The Negative Impact of Drugs on Sports Entertainment Essay Example for Free

The Negative Impact of Drugs on Sports Entertainment Essay The non-medical use of performance enhancing drugs among adolescents and young adults is of growing concern.   As many as half a million Americans under age 18 may be abusing anabolic/androgenic steroids to improve their athletic performance, appearance and self-image.   A growing body of evidence suggests that medically unsupervised drug use may pose severe risks to physical and psychological health (Kashkin and Kleber, 1989).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Shockwaves went through the sports world when Canadian track superstar Ben Johnson was denied his gold medal at the 1988 Olympics after tests showed that he had taken anabolic steroids.    The incident called international attention to the use of anabolic steroids and in general, performance enhancing drugs among world-class athletes to gain competitive advantage.   Still, athletes and non-athletes alike persist in taking them.   And, in fact, it is known that athletes participating in the original Roman Olympic Games consumed them too (UNRV, 2003)!   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are reports of male adults in physically demanding professions like law enforcement also using performance enhancing drugs to appear tougher as well as more formidable (Lombardo 1990).   What is more, as these drugs grow in popularity, so does awareness of the serious side effects of their use.   One of the most alarming side effects is the threat of AIDS; HIV — human immunodeficiency virus — can be transmitted if shared needles are used to inject the drug.   Potential harm to physical and psychological health is only one aspect of this troubling trend, though (Lombardo, 1990).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The non-medical use of performance enhancing drugs such as steroids, raises ethical and moral issues.   Engaging in steroids use is illegal and users are likely to find themselves acquiring these drugs through illicit and expensive channels. The heavy demand for anabolic steroids has given rise to black market, with sales estimated at as much as $400 million a year; moreover, supplies, which are often illegally manufactured and do not meet established standards, may be unhygienic (Miller, 1987).   Second, athletes who use these drugs are cheating because they gain an unfair advantage over opponents and violate the ban on steroids imposed by most major sports organizations.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Performance enhancing drugs may be addictive.   Users of steroids demonstrate an unwillingness to give them up even in the face of possibly dire consequences to their health.   As the health risks of anabolic steroids become more apparent, efforts to curtail their use — through education, legislation, and medical practices — are intensifying.   For those already hooked, kicking the steroids habit is the best chance to escape devastating side effects; for potential users, the solution, of course, is to never take the drug at all.   There are other ways to be a winner athletically and socially without harming health, and without cheating (Miller).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The use of performance enhancing drugs is spoiling the sports entertainment business today.   It is only fair for all athletes to give up drugs, or for all of them to take the same drugs with the same dosage at the same time.   If only a few athletes consume the drugs, it would be cheating on their part.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Still, it is best for all athletes to give up drug use altogether, seeing that there are harmful side effects, both psychological and physiological, related to the use of these drugs.   Given that many athletes are using performance enhancing drugs today, while the rest are not consuming them, these drugs most definitely have a negative effect on sports entertainment. References Kashkin, K. B., and Kleber, H. D. Hooked on Hormones? An Anabolic Steroid Addiction Hypothesis. Journal of the American Medical Association, December 1989. Lombardo, J. A. Anabolic/Androgenic Steroids. NIDA Research Monograph 102, 1990. Miller, R. W. Athletes and Steroids: Playing a Deadly Game, II.† FDA Consumer, November 1987. UNRV: Roman History. Archaeological News. â€Å"Drugs, Cheating Were Part Of Original Olympics Too,† 2003. Available at http://www.unrv.com/newsletter/newsletter-edition1.php. (5 February 2007).

