Wishing Upon a Miracle

Discovering a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease has been a wish made for the past century and those who wish are still awaiting a miracle. Researcher’s have spent countless hours dating back to 1906 conducting research in hope of discovering what Alzheimer’s really is. Like any other disease or illness, researchers are set out to discover a cure; unfortunately for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease, a cure has yet to come. Extensive research can be costly, but a world without Alzheimer’s Disease would pay great dividends to society. A vast majority of patients in assisting living facilities and nursing homes suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Stated by MacGill, “Nearly 15 million Americans provide unpaid care to a person living with Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia (Alzheimer’s Association 2011 Facts & Figures).” Dr. Alois Alzheimer, a German psychiatrist and neuropathologist is credited with identifying the first published case of “presenile dementia” in 1907, a condition that is now called Alzheimer’s disease. Far too often, the family of a loved one are told by a doctor that their loved one is unfortunately diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease is a condition that causes unusual changes in the cerebrum, the main part of the brain, which chiefly influences memory and other mental capacities which is not a typical piece of aging. Typically, memory loss is the first side effect that surfaces. In the late stages of Alzheimer’s, the assistance needed is usually provided by close family members and/or medical professionals. As the disease advances, the loss of thinking capacity, dialect, basic leadership capacity, judgment and other basic aptitudes make everyday living incomprehensible without assistance from others. Beside the patient, the connections in the family are incredibly influenced by the infection. In the family, everyone is affected by Alzheimer’s differently. Grandchildren tend to be traumatized when their loving grandparent can longer identify who any one is. As Alzheimer’s progresses, the grandchild is torn as he/she watches as his/her grandparent’s brain becomes succumbed by Alzheimer’s.

Alzheimer’s Disease is most widely known for as a family illness. The chronic stress of watching a loved one slowly decline affects everyone. An effective treatment will address the needs of the entire family, leading to an all round healthy environment. Any individual who provides care and support for the individual diagnosed with Alzheimer’s are put through an immense amount of stress. As a result, each individual providing care must also focus on their own health. Advice from “Breakthrough Drug for Patients” assists by adding, “Emotional and practical support, counseling, resource information and educational programs about Alzheimer’s disease all help a caregiver provide the best possible care for a loved one.” Though families do their absolute best in caring, the stress causes tension between the entire family which in turn is even more stressful to the patient than the disease itself. By creating a cure for Alzheimer’s Disease, families can live in peace knowing that they will never need to experience such a tragic event.

Works Cited

“Breakthrough Drug for Patients.” The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2016.

“Definition of Alzheimer’s Disease.” Alzheimer’s Foundation of America – Definition of Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzhiemer’s Foundation of America, n.d. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.

MacGill, Markus. “Alzheimer’s Disease.” Medical News Today. MediLexicon International, 29 Apr. 2016. Web. 23 Nov. 2016.

My Worthy Opponent is Wrong

People have debated what the root of the problem is behind gun related crimes, wither the gun control laws have been too strict or have they been too loose. In doing some research, I discovered some articles that stated how gun control laws have not been the problem, rather the factors around gun control laws are why gun related crimes still occur. Some of these factors would include the location of the states, as well as the guns that are involved in the crimes that are being committed. Furthermore, there are articles were people make the claim that how the idea that gun control is the problem is considerably appalling because the cause is other factors than gun control itself.

People have proposed that over the years gun homicide has decreased. This comparison was the back bone for Mark J Perry’s article, “Chart of the day: More guns, less gun violence between 1993 and 2013” Perry provides the audience with a graph comparing guns per person and gun homicide rate. As the graph goes from the 90s to the 2000s the guns per person increases while the homicide rate has depleted. Perry uses another graph using the number of total firearms and gun homicide rates to inform the audience that this is not a mere coincidence that there is a correlation between possessing more guns and gun homicide. The reasoning behind this correlation is because states have recognized licenses and permits for firearms. Due to states acknowledging people’s licenses for firearms, it has allowed people to feel more secure and comfortable with possessing a firearm. They are able to feel more secure because now that more and more states are recognizing licenses from other states. Now people won’t have to worry about being charged with possession of firearms or being wrongfully convicted with any gun related charges.

Additional factors that Perry mentions in his article, “Chart of the day: More guns, less gun violence between 1993 and 2013” are that more police officers on the beat better making greater use of computers, a decline in alcohol consumption, less lead exposure and an improving an economy. In terms of the effects of police officers improving and using computers more wisely, it has been revealed that police officers have a good amount of technology targeted to  track down crimes and find the criminal. Certain pieces of technology are specifically made for gun related crimes such has whenever a gun shot is fired the police are notified as soon as the shot goes of. The technology they notifies the police because the device is set to a certain frequency to only hear gun shots and once they pick up a gun shot in the area it pin points that area and relays this information back to the police station.

