Sports vs Videogames Essay Example for Free

Sports vs Videogames Essay Sports Vs Video games We no longer live in a society where kids run around actively throughout the neighborhood. Late night soccer games, pick up games in the park, and innocence children are gone in sports. Today children are more interested in video game, computers and television, and parents are afraid of letting their children run around the streets because of kidnapping. The majority of kids are no longer interested in physical activity. Why do most kids enjoy video games rather than sports? Video games were first introduced in the 70’s and have been gaining popularity ever since. By the end of the decade video games had already become a preferred activity for kids. According to a recent study by Harris Interactive 1,178 children in the U. S, almost 9 percent of children gamers are pathologically or clinically â€Å"addicted to video games. However, 23 percent of youth say that they have felt addicted to video games, with about one-third of males and a little more than one in 10 females reporting the sensation. This is wrong, kids should not be addicted to anything at their age. Kids need to stop playing so many video games and start to playing more sports. Video games in today’s society have a negative influence on kids because it separates them from reality. This can be drastic on kids because they are constantly cutting off physical activity time and social interactions. Kids in this generation are constantly around technology whether at school, in their cars or at home. They are immersed in technology that promotes instant gratification, whether it is by Video games, computers or Mp3 players they are always around it. Technology not only has influenced kids for the worst but has also made them redundant against sports. Playing video games has adverse effects on youth by lowering their social skills, decrease sleep patterns and an increase of weight. If kids chose to play sports not only would they increase their social skills by meeting new teammates, but they would also get a great workout and increase their sleep. What makes video games better to play for kids rather than sports? I think it is because the world you get to enter it is like no other. You are free to do whatever you chose to. There are no rules no regulations, kids choose how and when to play, so I think that this is their way of feeling sort of like adults. They do not have to listen to anyone when playing video games, so I think this is sort of an escape from reality for sometime. According to the parent report. com it would appear that the excitement of video games causes the brain to release a chemical that is, in essence, addictive. This makes sense because kids are receiving constant gratification and happiness from playing video games. If kids were to play more sports rather than video games they would see that playing sports are way more compelling, fun and exciting. It is real live action, not make believe. Kids get to learn a new skill and exercise while doing it. Sports are an essential part of a kids life if they start to lack on physical activity not only will they be lazier when doing anything that requires physical activity, but will also lack the motivational to better yourself. We need to encourage kids to play more sports, and put down the controller. Kids have lost what it means to be a kid. I remember when I was a kid I would wake up at seven watch cartoons, then go out and play till it was dark. I did have a Sega, and Nintendo 64, but I found more pleasure with meeting new people and actually playing sports. I fear that if this process continues we will become sloth’s, and lose or education to video games. I used to work at Gamestop and people of all ages would come in. The ones who bought most video were kids and teenagers. Kids would wait in lines for hours when we had a pre- release and, would waste all of their birthday money or gift cards on various video games. When I was a kid my money would have gone to a new soccer ball or cleats, this just goes to show how much times have changed. There is nothing better for a kid or teenager to go outside and run around. What better way then enrolling them in karate or any other sport. According to Jennifer Dowd, Research has found that participating in sports can have a healthy developmental impact on young children. These activities can promote cooperative play, teamwork, and good sportsmanship while helping to refine gross motor skills. Sports can also help children get along with and become accepted by others, including peers, family members, teachers, and coaches. Plus, through positive feedback, group play builds self-esteem, helping your child realize that shes a capable personal who is able to accomplish significant achievements. I agree with her, being involved in a sport keeps you out of the house and builds essential tools for the future. Playing Video games is fun but as I have shown, it can really have negative side effects.

