Analysis on Lance Armstrong Doping Essay Example for Free

Analysis on Lance Armstrong Doping Essay No, the consequences brought upon Armstrong are completley inappropriate. The actions taken against him undergone by Travis Tygart and USADA are over the top. The fact that Lance doped is undeniable, he did it, but so did every other Tour de France contender and their teammates. Why should the man who won against other dopers have his life ruined? Why should a man who has helped millions of cancer patients have to step down from his organization and pay off the tax breaks of his charity? Well apparently Lance has to. Apparently, he has to pay fines due to his winnings, tax breaks, sponsorship money, etc. All he did was do EPO (like everyone else) and win the hardest cycling race in the world. Seven times. He was driven by his infamous focus on the task at hand, and raise cancer awareness globally. His athletic achievments outside of cycling are now getting the can too, including his win at the Boston Marathon, numerous Ironman 70.3 results, and various others. Mark Cavendish tweeted â€Å"Are people so naive they think cyclings the only sport with a hidden past? Maybe its just the only sport where a hidden pasts come out.† Baseball, football, various other sports have athletes taking performance enhacing drugs, why doesnt Barry Bonds, or Mark McGuires have their reputation tarnished and dragged through the streets? All of Lances sponsors have dropped him, including: Trek Bikes, FRS, Nike, Anheuser-Busch, Oakley, and 24 Hour Fitness. To wrap it up, theres been rumors of a divorce going around. Good job Travis Tygart, Pat McQuaid, Media hounds, and USADA investigators. You couldnt just leave it alone after years and years of failure, you ruined an American heros life and reputation, I hope youre satisfied.

History of Gout Research

History of Gout Research Hyperuricemia is a biochemical defect distinguished by Serum uric acid (sUA) level greater than 6.8mg/dl (Sunkureddi et al. 2006). In majority of cases (90%), hyperuricemia arise due to reduced excretion of uric acid by kidneys, whereas in residual cases (10%), there is enlarged production of uric acid (Canella et al. 2005). . Gout is an illness that is correlated to overload synthesis, and deposition of uric acid crystals. These crystals form secondary to hyperuricemia that is a serum urate concentration greater than 0.42 mmol/L (Eggebeen et al. 2007; Chen et al. 2008). Hyperuricemia and gout are significantly high risks for kidney or bladder stones (urolithiasis).The prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia among US adults in 2007–2008 was 3.9% (Zhu et al. 2011) while 18% observed in the German population (Mikuls et al. 2007). They are highly prevalent and have treatment preposition beyond the care of inflamed joints. Gouty arthritis were amongst the initial disease to be documented in clinical entity, Identified by the Egyptians in 2640 BC (Nuki et al. 2006), podagra (acute gout stirring in the first metatarsophalangeal joint) was later on recognized by Hippocrates in the fifth century BC, who termed as ‘the unwalkable disease’. Some of Hippocrates’ outstanding clinical perception in relation to gout are potted in aphorisms, which are as accurate today as they were 2500 years ago (Hippocrates et al. 1886). Hippocrates also distinguished the connection between the disease and an unbalanced lifestyle referring to podagra as ‘arthritis of the rich’, as contrasting to rheumatism, an arthritis of the deprived people There are the four differents stages that medical professionals use to classify for the gout. The Asymptomatic gout, The Acute gout ,The Chronic goutand The Interval or intercritical goutIn asymptomatic goutthere is increase in the level of uric acid with the complaint of increase in the pain in the joints and there is no more symptoms. In acute gout this patients have too much pain in their joints and there is a swelling and assiated with the redness of joints.90% of patients have attack on their big toe. Other joints involved are ankle,midfoot heel and knee but any joints can be involved. The attack with gout can be resolved within one or two days. In the interval gout stage there is acute gouty flares and the patients has no symptoms.there is increase in the number of gouty attack if the uric acid level below 6 mg/dl .the most of patients have attack but they have never exprinced another attack of gout, Chornic gout develops because of high level of uric acid in their body for man y years.firm nodular swelling is called tophi.the tophi can occurs anywhere the most common location are antihelix and helix of ear,digits of feet and hands. (Hench et al.1936; Nakayama et al. 1984). It is estimated that the incidence and prevalence of gout and hyperuricemia in the USA are over 6 and 42 million, respectively, with a progressively increasing pattern and affecting mainly men over the age of 40 years (Lawrence et al. 2008). The rate of gout in African living in America is generally about 13% of the US population, and is double in comparison with Caucasians to develop gout. In a prospective cohort study, young men 571 Caucasian and 352 African living in America were followed for a mean duration of 29 years. The growing incidence of gout in these 2 cohorts was 5.8% and 10.9%, correspondingly. Yet, African living in America represent only 10% of the patients treated for gout.