Hello Italy, France, China, and Germany...welcome to the blog...'Sport as News' is something that some-one mentioned to me as part of another conversation, and it immediately leaped at me as something I had been aware of but didn't recognise for what it was...(apart from annoying-Ed)...exactly, so some other stuff first...
The Agony and The Ecstasy: Fascinating program on ABC about using Ecstasy (MDMA- Methyl Di-oxy Methamphetamine-I think?) to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in USofA soldiers returning from Afghanistan. Basically, the idea is to address the specific issues that induce PTSD whilst 'under the influence' which allows for those memories and resultant feelings to be tackled head on in a context that offers a buffer against future 'remembering'.
By utilising *the massive Serotonin production and resultant rush and sense of euphoria brought on by Ecstasy*, therapists can discuss a soldiers experiences whilst they are 'happy', meaning that when those memories and feelings re-occur they are far less likely to have the same depressive effect as prior to treatment...the Ecstasy allows soldiers/patients to 'confront' and therefore 'disempower' their traumas whilst in a 'good mood' in a controlled environment...and could have similar applications for child abuse victims, road accident survivors, etc...anyone with PTSD.
*(Possibly why people take it 'recreationally'?-Ed)..the question that is the answer...excellent...*
This medicinal application has met the usual opposition and demonisation from close-minded critics who can't move past their personal prejudices to consider the positives...a drug is a drug is a bad thing...the same thing happens with discussions about medical applications of Marijuana, eg, as a 'symptomatic' treatment for the side-effects of Cancer therapies like Chemotherapy, eg, nausea and appetite loss...drop the bias and consider the patient's best interests.
As per previous post, when I did Chemotherapy it was suggested by a senior clinician that I consider taking marijuana because of it's well recognised benefits, and she stated outright that as a junior nurse (back in the 70's/80's) some staff were bringing it into the hospital for Cancer patients to take, and that the senior staff, doctors, etc, knew and unofficially encouraged by not stopping...(whaaa?-Ed)...they knowingly let it happen therefore indicating support...which segues beautifully into...
I've Used Steroids: I occasionally drop this joke on people along the lines of 'back in 2004/05 I did some very hard drugs' and/or 'I've done steroids', referring of course to Chemo...(hilarious...not-Ed)...yeah, you have to pick your audience fairly carefully...(really?-Ed)...fortunately, once you've had Cancer you're allowed to joke about it...(fair enough-Ed)...
The day after each of my 8 Chemotherapy treatments (CHOP) in August 2004 through February 2005, I had a big bright blue injection of pegfilgrastim (a 'steroid') to 're-boot' and/or boost white blood cell and lymphocyte production that was hammered by the Chemo...end of joke...and another positive application of an otherwise maligned drug...(isn't alcohol a drug?-Ed)...absolutely...(and doesn't it also have specific medical applications?-Ed)...again, yes...
Minister For Cities: Prime Minister Rudd is apparently considering introducing this new raft of bureaucracy...and about time, because I've always said that in South Australia there's not enough focus on Adelaide...(sarcasm?-Ed)...yes, the Sar Chasm...that gaping abyss between the reality of Adelaide's self-absorbed obsession with itself and what everyone else in the state experiences...which segues unfortunately into...
Patient Assistance Transport Scheme: Health Minister Jack 'The Rat' Snelling is going to adjust the eligibility criteria so that less people...(less?-Ed)...yes, so less people can access the unchanged funding pool...that is, not more money for country patients who have to travel to Adelaide for treatment, or, for example, to Mt Gambier for child-birth or even just an appointment.
Jack Snelling states that the criteria will be moved from 100kms travel to 150kms to deliberately 'disallow' more people and therefore free up the current funding to be spent on less people...and according to Jack that fixes the problem by making the PATS more equitable...absolute bullshit from a Rann/Weatherill Labor government that has written off Regional SA.
Please refer previous post re the Privatisation of SA Health...that's where all the money is going...and the new Ambulance Station has stalled due to 'soil issues' and is predicted to open about the time of the March 2014 election, which will coincidentally provide MP Don Pegler the opportunity to spruik it as one of 'his achievements'...and the 2011 $27million Hospital Expansion still hasn't been organised with the buildings owner...so that's all moving ahead nicely...
And onto the issue of Sport as News...and why this is happening and why it's a concern...(yes, I agree that it is happening, but why?-Ed)...in a word, 'Distraction'...distraction from (and 'dumbing down' of) the entire news cycle...I don't have a problem with the rear 1/4 of a paper or news service being dedicated to sport because sport is a major part of our societal structure, but enough is enough and everything in it's place...
Sports results and relevant 'news' gets all the coverage they need without being dragged onto the front page in place of more worthy issues, eg, Foreign Land Ownership, Mental Health Issues...(but I don't have a problem with the occasional Commemorative Grand Final covers and that sort of thing-Ed)...no, absolutely, sport is an important social issue often to be celebrated, but it should not replace news.
Recently The Border Watch ran many stories and/or front pages re local horse races, and whilst that is an important issue for many people, there are many other issues they could have dedicated that column space too...for example, say, the DeBelle Inquiry and Federal Royal Commission and how the Child Abuse Cover-up at St Martins Lutheran School show these to be empty rhetoric...(I knew you could get that in there somehow-Ed)...well, it's the Elephant shaped room full of Elephant shaped furniture covered in Elephant hide, all pushed to the walls by a ceiling-high pile of rotting Elephant carcasses...(carci?...the plural of carcass?-Ed)...
As per previous post, TBW does excellent work in extensively covering women's sports, but all of this can stay 'at the rear' with the footy and the geegees and the dishlickers, etc...and keep the news pages for the actual news.
Anyhoos...in my opinion, there is a concerted effort to counter the proliferation of 'Social Media News Sites' and the resultant dissemination of unflattering news items by dragging the entire news cycle away from certain issues and deliberately creating outrage and expenditure of time and energy on relatively irrelevant issues...and sport is very convenient...it's always happening somewhere.
Even this morning, ABC News 24 and ABC 1 were repeatedly running sections of a long interview/story about the Peptides issue in the NRL (Rugby League) and banning of a player for use and/or dealing of these apparently restricted 'Performance Enhancing Drugs'...and other media also are covering it extensively...and of course the Essendon 'Crisis' dominates all...
Also, most of the discussion is about the 'cheating' aspects of the drug use and very little time is spent on the health issues of unmonitored drug use, particularly 'combination use' of various substances that are individually problematic and poorly understood...this was acknowledged, however, with the death of a Rugby League player (last year?) directly linked to his use of PEDs.
There is the 'Reverse Justification' idea that the AFL, NRL, etc, are forcing their sports into the mainstream news cycle to gain attention and self-promote...(I'm not sure that stories about drug misuse, salary cap rorting, pack rape, and other such niceties are really going to move your sport forward-Ed)...exactly...
But some say there is no such thing as bad publicity...(oh, don't start with the Oscar Wilde...you're going to do the Oscar Wilde aren't you?-Ed)...there is only one thing worse than being talked about...(dear god-Ed)...and that's not being talked about...thank you...
And never forget that sport is a multi-billion dollar industry that looks always to promote and protect it's own self-interests...but that's a whole 'nother post.
Tomorrow: Pools, Mills, and Automobiles
From flooding to funding, from ponds to funding, from potholes to...um...(funding?-Ed)..yeah, that'll do...
Confused?...yeah, so am I...so hopefully I'll have something figured out by tomorrow...hopefully...
I am Nick Fletcher and this is my blog...cheers...
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