Control Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Health And Social Care Essay

Control Of Sexually Transmitted Infections Health And Social Care Essay The purpose of this paper is to first discuss the public health impact of STIs, followed by the approaches to their control/prevention in the UK. Unfortunately the public health impact of STIs is negative as it causes or contributes to ill-health. In the UK and other parts of the world, STIs pose enormous challenges for the public health which may be individual well-being, mental health or the burden on health costs. Focus of this paper will be mainly on genital Chlamydia, gonorrhoea, syphilis, HIV/AIDS, and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV [genital warts]) amongst other STIs due to the reported high rates of infection. Sexually transmitted infections affect people of all ages with the greatest occurrence amongst those under the age of 25 years (Nicoll, 1999; Johnson, 2001). In the UK, certain groups of populations are affected more than others thus creating sexual health inequalities. Primary and secondary syphilis occurs more often in the African community than it does in the White community. Gonorrhoea is reported more commonly among some ethnic minorities while Chlamydia infection rates are disproportionately high in the under 25s. Data on ethnic differences in behaviour and infection susceptibility are meagre and the observed differences are not accounted for. Poverty could be attributable to the high incidence rates in the ethnic minorities as STIs are more common in ethnic minorities than among the white majority which might also be a link between an increased risk and belonging to a minority population. In 2004, women aged 16-24 accounted for 74% of all Chlamydia diagnoses in the UK (anonymo us). Chlamydia rate of infectivity at national level for young people aged 15-24 is one in nine supporting the level of sexual activity in that group (NHS, n.d). The conquest of the majority of communicable disease has been one of the main successes of modern medicine. The diseases have presented the highest causes of mortality and morbidity prior the twentieth century. Until the mid twentieth century in Britain, particularly for women, the pleasures of sex were tempered by the dangers of poor health and social outcomes. However, with the development of modern antibiotics and effective vaccines, communicable diseases menace has mostly been contained and remarkably sex became safer. Although sex became safer, STIs rates have significantly increased in recent years in the UK predominantly from unsafe sex practices arising from various factors like sexual risk behaviours and poor infection control. They have become a major public health concern as highlighted in the National Strategy for Sexual Health and HIV (Department of Health, 2001). The 16-24 year age group comprising of only 25% of the sexually active population but with the largest diagnosis of STI cases of almost 50% of newly acquired infections. Control of STIs is complicated since many of them are asymptomatic. The economic impact caused by STIs is huge on health services with high costs mostly experienced in the management of infection complications in women. However, older women and men are also at risk especially those entering into new relationships after breaking up from a long-standing relationship. Hence there is ample requirement for protecting, supporting and restoring sexual health in people. Public Health Impact of Sexually Transmitted infections in the UK History Syphilis and gonorrhoea records have been collected for more than 80 years. In England, Wales and Scotland, diagnosis of syphilis and gonorrhoea was recorded highest in 1946, which coincided with the coming back of the armed forces after World War II (Figure 1). A sharp drop was subsequently detected and was linked to the use of penicillin and the re-establishment of social stability. Figure 1: Numbers of diagnoses of syphilis (primary, secondary and early latent) by sex, GUM clinics, England, Wales and Scotland*, 1931 2003. *Corresponding Scotland and Ireland data are excluded as they are not complete from 1925 to 2003. Source: KC60 statutory returns and ISD(D) 5 data. During the sixties and seventies, there was a stable rise in STIs diagnosis owing to more relaxed mind-sets to sexual behaviour. There was an upsurge in cases of Syphilis in males, while in women the number of cases continued to be stable. This implied sex among men during that time turned out to be the main route of transmission (CDC, 1999). Yet an increase in diagnosis was recorded in both males and females for gonorrhoea, genital warts and genital herpes signifying that these infections were acquired during heterosexual sex. Probably the rise in a small number of the STIs could have resulted from enhanced diagnostic sensitivity or public awareness, adding to higher rates of infectivity. However, in the early eighties, HIV and AIDS were first reported which supposedly had considerable effect on other serious STIs. A brisk drop of syphilis and gonorrhoea diagnosis was experienced in early to mid- eighties. This happened simultaneously with the widespread AIDS coverage of embracing of safer sex behaviours, and resulted in a subsequent decline in transmission of HIV amongst male homosexuals (Bosch, 1995). Sexually Transmitted Infections Trends Since 1999 to mid 2004, cases of Chlamydia infection rose by 108%, gonorrhoea by 87% and infectious syphilis by 486%. Still the young people bear the greatest burden. In 2001, women under 20 years of age had reported cases of 42% from gonorrhoea and 36% of Chlamydia. As reported by the Department of Health (DH), diagnosis of new STIs and other STI diagnosed cases in the UK such as re-infections made in genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM) showed a gradual rise in 1999-2008. The introduction of the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) in 2003 and other health screens in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and in 2005 in Scotland resulted in an increase of sexual health screens from 759,770 to 1,219,308. For the same period, there was an increase of HIV tests recorded from 520,278 to 951,148. In 2008, uncomplicated infections from Chlamydia, syphilis, genital warts, and genital herpes rose considerably from 1999. Yet for the same year, cases of new diagnosis of gonorrhoea and syphilis were reported to have dropped. The National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSSAL) identified sexual behaviour as the risk of acquiring an STI in the young age groups. The factors included lower age at time of having sexual intercourse for the first time, partners frequently changed, increased likelihood of being involved with concurrent partnerships, irregular use of condoms and the increased chances of being involved with a partner from a high-risk area of the world other than UK (Hughes, 2000; Johnson, 2001, Mueller, 2008; Skinner, 2010). However, the young people act as a core group for the risk of onward transmission to other groups. Thus prevention should be mostly targeted at this core group which would result in economic benefits. Literature Review Sexually transmitted infections still exert a major toll on the human population in the UK and other nations worldwide. Bacterial and protozoan infections are curable with antimicrobial therapy, while viral infections are treatable but not curable in the classic sense. STIs can cause immediate pain and suffering, profound psychosocial stress, and serious, long-term health consequences. Many STIs are asymptomatic, and surveillance systems to track STIs are incomplete in developed and developing countries. STIs have been shown to be important cofactors in HIV transmission (Fleming, 1999). New approaches to STI control and prevention are needed to reduce the spread of infection and minimize associated suffering. Chlamydia Chlamydia trachomatis is the most widespread bacterial pathogen transmitted through infected secretions and mucous membranes of urethra, cervix, rectum, conjunctivae and throat following unprotected sexual contact with an infected partner. In addition, an infected mother can infect her baby during vaginal delivery. It is the most commonly diagnosed STI in individuals under 25 years in the UK (Fenton, et al, 2001; Creighton, et al, 2003). Most people