Drug and Alcohol Abuse

â€Å"Humankind has used mind- or mood- altering drugs at least since the beginning of recorded history and maybe before† (Substance). As time as well as technology progressed, so did the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The invention of the automobile increased the dangers of the abuse and use of these drugs. Each year in the United States and Canada, alcohol abuse is the cause of 100,000 deaths. Alcohol is also the drug that children ages 12 to 17 most commonly abuse. Teenagers become eligible to obtain their drivers license during these years, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of teenage deaths.People who abuse alcohol are more likely to abuse other drugs as well. â€Å"Drug abuse includes the use of illegal drugs—such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, or other â€Å"street drugs†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the abuse of legal prescription and nonprescription drugs†(Alcohol). When an individual is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, there min d is in an altered state. Because of this, operation of an automobile can be very dangerous to anyone around. The abuser is also more likely to be involved in a violent dispute or have medical complications when under the influence.Because of these issues, it is very important that there be laws against alcohol and drug abuse. It is also very important to have consequences for breaking those laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed a method of determining if the operator of a motor vehicle is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The test they developed is known as the Standardized field Sobriety Test. â€Å"The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a battery of three tests administered and evaluated in a standardized manner to obtain validated indicators of impairment and establish probable cause for arrest† (Standardized).The test includes the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus which consists of the individual looking side to side while the officer observes the jerks of the eye. There is also a walk and turn exercise and a stand on one leg exercise. When this test is conducted properly, it can determine within 91% accuracy if the individual is under the influence. As we all know, drug and alcohol abuse has become a big problem among all social classes. When alcohol and drug abuse occurs among celebrities, it is publicized on the cover of every gossip magazine and talk station.These individuals are not doing anything different than your average everyday American, but their lives are made public so that everyone can criticize and talk about them. An example of a celebrity who has had their personal life publicized is Lindsay Lohan. I watched a television show yesterday about her legal troubles. Lindsay Lohan, who has been in various movies and commercials since she was a toddler, has had a long battle with alcohol and drug abuse. In 2005, she was charged with misdemeanor DUI and released from jail the same day.She has attempted a variety of rehab facilities including six weeks at Promises Rehab. Lohan was stopped and charged again in July of 2005 for DUI. This time she was arrested and searched. Law enforcement found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession; therefore she was also booked for narcotics charges and also driving with a suspended license. She was released from jail after posting a 25,000 bail. After this arrest, she attempted yet another rehab facility. When she returned for court, she pled guilty to 2 DUI charges. As a part of a plea deal, she was released from the other charges.She was sentenced to 1 day in jail, 10 days of community service, and 36 months probation. She was also ordered to complete a drug facility center. In November, she reported to serve her day in jail and was released after 84 minutes due to overcrowding. Lohans bail was revoked in 2010 because she failed to show for a probation hearing. A warrant was also issued for her arrest, but then revoked when she posed her bo nd. Two days later, she returned to court and it was determined that she violated her bond by missing several alcohol education classes.She was sentenced to 90 days in jail of which she served 14 days, and 90 days of lockdown rehab of which she served about three weeks. (The E! Hollywood Story). Although it was portrayed as if Lohan was given a reduced sentence time because she is a celebrity, but in my opinion, she was not. When everything someone does is publicized, as it is with celebrities, it is easy for us to say they were given a reduced sentence, but in actuality, many people convicted of crimes are given reduced sentences or none at all.I do believe that if you have more money to pay fines, then you are more likely to not serve time, but you do not have to be a celebrity to pay your way out of trouble. Many people charged with DUI never do any time because they are able to pay fines or hire a lawyer to prove them innocent when they are not. I have a friend who was pulled fo r suspected DUI. She was given a field sobriety test of which she failed. She was then given a breathalyzer and it was determined to be three times the legal limit. She was arrested for DUI, and then released the next day.She was able to hire a lawyer to review all the paperwork and videos the officer had turned in. It was clear she was guilty, but the officer did not do everything just right, so her case was dismissed. This shows that our justice system is flawed. When there are no consequences for your actions, you continue to do those things that could harm others. I believe that sentencing for substance abuse should be a federal law. There are too many innocent individuals who are killed because someone is a substance abuser. I also believe that community service should not be a part of sentencing and programs such as PTI should not be available.I believe that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol puts others at an increased risk of bodily harm and should be a crime th at carries a jail time sentence. If believe that if you choose to drink and drive, then you choose to do the time!REFERENCES Alcohol and Drug Problems. Jan Nisel. October 27, 2010http://www. peacehealth. org/KBASE/topic/symptom/alcpb/overview. htm Substance Abuse Counseling: Theory and Practice by Patricia Stevens and Robert L. Smith Page 4 Standardized Field Sobriety Testing http://www. nhtsa. gov/people/injury/alcohol/SFST/appendix_a. htm The E! Hollywood Story: aired October 2010 Drug and Alcohol Abuse â€Å"Humankind has used mind- or mood- altering drugs at least since the beginning of recorded history and maybe before† (Substance). As time as well as technology progressed, so did the use and abuse of drugs and alcohol. The invention of the automobile increased the dangers of the abuse and use of these drugs. Each year in the United States and Canada, alcohol abuse is the cause of 100,000 deaths. Alcohol is also the drug that children ages 12 to 17 most commonly abuse. Teenagers become eligible to obtain their drivers license during these years, alcohol abuse is the leading cause of teenage deaths.People who abuse alcohol are more likely to abuse other drugs as well. â€Å"Drug abuse includes the use of illegal drugs—such as marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine, heroin, or other â€Å"street drugs†Ã¢â‚¬â€and the abuse of legal prescription and nonprescription drugs†(Alcohol). When an individual is under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs, there min d is in an altered state. Because of this, operation of an automobile can be very dangerous to anyone around. The abuser is also more likely to be involved in a violent dispute or have medical complications when under the influence.Because of these issues, it is very important that there be laws against alcohol and drug abuse. It is also very important to have consequences for breaking those laws. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration developed a method of determining if the operator of a motor vehicle is under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The test they developed is known as the Standardized field Sobriety Test. â€Å"The Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) is a battery of three tests administered and evaluated in a standardized manner to obtain validated indicators of impairment and establish probable cause for arrest† (Standardized).The test includes the Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus which consists of the individual looking side to side while the officer observes the jerks of the eye. There is also a walk and turn exercise and a stand on one leg exercise. When this test is conducted properly, it can determine within 91% accuracy if the individual is under the influence. As we all know, drug and alcohol abuse has become a big problem among all social classes. When alcohol and drug abuse occurs among celebrities, it is publicized on the cover of every gossip magazine and talk station.These individuals are not doing anything different than your average everyday American, but their lives are made public so that everyone can criticize and talk about them. An example of a celebrity who has had their personal life publicized is Lindsay Lohan. I watched a television show yesterday about her legal troubles. Lindsay Lohan, who has been in various movies and commercials since she was a toddler, has had a long battle with alcohol and drug abuse. In 2005, she was charged with misdemeanor DUI and released from jail the same day.She has attempted a variety of rehab facilities including six weeks at Promises Rehab. Lohan was stopped and charged again in July of 2005 for DUI. This time she was arrested and searched. Law enforcement found a small amount of Cocaine in her possession; therefore she was also booked for narcotics charges and also driving with a suspended license. She was released from jail after posting a 25,000 bail. After this arrest, she attempted yet another rehab facility. When she returned for court, she pled guilty to 2 DUI charges. As a part of a plea deal, she was released from the other charges.She was sentenced to 1 day in jail, 10 days of community service, and 36 months probation. She was also ordered to complete a drug facility center. In November, she reported to serve her day in jail and was released after 84 minutes due to overcrowding. Lohans bail was revoked in 2010 because she failed to show for a probation hearing. A warrant was also issued for her arrest, but then revoked when she posed her bo nd. Two days later, she returned to court and it was determined that she violated her bond by missing several alcohol education classes.She was sentenced to 90 days in jail of which she served 14 days, and 90 days of lockdown rehab of which she served about three weeks. (The E! Hollywood Story). Although it was portrayed as if Lohan was given a reduced sentence time because she is a celebrity, but in my opinion, she was not. When everything someone does is publicized, as it is with celebrities, it is easy for us to say they were given a reduced sentence, but in actuality, many people convicted of crimes are given reduced sentences or none at all.I do believe that if you have more money to pay fines, then you are more likely to not serve time, but you do not have to be a celebrity to pay your way out of trouble. Many people charged with DUI never do any time because they are able to pay fines or hire a lawyer to prove them innocent when they are not. I have a friend who was pulled fo r suspected DUI. She was given a field sobriety test of which she failed. She was then given a breathalyzer and it was determined to be three times the legal limit. She was arrested for DUI, and then released the next day.She was able to hire a lawyer to review all the paperwork and videos the officer had turned in. It was clear she was guilty, but the officer did not do everything just right, so her case was dismissed. This shows that our justice system is flawed. When there are no consequences for your actions, you continue to do those things that could harm others. I believe that sentencing for substance abuse should be a federal law. There are too many innocent individuals who are killed because someone is a substance abuser. I also believe that community service should not be a part of sentencing and programs such as PTI should not be available.I believe that driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol puts others at an increased risk of bodily harm and should be a crime th at carries a jail time sentence. If believe that if you choose to drink and drive, then you choose to do the time!REFERENCES Alcohol and Drug Problems. Jan Nisel. October 27, 2010http://www. peacehealth. org/KBASE/topic/symptom/alcpb/overview. htm Substance Abuse Counseling: Theory and Practice by Patricia Stevens and Robert L. Smith Page 4 Standardized Field Sobriety Testing http://www. nhtsa. gov/people/injury/alcohol/SFST/appendix_a. htm The E! Hollywood Story: aired October 2010

