Aerosol-Cloud InteractionsA Piece of the Climate Puzzle Essay

Aerosol-Cloud InteractionsA Piece of the Climate Puzzle - Essay Example There have been a number of potential effects about the aerosols that have been implied though there should be much more investigation and study in order for the size of these effects in a worldwide view. Therefore, for a much more improved model outcrop of future climate, there is much importance in the quantitative comprehension of these effects. There are findings that have been put into writing as well as pictures in regard to the aerosol and cloud properties during the previous years. Nonetheless, these types of seen connection are not essentially as a result of microphysical end products. They may relatively be as a result of retrieval errors, cloud flagging errors, seasonal factors, spatial climatological factors, humidity conditions or even synoptic effects. This report herein shows a discussion of the contribution of spatial climatological factors and synoptic effects to aerosol-cloud associations. Therefore, this paper is going to handle the needed aspects that deal with th e aerosol and cloud interactions, a piece of the climate puzzle. In addition, that will entail all the necessary details required. Aerosols in as much as is known always have an effect in the cloud formation in general. There are, therefore, specific aerosols that can be found in the clouds, whether they are organic or inorganic. The specific organic or inorganic aerosol found in the clouds is a sea salt, which is the most common CCN over the ocean. It is mostly how they aerosols affect or get involved in the cloud formation. To add to that, there is the question of what happens when these major oceanic clouds move over land and whether the aerosol interactions change (Bowler 76). The answer that comes to that question is that, once droplets of clouds have been formed, aerosols or CCN are separated by water of ice and would not be directly interacting with anything else. As a result, when cloud droplets or raindrops evaporate, aerosols are free and can be able to

Growth of Contemporary Christianity Research Paper

Growth of Contemporary Christianity - Research Paper Example According to the Pew Research Center, total Christian population is estimated to be 2.18 billion, out of 6.9 billion world population. Although the faith is considered to be a new advent in comparison with Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Judaism, yet the religion got popularity in all corners within few centuries of its advent. The credit certainly goes to the saints, preachers and the dedicated adherents of the faith, which turned out to be supportive in spreading its noble teachings. Although the founder of Christian faith belonged to Nazareth, the present day Asian state of Israel, yet it is very popular in Europe, America, Australia, Africa and remote areas of Asia. Growth of Christianity in India Although there is a misconception about the advent of the Christian faith in the aftermath of the European invasions on the sub-continent and colonization era, yet the belief has been introduced in the region during the apostolic age. Historical evidence reveals the very fact that Christianity got its way to the Indian sub-continent during the first century A.D., where St. Judas Thomas, one of the most dynamic pupils of Jesus Christ, was instructed to reach the northern parts of the country in order to spread the message of Christ and Scripture to the indigenous Indian population during the era of Indo-Parthian Kingdom of Takhshashila (Ninan, 2004: 5). ii The Acts of Thomasiii demonstrates that Thomas was successful in communicating the religious belief system to the monarch and subjects as well. Consequently, the king, his family and significant number of courtiers embraced Christianity. Kerala is stated to be the first region to accept Christianity by 3rd century A.D. Missickiv (20 02) notices the existence of an ancient Christian people living along the coast of Malabar in southern India whose origins extend back over one thousand years before they were discovered by European explorers. This is the same community that is claimed to be established by St. Thomas. Taken after the name of St. Thomas, this Mar-Thoma Christian community followed the Assyrian traditions of the faith, which actually consisted of the same conventions, language and teachings that had been attributed to Jesus Christ and his followers belonging to the areas situated in the present day Middle East. With the passage of time, Assyrian faith got popularity in the neighboring parts of the country, and the Indians suppressed under the nefarious clutches of caste and class Hindu system, sought relief in a religion that used to advocate equality, justice and respect of every citizen without discrimination. Consequently, the eastern and southern parts of the sub-continent also started welcoming C hristianity with open arms. Ninan also observes the arrival of Apostle Barthemew by 55 A.D. near Bombay, (present day coastal cosmopolitan city of Mumbai), who taught Gospel and other religious teachings to the local people, and played very important role in convincing different strata of the then Indian population. As a result, the members from the religious Brahman, warriors and peasant communities embraced new faith quite willingly.v However, it does not mean that the apostles and saints did not undergo trials and oppositions altogether in India. On the contrary, they had to face chains of difficulties and mountains of hardships during the course of introducing a religion that appeared to be quite opposite to the prevailing idol-worshipping teachings of the indigenous Hinduism. Thus, the apostles determined to spread Christianity in India had to meet with the same fate the African saints including St. Perpetua, St. Monica, St. Ambrose, St. Augustine of Hippo and others