infected with Chlamydia show no symptoms until a diagnostic test is performed and in most cases they do not seek medical care. Thus, in those individuals affected by the disease, if efficient and effective health measures are not administered, the STI has the potential of causing a significant amount of health complications to womens well-being including infertility and pelvic inflammatory disease (Golden, et al, 2000; Garnett, 2008). There is also greater risk in those with recurring infection and untreated infections to spread to other reproductive organs resulting in chronic pelvic pains (La Montagne, et al, 2007). The number of diagnosed episodes of Chlamydia infection has been rising over the past 10 years (Figure 1). Furthermore, the economic impact of Chlamydia infections on the health service is enormous with high cost in the management of female health complications arising from Chlamydia infection (Garside, 2001). Because of the impact of Chlamydia infection on the health of young people, it is important to identify and treat infected patients and their partners and as a result reduce the burden of the disease on the people and health systems. Figure 1: Rates of genital Chlamydia infection by sex and age group (1995 2004). Source: Health Protection Agency, London In men Chlamydia infection causes epididymo-orchitis and urethritis. Also rectal pain, discharge and bleeding occur from proctitis which is from infection of the rectal mucosa. Additionally, since the incubation phase of gonorrhoea is less than that of Chlamydia, individuals can develop dysuria after their treatment for gonorrhoea causing postgonococcal urethritis. HIV/AIDS In nearly three decades, ever since HIV was first identified, HIV infection has turned out to be a deadly disease and has caused a disturbing adversity to humans, in almost all areas of life. In the early eighties, when the first few cases of AIDS were reported, few might have realised its propensity to become a global public health problem. The UK is facing a sexual health crisis. Between 1999 and 2002, HIV prevalence rose by about 20% annually, and almost a third of HIV-positive individuals did not know their HIV status (HPA, n.d.). Furthermore, the increase in rates of HIV infections could be brought about by the rise in STI incidences in the public as already highlighted in this paper. The number of newly diagnosed cases of HIV increased by 55% from 2000 to 2002 (DH, n.d.). In 2004, a minimum of 49 000 individuals had HIV in England. In the late 1980s and early 1990s in the UK there was a significant drop in STIs figures in reaction to the awareness campaigns on HIV. The disturbing extent of its increase, infection, very long incubation phase, secondary susceptibility of spread and the absence of a vaccine to prevent it calls for the attainment of comprehensive information about the disease. Currently AIDS prevention mainly relies on health education and behavioural modifications based on AIDS awareness, predominantly in the high risk group of young people. Gonorrhoea Gonorrhoea infection is caused by an organism, Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) which is highly infectious and a bacterial sexually transmitted pathogen. In heterosexuals, its occurrence is associated with age (90%) asymptomatic in the rectum and oropharynx in both women and men (Hook, 1999; Knox, 2002). In the GUM clinics and various health services, testing for N. gonorrhoeae is a core factor of screening for STIs. Although there is not much evidence to direct testing, every mucosal site correlated with the disease symptoms ought to be tested for infection (Barlow, 1978; Harry, 1997; CDC, 2002; Ghanem, 2004; Bergen, 2006). Screening measures are subjective to an individuals sexual history and repeat screening may be encouraged (Miller, 2003). Gonorrhoea incidence falls by 11% in the UK: The number of new gonorrhoea infections in the United Kingdom fell from 18 649 in 2007 to 16 629 in 2008, the lowest number recorded since 1999. Syphilis Syphilis is caused by infection from Teponema pallidum subspecies pallidum, is a mucocutaneous STI with high infectivity the early infectious stages. It may also be transmitted through the placenta in pregnant women from week nine of gestation onwards. Screening is recommended for all asymptomatic patients attending GUM clinic or those attending other health services are referred appropriately (Nicoll, 2002). Incidence of syphilis also showed a 4% fall, from 2633 in 2007 to 2524 in 2008, (HPA, n.d). Over the last year, there has been almost three times the number of heterosexual cases of syphilis in south London than were diagnosed in 2001 (25 in 2001, 72 in 2002 and over 40 cases in the first five months of this year) (HPA, 2008). Human Papilloma Virus The spread of genital HPV is normally spread during intimate, skin to skin or sexual contact. It is also asymptomatic and can be dormant for years. HPV high risk strains are 16, 18, 31, 33 and 45, which are likely to increase the probability of getting cervical cancer. These strains exist in nearly every woman with cancer of the cervix. Although HPV testing is still not regularly accessible, the National Health Service is considering it to be included in the screening programme of cancer of the cervix. Women who test positive for high risk types of HPV are more likely to need treatment for borderline or mildly abnormal cervical smears. Although in ninety percent of HPV cases, clearance of the virus occurs naturally within two years. Yet, continued use of condoms may possibly facilitate in lowering the risk of infection from genital HPV. Infection from HVP is now being prevented through administration of vaccines for types of HPV that causes cervical cancer. The Gardasil and Cervarix cervical cancer vaccines were licensed in the UK in 2007. However, the genital warts strains 6 and 11 which can be diagnosed by inspecting the genital area of an individual and are usually in the form of small (or large) bump or groups of bumps. They normally develop within weeks or months following sexual contact with an infected partner who might be asymptomatic. Sometimes if treatment is not administered, they might disappear, or remain unaltered and not cancerous. Approaches to prevention and Control of sexually transmitted infections The health of the people and the social and economic success of the UK are extremely connected. The related economic and social costs to public health are enormous and surpass UKs future. Marmots (2010) six recommendations further support the prevention and control of STIs in UKs population. In two of the six recommendations he states that, enabling all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control over their lives and that of strengthening the role and impact of ill-health excellent well-being over their lives. It is vital that UKs population is educated on sexual health issues so that they are able to make well informed sex decisions that contribute to their well-being and reducing the burden caused by STIs. Marmots report further emphasised other research work (Picket Wilkinson, 2009) that it is not only the poor who suffer from the effects of inequality, but the majority of the population. High priority should therefore be given to the integra tion of STI control measures into primary health care. The worldwide interest in and resources committed to preventing AIDS provide a unique opportunity for health workers to make considerable progress in controlling the other STIs. Sexually transmitted infection control programmes have been and will continue to be the most prominent in public health management and have been at an increase since the mid nineties with rates of unwanted pregnancies still being reported to be high. Strategies to prevent transmission of organisms spread by intimate human contact must remain flexible and adapt to the social, technical, clinical, financial and political realities. A strategy of primary prevention, based on sexual behavioural change combined with the provision of adequate clinical services, is vital for the control of STI. In response to the re-emergence of these diseases in the UK, it was decided by the Department of Health to open for the first time ever STD clinics across the country to help reduce the burden of the STIs. These clinics are staffed with a multidisciplinary group of specialists that offer