Another technology that helps aid police officers is their mobile digital communicator because it has allowed officers to keep in contact with not only each other but the station as well. This is very useful because it allows officers to call for back up or if an incident should arise the station could contact a nearby officer and inform to get to the crime scene sooner. This would decrease gun homicides because of this technology it reduces the amount of time for homicides to occur because the sooner the police officers can get to the scene and control the situation and prevent anyone from dying the less time there is for a gun homicide to occur. A decline in alcohol impacts the gun homicides as well because if people are intoxicated a variety of things could happen when they are in possession of a firearm such as an accidental shooting or altercations. People tend to much more clumsy and careless when drinking and if someone were to obtain a firearm it is much more possible an accidental shooting would arise then if they were sober because of the clumsy and carelessness people tend to show. Less lead exposure has effected the gun homicide because when looking back at the ammunition the police officers used it was said they tended to use more bullets containing lead. Lead poisoning has killed numerous people and when police officers used bullets with lead in them, even if someone were to survive the bullet shot the wound with lead within it would result in their death. By switching to non lead ammunition there is less lead exposure and as a result less deaths when people are shot by police.

Some consider issuing more guns to the community would increase the gun rate, however similarly to Perry’s article, Jeffery Goldberg supports supplying more guns. In Jeffery Goldberg’s article, “The Case For More Guns (and More Gun Control)” he claims that concealed carry permit holders commit crimes at a lower rate than the general population. Furthermore, Goldberg reveals that in today’s society the number of concealed carry permits is at its highest while the homicide rate is at the lowest it’s ever been in four decades. The reason behind why carrying a firearm impacts the homicide rate is because the chain reaction law abiding citizens hold with carry firearms. The chain reaction is because people can deter criminals by making it riskier for people to commit crimes, and one way to make it riskier is to create the impression among the criminal population that the law abiding citizen they want to target may have a gun. The deeper meaning to the chain reaction is that in order to prevent criminals from being criminals is to make it riskier for them to commit these crimes. By granting citizens to carry firearms, who intend to use them for the right reasons such as stopping a criminal then that would make the criminal reconsider if they want to commit the crime when the citizens who are at the scene of the crime are armed as well. Another reasoning for issuing more guns, at for self defense purposes. In particular situations such as robberies and shootings were guns are commonly used, if the victims were able to carry firearms they would be able to protect themselves. The victims would not be stuck between trying to hide behind a counter or doing whatever the criminal says in order to stay a live. By arming themselves, the victims would be able to defend themselves against the criminals.

Works Cited

Perry, Mark J. “Chart of the Day: More Guns, Less Gun Violence between 1993 and 2013.” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 4 Dec. 2015. Web. 10 Dec. 2016. More Guns Less Gun Violence between 1993 and 2013.

Goldberg, Jeffery. “The Case for More Guns (and More Gun Control).” The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Dec. 2016. More Guns More Gun Control.

 

Slut Shaming through the Internet

Using the internet, unfortunately, comes with certain levels of harassment, and women tend to experience a specific type of harassment. Slut-shaming, targets women specifically, it typically insults their physical appearance, sexuality, and sexual conduct. Through the ease of user-friendly websites, sex-centric-insults can be hurled at whim by the “trolls” that get pleasure from tearing down a women’s self-esteem. It’s argued that due to the over-abundance of slut shaming occurring through social media, women would be scared to be free and sexual. However, women are now more than ever overcoming slut shaming and taking control of their bodies. In fact through the connectivity of social media and the internet women have come together to overcome and destroy slut shaming, and liberate themselves sexually.

Women do not get to experience the same sexual freedoms that men do. That is the entire pretext for slut-shaming, as Leora Tanenbaum of the Huffington Post puts it, “Slut-shaming is sexist because only girls and women are called to task for their sexuality, whether real or imagined; boys and men are congratulated for the exact same behavior. This is the essence of the sexual double standard: Boys will be boys, and girls will be sluts.” Slut shaming occurs though Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and even Snapchat. Using lewd names, posting inappropriate pictures, and making inferences based on the grounds of a woman’s sexual nature are all examples of slut-shaming. With all of these activities running rampant on the internet, women face a lot of scrutiny and a cute Instagram post with friends on the beach turns into a witch hunt over sexual misconduct.

The argument here is not that slut shaming has been eradicated through social media, in fact it is quite the opposite. The congregation of women (and men) tired of seeing post after post filled with condemning ideals has caused people to actively use social media to put a stop to slut shaming. These groups of individuals have been able to use the connectivity that comes with the internet to be able to constitute a clear and united voice with many goals. To spread acceptance, encourage people to become comfortable with themselves, and stop slut shaming, among other things. The website, Stopslut.org, is aimed at not only stopping slut shaming but also rape culture as a whole “Using a revolutionary play, a book and storytelling-based activism workshops, StopSlut aims to transform rape culture into a culture of CARE– communication, accountability, respect and empathy”. Through this website that is only aimed against slut shimg, women can connect and bond and therefore combat issues they face in their lives.