The Causes of Prohibition Essay Example for Free

The Causes of Prohibition Essay When federal prohibition was introduced in America with the 18th Amendment to the constitution in 1919 and the Volstead Act in 1920, it was often termed ‘The Nobel Experiment’. It didn’t take long for most people to recognise that the experiment had gone terribly wrong and that it was fostering what it was supposed to eradicate, crime, excess and corruption. But the question is why it was introduced in America in 1920 and to understand this issue, one has to look at the groups that campaigned against the American drinking culture, such as the Anti-Saloon League, as well as the general situation and the public opinion in America, including the fear of immigration. One of the groups that campaigned against alcoholic drinks in America were business executives. Including names as important as Ford and Rockefeller, they believed that alcohol undermined workers’ discipline and productivity and they even invested in scientific research in order to prove the negative effects of alcohol on the body’s health. Thus, they feared that drinks impeded profits and prosperity, which even led some employers to form the American Anti-Saloon League, which actively supported prohibition. Moreover other groups, such as soda manufacturers and tea merchants, tended to support prohibition as they hoped for increased sales as a result of people not being able to obtain alcohol. Therefore the business executives contributed to the federal prohibition by campaigning against it and they were heard as they were significant in order to keep the American economy going. Furthermore there was a great deal of political opposition to alcohol in America. The majority of supporters of the Republican Party were from rural small town America and they were traditionally anti-drink, which meant that the Republicans supported prohibition in order to keep their voters happy. But both Parties had members that saw alcohol as an obstacle to improving society. Moreover the Senate was biased towards rural America, which supported prohibition and from 1917 onwards all Senators had to be publically elected, which made them more inclined to follow public opinion. This helped prohibition as public opinion tended to support it. Thus the political opposition was the most significant reason for prohibition, especially as the Republican Party, which was in power at the time tended to support prohibition. Furthermore Protestants campaigned for prohibition and against drunkenness and violence. Particularly with the revival of protestant fundamentalism and extreme groups, like the Ku Klux Klan, in many areas particularly the rural and small town ones alcohol was blamed for morally corrupting the nation. They saw the drinking culture as the main reason for problems, such as crime, poverty and prostitution. These groups were large and often very influential, e. g. the Indiana Klan, which was a branch of the KKK, controlled large parts of the local government in Indiana. This meant that the revival and ideologies of protestant fundamentalism were a major reason for the federal prohibition. Additionally many women and feminists in particular blamed drinks for domestic abuse, family poverty and deprivation. They formed groups like the Women’s temperance league and the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which campaigned against it and they were taken more seriously than ever after the female suffrage had been introduced in 1919. They also contributed to the establishment of prohibition by actually supporting pro-prohibition candidates. This makes them an important group to consider when looking at the reasons for the introduction of prohibition in 1920, however not as influential as other groups seeing that many women still opposed prohibition. Another reason for the introduction of prohibition was the issue of immigration and race. Many Americans and WASPs in particular associated immigrants with the drinking culture, especially the Irish and immigrants from the South, like Italians. This made them support prohibition as they feared that immigration would have negative economic effects and that immigrants would import revolutionary ideas, such as communism. Also Southern landowners wanted to prevent black labourers from getting distracted by drinks. And in addition eugenics became popular in US in the 1920s and their idea was that alcoholic genes could be passed down to the next generation, thus weakening the American race. Finally the situation after World War I created the perfect environment for such a radical change introduced on a federal level. Government interventionism and limiting the people’s freedom seemed more acceptable as there had been many restrictions. This meant that prohibition on a federal level would have probably been seen as too interventionist a measure, if it had been proposed at a different time making the First World War a necessary condition for the introduction of prohibition. Therefore the reason for the introduction of federal prohibition in America in 1920 was the fact that on the one hand there was a wide range of groups campaigning for temperance and against alcohol, the most important being business executives and politicians. On the other hand it being introduced directly after the First World War was also essential as it created the environment and the mindset necessary to introduce Federal Prohibition.