sexual health services to different age groups of the community. Given the unequal burden of STIs for young people, it is imperative to ascertain effective prevention programmes. Although enhancing access to Chlamydia testing has been an important and urgent focus of Chlamydia awareness programmes and has led to renewed efforts to increase access to Chlamydia testing (WHO, 2001; Santer 2000; Santer, 2003). As more people including this identified group learn their Chlamydia status, and in recognition of the long latent period of the disease before symptoms prevail, factors related to Chlamydia awareness remain crucial to identify in order to design comprehensive Chlamydia management services that meet the needs of the population at risk of infection (Brabin, et al, 2009). A study by Shiely, et al (2009) showed that in Ireland, age specific behavioural interventions could be effective by targeting increased use of condoms to decrease STI incidences. Also in order to boost condom use, a 5% reduction from 13.5% in taxation on condoms could be implemented at policy level. Other studies also revealed age as a risk factor for STI transmission and to that regard there should be enhanced sex education promotion to the target group to enhance behavioural changes (Manhart, et al, 2004; Fenton, et al, 2005). A further study also showed that diagnosis of a viral STI was not associated with multiple partners but however it was possible for females who had more than one sexual partner to be more likely to use protection since they will be more experienced and aware of STI infection (Fenton, et al, 2005). Although condom use has increased in prevalence almost everywhere, but rates remain low in the UK and many other developing countries. The huge variation indicates mainly social and economic determinants of sexual behaviour, which have implications for intervention. Although individual behaviour change is central to improving sexual health, efforts are also needed to address the broader determinants of sexual behaviour, particularly those that relate to the social context. The evidence from behavioural interventions is that no general approach to sexual-health promotion will work everywhere and no single-component intervention will work anywhere. Comprehensive behavioural interventions are needed that take account of the social context in mounting individual-level programmes, attempt to modify social norms to support uptake and maintenance of behaviour change, and tackle the structural factors that contribute to risky sexual behaviour. Accomplishing excellent sexual health for the population of the UK has always created its own distinctive challenges. Meagre sexual health is often disproportionately impacting on those who are already at risk and experiencing inequalities, for instance the young people, black and minority ethnic groups, those in lower socio-economic class, and gay men. While there has been so much public health interest and commitment of resources to preventing AIDS, an opportunity exists for health workers to make significant progress in the control of other STIs as well. Thus the need for comprehensive behavioural interventions that would tackle the social context for individual-level programmes, support and sustainability of behavioural change, and the structural factors that is contributory to risky sexual behaviour. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) suggested the need for health professionals to identify individuals at higher risk of becoming infected with STIs, ascertained by ones sexual history, and organize one to one talks to minimise the risk of infection. However, the sexual health guidance recommends a variety of circumstances for assessing risk of infections which include opportunities where a health professional discusses with a patient contraception, abortion or pregnancy or when conducting cervical smear test, giving an STI test, giving travel immunisation, and during regular care or a new registration by a patient. Any individual identified to be at high risk of getting infected, should be referred to trained health worker for one-to-one talks in an attempt to minimise risky behaviour. Additionally for those who have been tested positive, should be assisted in having their partners tested and treated. Responsibility for the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP) was taken over in 2005 by the Health Protection Agency from the Department of Health. Screening is conducted in various locations across the UK, the main ones being youth services, community contraceptive services, general practices, education premises (universities or colleges). Statistics for the programme have revealed that more women are getting screened than men, while an increased number of men are testing positive. Efforts are still being made in most areas to attempt to tackle this variance in trying to reach out to the young men. More partnership work is required to tackle the variances including that of offering screening in health clubs such as gyms and boxing clubs. Although diagnostic testing in sexual health has now been increasingly quicker and easier for patients and the staff, it is crucial that care was personalised especially when engaging with a health worker. Since STIs are prevalent in both asy mptomatic and symptomatic individuals, due to their behaviour, diagnosis, management and follow up require skilled and trained individuals. If a health worker is adequately trained and has knowledge of STIs, it helps in preparing the patient for an STI test and understanding the effects if the test was to be positive.

Internet Censorship Essay - We Need Censorship to Protect Children Online :: Argumentative Persuasive Topics

We Need Censorship to Protect Children Online    One Source Cited  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This paper will elaborate the reasons why minors deserve legislative protection while using the internet, and how to implement this protection.    Most families agree that the custody, care, and nurture of the child resides first with the parent. On the other hand, the widespread availability of the Internet presents opportunities for minors to access materials through the World Wide Web in a manner that can frustrate parental supervision or control, for example, at the local public library(Morales). The protection of the physical and psychological well- being of minors by shielding them from materials that are harmful to them is a compelling interest to most parents.    To date, while the industry has developed innovative ways to help parents and educators restrict material that is harmful to minors through parental control protections and self-regulation, such efforts have not provided a national solution to the problem of minors accessing harmful material on the World Wide Web. Notwithstanding the existence of protections that limit the distribution over the World Wide Web of material that is harmful to minors, parents, educators, and industry must continue efforts to find ways to protect children from being exposed to harmful material found on the Internet.    Meanwhile, a prohibition on the distribution of material harmful to minors, combined with legitimate defenses, is currently the most effective and least restrictive means by which to satisfy the compelling interest of parents.    Such prohibition should include the following conduct: Whoever knowingly and with knowledge of the character of the material, in interstate or foreign commerce by means of the World Wide Web, makes any communication for commercial purposes that is available to any minor and that includes any material that is harmful to minors shall be fined and possibly imprisoned. Intentional repetition of this violation should accrue greater penalties.    This prohibition should not apply to carriers and other internet service providers, including:    (1) a telecommunications carrier engaged in the provision of a telecommunications service; (2) a person engaged in the business of providing an Internet access service; (3) a person engaged in the business of providing an Internet information location tool; or (4) similarly engaged in the transmission, storage, retrieval, hosting, formatting, or translation (or any combination thereof) of a communication made by another person, without selection or alteration of the content of the communication.

