Kids are not Pros Essays - Youth Athletics, Sport, Fun, Play, Kids

Kids Are Not Pros An important issue is the difference between youth and professional participants of sport. The major goals of professional sports are directly linked to their status in the entertainment industry. The goals of professional sports, simply stated, are to entertain and ultimately to make money. Financial success is of primary importance and depends heavily on a product orientation, namely winning. In the professional sport world, players are commodities to be bought, sold and traded. Their value is based on how much they contribute to winning and profit making. Professional athletes are often glorified by the media to create an image intended to generate interest in the team and to draw paying customers. The professional coach?s job is to win. A win at all costs philosophy is required for advancement. Youth sports are played to develop a child and not to exploit the child for the sake of money. The most important product is not how many wins or dollars, but rather, the quality of the experience for the child. In this sense, sport participation is an educational process whereby children can learn to cope with realities they will face later in life. Although winning is sought after, it is by no means the primary goal. The profit is measured not in the terms of dollars and cents, but in terms of the skills and personal characteristics that are acquired. Fun, a term we use quite often. Certainly it?s easy to tell when people are having fun. They show it in their expression of happiness, satisfaction, and enthusiasm. Being with others, meeting challenges, feeling the drama of uncertain outcomes, becomes more skilled-all of these add to the fun of sports. ?The importance of having fun is also shown in other scientific studies. A sport psychologist, Dr. Daniel Gould, summarized the results of two surveys conducted in the United States and Canada. The studies indicated that young athletes most often say they participate in organized sports for the following reasons: 1.To have fun. 2. To improve their skills and learn new skills. 3. To be with their friends or make new friends. 4. For thrills and excitement. 5. To succeed or win 6. To become physically fit.? (Smith, 2002) A career in professional sports or even participation at the college level is an unrealistic goal for the majority of young athletes. It is therefore important to impress on youngsters that sport is but one part of life for a well-rounded person. It is all too easy for young athletes to harbor fantasies of turning pro and to sacrifice other areas of their development in pursuit of that fabled status and its rewards of fame, money and glory. As valuable as athletics can be for development children, social and academic development, spiritual enrichment, and quality of family life should not suffer. Sport can offer both fun and fulfillment, but there is more to life than sports. Perhaps the best advice we can give is to encourage children to participate in sports if they wish. But at the same time coaches should help athletes to understand that sport participation is not an end in itself, but a means of achieving various goals. You can teach them to enjoy the process of competition for itself, rather than to focus on such end products as victories and trophies. Neither victory nor defeat should be blown out of proportion, and no coach should permit a child to define his or her self-worth purely on the basis of sport performance. By keeping sports in perspective, you can make them a source of personal growth and enrichment. Youth sports are also an important social activity in which children can make new friends and acquaintances and become part of an ever-expanding social network. Furthermore, sports an serve to bring families closer together. Finally of course, youth sports are or should be just plain fun.

Freedom after September 11 essays

Freedom after September 11 essays Freedom After the September 11th Tragedy There are a very large number of people in the United States of America that may say that freedom, as we have known it, will never be the same in this country again after the Tragedy of September 11th. Although some people may think that this event has no direct effect on the freedoms of other Americans, I have a strong belief that it does. There are two major reasons that I think our freedom is in jeopardy. One reason is because the September 11th tragedy brought a multitude of stereotypes into the minds of the ignorant in America. These stereotypes put the freedoms of Islamic Americans in jeopardy. The other reason I think that our freedom is in jeopardy is that the Taliban had friends as well. If the Taliban attacked our freedom, who is to say that their friends will I immediately thought about the Americans who are of Islamic and Muslim descent when the tragedy occurred. As an African American, I know a great deal about being stereotyped; so I can see how Islamic Americans might feel during these times. Since the tragedy, many of these Islamic Americans have been stereotyped abs being terrorists or bomb manufacturers. They are looked down on and stereotyped because of their ancestry and because of the way they look. This is a violation of their freedom. Hopefully, Americans as a whole will be able to put a stop to all of the negative stereotypes because when Islamic Americans feel that they have been robbed of their freedom, our freedom as a whole will be greatly damaged, too. Another reason that I feel our countrys freedom is in danger is because of the Talibans allies. I honestly do not think that the Taliban acted alone in their attempt to destroy the United States. Everyone has at least one friend and the Taliban is no ...