Catholics opposing views on abortion over History Research Paper

Catholics opposing views on abortion over History - Research Paper Example The early Christians were opposed to abortion because it exposed the unborn babies thus making them die. Abortion was condemned with disregarding to what stage of the pregnancy it was carried out in the first three centuries of Christianity. This can be captured in Tertullian writings in 197AD that† it does not matter whether you take away life that is born or destroy one that is coming to birth. In both instances, destruction is murder.† The council of Ancyra (314) is said to have referred to an ancient law that excommunicated women that aborted their children deliberately. (life.org.nz, 2011) The second mention of abortion is in a theological tract known as the Epistle of the pseudo-Barnabas which was written in about 138 and highly regarded by the theologians of Alexandria. The author of this publication treats abortion as corollary to the law of fraternal charity which was in existence. This can be captured in the written statements that, â€Å"You shall love your ne ighbor more than your own life. You shall not slay the child by abortion.† (catholicculture.org, 2011) Athenagoras who was an Athenian philosopher states in a letter he writes to Marcus Aurelius (177) that â€Å"All those who use abortifacients are homicides and they will have to account to God for their abortions as well as the killing of men†. ... arly church councils established strong precedents in history in relation to matters of abortion which were later ratified and strengthened by the council of Chalcendon in 415 and Consillium Quinisextum in 692. During the early period of foundation of Christianity, there were many writers who condemned abortion as a gravel evil. These include Christians writer like Hippolytus (235), Cyprian (258), St Ambrose, Bishop of Milan (375), St Jerome (d. 420), St Augustine(d. 430), Caesarius, the Bishop of Arles(d. 543), and St Martin of Braga(580). The first collection of church laws that were promulgated with the authority of pope for the universal church was The Decretals of Pope Gregory IX in 1324. These laws list one canon that describes a murderer as one who procures an abortion. The decrials emphasized the idea of formed and unformed so as to determine the kind of penalties that applied for this type of crime. From the 13 century and the other succeeding centuries, the council of churc hes in existence continued to condemn abortion. (catholicculture.org, 2011) In 1588, the first papal legislation that was meant to bring into play penal sanction against abortion came into existence and was referred to EFFRAENATAM of Pope Sixtus V who reigned in the period 1585-1590. In 1591, Pope Gregory XIV altered slightly the constitution of Sixtus V so as to apply harsher punishments among those that caused abortion of animated fetus (a fetus whose movement could be felt). In spite of the changes to the constitution, the seriousness of abortion offences were emphasized (Haney, 2008, p 24). Not until in the 18th century when Martin Luther king led a reformation from the Catholic Church, most Catholics were united and accepted the Magisterium authority and condemnation of abortion. In

Criticizing Coynes Theory Of Evolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Criticizing Coynes Theory Of Evolution - Essay Example In chapter one Coyne, presents his own understanding of evolution, stating the main misunderstanding of scientific approaches to evolution and the issue of theory based on creationist approach (Coyne, 2009). Though he presents evidence to support his idea, revolution he does not clearly explain the stages of evolution. Again, this theory has raised several controversies as many individuals reject the theory. America’s Discovery Institute resists the theory (Shubin, 2008). Coyne’s explanation of the theory does not cover all the areas such as climatic changes and how it affects the way organisms evolve over time. In my view, climatic changes should affect the way then organisms evolve. Religious movements on their own understanding reject the theory as they believe that God created the world on 6 days and has nothing to do with evolution. He, therefore, failed to convince the religious leaders. If he was sure of his work, Coyne would have been able to integrate evolution and religion for his ideas to be widely accepted (Shubin, 2008). The way he handles the Creationist approach is questionable and puts him in a total mess. To add to the controversy, Coyne considers man as the creator and says that the creator would not make organisms. In chapter two, he analyses the evidence to support his theory. He briefly gives an overview of the fossils as evidence of evolution (Coyne, 2009). He further gives the challenges undergone by paleontologists in a bid to get fossils, strengths, and weaknesses of fossil records and the role it plays to justify evolution. Despite the challenges to gather information and data, paleontologists have done great work to achieve the best. In contrast, these are presentations of evolutionary arguments and evidence but the issue that brings out questions is the failure to relate fossils evidence and creationist approach.