Licensed Casino Gambling Essay

Individual effects: Is gambling generally harmful to the individual gambler?| Yes * Gambling is irrational and reckless and should, therefore, be regulated by the government. There may be the possibility of winning a big prize, but the overwhelming likelihood is that a gambler will lose money. This is ensured by the fact that Casinos are profit-minded organizations, and calculate their odds so that they will always make a profit. Because gamblers are always likely to lose and suffer as a result, the activity can be seen in many ways as an irrational engagement.Gambling attracts people with little money who are desperate for a windfall. These are the people who can least afford to lose money. They should be protected from the temptation to gamble.| NoContention that the general individual losses from gambling are justified by it being a fun and leisurely activity worth â€Å"paying† for: Gamblers know that, overall, they are likely to lose money. They gamble because it is a lei sure pursuit that they enjoy. There is nothing irrational about this. Some people get an enjoyable thrill from the remote possibility that they might win a huge prize – even if they lose, they enjoy the experience. Some forms of gambling are highly sociable. For example, many people go to bingo halls to spend time with friends. Society accepts people spending (â€Å"wasting†?) money on other leisure pursuits with no material benefits (e.g. cinema tickets, watching sport) – gambling should not be any different. It is patronizing to suggest that people, including those on low incomes, should not be able to choose how they spend their money. * Psychological benefits of gambling: Some argue that gambling offers psychological benefits. The psychological benefits may include: 1. A feeling of control (which some describe as God-like). 2. Confidence that extends from feelings of executive control in decision-making. 3. Benefits in the ability to psycho-analyze other peoples thoughts, and placing mone yed interests and incentives behind the results of such psycho-analysis.[1] 4. Total engagement and â€Å"peak experience†. â€Å"It provides the gambler with ‘peak experience,’ that godlike feeling when all of one’s physical and emotional senses are ‘go.'†[2] 5. The release from daily tension. 6. Feelings of exercising â€Å"‘the adventurer within us’ – that part of ourselves which lusts for change, the wooing of the unknown, change, danger, all that is new†¦It is part of what makes us human.†[3] 7. Feelings of engaging in a ubiquitous, historical human tradition. 8. Emotions of non-conformity and freedom. One source quoted a gambler who said, â€Å"All day long you do what them dumb bastard supervisors tell you. Don’t make no difference whether it makes sense or not. Sometimes you just gotta get out of line.†[4] * Gambling increases individual efficiency: Studies show that, contrary to popular belief, gambling is by and large beneficial to the gambler and increases rather than decreases his efficiency. It is beneficial in that it stimulates, offers hope, allows decision making, and, in many cases,| Crime effects: Does gambling cause an increase in various kinds of related criminal activities?| [][Edit]Yes * Casinos are often a ssociated with criminal activity. Drug dealers and prostitutes operate near casinos – they know that there are a large number of potential clients in the area. Casinos can therefore be devastating to neighborhoods.| [][Edit]No * People committing crimes should be prosecuted. The existence of criminals does not make nearby businesses (including casinos) immoral. It is perverse to punish people who just want to gamble (and not take drugs or use prostitutes) by taking away their chance to do so.| Bad industry? Are casinos an industry with bad merit? Is nothing of value produced by casinos?| Yes * Casinos don’t produce any â€Å"product†: Many contend that gambling is inappropriate because it does not generate any tangible product. One commentators says that gambling â€Å"is an ethereal substance–â€Å"a biological substance†Ã¢â‚¬â€œthat produces â€Å"highs†¦generated usually by anticipation.†[5]| No * Contention that casinos are involved in the entertainment business, and need not produce a tangible product: Gambling is a form of entertainment that is similar to many other forms of entertainment; the objective is merely to foster a desired emotional response from the audience. Movies, theater, fair-grounds, concerts, sporting-events, and casinos are all similar in that their primary function is to foster an environment of entertainment. That is their â€Å"product†, which need not be physical in order to be viewed as valuable.| Addiction: Is gambling commonly addictive, and would this be a reason for regulating it?| Yes * Gambling is addictive. Many people end up gambling to try to recover money they have already lost. This is known as ‘chasing losses’. It results in people staking more and more money, most of which they will lose. Gambling addicts often turn to crime to feed their addiction. Addiction is highly damaging to families, since gamblers will spend whatever money they can on gambling. People start to gamble without thinking that they will become addicted. Once they become addicted, it is too late. As with drugs, it is better to ban gambling to stop people getting started in the first place. * Analogy that gambling truly is like a drug, and should be treated as a controlled substance: * It is â€Å"drug-like† in the way that it dramatically utilizes human chemicals: William M. Th ompson, â€Å"Gambling: A Controlled Substance†, PBS Interview, 1994 – â€Å"Is the comparison of drugs and gambling unfair? Consider the words of Thomas R. O’Brien, formerly Director of Gaming Enforcement for the state of New Jersey. In 1984 he told a conference on gambling that the success of Atlantic City was tied to how well it sold its ‘only products.’ He then said: ‘That product is not entertainment or recreation or leisure. It’s really adrenaline: a biological substance capable of producing excitement–highs and generated usually by anticipation or expectation of a future event, especially when the outcome of that event is in doubt.’ According to chief regulator of the industry, gambling was not only a drug, but a mind-altering drug.† * The addictive and destructive nature of gambling is also drug-like:William M. Thompson, â€Å"Gambling: A Controlled Substance†, PBS Interview, 1994 – â€Å"Where governments do not prohibit, the majority can exercise self-control. Seventy-five percent gamble responsibly. They find it an entertaining diversion. But another 20 percent overindulge. They incur debts that impair abilities to support their families, unless they stop. Usually they can. Four percent cannot stop without intervention of others. Then there are the one-half to one percent (and these are conservative estimates) who fall into destructive behaviors when exposed to gambling. Families are destroyed, friendships broken, employment disrupted. Cycles of deception and crime lead to ruined lives–and in many cases, suicide.†| No * Contention that gambling is not physically addictive: Unlike drugs, gambling is not physically addictive. It is only psychologically addictive in some people. Only a small percentage of gamblers have an addiction. Many more get enjoyment from gambling without problems – why should these people suffer because a few others get addicted? The risks of gambling addiction are well known. People can make a conscious choice to start gambling, and are aware of the risks of addiction. Treatment programmes can address the problems of those who are addicted.| Economic harm? Do casinos casinos cause economic harm or provide very few economic benefits?| Yes * The long-term economic negatives outweigh the short-term economic gains: John Warren Kind, â€Å"The Business-Economic Impacts of Licensed Casino Gambling in West Virginia: Short-Term Gain but Long-Term Pain†, PBS, 1994 – â€Å"While the dollars invested in various legalized gambling projects and the jobs initially created are evident, the industry has been criticized for inflating the positive economic impacts and trivializing or ignoring the negative impacts (Goodman 1994). The industry’s tendency to focus on specialized factors provides a distorted view of the localized economic positives, while ignoring the strategic business-economic costs to the state as a whole (such as West Virginia) and to different regions of the United States (California Governor’s Office 1992, Kindt 1995). In 1994, all of the various experts who testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business criticized the impacts that casino-style gambling activities inflict upon the criminal justice system, the social welfare, system, small businesses, and the economy (Congressional Hearing 1994). Utilizing legalized gambling activities as a strategy for economic development was thoroughly discredited during the hearing.