affirmative action Essay -- essays research papers

Introduction: Affirmative action in higher education should be abolished. College admissions should be based on what the admissions board is looking for, not what the government says should be required. In this paper, I will present evidence to support that position. At one time, affirmative action was a needed and legitimate policy. Segregation has existed way too much in the past and has left people out of jobs, out of certain areas of town, and schooling. We needed to make a law that would get rid of segregation, and help everybody assimilate or just live peacefully without discrimination. When a majority the southern where rebelling and would not allow African Americans in their stores, schools, etc, affirmative action was justifiable. But is it today? Much of the affirmative action debate is, and should be centered on education. Many of the critics whom at one time also believed that the preferential treatment shown to lower the discrimination towards minority groups is something that should be eliminated. Being that American society has become less discriminatory, affirmative action may be less necessary. Discrimination is something that will always be an issue; there will always be backwards individuals who cannot overlook their own prejudices for the greater good. However, there are fewer of these people. With declines in racism, we should also seek to eliminate the reverse racism now being displayed towards college while male applicants. This is an issue that effects potential students, and those who get rejected merely apply to another school. How can this issue of accepting minorities over others because be brought to the attention of the lawmakers without making it seem as if there will be less opportunities for minority groups? Equality is a very sensitive topic that has to be danced around with the potential for a misconception of what is trying to be achieved. In the early 1960's the federal government implemented programs such as the National Defense Student Loan Program (NDSL), work-study programs, and the National Defense Educational Act (NDEA). These programs made it easier for minority groups, especially African Americans, to receive financial help. Equal opportunity grants also helped enroll more minorities, especially blacks. At the time, these ... ... succeeding in the collegiate environment. A fallacy that is prevalent is that minorities score much lower then the white majority. This is not true; there is a small gap, but it is not significant. Yes minorities quite often do have to deal with crowded classrooms, teachers with less advanced degrees, and the lack of counseling recourses that are available for predominantly white, suburban schools. However, is this a reason to give funding to those who lack? America is based on the ideological belief that "you can be whatever you want to be, or, work hard enough and you will achieve your goals." To place this belief in the minds of all youth should be enough. To place this in the minds of all the same youth but then give preferential treatment to the minority class is a blatant display of reverse racism that should be done away with henceforth. References Cited The College Board Review; August 1999, No.188 Leonard Biard-College Student; September 2001 V.35, No. 3 Comparative Educational Review V.47; No.1, February 2003 The College Board Review; No.189/190, January 2000 College and University Journal V.79; No.1, Summer 2003 Educational Theory; Winter 2002,V.52 N.1