Powerful Symbols and Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays

The Powerful Symbol of the Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's scarlet token liberates her more than it punishes her.   First of all, Hester's soul is freed by her admission of her crime; by enduring her earthly punishment, Hester is assured of a place in the heavens.   Also, though her appearance is much hampered by the scarlet letter, her mind is freed by it, that an intellectual passion rises from her isolation and suffering.   Finally, it defines her identity, for the letter makes Hester the woman that she is; it gives her roots, character, and a uniqueness to her being that sets her apart from the other Puritans.   The scarlet letter is indeed a blessing to Hester Prynne, more than the curse she believes it to be.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scarlet symbol of ignominy may have defiled Hester's public image, yet it has been a benefit rather than a bane to her soul, for by admitting her crime to the crowd, her soul is freed from two hells:   first, the fiery pit where she would otherwise go after death, and second, the own personal hell Hester will create for herself if she had chosen to hide her sin in her heart. Though it was ordered for Hester to wear the letter, it was still her own choice to make it in a vivid scarlet, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom."   Hester chose red as the color of her brand of shame, to declare to the rest of the townspeople that she is prepared to acknowledge her sin, instead of denying it; she could have chosen to wear her "A" in a plain and nondistinct color, to escape the townspeople's disdain.   By displaying her guilt however, she is granted the opportunity to face her punishment bravely, thus through her public humiliation, she achieves freedom from the personal guilt of not suffering enough for her crimes.   Furthermore, "the scarlet letter, forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester's breast, as if it had been red-hot." The scarlet A's glowing embers, scorching they may be, also serve to heal, for the pain they inflict on Hester enables her to properly atone for her sin; by devoting this lifetime to repentance and expiation, she would receive relief in Powerful Symbols and Symbolism of The Scarlet Letter :: Scarlet Letter essays The Powerful Symbol of the Scarlet Letter      Ã‚  Ã‚   In Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne's scarlet token liberates her more than it punishes her.   First of all, Hester's soul is freed by her admission of her crime; by enduring her earthly punishment, Hester is assured of a place in the heavens.   Also, though her appearance is much hampered by the scarlet letter, her mind is freed by it, that an intellectual passion rises from her isolation and suffering.   Finally, it defines her identity, for the letter makes Hester the woman that she is; it gives her roots, character, and a uniqueness to her being that sets her apart from the other Puritans.   The scarlet letter is indeed a blessing to Hester Prynne, more than the curse she believes it to be.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The scarlet symbol of ignominy may have defiled Hester's public image, yet it has been a benefit rather than a bane to her soul, for by admitting her crime to the crowd, her soul is freed from two hells:   first, the fiery pit where she would otherwise go after death, and second, the own personal hell Hester will create for herself if she had chosen to hide her sin in her heart. Though it was ordered for Hester to wear the letter, it was still her own choice to make it in a vivid scarlet, "so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom."   Hester chose red as the color of her brand of shame, to declare to the rest of the townspeople that she is prepared to acknowledge her sin, instead of denying it; she could have chosen to wear her "A" in a plain and nondistinct color, to escape the townspeople's disdain.   By displaying her guilt however, she is granted the opportunity to face her punishment bravely, thus through her public humiliation, she achieves freedom from the personal guilt of not suffering enough for her crimes.   Furthermore, "the scarlet letter, forthwith seemed to scorch into Hester's breast, as if it had been red-hot." The scarlet A's glowing embers, scorching they may be, also serve to heal, for the pain they inflict on Hester enables her to properly atone for her sin; by devoting this lifetime to repentance and expiation, she would receive relief in

