Prostitution Legalisation Sexual Offences

Prostitution Legalisation Sexual Offences Prostitution is defined as participating in sexual activity in exchange for money. Its often referred to as the oldest profession and is a highly emotive topic nestled within the tangled web of sexuality and morality. The legal status of prostitution has constantly fluctuated over centuries and even millennia as well as in different countries where it can be punishable by death or completely legal. The historical legislation on prostitution is as vast and as changeable as English law itself is. As long as laws have existed there have been many varying degrees of legalisation and illegalisation of prostitution. In 1161 King Henry II allowed the regulation of Londons brothels. (Evans, 1979) and in 1546 Henry VIIIs ended Englands toleration of prostitution. (Roberts, 1993) During the 19th Century the Victorians ideas of ‘morality and ‘social purity influenced legislation concerning sexuality and sexual offences. (Walkowitz, 1980) The first law was made with the reference to the term ‘common prostitute was the Vagrancy Act of 1824. In Subsection 3 of this Act stated that any common prostitute behaving in a riotous or indecent manner in a public place or thoroughfare was liable to a fine or imprisonment. (Laite [online]) Further legislation was built up over this period including ‘solicitation laws brought about in England in 1847 made it an illegal offence t o loiter or solicit people for the purpose of prostitution. These offences were arrestable and punished by fines which could be increased upon subsequent convictions. In 1885 parliament passed the Criminal Law Amendment Act (Walkowitz, 1980) which was resultant response to both the publication of an investigative report in the Pall Mall Gazette (Laite) witch uncovered an organised child prostitution ring. The act addressed the issue of Age of consent raising it to 16 and created laws outlawing the forcible detainment and procuring of women for purposes of prostitution. It also addressed laws on brothels, but due to lack of definition of the word brothel it was used everything from what we understand as brothels to a residence of two or more prostitutes. This lead to heavy arrest figures of many prostitutes particularly poor ones as they would often rent premises together so that the cost could be shared and since they had no money to pay legal cost they could find themselves with hefty fines or three months imprisonment. Some of the next significant changes in prostitution Legislation came about in the 1950s. A report was published in 1954 called the Wolfenden report as a response to public concern of the rise of the number of women involved in prostitution. (Phoenix, 2005) The report had far reaching effect and the recommendations made went on to form the basis of the Street Offences Act 1959. The report consolidated the official discourse on prostitution and created a ‘new framework for the regulation of prostitution. The Acts most significant parts pertaining to prostitution included making it illegal for a prostitute to loiter and solicit in a public place and it introduced a system where prostitutes were first cautioned for offences and after repeat offences a punishment such as a fines would be introduced and if the offending progressed further the offender could be imprisoned for up to three months. (Scrambler, 1997) Other legislation in the Sexual Offences Act 1956 updated the laws on t he offence of keeping a brothel, the offence of procuring a woman into prostitution by any means of force or under duress. Additionally it was an offence for a man to live off of the earnings of prostitution (i.e.: pimping). Legislation dealing with prostitution was not an issue in contention again until the 1980s. In the 1970s and 1980s a number of groups linked with feminist groups emerged in Europe and America promoting the rights of prostitutes (E.g.: COYOTE (call off your old tired ethics) and the ECP (English collective of prostitutes)) and called for the decriminalisation and normalisation of prostitution. (Matthews, 2008) they argued that the laws directed at prostitutes were discriminatory and counterproductive. In addition to that there were increasing concerns about the levels of ‘kerb-crawling and it was agreed that a new law was needed to address the issue. These problems were addressed in the 1985 Sexual Offences Act (Scrambler, 1997) which included the criminalization of ‘Kerb Crawling. Such measures see a shift of focus on who is the ‘problem which can be seen as answering the critics who argued against the ‘double standards of punishing prostitutes who were nearly always women and often vulnerable and probably poor. However an argument against the ‘Kerb crawling law was that it would lead to an increased lack of safety for sex workers on the streets as they have to identify and go with a client quickly to avoid detection and arrest. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 makes amendments to these previous laws, strengthening them and updating them to include both male and female sex workers and extending the punishment for keeping a brothel to up to 7 years in prison. (OPSI, 2003) Additionally it can be noted that the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 which saw the introduction of Anti-social behaviour orders were used against persistent offenders and street prostitutes were a primary recipient of these in certain English counties, (Sanders, 2005) A study conducted on the matter in Birmingham found during the study that nineteen prostitutes had been served ASBOs for persistent solicitation and two women were sent to prison for breaching their orders. (Jones Sager, 2001) All of this past legislation has culminated in the current UK law on Prostitution which is that whilst it is legal to be a prostitute (take money in return for sex), the laws make all other surrounding areas of prostitution illegal, such as streetwalking, pimping, soliciting (advertising sexual services), kerb crawling and keeping brothels are illegal. Critics argue that the current laws make, providing sex in exchange for money difficult and dangerous. Additionally we have seen that there have been changes in the ideas of prostitution being a victimless crime, to being a crime which victimises women and children. These shifts in the perceptions of prostitution are informing new calls for a change in policy with claims that the current laws are out-of-date and furthermore they are ‘biased against providers of sex and lenient on those who organise, buy and control and coerce women (Edwards in Sanders, 2005) What appears to be coming clear is that many would prefer to see clear cut laws on prostitution that are either in favour of abolitionism (in the sense that prostitution is prohibited) or legalisation. But in addition to that others look towards legislation which centers on either decriminalisation or regulation. Petitioners for reform look towards examples of other countries and their legislation on prostitution. Most notably those in favour of decriminalization look towards the examples such as the Netherlands, Australia, Germany and Sweden. Sweden is a prime example of Decriminalisation. In Sweden they hold the view that prostitutes are exploited by their clients and it should be the clients which are held responsible. In 1998 the â€Å"Security for Women† bill was introduced in Sweden which included the criminalisation of the purchasers of sexual services, with penalties ranging from a fine to 6 month imprisonment. A key component of the legislation was specific funding for exit strategies for women wishing to leave prostitution, including specific benefits, specialist drug and alcohol services and accommodation. At the time of implementation it was estimated that there were 2,500 prostituted women in Sweden with approximately 600 working in street prostitution, which has now been reduced by 80%. Over 500 men have been charged under the act and the law has an 80% approval rating from the public five years after implementation. (McAlpine, 2006) The Netherlands has changed over the past century it once outlawed brothels and pimping, however in the later half of the 20th Century prostitution was tolerated and regulated within certain areas. (Matthews, 2008) Over the last decade there has been a new shift, as pimping became legalised and brothels decriminalised. The idea for allowing brothels was too shift prostitution from the streets and help make prostitution safer for the prostitutes. The result in this change in policy is that the sex industry has reportedly expanded by 25% and the sex industry now accounts for 5% of the Dutch economy. (McAlpine, 2006) There has however been some criticism of this policy system. Its been argued that the prostitutes are still losing out as they lose control of the ability to choose customers; the prices charged the hours they work and the services they offer. (Safer London Committee, 2005) This is often put down to the influx of women from the Eastern Block, South East Asia and Africa many of who are trafficked by criminal gangs and as a result damage the industry by pushing down prices and not following codes of conduct. (Bindel, 2004) Additionally in the Netherlands during the 1990s they initiated a project in an effort to manage and control Street prostitution by introducing tolerance zones called ‘tipple zones in a number of their cities where street prostitution was a problem. The function of these zones was to be an area outside of major population areas where street workers would be tolerated to operate; drug dealers and pimps were not tolerated within the area. Charitable agencies also provided help within these areas offering counselling, clean needles, and panic alarm buttons. However while to begin with tipple zones reduced the level of nuisance associated with street prostitution it was seen to be a failure in the long run and eventually all of the zones were closed down. (Matthews, 2007) Certain States in Australia are prime examples of Legalisation. In Victoria, Australia there were 40 legal brothels in Victoria in 1989, in 1999 there were 94 along with 84 escort agencies following the legalisation of the industry in addition to many