The Importance of Medical Marijuana

Individual Project # 3 Erricka Mayfield Colorado Technical University ENGL126-1204A-03: Sound Writing October 29th, 2012 Professor: David Mulvihill Introduction: The use of medical marijuana has been a controversial issue since it has been suggested as a method for use as medication. Despite its dissention, it comes by patient recommendation and Doctors prescribe it to their patients based on its medical benefits.Marijuana has been classified as a Controlled Substance and there have been statements that it is a â€Å"gateway drug,† in spite of the accusations against it, patients who use medical marijuana opinions differ greatly. Although documented studies exist weighing the benefits or non-benefits of medical marijuana, it is heartfelt that it should be legalized on the basis that it helps those who are critically ill to cope with various side effects of the diseases like AIDS, Cancer, and Multiple Sclerosis by alleviating pain, vomiting, and nausea.While many patients are a fflicted with side effects from the medications that are used to treat their diseases, the United States Government approved marijuana in pill form called â€Å"marinol† which is available as a prescription and has been proven to not be as effective due to the synthetic ingredient known as delta-9-THC.Whereas, marijuana derived directly from the plant has the original ingredient of delta-9-THC which works with the body’s natural endorphins by working in direct correlation of the body’s opioids receptor system and creating benefits to the patients who use it be restoring ailing patients to some quality of life, while battling these life altering diseases. Body: In 1997, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy asked the Institute of Medicine to â€Å"review the scientific evidence on the potential health benefits and risks of marijuana† as a gateway drug.To the White House’s surprise and to the benefits of those who desperately need me dical marijuana, the Institute of Medicine proclaimed â€Å"that marijuana usually precedes rather that follows initiation of other illicit drug use. † The Institute of Medicine also states that â€Å"most users of illicit drugs had already used alcohol and nicotine while underage, before the use of marijuana. † In the opinion of the Institute of Medicine they feel that â€Å"because underage smoking and alcohol use typically precede marijuana use, marijuana is not the most common and rarely the first â€Å"gateway† to illicit drug use. In the studies completed by the Institute of Medicine they â€Å"found no conclusive evidence that the drug effects of marijuana are causally linked to the direct abuse of other illicit drugs. † The American College of Physicians also â€Å"urges the review of marijuana as a Schedule I Controlled Substance and its reclassification into a more appropriate schedule, given the scientific evidence concerning marijuanaâ€℠¢s safety and efficacy in some clinical conditions. In simpler terms the Institute of Medicine found no linkable evidence to â€Å"marijuana† being a gateway drug as most have claimed, stating that â€Å"most users of illicit drugs began using either alcohol or nicotine even before the legal age limit,† therefore stating that â€Å"they would not consider marijuana as a gateway drug. † Maybe the Institute of Medicine reaffirms some of the findings, studies, perceptions, and or opinions of others who agree that medical marijuana has some positive benefits.According to Medical Doctor and Former United States Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders asserts that â€Å"the evidence is overwhelming how marijuana can relieve certain types of pain, nausea, vomiting, and other symptoms caused by such illnesses as Multiple Sclerosis, Cancer, and AIDS or by the harsh drugs used to treat the diseases. † Dr. Elders firmly states â€Å"that marijuana can safely alleviate such symptoms in chronically ill patients and that marijuana is less toxic than many of the medications that Physicians prescribe their patients. The Institute of Medicine contributed information upon a study they completed called â€Å"The Efficacy of Cannabinoid Drugs† which is a study completed on the effects of cannabinoids on a range of symptoms in multiple patients who used medical marijuana. Their findings revealed that the cannabinoids were â€Å"effective in anxiety reduction, appetite stimulation, nausea reduction, and pain relief. † The Institute of Medicine strongly suggested that â€Å"cannabinoids would be well suited for particular conditions like chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting and in the AIDS wasting syndrome.A study completed at the University of California at San Francisco â€Å"found that smoked marijuana was more effective at relieving extreme pain in a debilitating condition known as peripheral neuropathy, as well as those patients who have diabetes and multiple sclerosis. To gain a better understanding of how cannabinoids work, they work with specific endo- cannabinoids and are produced by the body and also interact with the body’s natural pain receptors. Based upon the opinion of Doctor Gregory T. Carter, who is Co-Director at the University of Washington Medical Center Muscular Dystrophy Association says that there are really no other medications that have the same mechanisms of actions as marijuana, although â€Å"Marinol† is available by prescription but lacks the advantages by containing only a synthetic ingredient of delta-9-THC, which is only one of many therapeutically beneficial cannabinoids found in the natural marijuana plant. † An advocate for the medical use of marijuana named Rudolph J. Gerber cited a number of independent studies that coincide with the therapeutic uses of marijuana in symptoms affiliated with AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Tourette’s syndrome and even anxiety.In Mr. Gerber’s citing he found that marijuana’s health benefits were greater opposed to those found in Marinol like â€Å"the onset of relief from the capsule which takes an hour or more, as with the effects of smoking marijuana are only within minutes. † Marinol which is oral form of marijuana and contains delt-9-THC which is metabolized through the liver and neutralizes more than 90 percent of the chemical, while smoked marijuana contains the direct ingredient of delta-9-THC providing the ingredient direct delivery to the bloodstream. Lastly, â€Å"an oral dose of Marinol lasts up to six unpredictable hours, with variable effects, while smoked marijuana lasts a more manageable and predictable hour or two. Conclusion: Overall the benefits of patient using medical marijuana personally out way the recourse of prescription drugs and all of its side effects. Consider this if you know someone personally who is battling a critically illness and regular pres cribed Medications do not suffice, and the patient has to deal with the adverse side effects of the prescribed medications would medical marijuana be an alternative to consider?Would you advocate for the use of medical marijuana to help provide relief to a loved one from crippling side effects of prescribed medication? If so, I urge you today to consider the medical benefits of medical marijuana. Consider how medical marijuana can alleviate pain, and stop vomiting, and relieve nausea by creating relief to a patient who is battling a life altering disease. Just consider the option of medical marijuana! References: http://medicalmarijuana. procon. org/view. resource. php? resourceID Retrieved from www. procons. org Gerber, Rudolph J. Beneficial Effects of Marijuana as a Medical Prescription. † Legalizing Marijuana: Drug Policy Reform and Prohibition Politics. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2004. Rpt. in Marijuana. Ed. Joseph Tardiff. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Contemporary Issues Companion. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 29 Oct. 2012. Retrieved from http://ic. galegroup. com. proxy. cecybrary. com/ic/ovic/ViewpointsDetailsPage/Viewpoints Grinspoon, Lester. â€Å"Medical Marijuana Is an Effective Medicine. † Medicine. Ed. Louise Gerdes. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Opposing Viewpoints. Rpt. from â€Å"Marijuana

Non-Toxic Christmas Tree Food

Christmas tree food helps the tree absorb water and food to help keep the tree hydrated. The tree will retain its needles better and wont present a fire hazard. The following recipes are non-toxic and safe to keep around young children and pets. The acidity in the tree food helps the tree absorb water while deterring bacteria and mold. The sugar is the nutritive food part of the tree food. Christmas Tree Food Recipe #1 Mix a splash of real lemonade, limeade or orange juice with water. I have been using limeade in water for my tree this season. Its still going strong, even though I put it up Thanksgiving weekend. The ratio of the ingredients is not critical. Id say Im using about 1/4 limeade with 3/4 parts water. Christmas Tree Food Recipe #2 This is a variation on my original tree food: 1-gallon water2 cups light corn syrup4 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar Christmas Tree Food Recipe #3 Mix together a citrus soft drink, like Sprite or 7-UP, together with water. When you first put up your tree, you might want to use warm water to encourage the tree to drink water. Afterward just make sure liquid remains available. If youve got a black thumb and manage to kill your Christmas tree anyway, you can use chemistry to make a silver crystal tree. It doesnt require food or water!