Children and video games Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Children and video games - Essay Example The violent content of video games is the cause of the negative influence they have on children. This makes children to develop aggressive behavior, including vengeance. Violent games provoke social exclusion of children, as they will not spare time for homework and interaction with friends. This also affects their health negatively. Children spend more time at home. Video games do not inculcate positive social values in children Video games do not encourage negotiations and nonviolent solutions in children.Video games portray women as weaker sex and sexually provocative. Video games make children live in a fantasy world and they do not think about their future.Children might fail to do their assignments, thus become lazy, and develop issues with teachers in school.Video games result in poor academic performance, due to their addictive nature.Video games might lead to impulsive behavior and concentration challenges. Video games require skills and tactics to play, thus develops child’s brain. Mental skills such as problem-solving, critical thinking, fine motor, and spatia. If a parent plays with the child, they bond more.Video games increases interactivity and creativity in children. Video games enhance self-esteem and confidence.Playing as a group boosts coordination in children.Since video games have considerable benefits, if allowed they should be controlled.Provide a variety of entertainment to children to avoid addiction to video games.Regulate the amount of time children play video games.

A Runaway Slave on the Underground Railroad Essay Example for Free

A Runaway Slave on the Underground Railroad Essay The heat here is terrible. Sticky, thick heat that sticks to your skin and clothes and makes it hard to breathe. The mosquitoes only make it worse. They don’t even wait for nightfall to come out anymore, but buzz around all day and torment us out in the cotton fields. I’ve got welts from their bites all up and down my arms and legs, and I’m afraid it won’t be long before there’s a yellow fever epidemic. As you know, it’ll be the babies that go first if that happens, poor little things. Clara just had her fourth last month, and Ether had her third just this week. There’s no rest for them, though. No, they had to be up and in those fields again the very next day after giving birth, carrying their little babies with them. You know we have to work from dawn to dusk, with only a short break to eat in the middle of the day. The overseers are always watching us, always so quick to strike out at us with the whip if they think we’re slacking off or not working hard enough or fast enough. We get so hot and tired and thirsty in those cotton fields, but there’s little in the way of relief except for a barrel of water with a ladle we all get to share from. I wish I was one of the house slaves, then I could be out of this heat and sun beating down on my back. The house slaves are treated a lot better than we are. They get to raise the white children and cook the meals and do the laundry, and become almost a part of the family. Oh, those white children love their black nannies! But I guess I’m not smart enough or pretty enough to be kept in the house. I’ve got another baby on the way, my second. I hope this one lives. I’ve determined to get out of here. I can’t go on like this. I hear there are people who will help. You’re lucky, Aunt, that you had a kind master who gave you your freedom, and that you found a good man to marry and take you up North where you can be free. If I find a way out of here, can I stay with you until I find work and a place to live? I’ve got to go now and take this letter to the house slave from the farm next door who will mail this for me. I can’t let anyone see me go, and I can’t let anyone know I can read and write a letter. That’s illegal here, did you know. Slaves aren’t supposed to be educated. So, I’ve got to sneak over there in cover of darkness. I hope to write to you again soon. Your loving niece, Libby July 17, 1853 Charleston, South Carolina Dear Aunt Betsey, The house slave from next door I told you about, remember him? His name is Milton. He’s the father of my baby, but as you know, slaves aren’t allowed to marry here. Anyway, he tells me he knows some people who will help me escape. They’re good people, he says, white people who hate slavery. They will get me off the plantation and to a safe house somewhere. Then the people at that house will get me to another house, and so on, all the way up to the North. I’m going to tell them that I want to go to my aunt Betsey Martin’s house in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I hope that’s all right. I hear New Bedford has a large population of us colored folks, and that we live right along with the white people there, side by side (McKivigan, 1999). I also hear there are good job opportunities, and that my baby can go to school with the white children. I don’t know when all of this is going to take place, so I can’t give you a time yet that I might be there, if this all works out and I don’t get shot trying to escape, or dragged back here to be whipped nearly to death, or worse. I admit, I’m scared of what might happen, but I have to try, for me and for my baby. Milton says he will follow me, as soon as he can. Your loving niece, Libby September 23, 1853 Ashville, North Carolina Dear Aunt Betsey, Well, I did it! I escaped the plantation. Three nights ago, I snuck over to Milton’s farm like I always do. I had packed a little bundle of most of my belongings that I slung over my shoulder. It wasn’t much. Just one other dress (my good one), some handkerchiefs, a