† * The actual economic benefits of casinos are exaggerated. They generally only create low-paid jobs for local people; the casino companies usually bring in managers from elsewhere. * There are too many economic â€Å"exte rnalities† surrounding gambling, which nullify the benefits: * Crime – * Risky behavior – Compulsive gambling may foster poor, sometimes risky money-management habits. These habits may transfer over to other areas of the economy, where risky behaviors translate into a higher likelihood of loss in various markets. * Time consumption – Compulsive gambling often entails significant time consumption, which detracts from more productive ends. * Jobs could be created through many other industries that cause fewer moral and practical problems (e.g. theme parks). * Any economic benefits would not matter, if the industry is deemed immoral: * Estimated losses from compulsive gambling: William M. Thompson, â€Å"Gambling: A Controlled Substance†, PBS Interview, 1994 – â€Å"Conservative numbers suggest it costs society $13,000 per year for each compulsive gambler. The losses include treatment costs, lost productivity, criminal activity and judicial costs. Estimating that widespread gambling across America would create one million compulsive gamblers, the resulting annual economic loss would exceed $13 billion.†| No * Casinos cause money to be spent on transport infrastructure, which is very beneficial to economies: * Casinos help the tourism industry of a place: The jobs are not just in the casino itself. More jobs are created in hotels and other parts of the tourism industry. * Examples in which casinos have helped to regenerate many places that previously had considerable poverty and social problems: * Atlantic City. * New Jersey. * Legalized gambling on reservations is very important to Native American tribes: Anthony Pico, Chairman of the Viejas Indians, explains the benefits to his tribe of legalized gambling on his tribe’s reservation in a PBS interview.[6]| Social welfare effects: Are the charitable generations from gambling substantial, and can this go toward justifying their existence?| Yes * It is immoral for the state or charities to raise money by exploiting people’s stupidity and greed. * Gambling is regressive (this means that the poor pay a greater proportion of their income in tax than the rich). This is because poor people are more likely to gamble. Regressive taxation is deeply unfair. * â€Å"Legalized gambling activities act as a regressive tax on the poor† (Clotfelter and Cook 1989). Specifically, the legalization of various forms of gambling activities makes â€Å"poor people poorer† and can dramatically intensify many pre-existing social-welfare problems. Demographic analyses reveal that certain disadvantaged socioeconomic groups tend to gamble proportionately greater amounts of their overall income and marketing efforts, particularly by state lotteries, have allegedly been directed at these target groups.† – John Warren Kind, â€Å"The Business-Economic Impacts of Licensed Casino Gambling in West Virginia: Short-Term Gain but Long-Term Pain†, PBS, 1994 * Contention that education is harmed by gambling practices: Kind, PBS, 1994 – â€Å"Legalized gambling activities also negatively affect education– both philosophically and fiscally (Better Government Association 1992; Clotfelter and Cook 1989). Adherence to a philosophy of making a living via gambling activities not only abrogates the perceived need for an education, but also reinforces economically unproductive activities (and is statistically impossible since the ‘house’ always wins eventually). In states with legalized gambling activities which were initiated allegedly to bolster tax revenues to ‘education,’ the funding in ‘real dollars’ has almost uniformly decreased.†| No * Gambling is often used to raise money for the state or good causes. Charities use prize draws to raise funds:| Should online gambling be banned?| Yes * Internet gambling is especially dangerous. Someone can become addicted very easily – they don’t even need to leave their home. This also means that they are gambling in private. They may therefore be less reluctant to wager very large sums they cannot afford. It is very hard to know the identity of an online gambler – there have been several cases of people (including children) using stolen credit cards to gamble online. Online gambling may be hard to control but that is not a reason to try – making an activity more difficult to pursue will still reduce the number of those who take it up. It is not impossible to put effective deterrent steps in place, such as the recent US ban on American banks processing credit card payments to internet ].| No * It is impossible to stop online gambling. When it has been banned, people have just used sites based in other countries. It is better to legalize and regulate online gambling than to drive gamblers to poorly-regulated foreign operators. Regulation can reduce the problems identified by the proposition. For example, online gamblers can be required to give personal details when registering (e.g. occupation, income). If this information suggests they are spending more than they can afford, the company can block their credit card. In any case, most online gamblers do not get addicted. Why should they be denied an activity that they enjoy?|

Thesis Statement Writing Tips and Guides

Thesis Statement Writing Tips and Guides Useful Tips on Writing a Good Thesis Statement for an Essay What is a thesis statement? How should it look like? Newbies are sick and tired of answering those questions. A thesis statement is actually a movie trailer for your major work. It highlights the key ideas and aspects of the topic. Although it may seem easy to write, a thesis statement becomes a major challenge for 100% of students no matter how good they are at essay writing. Our tips will make the process simpler and less time-consuming. We do hope you will find them handy. The importance of thesis statement Here are the key points that describe the importance of the thesis statement: It showcases your ideas; It organizes the argument; It contains guidelines for the reader; It establishes claims for a dispute. Types of thesis statements All thesis statements can be divided into two main types: debatable and non-debatable. Make sure you clearly understand the difference before you use any of those types: The debatable thesis is a statement that considers opinion readers may agree or disagree; The non-debatable thesis is a statement that does not reserve any place for readers to debate. What is a proper length of a thesis statement? Avoid writing too long thesis statements. Most students get into a trap when writing huge papers. They think that the length of the thesis statement depends on the volume of a general paper. Well, it does not. The shorter and narrower your thesis, the better. Two or three sentences are more than enough to get your readers intrigued. The thesis should have a claim for a future dispute. Types of thesis statement claims Each claim refers to a particular type and category. They are as follows: Definition or common fact; Event and Result (cause and effect); Value of the category described; Policies and solutions. Include the claim depending on your readers’ type. The audience always matters when it comes to choosing the right claim for your thesis statement. Tips to build a thesis statement Follow our easy tips to construct a solid thesis statement that will grab readers’ attention: Explore and research the sources – you need to analyze all the information you generate from different sources. Compare and contrast all facts to establish your own opinion on the topic; Always make notes – write down everything that comes up to your head. Make sure you always hold a pen or pencil; Include your thesis in the introduction – a thesis statement should be the last part of the introductory paragraph; Provide counterarguments – a thesis statement should encourage your readers on further debates and discussions. Anticipating counterarguments will be a good idea. To know if your thesis is good, try to answer some of the following questions: Does it contain answers to the essay questions? Is the thesis statement specific? Does the major work support your thesis? If the answers are â€Å"Yes†, you have done a great job!