(Alvin et al2012) All the way through history gout has been linked with rich foods and extreme alcohol consumption. Because it is evidently connected with a way of life that, at least in the past, could only be afforded bythe rich, gout has been referred to as the ‘disease of kings’. In some eras gout was apparent as publicly desirable because of its occurrence among the politically and socially influential people. In his typical monograph on the history of gout (Copeman et al. 1964), Copeman refers to a comment in the London Timesin 1900, â€Å"The common cold is well named, but the gout seems right away to lift up the patient’s social status†, and to another in Punch in 1964, â€Å"In observance with the spirit of moredemocratic times, gout is becoming less upper-class and is now open to all. It is preposterous that a man should be barred from enjoying gout because he went to the wrong school.† In history, gout has been well thought-out to be primarily a male disease, But actuality that women can also develop gout was first documented through the reign of Nero (AD 54–68) by Seneca, who observed, in this age, women competitor men in every kind of lasciviousness. Why require we then be astonished at considering so many of the female sex afflicted with the gout (Froster et al 1979). In the current era, although gout remains first and foremost a disease of men in middle age, it has turn out to be more and more frequent in women, predominantly after the menopause.( Hench et al.1936; Nakayama et al. 1984). The ancestral connection of gout was documented hundreds of years ago but important the exact genetic mechanisms weren’t achievable until the arrival of modern genetic tools. Gout was incorporated as an inherited disorder in the seminal work of Archibald E. Garrod in his 1931 publication on inborn errors in metabolism. Garrod well thought-out gout to be a dominantly inherited trait.(Gray et al 2012) In earlier times, attacks of gout were also seen as a prophylactic against more serious diseases. According to the writer Horace Walpole gout â€Å"prevents other illnesses and prolongs life might I treat that gout, should not I have a fever, palsy (Lewis et al. 1873),. In recent decades, however, the diet and lifestyle that predispose persons to hyperuricemia and gout have become all the time more common. The role of excess nutritional purines (derived from meat, seafood, and beer) in the progress of gout is illustrated by the difference between the incidence of gout in Asia and Europe. Traditional Asian diets, based on rice and vegetables, are small in dietary purines, and gout has been moderately rare in these cultures. In contrast, European and American diets, which are high in meat and definite sea foods, are linked with hyperuricemia and gout (Choi et al. 200; Zollner et al. 1973). Rising affluence has also led to an increase in the figure of people following a westernized diet and lifestyle, and this has been paralleled by an increase in the occurrence and incidence of gout throughout the world. Purines are machinery of nucleosides, the structure blocks of DNA and RNA. Purine nucleosides are used in the formation of other metabolically significant factors as well, such asadensosinetriphosphate, S-adeneosylmethione, and nicotineadeninedinucleotide. Given the significance of purine-containing molecules for continued existence, vertebrates, including humans, have developed robust mechanism for producing enough purine nucleosides for their metabolism using willingly available materials (such as glucose, glycine, and glutamine), as well as recycling purine nucleosides from all through the body or from the diet (Richette et al; Wilson et al. 2010). Purines can be divided into two types Endogenouspurines are manufactured within human cells. And exogenouspurines are obtained from foods. In mammals, surplus purine nucleosides are detached from the body by collapse in the liver and excretion from the kidneys. For most mammals, the purines are first transformed into the transitional uric acid, which is then metabolized by the enzymeuricaseinto the compound allantoin. Allantoin is a very soluble compound that can without difficulty pass through the bloodstream, become clean by the kidneys, and be excreted from the body. In dissimilarity to other mammals, humans and other primates lack a serviceable uricase enzyme, and can only break purines down into uric acid. The procedure of breaking down purines results in the configuration of uric acid in the humans body is not as easy to detached, because human body lack uricase, and that can build up in body tissues. The levels of uric acid in the blood depend on 2 factors. The first is the rate of uric acid synthesis