While the internet can come together and tear up a famous woman for her “slutty outfit” at an awards show, it can also see comments that disapprove of the hate speech. Slut shaming is not a new concept, shunning women for being sexual has been commonplace for centuries. Lewis Mark Webb sums it up best when he says (in reference to comparing slut shaming historically to modern day)  “the Roman Republic with recent cases on the Internet, and I maintain that the focus of this slut-shaming, namely sexual virtue, has remained the same over time, but that the unregulated nature of the Internet has increased its scope and impact.” The magnitude seen through the internet is rather unique; people are not afraid to say inappropriate things online because there are no consequences for it.  That is, until now. People are getting tired of hearing misogynistic and dated thoughts one after the other and the convenience of anonymity has also given them the ability to type right back. The internet has started to change from a place where slut shaming can bloom, into a battlefield where intellectual logic is used to combat the backwards rhetoric that has overstayed its welcome.

Works Cited

 

Menza, Kaitlin. “Teen Girls Take a Stand Against Slut Shaming: What It Is, and Why You Should Care – StopSlut.” StopSlut Teen Girls Take a Stand Against Slut Shaming What It Is and Why You Should Care Comments. N.p., 02 June 2015. Web.

 Tanenbaum, Leora. “The Truth About Slut-Shaming.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 15 Apr. 2015. Web.           

Webb, Lewis Mark. “Shame Transfigured: Slut-shaming from Rome to Cyberspace | Webb | First Monday.” Shame Transfigured: Slut-shaming from Rome to Cyberspace | Webb | First Monday. N.p., 6 Apr. 2015. Web.

Race vs. Gender: Is There A Difference?

Self-identification of race encounters more opposition than self-identification of gender in America. We easily accepted Bruce Jenner identifying as a woman in 2015, but shunned Rachel Dolezal, a Caucasian-born woman, for identifying as African-American in that same year. Half of the Millennial generation acknowledge the idea that “gender is a spectrum” instead of just male or female; cities and public establishments have created no-gender ID cards and bathrooms to accommodate for all genders. So what makes choosing our race so different when they are ultimately very similar in regards to how gender and race develop and the advantages gained from claiming to be one or the other?

One example of a benefit to being a certain race would be earning college scholarships by identifying as African-American. Many see this as unfair to real African-Americans who are eligible to the scholarships – no scholarship means no education. Natasha Scott, daughter of an African-American father and an Asian mother, applied solely as an African American rather than African-American and Asian to increase her chances of being accepted into the University of Virginia. By claiming to be solely Black, more educational and most likely monetary opportunities were open to her. Gender similarly has it’s advantages despite the benefit not being monetary. A man who is transgender is able to enter an otherwise prohibited area – the women’s bathroom. Transgender and intersex individuals can also gain an advantage in activities like the Olympics. In Layden’s article, “Is It Fair for Caster Semenya to Compete against Women at the Rio Olympics?” he mentions how intersex competitors may dominate in women competitions because of how testosterone aids in certain muscular development.

Furthermore, race and gender in general are similar by how they develop in humans.  Children don’t begin classifying people into different races until around 10 years old. If the  children grew up in a politically liberal area, they believed in classifying people into racial categories as oppose to children who grew up in politically conservative areas who believed that categorizing races was wrong. The development of racial identity in children stems from the environment and the members of society surrounding them. An example would be Lacey Shwartz, mentioned in the article “Family Secret and Cultural Identity Revealed In ‘Little White Lie,'” who grew up with white Jewish parents in a white community. Despite her African American features, she identified herself as white because of the community and people she lived with. Similarly, in the documentary Somewhere Between, four Chinese-American girls were adopted by Caucasian parents and grew up thinking of themselves as white. They compared themselves to a banana that was yellow on the outside and white on the inside.

As mentioned, gender identity development is similar to the development of children’s racial identity because they both develop from their environment. Girls who grow up surrounded by princesses, dresses, dolls, and other female stereotypes are likely to identify themselves as female once they are old enough. If boys were surrounded by similar princesses, dresses, dolls, and such, they would also be likely to identify themselves as female if they weren’t told they were biologically males. Parents are encouraged to help their daughters or sons to develop a healthy gender identity by exposing their child to both genders’ activities, clothes, jobs, and to alternate gender roles such as male nurses or female firefighters. Gender identity in children develops through exposer to gender roles and activities in their community like racial identity.

However, self identifying race and self identifying gender have a major difference. When self identifying as a specific gender, people usually look like the gender they are identifying as. If a male identifies himself as female, he uses she, her, hers to describe himself and alters his appearance to appear female. In this case, the person matches his physical appearance. On the other hand, claiming one’s race isn’t as easy. Although a person can claim to be a race, their appearance may not match the claim. An example of this would be in Garcia-Navarro’s article “For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race” where 27-year-old Afro Brazilian Lucas Siquiera  was denied a Brazilian diplomatic position because the public and the government’s “race commission” considered him Caucasian based on his appearance. The main point in the article was that his claim did not match his appearance. Society isn’t confused when gender is claimed because the claim matches the looks, but race doesn’t always match the appearance of the person. The confusion with self identification of race makes it less accepted by society because the public can’t tell  if applicants  are the race they say they are if they don’t match the physical characteristics common to the race they identify as. In Natasha Scott’s situation, she claims to be purely African American in her college application and looks African American too. However, Massachusetts Democratic Senate Elizabeth Warren claims to be part Cherokee Indian and looks white. She, despite proof of her relations,  isn’t considered Native American by society because her appearance doesn’t match her Cherokee claim.

