Can Video Games Make Kids More Violent Essay Example for Free

Can Video Games Make Kids More Violent Essay Can video games make kids more violent? A new study employing state-of-the-art brain-scanning technology says that the answer may be yes. Researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine say that brain scans of kids who played a violent video game showed an increase in emotional arousal – and a corresponding decrease of activity in brain areas involved in self-control, inhibition and attention. Does this mean that your teenager will feel an uncontrollable urge to go on a shooting rampage after playing â€Å"Call of Duty?† Vince Mathews, the principal investigator on the study, hesitates to make that leap. But he says he does think that the study should encourage parents to look more closely at the types of games their kids are playing. â€Å"Based on our results, I think parents should be aware of the relationship between violent video-game playing and brain function.† Mathews and his colleagues chose two action games to include in their research one violent the other not. The first game was the high-octane but non-violent racing game â€Å"Need for Speed: Underground.† The other was the ultra-violent first-person shooter â€Å"Medal of Honor: Frontline.† The team divided a group of 44 adolescents into two groups, and randomly assigned the kids to play one of the two games. Immediately after the play sessions, the children were given MRIs of their brains. The scans showed a negative effect on the brains of the teens who played â€Å"Medal of Honor† for 30 minutes. That same effect was not present in the kids who played â€Å"Need for Speed.† The only difference? Violent content. What’s not clear is whether the activity picked up by the MRIs indicates a lingering — or worse, permanent — effect on the kids’ brains. And it’s also not known what effect longer play times might have. The scope of this study was 30 minutes of play, and one brain scan per kid, although further research is in the works. OK. But what about violent TV shows? Or violent films? Has anyone ever done a brain scan of kids that have just watched a violent movie? Someone has. John P. Murray, a psychology professor at Kansas State University, conducted a very similar experiment, employing the same technology used in Mathews’ study. His findings are similar. Kids in his study experienced increased emotional arousal when watching short clips from the boxing movie â€Å"Rocky IV.† So, why is everyone picking on video games? Probably because there’s a much smaller body of research on video games. They just haven’t been around as long as TV and movies, so the potential effects on children are a bigger unknown. That’s a scary thing for a parent. Larry Ley, the director and coordinator of research for the Center for Successful Parenting, which funded Mathews’ study, says the purpose of the research was to help parents make informed decisions. â€Å"There’s enough data that clearly indicates that [game violence] is a problem,† he says. â€Å"And it’s not just a problem for kids with behavior disorders.† But not everyone is convinced that this latest research adds much to the debate – particularly the game development community. One such naysayer is Doug Lowenstein, president of the Entertainment Software Association. â€Å"Weve seen other studies in this field that have made dramatic claims but turn out to be less persuasive when objectively analyzed.† The ESA has a whole section of its Web site dedicated to the topic of video game violence, which would suggest that they get asked about it — a lot. And they’ve got plenty of answers at the ready for the critics who want to lay school shootings or teen aggression at the feet of the game industry. Several studies cited by the ESA point to games’ potential benefits for developing decision-making skills or bettering reaction times. Ley, however, argues such studies aren’t credible because they were produced by â€Å"hired guns† funded by the multi-billion-dollar game industry. â€Å"We’re not trying to sell [parents] anything,† he says. â€Å"We don’t have a product. The video game industry does.† Increasingly parents are more accepting of video game violence, chalking it up to being a part of growing up. â€Å"I was dead-set against violent video games,† says Kelley Windfield, a Sammamish, Wa.-based mother of two. â€Å"But my husband told me I had to start loosening up.† Laura Best, a mother of three from Clovis, Calif., says she looks for age-appropriate games for her 14 year-old son, Kyle. And although he doesn’t play a lot of games, he does tend to gravitate towards shooters like â€Å"Medal of Honor.† But she isn’t concerned that Kyle will become aggressive as a result. â€Å"That’s like saying a soccer game or a football game will make a kid more aggressive,† she says. â€Å"It’s about self-control, and you’ve got to learn it.† Ley says he believes further research, for which the Center for Successful Parenting is trying to arrange, will prove a cause-and-effect relationship between game violence and off-screen aggression. But for now, he says, the study released last week gives his organization the ammunition it needs to prove that parents  need to be more aware of how kids are using their free time. â€Å"Let’s quit using various Xboxes as babysitters instead of doing healthful activities,† says Ley, citing the growing epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States. And who, really, can argue with that?