illegal venues. Legalisation is argued to have normalised the industry with the pimps being considered legitimate businessmen and sitting together with the police and lawyers on the Prostitution Control Board. (McAlpine, 2006) But it isnt all positive as there are still a significant amount of brothels that are unregistered and many prostitutes do not want to register as prostitutes because they do not want to be stigmatised. (Bindel, 2004) Legalising prostitution seems to be far more complex than it initially appears and moreover, evidence in other countries shown can display that it does not solve the problems of prostitution. In countries where prostitution is legalised such as the Netherlands and Germany there are still significant problems with Street Prostitutes and there are also significant problems with the levels of trafficked sex workers. In return to ideas for reform of UK Legislation it would appear that the overall critique of the UK laws is that the legislation is failing in combating prostitution. Furthermore like most prostitution policy approaches Bindel (2004) argues that they â€Å"Lack a coherent philosophical underpinning, from which specific short and longer term aims and objectives could be drawn. The most coherent approach in terms of philosophy and implementation is that adopted by Sweden, and interestingly it is the only one where no one who sells sex is subject to the criminal law. Many argue, that a lot of money is still spent on law enforcement efforts to catch prostitutes and their customers. When prosecuted, the justice system has to process them through expensive systems. The end results appear to be that there is little impact on prostitution. Prostitutes pay the penalty fines and are back on the streets again in what becomes a revolving door process. (Sanders, 2005) In terms of the most successful form of policy for the management of street Prostitutes it appears that Swedens approach looks to be the most successful. Their laws make use of the notion that prostitutes are victims of male violence, and so the purchaser of sex is the criminal and the seller of sex the victim. It can be argued that the reasons for these ideas working are that it is the perfect deterrence. A typical male who visits a prostitute isnt the stereotypical view of an older lonely man but it can be anyone. (Spurrell, 2006) Because of this it is likely that many men would be deterred from using prostitutes if it is made far more unfavourable. If UK prostitution legislation were to be reformed it would be important to make it more fitting to todays attitudes. It has been established that whilst prostitution in the UK is legal majority of the acts surrounding it are not. The reasons for this are within the basis of past legislation, which sought to protect women from abuse and victimisation. And additionally to push it to the margins of society, presumably in the hope that it would go away. Realistically however it is unlikely that it will go away, so there is the need to address ways to manage prostitution so that it can function without criminalising prostitutes or creating victims and that prostitutes are free to work in as safe and healthy environment as possible. To do this prostitution needs to be decriminalised and regulated. It needs to be recognised that prostitutes will always be out on the streets in some shape or form and so any attempts to move prostitution solely into the indoor sphere is unlikely to work. With that said legislation needs to address both indoor and outdoor prostitution. As with the Netherlands, brothels should be the promoted alternative with brothels being regulated and only state licensed ones should be tolerated. Prostitutes should be registered but allowed to operate with a degree of anonymity if they choose. The Laws against Pimping and forced prostitution should still stand and heavy laws should be imposed for hose who traffic women and force them to work as prostitutes. As for street prostitution we should look towards the Swedish model which criminalises the buyer rather than the prostitute. Additionally there needs to be a geographical equality to the implementation of prostitution laws. At the moment differ ent areas in the UK operate very different implementations of the current law. Some areas of the UK operate a Zero Tolerance policy yet others are unofficial red light districts. (Matthews, 2007) So to conclude it can be argued that laws have not changed all that much in the past century; the main changes in the law have mostly been about encompassing new offences. All that appears to have resulted in these new laws are that prostitutes have been driven out onto the streets. The nature of there job and the illegal status of it, creates high risk circumstances. And because their actions are unlawful they have to conceal what they are doing and cannot be protected by the services.There are talks about a draft Bill for new legislation on prostitution. But whole sale changes to the laws appear to not be on the agenda yet again. We can look towards policies in other countries such Sweden which favours the decriminalisation of the