’s definition. Ethnic literature as defined by D. E. Norton (as the article’s source) is, â€Å"Literature about racial or ethnic minority groups that are culturally and socially different from the white Anglo-Saxon majority in the United States, whose largely middle-class values and customs are most represented in American literature† (qtd. in Hager Thompson 22). I think this definition works well to define what ethnic literature is on a surface level, but the more I dig in, I feel that this idea goes much deeper. I asked myself, who can write about ethnic literature? Can anyone just pick up a pen so to speak and tell a story about a young Japanese boy, or a Hispanic family? Can an African-American writer write about Hispanic or Chinese people and claim it is ethnic literature? And the answer to myself is no. Why? Because unless that African-American has been submersed in the Hispanic or Japanese culture from the time of childhood, how are they going to capture the very essence of being, thinking, and living day-to-day in that culture? And even if that African-American had, they would still most likely have a different perspective from the average Hispanic or Chinese person because of being different themselves (i. e black) and perhaps are treated different by the community at large which corrupts the â€Å"normal† cultural thinking. At this deeper level I am trying to get at, I find John M. Reilly’s article â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story† helpful in acquiring this. He states that, â€Å"the assertion of ethnicity in literature can be made only through a procedure by which the writer resolves formal problems what moves from recognition of identity to creation of a strategy for handling reality still is not literature until the individual author sustains her or his ethnic identity through a sequence of formal choices† (4). I am interpreting this to mean that as a reader of this literature, I should see and feel throughout the story (perhaps subtlety) that in some way, the characters mindset (and perhaps actions) in the story differ from my own specifically because of the culture they have grown up in in, which has shaped that character’s thinking. There are thoughts and feelings – ideas, I don’t understand without further explanation from the author, which is sometimes provided, and sometimes not. An example of this is in Brando Skyhorse’s novel The Madonnas of Echo Park, I find myself wondering what the significance of the jacaranda trees mentioned in different parts of the book. Looking up what they are, it becomes apparent to me as jacaranda trees are native to Central America – roots back to their homeland. The blossoms from the trees fall and are scattered everywhere. Felicia in chapter 2 states that â€Å"there’s no way getting away from them† (25). Basically meaning, you cannot escape who you are and where you come from. I would not have understood this had I not explored the history of that tree to uncover the significance in the book. Another example is in Seventeen Syllables in the story â€Å"Seventeen Syllables†. The story about a Japanese family is easy to read, but is hard to connect with as I don’t share the same philosophies about a woman’s place in the Japanese culture. A specific instance in the story was when Mrs. Hayashi, Rosie’s mother received her the first place prize for her stellar Haiku. When the man from the newspaper presented her with a package, Mrs. Hayashi, stating she knew it was unorthodox, asked if she might open it because she was very curious. (Yamamoto 17). At this point, I am thinking to myself, â€Å"I don’t get it – why wouldn’t she open it? † but upon reflection, I considered the patriarchal society that is dominant in this culture, and perhaps it is the wife’s obligation to consult or have the husband open the gift, even if it is not specifically for him. Yet another example is in Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. To come specifically to the point, I do not understand this idea of why it is understood that Dominican men are supposed to be these â€Å"manly men† that women flock to and fall on their knees for. That the sexual appetite along with innate sense of charisma from Dominican men is expected, and when it’s lacking, it doesn’t go unnoticed. â€Å"Anywhere else his triple-zero batting average with the ladies might have passed without comment, but this is a Dominican kid we’re talking about, in a Dominican family: dude was supposed to have Atomic Level G, was supposed to be pulling in the bitches with both hands† (24). Why is this idea so indoctrinated in this culture according to the book? This is perhaps something I will never understand, except that it is a part of their culture. All of these examples are all good and well, but the important question is why is ethnic literature important? What can be gained from reading it? From a most basic viewpoint, it is a highly effective vehicle for helping people understand themselves and the world around them. Thompson and Hager in their article state that, â€Å"multi-ethnic literature mirrors and validates the experiences for minority groups and juxtaposes the familiar with the less familiar for mainstream children† (22). In other words, through reading ethnic literature, readers can find ways to connect with others around them that are different. The article also states that when readers are exposed to divergent thoughts, language patterns, value systems, and different ways of living, that it can open up awareness about others and create compassion and understanding towards them that might not have happened without the literary exposure (23). To sum it all up, I will never argue against the instruction of ethnic literature in the school setting. In fact, I think teaching it should begin right from the beginning in kindergarten, and perhaps one day we won’t need the designated term â€Å"ethnic literature† – perhaps one day it can just be â€Å"American Literature† and part of the regular American canon of literature. Works Cited Diaz, Junot. The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. New York: Penguin, 2007. Print. Reilly, John. M. â€Å"Criticism of Ethnic Literature: Seeing the Whole Story†. Critical Approaches to Ethnic Literature. 5. 1 (1978): 2-13. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Skyhorse, Brando. The Madonnas of Echo Park. New York: Free Press, 2010. Print. Thompson, Deborah L. and Jane Meeks Hager. â€Å"Assessing Teachers’ Knowledge of Multi-Ethnic Literature†. Yearbook of the American Reading Forum. 1990. 21-29. Web. 21 Apr. 2012. Yamamoto, Hisaye. Seventeen Syllables. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2001. Print.