The Search for Their Promised Land Professor Ramos Blog

The Search for Their Promised Land When Frederick Douglass died in 1895, white social and political leaders saw that his death created a power vacuum for a black political leader in a particularly dangerous, unstable time. They would attempt, and succeed, to fill this vacuum with someone who they hoped would help to quell the racial tensions, someone who had risen from the lowliest of circumstances of his race to a place of high regard and clout, and someone who had already demonstrated his moderate, accommodationist philosophy in previous addresses: Booker T. Washington. As recounted in his autobiography, Up from Slavery, Washington spoke about his views at two significant events in the North and received a positive reception from both Northern and Southern whites, before he was asked to speak at the Atlanta Cotton States and International Exposition in fall of 1895. His controversial speech would come to be known as the Atlanta Compromise. Despite succeeding at bringing together both black and white interests in the South, it would also serve to ingratiate the Negro race to white America and would be partially responsible for slowing social and political progress in the era of Jim Crow. Though he originally agreed with the address, these points and further criticisms of Washington’s program are what W.E.B. Du Bois wrote about in The Souls of Black Folk; this publication would forever put him in intellectual opposition to Washington. In order to understand the differing impacts of the writings by Washington and Du Bois, it is necessary to understand the stage onto which these major players entered. Jacqueline Moore notes the rise of minstrel shows and blackface in the mid 1800’s propagated racial stereotypes that African-Americans were â€Å"lazy, dishonest, and lacking mental capacity for anything beyond manual labor† (4). In 1859, Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species, which gave rise to â€Å"Social Darwinism†. Social Darwinism was a theory in the social sciences that believed Western European races were the ideal and therefore the degree of difference between any race from that ideal, was directly proportional to that race’s inferiority (Moore, 3). This belief was further reinforced by the pseudo-scientific evaluation of African facial features that was being conducted at the time (see fig. 1). These studies gave a scientific basis and excuse for racism. Fig. 1. Sketches from an 1854 study wherein a caricatured Negro male is compared to the Greek ideal and to a primate from: Nott, Josiah Clark. Types of Mankind. Agassiz, Louis, et. al., pp. 458, Lippincott, Grambo, Co., 1 Apr. 1854. The end of the Reconstruction Era and the withdrawal of federal troops from the South saw a drastic increase in voter fraud, intimidation, and violence at the polls, targeting African American voters (see fig. 2). All of these, combined with the South’s economic hardships in the Post-Reconstruction Era, and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, culminated in the time period that historian Rayford Logan, who has written extensively on African-American history and race relations, describes as the nadir of African-American history. Fig. 2. Political cartoon showing intimidation at the polls from: Frost, A.B.. â€Å"Of Course He Wants to Vote the Democratic Ticket.† Harpers Weekly, 21 October 1876, dcc.newberry.org/items/of-course-he-wants-to-vote-the-democratic-ticket. According to Logan, the decade between 1890 and 1900 was marked by over two thousand documented lynchings (informal public executions by mobs that bypass due process). These lynchings were brutal affairs, often involving torture of the victims, distribution of dismembered body parts as souvenirs to spectators, and widespread circulation of photographs of the killings or effigies thereof (see fig. 3). Fig. 3. A Ku Klux Klan effigy being lynched , used to intimidate potential black voters from: Unknown Source circa 1920s. These events sent a political message of white supremacy and black powerlessness in a way that is equatable to systematic political terrorism. This message was not just the angry cry of white men, but was in fact backed by state legislature. By 1908, ten out of eleven Southern states ratified new constitutions and amendments to disenfranchise African-American voters in an attempt to counteract the 15th Amendment adopted in 1870. Du Bois said of this time period, â€Å"The Nation has not yet found peace from its sins; the freedman has not yet found in freedom his promised land.† This is the social climate in which Washington and Du Bois both gained prominence and developed their divergent viewpoints. In an interview conducted before his death in 1963, Du Bois acknowledged that the differences in philosophies were probably due in large part to the differences in their upbringing and development (McGill). Booker T. Washington was born into slavery on a Virginia plantation in approximately 1856. After the emancipation proclamation, he and his family joined his step-father, a freedman who escaped slavery during the civil war, in West Virginia. As a young boy, Washington, like his step-father, worked in coal and salt mines. After work, he walked great distances to go to school and painstakingly learned to read and write. It is this time period that may have shaped his philosophy that hard work would lead to economic success, and thereafter political power would be earned and given freely. After common school, Washington attended Hampton Institute, a school established to educate freedmen and their descendants, before being recommended to be principal and founder of Tuskegee Institute. W.E.B. Du Bois on the other hand, was born to free, land-owning parents, post emancipation in 1868. He had access to greater privileges from the start. He attended the local integrated public school, earned a bachelor’s degree from Fisk University and from Harvard. He did graduate studies at the University of Berlin with some of the top social scientists of the times, and went on to be the first black man to obtain a Ph.D. from Harvard in 1985, the same year Washington would give his Atlanta Exposition speech. Fig. 4. Letter from W.E.B. Dubois to Booker T. Washington congratulating Washington on his Atlanta Exposition Speech from: Booker T. Washington Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, (003.00.00) Digital ID # na0003, 24 Sept. 1895, loc.gov/exhibits/naacp/prelude.html At this time, Du Bois’ ideology was not yet crystallized. He originally approved and congratulated Washington on his address, calling it â€Å"a word fitly spoken† (see fig. 4). However, several events influenced his change in views between 1895 and 1903 when he would publish his collection of essays directly in contrast with Washington’s program. One such event which Du Bois recalled vividly in the interview with McGill was when he saw a recently-lynched Negro’s drying fingers on display in front of a grocery store. He found it difficult to reconcile the importance of patience in matters of social equality while such atrocities were regularly being committed against his people (McGill). In 1901, Washington published his own auto-biography in which he recalled his ascension as a political leader, as well as reconfirmed the beliefs he had established six years prior. Du Bois said, â€Å"I realized the need for what Washington was doing. Yet it seemed to me he was giving up essential ground that would be hard to win back and Du Bois soon became a counterweight to the rhetoric coming from Tuskegee (McGill). Washington preached self-help and believed that the cultivation of the virtues of patience, enterprise, and thrift would win the respect of whites. He urged acceptance of social segregation and the disenfranchisement of black voters in favor of economic growth, asking each member of his race to â€Å"Cast down [their] bucket where [they] are.