Works Cited

Garcia-Navarro, Lulu. “For Affirmative Action, Brazil Sets Up Controversial Boards To Determine Race.” NPR. NPR, 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Gender Identity Development in Children.” HealthyChildren.org. American Academy of Pediatrics, 21 Nov. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Layden, Tim. “Is It Fair for Caster Semenya to Compete against Women at the Rio Olympics?” SI.com. Sports Illustrated, 11 Aug. 2016. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

Markman, Art. “Categories, Essentialism, Race, and Culture.” Psychology Today. N.p., 27 Oct. 2009. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?” NPR. 16 May 2012. Web. 31 October 2016.

Norris, Michele. “Family Secret And Cultural Identity Revealed In ‘Little White Lie’” NPR. NPR, 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 11 Dec. 2016.

“On College Forms a Question of Race, or Races, Can Perplex.” The New York Times. 13 June 2011. Web. 31 October 2016.

Difficult But Not Impossible

The concept of teaching about religion rather than teaching religion really is great in theory. However, there are a few leaks in the boat that need to be sealed before it can set sail. For this plan to work, the school district will need to ensure that each and every teacher has been properly trained to teach this rigidly strict curriculum in an entirely unbiased and neutral manner. This means reaching a certain standard in the and passing and some kind of evaluation in relation to the mandatory 30-hours of training required to be certified to teach the world religions course. Furthermore, we have to prepare for the possibility that teachers would disregard their training and take advantage of their position of influence in the classroom to sway students’ opinions in one direction or another.

This is particularly sensitive because the most widely accepted religions curriculum in practice in the United States is designed to be taught in the 9th grade. Children are frequently compared to sponges because they are constantly and consistently absorbing every piece of information their senses perceive. Especially at this stage in a child’s life when they are beginning to form their own beliefs and opinions, it’s crucial that they be armed with the proper information and understanding to make informed decisions on what ideals and convictions will guide their lifestyles. This is why finding teachers and supervisors who are dedicated to being objective in this matter is crucial to the success of these programs.

The John C. Danforth Center on Religion and Politics at Washington University in St. Louis runs a blog titled “Religion & Politics.” In January of 2014, Annie Laurie Gaylor wrote this in her article “The Dangers of Religious Instruction in Public Schools”:

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is continually contacted by students and parents who encounter teachers and principals who view their captive audience of students as a ripe mission field for recruitment. We handle more than 2,000 complaints a year by members of the public concerned about violations of the separation between church and state, and the vast majority of these concern violations in our public schools.

Finding teachers dedicated to teaching students in an ethical manor is becoming increasingly important as well as difficult because too many teachers fail to see or recognize the dire importance of this situation. I’m in no way saying that every teacher is determined to brainwash their students into believing a certain way. However, it’s exceptionally difficult to pick out the bad from the good. Furthermore, the observation and evaluation processes required to determine which teachers are fit for their position and time consuming and disruptive to the general learning environment. However in a situation such as this, I full believe these extensive measures to be more than worth it. I don’t believe any valid argument has been made against the need to educate students on religion in order to make them more aware of the current climate we’re living in. That being said, we simply need to work towards making it happen in a way that will satisfy both sides of the conversation.

There are plenty of educators all over the world who believe in this cause the way the rest of us do and I believe they would adapt to the situation in whatever way needed in order to accomplish our common goal: to properly educate the up and coming generations of students on matters of religion and culture that other generations were not privy to. The school district of Modesto, California is living proof that this can work. Modesto’s unparalleled success should be recognized and their methods be used as the starting point for school districts across America. Specifically, their experiment highlights the importance of well-trained teachers, a good understanding of the law, finding compromise and working towards a common goal. Progress cannot be made with two forces pulling in opposite directions, we’ll simply remain in the same place but end up more frustrated. Our mission will be difficult but not impossible.

Citations

1Kilman, Carrie. “One Nation, Many Gods.” Teaching Tolerance. N.p., 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2016.

2You are being redirected… (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://archive.adl.org/religion_ps_2004/religion.html

3Fischer, M. W. (n.d.). Teaching Religion in Public Schools: Removing the Angst. Retrieved November 11, 2016, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/profdev027.shtml

4Pros and Cons of Prayer in School. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://www.allabouthistory.org/pros-and-cons-of-prayer-in-school-faq.htm

A lot of time and money is invested to creating the safest sporting equipment possible. The pads are made to work when they fit properly. Athletes should be taught how to choose the correctly sized equipment. If they are using pads too big or too small, the pads will be covering the wrong areas which can result in serious injury. When worn the correct way, the pads will absorb majority of the physical blow and leave you unharmed. Players wearing the wrong sized equipment should be banned and regulated closer. 