Ecommerce law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ecommerce law - Essay Example Suppliers, on the other hand, are limited to bring a dispute only in the MS of the consumer's domicile (Art. 162). These rules are not limited by the 'means' that the contract was concluded (Art 151c), such that it covers contracts concluded electronically, extending the protection to e-consumers. English Common Law, on the other hand holds that the choice of law will be that chosen by the parties6 unless it is not bona fide or illegal7 and can only be overridden by the mandatory rules under the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 272. The absence of a choice of law, in this sense renders the country with the closest connection applicable.8 Under the Rome Convention (Convention), since it can apply to disputes regardless if the parties are members of a contracting state to the convention (Art 2); "a contract shall be governed by the law chosen by the parties" (Art 31). ... In the United Kingdom, these are set by the Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977, as well as precedents in Common Law. In all three laws, the applicable law will be that chosen by the parties. However, under the three laws, for the rules regarding the absence of a choice of law to be enforced, it is required that 'steps necessary for the conclusion of the contract,' as well as 'specific invitation' or 'previous advertising' are conducted in a country for that country's rules to be applicable (Convention, Art 52; Regulation, Art 133a; Unfair Contract Terms Act 272).9 These provisions, however, entail certain problems. First, the lack of clear definitions regarding fundamental concepts, such the word 'professionals' for both the Regulation and the Convention; and the definition of 'goods and services' under Art 5 1 of the Convention, which does not cover the sale of software as well as content downloads, are bound to create jurisdictional problems for consumers. Second, with regard to the Convention, the rules are not flexible enough to cover changes in the geographic location of the consumer (Art 5 4), which are common in online transactions. This is in contrast to Art 15 1c of the Regulation, where the directed activity concept caters to changes in the consumer's geographic location, provided that they are within the target audience of the professional; which unfortunately is rendered problematic due to lack of legal definition of 'professional', as mentioned above. Third, the consumer is also in danger of losing the protection of his domicile' s 'mandatory rules' as stated in Art 72 due to the requirement in Art 52 that the supplier must first indicate intent to reach a certain market to be applicable, illustrating inflexibility. Last, with

Immigration and assylum law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Immigration and assylum law - Essay Example UK is considered be a welfare state, where the constitution permits availability of required resources for its citizens and immigrants The UK government has revised its policy in this regard, and the legislators have sought the scrutiny of the process. The objective of the plan is to classify the cases of the political asylum on the basis of their eligibility. The authorities intend to implement a plan, according to which the seekers arte to be distinguished on the basis of deserving and undeserving criteria. The local population have expressed their concern over the heavy influx of political asylums, and the recent series of terrorist attacks and threats in the country has compel the authorities to revise their policies, and to thoroughly investigate the application of the asylum seekers. The government has been involved in the detention of those, whose applications have been approved, and plan to re-interrogate their application. The political asylum are considered to be problematic and homogenous group, and the government understands that it require early resolution so to avoid any chaos. The detention of the po litical asylum is therefore any bold strategy to counter for social disorder. Media has played a crucial role in this regard, the repeated discussion of political asylums, in their reports, and the expenses that government has to incur towards their health, stay and welfare, has therefore put a pressure on the government to review its policies in this regard. (Bauman, 1998) According to reports the security concerns have compel the UK government to take strong action against the asylum seekers, therefore have been incidents in the past where the asylum seekers are found guilty of criminal accusations. Asylum seekers are regularly associated with ‘illegality, racketeering and disregard for sovereign borders’. The media in its report has continuously warned the government