The United Kingdom and India: A Study of Gender and Economic/Regional Cleavages :: India England Government Politics Essays

The United Kingdom and India: A Study of Gender and Economic/Regional Cleavages Introduction The United Kingdom, a former world power and colonizing empire, and India, the second most populous country in the world and former colony of the United Kingdom, share a bond of democracy. The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy with a Parliament consisting of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Similarly, India is a federal state also with a parliamentary form of government. Despite these similar political systems, studies of the individual histories, economies, and political cultures of each country reveal cleavages within each society affecting aspects of the governments such as institutions, voting behavior, and policy making. This paper will address two major cleavages within the United Kingdom and India, gender inequality and economic/regional divisions, and will analyze the effects each cleavage has upon political systems of each country. Gender Cleavages Although the United Kingdom and India include legal equality, or suffrage, for men and women, both countries experience a persistent gender gap including discrimination against women. The United Kingdom distinguishes itself from India in that gender issues affect the population primarily in government and in the labor realm, while India's cleavages influence the government, labor, and social realms. With the efforts of National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, formed in 1897, and the Women's Social and Political Union of 1903 (Bartley 8), women gained partial suffrage as those over thirty were allowed to vote in 1918, and in 1928, those twenty-one and older were included (Shively 111-112). Legislation was not passed until 1970, with the Equal Pay Act establishing that women should receive equal pay for the same work as men, and the Sex Discrimination Act of 1975 attempted to curb unfair practices preventing women's equal access to jobs (Makepeace 1). Despite these governmental at tempts to close the gender gap, women share only twenty-eight percent of total labor income (although this has increased from seventeen percent in 1965), and, while women continue to spend more time than men doing unpaid domestic work, women receive only sixty-four percent of men's average hourly pay in the labor market (Horrell 12-13). Further, women are underrepresented in government--they compromise less than one-fifth of the House of Commons (Taylor 1), sixteen percent of the House of Lords, and only twenty-five percent of local councilors (Follett 3). According to Parliament member, Barbara Follett, these few women in the House of Commons must conform to a male culture that is "competitive, confrontational, conservative, conformist, and ceremonial.

Ophelia’s Descent Into Madness Essay

Shakespeare, through his intricate uses of symbolism and dramatic irony, arranges a brilliantly detailed account of how Hamlet’s mental upheaval served as the driving force of Ophelia’s swelling insanity and imminent suicide. He floods the early acts with an impending sense of confusion within Ophelia, for her feelings toward hamlet greatly contrast those of her brother and father. Ophelia begins to willingly take heed of her family’s advice as the prince finds himself removed from a lucid pattern of thought. However, because her feelings for him are genuine, this serves only to exalt her mental strain. In the height of Hamlet’s incoherent rage, he provides Ophelia with the ultimate medium for her ensuing madness. The murder of Polonius is the greatest among many factors that were contributed by Hamlet to the somber fate of Ophelia. A prelude, composed of warnings from Polonius and Laertes, is tactfully set up by Shakespeare during Ophelia’s inertia l appearances in the play, aiding in the preparation for her subsequent mental deterioration. -Pol. What is between you? Give me up the truth. -Oph. He hath, my lord, of late made many tenders of his affection to me. -Pol. Affection, puh! You speak like a green girl Unsifted in such perilous circumstance. Do you believe his â€Å"tenders† as you call them? -Oph. I do not know, my lord, what I should think. (I, iii, ln.107-113) Ophelia openly professes her confusion. Polonius’ response is presented in a manner which is clearly intended to sincerely disdain Hamlet before his daughter, making obvious his opinion of their involvement. His intent for her actions, however, will merely magnify her confusion. Ophelia concedes that she is not aware of a solution with which to halt or even improve this situation. For this reason, no preventive measures are taken, only allowing the situation to worsen. Hamlets mind grows more and more clouded as his goal becomes clear, and in the midst of his pervading preoccupation, he pushes Ophelia to the point of mental breakdown. This notion appears in the second act, after Ophelia first sees a deranged Hamlet. -Oph. Lord Hamlet †¦with a look so piteous in purport as if he had been loosed out of hell to speak of horrors -he comes before me -Pol. Mad for thy love? -Oph. My lord I do not know but, I truly do fear it. (II, I, ln. 87-97) Her confusion has evolved into a state of dread, and this dread will begin to penetrate her consciousness as it grows more and more intense. Polonius suggests that Hamlet may have fallen victim to â€Å"the very ecstasy of love†. Yet, Ophelia’s response is peculiar in it’s morbid tone, for if love is the liable force, she displays no form of satisfaction for it’s effect on Hamlet. During an encounter later in the story, he tells Ophelia, -Ham. â€Å"†¦I did love you once -Oph. Indeed, my lord, you made me believe so -Ham. You should not have believed me, for virtue cannot so (inoculate) our old stock but we shall relish of it. I loved you not. -Oph. I was the more deceived †¦And I, of ladies most deject and wretched, That sucked the honey of his musicked vows†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (III, I, ln.125-130,169-170) Again, her mind is twisted by Hamlets involuntary fraudulence. His apathy attacks and consumes her innocence, takes grip of her mind and ultimately destroys her spirit. In the above quote, she describes her opinion of Hamlet’s present character, that of an untruthful user. Moreover, however, she feels naà ¯ve, placing undue blame on herself and enlarging the gap between herself and reality. As the impending tragedy becomes increasingly apparent, Ophelia is finally and completely consumed by the delirium of her sick mind. The most significant factor in this event is Polonius’ murder. Her condition is explained by the king after she makes it obvious. -King. Thick, and unwholesome in thoughts and whispers. For good Polonius’ death, and we have done but greenly poor Ophelia divided from herself and her fair judgment. (IV,v, ln.81-85) Ophelia, who was once nearly flawless, now moments from suicide, has been completely mentally shattered by Hamlet and has made it quite obvious. He was the fate of her father, and had apparently manipulated her quite ruthlessly. Her demise is inevitable, for her only love had hone mad and methodically destroyed all that was her reality. Shakespeare is distinct in his portrayal of this downfall. The obvious becomes just that when the aim of the author is discerned through the symbolic congruencies and events which precisely outlined the tragic decline of Ophelia’s character. The author provides a vast amount of foreshadowing in the early acts. The tragic hero then drags her into the same hell that is his personal realm. He accomplishes this by eliminating everything that had sustained her. Eventually, a the factors developed, she was overwhelmed by these acts, a reality becomes nothing more than an illusion, and she falls victim to the limits of her own mind.