prostitute and to the Netherlands which has legalised and regulated brothels with a certain degree of success. What can be agreed is that there needs to be a wider debate upon the criminalisation or decriminalisation of prostitution, which looks at the needs and safety of those people who are sex workers. Bibliography Books: Evans, H. (1979) Harlots, Whores Hookers: A History of Prostitution, New York: Taplinger Matthews, R. (2008) Prostitution, Politics and Policy, Oxen: Routledge-Cavendish Pheonix, J. Oerton, S. (2005) Illicit and Illegal: Sex, regulation and social control, Devon, Willan. Roberts, N. (1993) Whores in History: Prostitution in Western Society, London: Harper Collins. Sanders, T. (2005) Sex Work: A risky business, Devon, Willan Scrambler, G. Scrambler, A. (1997) Rethinking Prostitution, London: Routledge. Thomas, T. (2005) Sex Crime: Sex offending and society 2nd Edition, Devon: Willan Walkowitz, J (1980) Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class and the State, Cambridge: University Press. Websites: Bindel, J. (2004) ‘Streets Apart in The Guardian [online] Available from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/weekend/story/0,,1215900,00.html [Accessed 2 April 2008] Home Office, (2003) ‘Sexual Offences Act 2003 in Office of Public Sector Information [online] Available from: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2003/ukpga_20030042_en_1 [Accessed 31 March 2008] Laite, J. (no date) ‘Paying the price again: prostitution policy in historical perspective in History and Policy [online] Available from: http://www.historyandpolicy.org/papers/policy-paper-46.html [Accessed 31 March 2008] McAlpine, M. (2006) ‘Prostitution: A contribution to the debate by the Scottish Socialist Party [online] Available from: http://www.scottishsocialistparty.org/pdfs/pamphlet1_1_final.pdf [Accessed 31 March 2008] Safer London Committee, (2005) ‘Street Prostitution in London by the London Assembly [Online] Available from: http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/pubserv/prostitution.pdf [Accessed 1 April 2008] Spurrell, C. (2006) ‘Who pays for sex? Youd be surprised in The Times [online] Available from : http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/men/article627388.ece [Accessed 2 April 2008] Journals: Jones, H. Sager, T. (2001) ‘Crime and Disorder Act 1998: Prostitution and the Anti Social Behaviour Order. Criminal Law Review, Nov: 873-885.

nuclear bomb history :: essays research papers

The United States stored nuclear weapons in 27 countries and territories around the globe during the Cold War, according to "Where They Were," the cover story in the November/December issue of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The article, by three noted nuclear weapons analysts, is based upon a newly declassified Pentagon history released under a Freedom of Information Act request originally filed in 1985. During the Cold War, 18 sovereign nations and nine former or current American territories or possessions hosted U.S. nuclear weapons. Today, the United States is the only nuclear power that deploys nuclear weapons overseas. U.S. bombs remain stationed in Belgium, Britain, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey. "We can now fill in many gaps in the history of the arms race and the Cold War," says Robert S. Norris, a Natural Resources Defense Council senior analyst and a co-author of the article. "Until now, there has never been official information on where, when, and what kinds of nuclear weapons were deployed overseas, and finally we have authoritative information about their presence in such surprising places as Japan, Greenland, Iceland and Taiwan." The authors also found that during the peak years in the early 1970s, the United States had more than 7,000 nuclear weapons in NATO countries in Europe, and more than 2,000 on land in the Pacific. A variety of naval vessels, including aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, frigates and attack submarines, routinely carried another 3,000 nuclear weapons. Altogether, the United States deployed 38 types of nuclear weapon systems abroad. Germany was home for 21 U.S. weapon systems, which were first installed in 1955. Guam hosted 20 types and the Japanese island of Okinawa, while under U.S. occupation, hosted 19. William M. Arkin, a co-author of the article, points out that while historians knew that nuclear weapons were stored in some countries, they were unaware about others and knew nothing of the details. The Pentagon document, he says, fundamentally revises post-war nuclear history. "There isn’t a nuclear analyst alive who didn’t believe that the first U.S. nuclear weapons deployed overseas were sent to Britain," he says. "Now we know they actually went to Morocco first." Arkin also is the co-author of "Nuclear Battlefields" (1985), the first book to document the worldwide nuclear infrastructure. "Where they Were" is based upon the formerly top secret study, "History of the Custody and Deployment of Nuclear Weapons: July 1945 through September 1977," which was prepared by the Office of the Secretary of Defense in 1978.