International Portfolio Diversification Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

International Portfolio Diversification - Essay Example They are followed by the investment strategies pursued by three international funds. In this part, the steps that they make to highlight lucrative investment have been mentioned. Improving Returns International stocks have more chances to bring higher returns in comparison with the local stocks. Investors are considerably aware of the fact that international stocks have a wide variety of characteristics. The wide variety of characteristics is capable to increase portfolio performance by diversifying across different international markets or different industries in different countries. In this regard, investing in the foreign or international markets offers difference when compared with the investment made in domestic or national market, and this difference can be comprehended in three ways. First, barriers levied by currency controls, taxation, or investor traditions may further so divide national markets that assets are priced in a national instead of an international landscape. Sec ond, the co-variances among assets within a national market are much bigger than the co-variances among different markets. Third, exchange rates between different currencies depart from each other, exposing currency to international portfolios (Gupta & Donleavy, 2009, p. 163). ... If an investor invests 100 percent of his funds in a firm producing sunscreen lotion, he will be exposed to the risk of weather events; on rainy days there will be no sales of sunscreen lotion, but on sunny days sales will be good. If the same level of investment were divided with half in the sunscreen lotion firm and half in an umbrella manufacturing company, the investment would become immune to negative weather effects and the portfolio would generate interrupted flow of returns regardless of weather patterns. The Optimal International Portfolio Diversification brings variety in investment. The optimal international portfolio combines the same risk-free assets as before (Eiteman et al., 2010, p.438). Eiteman et al. (2010) argue that the benefits of international diversification can be comprehended on the basis of the fact that the optimal international portfolio incorporates both higher expected portfolio return and lower expected portfolio risk when compared with the purely natio nal or domestic optimal portfolio. As a result, the optimal international portfolio has been established as superior and financially lucrative as compared to the optimal domestic portfolio. Global Funds Using International Portfolio Diversification Templeton Global Bond Fund The firm uses both quantitative and qualitative analysis before investing diversified funds globally (Templeton Global Bond Fund, 2012). The firm employs both quantitative and qualitative analysis along with on-the-ground research. In order to minimize the portfolio risk and increase the chances of portfolio returns, the firm utilizes the resources of local analysts across the world to identify and highlight financially