hair brush, and some hard tack to eat, that was all. I knew if all went well, I wouldn’t be coming back. I won’t miss that plantation at all. I have no ties there, as you know. No family, since I was sold from the plantation where my mama and papa and brothers and sisters were 5 years ago. They sold my brothers and sisters at the same time as me, and I have no idea where they went. I guess I should count us lucky we got to stay together until I was 13. Not many slaves are that lucky. I’ve just been living in a cramped cabin with 5 other slave women with no family on the plantation, and they don’t care much what I do. They know I have a beau next door, and they keep quiet about my comings and goings, as most of them have beaus of their own they have to sneak out to see. At Milton’s farm, there were two white men and a white woman waiting inside Milton’s cabin. Milton lives on the edge of the property, near the fence, so no one from the house was likely to see the horses standing outside the cabin, and all the lanterns were blown out to make it extra dark besides. These white people were there to take me to a safe house in North Carolina. They had a horse for me, and some food in a little basket. I said my good-byes to Milton as quickly as I could, and he promised to come to me as soon as I was settled. Then, I got on my horse (I was scared, as I’d never ridden a horse before) and followed the white people on their horses into the woods. In two days, we came to the home of a nice store keeper and his wife, and they hustled me inside, where I’ve been staying in a nice, clean, cool bedroom with a real quilt on the bed and a wash basin to wash my face in the morning and water to drink whenever I want it. The woman of the house even gave me a new dress to wear. I’ve never felt so good, so clean. I’m to stay here until a new group of people comes to take me to the next stop. The woman of the house here said I’m now on the Underground Railroad. That’s what they call these safe houses along the way to the North (â€Å"What Was the Underground Railroad? †, n. d. ). The Underground Railroad. I like the sound of that. It’s the Underground Railroad to freedom. Your loving niece, Libby October 6, 1853 Alexandria, Virginia Dear Aunt Betsey, I think I am getting closer to you. One of the children in my new safe house showed me a map of the United States and showed me where I am now and where you are. On a map, it does not look so far away, but I fear the journey is still many miles yet. There was such a commotion in North Carolina, you would not believe! About a week after I escaped the plantation, a group of armed men came riding through town, putting up signs with a drawing of me on them, announcing a runaway slave and a reward for my return. The woman of the safe house dressed me up as a man, and hid me in her attic until the men had ridden through town, just in case they should come inside looking for me. They did not come in, thanks be to the Lord, but they did ask a the door if anyone had seen me. I was so afraid I would be given up for the reward, but these were good people who were protecting me. I never went outside the house, even to go to the outhouse, so there was never any chance of being seen and recognized by one of the townsfolk (I had a chamber pot for my use, and it was the job of one of the children to empty all the chamber pots every morning). I don’t remember how many days I was in the North Carolina safe house. One night, though, two free black women came to get me, and we walked together into the woods. We walked and walked, sleeping during the day and walking at night when it was easier to be invisible. They told me I was lucky, that most slaves who escaped the plantations didn’t have anyone to help them until they got further north. They said the Underground Railroad didn’t have too many operations in the South, at least not yet, and that most slaves were on their own in getting to that first stop on the Railroad (Blackett, 2002). I was lucky to have Milton, who knew the right people. These free women lived in New York state, but they were former slaves themselves, and they made it their business to help other slaves to escape to freedom like they did. They said they made many runs along the railroad to collect people, like they were doing for me. We must have walked for a week, but I lost track of the exact amount of time. Fortunately, I’m not showing in my pregnancy yet, so I don’t have a huge belly to carry around with me, and I can still run pretty fast when I have to. We’ve been lucky in that we haven’t encountered those men who were looking for me, and the only thing we ever had to run from is the occasional skunk or wild boar. I think god is looking out for me on this journey. We got to the next safe house in Alexandria in the middle of the night, just like before. This time, it was a family of Quakers who took me in. Quakers are some of the most active Christian abolitionists involved in the Railroad (Wallis, 1983). I found that I was not the only slave waiting to be taken North. There were six others waiting, three men, a younger boy who was almost a man, and two women. We stayed all together in the barn, but it was a nice barn, clean and full of sweet-smelling straw for us to lay on, and we were fed three large meals a day. We didn’t have to do any work. The family wanted us to learn a different way of life, one where we didn’t have to do all the work all the time. They wanted us to experience getting waited on. I must admit, it was strange, but it felt strange in North Carolina, too. I liked it, but I think it’s going to take some getting used to before not doing everything myself begins to feel anything less than strange. Your loving niece, Libby