The rate of career ending injuries is on the rise so finally the heads of different leagues are putting stricter penalties for vicious hits that are known to cause harm to an individual. For example in hockey, the leading cause of concussions is due to a hit from behind into the boards.

The USA Hockey Rulebook clearly states that a major penalty plus a game misconduct penalty, or match penalty, must be called in the following instances:

(1)    In every instance where a player forcefully checks an opponent who is standing along the boards (back toward the middle of the ice).

(2)    In every instance where a player is thrust head first into the boards or goal frame.

(3)    In every instance where injury results from a check from behind, regardless of whether or not board contact is made.

A match penalty must be assessed in all instances when a player clearly checks an opponent from behind with excessive force while the opponent is in a vulnerable position.

Checking from behind is senseless and extremely dangerous. On-Ice Officials must be sensitive to all checks from behind that occur within the “danger zone,” which is the area approximately ten feet out from the boards. Players who are checked from behind in this area and who then crash into the boards may be at high risk of receiving a serious and possibly life altering injury.

Similar rules have been put into place in football as well. The helmet to helmet, often referred to as targeting, hits are often life altering so the NFL had to do something about this epidemic. A large fine is given to the guilty player as well as a game misconduct. This is just one of many rule changes the NFL has passed in 2016. A few other new rules posted on NFL.com are:

• Make all chop blocks illegal.
• Expand the horse collar rule
• A player who is penalized twice in one game for certain types of unsportsmanlike conduct fouls will be disqualified.
• Eliminate the five-yard penalty for when an eligible receiver illegally touches a forward pass after being out of bounds and re-establishing himself inbounds. The owners voted to make it a loss of down.

These rules are all imposed to help lower the injury rate to these athletes and make the sport all around safer without losing the interest from the audience.

The Washington Post elaborates on the crisis claiming that, more than 40 percent of retired National Football League players had signs of traumatic brain injury based on sensitive MRI scans called diffusion tensor imaging, according to a press release from the AAN. The researchers studied 165 deceased people who had played the sport in high school, college or professionally, and found evidence of CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) in 131 of them.

 

 

works cited

“2016 Rules Changes and Points of Emphasis.” 2016 Rules Changes and Points of Emphasis | NFL Football Operations. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

Casebook.” USA Hockey Officiating Rulebook Mobile Site. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2016. 

“forty Percent of Former NFL Players Suffer from Brain Injuries, New Study Shows.” The Washington Post. WP Company, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

No Helmets In Football!

In football their are a lot of people who have gotten head injuries because of poor tackling. I came across a few articles and came up with an idea of having no helmets in football and just have the players learn how to tackle differently. After hearing that last sentence people may think that I was crazy and begin to think of different ways to lessen the amount of concussions in the NFL and by also keep helmets on. Having players get rid of their helmet in a sport that is mainly about physical contact on every play is outrageous. Having changed the way players tackle is the biggest factor. For example, if a player tries to tackle someone the same way as the NFL, without a helmet it wouldn’t be effective.

People would argue that if football helmets aren’t actually working the industries that make helmets should just add more padding. If helmet industries try that technique the brain isn’t the only things that they have to worry about, but also the football players neck because it will cause players to hold a bigger helmet that can put more pressure on their neck. However, having padding doesn’t help the brain from banging against the wall of players’ skull. It would just protect from skull fractures, but if we get rid of the helmets than players would be more cautious of their head on (both sides of the ball). Even now with how much padding they have now it’s very hard for a player to tackle a player without hitting his head on any part of the other players’ body at least once in one game and adding no padding can cause the helmet to become bigger and harder for the player to avoid tackling without hitting the helmet of the other player.

Another option, tackling differently but still have to helmets on. That could do the trick but the best way to make a rugby tackle is to have the helmets off because the way rugby players tackle is by leaning in with their shoulder and their will be arms the first to make contact to the other players’ body. If someone adds the same football helmets as American football and includes that same kind of rugby tackling it wouldn’t work as effectively because the football helmet is in the way of the football player that trying to make a tackle on the opposing player. For instance, If a player leans his head to the side and wraps his arms around the other player he will almost have the tackle right but the only thing that is in the way is having the helmet on which can cause the defensive player to hit his head against the offensive players’ body.

People may think that playing without helmets will cause more concussions. However, during my research I have found that their is a football league that allows players to play without helmets but the players tackle differently from how football players tackles. Players will have to learn how to tackle differently than how they were taught when they were younger because for the new tackling method to work and cause less concussions players will have to play without helmets. In the video on A7FL website Ryan DePaul talked how football players hit their helmet on every play even when they’re not tackling someone, it could just be from a simple block that causes players’ to hit their head on one another. Also, I read that players hit another players’ padding more than 1,000 times a season and adding a football players average amount of years they play pro football it will show that by the time they retire their brain is severely damage.