Ethical Analysis Of The Video Game

Ethical Analysis Of The Video Game Our group chose the video game software development industry as our target industry to examine. We chose this industry because it has had a very interesting dynamic of financials versus ethical issues in the past. First, the institutional investor should be very interested in this industry financially for several reasons. It is a $25 billion industry as of 2011. 49% of U.S. households own a game console, with the average household owning at least one console, smartphone or PC. Eight video games are purchased per second in the United States (esa). Research into an industry leader gathered that Activision Blizzard (ATVI) has been grossly outperforming the market for the last 10 years. With healthy earnings, a substantial profit margin, a modest dividend yield, and a manageable price to earnings ratio, this stock will easily be a welcome addition to any institutional investors portfolio. However, our group suggests that ethical and social issues should also be taken into account when choosing to invest in an industry and a particular stock. Specifically, there is speculation of links between video games and violent crimes, obesity, anti-social behavior and a variety of health problems. The link to violent crimes hits especially close to home in relation to the speculative link between the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting and the video game Doom. In addition, there has been news regarding unethical treatment of development employees. All these will be scrutinized below and must be contrasted with several benefits games afford the community such as high profits and gainful employment for the business. Video games can also produce the benefits of increased attention, positive psychological conditioning, and an outlet for aggression and stress in its players. Following this analysis we will conclude as to whether an institutional investor can feel justified ethically and fina ncially in investing in the video game industry. Ethical Issues and Pressures facing the Gaming Industry The gaming industry battles several ethical dilemmas. These are moral and social choices that have to be made that may or may not conflict with achieving higher profits. These ethical issues could be subdivided into different categories. There are issues pertaining to the nature of the product or game itself, the effect this product has on the consumer engaging in the game, as well as the ethics related to game development such as workplace ethics and developer employment practices. Therefore, there are a vast amount of ethical issues and pressures facing the industry in general that could be addressed, and to cover each and every one of them would far exceed the scope of this analysis. As a result, we will only focus on those ethical issues pertaining to the industry that we believe are especially important for an institutional investor to take into account when making an investment decision for this industry. One ethical issue pertaining to the nature of the game is the ethics of representation. Many activists have criticized video games for being misrepresentative of real demographics. Games like Grand Theft Auto have been criticized for not only misrepresenting minorities as criminals, but also for promoting race violence. In addition, the University of Central Florida concluded that video games vastly misrepresent females. This study chose 33 games and found 41% to contain no females, 28% portrayed women as sex objects, 21% portrayed violence against women, and 30% misrepresented females in terms of their body as well as their positions as damsels in distress or insignificant participants (Dietz, 1998). Do video game manufacturers have a social responsibility to portray population demographics as accurately as possible? If so, does that limit their ability to make riveting gameplay? What is known from previous litigation is that the First Amendment protects gameplay development as free speech and manufacturers are free to create gameplay as their want. Another aspect of the ethics of representation is the portrayal of realism. The more realistic the gameplay the better the user experience, but can being too real be going too far? Recently, seven Navy seals were disciplined for divulging classified tactics and procedures to a Medal of Honor video game. The video game makers, Electronic Arts, state on their website that this game gives the player an authentic experience that puts the gamers in the boots of a soldier (Lerman, 2012). Being too realist can not only divulge secret information to the public, but it also could be seen as training gamers for real situations like that in the game. Examples of this are games like Grand Theft Auto made by Rockstar games. Video game activists, led by Jack Thompson, have been exerting pressure to limit the violence in games, labeling violent games as murder simulators (Jack Thompson (activist)). Violence in video games is seen to be worse than violence in movies, TV or music because games are in teractive. Each play gradually desensitizes and emotionally hardens (termed operant conditioning in psychology) the players to the graphic violence. A 2005 American Psychology Association study corroborates that by stating that there is a causal link between violent video games