Graduation Speech: Celebrate Your Unique Qualities :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Welcome to all of you who have come to share this special evening with us. My name is John and I am a member of the graduating class of 2012. Standing here tonight is a surprise to me and to many who knew me. At one point, after making some mistakes and losing my sense of self, I dropped out of school. With my parents’ urging me, I enrolled at Alternative High School. I came to this school with the hope that I’d graduate on time. I knew that I would have to change, so I set goals to achieve perfection and I achieved it. As many of you may know, I am now perfect in every way, shape, and form... Yeah, right. What is true is that I had dropped out of school, was way behind my peers and enrolled at Alternative. I also worked to change my behavior. I’m still working at it. During the time that I have been at this school, I have had the pleasure of meeting many seniors, as well as other students, that were talented and often possessed wisdom beyond their years. Many have survived hardships in their lives that have developed their individuality and inner strength. Some are teen parents. Some have lost parents. Some live with lifelong illnesses. Some had families that moved constantly. Some felt different from their peers. They were artists, rebels and truth-seekers. All of them were ones who chose to walk to the beat of a different drum and found a way to follow their dreams at Bunny Alternatives. Alternative High School is a school that lifts us up and celebrates our unique qualities. We have had a channel for our voices — voices that may have been drowned out in the other crowded schools from which we came. For helping us find our strengths and our voice, we have a great number of people to thank. First, we need to appreciate the value placed on public education by the people of our country and most especially by the people of this district. Second, we need to thank the entire staff of Bunny Alternatives for encouraging us, standing by us and strengthening our skills to get us to this point in our lives. Above all, we, the Class of 2012, would like to thank our parents, mentors and friends for putting up with us during all the awkwardness of our growing up. Graduation Speech: Celebrate Your Unique Qualities :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address Welcome to all of you who have come to share this special evening with us. My name is John and I am a member of the graduating class of 2012. Standing here tonight is a surprise to me and to many who knew me. At one point, after making some mistakes and losing my sense of self, I dropped out of school. With my parents’ urging me, I enrolled at Alternative High School. I came to this school with the hope that I’d graduate on time. I knew that I would have to change, so I set goals to achieve perfection and I achieved it. As many of you may know, I am now perfect in every way, shape, and form... Yeah, right. What is true is that I had dropped out of school, was way behind my peers and enrolled at Alternative. I also worked to change my behavior. I’m still working at it. During the time that I have been at this school, I have had the pleasure of meeting many seniors, as well as other students, that were talented and often possessed wisdom beyond their years. Many have survived hardships in their lives that have developed their individuality and inner strength. Some are teen parents. Some have lost parents. Some live with lifelong illnesses. Some had families that moved constantly. Some felt different from their peers. They were artists, rebels and truth-seekers. All of them were ones who chose to walk to the beat of a different drum and found a way to follow their dreams at Bunny Alternatives. Alternative High School is a school that lifts us up and celebrates our unique qualities. We have had a channel for our voices — voices that may have been drowned out in the other crowded schools from which we came. For helping us find our strengths and our voice, we have a great number of people to thank. First, we need to appreciate the value placed on public education by the people of our country and most especially by the people of this district. Second, we need to thank the entire staff of Bunny Alternatives for encouraging us, standing by us and strengthening our skills to get us to this point in our lives. Above all, we, the Class of 2012, would like to thank our parents, mentors and friends for putting up with us during all the awkwardness of our growing up.