Relationship Between Ireland And Great Britain

Relationship Between Ireland And Great Britain The years during 1815-1922 saw numerous significant events that would further Irish nationalism and culminate with the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. OConnells Catholic Emancipation Bill resulted in Irish welfare becoming a key feature in British politics ever since. Yet, his subsequent failure to represent public opinion led to the split with Young Ireland. OConnells failure coupled with the perception of apathy displayed by the British during the Great Famine, led to the emergence of radicalised nationalism. Also, the increased emigration to the USA, as a consequence of the famine, resulted in a growing hostile attitude towards the British and led to the surfacing of new radical groups. Similarly, the initial failure of Parnells Home Rule movement led to further radicalisation amongst nationalists. Nevertheless, the long-term significance of it cannot be denied: the passing of the third Home Rule bill in 1912 was arguably a result of Parnells initial ability to convince the Liberals o f the need for such a bill. The prospect of Home Rule, however, led to the emergence of the UVF. Indeed, the Curragh mutiny that followed highlighted Asquiths wavering dedication to securing Home Rule to nationalists. Such realisations convinced the IRB of the need for the Rising of 1916. Certainly, the Easter Rising catalysed a series of events which saw the fall of the I.P.P. and the emergence of Sinn Fein. Moreover, the rising acted as an inspiration for Sinn Fein to follow and gave a degree of legitimacy to their goal. Thus, despite the great significance of the previous events, the Easter Rising can be regarded as a turning point as it replaced the moderate objective of achieving Home Rule with the more ambitious aim of Dominion Status. More importantly, it inspired Sinn Fein to exploit the increasing sympathy of the British public, which put pressure on the British government to create a treaty; previous events had failed to do this. The Catholic Emancipation Act 1829 can be regarded as a decisive moment in the British and Irish question. It served as a devastating blow to the protestant Ascendancy, which had been present since the late seventeenth century; they had now lost their political and economic supremacy. Significantly, it changed the fabric of British politics: it led to the emergence of an Irish party in the House of Commons. For the first time, the Irish Question was disclosed to the British government. Irish welfare was now to become a key feature in British politics. Additionally, OConnells popularity was exemplified in the County Clare election of 1828. Certainly, the election demonstrated the power and the possibilities that could be achieved with mass opinion. Thus, OConnells initial pragmatic ability cannot be denied: Oliver MacDonagh writes that before 1843 OConnell blazed the trail Westminster  [1]  . However, after this period OConnells record is one of resounding failure. There was an in creasing divide between OConnells ideology and general public opinion. OConnells sustained notion of peaceful methods to achieve repeal sparked a growing perception of OConnells timidity amongst the population. As Quigley argues his emphasis on moral force tactics was too outdated for the Irish national movement  [2]  . His split with Young Ireland, a group that now advocated the use of force, reinforces this notion. Nevertheless, OConnells actions were certainly significant in the course of the British and Irish question: because of his actions Irish welfare became a key issue at Westminster. Also, OConnells peaceful and constitutional methods were adopted by numerous individuals and remained prominent throughout a number of subsequent years. Ultimately, however, it cannot be seen as the turning point as the mass support for OConnell was short lived; this was followed by the dormancy of the I.P.P. for many years. Oliver MacDonagh concludes In the end he failed ingloriously two decades later his purposes and techniques had seemed almost to have vanished.  [3]   The Great Famine undeniably altered the course of the relationship between Britain and Ireland. As a consequence of the famine, more radical approaches were employed. Young Ireland, who blamed the British government for the famine, organised the armed rebellion of 1848; the rebellion was, however, a spectacular failure. Yet, it is important to consider the wider context- the famine led to a period of political apathy. As F.S.L. Lyons states the rebellion was totally out of touch with the world of reality  [4]  . The rebellion was significant, therefore, only in the long term: it was a possible inspiration to future successors for the republic to be fought and died for. There was an element of martyrdom, which became increasingly prominent in subsequent years. Of course, it is arguable that this element of martyrdom may have inspired the blood sacrifice, which was evident in the 1916 rising. Yet this is a somewhat romanticised view, it is perhaps more likely that the rebels realis ed that the constitutional methods of Gladstone and Parnell were not working and that nationalism was dying. In this way, it is similar to OConnell demise: there was a simple realisation that constitutional methods were not effective enough in persuading the British Government to enact change; mass opinion was equally crucial. The Great Famine also led to mass emigration with approximately two million immigrating to the USA. This was inevitably sparked by the widespread notion of abandonment towards the British government. Some historians go as far as to conclude that the British governments actions constituted genocide: J.P. Sweeney argues that the government manipulated fate by pushing people to the brink of extinction and turning away so not to hear the wailing  [5]  . The anti-British sentiment spread to the USA and this thus saw the emergence of the Fenians. Indeed, Fenian outrages in 1867, for instance, the incident in Manchester whereby the rebels became known as the Manchester Martyrs, arguably sparked Gladstones mission to pacify Ireland. Moreover, the American connection marked an important step in the growth of Irish-American political and financial support for Irish nationalist movements. Despite the growth of nationalist radicalisation, such groups remained to draw widespread support amongst the Irish population. Parnells Home Rule movement and its subsequent constitutional gains set a precedent for change. His commitment to pursuing constitutional methods was in direct contrast to the illicit methods of the Irish Nationalist Brotherhood, and this enabled Parnell to reach an agreement with the Irish Government. Certainly, Parnell was very effective in distancing himself from the violence that was employed by such groups: the shock Parnell displayed after the Phoenix Murders enabled Parnell to make huge constitutional gains as the government did not regard