in the liver. While uric acid consequences from purine degradation, its levels are influenced by both the amount of purines synthesized in the body, as well as the amounts of purines absorbed from the diet The second determinant of blood uric acid levels is the rate of uric acid excretion from the kidneys. The residual uric acid travels all the way through the intestines, where bacteria help break it down (Richette et al. 2010). Excretion has the maximum effect on blood uric acid levels, with about 90% of hyperuricemia cases attributed to impaired renal excretion (Choi et al. 2005). Impaired excretion is most often due to abnormality in the kidney urate carrier or organic ion transporter, both of which control the movement of uric acid out of proximal kidney tubules and into urine (Enomoto A et al. 2002). The treatment of gout consists of controlling the pain, Reducing the serum urate levels, changing unhealthy life styles, preventing the complications of chronic gout. (Schumacher et al 2008) By changing the life style because unhealthy life style will result increase hypertension,hyperlipidemia and obesity,by controlling diet of purine consumption causes significant decrease in the serum urate level but the greater decrease is seen in those patients who have stop the alcohol consumption in their diet (choi et al 2005) There are number of ways to reduced the sUA level.the best way is too control the diet,but sometime along with the drugs.sometime these drug are very effective and reduced the sUA very quickly. (choi hk et al 2008) Following drugs are also used to lower sUA level urate levels: Uricosuric agents (ii) Allopurinol and Febuxostat: Uricosuric agents:  Two drugs that belong to this group are benzbromane and probencid.these two are weal organic acid and lower the sUA level,by inhibition of tublar rebsorptionof urate in the renal tubular system and increasing uric acid in the urine. These agents are indicated when the renal execration of urate are decreased.it is contraindicated in patient with renal calculi(Alvin et al 2012). Two drugs that belong to xanthine oxidiase inhibitor are Allopurinol and Febuxostat. Xanthine oxidase inhibitor along with uricosuric agent are used to increase the urinary execration of urate .The two drugs Febuxostat and Allopurinolare used to lower the sUA level and their Xanthine oxidase xanthine oxidase is the only enzyme that break down the purine bases and catalyze the conservation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and the xanthine to uric acid .then uric acid normally excerated .this enzyme deficiency is may be due to the gentic factor, sometime more consumtion of purine food and less production of enzyme.If any drug that is metabolized by xanthine oxidased,its action is increased by Allopurinol drug llike mercaptopurine FEBUXOSTAT: Febuxostatis a urate decreasing drug and inhibitor of xanthine oxidase so that is used in the treatment of hyperuricemia and chronic gout (Grosser T et al. 2011). Febuxostat was approved by the European Medicines Agency on April 21, 2008and after one year it was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on February 16, 2009 Febuxostat lowers sUA concentrations by acting on the purine catabolism, the mechanism of action is oxidation of hypoxanthine to xanthine and xanthine to uric acid(Becker et al. 2005). . it is structurally quite different from Allopurinol, has an different mechanism of action on enzyme inhibition, and is more potent.Unlike Allopurinol, that undergoes oxidation to the active metabolite oxypurinol and interacts chemically with the molybdenum center of xanthine oxidase, Febuxostat remains unchanged and inhibits xanthine oxidase by binding in a narrow channel leading to the molybdenum center of the enzyme. By this mechanism, Febuxostat is able to inhibit both the reduced and oxidized form of xanthine oxidase to produce sustained reductions in sUA levels. (Beckar et al 2010) The capability of humans and primates to protect blood levels of uric acid (due to slow kidney filtration and lack of a uricase enzyme) was probably useful to our evolution, by increasing antioxidant capacity of the blood (Alvarez-Lario et al. 2011). Vitamin.C Humans and primates are one of the few mammals that cannot produce their own vitamin c( vit.c), and may have evolve the capability to protect uric acid to reimburse for this (Hediger MA et al. 2002). For example, blood uric acid levels in humans are in general about 6 times that of vit.c, and about ten times the levels in other mammals (Roch-Ramel F et al. 1999). Like vit.c, uric acid has a principle role in shielding high-oxygen tissues (like the brain) from spoil, and low blood uric acid levels have been linked with the succession or greater than before risk of more than a few neurological disorders, including Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (Keizmann D et al. 2009), Multiple sclerosis (Rentzos M et al. 2006), and Huntingtons (Auinger P et al. 2010), Parkinsons (Andreadou E et al. 2009), and Alzheimers diseases (Kim TS et al. 2006).