† He asked whites to do the same, but one popular interpretation came to be that he promised his race would work meekly under white oppression as they had done as slaves in the past: Cast down your bucket where you are. Cast it down among the eight millions of Negroes whose habits you know, whose fidelity and love you have tested . . . among these people who have, without strikes and labour wars, tilled your fields, cleared your forests, builded your railroads and cities . . . helped make possible this magnificent representation of the progress of the South. Cast down your bucket among my people, helping and encouraging them . . . to education of head, hand, and heart, you will find that they will buy your surplus land, make blossom the waste places in your fields, and run your factories . . . as in the past, you and your families will be surrounded by the most patient, faithful, law-abiding, and unresentful people that the world has seen. As we have proved our loyalty to you in the past, nursing your children, watching by the sick-bed of your mothers and fathers, and often following them with tear-dimmed eyes to their graves, so in the future, in our humble way, we shall stand by you with a devotion that no foreigner can approach, ready to lay down our lives, if need be, in defence of yours, interlacing our industrial, commercial, civil, and religious life with yours . . . In all things that are purely social we can be as separate as the fingers, yet one as the hand in all things essential to mutual progress.Booker T. Washington in UpfromSlavery Washington also wrote in his autobiography, â€Å"I believe that in the South we are confronted with peculiar conditions that justify the protection of the ballot in many of the states†¦ either by an educational test, a property test, or by both combined†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This confirmed not only his acquiescence of voting rights, but his endorsement of disenfranchisement. According to Du Bois, â€Å"It startled the nation to hear a Negro advocating such a programme after many decades of bitter complaint; it startled and won the applause of the South, it interested and won the admiration of the North; and after a confused murmur of protest, it silenced if it did not convert the Negroes themselves.† While he had many criticisms, W.E.B. Du Bois did not disagree with Washington’s program entirely. He did not advocate on opposition to industrial training, but in addition to it: To be really true, all these ideals must be melted and welded into one. The training of the schools we need to-day more than ever,- the training of deft hands, quick eyes and ears, and above all the broader, deeper, higher culture of gifted minds and pure hearts. The power of the ballot we need in sheer self-defence,- else what shall save us from a second slavery? Freedom, too, the long-sought, we still seek,- the freedom of life and limb, the freedom to work and think, the freedom to love and aspire. Work, culture, liberty,- all these we need, not singly but together, not successively but together. . .W.E.B. Du Bois in TheSoulsofBlackFolk He had hoped for a future in which both races could come together and it would be â€Å"possible to be both a Negro and an American, without being cursed and spit upon by his fellows, without having the doors of Opportunity closed roughly in his face,† and without either race being subsumed by the other (Du Bois). Du Bois did however take issue with the fact that his race had not chosen Washington as their spokesperson and that â€Å"by national opinion, the Negroes began to recognize Mr. Washington’s leadership; and the voice of national criticism was hushed.† (Du Bois). Washington had been selected by white political leaders and presented to a mixed-race audience as â€Å"a representative of Negro enterprise and Negro civilization† (Washington). Du Bois asserts, â€Å"If the best of American Negroes receive by outer pressure a leader whom they had not recognized before†¦ there is irreparable loss – a loss of that peculiarly valuable education which a group receives when by search and criticism it finds and commissions its own leaders.† Du Bois also saw that fulfilling the promises of emancipation meant a grab for political power and necessitated political agitation and organized protest, which Washington had called â€Å"the greatest folly.† According to Du Bois, â€Å"The ideal of liberty demanded for its attainment powerful means, and these the 15th Amendment gave [us]. The ballot†¦ [should] now be regarded as the chief means of gaining and perfecting the liberty with which the war had partially endowed him.† Du Bois sought to counteract Washington’s call for acceptance, saying, â€Å"By every civilized and peaceful method we must strive for the rights which the world accords to men, clinging unwaveringly to these great words which the sons of the Fathers would fain forget: ‘We hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal’†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Abolitionists throughout the country were equally divided. In his article chronicaling the relationship between Du Bois and Washington, Thomas Aiello notes, black critics. . . saw Washington’s Compromise as a slippery slope that would cause more problems than it could ever hope to solve (51). Unfortunately, while Washington had the best of intentions, his program helped sustain the ethos of Jim Crow America. Washington believed that white southerners had an objection to amoral or illiterate black people having the right to vote or rising above their means, and he believed that rectifying these things would mean an end of racism. In reality, the white population had an existential objection to black people, not because of a lack of education or financial success and autonomy. Washington had misplaced his faith in the white people of his time, believing â€Å"No race that has anything to contribute to the markets of the world is long in any degree ostracized.† (Washington) Whites in that era did not uphold their end of the compromise, but instead, burned down schools and churches and targeted black middle and working classes. Du Bois wrote in The Souls of Black Folk that â€Å"[Washington’s] doctrine has tended to make the whites, North and South, shift the burden of the Negro Problem to the Negro’s shoulders†¦ when in fact the burden belongs to the nation, and t he hands of none of us are clean if we bend not our energies to righting these great wrongs.† Despite this, some good did come from the divide in beliefs. Opposition to Washington’s acceptance of segregation resulted in the formation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Niagara Movement; W.E.B. Du Bois was heavily involved with starting both, and the former is still active today. While Washington’s racial philosophy died with him, his economic policies are still relevant and Du Bois’ philosophy of agitation and civil protest flowed directly into 1960’s civil rights movement. The United States itself has come a long way; nine-year-old Jeremiah Harvey, who was accused by a white woman of sexual assault when his backpack brushed up against her in a store, did not become a second Emmett Till. There is still far to go however, and as Du Bois once said, â€Å"either the U.S. will destroy ignorance, or ignorance will destroy the U.S.