and teen aggression (Committee led by Elizabeth Carll, 2005). In addition, the games give players weapons training and procedural tactics to carry out maximum damage in the real or virtual world. A much publicized example is Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the assailants in the Columbine High School purportedly being frequent players of the id Software game Doom (Video game controversies). There is much speculation as to whether these games actually influenced and aided these brutal crimes, as there is the larger debate as to whether things such as the realism of violence, gore and sex have a causal link to mimicry of these activities in the real world. Another major ethical issue arises from the fact children are a large part of the video game consumer base. 18% of the video game population is boys under the age of 17 (esa). This statistic may not seem significant but the next few are: studies have shown that 97% of children play video games and that 50% play video games every day (Irvine, 2008). Parents have been concerned about the violence, murder, and crime that many games promote, and their effect on their children especially when they spend long hours every day engaging in these games. One large organization focused on this is MAVAV: Mothers against Videogame Addiction and Violence. If there is physical and psychological harm being done by video games, children are very much in harms way. Because of this, the Entertainment Software Review Board (ESRB) exerts pressure to regulate the exposure of certain games to people of certain ages. Apart from the adverse effects that violence, gore and sex in games can have on the players, there is a link between overplaying of games and several health issues. The physical issues are many: repetitive strain injury, skin problems, muscle stiffness, vision problems, dizziness, headaches, and so on all the way up to even death (Video game-related health problems). Some muscle and skin problems related to video games have been playfully termed PlayStation thumb, Nintendinitis, Wii fractures and so on. In addition, there is a link between video game overplaying and sleep deprivation, nausea and obesity. There is also a list of non-physical effects like addiction, anti-social behavior and increased aggression. Most of the ethical issues discussed so far are tangible to the consumers, and publicly felt because they have a somewhat direct effect on the players. However, there is very little revealed about the behind the scenes developer employment practices that take place before a game is made available to the market. Crunch Time is one of the major reasons developers employment practices and work ethics are subject to a lot of scrutiny. Crunch Time is defined as the period in a games development cycle where the developers have to shift their working patterns into the highest gear in order to ship a game on time (Xbuttonkill, 2011). This has led to developers working as long as 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. In fact, Mike Capps, President of Epic Games, said on an industry panel that he wouldnt hire someone if they werent willing to work 60 hours per week. When developers use crunch time as an employment condition, and force their employees to work long hours, their only concern is to get t he game released on time and make millions. In other words, they tend to depend on crunch time to decrease the risk of competition. They do not seem to care about the physical and mental health problems unreasonable hours have on their employees. The risks of crunch time span even beyond physical and mental health problems. Studies show that overworking affects marriages, and causes children to lose attachment to their parents, because developers get to spend less time at home (Groen, 2011). Corporate Social Responsibility in the Gaming Industry In order to combat such ethical issues and pressures, companies in the gaming industries have outlined certain Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR) which they take upon themselves. Part of this initiative includes ensuring that the video games content is appropriate in terms of health care and promotes an educational message. Video games such as: Bully, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and World of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment) have been scrutinized for many years for the violent and sexual content involved in the games (Leigh, 2011). Both video game developers and the government have recently been taking actions to create a social impact. Governments of many countries have also been involved in activities to control video game threats. For instance, the Chinese government has restricted the number of hours a person can play a video game. The Thailand government banned GTA 4 after a cab driver got carjacked in the similar fashion shown in the game (The Telegraph, 2008). Various countries, due to violent content, have also banned video games such as Wolfenstien, Carmageddon, and Fallout 3 (Leigh, 2011). Many companies have already done much to improve the social and environmental impact of their activities through the creation of programs to tackle the issues of game content. These companies also create games to promote education and participate in events to encourage social awareness and