The Mid-Autumn Festival: History and Features

The Mid-Autumn Festival: History and Features Introduction The Mid-Autumn Festival also known as the Mooncake Festival or the Festival of Lanterns is one of the most important traditional Chinese festivals, celebrated by many Asian countries, like China, Taiwan, Japan, Vietnam, Korea, Malaysia, and Singapore. This report is divided into three main sections. It will first look at the history and legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival. It will then focus on the celebration in Taiwan. Then there will be a conclusion in the last part. The information of this report is come from website such as online library, university journal, and online news. In this report I will use the information which is from online library, and university journal to explain the background as these information is more trustable. The information from online news is used to explain the celebration in Taiwan because it reflects what we do and the meaning for us nowadays. History and legends of the Mid-Autumn Festival The everyday life of ancient Chinese is closely related to nature. In thousands of natural substances, the moon was one of the most difficult things and amazing phenomena for Chinese to comprehend. (Siu, 1999) Ancient Chinese believes that the life of plants was provided by the moon since they found out that plants grew at night. (Siu, 1999) In addition people could not explain why the shape of the moon always varied therefore ancient Chinese associated the phenomena to the lives of people and animals. (Siu, 1999) The Mid-Autumn Festival is on the 15th of the 8th lunar month and the moon is at its brightest, roundest and it is the nearest to the earth on this date. In fact autumn is also the best time for harvesting and gathering all the family members together to celebrate the harvest and enjoy the view of the moon. (Tan, 2004) The festival probably started off as a post-autumn harvest celebration more than 2,000 years ago. The celebrations were devoted to giving thanks to the gods. It was during the reign of Emperor Tai Tsung of the Song Dynasty that the 15th day of the 8th moon was set as the Mid-Autumn Festival and praying to the moon became popular. Legends associated with the full moon were later attached to this festival.  (Tan, 2004) There are two legends associated with the Mid-Autumn Festival. One of them is Hou Yi and Chang-E and the other one is the rabbit on the moon. (Tan, 2004) The legend of Hou Yi and Chang-E is talking about that the earth was saved from scorching by an archer, Hou Yi who shot nine suns that originally circled the earth. (Tan, 2004) After Hou Yi saved the world he was rewarded the elixir of life so that he got the endless lifetime with the elixir, however he became so tyrannical that his wife, Chang-E stole the elixir and drank it to end Hou Yis life for the sufferers who were ruled by Hou Yi. (Tan, 2004) Chang-E found that she was on the moon after she drank the elixir and was escalated to status of Moon Goddess as she save the sufferers from Hou Yi. (Tan, 2004) This legend is believed to have been started during the Tang Dynasty (618 907 AD) although some believe it may have started earlier, tracing it to the rule of Emperor Yuan (2346 BC). (Tan, 2004) The other legend is about a rabb it and Buddha who had pretended himself as a hungry old man and asked three animals; a fox, a monkey, and a rabbit, getting some food for him. (Tan, 2004) Instead of bringing a fish or fruits, the rabbit jumped into the fire and offered itself as meat to Buddha. (Tan, 2004) The rabbit was resurrected and sent to the moon to be venerated by Buddha with appreciation. (Tan, 2004) Nowadays Chang-E and lord rabbit are traditional icons of the Mid-Autumn Festival as we can see a lot of advertisement of moon cake with these two icons which remind us these two legends. The Mid-Autumn Festival celebration in Taiwan In Taiwan, there are three biggest celebrations; the Chinese New Year, the Dragon Boat Festival, and the Mid-Autumn Festival which is also called Zhong Qiu Jie in Mandarin. (Yeo, 2012) The Mid-Autumn Festival was brought to Taiwan by the immigrants from China. (Wang, 2014) Many Western concepts that include barbecue were imported into Taiwan during the period of the Japanese colonization of Taiwan by the Japanese government. (Wang, 2014) After 1945 a lot of people moved into the city for jobs from the countryside. On the Mid-Autumn Festival barbecue becomes to be the best way for these migrants to make the new relationship between the migrants closer because barbecue is an activity that needs everyones cooperation from lighting a fire, preparing the meat, and barbecuing. (Wang, 2014) Even nowadays on the Mid-Autumn Festival, most Taiwanese will barbecue with their friends since it is easier to meet up with friends on