Jurassic Park Essay

Technology is one of our most beloved pieces of ongoing history, but does it cause more harm than it does help? In the film Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg portrays the theme technology as an evil force to be reckoned with. Spielberg shows this through the plot, characters, and dialogue. Technology is a major theme because other than the hidden context that viewers have to seek it is everywhere in the film. A viewer thinks of technology as a helping hand, shortcut, or an advance of human nature, but in the film it is portrayed as something that should not be used to try and control nature. Also the complete opposite of what you would normally think, it will not work in your favor. The plot of Jurassic Park shows many ways of people being too reliant on technology. One way it shows this is in the very beginning of the movie they are transporting a dinosaur into the park and the cage had a green light on meaning that it was turned on and ready to transport the dinosaur, despite the green light being on a man was killed when he should have been completely safe (Jurassic Park). This sets the tone for the rest of the movie that you should never rely too much on technology because nothing is perfect. Another way the film Jurassic Park shows the theme overreliance on technology is when Nerdy, the computer nerd, turns off all the parks systems the electric fences shut off and they became completely vulnerable (Jurassic Park). On top of everything they could not even call for help because the phones were also down. Again, this just shows them being too reliant on technology. All this is caused because of Hammond, he is the creator of Jurassic Park and he is the one who counts on technology the most. The characters in the film showed the theme by their character arcs. Hammond, for example, started a park to show off the wonders of real dinosaurs from a safe distance of course. He counted on technology to run everything and keep people safe. When everything started going bad, everyone said they should just shut it down and not go on with this project. Hammond continued to fight for it, but in the end he gave up on it just like everyone else already had. Grant on the other hand hated technology from the start and did not want anything to do with it. Grant was the antithesis of technology, in the beginning of the film he was excavating and he hits a computer and it stops working this was foreshadowing that technology can break down at any moment. These characters symbolize the theme by what they go through in the film, as well as what they say. Steven Spielberg portrayed the theme by the dialogue in his film, Jurassic Park. Dr. Ian Malcolm said â€Å"God help us, we’re in the hands of engineers. † (Jurassic Park), this shows that Malcolm does not trust in technology all he wants it get the fame and money. In the film Jurassic Park Hammond said â€Å"We spared no expense. † (Jurassic Park), this was in the middle of the film meaning everyone else had already lost hope for the park and just wanted to get out but Hammond still believed in the park and also believed that it could keep going. Hammond also said â€Å"Dennis, our lives are in your hands and you have butter-fingers. (Jurassic Park), was a way of foreshadowing events that later came in the film, those events were, Dennis Nedry, the one running the behind the scenes of Jurassic Park, would turn all the systems off, put a encrypted password on, and slip away from the headquarters only to be killed and eaten by raptor, leaving the rest of the crew and family helpless. Steven Spielberg made you seek the theme â€Å"overreliance of technology† through the dialogue, not making it as obvious as other key events in the film. As evidenced by Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, film makers can use various filmmaking strategies to influence the theme of a film. Steven Spielberg used characterization, dialogue, specific scenes, and the plot to portray the theme â€Å"overreliance of technology†. Spielberg showed if one relies on technology so much it can get to a point where if something were to happen to technology you would wander around aimlessly not having the slightest clue on what to do. Steven Spielberg used this though various techniques, including, the plot, characters, and dialogue. Audiences should think twice about being dependent on a device that at any moment could become dysfunctional, they would have no idea what to do if that were to happen.

What if German was the Official US Language

You might have heard the rumor that German almost became the official language of the  United  States of America. The legend usually goes something like this: â€Å"In 1776, German came within one vote of becoming Americas official language instead of English.† It is a story that Germans, German teachers, and many other people like to tell. But how much of it is actually true? At first glance, it may sound plausible. After all, Germans have played an important role in US history. Think of the Hessian soldiers, von Steuben, Molly Pitcher and all that. It is estimated that about 17% of US-Americans have German ancestors.A closer look reveals several serious problems with this official-language story. First of all, the United States has never had an â€Å"official language†Ã¢â‚¬â€English, German or any other—and doesnt have one nowadays. Nor was there any such vote in 1776. Congressional debate and a vote concerning German probably did take place in 1795, but dealt with translating US laws into German, and the proposal to publish laws in languages other than English was rejected a few months later. It is likely that the myth of German as the official language of the US first arose in the 1930s, but it dates back to the countrys earliest history and another similar story. Most scholars suspect that the US legend originated as a German-American Bund propaganda move aimed at giving German added weight via the spurious claim that it had very nearly become Americas official language. By mixing wishful thinking with certain historical events in Pennsylvania, the Nazi-influenced Bund produced the national vote story. On reflection, it is ridiculous to think that German might have become the official language of the US. At no time in its early (!) history was the percentage of Germans in the United States ever higher than about ten percent, with most of that concentrated in one state: Pennsylvania. Even in that state, at no time did the number of German-speaking inhabitants ever exceed one-third of the population. Any claim that German might have become the main language of Pennsylvania in the 1790s, when over 66 percent of the population spoke English, is simply absurd. Clearly, this is just another sad example of the power of propaganda. Although the outcome is rather insignificant--does it really matter whether a few people believe that this might have actually been true?--it draws a misleading portrait of the Germans and their influence in this world.   But lets leave the idiotic Nazi  world aside: What would it have meant, if the German language was chosen as the official language of the US? What does it mean that India, Australia, and the USA officially speak English?