him as a threat- he made the concept of Home Rule a realistic objective; thus far no one had come close. The eventual failure of Home Rule, however, led to militant radical groups to surface. Nevertheless, Parnell had a profound impact on Anglo-Irish history. Parnell was, remarkably, able to convince a majority of the Irish population that Home Rule was a viable option. Undeniably, as Adelman states he turned the question of Home Rule from a vague ideal into practical politics  [6]  . Moreover, even after his death, the legacy of Parnells Home Rule movement shaped the policies of the Liberals. The introduction of the 1912 Home Rule Bill was, as Patricia Jalland states, arguably the logical consequence of a long-standing commitment  [7]  . It was Parnells Home Rule initiative that initially convinced the Liberals of the need to adopt a policy of Home Rule, and thus the passing of the 1912 Bill can be directly attributed to Parnells earlier constitutional methods. Of course, this went in front of many years of wholly unsuccessful attempts by other Irish Nationalist events; as one historian highlights, a few years previously it was difficult to believe any home rule bill would have had a reasonable chance of becoming law in the present generation  [8]  . The determination to secure Home Rule resulted in militant groups resurfacing. The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) now directly opposed the equally militant Irish Volunteers. Unionist leaders organised a Solemn League and Covenant, which attracted in excess of 250,000 signatures and pledged to resist the policy of Home Rule by all necessary means. Also, the Curragh Mutiny exposed the sympathy of army officers towards the unionists. Naturally, unionist preparations for an armed revolt triggered similar preparations by the nationalists. The significance of the mutiny lies in the UVFs realisation of the British governments lack of support from the army. In contrast, for the nationalists, the mutiny confirmed their suspicions of Asquiths dithering commitment to Home Rule. Moreover, the lingering prospect of civil war led to a realisation that any future attempt of Home Rule would result in similar conflict. Thus, in a sense, the realisation that civil war may have occurred enabled the Anglo -Irish Treaty of 1921 to work: it ensured the consideration of the partition of Ulster- if this was not considered then the treaty may well have broken down. Whilst this was not a turning point in itself, it did make the possibility of a later settlement a real possibility. The announcement of war in 1914 overshadowed the militancy of most nationalists and unionists. Yet the prospect of a distracted and stretched British government coupled with the recent formation of the Irish Volunteers, convinced the IRB to capitalise on the situation: on Easter Monday 1916, rebels stormed the GPO. The severely harsh punishments the British government subsequently employed sparked a widespread anti-British sentiment amongst the Irish population. It was at this point that the Easter Rising became a turning point. Indeed, within eighteen months, the demise of the I.P.P. was apparent and Sinn Fein came to occupy the place as the prevailing Irish nationalist party. Thus, the Easter Rising can be seen as a turning point as it initiated a stark reversal in public opinion. It is possible to argue that without the rising the fate of Irish politics would have been determined by the rather moderate objectives of Redmonds I.P.P. In essence, if the 1916 Easter Rising had not occ urred Ireland might well have settled for Home Rule as opposed to the more advanced option of Dominion status, which was later secured. As F.S.L. Lyons reaffirms, the whole constitutional movement, in the last analysis, was the chief casualty of 1916.  [9]   The tactics used by the rebels of 1916 also acted as an inspiration to Sinn Fein and the newly found IRA. The Rising led to an era of pursuing direct political or physical action. Certainly, their decision to boycott the Government of Ireland Act 1920 was indicative of Sinn Feins utter contempt towards British rule over Ireland. Additionally, their persistence of new terrorist tactics in the Anglo-Irish War led to the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. However, it is important to note that ever since Parnells Home Rule Policy there was an increasing element of British sympathy present towards the Irish population. OBrien confirms this notion: Ever since the genius of Parnell compelled Gladstone to propagate the Irish question in England, the English have assumed an attitude of pity and commiseration towards Ireland  [10]  . This was crucial- many historians have argued that it was the pressure from the British public that prompted the prospect of a treaty; as D.G. Boyce writes, it was t he revolt of the British conscience, not the defeat of the British army, that obliged Lloyd George to seek terms of peace and settlement with Sinn Fein  [11]  . Nevertheless, previous events had simply failed to capitalise on this point. The Easter Rising can, therefore, be considered as the turning point as it inspired the IRA to use violence, which would spark a reaction of the British government. This in turn, sparked an outrage in Britain and thus put increased pressure on the British to secure a civilised settlement with Ireland. Of course, the initial reaction to the British Governments punishments in 1916 demonstrated to the IRA Britains propensity to alienate masses of people. In conclusion, the years 1815-1922 saw a multitude of events, which changed the relationship between Britain and Ireland. OConnell saw that Irish welfare became a key element in British politics and his constitutional methods along with his ability to garner mass support remained a prominent method in subsequent years. Yet OConnells later failure coupled with the Great Famine initiated an increasingly radical approach, resulting in Young Irelands 1848 rebellion and Fenian outrages in 1867. Similarly, Parnells initial failure to secure Home Rule led to the surfacing of militant groups. Yet, these events crucially failed to use constitutional methods based on mass support in conjunction with an element of radicalism. It was not until after the Easter Rising of 1916 where both of these methods were employed. The Rising initiated the demise of the I.P.P. and saw the emergence of Sinn Fein and the formation of the Dail Eireann. This was, of course, complemented by the creation of the IRA, which was part of the new philosophy of physical action, which stemmed from the rising. This led to Dominion status being granted to Ireland. Certainly, the notion that the rising led to the more advanced dominion status as opposed to the moderate objective of Home Rule further reiterates that the Easter Rising was the turning point in the long-standing British and Irish question; as McGarry writes the Rising is the defining event of the modern Irish republican tradition  [12]  . Word Count: 2355