The 1960s :: American America History

The 1960s Mr. Basiuk is the person I chose for my interview. Rather than immigrating to Canada, Mr. Basiuk was born in Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1936. He was educated in high school to the north end of Winnipeg at St. John's Technical High School. He spent two years altogether in grade 10 and 11 then attended five years in the University Of Manitoba and graduated as an electrical engineer. Unfortunately, he was not able to find a job in this profession in this area, and therefore began his career as a teacher; and has been teaching for the last thirty years. Interview Who was in political power and how affective was he in accomplishing his goals? I wasn't really interested nor paid much attention to politics, therefore I cannot answer this question. What things did you want to see changed by the government? What sort of problems did the government face and how were they solved? I wanted to see the government have more concern for the poor people. Things such as Medicare, OHIP, and pension plans. The government faced many problems, one of the most toughest, I think, was the deep recession occurring in the 60's. What special events or figures were most significant to you? Name some of the social trends you took part in. Well, I didn't have any hero's or someone to look up to until later on in my 20's when someone invited me to Montreal to watch a folk singer called Pete Seager. From this time on, I became really dedicated and interested in music and this really influenced my life. I was a teacher than, so I didn't really take part in social events, yet there was a building north of Jarvis called Yorkville and teenagers would usually gather there to dance and have fun. I would occasionally go to that place. State the differences in fashion from the 60's and today. Which music group or band did you enjoy listening to? What types of dances did you enjoy? First of all, teenagers and especially woman would wear clothes with more colour and beads. Bellbottoms were in back at that time. There are certain people who wear lots of flowers and turned out to be called the flower power. This name was given because they believed that being "nice" to others would help change the country-so they gave many people flowers and asked them to be their friend. The 1960s :: American America History The 1960s Mr. Basiuk is the person I chose for my interview. Rather than immigrating to Canada, Mr. Basiuk was born in Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1936. He was educated in high school to the north end of Winnipeg at St. John's Technical High School. He spent two years altogether in grade 10 and 11 then attended five years in the University Of Manitoba and graduated as an electrical engineer. Unfortunately, he was not able to find a job in this profession in this area, and therefore began his career as a teacher; and has been teaching for the last thirty years. Interview Who was in political power and how affective was he in accomplishing his goals? I wasn't really interested nor paid much attention to politics, therefore I cannot answer this question. What things did you want to see changed by the government? What sort of problems did the government face and how were they solved? I wanted to see the government have more concern for the poor people. Things such as Medicare, OHIP, and pension plans. The government faced many problems, one of the most toughest, I think, was the deep recession occurring in the 60's. What special events or figures were most significant to you? Name some of the social trends you took part in. Well, I didn't have any hero's or someone to look up to until later on in my 20's when someone invited me to Montreal to watch a folk singer called Pete Seager. From this time on, I became really dedicated and interested in music and this really influenced my life. I was a teacher than, so I didn't really take part in social events, yet there was a building north of Jarvis called Yorkville and teenagers would usually gather there to dance and have fun. I would occasionally go to that place. State the differences in fashion from the 60's and today. Which music group or band did you enjoy listening to? What types of dances did you enjoy? First of all, teenagers and especially woman would wear clothes with more colour and beads. Bellbottoms were in back at that time. There are certain people who wear lots of flowers and turned out to be called the flower power. This name was given because they believed that being "nice" to others would help change the country-so they gave many people flowers and asked them to be their friend.

Foul Play :: essays research papers

It was late in the evening. There was a man sitting in a chair and flipping channels eagerly between two baseball games on TV. The man's name was Les Sutton. He was a towering man standing 6'3". He was built, worked out a lot and looked like someone not to meet in a dark alley.Les was a detective. His skills of deduction were brilliant. He also had an assistant. Les's long time pal and partner's name was Jason Meisch. Jason was also very tall but he was more lanky, built more like a basketball player. He was also extremely bright but not as intelligent as Les. Although Les was his best friend and the same age, Jason still looked up to him like little kids look up to adults, with pure awe and admiration.The next day after Les had been channel surfing for baseball games, he and Jason got together and didn't have anything to do. Being the huge baseball fans that they were and living in the state of California where baseball is everywhere, they decided to go to a ballgame. They figured that they had a long boring afternoon in front of them so they went down to Chavez Ravine (the place where the LA Dodgers play) and got tickets to the Dodger game that was scheduled to start in about 15 minutes.Les and Jason were enjoying the game while eating hot dogs and drinking pop. The Dodgers were winning by the score of 5-4. Just then, catcher Mike Piazza, let another pitch go by him. "What the heck? Piazza is playing terrible today. He has let 4 balls by him and struck out all three times he has been at the plate," Les said.Jason agreed, "Yeah, that is kind of weird. I mean, he's an All-Star. It's not like him to play like this." The whole rest of the game they sat in their seats wondering why Mike Piazza was playing so bad. When they got home they were watching the news. They had a funny story on about how in Las Vegas there was a lot of money lost on that game because the Dodgers lost 7-5. As they watched that story they both looked at each other and exclaimed, "Piazza threw the game!"They didn't have anything else to do so they decided to try to figure out who paid Piazza to throw the game.

