Environmental Pharmaceutical Pollution

Drugs contaminating the earth is on the rise because there is more and more drugs being used. Drugs usage from 1993-2003 has rose 73%. The United States EPA in 2000 named pharmaceuticals and personal care products as one of the top five "emerging" contaminants. The contaminants are microorganisms and chemicals. In 2002 the United States performed a survey on the waterways and concluded that evidence of these contaminants is on the rise. Some affects on the wildlife is Wild Geese becoming resistant to ampicillin and Vultures in India dying from Diclofenac. Concentrations of six components in sunscreen have been found in fish. These contaminants are finding there way to the environment by sewage systems and landfills. Pharmaceuticals are entering the environment because 54% of people throw there medicine in the trash and 35% flush it down the toilet. Research has found that 13 medications found in drinking water inhibits cell growth and causes changes in human embryonic cells. Medications in the United States are disposed of because medications are discontinued and nursing homes use billions of dollars of medication. Ways to reduce medications in nature are to educate consumers how to dispose of meds, not to prescribe more medication than being used, and stop using drugs that harm the environment.

http://www.teleosis.org/presentations/environmental_burden.ppt
http://www.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=8819&codi=47077&lr=1
http://www.sixwise.com/newsletters/06/02/16/pharmaceutical-pollution-what-it-is-and-how-pharmaceutical-pollution-threatens-your-health.htm

Legalize Drugs................... psh no.

In Mexico drug cartels murdering people have been the headlines in many news stories for the last two years. Violence is between the cartels and law enforcement against the cartels. Thousands of people have died from the “war on drugs”. The reason for this violence is because the drugs they sell are prohibited. This causes the cartels to do everything secretly and if some kind of crime is committed they can not go to the police. This is because what they are doing is illegal and they handle the problem themselves by killing the perpetrator. This same problem occurred when alcohol was banned but it’s not anymore because it has been legalized. Jeffrey A. Miron said that the only way to stop this problem is to legalize illegal drugs. I think that drugs should not be legalized because you would be giving the drug cartels what they want because they could sell there drugs freely. The cartels will still be in control of the drugs even if they are legalized. The only way to stop this problem is for the nations with drug problems to come together and find the cartels and prosecute them. Many people are talking about wanting to legalize marijuana. If this drug is legalized it would help few if any of the problems of the “war on drugs”. If drugs were legalized there would be an extreme amount of medical attention needed for the users because of overdosing or long term use. I think that drugs should not be legalized because the problems that would occur from legalization would be far worse then what’s going on now.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/24/miron.legalization.drugs/index.html
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1.htm
http://www.gargaro.com/drugs.html

Tobacco

Everyday the United States spends millions of dollars trying to keep illegal drugs out of the United States. Smoking is the leading most preventable cause of death in the world yet the drug is legal. The U.S. Surgeon General released a report saying that smoking causes problems in every organ of the body. Smoking has been linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the cervix, kidney, pancreas and stomach. Smoking kills an estimated 440,000 Americans each year. Men and women that smoke cut their lifetime by 13-15 years. Tobacco is the most dangerous and lethal drug in the United States. 2,000 kids in the United States become addicted to smoking everyday. 90% of smokers begin smoking at or before the age of 18. Many people that believe smoking should be illegal call the tobacco companies “the merchants of death”. Since people are learning about the facts of smoking tobacco companies have to find ways on how to keep there business going. They add an addictive drug called nicotine to the cigarette causing the user to become addicted to there product. Tobacco companies are also trying new things for the consumers to get them addicted like making nicotine throat lozenges and water pipes. Water pipes are when you smoke tobacco through water making the consumer think it’s safer but it is no different then smoking a cigarette. The only way to stop the deaths from tobacco is to make the drug illegal.

http://www.con-suming.com/Tobacco/should_tobacco_be_legal.htm
http://www.stopsmokingsteps.com/2007/11/24/tobacco-should-be-made-illegal/http://www.rutherford.org/articles_db/commentary.asp?record_id=282

"DADDY!".... "Umm... hunny.... did you forget to take the pill?!?!"