Urban Health Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Urban Health - Essay Example The number of cases also exceeds to countries like Eritrea and Gambia (Abernethy 2013, n.p.).According to these mentioned statistics, tuberculosis is an urban health issue which has to be prevented. To elaborate on the effect of TB and why it has grown into an urban health issue, this study text will highlight the emerging TB issue in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. The discussion will argue on the perspective that immigrant populations contribute to its increase, as is observed in the New Ham region of the London Borough. Tuberculosis in Newham is at an alarmingly high rate (Howes 2013, p.136). The following study text will critically examine the prevalence of tuberculosis within Newham in comparison to other boroughs within the UK. The paper will discuss the situation of the area of New Ham, East London and see that are the causes of increasing number of tuberculosis cases. In its conclusion, the study will also provide some potential recommendations to deal with the issue which will help in the fight against tuberculosis in the said region. According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2014, n.p.),Tuberculosis is caused by the Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria. As is popularly known, it affects mostly the lungs and other organs such as the lymphatic system, the circulatory system and to an extent the central nervous system (NHS 2014, n.p.). The lymph nodes surrounding the lungs and heart become enlarged, as is the case with all other lymph nodes in an effort to curb the spread of the disease to the entire body (On Health 2014, n.p.). Upon realizing this threat, the body’s immune system reacts by forming scar fibrosis or tissue around the bacteria. If by any chance the bacteria bypass the fibrosis, the disease is reactivated and the pneumonia re-emerges. What follows is damage to bones, kidneys, and the meninges lining the brain and spinal cord. There are two categories of TB. Latent tuberculosis means that

Periodic Motion Problems Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Periodic Motion Problems - Assignment Example The force applied on the spring reduces hence the tension. The spring therefore accelerate mass faster, therefore the period would be shorter. b. Taking it to the moon where gravity is weaker. (U) The gravity change would have no effect on the period taken since the mass and spring are still the same, therefore no change is expected. c. Weakening the spring (reducing the spring constant). (L) For a weakened spring, the force the spring exerts is decreased. The oscillations period would be therefore lengthened, would be longer d. Making the amplitude of the oscillation larger.(U) The amplitude does not affect frequency since the distance from relaxation position would increase the restoring force. Therefore, the frequency remains unchanged. 2. For a pendulum as in Fig 9.1.2: label how the following changes would affect the oscillation period. Label each as making the period shorter (S), longer (L), or unchanged (U). Explain your response. a. Taking it to a planet where gravity is larger.(S) Gravity affects the oscillation period from the formula of finding period using length and gravity. Therefore, as the gravity increases, the period decreases as they are inversely proportional b. Increase the mass hanging on the pendulum.(U) Period is mass independent. Therefore, at gravity all masses accelerate equally, hence the period is unchanged. c. Making the pendulum shorter. (S) The length is directly proportional to the period. Therefore a decrease in the pendulum length decreases the period d. Reducing the amplitude of the oscillation (assuming that it was not very big to start with). (U) The oscillations period remains constant due to the lack of relation to the amplitude. 3. The frequency of the tone produced by a violin string is higher (H), lower (L) or unchanged (U) if we make the following changes (note that here we are asking about the frequency, whereas on the earlier problems we were asking about the period of the oscillation, which is just the inverse of the frequency) : a. Making the string shorter. (H) The frequency of the tone is high. The shorter the string the higher the pitch, therefore the high frequency experienced. b. Making the string thicker. (L) The increased thickness increases the mass per unit length. Therefore the string moves slower which decreases the pitch, hence the frequency. c. Pressing the string down on the fingerboard.(H) The vibration reduces when the spring is pressed to the fingerboard; the active part is shortened. Therefore the pitch and frequency rose. d. Reducing the tension of the string. (L) The reduced tension of string causes slow movement of the string therefore the pitch and frequency reduced Explain your response. 4. I take a violin and make an exact co py of it, except that it is bigger. The strings are identical except for the length; they have the same material and the same tension. If the new violin is 2.30 times the size of the original, at what frequency would the string that was previously the A4 string (that is 440 Hz on a regular violin) oscillate? Use units of "Hz." Explain your response. When the size increases the pitch decreases, therefore 440Hz divided by 2.3 440Hz / 2.3= 191.30Hz 5. If your hearing cuts off at 17440 Hz, what is the highest harmonic of E5 string you can hear? The answer is an integer without units. Hint: The E5 string vibrates at 660 Hz. Explain your response. The highest harmonic is 17440Hz divided by 660Hz 17440/660=26.42 Rounding off, the highest harmonic to be heard is the 26th Harmonic 6. The frequency of the sound coming from the organ pipe is higher (H), lower (L) or the same (S) if we make the following changes to the organ: a. Moving the organ to a higher elevation. (H) The air is less dense at higher elevation, therefore the molecules move more