Do You Have What It Takes? A Breakdown Of The Educated Person Essay

Do You Have What it Takes? A Breakdown of the Educated Person An educated person is a well rounded person. To be educated is to knowledgeable in many areas. Diversity is essential in the sense that many different things inspire thought, which then derive permanent conclusions from these experiences. Anyone who has the audacity to call themselves educated needs to have a firm grasp of many different areas. These categories span through Science, Technology, Language, Art, Feelings and Values. All of these are building blocks that help make up an educated person, but just as important, these are the same qualities that form an individual. One of the most important concepts that a person learns from Science is a fundamental thinking process. This process starts with curiosity, asking the question," Why does that work?" It then moves on to theorizing or guessing. Next, this person takes his or her theory and puts it to the test by conducting various experiments. Finally this individual will draw a final conclusion from those findings. Science also helps a person look at things objectively, which means there is no feelings influencing experiments that can lead to fraudulent conclusions. This can be a double edged sword however, because in many instances when a scientist is emotionally removed from the experiments performed, the question, "Should I?", is never asked. For instance under the reign of Hitler many cruel medical experiments were preformed. In The Medical Experiments by William Shirer the author states,"Prisoners were placed in high pressure chambers and subjected to high-altitude tests until they ceased breathing. They were injected with lethal doses of typhus and jaundice. They were subjected to 'freezing' experiments in icy water or exposed naked in the snow outdoors until they froze to death." This also deals with the subject of values and will be discussed detail later. Probably the most positive way to utilize Science would be to take it to the next level, Technology. This is were an educated person takes what laws and theories he learns in science and integrates them into everyday life, finding ways to make life easier and arguably better. I say arguably because many educated people are against technological advancement. These... ...m any language. Susanne K. Langer in her article The Cultural Importance of Art states,"There is, however, an important part of reality that is quite inaccessible to the formative influence of language: that is the realm of so-called "inner experience," the life of feeling and emotion. All of these attributes lose power without an individual set of values to focus this energy. Adolf Hitler influenced millions by being a masterful orator. Hitler also was very innovative in science and many other areas. However do to his grossly warped sense of personal values he was labelled by leaders and peers as a madman. It is very difficult for any person to be a master of all of these categories, but to be truly educated, there needs to be at least a small concentration of everything in that individual's background. For the one reason that it is so difficult to posses all of these traits, it is also that same reason that makes all of the truly educated people of our past stand out in history as heros and leaders. This is also the biggest reason that so many people admire them and strive to be like them.

Using one case study film assess the relationship between the industrial context and the representation

The representation of gender in the British film industry throughout the 1960s can be seen in a variety of examples and can be seen as indicative of a general shift in cultural attitudes. In this assignment, we shall be concerning ourselves with the film Goldfinger in particular. Goldfinger was made in 1964 by the British film company (SPHP, 1964). What is of particular interest in this film is the iconic portrayal of the female character that spawned something of a tradition for depictions of idealised femininity.We will pay particular interest to the significance of her role in relation to the rest of the characters in the film. However, we shall first outline a number of industrial and cultural changes that were occurring throughout the 60s in the British film industry. The British film industry of the 1960s saw a degree of significant changes that reflected the cultural mood of this period throughout greater western culture (Coates & Topham 1968).For example, the notion of popula r culture was becoming highly marketable at this time and the subsequent move away from WWII was becoming something of an artistic focus (Laing, 1986). Essentially, Hollywood was promoting a new liberalisation that incorporated sexual imagery as a counter to traditional gender roles based upon social utility (Ewen & Ewen, 1982, p. 37). Although this was embraced throughout the film world, it affected the British film industry in two notable ways. This is given by Curtis who states that,‘’What was striking to us – an audience of artists, writers, journalists and filmmakers – was the assumption evident in all these films, that making cinema could be a first-person-singular affair, and that film language could be as complex and highly individual. In contrast, The films supported by the one source of public funding at the time, the British Film Institute's