Guys and Gals get the pressure to have sex from many people. Guys can be feel pressured to have sex from their friends also known as peers, buds, pals etc. also their girlfriend. They may feel that their not "as cool" as their friends until they loss their virginity. Girls get pressured mostly by their friends or their boyfriend. In a recent national poll, more than one-third [37 percent] of teen girls said they have felt pressure from a partner to have sex and almost half [45 percent] of teen boys said they have felt pressure from friends. (Thanks Corbin) Drugs and Alcohol can alter people's brain and can make them different so-to-say for awhile. While their brains are not in the right mind, they may accidentally have sex or do something they will regret (have sex). If that's not what you meant and you meant who pressures girls and boys to do drugs and alcohol? Then girls and boys are pressured to do drugs and alcohol from the same people who pressure them to have sex. They have to fit in with the crowd of people they hang out with. If they crowd they hang out with does drugs then they will do drugs. So friends and girlfriends/boyfriends pressure people to do certain things.
Making decision is a ginormous part of life; some people go about just following the crowd and others make decision's for themselves. If they don't want to drink, then they don't drink, as compared to someone not being sure if they want to drink or not... but their friend is doing it then... why not I'll do it. This is also known as being active or passive in decision making. Obviously making your own decision is better than being a follower because you are doing what YOU want to be doing. I make my own decisions for myself. I believe it is the right way to go and that way you are always in control of your life.

Industrialized Farming What?!

There are many different thoughts about industrialized farming- is it good or is it bad? Well there are many reasons for people to believe both. For starters industrialized farming is beneficial to the human population because it...

• Lets farmers meet there quotas quickly and make more money
• Convenient for the consumer
• Produces foods is mass quantities on demand

Like anything else industrialized farming does have it's down falls. These include...

• Damaging fisheries
• Cleanup of surface and groundwater polluted with animal waste
• Increased health risks from pesticides
• Increased ozone pollution and global warming from heavy use of fossil fuels

As you have seen there are both pros and cons to this kind of new farming. Yes it may be sufficient for America and allow food to be produced in mass quantities to feed everyone. But in the long run, pesticides and harmful chemicals used to help grow the food faster cancause a disease later on in life.
It maybe a better idea to cut down on the chemicals used or to even

Oh Joy... Soy! not.

Soy is found in everyday foods such as cereal, cheese, and M&Ms, therefore it can not be bad for your body. However, if you consume soy in particularity large portions without considering all the other food groups you may experience poor side effects. Now, a diet solely based on soy would NOT be good for anyone. As we have learned: the perfect diet consists of a balanced meal consisting of the five main food groups. I for one am not a fan of diets... I think they can only hinder your performance even if they may contain certain chemicals that supposedly help you in some fields. Soy is said to reduce your chances of getting cancer, put people in a better mood, and give us energy but these are the facts if you only consume soy in normal portions. Let's think... medicine is a good thing right... if you take too much medicine you overdose, and could possibly die, too much of a good thing is bad. A soy diet would definitely not be the way to go, as I have read..."For American industry, the age-old Asian method of using the whole soybean and fermenting it to remove its toxins took too long and the end product was often dull and tasteless. To speedily process soy "waste" into soy protein products, U.S. soy producers washed beans with alkaline, heated and pressure-cooked them, combating their naturally bitter taste with sugar and infusing them with additives to prevent spoiling. This process greatly improved flavor but removed many of the beneficial nutrients." This quote rests my case about a soy diet ever possibly being good in Amercia. My advice: STICK TO THE FOOD GROUPS PEOPLE.

Conflict Resolution

A conflict by definition is a struggle or a disagreement between two or more people and having the power of choice, these problems arise often in daily life. Although disputes may cause problems, if you resolve them effectively you can use them to your advantage. Conflict resolution in many cases can have positive outcomes such as...

• Increases Understanding: This helps people talk about what was wrong and what they can do in the future to prevent a conflict from arising.
• Increased Group Cohesion: When conflict is resolved effectively, team members can gain more respect for one another; learning their values.
  