development. Blizzard Entertainment, producers of one of the most famous video games, World of Warcraft, has introduced a function known as Parental Control, which allows parents to control the hours played by their children. Many other games including World of Warcraft have also been promoting Screen-warning messages to control the excessive use of gaming and promote the effects of gaming on health. Some of the World of Warcrafts screen messages were: Take everything in moderation (even World of Warcraft) and Bring your friends to Azeroth, but dont forget to go outside of Azeroth with them as well (Martinez). Games for Change (G4C) is a non-profit organization that has been promoting education and valuable messages through its video games. According to the company, video games are one of the most innovative and powerful learning tools for people any age in 21st century. According to the Mr. Asi Burak, Co-President of Games for Change, video game developers should not consider the quantity of the games sold but should consider the behavioral change that the game could provide (Rowley, 2011). The Entertainment Software Association (ESA), which is exclusively dedicated to serve the business and public affair needs of video game producers, took another CSR initiative recently in the gaming industry. ESA introduced the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) that assigns rating to the video games so that the parents and buyers can make an appropriate and informed decision. The rating gets divided into three categories: A.) rating categories, which suggest the age appropriateness and divides games into categories of Early Childhood, Everyone 10+, Mature etc. B.) Content descriptor, which reveals the content that may have triggered the rating or may be the interest or concern for the parent such as crude humor, alcohol reference, blood, nudity, intense violence etc. And C.) Interactive elements tell the user about the interactive aspect of the product like explaining the games ability to share your personal information, location and ability to interact with others (ESRB). Some organizations help gaming companies get involved with Corporate Social Responsibility through charity. Gamers Outreach Foundation is one such charitable organization that uses interactive entertainment through video games to help others. The company focuses on three initiatives: Project Go Cart, Fun for Our Troops and Gaming for Others. With these initiatives the company collects donations that are eventually used to provide entertainment in the form of video games to people such as U.S Troops and patients in hospitals (Gamers Outreach). The above is just the tip of the iceberg in the endeavor that several firms and organizations of the gaming industry have done to improve its social and environmental impact of its activities. Some firms have done more than others. Rockstar Games, which produces Grand Theft Auto, in our opinion, does not live up to the efforts of other companies. As mentioned above, even though some governments have banned GTA 4, the company is launching GTA 5, with similar if not more violent and sexual content. Regardless of some firms disregard for social responsibility, there are companies which, in our opinion, have made an unprecedented effort to improve the impact of its activities and increase social awareness. One of these companies is Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) who has done much to improve the social and environmental impact of their activities. Throughout numerous countries and various initiatives, SCE carries on activities to encourage a strong, healthy and productive social environment. In Japan, they have set up company visits where students can visit the headquarters as part of an integrated studies system and career education. Along with gaming classes held in schools with the objective of providing media literacy to students, SCE supports several schools in their e-learning approaches. One such program uses PSPs in classes in order to support individualized learning and motivation for scholastic proficiency. In North America, SCE provides joy to families in need a s part of their ongoing Holiday Giving program. They host an annual Nite to Unite (NtU) benefit dinner, which is an unparalleled effort by the interactive entertainment community to make a difference in the lives of Americas kids. NtU is an auction supported by members of the association and the interactive entertainment industry, raising funds for the ESA Foundation. SCE employees participate devotedly in such charities along with other community programs and partnerships for the independence and development of disadvantaged children. Since 2007 they have expanded their PSP in Education Program where PSP has been used extensively at more than 400 educational and training institutions in the UK, as its exceptional ability to capture and play educational digital content has made it a gripping new mobile learning program. In Asia, the SCE also actively participates in innumerable charities working to increase education and provide media literacy to students, reducing the gaming indust ries carbon footprint, and achieving basic goals of ending poverty and hunger in society. Leading by example, SCE offers job opportunities to low-income workers during the annual Asia Game Show; it also