this Taiwan-declared public holiday instead of at weekdays. (Yeo, 2 012) Besides mooncakes is also very important on the Mid-Autumn Festival. This traditional dessert is usually packed as gift boxes which contain not only mooncakes but also other pastries such asluo buo si bing (radish pastry) and gui yuan dan gao (longan cake) to up the warmth of the festival. (Yeo, 2012) Conclusion As one of the most important traditional festival in Chinese, the Mid-Autumn Festival is full of historical and cultural meaning. In addition it gives people a chance to meet up with friends and families to enjoy the beautiful view of the brightest moon and delicious barbecue and mooncakes in this busy society. The round image of the moon and its cultural meaning of reunion make us cherish the time of gathering. Even though not everyone can get together with their friends and families especially for those people who are working or studying in foreign countries, the Mid-Autumn Festival still reminds these people to send their friends and families a massage to show how they miss each other. Reference list Siu, K.W.M. (1999). Lanterns of the Mid-Autumn Festival: A Reflection of Hong Kong Cultural Change (pp. 67).Retrieved from Wiley Online Library. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1999.3302_67.x/abstract Tan, B. (2004). Mooncake Festival (Zhong Qiu Jie). Retrieved from National Library Board Singapore. http://eresources.nlb.gov.sg/infopedia/articles/SIP_804_2005-01-13.html Yeo, J. (2012, September 20). Traditional BBQ for Mid-Autumn Festival ? Yahoo Lifestyle. Retrieved from https://sg.style.yahoo.com/news/traditional-bbq-mid-autumn-festival-132534304.html Wang, C. (2014). The Barbecue in Moon Festival: Discussing the Social Change of Moon Festival Activities (pp.93-110). Retrieved from Chung Hsing Journal Humanities Edition. http://ir.lib.nchu.edu.tw/bitstream/11455/88022/1/85470-3.pdf

Where Are You Going? :: Literary Analysis, Joyce Carol Oates

Joyce Carol Oates’s â€Å"Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?† tells the tale of a fifteen year old girl named Connie living in the early 1960’s who is stalked and ultimately abducted by a man who calls himself Arnold Friend. The short story is based on a true event, but has been analyzed by many literary scholars and allegedly possesses numerous underlying themes. Two of the most popular interpretations of the story are that the entire scenario is only dreamt by Connie (Rubin, 58) and that the abductor is really the devil in disguise (Easterly, 537). But the truth is that sometimes people really can just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Connie, a victim of terrifying circumstance will be forever changed by her interactions with Friend. Oates drew the character of Connie very well - she possesses many of the qualities that teenaged children share. According to developmental psychologists, adolescents become highly critical of siblings, and peer relationships take precedence over familial ties during these years (Feldman, 455). These traits are apparent in Connie’s unflattering description of her older sister June, â€Å"†¦she was so plain and chunky†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (209) and the fact that Connie spends many nights out with friends, but refuses to attend an afternoon picnic with her family (211). In addition, a teenager’s feelings of self worth are dependent upon the approval of others. Connie displays this as she practices â€Å"†¦checking other people’s faces to make sure her own was all right† (208). And of course there is also the explosion of hormones and corresponding sexual urges and fantasies. Oates makes all of these characteristics clear in her descriptions of Connie’s actions, thoughts and feelings. Rubin attempts to convey the idea that Connie falls asleep in the sun and has a daydream in which her â€Å"†¦intense desire for total sexual experience runs headlong into her innate fear†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (58); and aspects of the story do seem dream like - for instance the way in which the boys in Connie’s daydreams â€Å"†¦dissolved into a single face†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (210), but the supposition that the entire episode is a dream does not ring true. There are many instances in which Connie perceives the frightening truth quite clearly; she is able to identify the many separate elements of Friend’s persona - â€Å"†¦ that slippery friendly smile of his†¦ [and] the singsong way he talked†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (214). But because of the lack of attachment with her own family, and her limited experience in relating deeply to others, â€Å"†¦all of these things did not come together† (214) and Connie is unable to recognize the real danger that Arnold Frie nd poses until it is too late.