Blood Doping in Endurance Sports

Blood Doping in Endurance Sports Blood doping has become a consistant part of sports and fair play. Blood doping enhances your performance by increasing red blood cell mass and as a result delivering more oxygen to muscle. This â€Å"boost† of energy has sparked major controversy in the sports world for what it can do for an athlete during endurance events such as running. The risks involve putting the cardiovascular system of the athlete being in severe danger because of this procedure. Still, there are athletes out there that will put themselves at risk just to experience the prestige feeling of being number one, regardless of the circumstances. Fortunately, the last few years’ studies have made great strides and it has been discovered that athletes can increase their blood’s oxygen level without any side effects. Over the course of many years the use of blood doping and substances have been extremely controversial in endurance sports, how is it monitored and should they be allowed, but more importantly what are the risks? Each year, athletes in the endurance sports, increase their performances greatly. There is always better training, better conditioning tactics, and healthier athletes. Most athletes in the endurance world take one, if not all, of these methods to improve their races. Some of these ways consist of altitude training and the High Altitude Bed which is a bed that stimulates being 10,000 or more feet above which helps endurance athletes increase EPO in their bodies. Both the altitude bed and altitude training are safe and practical ways to achieve what some athletes accomplish through a highly dangerous and somewhat controversial way. However, there are some athletes that will do anything to find an easy way out, which may hinder their performance rather than help them achieve their goals. Plasma injections or blood doping is a complicated process, which if done right, can give great benefits for the short term. The process is very precise, in that, if done incorrectly, can be deadly to the recipient of the blood. â€Å"Blood doping, often called induced erythrocythemia, is the intravenous infusion of blood to produce an increase in the blood’s oxygen carrying capacity† (Smith). Putting that in black and white, you increase the amount of oxygen in your body, making it easier to race harder. The procedure begins with between 1 to 4 units of a person’s blood (1 unit = 450 ml of blood) being withdrawn. Most athletes go through the drawing of blood several weeks before a key competition so they have time to rebuild their normal level of red blood cells. The blood is then centrifuged and the plasma components are immediately reinfused while the remaining red blood cells are placed in cold storage (McArdle). The red blood cells are then reinfused back into the body, usually one to seven days before a high endurance event. If done correctly, this process can increase the hemoglobin level and red blood count by up to a staggering twenty percent creating the optimum oxygen levels. That percentage can make an average to slightly above average athlete look great and even make a very successful athlete have a performance of a lifetime. The WADA, the world anti- doping agency, is starting to crack down on endurance athletes trying to hurdle over some of the regulations to get a better time or place in their event. Athletes will do anything in their power to get the best seed time, place and to finish at a desired time and place when the final competition is held. Seed times can be crucial in endurance sports or faster, shorter races; this seed can determine where they are positioned throughout the race. But to prevent the hurdling of regulations a â€Å"World Anti- Doping Code† was set in place which all endurance athletes must follow especially when it comes to prestigious events. The purposes of the World Anti-Doping Code and the World Anti-Doping Program which supports it are: to protect the athletes' fundamental right to participate in doping-free sport and thus promote health, fairness and equality for athletes worldwide, and To ensure harmonized, coordinated and effective anti-doping programs at the international and national level with regard to detection, deterrence and prevention of doping† (USADA). The code is the fundamental and universal document upon which the World Anti-Doping Program in sport is based. The purpose of the Code is to advance the anti-doping effort through universal harmonization of core anti-doping elements. It is intended to be specific enough to achieve complete harmonization on issues where uniformity is required, yet general enough in other areas to permit flexibility on how agreed-upon anti-doping principles are implemented. † (USADA). Without this code athletes will not fear being tested or fear the risk of being exposed as a â€Å"cheater†. This Code implies that at any time a major athlete in a race can be tested if suggested or there is a high possibility the athlete could have used this method to â€Å"get ahead†. The