Olympics games and a permanent home - Essay Example

Olympics games and a permanent home The founder and the father of the modern Olympics Pierre De Coubertin envisioned the games far beyond a mere event and saw through it to launch it into a wider platform. The objective of rotating site for both the summer and winter games would promote and provide peace and understanding across the globe. The shift of the hosting countries would also open new vista for better learning and exposition of world-wide places and culture. But with the growing financial crisis followed by politics along polarisation of the game and corruption have brought out certain facts in the recent past that substantiates the fact that hosting cities of the games have to bear the excessive cost of bidding campaigns and the organisation of the games and its aftermath is many a times leading many great cities of the world on the edge of financial peril. The greatest example in this regard is the Olympic Games hosted by Montreal in the year 1976 where the city had to face extreme financial disaster as the cost exceeded more than 400 percent than the estimated cost. The city got almost bankrupted and it took almost three decades for the city to overcome the burden of the glorious game. Financial hazards are pertinent problem where many hosting cities fail to cope up with. But apart from financial hazards, political calamities are also one of the very obvious hazards which the event has to face due to rotating sites. Polarisation and corruption also easily get into the scheme of things of such an auspicious event due to its shift in place. There was a massive boycott in participation during the Montreal, Moscow and Los Angeles games. Moreover, the dark day in the history of Olympics which occurred in the event of 1972 Munich Games where Israeli athletes were attacked, will remain an unforgettable event. All these happened due to myriad polarised selection of places which fell under the regime of different socio-political blocks. Nevertheless, the myth that after hosting the games many cities are able to improve their human rights conditions under the compulsion of the international pressure have been proven time and again and Jacques Rogge, The President of International Olympic Committee even held the perception till the Beijing Game that the games would “have a good effect for the evolution of China”. At the same time he also maintained that the Olympic Games would turn out for China as “a great catalyst for change”. But the government’s increasing restriction for the visit to Tibet and clamping down its dissidents proved the attempt of better human rights condition under international exposure into a complete vain. Olympic Games are far beyond the parochial politics of nation, society and economy. Thus for the sake of the maintenance of healthy spirit of the game, it is essential to give it a permanent home possibly in a neutral zone to free the game from corruption, politics and polarisation which will render a strong platform for a game like Olympics to flourish with healthy spirit and competition. Even luminaries associated with the sports world feel the need of a permanent home for the Olympics. Bill Bradley, a Senator and a Democrat of New Jersey seriously felt that the permanent home of the Olympics would be “suitable for insulating the Games from unwarranted and disruptive international politics” (Banks-Altakruse, “Give the Olympics a Home”). Task 2 Today’s low-cost airlines are able to offer fast and cheap travel. However, some people believe this is at a cost to the planet. Suggest ways that governments and individuals could tackle the environmental impact of low-cost flights. Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. The current market scenario of the global aviation industry is apparently competitive. The competition is also at a rapid increase which is influencing the marketing strategies of the major industry players. For instance, in the global airline industry companies are witnessed to adopt low cost strategies with the purpose to offer airline services at a cheap price and thus to attain increased customer base. For example, Ryanair, Air France and other airline service providers offer their services to the international as well as national customers at a cheap rate which is certainly increasing their market competency but at a cost of environmental hazards. Governments along with a significant number of customers of the aviation industry have raised concern regarding the environmental impact caused by the low cost airlines. Notably, the governments and the customers initiated to raise their voices against the environmental hazards caused by low cost airlines from the beginning of the 21st century. The industry had been continuously notified regarding the results of increasing concentration on their low cost strategies. However, the airline companies have been witnessed to pay insignificant consideration to the aspect which has resulted in increased carbon emissions solely caused by the global aviation industry. It is worth mentioning that in order to reduce the cost of services rendered the airline companies are concentrating on low graded mechanical construction of the air vehicles in terms of efficiency in reducing carbon emissions. Therefore, the use of low cost machineries and equipments result in increasing environmental hazards. In this context, the government can take legislative measures to confirm that the equipments used in the airlines are reliable in relation to the carbon emissions. Concurrently, the governments should focus on the implementation of strict taxation and penalty measures on the use of low cost equipments that are likely to hamper the environmental interest as well as the safety of the passengers. On the similar context, individuals (both customers and employees) should play significant roles in enhancing the environmental awareness and accountability of the airline companies. Task 3 Cooking should be taught in Schools to Promote Healthy Lifestyles Food is an essential key to maintain a healthy life. The increasing obesity across the globe owing to various unhealthy food habits and socio-cultural practices is truly alarming. To improve the general health of the future generation, it is essential to provide them a proper guidance since their childhood as it will enable them to construct a strong foundation regarding their food habits. Cookery classes at school level will enable the students to have a thorough knowledge of nutrition and food value which they would be able to incorporate in their daily meals for the rest of their life. The true essence of a healthy life is to maintain and consume a balanced diet and in order to implement the same in the daily diet, it becomes important to understand and blend the proper combinations which are only possible through cookery training. Cooking is often underestimated as an integral part of home-science and is neglected in the school curriculum. History, geography, sociology and many other subjects find better places compared to cookery. But cooking is a science-based subject and a proper knowledge of it will be always beneficial and helpful in maintaining a proper healthy life. Moreover, a good knowledge of tasty and healthy cooking would help one to avoid the fast foods and the junk foods found on the street. Inadequate knowledge of cooking leads to the consumption of ready-made fast foods. These foods are not only unhealthy but also can cause many contaminated diseases. This tendency is more found in the students or professionals who stay away from their home. Under the compulsion of inadequate knowledge of cooking they are bound to consume fast foods and street foods which are not always very hygienic as these lead to many gastric malfunctioning. In today’s fast life it is not actually possible to devote time to learn cooking. So it would be highly beneficial for the children to learn cooking and receive awareness regarding healthy food habits and food values as a part of their curriculum. This would make it more interesting and educative for them. Not only they will come to lean many things about healthy food and lifestyle, but also they would be able to educate and aware others and for this they won’t need to devote any extra time as it would get integrated to their course in the school level. References Au & Et. Al, “Reforming the American education system in order to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles”. No Date. Virginia Tech. July 13, 2011. Read More