† Aiello, Thomas. â€Å"The First Fissure: The Du Bois-Washington Relationship from 1898-1899.† Phylon (1960-), vol. 51, no. 1, 2014, pp. 76–87. JSTOR, jstor.org/stable/43199122. Bauerlein, Mark. â€Å"Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois: The Origins of a Bitter Intellectual Battle.† The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, No. 46 (winter, 2004 2005), pp. 106-114. The JBHE Foundation Inc., jstor.org/stable/4133693 Biography.com Editors. â€Å"W.E.B. Du Bois Rivalry with Booker T. Washington.† Youtube, AE Television Networks, 29 Jan. 2013, youtube.com/watch?v=NnVt9RvN548. Coates, Ta-Nehisi. â€Å"The Tragedy and Betrayal Of Booker T. Washington.† The Atlantic, The Atlantic Monthly Group, 31 Mar. 2009, theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2009/03/the-tragedy-and-betrayal-of-booker-t-washington/7092/. Du Bois, W.E.B.. The Souls of Black Folk. 1903, Project Gutenberg, #408, gutenberg.org/files/408/408-h/408-h.htm. Gates, Henry Louis. â€Å"The Debate Between W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington.† Frontline, Public Broadcasting Service, 10 Feb. 1998, pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/debate-w-e-b-du-bois-and-booker-t-washington/. History.com Editors. â€Å"Booker T. Washington.† History, AE Television Networks, 12 Sept. 2018, history.com/topics/black history/booker-t-washington. Logan, Rayford Whittingham. The Betrayal of the Negro, from Rutherford B. Hayes to Woodrow Wilson. Reprint ed., Da Capo Press, 1997. McGill, Ralph. â€Å"W.E.B. Du Bois.†The Atlantic Monthly, Nov. 1965, pp. 78–81, theatlantic.com/past/docs/unbound/flashbks/black/mcgillbh.htm. Accessed 25 Feb. 2019. Moore, Jacqueline M.Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois, and the Struggle for Racial Uplift. Vol. 1, Scholarly Resources Inc., 2003. Washington, Booker T. Up from Slavery: An Autobiography. 1901, Project Gutenberg, #2376, gutenberg.org/files/2376/2376-h/2376-h.htm.

What are the best treatments for Post traumatic stress disorder Research Paper

What are the best treatments for Post traumatic stress disorder - Research Paper Example The current prevalence of PTSD in the United States as presented by The National Comorbidity Survey Replication is approximately 6.8 percent in the adult population. The annual prevalence of the condition is 3.5 percent. It has also been assessed that the prevalence in females is twice as compared to that in males. PTSD is a condition which is linked with other comorbid psychiatric conditions like major depressive disorder, social phobia and bipolar disorder. The National Comorbidity Survey has also presented that secondary psychiatric conditions may also result due to PTSD which include mood disorders or indulgence in substance abuse. PTSD not only affects the mental functioning of an individual but it also tends to raise the risk of pathological conditions like congestive cardiac pathologies as well as hypertension, renal and hepatic disorders. (Ivanova 314). The main etiological factor for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is considered to be a traumatic encounter which affects the individual psychologically (Walsh 65). This leads to the development of the three main symptoms of the condition which include â€Å"terror, shame and helplessness.† (Krippner 11). It needs to be understood that not all individuals who are exposed to traumatic events develop PTSD. A study conducted to review the causes of PTSD revealed that traumatic experiences like sexual assault and physical abuse made an individual more prone to develop PTSD. But other factors like genetics, the personality of an individual, educational qualifications as well as social assistance also play a role and make certain individuals more susceptible whereas protect others from developing this condition (Ford 56). Psychological trauma can occur due to many reasons which include combat, accidents, sexual assault, physical and sexual abuse. In the year 2005, the Royal College of Psychiatrists explained that PTSD may occur due to various reasons. These included army combats, terrorist

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry Research Paper

Competition in the Movie Rental Industry - Research Paper Example Suppliers adopt strategies such as patents in order to acquire supremacy within the industry. Companies provide attractive movie prices and services in order to control the buying power of their customers. Buyers have several companies to choose from, and these companies must strive to keep their customers. Competition is high in the movie rental industry due to easy entry by new companies. There are several companies with similar products at reduced prices, which increase competition. Some of the new entrants provide substitute products such as cable services. Customers subscribe to cable providers, and they gain access to several movies at a reduced monthly price. Competitive rivalry between companies creates the need for new strategies and businesses enjoy a competitive advantage only for a short time. One of the five forces of competition is supplier power. Companies in the rental business acquire their content from studios and movie distributors. The movie industry has several s tudios such as Walt Disney, Pixar, and Warner Bros and other distributors from which rental companies can choose from. The number of suppliers and the uniqueness of their products determine the supply prices. Blockbuster purchased Movielink which is a leading movie downlink service and reduced the need for DVD’s and plastic cases (Blockbuster Corporate, 2009). Suppliers and distributors who deal with DVD movies will experience reduced purchase power. Blockbuster customers can purchase and download movies from Movielink which reduces the need for DVDs. Netflix acquires its content by buying DVDs from studios and distributors, paying on a fee-per-DVD basis (Thompson, Strickland, & Gamble, 2009). Some suppliers offer unique products, which reduces the chances of substitution. Movie studios and distributors generate revenue by selling movies to rental companies and a large number of viewers. This creates a symbiotic relationship between suppliers and rental companies, which contr ols supply prices. Buyer power in the movie rental business is usually high due to the wide range of movies present in the market. There is no legal substitute for movies in the market, which makes rental companies dictate the market prices. The industry has few operators who have similar product prices and deal in almost similar products. This enables the companies maintain high prices affordable by several buyers since they do not buy large volumes of movies. Netflix has over 8.4 million subscribers who prefer online browsing and mailbox delivery of movies. There is no cost of cancelling subscriptions and switching to other companies; therefore, there is little migration of customers. Blockbuster utilizes total access sealed envelopes that can be traded for movies at no extra cost. Buyers can utilize these envelopes to purchase movies of their choice from the local stores without incurring any shipping charges. Movie rental companies offer downloadable movies to increase the buyin g power of their customers. Competitors may offer different prices to attract more buyers. Redbox offers its customers reduced prices in order to have a competitive advantage over Netflix and Blockbuster. The high demand for entertainment across the world provides rental companies with large numbers of customers. The presence of substitute products in the market creates competition between different businesses in the industry. Customers have a wide range of entertainment products to choose