The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay: The Soul of Dorian -- The Picture of

The Picture of Dorian Gray "The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought and sold. It can be poisoned or made perfect. There's a soul in each one of us. I know it." This is a statement made by Dorian Gray to his best friend, Lord Henry, a few hours after he realizes that his behavior of the last eighteen years has been absolutely terrible. First I shall explain the way Dorian Gray lost his ability to be good and how he found it again eighteen years later. After Sybil Vane's death, the young lad was first seized by terrible remorse. After abandoning her in the theatre with most cruel words, he reconsidered his action during the night and was ready to forgive her and marry her, as he had promised. So the news of her suicide was of course quite an unpleasant shock to him. Unfortunately Lord Henry was there to influence him with his corrupt and selfish personality. He taught... ...the soul exists. The soul is a "terrible reality", because it is stronger than any physical phenomenon of belief or disbelief. Whatever you do, it always remains in the depth of your heart and you will always depend on it, as you depend on your reality. If you poison it by neglect or ignorance, you try to sell it for what seems a cheap and easy price, but you cannot sell and separate from a reality that you are a part of; the unavoidable price of "buying" it back is very, very, high. The Picture of Dorian Gray Essay: The Soul of Dorian -- The Picture of The Picture of Dorian Gray "The soul is a terrible reality. It can be bought and sold. It can be poisoned or made perfect. There's a soul in each one of us. I know it." This is a statement made by Dorian Gray to his best friend, Lord Henry, a few hours after he realizes that his behavior of the last eighteen years has been absolutely terrible. First I shall explain the way Dorian Gray lost his ability to be good and how he found it again eighteen years later. After Sybil Vane's death, the young lad was first seized by terrible remorse. After abandoning her in the theatre with most cruel words, he reconsidered his action during the night and was ready to forgive her and marry her, as he had promised. So the news of her suicide was of course quite an unpleasant shock to him. Unfortunately Lord Henry was there to influence him with his corrupt and selfish personality. He taught... ...the soul exists. The soul is a "terrible reality", because it is stronger than any physical phenomenon of belief or disbelief. Whatever you do, it always remains in the depth of your heart and you will always depend on it, as you depend on your reality. If you poison it by neglect or ignorance, you try to sell it for what seems a cheap and easy price, but you cannot sell and separate from a reality that you are a part of; the unavoidable price of "buying" it back is very, very, high.

Science and Relgion Essay example -- Essays Papers

Science and Relgion Science and religion have not always peacefully coexisted. There have been many issues where scientific discovery and religious belief have clashed. Religion is based on ancient belief passed down through generations. As humans discovered more and more about themselves, they found that many of the things that religion told could not true. This caused an incredible crisis between the pious religious and the scientific world, especially in the Western world where Christianity dominated society, and where these scientific discoveries were being made. It was difficult for people at first to believe in God and at the same time except these new scientific findings that negated many things that religion had told them. Astonomer Kepler During the scientific revolution many religious issues were taken up. One was the issue of the earth being the center of the Universe, which the Christian doctrine held up as the truth. Through the work of astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, much was learned about our universe. One thing that was learned was that the earth revolved around the Sun, along with all the other planets of our solar system. Also it was learned that the sun is only one star among hundreds of billions of other stars of different shapes and sizes. This discovery baffled the church. How could we be only a tiny part of something greater? It was believed that God created the Universe to accommodate humankind and that everything in that Universe revolved around this. It now became apparent that this is not true. During the seventeenth century the Catholic Church was quick to reject these findings. Galileo didn’t understand the conflict, and pointed out that scripture is very old and is meant to ... ... science, and who feel that the bible should be taken literally. On the same hand there are many people in the science community who read the bible literally and announce there could be no God since the facts of the bible are so far removed from what scientific discovery has told us. There will probably never be day when science and religion completely agree, and there are no conflicts between the two sides. It is natural for men to question discovery, and when something tells you that thing you have believed in are wrong, it is natural to reject these things. Still, there have been considerable advancements in the understanding between religion and science. Links to web pages concerning science and religion: Http://salon.cma.univie.ac.at/~neum/sciandr.html http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~carling/main_sci.html http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~newman/sci-faith.html Science and Relgion Essay example -- Essays Papers Science and Relgion Science and religion have not always peacefully coexisted. There have been many issues where scientific discovery and religious belief have clashed. Religion is based on ancient belief passed down through generations. As humans discovered more and more about themselves, they found that many of the things that religion told could not true. This caused an incredible crisis between the pious religious and the scientific world, especially in the Western world where Christianity dominated society, and where these scientific discoveries were being made. It was difficult for people at first to believe in God and at the same