Did the NFL Hide the Long-Term Risks Associated with Playing NFL Football?

Everyone has heard about players in the NFL getting injured, many of these injuries being along the lines of head trauma and concussions. The mechanism of injury of a concussion produces enough harm alone, but the damage doesn’t stop at the time of impact. Victims may find themselves suffering from permanent brain damage years later. Hundreds of current and former NFL players have experienced concussions, but some of them are facing these long-term effects and are now trying to do something about it.

Over a hundred former players are filing lawsuits against the NFL for hiding from the possible neurological dangers of playing in the league. Those involved with the lawsuits claim that the NFL did not offer enough of a warning to the players about the risks associated with concussions, even though information has been available since the early 1920s. The players argue, though, that the information was not just withheld, but that information offered was misleading. They say that the league knew of the consequences but used biased internal studies, leading the players to believe a much smaller chance existed of suffering from long-term problems.

The biggest concern, in regards to the long-term effects of head trauma, is Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). This is a degenerative disease of the brain caused by repetitive head trauma. Variable amounts of time can pass from the time of an accident until notable changes in the brain occur. Memory loss, confusion, impaired judgment, depression, and progressive dementia are all associated with CTE.

Many former NFL players have suffered from this degenerative brain disease and unfortunately it has cost many of them their lives. Justin Strzelczyk, a former offensive lineman for the Pittsburgh Steelers, died in a car crash caused by hallucinations he was having. Very recently, former NFL linebacker Junior Seau was found dead of a self inflicted gunshot to the chest. The emotional and psychological effects of CTE have taken the lives of many.

Jim McMahon, a former quarterback for multiple NFL teams, is playing a major role in the lawsuit. He tells about his trouble with short-term memory and the problems it has caused him:

Though it is a horrible thing to see these iconic players struggling, some even losing their lives, the NFL is ready to fight the lawsuits. The league has plenty of defenses lined up, however they are hoping for the lawsuits to be dismissed. One of their biggest counterarguments is the assumption of risk that players signed off for before playing in the league. Players learned the game long before playing for the NFL and were aware that the game is intended to chance injuries. There is also no definite cause for any victims’ suffering. Before entering the NFL, players obviously participated in the sport for years prior. There is no evidence that the effects some of these players suffer from are caused directly by their participation in the NFL rather than accidents happening throughout high school or college. Though CTE is caused by numerous accounts of head trauma, doubts are raised that these incidents related to the degenerative brain disease are solely due to partaking in the NFL.

Despite the fact that the players knew the risks associated with what they were signing up for, they cannot be blamed. They are football players, not medical doctors. Their job is to play the game while the leagues job is to care for their players. They have tried to increase the safety of their athletes in December of 2011 by creating a new concussion protocol, which is one step in the right direction, but is not nearly enough.  Considering the dangers related to the concussions obtained on a regular basis in this sport, the NFL would benefit, and avoid further lawsuits, if they educated their athletes more and further warned them of the extensive risks they are taking.

Enabling the Blind to See

Have you ever seen a dog with a vest on and wonder what it meant? More than likely the dog is either in training or working. There are many varieties of work that the dog may be doing such as guiding a blind person, helping someone with autism, or even being an aid to a war veteran who is handicapped. Along with these different types of works are different types of organizations that specialize in a certain area. One of the most well known organizations is Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit guide dog school with a 50-year legacy of providing the blind and visually impaired with a new way of living with their superior dogs.

Now these dogs don’t become excellent guide dogs all on their own. This process relies completely on volunteers who want to help! To become a volunteer you must first attend pre-placement classes where you will learn what is expected of you once you get the puppy. After receiving your puppy that is best matched to your personality, you and your puppy will go to regularly scheduled classes in order to continue advancing on the progress made. These pups are just too adorable, who could resist this opportunity?

The commitment of a puppy raiser usually lasts between 16-18 months, while there are other options of either choosing to start a puppy or finish one. Starting a puppy are for those who really enjoy the puppy stage or may not have the ability to handle an adolescent dog. Others will prefer to skip the house training and would like to finish an older puppy that they can take to work or school with them, or leave in a crate for a short while without having to worry about anything.

