Responding to Articles from the Bibliography

The topic of my paper is cocaine use in sports. I found one of the articles that I will use for background to be very interesting because it focused mainly on cocaine and its origins. Cocaine comes from the coca plant that is native to the eastern slopes of the Andes. The leading producer is Colombia, which is currently producing 80 percent of the world’s cocaine. Cocaine increases the levels of dopamine, which is associated with pleasure and movement. The excess amount of dopamine is responsible for cocaines effects. Long term effects include loss sense of smell; nosebleeds; problems with swallowing; hoarseness; and a runny nose. The stimulating effects of the drug increase breathing which increases oxygen intake. This allowed the native workers to perform their duties in thin air at high altitudes, and in time science figured out how to maximize strength and the effect of the drug in the coca leaves. I found it interesting that Sigmund Freud, a famous psychologist, was an advocate for the drug in the beginning. He thought it could cure depression and sexual impotence. Also, John Pemberton used cocaine as the main ingredient in Coca Cola in 1886. Other famous people that promoted the drug were Thomas Edison and Sarah Bernhart. Because the drug was positively promoted it was accepted by the general public as well. People began noticing strange behavior in people that abused cocaine for long periods of time. Coming down from the drug causes depression for the person and they can become desperate for the drug and will do just about anything to get it. Once the dangers of cocaine became known prohibition set in and it was outlawed in 1920 by the passing of The Dangerous Drug Act of 1920. And here we are today with the drug still creating problems especially in sports. 

Research related to Writing Assignment 2

1. This article from the New York Times is helpful because it is a current example of cocaine in sports. I would use this as evidence.
Receiver Denies Selling Drugs to Fellow Players
The Associated Press
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/17/sports/football/nfl-football-roundup.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

2. This is an article I found with the database JSTOR, it offers an opposing view on cocaine in sports.
Banning Drugs in Sports: A Skeptical View
Norman Frost
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3563105

3. Another article found using JSTOR
The Coercive Power of Drugs in Sports
Thomas H. Murray
http://www.jstor.org/stable/3561718




4. Central Nervous System Stimulants and Sports Practice
Multiple Authors 
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=10&sid=9240b5f9-24b2-48a8-8485-a191801f28e4%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=21601834


5. Views of Sports; To What Are Athletes Entitled? Not to Cocaine
Silias L. Warner 
http://web.ebscohost.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/ehost/detail?vid=3&hid=10&sid=9240b5f9-24b2-48a8-8485-a191801f28e4%40sessionmgr15&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=30559986

Writing Assignment 2- Topic Proposal

http://www.nytimes.com/1987/05/03/sports/in-sports-cocaine-s-here-to-stay.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

I wanted to write my paper on something that interests me, like sports. Drug use in sports has been heavily publicized over the years but with one main drug as the problem, steroids. In my paper, I would like to focus on that same issue but with a different drug, cocaine. Cocaine is a (CNS) stimulant to the central nervous system. It typically comes in a white powder form and is snorted through the nose or rubbed on the mouth and lips. Other central nervous system drugs include amphetamine and caffeine.This recreational drug in particular has recently been the new drug of choice in athletes because when the high is present in the body, the athletes feels a sense of increased performance and decreased fatigue. It has also been said that in small doses it can increase a persons tolerance to intense exercise. The effects are actually the opposite, but that does not change the fact that use of this drug is on the rise. As of right now cocaine is banned in professional and school sports teams. In the past public sports figures like Walter Davis, of the Phoenix Suns, Tony Collins of the New England Patriots, and Dwight Gooden of the Nets have all been in headlines and entered rehabilitation centers for cocaine use. In a recent survey done by the NCAA mens lacrosse players abuse cocaine the most. The survey found that 9.7% of lacrosse players used cocaine compared to 3.8% of ice-hockey players and wrestlers, and football players were at 2.3% and basketball players were among the least with 1.2%. Many athletes are testes through urine samples. Cocaine is usually present for up to 5 days after use. In my paper, my central question would be Should illegal drugs in sports be taken more seriously, or something along the lines of testing athletes more for these types of drugs. 

Rhetorical Analysis Reflection

I enjoyed this assignment because in my everyday life when I watch movies I critique the movies I watch. This assignment allowed me to use my critiquing skills with my academic background knowledge. The biggest challenge I had writing the rhetorical analysis was critiquing one element even though my overall statement was that the rhetoric was strong. I found it hard because I thought I was contradicting myself because if the movie was a strong piece of rhetoric then why would one element be weak? I found it to be a challenge to find the actual purpose of the movie and then relate the rhetorical elements back to it but in the end I think I did okay. Another challenge I faced while writing this paper was I was not interested in my movie. When I watched it the first time I fell asleep, and I had to re-watch it. I should have changed mine to something that I had more interest in like Food Inc. but I stuck with my movies so I had to deal with the challenges that came with my movie. Overall, the assignment was easy to understand and the directions were clear. I also liked that from the beginning we had choices. You gave us 4 movie choices as opposed to jus giving the class as a whole one movie to critique. I also liked the peer review we had with classmate who picked the same movies as us because it gave me a different viewpoint on the movie. In the future I would teach this the same way. I felt like the pace was good and we took steps to get to our final draft. The individual conferences are helpful and offer insight into what you really was out of this paper. This assignment is a good way to start the semester off. 

Essay Introduction

The economic crash of 2008 took the nation by surprise. It caused the greatest fear since 1929 when the Great Depression began. But why exactly did it crash? The documentary Inside Job seeks to answer that question. Through extensive interviews of financial insiders, politicians, journalists and academics the audience is able to see a side to the business world, that had never been exposed before. Despite insufficient use of pathos in its discussion of the economic crash of 2008, Inside job employs a very forceful and incisive use of logos and ethos through its reliance on testimony and statistics.