time except these new scientific findings that negated many things that religion had told them. Astonomer Kepler During the scientific revolution many religious issues were taken up. One was the issue of the earth being the center of the Universe, which the Christian doctrine held up as the truth. Through the work of astronomers like Copernicus, Kepler and Galileo, much was learned about our universe. One thing that was learned was that the earth revolved around the Sun, along with all the other planets of our solar system. Also it was learned that the sun is only one star among hundreds of billions of other stars of different shapes and sizes. This discovery baffled the church. How could we be only a tiny part of something greater? It was believed that God created the Universe to accommodate humankind and that everything in that Universe revolved around this. It now became apparent that this is not true. During the seventeenth century the Catholic Church was quick to reject these findings. Galileo didn’t understand the conflict, and pointed out that scripture is very old and is meant to ... ... science, and who feel that the bible should be taken literally. On the same hand there are many people in the science community who read the bible literally and announce there could be no God since the facts of the bible are so far removed from what scientific discovery has told us. There will probably never be day when science and religion completely agree, and there are no conflicts between the two sides. It is natural for men to question discovery, and when something tells you that thing you have believed in are wrong, it is natural to reject these things. Still, there have been considerable advancements in the understanding between religion and science. Links to web pages concerning science and religion: Http://salon.cma.univie.ac.at/~neum/sciandr.html http://homepages.tcp.co.uk/~carling/main_sci.html http://www.cco.caltech.edu/~newman/sci-faith.html

First Aid

INTRODUCTION First aid is the immediate assistance or treatment given to someone injured or suddenly taken ill before the arrival of an ambulance, doctor, or other appropriate qualified persons. It is a skill, based on knowledge, training and experience. First aid training is important as it is relevant at home, work place or industries and any other place. The term â€Å"FIRST AIDER† is usually applied to someone who has completed a theoretical and practical instruction course, and passed a professionally supervised examination. The standard first aid certificate awarded by St John Ambulance, St Andrews Ambulance Association and the British Red Cross is proof of all round competence. First aid must be administered as soon as possible. In case of critical injury, a few minutes can make the difference between complete recovery and loss of life. First aid requires rapid assessment of victims to determine whether life threatening conditions exists. First aid measures depend on the victims need and the provider’s level of knowledge and skill. Knowing what not to do in an emergency is as important as knowing what to do. DEFINITION OF TERMS FIRST AIDER: someone who has completed a theoretical and practical instruction course, and passed a professionally supervised examination. EMERGENCY: A serious, unexpected and potentially dangerous situation requiring immediate action or an unexpected event that must be dealt with urgently. CASUALTY: somebody who has a fatal accident, or receives a serious injury or suddenly falls ill. ACCIDENT: An unpleasant incident that happens unexpectedly. INCIDENT: An event, the occurrence of dangerous or exciting event. AMBULANCE: A vehicle for taking sick or injured people to and from hospital. HOSPITAL: An institution providing medical treatment and nursing care for sick or injured people. IMMOBILIZE: Prevent from moving or operating as normal. SIGN: What you see on the casualty. SYMPTOMS: What the casualty feels and tells you. FIRST AID DEFINITION: – immediate assistance or treatment given to an injured person or someone who suddenly falls ill before the arrival of an ambulance, doctor, or other appropriate qualified persons. It is also the first care given to a casualty or someone who suddenly falls ill before the arrival of a doctor or before taking the person to the hospital. AIMS AND OBJECTIVE OF FIRST AID †¢To save life. †¢To promote quick recovery. †¢To prevent the situation from getting worse †¢To save time. †¢To save cost. PRINCIPLES OF FIRST AID The golden rule is ‘’ first do no harm’’ while applying the principle of calculated risk. You should use treatment that is most likely to be beneficial to a casualty but do not use a doubtful treatment just for the sake of doing something. Assess the situation ?Observe what has happened quickly and calmly. ?Look for dangers to yourself and to the casualty. ?Never put yourself at risk. Make area safe. Protect the casualty from danger. ?Be aware of your limitations. Assess all casualties and give emergency aid ?Assess each casualty to determine treatment priorities, and treat those with life-threatening conditions first. Get help ?Quickly ensure that any necessary specialist has been summoned and is on the way QUALITIES OF A GOOD FIRST AIDER †¢Be resourc eful at all times. †¢Be sympathetic and empathetic to your casualty. †¢Be smart and confident. †¢Be observant. †¢Be bold. †¢Be gentle SCOPE OF FIRST AID This is the systematic way of administering first aid;- DIAGNOSIS:- †¢History Signs †¢Symptoms CARE:- This should be given in order of priority i. e. breathing, bleeding, burns and broken bones Transportation- Arrange to convey the casualty without delay to his home, suitable shelter, hospital and or summon a doctor in any serious case. EMERGENCY RESPONSE This is another procedure taken to ensure that appropriate first aid and safety is observed while assisting a casualty. When to use it depends on the situation you find yourself. D – Danger. R – Response (A. V. P. U. i. e. Alert, voice, pain, unresponsive). A – Airway. B –Breathing (L. L. F i. e. ook, listen and feel). C -circulation THE RESUSCITATION SEQUENCE To assess and treat a casualty who has collapse use the resu scitation techniques, obtained on the following pages. If breathing and pulse return at any points place the casualty in a recovery position. The resuscitation sequence Check response ? Open airway and check breathing ? Breathe for the casualty ? Assess for circulation ? commence CPR. CHECKING RESPONSE On discovering a casualty, you should first establish whether the casualty is conscious or unconscious. Ask a simple question such as ‘’hello can you hear me’’. ’What has happened to you’’. or give a command such as’’ open your eyes’’. Speak loudly and clearly, close to the casualty’s ear. OPEN THE AIRWAY An unconscious casualty’s airway may become narrowed or blocked. This makes breathing difficult and noisy or completely impossible. The main reason for this is that muscular control in the throat is lost, which allows the tongue to fall back and block the airway. Lifting the chin and tilting the head back lifts the tongue away from the entrance to the air passage, allowing the casualty to breathe. To open the airway – Place two fingers under the point of the casualty’s chin lift the jaw. At the same time, place your other hand on the casualty’s forehead and gently tilt the head well back. CHECKING BREATHING ?Kneel besides the casualty and put your face close to his mouth. ?Look, listen and feel for breathing. ?Look along the chest to see if the chest rises and falls, indicating breathing. ?Listen for sounds of breathing. ?Feel for breath on your cheek. ?Do these checks for up to ten seconds before deciding that breathing is absent. BREATHE FOR THE CASUALTY )Look into the mouth and remove any obvious obstruction including broken or displaced dentures from the mouth. Leave well fitted dentures in place. 2)Open the airway by tilting the head and using two fingers to lift the chin. 3)Close the casualty’s nose by pinching it with your index finger and thumbs. Take a full breathe and place your lips around his mouth, making a good seal. 4)Blow into your casualty’s mouth until you see the chest rise. Take about two seconds for full inflation. 5)Remove your lips and allow the chest to fall fully, which takes about four seconds. Repeat this once and then assess for signs of circulation. If pulse is absent and there are no sign of recovery such as any movement, swallowing, coughing or breathing, begin cardio pulmonary resuscitation. If breathing returns, place the casualty in the recovery position. ASSESSING FOR CIRCULATION Check the pulse for up to ten seconds, during which, look for other signs of recovery such as movement, breathing, swallowing and coughing. If you cannot find the pulse or there are no other signs of circulation, Begin chest compressions immediately. CARDIOPULMONARY RESUSCITATION (CPR) If there is no pulse, this means that the heart has stopped beating and you will have to provide an artificial circulation by means of chest compression. To be of any use, this process must always be combined with artificial ventilation. This procedure is known as Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation or CPR for short. If both you and your helper have been trained to administer C. P. R, you can do so together. GIVING CHEST COMPRESSIONS ?Kneel beside the casualty locate one of his lowermost ribs with the index and middle finger. Slide your finger along the ribs to the point where lowermost ribs meet at the breast bone. Place the heel of your other hand on the breast bone and slide it down until it reaches your index finger. This is the point at which you should apply pressure. ?Place the heel of your first hand on top of the other hand and inter lock your fingers. ?Leaning well over the casualty with your arms straight, press vertically down and depress the breast bone approximately 4-5cm, r elease the pressure without removing your hands. Compress the chest 30 times aiming for a rate of about 100 compressions per minute. Then give two artificial ventilations. Continue this cycle of alternating 30 chest compressions with two breaths of artificial ventilation until help arrives. CPR FOR A CHILD AND A BABY The same resuscitation sequence is applicable for a child but alternate five chest compressions with one breath of artificial ventilation. For one minute before calling an ambulance. Position your hand as you would for an adult but use heel of one hand only. For a baby under one year, place the tip of finger on the lower breast bone. Do this five times at a rate of 100 per minute Give one full breath of artificial ventilation, by breathing into the baby’s mouth and nose.

Diversity in Sports Essay

Diversity in sports simply means equal opportunities for every athlete irregardless of gender, color, race, or origin. This is what the true spirit of competition should be all about. Sports should not only involve the white race, Americans, or men but also other races and sex(Jackson 2007). Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. , in his report to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, said that in recent years, diversity in sports has become very evident. In the world of American football, the Indianapolis Colts, coached by an African-American, won a Super Bowl. In baseball, the Chicago White Sox, a multi-racial team managed by Ozzie Guillen, a Latino, and Ken Williams, an African-American, won the World Series in 2005. A year later, the New York Mets, who is managed by a Latino manager and an African-American general manager, almost duplicated the White Sox’ feat, losing only in Game 7 of the National League Championship. This goes to show that moves to diversify sports are moving forward(Jackson 2007). The National Basketball Association (NBA) has led the way in terms of sports diversity by opening its doors to other races. Long ago, the NBA was dominated by Americans or Canadians. Recently, however, one can see the teams drafting players from Europe and recently Asia. The Major League Baseball (MLB) and National Football League (NFL) are likewise starting to provide opportunities for other races which is why spectators would get to see the likes of Alfonso Soriano and Sammy Sossa hitting homeruns here and there(Jackson 2007). Diversity in Sports 4 The NBA: Taking the Lead In Diversity Leading the way as far as diversity in professional sports is the National Basketball Association (NBA). For more than twenty years, the NBA has become the leader in promoting equal opportunities to all races. Here are some NBA diversity facts and figures as reported by The Institute for Diversity in Ethics and Sports(Spears, 2007): 15% of team vice presidents in the NBA are held by colored people, which is the highest in all of professional sports. 