international standards for this Code are to ensure every athlete across the globe understands this is illegal so every athlete in their race has a fair chance. The WADA does not want an athlete to break a world record in another country just because blood doping is legal in that country, therefore the Code applies to all endurance athletes world-wide. There are two ways to decide whether an athlete has used blood doping prior to their race and/or the day of their race. The athlete is either needed to take a blood or urine sample. There are such things as IC testing and OOC testing which refers to in-competition and out-of-competition. Yes, even if an athlete is out of season, blood doping is illegal, at all times, this includes the athlete is not competing in an upcoming race when they are found to have blood doped. In-Competition testing plans are primarily developed by coordinating with each National Governing Body (NGB) and are often in accordance with IF rules. Athletes may be selected for testing by USADA, the US anti- doping agency, based on a criterion that typically includes established rules set forth by each â€Å"IF†. An example of how athletes would be selected for in competition or event testing could be: Placed finishers, such as the top three finishers and randomly selected athletes, such as ninth, twelfth, fourteenth, etc. Out of Competition testing-USADA’s Test Distribution Plan establishes the number of tests per sport based upon the number of athletes in the USADA Registered Testing Pool and in evaluation of the International Standards. USADA also carefully considers selection formulas or requests for target selection of particular Athletes which are proposed by the USOC or a particular NGB. Tests are then allocated to periods throughout the year when OOC Testing is most effective (USADA). This testing is taken extremely serious; the USADA is determined to make endurance sports as natural as possible, to give everyone in the races a fair advantage, with no exceptions. Not just anyone can perform blood or urine tests for blood doping on the athletes. â€Å"The United States Olympic Committee (USOC), National Governing Bodies (NGBs), and the World Anti-doping agency (WADA) Code have authorized USADA to test any athlete, but only under certain circumstances†, (USADA). These circumstances are ostly done in the United States but when there is an international event or team, these also qualify for random testing. Random testing can occur quite often, especially the week before a major competition or after the competition ends. The United States is most determined to catch unfaithful athletes, but it is a constant mission to get all countries to take this as seriously as the United States does. The USADA can test anyone who: Is a member of a license holder of a NGB; Is participating at an Event or Competition sanctioned by the USOC or a NGB or participating at an Event or Competition in the United States sanctioned by an IF. This rule does not exclude competitors outside of the United States. If the athlete is a foreign athlete who is present in the United States, the athlete can still be tested. If the Athlete has given their consent to testing by USADA or who has submitted a Whereabouts Filing to USADA or an IF within the previous 12 months and has not given their NGB written notice of retirement or been named by the USOC or an NGB to an international team or who is included in the USADA Registered Testing Pool (USADA RTP) or is competing in a qualifying event to represent the USOC or NGB in international competition. That is one problem as well, out of the country athletes under certain circumstances must agree to be tested, in order to be tested. But there are so many ways the USADA can test an athlete. For most athletes there is still no way around the random testing. Even if a United States Athlete or foreign Athlete present in the United States who is serving a period of ineligibility on account of an anti-doping rule violation and has not given prior written notice of retirement to the their NGB and USADA or the applicable foreign anti-doping agency or foreign sport association, the athlete can still be tested. Athletes can only be tested by USADA under authorization from the USOC, an NGB, IF, any NADO, WADA, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), International Paralympic Committee, (IPC), or the organizing committee of any Event or Competition (USADA). As said before, this is taken extremely seriously to keep endurance sports clean and natural. There are many substances such as anabolic agents, hormones or steroids, Beta-2 agonists, gene doping, stimulants, narcotics, cannabinnoids, etc. Blood doping seems to be on the top of the lists because it has the least side effects, hence why athletes resort to blood doping. But the side effects may be few, but they are extremely dangerous to an athlete’s heath and life. The side effects of blood doping include, â€Å"increased heart rate, blood clotting, and stroke,† (USADA). Those three side effects