Zara Fashion - 2487 Words

ZARA Fashion 1) With which of the international competitors listed in the case is it most interesting to compare Inditex’s financial results? Why? What do comparisons indicate about Inditex’s relative operating economics? Its relative capital efficiency? Note that while the electronic version of Exhibit 6 automates some of the comparisons, you will probably want to dig further into them? The four companies shown above have very different business models. Inditex owned much of the production and most of its stores. Inditex is thus a vertically integrated company. This made Inditex gain a competitive advantage, which is quick response to the market requirements. On the other hand, The Gap and HM have a different business model. They†¦show more content†¦The amount of required forecasting with all the accompanied risk was minimized to a level that no competitor would ever reach. 4) Why might Zara fail? How would you calibrate its competitive advantage as being relative to the kinds of advantages typically pursued by other apparel retailers? The vast expansion plan of Zara on one hand and its standardized production line and strategy on the other hand could lead to the failure of Zara. This is basically due to the differences in the economic, cultural, social and political conditions in each of the regions/countries it is expanding into. Hence, such strategies and product lines should be customized on a country/region basis to be able to effectively attend to the local demand without incurring additional costs. For example, certain product lines will not meet success in the Middle East due to cultural norms; hence, it would have been better and feasible from the beginning if such lines would have been directed to other regions where it would meet heavy demand. Zara’s competitive advantage mainly revolves around the high turnover of its products, low level of inventory, efficient distribution system, and commitment of its employees as well as meeting the consumer demands relating to fashionable clothes. 5) Was Galicia/Spain fertile ground for the emergence of an apparel retailing powerhouse? No. Galicia/Spain was not a fertile groundShow MoreRelatedZara Fashion Clothing : Zara1024 Words   |  5 PagesINTRODUCTION ZARA FASHION CLOTHING: Zara is one of the retail sale format of Inditex group and well-known an international fashion clothing brand which is very famous for its apparel and accessories. Zara is a place where we can buy all the latest fashionable clothes in the world as they launches 10,000 designs every year. Zara is one of the Spain famous fashion clothing brand which is located in 70 countries in the world. 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In 2002 it represented 33% of the group?s total stores, accounted for 72% of the group?s total sales and contributed to the holding?s total profits for ?540.4 millions (Inditex FY2002 Results Presentation, 2003). Moreover, Zara with 75-90 new stores withinRead MoreThe History of the Fashion Store Zara2181 Words   |  9 Pageslargest fashion distributors, has eight major sales formats - Zara, Pull and Bear, Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Stradivarius, Oysho, Zara Home y Kiddys Class- with 3.147 stores in 70 countries around the world.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Inditex Group is comprised of over one hundred companies associated in textile design, manufacturing and distribution. The achievements of the company and the uniqueness of its management model, which is based on innovati on and flexibility, made Inditex one of the largest fashion distributionRead MoreFast Zara, Fast Fashion3460 Words   |  14 PagesFast Zara, Fast Fashion Introduction Everyone, no matter youngsters or middle-aged mothers, love to buy clothes and keep updated on latest fashion trend. In the past, people could only consume western styles clothing if they are rich enough to go shopping by travelling in European countries or able to afford expensive air mail to send the consumed western clothes back from overseas. However, it took a period of time and the fashionable clothing may become â€Å"old† at the time received. As the information