79% of NBA players have colors. In 2007, the number of African-American players increased to 75% which is higher than the 73% recorded in 2006. Employment opportunities for colored people at the League offices were at 34 percent, which is 2% higher than the previous year. 39% of professional positions in the League Office are occupied by women. 12 teams in the NBA are handled by African-American coaches. The NBA’s total of 40% still tops all of professional sports. With 53 African-American head coaches, the NBA has more than doubled the number of colored head coaches in any other professional sports. Next in line is the MLB with 25 colored managers. 41% of assistant coaches in the NBA are colored which is the highest so far in the history of the league. Diversity in Sports 5 There are four African-American CEO/Presidents in the league and two other presidents of basketball operations. To date, they are the only people who have held such position in all of professional sports. In 2006, there were eight African-American general managers in the NBA, which tops other professional sports league. By the end of 2006-07, the NBA had 64 percent white referees, 32 percent African-American, 3 percent Latin Americans, and a single black referee in Violet Palmer. Diversity in College Sports While professional sports is heading towards diversity, such is not the case in college sports. According to a report by the University of Central Florida, diversity has not been progressing in collegiate leagues. Here are the facts(Belew, 2006): In Division I schools, only 25. 2% of head coaches are African-American which is higher by 2% than the previous year. In Division IA, out of a total of 119 football head coaches, only six are African-American and zero percent are women. In college basketball, only 4. 1% of head coaches come from the minority group with 2. 6% being Latin Americans. The enforcement of Title IX did not help the cause of women in college sports as not a single one of them is represented. Diversity in Sports 6 In sports involving women, most Division I, II, and III coaching jobs are occupied by 89. 6%, 90. 9%, and 92. 9%, respectively. In the men’s division, the breakdown was 90. 6%, 89. 5%, and 93. 4%, respectively, served as head coaches. Diversity in the Olympics The Olympic Games is one of the many sporting competitions that practices diversity in sports. Once every four years, athletes from various nations converge in one venue in order to have a shot at sports excellence(Guttmann, nd). There are two varieties of this international sporting event namely Winter and Summer Olympics. Contemporary Olympics started in Athens, Greece in 1896, a couple of years after Pierre de Coubertin proposed the holding of an Olympic Games to push for peace in the world. The inaugural Games only had about 300 athletes from less than 15 countries taking part in 43 events in nine disciplines. When the Olympics returned to Athens in 2004, the number of participants had ballooned to 10,000 athletes representing 202 nations vying in 28 various sports(Guttmann, nd). Women In The Olympics During the inaugural Olympics, there were no female athletes who took part in the Games. Four years later, however, golf and tennis allowed the participation of women. In 1912, swimming and diving became available for women athletes as well. Sixteen years later during the 1928 Games, gymnastics and track and field had female athletes likewise. Since then, the number of women competing in the Olympics have considerably increased. At present, fifty percent of all teams are comprised by women, with the exception of the Muslim countries, where female participation is minimal(Guttmann, nd). Diversity in Sports 7 The Paralympics Games In the true spirit of diversity in sports, disabled people can have an opportunity to experience competitive spirit and sports excellence with their own version of the Olympic Games. Introduced in 1960, in conjunction with the Olympic Games in Rome, the Paralympics, as it is called, highlights male and female athletes representing six various disability groups. The emphasis of the Paralympics Games is not on the disability but on individual achievements. Since then, the growth of the event has become steady. From the initial 400 athletes that took part in 1960, a total of 3806 athletes representing 136 nations took part during the 2004 Athens Paralympics Games. Beijing, China will be the cite of the next Paralympics Games(International Paralympics Committee, nd). Conclusion When it comes to sports, not a single nation can dominate all the events. While host nations of the Olympics choose the events where they have the advantage, chances are other nations will beat them in other fronts. This is what diversity in sports is all about. Fairness and equality in the light of competition. References Belew, B(2006 December 17). Diversity in College Sports – Coaching. The Biz of Knowledge. Retrieved July 14 2008 from http://www. thebizofknowledge. com/2006/12/diversity_in_college_sports_co_1. html Guttman, A(nd). Olympic Games. Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 14 2008 from http://www. encarta. msn. com

Psychology Behind Sex, Porn And Intimacy Essay

If I may ask, does your boyfriend or husband love to watch porn? Does his behavior affect your sex life in whichever way? Several studies have indicated that quite a good number of men watch pornographic videos for one reason or the other (Bowring, 2005). Several women who attend psychotherapy sessions have been complaining about their partners watching porn, which has led to a change in their habits and demands. Most of the women reported that their partners have lowered libido and others have lost interest in sex and intimacy. However, the reports have not been one-sided, as some couples still manage to enjoy marriage even though the husband loves to watch pornographic videos. On their side, men who watch porn have a reason for doing so as they say watching porn is harmless but rather resourceful. In his, book â€Å"Watching Sex: How do men really respond to pornography,† David shares that some of the reasons men watch porn movies include curiosity, play of fantasy, pleasure of surrender, among others. There are a few problems