Profit Leverage Effect of Logistics and Cost Saving Opportunities Essay

Logistics was initially a military term but since the 1960s it has grown and covers various numbers of functional areas such as managing raw materials and inventory, handling of work in progress, storing and delivering of finished goods. It also includes customer service, demand forecasting, plant/warehouse site selection, traffic and transportation. Since it has an effect on most of the activities held within an organization, it has a great influence on the profits made. A recent US study found that logistics accounts for 10% of the Gross Domestic Profit (GDP) and that approximately 56 cents out of every dollar of revenue is spent on managing the purchasing of goods and services.   The process is lengthy but once handled right can run very smoothly and can prove very beneficial to the organization. An organization cannot be competitive and strive in this fiercely competitive corporate world till it delivers end products or services of the desired quality to its customers at the right time, right place and at a price the customer feels is reasonable. The way to sustainable competitive edge lies in improving logistics. Therefore to maintain profit earnings, it is important for firms to manage logistics efficiently. If a chosen supplier fails to deliver the required raw material of an agreed-on quality level at the right time then the firm will incur additional expenses in the form of higher scrap rate, wastage and direct labor. Prompt delivery is required to avoid costly rescheduling of production otherwise efficiency will be decreased. In order to maintain profit levels it is important for firms not only to satisfy customers but to delight them. This again becomes a part of the organizations logistics. To achieve this not only fast and reliable delivery of high quality goods but also innovative design and distribution of ideas is essential. Firms stress on logistics to create differentiation by providing its customers with unique products that are difficult to be imitated by competitors. Logistics is considered as the last point of contact between the organization and its customer and so leveraging successful logistics leads to cost reduction, increased customer satisfaction and market share and so eventually higher profits. Low total product or service cost is significant in logistics so that the firm can have a competitive edge in the market. There are many opportunities to achieve dramatic cost savings but to achieve this, vision and hard work is required. Firms can do this by coordinating the different parts of the supply chain. Departments within firms such as procurement officer, manufacturing, legal and R&D managers need to work in a cross-functional manner and promote joint cost-saving projects. One of the biggest opportunities for cost saving is to reduce the amount of inventory which will automatically drive costs down. This can be done by Just-in-time inventory management that emphasizes on continuous improvement. For this, it is important for firms to develop strong relationship with few, reliable suppliers who deliver raw material in time.   Also Economic Order Quantity (EOQ) model, one of the common techniques is used to control inventory. Outsourcing is often used to transfer some of the internal activities of a firm to an outside vendor to achieve greater efficiency and specialization. It is also used as a technique to meet unexpected demands that firms cannot handle. Wastage can be eliminated through focus on what the customers want. This can be done by continuous improvement using Lean Production. It emphasizes on customer focus. Greater efficiencies can be accomplished through use of technology tools that can enable the purchase of low value, low risk goods and services. With the usage of database systems, unnecessary paper work can be eliminated, and real time data can be accessed. Use of E-Commerce to track inventory and coordinate pickup and delivery for end customers can be a great cost saving opportunity. This has been adopted by Cisco and FedEx. Different alternatives of distribution means such as trucking, airfreight, shipping, and railroads should be constantly evaluated. Use of Excel OM and Production and Operation Management (POM) for Windows’ enables firms to correctly plan for the forecasted demand. Further, software like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) including Supply Chain Management (SCM) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) provide firms with great opportunity to save on costs. Gantt Charts are useful for loading and scheduling. It prevents firms from unnecessary delays in work. Quality is one aspect that firms emphasize on due to growing awareness for better quality goods amongst customers. This can be done by implementing Total Quality Management (TQM), meeting quality standards developed by International Standards Organization (ISO) and by adapting to Six Sigma and Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) model. Mentioned above are some of the greatest costs saving opportunities in today’s world. References Lambert, D.M; Stock, J.R. and Ellram, L.M., (1998). Fundamentals of Logistics Management. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin McGraw-Hill. http://www.mhhe.com/business/management/leenders12e/information/leenders_ch01.pdf

Financial Implication of Decision

Evidencing the increased emphasis on exit strategy was research conducted during the mid-1960s through the mid-1970s that analyzed the exit process and created a framework that business decision makers could use to determine when and how to exit. For example, Conrad Berenson posited an exit model in 1963 that identified five categories of criteria used to evaluate a product abandonment decision: 1. Financial security, which entails determining if the minimum return on investment is being met for the firm; 2.Financial opportunity, or calculating the return on alternative uses of the firm's resources; 3. Marketing strategy, which determines the value of the product above pure financial profit, such as brand-name worth and the value of established distribution channels; 4. Social responsibility, or criteria that encompass the firm's responsibilities to customers, employees, suppliers, and so forth; and 5. Organized intervention, which takes into account actions by government, society, o r labor groups as a result of the decision to exit.And you need to anticipate the impact of key business decisions on your accounting and financial reporting. * Is your organization raising debt or equity? Acquiring a business? Carving-out a non-core operation? Complex accounting and financial reporting issues can arise as a result of changes dictated by your entity’s capital agenda. * Are you undertaking a significant business transformation? Assessing how a shared services center can improve efficiencies in your reporting process?Streamlining your accounting policies can help you reduce risk and manage cost. * Does the business operate in multiple jurisdictions? An assessment of your statutory reporting processes can allow you to manage risk, increase consistency in financial reporting, and realize efficiencies. * Are you planning to upgrade or replace your existing ERP system? Early assessment of changing accounting requirements should be incorporated into planned migratio ns to avoid expensive rework later.