Experimental Film Fund, were very definitely cinema shorts, stepping-stones to cinema features. ’à ¢â‚¬â„¢ (Laing, 1992, p. 258)This use of short film techniques in which quick iconic symbolism was used in relation to characters made for a mutual embrace of the film techniques being produced by Hollywood. This incorporated sexual and iconic symbolism at its fore (Nuttal, 1968). This was a distinct detraction from the emerging realist depictions found in the dickens-like portrayals common to the kitchen sink drama or the playfulness of slap stick that had gone before (Hebdige, 1988). However, it is perhaps unwise to think of the industry as becoming entirely divorced of its British artistic tradition.Rather, Thompson states that, â€Å"We must remember the ‘underground' of the ballad singer and the fairground which handed on traditions to the nineteenth century; for in these ways the ‘inarticulate' conserve certain values – a spontaneity and capacity for enjoyment and mutual loyalties – despite the inhibiting pressures of magistrates, mill-owners, and Me thodists. † (Thompson, 1963, p. 63) It is with this notion of Hollywood driven sexual symbolism and the British tradition of mutual loyalties that we will now turn to the example of Goldfinger and the depiction of gender.Goldfinger was cast in the genre of the international spy film indicative of the archetypical male hero James Bond (Cohan & Hark, 1993). It features Bond as the main protagonist and Goldfinger as the main antagonist. However, it also involves the depiction of strong and sexualised female characters in crucial roles. In this, we see that although the females are highly sexualised objects and in many ways used by the two main protagonists, they are not subordinate or peripheral to the plot (Hebdige, 1988).This sexualised empowerment is articulated by their being made indicative to the overall consequence of the film. The leading lady is an intelligent and very beautiful woman caught between the loyalties of the two opposing characters. She is modelled on the for mer depictions of beauty founded in the 40s and 50s as seen in Marlin Monroe (Nixon, 2003). However, unlike Marilyn Monroe who was portrayed as a sexually exploitative and superficially unintelligent female figure, she is given as an intelligent woman caught in an ethical dilemma.This clearly highlights the implementation of the depiction of the female in line with Hollywood at this time (Murphy, 2004). However, with the character traits of intelligence and up front honesty and naivety, this is perhaps indicative of the British tradition and the mutual loyalties that drive the spontaneity of the plot. Unintentionally playing upon Bond’s sympathies, she is taken away from Goldfinger and given the approval of the Bond character. However, in her death scene we see the significance of her betrayal.Essentially, she is cast in Gold, which is indicative of the title, and left to die. However, this form of martyrdom is not a moral consequence of her flirtation between characters, but rather an idealisation of the power of iconic female sexuality (Mort, 2004). Furthermore, it evokes a cosmopolitan reference by symbolising the Egyptian sexual princess Cleopatra. In doing so, this reflects a strong use iconic sexuality to superficially relate to the international, cosmopolitan domain (Green, 1998).In summary, it would appear from the depiction of gender of the film Goldfinger, that British film was moving to incorporate a cosmopolitan portrayal in relation to the changes in culture of the time. It would appear that in the depiction of gender, sexuality was an explicit ingredient as was the case in Hollywood films. However, rather abandoning all sense of British tradition, the use of sexual symbolism was employed through a plot involving mixed loyalties and unseen conditional forces. BibliographyCoates K Topham A (1968) Industrial Democracy in Great Britain: a book of readings and witnesses for workers control London: MacGibbon and Kee (ed. ) Cohan, S. , & Hark, I, R. , (1993) Screening the Male New York: Routledge Ewen, S. , & Ewen, E. , (1982) Channels of Desire Minnesota: University of Minnesota Goldfinger, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, (1964) Green, P. , (1998) Cracks in the Pedestal Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press Hebdige, D. , (1988) Hiding in the Light London: Comedia Laing, S., (1986) Representations of Working Class Life 1951-1964 London: Macmillan Mort, F. , (1996) Cultures of Consumption: Masculinities and Social Space in late twentieth-century Britain. London: Routledge. Murphy, P. F. (2004) â€Å"Introduction†, in Murphy, P. F. (ed. ) Feminism and Masculinities, pp. 1-21. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Nixon, S. , (2003) Advertising Cultures: Gender, Commerce, Creativity. London: SAGE. Nuttal, J. , (1968) Bomb Culture London: MacGibbon and Kee Thompson, E, P. , (1968) The Making of the English Working Class Harmondsworth: Penguin

Article Review On “Evidence Based Management(EBM), The Very Idea” Essay