Labrador Retrievers are the majority of the dogs that are bred at the Guiding Eyes facilities as well as some Golden Retrievers and German Shepherds. Labs are particularly chosen for their temperament and intelligence. Their friendliness and patience make them perfect applicants for the job.

There are many stages while raising a guide dog. After about a month or two with your new puppy, your pup is tested to see how well it is progressing. If he/she meets the standard requirements they are given a bandana to show they are a guide dog in training. This also lets others around you aware that the puppy is in training and they should ask you for permission to pet the pup before just approaching.

Then after the pup is six months old they are tested again but this time they receive a vest if they pass. This vest is the next step up in their training and helps them to understand that when the vest is on, it is work time not play.

When the dog is around 16-18 months old, they attend what is called an IFT (In For Training). This is a month long process where the dog is tested under numerous occasions. If they pass the requirements, they stay there and continue for about another six months in order to be fully prepared when helping a blind person. Once they are matched with the right person they attend a graduation with their new partner and the two of them can start their new lives together.

However, if the dog does not pass their IFT they undergo additional temperament evaluations in order to determine the best career path for the dog. These careers may be with the Healing Autism organization associated with Guiding Eyes for the Blind or the dog may be able to help out in other fields such as police work.

If the guide dog continues to not pass these options as well they are released. Released means the dog has temperament and/or health issues that prevent them from participating in these careers. They are offered for adoption first by the puppy raiser and then to the public. And some dogs may even be picked for breeding in which they will not be selected for these other careers as well, in hopes of raising new pups with their prestigious qualities.

Although at the end of the 16-18 months the raiser must give back the pup, knowing that your dog will soon be giving a blind person a priceless gift is an incredible honor all on its own. Meet Chloe, a guide dog, and Sami Stoner, a 16 year-old girl who loses her sight but is still able to follow her dream as a cross-country runner thanks to Chloe. Any part of the Guiding Eyes process is extremely rewarding and people continue to share their experiences as a puppy raiser or as a puppy receiver. If you’re up for a little challenge, many people are waiting for your help!

Do the Illuminati exist?

Do the Illuminati exist?

I’m sure you’ve heard it before: the never-ending conspiracy theories questioning the existence of the Illuminati.  The Illuminati, said to be a global elite society that seeks to take control of the world, has been around for hundreds of years.  The surge of media coverage in recent years has had a major impact on the exposure of the Illuminati in our society.

Today, the Illuminati are thought to be people who are seen as prominent social figures in our society such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Kanye West, and Rihanna.  Many conspiracy theories claim that the Illuminati are the driving force behind efforts to brainwash our naive population through manipulation, the press, the educational curriculum and the political leadership of nations.  The Illuminati are also said to have control of the world’s major banks and can create inflations, recessions, depressions, and manipulate world markets.

The music industry is a central focus of Illuminati exposure in the media.  There are countless music videos and songs that have been analyzed by historians and show blatant connections to this elite society.  Rihanna’s “Umbrella” music video (which just happens to feature Jay-Z) has been analyzed and is said to have many sinister connections to evil and the Illuminati.

Lady Gaga in particular has played a chief role in recent Illuminati exposure.  The majority, if not all, of her music videos have been said to have some type of reference to the Illuminati and Satanic mind control.  Here are some examples of these references.

Pretty convincing, huh?  Another prominent example of the Illuminati is seen through “one eye” photos.  This “All-Seeing-Eye”, also located on top of the pyramid on the US dollar bill, is representative of the Illuminati constantly watching and having control over our society.

(Jay-Z displaying the Illuminati “one-eye” symbol; Evil Music Industry)

(Lady Gaga in multiple “one-eye” photos; Slate)

(Rihanna posing in a “one-eye” photo; The Alien Project)

This symbol of the Illuminati has come to be known as one of the most recognizable.  Ever take a close look at a dollar bill?

As previously stated, on the top of the pyramid is a single “all-seeing” or God’s eye, which has no true significance to American culture.  According to the Illuminati, the eye corresponds to the Masonic representation of Great Architect the Universe.  Below the Illuminati eye symbol are the words: “Novus Ordo Seclorum” which translates to “A new order of the ages”.  This sounds a lot like a supreme power taking over the world to me!  You also may have noticed the repetition of the number thirteen various places on the dollar bill.  The reason for this is that the term “Illuminati” refers to the 13 bloodline families that make up a major portion of this dominant elite, so the dollar bill compensates for this by having numerous bunches of “thirteen” symbols.