Free Essays on The Mafia

The Mafia, also known as organized crime or the mob, began as early as the 9th century. By the early 1900’s every large state in the United States had its own Mafia sanction. They concentrated on protection rackets. Soon they expanded by racketeering in other areas such as gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. But it wasn’t until Prohibition in the 1920’s that organized crime gained almost complete control of illegal bootlegging, narcotic trafficking, gambling, and many other illegal activities. â€Å"A clear line divided the underworld from the upperworld. Members of the Mafia spent most of their times in occasional spates of killing and stealing, as well as in all the mundane activities of any conventional life† (Fox 11). Somewhere between the killing, stealing, and conventional life, the gangsters made their own world. â€Å" It was a middle-earth of smoky nightclubs, the flash of chorus girls in a spotlight, a sprinkling of trumpet and saxophone, and time seemed to stop in a boozy moment of romance and glamour† (Fox 77). In the milieus the men of the underworld met to loaf and plot. Here too the people of the upperworld came to stand and gawk, to partake briefly of what they wanted only in small safe doses. â€Å"Because nightclubs, boxing matches, and racetracks had all been illegal or at least Curran 2 improper, they offered a natural habitat for these notorious gangsters. â€Å"The gangster’s presence made them all the more enticing to the upperworld, with a glistening edge of mystery and danger† (Fox 77). The Mafia participated in many illegal activities, but drug trafficking was one they seemed to flourish in. Their drug related activities posed a threat not only to the adult population who used drugs but also to the children involved as their agents. The trafficking of narcotics often led to many murders, which the Mafia never hesitated to partake in. Many gang wars took place throughout this period.... Free Essays on The Mafia Free Essays on The Mafia The Mafia, also known as organized crime or the mob, began as early as the 9th century. By the early 1900’s every large state in the United States had its own Mafia sanction. They concentrated on protection rackets. Soon they expanded by racketeering in other areas such as gambling, prostitution, and bootlegging. But it wasn’t until Prohibition in the 1920’s that organized crime gained almost complete control of illegal bootlegging, narcotic trafficking, gambling, and many other illegal activities. â€Å"A clear line divided the underworld from the upperworld. Members of the Mafia spent most of their times in occasional spates of killing and stealing, as well as in all the mundane activities of any conventional life† (Fox 11). Somewhere between the killing, stealing, and conventional life, the gangsters made their own world. â€Å" It was a middle-earth of smoky nightclubs, the flash of chorus girls in a spotlight, a sprinkling of trumpet and saxophone, and time seemed to stop in a boozy moment of romance and glamour† (Fox 77). In the milieus the men of the underworld met to loaf and plot. Here too the people of the upperworld came to stand and gawk, to partake briefly of what they wanted only in small safe doses. â€Å"Because nightclubs, boxing matches, and racetracks had all been illegal or at least Curran 2 improper, they offered a natural habitat for these notorious gangsters. â€Å"The gangster’s presence made them all the more enticing to the upperworld, with a glistening edge of mystery and danger† (Fox 77). The Mafia participated in many illegal activities, but drug trafficking was one they seemed to flourish in. Their drug related activities posed a threat not only to the adult population who used drugs but also to the children involved as their agents. The trafficking of narcotics often led to many murders, which the Mafia never hesitated to partake in. Many gang wars took place throughout this period....

Albert Einstein3 essays

Albert Einstein3 essays When many people hear the name Albert Einstein, they say, Ooh what did he do, write a bunch of stuff on a chalkboard, prove to some scientists that he was right, and then star in a Pepsi commercial? Well, Im here to tell you that he did much more than that, (even though I really like that Pepsi commercial.) Albert Einstein was born March 14, 1879 in Ulm, Wrttemberg, Germany. Albert began his extensive studies at a school in Munich. At Munich he pursued a career in Electrical Engineering, but failed an exam and was rejected from Eidgenssische Technische Hochschule in Zurich. After failing at his original choice of schools, he went on to a secondary school in Aarau to train himself enough to be admitted into ETH (his original choice). While at Aarau he planned on becoming a teacher in mathematics and physics. As expected he did graduate from ETH in the year 1900 with a degree in teaching for the subjects of Math and Physics. He didnt however get a job right away, he, in fact, went around writing to different universities applying for one. After searching for about a year, he finally landed a job at a high school teaching mathematics. While at this school he wrote in one of his journals, I have given up the ambition to get to a University... After he went through this job, and indeed a couple more, his friend from school, Marcel Grossmann sought him out so his father could help him get a job. After a recommendation to the director of patents, Einstein held a temporary patent post, holding the title, Technical Expert Third Class. He was promoted several times over a span of about 5 years. While working at the patent office, he finished a boatload of theoretical physics publications. He even earned a doctorate on one from the University of Zurich. This paper was entitled, On a new determination of molecular dimensions. After publishing a few more papers, he began to be re...