Introduction There has been a recent trend in commending evidence-based approaches for management and policy making decision in the public sector. Evidence based management(EBM) is an aspect that has been heavily developed and relied on in certain practices such as evidence-based policy and evidence-based medicine.   These forms of approaches utilize recent best evidence in decision making and management. Evidence based management(EBM) involves   managerial based decisions and organizational practices that are informed by the best and available scientific evidence with the best evidence in this case being the norms of natural sciences. Evidence based approaches have gained fame over the years. The same has not been without its ups and down. This has seen evidence based management generate debate with writers such as Learmouth & Harding (2007) opposing the very idea of utilizing the widely acclaimed evidence based approach in fields such as health care. The document reviews the(Learmouth & Harding (2007) article with a look at the evidence provided by the two in support of their opposition to the use of evidence based management (EBM) in health care. The positives and negatives of their arguments will be reviewed. Evidence of the same will be based on the Learmouth & Harding (2007) article as well as literature from related articles. Discussion The evidence based management as analyzed by Learmouth & Harding (2007) article presents a strong case that shows that there is reason to believe and support the research bothwriters   have accomplished to discredit the use of this approach especially in health care. Both Learmouth & Harding (2007) raise a good debate on the development of evidence based approaches to management and organization. The researchers clearly raise the issues they feel plague the use of evidence based management(EBM) in health care and in any other setting. To Learmouth & Harding (2007), this is an approach that is a misguided aspect with the unpredictable nature of evidence in the management discipline. Also, Learmouth & Hardin (2007) have the take that evidence based management is not there to help the public service and will not at the end contribute anything meaningful to the effectiveness in organizations (Axelsson, 1998).   This is in spite of other systems such as evidence based medicine beinghailed as the best method of reducing uncertainty in clinical practice. Learmouth & Harding (2007) opposition to the use of evidence based management(EBM) in organizational setting raises and opens the reader’s eyes to a major issue in their debate-arriving at an agreement on evidence. One is made to agree with Learmouth & Harding (2007) debate that it is one thing to reach a consensus in medicine and other fields and another in reaching the same in social sciences so as to flag the appropriateness of the use of evidence based management(EBM) in health care. Such techniques as the use of the evidence based medicine has worked well but this should not be the assumption in all the cases as highlighted by Learmouth & Harding (2007). The fact that the two researchers also disapprove of generalizations in the different approaches is a positive aspect in the research. The reasons the two give is valid in that the cause and effect connections that are there in organizational research are not in any way readily subject to controlled experiments such as those in medicine. However, there is an oversight and thus a disadvantage in Learmouth & Harding (2007) debate. One can counter their opposition to the generalization point on the use of evidence based management(EBM)in that where the presence of clear necessitates the establishment of decision making rules which the scientific community is able to endorse. Learmouth & Harding (2007) would want their readers to believe that a solution to finding a cause and effect connection in organizational settings does not exist but this is not the case (Parker, 2001).This is a side that is missing in their debate in that over the years, there has been the establishment of consensus around the use of constructive reviews and meta-analysis in order to identify the convergent findings in the organizational research and the boundary conditions. Learmouth & Harding (2007) do not leave any option to the reader to see a chance in the establishment of a movement towards evidence based management which would even be capable of fostering great attention to the convergent findings and their implications to practice and science. One feels that Learmouth & Harding (2007) are advocating and supporting the continued fragmentation and novelty in the current organizational research. By focusing on the high consensus areas, there will be a chance for EBM (evidence based management) to have efforts directed towards accounting for divergence and inconsistency in the areas of limited convergence in organizational research(Linstead & Grafton-Small, 1992). Managerialism is also another major issue that Learmouth & Harding (2007) raise with the use of Evidence Based Management (EBM).   The researchers support the opposition to the use of the same in such systems as organizations. According to Learmouth & Harding (2007), the use of EBM supports and reinforces Managerialism. The evidence based approaches are used to reinforce the managerial power with some forms of legitimized forms of evidence while they obscure non-managerial ways of understanding organizational life. One can associate with such an argument in that the evidence given by Learmouth & Harding (2007) is that there have been long standing workplace ethnographies which have stood to benefit organizations by such acts as exposing power, inequality and conflicts in the organizations (Kovner et al., 2000).   