may seem like they can only happen to older athletes but they apply to anyone who considers blood doping. Although, this system is a great prevention of future doping it also causes controversy when an athlete wins an event and is immediately suspected of blood doping or using a substance. These tests and committees let athletes know they are serious about this controversy and are stopping at nothing to make athletes get the performance they want the real way, no cheating, no cutting corners, just hard, hard work. These accusations not only affect the runners ego it also puts an unwanted spotlight on the athlete which make fans and other runners question the athletes character. There are plenty of athletes accused of blood doping such as, â€Å"Lasse Viren, the famous Finnish distance runner, (who was tripped and got back up to still win the 10,000m in the Olympics, and won the 5,000m against Prefontaine in 1972 & also won both again in 1976) was suspected of blood doping because he was still running elite even as he got older when most runners started to decline,† (Athletic Runner). Even though Lasse Viren was innocent, unfortunately we have this Code because that is not always the case. In other races such as the steeplechase even world champion steeplechaser, Marta Dominguez and his doctor have been accused of blood doping. At the center of cycling’s biggest doping investigation were among a reported 14 people detained across Spain by the Spanish Civil Guard in a new investigation. The Spanish news media reported that, â€Å" she was detained along with her trainer, Cesar Perez, and Eufemiano Fuentes, a doctor involved with Operation Puerto, which implicated more than fifty cyclists after raids in May 2006 that netted steroids, blood bags and blood doping equipment. It led to bans for Alejandro Valverde and Ivan Basso. Dominguez, thirty-five, is skipping the 2011 season because she is pregnant,† (New York Times). The urine sample to find out whether an athlete has violated the blood doping Code was a huge phenomenon in 2009. In recent studies, The World Anti-Doping Agency, found a new method that would allow wider testing of the banned blood-boosting hormone EPO. Arne Ljungqvist, vice president of WADA, said that, â€Å" if the new technique proved successful, it could be used much more widely than the existing system, which is expensive and complicated,† (New York Times). Before this testing became available it took days to figure out whether an athlete has cheated, but the urine testing has made big strides in speeding up the process for less controversy and stress for the athletes. Athletes like Cyclist Jesus Monzano have had bad experiences with blood doping. Blood doping can be lethal even for a healthy and fit athlete. He nearly died after being injected with poorly stored blood in 2003. It is found that, â€Å"an extraordinarily high level of RBCs in the blood can tax athletes' hearts. Its hard work for the organ to push sludgy blood through an athlete's veins† (Kois). Other athletes like Tyler Hamiliton face the loss of Olympic and prestigious medals, â€Å"He lost his medal in the cycling time trial because two separate blood tests suggested that he might be guilty of blood doping. Hamilton, who has up to now enjoyed a squeaky-clean image, denies the charge† (Kois). Although this can be done in almost any sport, the USADA’s considerations are consistent with WADA’s international Standards for testing (IST). These standards at minimum include: Physical demands of the sport and possible performance-enhancing effect that doping may elicit, available doping analysis statistics, available research on doping trends, training periods and competition season, the history of doping in the sport and/or discipline, training periods and the competition calendar, information received on possible doping practices, resources aimed at the detection of doping may be specifically targeted and USADA retains the right to test any athlete at any time. Currently, blood doping is a controversial issue. With great strides in science and sports medicine, this will probably be a dilemma for years to come. Many present and future athletes will have to use their best judgment when this procedure becomes an issue in their lives. Blood doping is illegal but is also somewhat undetectable. Even though there are ways to catch an athlete blood doping, the USADA still cannot catch everyone, as with any substances or ways to â€Å"get ahead†. Their goal is to make athletes realize this is an unfair advantage to athletes not blood doping. The potential risks of such a procedure seem to outweigh any potential benefits, above and beyond the ethical issues involved† (Wilmore). With all the things that can happen to a professional athlete, why risk it? If a distinct advantage is needed in endurance events, altitude training and the altitude sleep chamber seem to have far fewer risks and are currently safe and legal. And, if all else fail s, hard work and determination still count for something. Works Cited â€Å"Blood Doping. † USADA, 2011. Web. 19 Mar. 2011. ;. Brien Anthony J, Simon Toby L: The Effects of Red Blood Cell Infusion on 10- K. Race Time. JAMA 1987; 257:20:2761-2765. Catlin Don H, Murray Thomas H: Performance-Enhancing Drugs, Fair Competition, and Olympic Sport. JAMA 1996; 276:3:231-237. â€Å"Effects of Blood Doping and Gamow’s High Altitude Bed. † Blood Doping. http://spot. colorado. edu/~gamow/doping. html (9 Mar. 1997). Ghaphery Nick A: Performance-Enhancing Drugs. The Orthopedic Clinics of North America 1995; 26:3:433-442. Gledhill Norman: Blood Doping and Related Issues: a brief review. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise 1982; 14:3:183-189. â€Å"Killer drug should be tackled now, say’s expert. Blood Doping. http://www3. nando. net/newsroom/sports/oth/1996/oth/mor/feat/archive/031296/mor44236. html (9 Mar. 1997). Kois, Dan. â€Å"What Is Blood Doping? † Slate Magazine. 23 Sept. 2004. Web. 19 Mar. 2011. ;. McArdle William D, Katch Frank I, Katch Victor L: Exercise Physiology; Energy, Nutrition, and Human Performance. Second Edition: Lea and Febiger Copyright 1986; Philadelphia, PA. p. 409-411. Mirkin Gabe. â€Å"New Tests to Detect EPO Use. † Blood Doping. http://www. wdn. com/mirkin/fc51. html (9 Mar. 1997). â€Å"Prof’s Invention to Train Athletes While They Sleep. Blood Doping. http://spot. colorado. edu. /~gamow/bedpr. html (9 Mar. 1997). Smith Daniel A, Perry Paul J: The efficacy of Ergogenic Agents in Athletic Competition; Part II: Other Performance-Enhancing Agents. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 1992; 26:5:653-658. Wadler Gary I: Drug Use Update. The Medical Clinics of North America 1994; 78:2:439-455. Wilmore Jack H, Costill David L: Training for Sport and Activity; The Physiological Basis of the Conditioning Process. Third Edition: Wm. C. Brown Publishers Copyright 1988; Dubuque, IA. p. 255-257.

Economics and Opportunity Cost Essay - 1006 Words

The Cost of Something Mankiws Ten Principles of Economics Opportunity cost is the value of the next best alternative in a decision. Imagine that you have $150 to see a concert. You can either see Hot Stuff or you can see Good Times Band. Assume that you value Hot Stuffs concert at $225 and Good Times concert at $150. Both concerts cost $150 per ticket, but it would take you a couple of hours to drive to Hot Stuffs concert and you have to be in school (the next) morning for an exam. Good Times concert is right here in town. Explain how you would assess the opportunity cost of seeing Good Times in concert. What is the opportunity cost of going to Good Times concert? Develop a response that includes examples and evidence to†¦show more content†¦Both tickets for both the bands are $150 per ticket – but one is in the state of Nevada, which is about 4 hours away (not including traffic), while one is less than 10 minutes away from my home. Though both bands cost the same, I value Hot Stuff’s concert at $225. I am debating on which two bands to invest my time in seeing, or even second thinking whether or not I should stay home and rest in preparation for my GRE exam in the morning. Marginal utility is a vital economic concept used to determine how much an item a consumer will buy. By definition, marginal utility is the additional satisfaction a consumer gains from consuming one more unit of a good or service. In my particular case, I am willing to pay a marginal utility of $225 per ticket, drive 4 hours to Las Vegas, and return to Anaheim once the concert is over around 1 AM. But does that make any sense for me to spend almost 12 hours, the night before my exam, attending a concert in another state? Absolutely not! Although the satisfaction of attending a concert I’ve been waiting several years to see will be spectacular, the amount of satisfaction that comes with resting well and earning a high GRE score will be much greater. Giving up my favorite band, Hot Stuff, would be the first off the list. A good nights’ rest is simply the next best alternative to dismiss the concert. The Good Times concert at the Anaheim House of Blues sounds veryShow MoreRelatedEssay on Economics and Opportunity Cost1005 Words   |  5 Pagesweekly salary. Product market c. The manager buys dinner at Billy’s Cafà ©. Product market d. After he pays all of his employees their wages and pays his other bills, the owner of Billy’s Cafà © takes his profit. Factor market 2. List the opportunity costs of the following: a. going to college - the money you would have earned if you worked instead. b. missing a lecture – takes away from your knowledge of that lesson. c. withdrawing and spending $100 from your savings account, which earns 5Read MoreThe Economic Principles Of Tradeoff And Opportunity Cost848 Words   |  4 Pagesdecisions. Sometimes we are given a choice among multiple desired options and we must debate which one would be the best option. By using economic principles, making these decisions can become easy when we apply such economic principles as Trade offs and Opportunity Cost. 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