Doctors have come up with technology that shows the brain activity within the brain. Some people may think about the technology that doctors have today that study about the brains activity during football games. Even with this study it doesn’t prevent players from receiving a concussion, rather, it just shows the doctors the measure of the impact, where the brain made contact with the skull and how hard it hit the skull. The University of New Hampshire studied this technology. In Jenny Vrentas’ article, “Helmetless Football? It’s the New Practice at New Hampshire” she states “At first the University of New Hampshire football players were skeptical when they started practicing without helmets, but this technique is not only making them more cautious about their heads, it is also helping them improve their game.” After having this research done their are a great number of teams that are having some practice drill without helmets. It makes the players rethink the ways they use to tackle another player to the ground.

Some people may think that if the NFL gets rid of helmets it would be like watching Rugby and their is no point in watching American football anymore. It may be like watching Rugby, but there will be similarities and differences just like others sport. For example, A7FL and the National Football League. They have the same concept of scoring a touchdown, however, they are different because A7FL players don’t have helmets and the NFL does as a result, A7FL tackles differently from the NFL. The NFL may look like Rugby but their will also be differences, such as, The NFL will still have pads and the same number of players on the field as usually but the only thing that will change is that the NFL will be tackling the same as Rugby. Rugby will still have the same rules as they do now. The football players would be less likely to receive a concussion if they tackle the correct way like Rugby players do. All sports are similar in some way because they all have an objective of scoring points for their team and some rules are the same in all sports. The differences could be that their is no physical contact or lots of physical contact.

Work Cited:

A7FL. “Safety – A7FL.” A7FL. A7FL, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2016

Vrentas, Jenny. “Helmetless Football? It’s the New Practice at New Hampshire.” The MMQB. Muscles and Medicine, 4 Dec. 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2016.

Media’s role in a National Epidemic

The American love for sports is a love like no other. Children idolize athletes and aim to become a professional someday. Many children become completely absorbed into the world of professional sports, wearing the same clothing as professionals, acting like these professionals not only on the field but also off the field, and consuming the same foods and beverages that these athletes are thought to consume. What many children and families do not realize is that athletes are paid large amounts of money to be a spokesperson for big companies such as Gatorade and Nike, even if they don’t particularly like the brand. One industry that thrives from this idolization is the industry of sports drinks, like Gatorade and PowerAde, which was projected to reach 2 billion dollars in 2016. Americans cannot get enough of these products and are led to believe they are good for them because these athletes use them. In an article written by Andrea Cespedes that was published on the Livestrong Foundation website she states “Americans certainly seem convinced these hydration drinks offer plenty of benefits.” While Americans are not wrong, these drinks do have some beneficial factors. Unfortunately they are full of negative factors and the positive factors are only beneficial to a small percentage of people.

Cespedes defines sports drinks to be “artificially flavored water containing added electrolytes.” Americans are aware that electrolytes are essential when it comes to working out. Electrolytes are minerals that you lose when sweating and help with proper muscle function and they need to be replaced after exercise, which is why it is essential to consume when working out and exercising. When Americans found out what electrolytes were and why they are needed, they then assumed that the only answer on how to recover from sweeting and working out is the consumption of sports drinks. By this definition, sports drinks are ultimately considered mineral enhanced and flavored water not posing any health threats. Cespedes also talks about how sports drinks are a great source of carbohydrates that can be quickly absorbed and turned into fuel, ready immediately after exercise lasting around 90 minutes. She also states in her piece that the Journal of International Society of Sports Nutrition showed “in 2014 that these drinks enhanced the body’s ability to break down carbs during exercise and can enhance exercise.” Cespedes also discusses how these drinks can work as pre-workout energy boost if you haven’t eaten prior to a workout and how they are essential after a workout to prepare for the next workout scheduled. All of these statements lead Americans to think that anyone that exercises should consume these beverages as they are good for them, however this is untrue as most Americans do not exercise to the extent and intensity needed to consume these drinks. In result of Americans reading an article like this, the assumption that as long as you exercise for an hour to an hour and a half consuming sports drinks are good for you. What comes as a result of that thought process is children constantly consuming sports drinks as most of their sports last at least an hour and these children push to consume these beverages as their favorite athletes do as well. What Americans are not made aware of is the amount of negative impacts these drinks can have if consumption is made by people who are not exercising to the extremes needed to lose all those electrolytes and carbs.

The biggest problem of these ‘oh so famous’ sports drinks is that they fall in the same category as sugary drinks, such as fruit punch and red bull, and the consumption of sugar drinks is a key factor in the nationwide epidemic of childhood obesity.  For many the idea that these sports drinks that are supposed to be good for you, are actually full of sugar and are bad for you seems to be confusing and conflicting. The way media and companies such as Gatorade use celebrities to promote the product and talk positively sells Americans on the decision to purchase and consume sports drinks. Unfortunately Americans forgot that these drinks are actually packed with sugar. When looking at the back of a 20 ounce bottle of Gatorade, it contains 35 grams of sugar, and 150 calories. According to the US Dietary Guidelines for Americans “the suggested amount of discretional calorie intake for children, which includes sugars and fats, should be about 5-15% and the consumption of sugar should be between 12 and 25 grams per day and based on their age. ” While these are the ideal suggestions for ultimate health, Americans actually consume about 82 grams of sugar a day as well as 16% of their caloric intake which comes strictly from sugar. That bottle of Gatorade is almost double what the amount of sugar intake should include and while these drinks are recommended to be consumed during exercise, a child who plays soccer for an hour twice a week is not working hard enough to lose all those electrolytes and carbs making that excess sugar from the sports drinks turn into fat.