Thus elements such as Managerialism have no chance of prospering in such an environment. This greatly benefits the organization. However, there is a downside to the evaluation of only one side of the effect of EBM as far as Managerialism is concerned. The evidence by Learmouth & Harding (2007) is hinged on bias on whether there has been enough inquiry to the effective ways of organizing and managing based on less non-traditional and hierarchical view of workers, governance and employment (Ferlie et al., 2001). It is not justifiable to brush off EBM on managerialism basis since the same would serve as a counterforce to the self- serving and arbitrariness bias observed in the form firms are managed and organized nowadays (Parker, 2001). Any innovation can be affected in that it can be misused. Evidence of such is the presence of a regulation in the use of evidence based medicine in the UK National Health Service. However, the use of EBM can act as the basis to develop effective organizational and professional competencies (Harris, 1998). Learmouth & Harding (2007) are wary of the role that EBM may come to acquire in terms of power. The two are skeptic of the fact that EBM may become an avenue that serves interests. This shows how Learmouth & Harding (2007) have put a great deal of effort into all the aspects that may hinder the smooth operation of such programs as EBM in health care. As researchers, they have succeeded in evaluating all the angles of a research issue. Learmouth & Harding (2007) show that it would be naà ¯ve to not think of politics as the same are pervasive and real. Such an aspect as the development and implementation of EBM to organization and management can affect such issues as how legitimacy, funding   and influence is allocated to such groups as practitioners, teachers and scholars. Management is free of such aspects such as social and political interests as well as moral considerations.   However, true as this may be and a correct inference by Learmouth & Harding (2007), power and politics cannot be avoided. The real problem that Learmouth & Harding (2007) seem to be wary of is that qualitative research may not be able to meet the evidentiary standards that EBM may incorporate and employ (Linstead & Grafton-Small, 1992).  Ã‚   Also, Learmouth & Harding (2007) seem to be wary that qualitative research may be devalued which will result in the decline of legitimacy as well as its funding. Evidence cannot be said to be of particular measure or method social science uses. As opposed to Learmouth & Harding (2007) hesitation with unobstructed power in the use of EBM, this may not be the case as qualitative research is a sure way of identifying the areas in science that are not clear. Qualitative research is capable of being put into practice to identify the meanings underlying the observed patterns and also in helping to translate the evidence into practice through exploration of the politics, subjectivity and the conflicts that are involved in the changes to organizational practice (Carter, 2000). Conclusion The implementation and the design of the EBM is not an aspect that should be generalized and opposed without full evaluation. The implementation as well as the design of EBM should be subject to critical inquiry. The critique by Learmouth & Harding (2007) evades some aspects and in doing so mislead the audience. There is no denying that EBM may affect all the management aspects but the same should not be a reason to abandon the approach. There should and will be movements towards EBM which involve many of the community that are interested in the design of the same. There will be development, implementation, learning and redesign over time. Fear of loss should not hinder the focus for the opportunity on constructive change. References Axelsson , R . 1998 . ‘ Towards an Evidence-based Health Care Management ’ , International    Journal of Health Planning and Management , 13 , 307 – 17 . Ferlie , E . , J . Gabbay , L . Fitzgerald , et al . 2001 . ‘ Evidence-based Medicine and   Ã‚  Ã‚   Organisational Change: an Overview of Some Recent Qualitative Research ’ , in L .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ashburner ( ed .), Organisational Behaviour and Organisational Studies in Health Care:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Refl ections on the Future . Basingstoke : Palgrave Macmillan, pp . 18 – 42 . Carter , J . 2000 . ‘ New Public Management and Equal Opportunities in the NHS ’ , Critical   Ã‚  Ã‚   Social Policy , 20 , 61 – 83 . Harrison , S . 1998 . ‘ The Politics of Evidence-based Medicine ’ , Policy and Politics , 26 , 15 –   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   31 . Kovner , A . R . , J . J . Elton and J . Billings . 2000 . ‘ Evidence-based Management ’ , Frontiers   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   of Health Services Management , 16 , 3 – 24 . Linstead , S . and R . Grafton-Small . 1992 . ‘ On Reading Organizational Culture ’ ,   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Organization Studies , 13 , 331 – 55 . Parker , M . 2002 . Against Management: Organization in the Age of Managerialism .   Ã‚  Ã‚   Cambridge : Polity Press Learmouth, M., & Harding, N. (April 01, 2007). Evidence-based management: The very   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   idea.  Sage Public Administration Abstracts,  34,  1.)