has a game console-recycling program in various shopping centers (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.). Virginia Techs Investment Strategy Before we even look at whether Virginia Tech should invest in the gaming industry, we need to look at how Virginia Tech invests when it comes to social and ethical issues. First, we need to look at whether Virginia Tech should take corporate social responsibility (CSR) and ethical issues pertaining to industries into account in its investment decisions. We also need to see if these reasons for taking CSR and ethical issues into account are purely financial or ethical. We believe that Virginia Tech should definitely take CSR and ethical issues into account when investing in industries. The reasons for this are both financial and ethical. The ethical reason for whether or not Virginia Tech should invest in specific industries has to do with core values. According to their core values, Virginia Tech promotes personal and institutional integrity: integrity demands that all members of the universityà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦engage in continual civil discourse and ethical behaviorsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦inte grity demands maintaining standards of personal and professional behavior of the highest order (Virginia Tech). If Virginia Tech promotes integrity among all members of the university and wants them to engage in ethical behaviors, they should want to invest in industries which promote similar values as well as engage in ethical behaviors themselves. The financial reason for whether or not Virginia Tech should invest in specific industries has to do with examples from the past. We have seen companies such as WorldCom (2002), Tyco (2002), Enron (2001) and Madoff Securities (2008) crash due to poor ethical standards. Even though all four of these examples would have been excellent financial investments before they crashed, that did not stop everyone who invested in these companies to lose almost all of their securities. If people researched the CSR and ethical cultures of these companies before they invested, they could have possibly avoided a poor investment. The point is that we believe that ethics and financial success cannot be separated from each other. This is why we believe that it would absolutely be appropriate for Virginia Tech to sacrifice some expected financial return for ethical reasons. The reasons for this have mostly been covered already. First, Virginia Tech needs to be corporately responsible even if others are not. It is in Virginia Techs core values to hold themselves to high standards especially when it comes to integrity. If Virginia Tech does not act according to its core values, it should not be looking at investing in the first place. Second, we believe that good ethics will result in long-term success. If Virginia Tech wants short term returns, it could invest in companies such as WorldCom, Tyco, Enron or Madoff Securities: companies which get high returns at the cost of ethical standards. However, if they are focused on long-term financial success, they would see that those firms who have solid ethical standards will obviously be the better choice. Lastly, we need to look at whether or not Virginia Tech should invest in other industries or businesses for reasons other than maximizing financial return. We believe that there are multiple reasons to invest in industries or businesses other than financial return. One reason is to increase jobs in your home county/region/state. Virginia Tech, being a public institution of Virginia, should want to improve their home states economic state by investing in Virginia businesses to increase jobs. Virginia Tech should also want to invest in their alumni. If there was a business that had an alumni running or working for it and another business which would have a slightly higher financial return, Virginia Tech should invest in the first firm to portray kindness to their alumni. Lastly, Virginia Tech should invest in industries or businesses to create goodwill. The financial gain from goodwill can hardly be measured since it can lead to inside tracks for other deals as well as near infinite go od press. These are only three reasons for Virginia Tech to invest in other industries or businesses, there are likely many more. In all examples, it is important to remember that financial considerations need to be made as we need to make a profit in everything we do. However, the main thing to realize is that there are other considerations that need to be taken into account including corporate social responsibility, ethical issues and alternate investment purposes. Should Virginia Tech Invest in the Gaming Industry? According to the aforementioned reasons, and based on our gaming industry analysis and the ethical and CSR issues facing it, it is evident that an investment decision in the gaming industry by Virginia Tech is not as clear-cut and unambiguous as it seems. In other words, there are several conflicting factors that need to be taken into consideration prior to making such a major decision. These include but are not limited to ethical and financial issues, and whether these match with the institutions social and ethical investment policy. If Virginia Tech only desires to consider the ethical issues