While these sports drinks are promoted in a way that makes them seems healthy and good for you especially after exercise that is not actually the case. These large companies use professional athletes to promote these products, as they actually are exercising to the extent that is needed to have to replenish the missing electrolytes, when in reality most everyday Americans do not exercise to that extend especially children. Big corporations like Gatorade use media to its advantage to promote these products to make money, even though the information given is often only for a particular person. For parents who get their information about these drinks from other sources such as the article on the Livestrong site, the authors use vague terms and phrases, such as Cespedes did, when talking about electrolyte replacement stating “They must be replaced if you sweat a lot or are exercising at a relatively intense level for more than an hour.” The lack of clarity on what a lot is or what a relatively intense exercise is leaves rooms for Americans to determine that they are fulfilling those requirements so they must consume these products. Throughout many campaigns and initiatives more people are becoming properly informed about the overall health benefits of drinks like this. Americans are slowly becoming more and more health conscious, resulting in less consumption of these drinks and more consumption of water and other beneficial beverages.

Work Cited

Cespedes, Andrea. “Benefits of Sports Drinks Like Gatorade and Powerade.” Leaf Group, 09 June 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2016

 Johnson. “How much is too much?” Research. SugarScience.org, 30 Mar. 2014. Web. 5 Dec. 2016.

 

 

Baby fat is only cute when you’re a baby

Nowadays people would rather be comforted with a lie than confronted to face the truth.  “You look great!” It’s time we start being more honest with each other as hard as it may be to swallow.  Instead of letting our youth eat out, and unhealthy regularly we should stop this bad habit before it even starts.  One thing is for sure your body doesn’t break down food the same way it does when you’re younger compared to the way it does when you’re older.  According to conventional wisdom “your resting metabolic rate tends to drop as you age because you lose a small amount of muscle each year.”  As you age whether you realize it or not your metabolism changes drastically over time.  You also get weaker as you get older.  This is why you see professional athletes retire when they no longer have the energy or muscle endurance they did just a few years back.  For example older people tend to have a lower metabolic rate, and also eat and exercise significantly less.  Instead of letting our youth face the consequences later we should introduce them to healthier eating habits before a unhealthy one even starts.

Children, and adults are both fall victim to peer pressure but children are more easily manipulated than the average adult.  According to SFgate “The old adage “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more accurate in an age where unhealthy food is far more accessible than healthy choices for many American children. Over one-third of American children are now overweight and at risk for various associated diseases.”  Most children nowadays go home after school and eat what they can find and cook expediently as they wait for their parents to get home from work.  Majority of parents, like their children would rather prepare or eat something quick regardless if it’s the healthiest option or not.  Children in their adolescent stages could really care less what they eat as long as it tastes good and satisfies their hunger.  Children can suggest but ultimately have no say when what gets put on the table is finalized.  It comes down to either eat what is on the table or starve until tomorrow.  Until they can support themselves parents call the shots.  The parents should be held responsible for their child, and childhood obesity should be considered a crime.

It is time parents are held responsible for their child now more than ever.  Not only does unhealthy eating habits affect them in their youth but carries on to cause serious health problems down the road.  A perfect analogy is what you eat is what you wear.  Unhealthy eating can easily be prevented more times than not.  The media targets children in more ways than not.  Yet parents fail to teach their children the difference between desire and necessity.  Moynihan a medical faculty member at the University of Newcastle states “In a study of 4–7-year-old American children, Galst & White (1976) showed that the more commercial television that was viewed, the more food requests were made to the parent.”  The media is manipulating.  We see something on television and immediately want it.  When we act on impulse it usually leads to a negative outcome we need to start thinking smarter.  Media isn’t all bad lets get that straight but something should be done to start promoting healthier living or getting out more and active compared to today where every other commercial is a fast food, or just anything quick, and cheap.  Sounds pretty American to me.  For example you may be driving back from class or work you want to get food but do not know what to get.  You flip the radio on and hear a sprite commercial with a superstar like LeBron James telling you to buy it, just as that happens you drive past a McDonalds billboard and suddenly you find yourself in the McDonalds drive thru.  The thing is that it’s not and obesity is a serious problem that is affecting way more people than it should.  With that being said it’s not as hard as it seems to introduce your child to a healthier way of life.  Perpetrators who fail to meet these requirements should face a punishment.  Possibly a rehab for weight loss or take a personal training class and pass so they can be a better parent.  Being heavy is not the problem being unhealthy is.  It’s time we do something to reduce this increasingly big problem the United States faces currently today.  It’s not hard to be healthy just ask your doctor and he can steer you in the right direction.