After much research on the topic, Dr. John Coleman, a historian on the Illuminati, published Conspirators’ Hierarchy: The Story of the Committee of 300 in 1992.  The intent and purpose of the Committee of 300 is summarized below:

“A One World Government and one-unit monetary system, under permanent non-elected hereditary oligarchists who self-select from among their numbers in the form of a feudal system as it was in the Middle Ages. In this One World entity, population will be limited by restrictions on the number of children per family, diseases, wars, famines, until 1 billion people who are useful to the ruling class, in areas which will be strictly and clearly defined, remain as the total world population. 

     There will be no middle class, only rulers and the servants. All laws will be uniform under a legal system of world courts practicing the same unified code of laws, backed up by a One World Government police force and a One World unified military to enforce laws in all former countries where no national boundaries shall exist. The system will be on the basis of a welfare state; those who are obedient and subservient to the One World Government will be rewarded with the means to live; those who are rebellious will simple be starved to death or be declared outlaws, thus a target for anyone who wishes to kill them. Privately owned firearms or weapons of any kind will be prohibited.”

According to Coleman, people react with disbelief and skepticism when the term “Illuminati” is thrown into conversation, oblivious to the fact that they have been brainwashed to react in just that way.  This “conditioned type” of response tends to completely terminate a person’s thinking and opinion of the topic at hand.

Still not convinced that this elite group of Satanists exists?  Consider the recent death of Whitney Houston.  Although it is believed that the cause of death was excessive drug use, evidence suggests that it was actually a satanic sacrifice of the Illuminati by those close to her in the entertainment industry with their own sinister agenda.

The skepticism surrounding the Illuminati has been around for such a long time that it may seem to be just another conspiracy theory, like subliminal advertising or the JFK assassination.  But the next time you watch a Lady Gaga music video, don’t be surprised if you catch yourself noticing the hidden, cynical messages.

Possible Research Paper Topics

One possible topic I may write about is the Kony 2012 campaign that is seen all over the Internet lately. It is an attempt to stop Joseph Kony from abducting children and forcing them to serve as his children soldiers. Everyone is hoping on the band wagon and sharing the video introducing the campaign, but does everyone know what they’re supporting? I’m not saying people should not support the cause, but I think they need to know more about what they are helping with. Most people have heard the 2005 version story of Joseph Kony, but a lot can change in 7 years.

 

http://www.kony2012.com/

 

Another possible topic is mental illnesses in American children. It seems like more children are diagnosed with a mental illness than not. 2011 data shows that over 46% of children were diagnosed with some sort of mental illness at some point in their life. These numbers were not this high a few decades ago, but why? Do we have new technology and better educated doctors to diagnose more cases, or are there a number of misdiagnosed children? 9 percent of these kids are said to have ADHD. Is there really that many out there? Or is it possible that kids just being kids is now seen as a mental illness?

 

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYDIS_CHILD.shtml

 

A third possibility is the issue of single-gender schooling. Do boys-only and girls-only schools make a difference in the education of the kids attending? If so, why and how does it make a difference? Studies have shown that girls do better in single gender schools than boys. This may be because of the lack of distraction of the opposite sex in the school setting. The number of single gender schools has been gradually decreasing since the 1970s, but if they’re beneficial, why not try to popularize them again?