• Improved Self-Knowledge: In solving problems, people can learn more about themselves, their values, and what they want in life.
  

With that said, if a conflict is not solved effectively it may have poor outcomes...

• Avoiding contact
• Numerous quarrels
  

There are many methods used in effective conflict resolution. Most of these methods rely on your confidence, the way you present yourself, and your intentions. One way is being competitive, this means that you present yourself in a state of power, and know what you want, you do not let others get in your way. Another method would be collaborate, meaning you join all ideas into one, you please everyone. Accommodating, is yet another method used for effective conflict resolution. Although in this method you, yourself may not get what you want, you are willing to sacrifice your needs and put other first thus preventing problems and disagreements. The last way would be completely avoiding the person whom you are in a dispute with, if you never see this person, how do you fight? You don't.

I personally do think these methods are effective. They can help everyone, they fit any personality and can help you from avoiding the problem before it even starts. These are great ways to avoid conflict with other classmates, coworkers, and even family members.

GREAT DECISIONS!

Making decisions can be rough and hard sometimes. They can lead you to good consequences and bad consequences, depending on your decision. In order to make a good decision we learned the method "GREAT." Give thought to the problem. Review our choices. Evaluate the consequences of each choice. Assess and choose the best choice. Think it over after. Using GREAT is a fantastic way to make a decision, it condenses all the important ideas into one process… helping one out in a time of need.

One process I found online was called: Decision-Making Process
This involves a series of 6 sets…

1. Define and clarify the issue … does it call for action? If so, right now? Is the matter urgent, important or both.
2. Gather all the facts and understand their causes.
3. Think about or brainstorm possible options and solutions.
4. Consider and compare the pros and cons of each option.
5. Select the best option - avoid imprecision or 'foot in both camps' compromise.
6. Explain your decision to those involved and affected, and follow up to ensure proper and effective completion.

This process is a great process to use when one is in a bind; it gives you all the key steps to make sure you make the best choice. This process is longer then some and contains more in-depth thought provoking questions. It may not be as easy as the GREAT process.

I also discovered the PLUS: Decision-Making Process

Step 1: Define the problem
Step 2: Identify available alternative solutions to the problem
Step 3: Evaluate the identified alternatives
Step 4: Make the decision
Step 5: Implement the decision
Step 6: Evaluate the decision

The PLUS decision-making process is almost exactly the same process as GREAT. It involves all the same key ideas. It is a decent way to make a decision. Personally, I would use the GREAT process to make a decision. The process seems simplified as much as possible to our high school level. It makes it as easy as possible to make the right choice. But no matter what, I bet any one of these process would help someone out in a time of need.

The extraordinary sport of swimming is one of a kind, it's cardiovascular and strengthening at the same time. The feeling of moving weightlessly through the water is indescribable. Although some can be challenged once faced with water, it takes practice to become confident. Swimming is considered an aerobic workout because the body needs a constant flow of oxygen. Although there are some circumstances where swimming can be considered an anaerobic sport, for instance, when sprinting is involved. Swimming is a great work out for larger people, who may have trouble being on their feet because the density of the human body is very similar to that of water. The water supports the body and less stress is therefore placed on joints and bones. People with arthritis or other disabilities use water to improve fitness and range of motion and to relieve pain and stiffness. The sport is often used in rehabilitation centers or for handicapped citizens to get their exercise. Reducing stress levels and creating a good posture are two great reasons to practice this sport. This is a great exercise in general for everyone to stay fit, it works all the major muscle groups, including the shoulders, back, abdominals, legs, hips, and glutes. And because water offers 12 times the resistance as air in every direction, it really helps to build strength. This sport is a great practice for people with exercise-induced asthma. The warm, humid air passes easily through their airways causing less irritation. Swimming in my opinion may be the most ideal sport, it is a perfect way to stay fit for every age, no matter what someones condition is they can still move around in the water, and stay fit. I recommend swimming to everyone, it is a great sport.