Ecotage :: Environmental Activism Essays

Ecotage In recent decades, as environmental loss has grown as fast as our population, hundreds of plans, programs, groups and organizations have been established in order to uncover and solve the causes of world-wide environmental destruction. Many of these programs are initiated and funded by federal, state and local government and are mainly targeted at general problems and result in minimal success. Other groups have been formed by private parties who usually hold more compassion and concern for the causes they are working for. However, these organizations are easily hindered by political resistance and result in equally discouraging results. Of course, there have been many instances in which environmental groups have attained victory through political debates and litigation; yet the amount of failed attempts far outweighs the victories. Political debating is incredibly difficult due to the power and financial support given to politicians by special interest groups. However, there is one other form of activism which has had an incredible success rate, at least in gaining attention and forcing their voices to be heard. This form of activism, commonly referred to as ecotage, focuses precisely on the activities of companies and industries which seriously damage the environment. These actions are never aimed at harming individuals, while private property is for the destroying. One common act of ecotage is the driving of long metal spikes vertically through the base of trees. Subsequently, as the logger attempts to saw the 'spiked' tree, the chain on the saw snaps, thus delaying the murder of the tree as well as causing a financial burden for the individual or company. Other activities involve ruining bulldozers by adding sand or similar abrasives to the gasoline, which results in seized bulldozer engines. In times of increased urgency for the protection of our remaining ecosystems, organizations such as Greenpeace and Earth First! have proven their ability to be effective and have their voices heard regarding the permanent preservation of our dwindling environment. While Greenpeace has been the traditional radical environmentalist group of the 70's and 80's, modern, revolutionary type activists feel the 'peace' is now a higher priority than the 'green'. Earth First!, started by Dave Forman, has become the front-runner in civil disobedience and direct, non-violent environmental activism. Their principles are simple, "It is a belief in biocentrism, or Deep Ecology, and a practice of putting our beliefs into action" (Unclaimed, 1997 [see references]). Earth First! feels no regard for the well-being of anyone or thing except the environment and its natural inhabitants, thus the name Earth First!.