associated with watching porn videos, issues which threaten to derail or tear apart the noble institution of marriage. Men who are avid lovers of porn have been reported to be less intimate during sex. When they are supposed to caress their partners or do foreplay prior to making love, they fail to do so. The resultant effect is non-gratifying sexual intercourse. Their mindset is that the woman is needs little stimulation to get aroused, a common feature with most porn movies. The second problem that men suffer from is fixation. According to Mark Bnschick, M.D in The Intelligent Divorce project, when men watch porn for so long, they form an idealized image of a perfect woman with a curvy body shape, looking sexy, stunning and random . When having sex, they derive gratification not directly from the act of doing it with their partner but by creating a mental picture of an ideal woman in terms of body shape, beauty, etc. These kind of people may even start to r esort to self-pleasuring because they never find the act of sex to be fully gratifying. When such things start to happen, the women in subject will start to feel betrayed, having self-esteem issues as well as self-questioning such as wondering whether they never satisfy their partners’ or spouses’ sexual needs (Bowring, 2005). To make the matters even worse, claims are that regular watching of porn have made men more less like rapists who are clumsy in bed, without any sense of  intimacy or attachment (Gallop, 2011). This kind of behavior is propagated by porn movies since the porn stars behave in a clumsy and commanding way. They take a dominating role during the whole process of sex or love making. The more the men watch these videos, they more they idolize the male porn stars, slowly incorporating that personality into themselves and finally into their love making moments. In his book, â€Å"The Centrefold Syndrome,† David points out that porn changes how men think. Porn stars are attractive, sexy, good looking and some have curvy body shapes. The more men watch these videos, the more they develop an urge to have a quick and thrilling sexual encounter with virtually every woman who fits the billing of a porn star. On the other hand, Journal of Applied Social Psychology observes that people, who watched porn regularly reported less sexual satisfaction, coupled with a view that their partners lack good physical appearance and have poor sexual performance. Furthermore, another study published in the â€Å"Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy,† indicates that men who watched porn videos find other people less attractive. The real image is masked by an idealized image. In his blog Good in Bed, Dr. Kemer says, â€Å"More and more women are complaining about guys who can no longer reach orgasm during sex, or seem distracted during sex†¦.† Apart from the effects of watching porn outlined above, let us now look at other factors such as oxytoxin, endorphins, hugging, cuddling and kissing along with how porn affect these vital elements needed for a satisfying relationship. Oxytoxin, commonly branded â€Å"the love hormone† plays a key role in bonding. This hormone promotes a feeli ng of warmth and attachment between two people (Banschick, 2014). On the other endorphins promotes a feel-good sensation. During sex, women secret more oxytoxin as compared to their male counterparts. This explains why women yearn for attachment and closeness after sex such as holding each other tightly, cuddling passionately, or even talking in low tones. For a woman, foreplay and arousal are as important as is sex, and are the prerequisites for intimate and orgasmic sex. Women find it so gratifying and pleasurable when a man caresses her without gently, look deeply into her eyes, whisper romantic words into her ears, play with her hair, caress he face and gently touching her ears. When these are done, they lead to the production of more endorphins and oxytoxins for bonding and a feel-good sensation. Nevertheless, take a moment and think about this, do porn actors even take  time to caress, hug and cuddle? Does oxytoxin get enough time to be secreted in abundance for bonding? The answer is NO! This is exactly where the problem starts with men ad dicted to watching porn videos. They rarely take their time to arouse their partners. They take a very short time before engaging in sexual intercourse even before their partner is ready. This leads to inability to reach a climax as well as a cause for unsatisfying sex life (Streufert, 1987). The second aspect is kissing. Kissing and intimacy are like the head and tail of a coin; irreplaceable. You cannot kiss if you are not intimate, and a good sign of intimacy is deep kissing. These two aspects are what make couples or partners to have an intimate sex and relationship. If I may ask, have you known why sex workers refrain from kissing their clients? Due to its tender, close and developing nature, kissing can turn out to be too intimate to the extent that the sex workers can find themselves falling in love (Alexander, 2011). This is why they avoid kissing at all costs, or if they do, it is only light kissing and not deep kissing. According to Sheila Gregoire, a psychotherapist, the more a man watches porn, the more the mode of gratification changes to solely stimulation, gradually excluding kissing and cuddling. I now bet you can clearly see why sex and intimacy may never be the real deal for your relationship. Men you should be careful! References Alexander, L. (2011). Putas of the Caribbean Prostitutes of the Caribbean.. Phillipsburg: AuthorHouse. Bowring, L. (2005). Searching for intimacy: pornography, the internet and the XXX factor. Milton Keynes: Authentic Media. Gallop, C. (2011). Make Love Not Porn: Technology’s Hardcore Impact on Human Behavior. New York: TED Books. Ley, D. J. (2009). Insatiable wives: women who stray and the men who love them. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield. (2013). Pornography. Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy, 37(6), 12-17. Sex, Porn, and the Challenge of Intimacy. (n.d.). Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-intelligent-divorce/201403/sex-porn-and-the-challenge-intimacy Streufert, S. (1987). Applied Social Psychology. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 17(7), 605-608. Why Husbands Lose