pertaining to the gaming industry, there will be a lot of strong reasons to support its decision not to invest in the industry due to a clear contradiction with its core values and virtues. Based on our ethical analysis for the gaming industry, we have seen how developers portray a lot of violence and racism through their games, not to mention the portrayal of realism, and the effect this has on the children and adults engaging in the game. The health problems that consumers suffer resulting from addiction and the long hours spent playing these games is also a serious issue that can never be taken for granted. Last but not least, we can never understate the unethical employment practices deployed by most developers, forcing their employees to work unreasonable hours of crunch time for the mere sake of making money and increasing the companys profits. Apart from the ethical issues, there are other reasons why Virginia Tech might not consider investing in the gaming industry. We believe that Virginia Techs investment policy should include investing in an industry that would increase employment in its home state. And since Virginia is not a state where the gaming industry has a stronghold, such an investment will not directly create a positive effect on employment and job creation in the state. In addition, there are not many alumni involved in this industry for Virginia Tech to support through its investment. Many organizations have shown significant effort in promoting corporate social responsibility and goodwill within the gaming industry. Gamers Outreach Foundation and Games for change (G4C) are two examples of gamers working for the greater good. However these organizations are usually non-profit third parties that do not relate specifically to the gaming industry. In addition, a publicity test might further support Virginia Techs decision not to invest in the gaming industry. The institution might be heavily criticized for becoming a major stakeholder in an industry that was suggested to blame for the tragic massacre that took place on its campus five years ago by a video game fanatic. While there might be some evidence that the Virginia Tech shooter was actually influenced by video games, we believe that if Virginia Tech invests in certain firms in the gaming industry, the institution will be making a stance against ethically inept video game companies. Since such an investment should not be in the industry as whole, we would suggest limiting the investment to those firms within the gaming industry that have proven to be more socially responsible than others. For example, unlike most game developers, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) is an ethically strong and socially responsible firm that has used its products and activities to promote a productive and healthy social environment. Realtime Associates is another videogame developer that has exercised its corporate social responsibility through producing serious games. They have also worked with Hope Lab, a non-profit organization, to develop and produce games that improve the health and quality of life of young people with chronic illness (Hope Lab). These included the videogame Re-Mission, which was specifically targeted to young adults and children with cancer. As a result, investing in the gaming industry through socially responsible firms like Sony and Realtime Associates will not only guarantee a high financial return on investment, but will also meet the objectives of the institutions investment policy and core values. Conclusion Although the ethical issues and pressures facing the gaming industry might not at first seem to be in line with Virginia Techs investment policy, we believe there is a considerable investment opportunity for an institution like Virginia Tech in this industry. However, we do not consider that such an investment should be made in just any firms inside the gaming industry. From our research we have found that the industry is quite diverse and there are several firms pioneering strong ethics and social responsibility in this industry. In our opinion, Virginia Tech should favor these firms with a proven track record of high ethical standards and social responsibility.

Free Othello Essay: The Disintegration of Othello -- Othello essays

The Disintegration of Othello Shakespeare's Othello is a play with unique characters. One such character is the one for which Shakespeare names his play. In the play, Othello disintegrates from a confident leader to a homicidal murderer. Linguistic changes throughout the play attest to this theory. In the opening scenes, Shakespeare portrays Othello as a noble character. When Brabantio seeks vengeance (for "stealing" his daughter) on Othello, Othello expresses his actions will "tongue out his [Brabantio's] complaints" (1.2.21). Thus he shows his calmness against the verbal slander of Brabantio. Throughout this scene, Othello remains calm and confident. Moreover, he humbly tells the story of his relationship with Desdemona. He does not flaunt the situation over Brabantio but speaks modestly. In the next act, Othello maintains his calm demeanor. He speaks poetically of seeing his "fair warrior" Desdemona (2.1.210). Later in the scene, Cassio fails at his military duties. Even though this deeply hurts Othello, he keeps his calm. He lovin...