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One - Essay Example The Government of Metropoliland continues with its controversial laws by raising taxes for non-alcoholic performance drinks that are not produced, following the country’s traditional method of production, regardless of the country of origin, or the final product’s composition. The Trips agreement with necessary circumspection and discretion does allow for valid use by Third Parties, as compulsory License or government use, without the consent of the patent owner in certain circumstances. Generally speaking, the main criteria could be in terms of voluntary licence on practical marketable specifications and that the compensation paid to the right holder shall be sufficient in such situation, taking into account the fiscal value of the licence held. The Agreement recognizes right of Members to take measures, consistent with its provisions against anti-competitive practices and provides more flexible conditions for the grant of compulsory licences, where a practice has been determined, after due process of law, to be anti-competitive. Trips: Drug Patents, Technical Note: Pharmaceutical patents and the TRIPS Agreement. (2006). According to provisions of World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement 1995, member countries should not discriminate between domestic and foreign producers during course of trading. Thus all member countries should be provided equal status to domestic, or foreign trading partners or in other words practice favoured country treatment. (FCT) Metropoliland has sought domestic protection for its indigenous producers, initiated process of bureaucracy and retarded trade promotional efforts by adopting a protectionist policy towards its domestic growers, at the expense of competitive importers. This is against both the letter and spirit of various agreements that govern international trade, affecting potential trade between signatories to such agreements, including State of Metropoliland. If all member countries adopt a similar

Islamic Finance & Critical Success Factors Essay Example for Free

Islamic Finance Critical Success Factors Essay I Would like to take this opportunity to thank all those people who contributed their time and effort and provided their insight in enabling the compilation of this report, it is with much regret that all of their names cannot be mentioned individually here, however special mention needs to be made of certain individuals, without whose input this report would have not been possible. Mr Baratha Devanarayana course coordinator and project supervisor of the Advanced Diploma in Business Management programme at the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) for the support and advice given in content structuring and format design of the report. Would also like to mention Mrs Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia and Mrs Shamshed Akhtar, Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan whose knowledge and valuable insight on the Islamic finance industry as leading professionals in the field have provided the basis on which the compilation of this report has been made possible. Executive Summary Islamic finance is a financial system based on Shariah law or Islamic law which mandates the prohibition of charging or payment of interest encourages risk and profit sharing between all parties to a contract and emphasizes the need of ethical investment which contributes to the greater good of society as a whole. Islamic finance is now one of the fastest growing financial segments in the international financial system today with an estimated annual growth rate of 15 to 20%. Industry assets worldwide are currently estimated to be between $1. 3 trillion and its industry assets and overseas portfolios are estimated to reach 4 trillion in the medium term. Diverse financial products and services, progress in developing regulatory frameworks and enhanced international linkages are driving industry growth. The critical success factors for Islamic finance to foster the growth of the industry, the application of these critical success factors and there potential applicability in the Sri Lankan context will be analysed, a comparison between Islamic finance and the conventional system on some basic indicators for competitiveness, social development and development finance will be made and the Sri Lankan and regional potential of Islamic finance will be analysed as the research undertaking of this study. The progress that has been made on certain aspects of the Islamic financial system both locally and globally, the importance of Sri Lanka fostering the growth of the Islamic finance industry are some of the issues discussed in this study. As a prelude to the research part of this study the recent developments of Islamic finance both globally and locally and the historical development of Islamic finance will be looked at to facilitate an understanding on how the system has evolved from a single institution a few decades ago to a global industry with a global presence spreading from the Middle East to Asia and the West.