Works Cited

              “Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA.” Sound Body Sound Mind, Los Angeles, CA. UCLAhealth, n.d. Web. 21 Nov.2016.     

Galst, Joann Paley, and Mary Alice White. “The Unhealthy Persuader: The Reinforcing Value of Television and Children’s Purchase-Influencing Attempts at the Supermarket.” Child Development, vol. 47, no. 4, 1976, pp. 1089–1096. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1128446.

Pre-Determined Surgery

As athletes move on with their careers, we realize that there are many injuries that they can come by.  Some can so much as end an athlete’s career while some have a smaller recovery time.  Knowing there are some that we can prevent but some that will just happen out of no where.  Obviously seeing an athlete get injured is terrible because it is what they live for and put their bodies out there day in and day out. Certain injuries are more popular in different sports.  Finding that there are many processes that we can choose to go through to get better in each case.  Many procedures such as surgery, physical therapy, or rest or icing.  All injuries differ in their own ways.  If we zero in to a certain sport like baseball, we’ll find one of the hardest injuries and something that happens to a lot of pitchers.  The injury is called Tommy John, or a UCL tear which is the ligament inside the elbow in which holds the arm together from the inside.  Many will strive to see the surgery be performed before the injury comes around. A lot of people think that the name Tommy John came from a doctor that performed the first surgery and not that it came from a pitcher in which had the injury first.  An article from fox sports points out a few good things inside.  They say “a lot of young players have become more reckless because they figure they can always get Tommy John surgery, but also fifteen percent of people lack the tendon that’€™s most commonly used to repair the damaged ligament.”  This means that kids are pitching their arms out when they are young without the fear of getting hurt because they think that they can just get the surgery but in some cases, they may not even have the ligament needed to perform the surgery.  Kids can not go out there thinking that it is ok to get hurt because they can just have it it fixed.  People don’t understand that we should never want to fix what is not broken and especially not on the human body.

Why would someone want to be operated on if they do not have an injury?  Nothing says that the injury is going to happen, but the way youth baseball is going, we can guess that it is more common.  Some studies show that getting the surgery brings pitchers back stronger then they ever were because the support in the elbow is so strong that it is basically adding another spring into the elbow which helps throw harder.  Many myths that people are told and believe which are stated in an article by Mike Reinold and they come in the following,”Everyone Returns From Tommy John Surgery, There are No Complications with Tommy John Surgery, Recovery From Tommy John Surgery is Quick and Easy, Velocity Improves After Tommy John Surgery, and All Tommy John Rehabilitation is the Same.” These 5 myths are common reasons why everyone thinks that it is ok to get hurt and get this surgery.  In some cases, people do say that the surgery should be performed before an injury is occurred.  Reasons why this is not a good idea include the following:

Surgery is always something to be afraid of because no one wants to be knocked out and cut open to fix something that is not necessary.  Surgery is not always safe, there are times when people get infections, sometimes nerve injuries can happen, and sometimes Chronic Regional Pain System.  This is something that usually happens to a limb after an injury is occurred where pain is always inflected.  That is a first reason why we should not be having the surgery done if there is no reason to.  Number two, if an athlete is on their way and doing great just the way they are, why would we change that?  There is a saying that goes by, “Don’t fix what’s not broken.”    No reason to put athletes in danger of these problems for no reason.

Like said, injuries to athletes are always terrible to hear and we never want to see that happen to anyone.  If we bring up this argument on whether or not we should put pitchers through the surgery before they have the chance to get injured.  People will more or likely respond with no.  It just doesn’t make sense.  Yes the recovery rate is very high and it makes pitchers strong but we should shouldn’t change what is already working.  In a sense, we can think it is cheating.  Of course if a pitcher gets hurt who was doing great then we will have to get the operation done so they can come back to their old selfs or maybe even stronger.

Athletes go through so much in their lives that when a career ending event happens, it’s almost as if their whole world and life has ended.  Athletes live for what they do and they love every second of it.  A quote from a great motivation video for all athletes states one thing in which is, ” when you want to be succeed as much as you want to breathe, thats when you’ll be successful.”  This goes to show that we have to have a passion for something as bad as we want to stay alive so that day in and day out, we work as hard as we possibly can to reach the top and say we did it at the end of the day.  It goes to show that we all need to respect the athletes between their highs and lows because no one besides them really knows how hard it really is.

Work Cited

Miller, Sam. “Why Pitchers Will Always Have Tommy John Surgery.” ESPN.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

“What Can Go Wrong.” In Surgery with Dr. Chris Chiodo. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.

https://www.facebook.com/mikereinold.pt. “5 Myths of Tommy John Surgery – Mike Reinold.” Mike Reinold. N.p., 26 Jan. 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.

 Smiley, Brett. “12 Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Tommy John Surgery.” FOX Sports. N.p., 25 June 2014. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.