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2009/mar/18/secondary-schools-girls-gcse-results

 

 

 

Research Paper Topics

One topic I am considering writing about is Japan’s dolphin hunting culture. The Japanese fail to see that what they are doing is animal abuse and in return they are unknowingly poisoning their people, including children, with mercury. Studies show that dolphin meat has an extremely high amount of mercury in it and the Japanese are murdering around 23,000 dolphins each year and selling their meat in disguise of whale meat. This video shows how Japanese people are being poisoned and they have no clue about it. In the documentary “The Cove”, it is evident that the Japanese do not have a concrete reason as to why they do this. They go out of their way to hide everything and keep public away from their hidden cove. I believe the Japanese should pay for the harm they do and should be shut down immediately.

http://www.thecovemovie.com/

Another potential topic for my research paper is job outsourcing. Everyday, American jobs are being replaced by people in other countries. In places such as India, the same working laws we have here in the United States are not enforced therefore causing many of these people to be over worked and be paid a lot less than in America. Meanwhile, Americans are losing their jobs and are unable to provide for their families, especially in todays economy. I don’t believe this is fair and is only hurting Americas economy more all because big companies care more about money than their workers. The article below explains this issue and also mentions how the president is “starting to get on board the anti-outsourcing bus.”

http://economyincrisis.org/content/outsourcing-india-does-not-create-american-jobs

The war on Darfur is another possible issue that I might wish to research. These genocides have been going on since 2003 and the US has decided to do next to nothing about it. This article expresses the little effort that the US has done. I think this is selfish to not try and lend a hand, they talk about helping and have plenty of petitions and meetings but not enough has actually been done. If an average American were to spend one hour in those villages, they would be complaining how they want to get out of there yet Darfurians have no choice and all they ask for is help to survive. The poorest conditions in America would be luxurious to the people of Darfur and yet Americans still want more.

http://www.cfr.org/sudan/darfur-crisis-continues/p10600

Illuminati

Gap year

Public vs. Private School

Prospecting for good research questions

The first potential topic I may write about is the Illuminati.  There are many conspiracy theories as to whether or not they actually exist.  A lot of evidence exists supporting their existence and there are clues on very well known items such as the dollar bill.  Right now I am reading a book called Angels and Demons that is all about the Illuminati and I have always been very interested in them.  The idea that a higher power controls everything we do is scary yet extremely interesting to think about.  The more I learn about it, the more convinced I become and writing a research paper and actually reading into the Illuminati would be very interesting. 

 

Should teens in the U.S. adopt the British custom of taking a “gap year” between high school and college?  This is another very interesting topic that I did not even knew existed until I stumbled upon it on the Internet.  There are many pros and cons to such an idea, such as being more mature when you finally enter college and wasting an entire year of your life when you could be ahead of the game.  British people seem to be a little more relaxed and under control as compared to Americans, so maybe by adopting this policy Americans will be able to travel and be stress free for a year of their life.  In that year teenagers can do a lot to help out society.

 

Private Schools vs. Public Schools/Same Sex Schools vs. Co-ed

There is a lot of conspiracy when it comes to whether or not a private school is actually better than a public school.  In my opinion, paying $10,000 a year for high school seems ridiculous.  After high school, college is another huge chunk of money that is mandatory to pay for. I also think that public schools offer a more well rounded system for its students as opposed to a private school.  I definitely think that co-ed is a lot better than an all girls school or all boys school and it helps you to meet a lot more people.

Window vs. Mirror Effect

This week we’ve covered a lot of advertising techniques. Every bit of the picture of an advertisement is like it is for a reason; the artists and designers put a lot of thought into every piece. Two strategies that we talked about briefly are the window and mirror effects. They are things you see everywhere but I never noticed what an effect they had on the viewer. Two very popular products that use these techniques are Proactiv and the workout video series p90x.

 

The majority of Proactiv commercials and advertisements go with the mirror effect. They portray a famous person, including Kelly Clarkson, Jessica Simpson, Brooke Shields, and Britney Spears. These faces are very easily recognized when seen, but every commercial start off saying how they are just like every other young person with acne. They are making themselves relatable to the viewer by sharing a common imperfection. The commercials don’t say that clearing your acne up will make you famous, so they put whomever that famed spokesperson is in the same position as viewers.

 

Inversely, p90X goes with a different approach, the window effect. Every person portrayed in these advertisements is in great shape, whether it be men with huge muscles or a thin, toned women. They all have the bodies that the majority of the population wants. It shows you what you could be if you use the product. It shows results and grabs the viewers’ attention. Making the buyers want the results displayed is what will get them to buy the actual product.

 

Both methods are very effective in selling a product. How the viewer sees the product depends on which method is chosen. The window effect sells the results, while the mirror effect sells by sharing traits with the viewers.