Differences Between the North and South that Led to the Civil War Essay

The Southern and Northern states varied on many issues, which eventually led them to the Civil War. There were deep economic, social, and political differences between the North and the South. These differences stemmed from the interpretation of the United States Constitution on both sides. In the end, all of these disagreements about the rights of states led to the Civil War. There were reasons other than slavery for the South?s secession. The manifestations of division in America were many: utopian communities, conflicts over public space, backlash against immigrants, urban riots, black protest, and Indian resistance (Norton 234). America was a divided land in need reform with the South in the most need. The South relied heavily on agriculture, as opposed to the North, which was highly populated and an industrialized society. The South grew cotton, which was its main cash crop and many Southerners knew that heavy reliance on slave labor would hurt the South eventually, but their warnings were not heeded. The South was based on a totalitarian system. Constitutionally the North favored a loose interpretation of the United States Constitution, and they wanted to grant the federal government increased powers. The South wanted to reserve all undefined powers to the individual states themselves. The South relied upon slave labor for their economic well being, and the economy of the North was not reliant on such labor or in need of this type of service. This main issue overshadowed all others. Southerners compared slavery to the wage-slave system of the North, and believed their slaves received better care than the northern factory workers received from their employers. Many Southern preachers proclaimed that slavery was sanctioned in the Bible. Southern leaders had constantly tried to seek new areas into which slavery might be extended (Oates 349). After the American Revolution, slavery began to decrease in the North, just as it was becoming more popular in the South. By the turn of the century, seven of the most Northern states had abolished slavery. During this time, a surge of democratic reform swept the North to the West, and there were demands for political equality, economic and social advances for all Americans. Northerners said that slavery revoked the human right of being a free person and when new territories became available i... ...in opinion. We should remember the great sacrifices our fellow citizens made during this time and appreciate their actions or endeavors. Especially that of Abraham Lincoln. The best way to assess the value of Lincoln is to think what the condition of American would be in today if he had never lived or never been President (Whitman 262). Yes, slavery was the cause of the Civil War, half of the country thought it was wrong, and the other half just could not let it go or continue. The war was fought overall in different places, and the monetary and property loss cannot be calculated. Arguments about the causes and consequences of the Civil War, as well as the reasons for Northern victory, will continue as long as there are historians to wield the pen ? which is, perhaps even for this bloody conflict, mightier than the sword (Oates 388). The Civil War was a great waste in terms of human life and possible accomplishment and should be considered shameful. Before its first centennial, tragedy struck a new country and altered it for an eternity. It will never be forgotten, but adversity builds strength and the United States of America is now a much stronger nation (Oates 388).

An Analysis of Plenty by Isabelle Dixon

Dixon's poem Plenty shows the relationship between a mother and her five daughters which, on a wider horizon could be taken as a relationship between adults and children. The poet starts by telling us that they used to run ‘riot' and this was more than the mother could cope with. We are not told whether the behaviour was meant to annoy the mother or it was just a normal prank played and enjoyed by children. The situation in stanza is not a pleasant one as the poet gives us a grim picture of the situation they had to cope with.Water was a rare commodity and because of that they could not afford the luxury of filling the ‘old enamel a tub' which we are told was ‘age-stained' and rusty. The reason for that is given in stanza two where the poet explains that there was persistent drought and dams were dry and ‘windmills stalled. ‘ The most interesting thing about the description here is that she compares her mother's smile to the stalled windmill and the dry dam. One gets the impression that even though the mother was smiling it lacked the warmth of a genuine smile.We are also made to understand that such a smile almost always came when she had done something wrong. She continues to tell us that her mother smiling at their faults was a ploy to keep them from being chaotic or mischievous. What we learn from this is that the mother did not do anything to scold the children perhaps because she knew shouting and ranting was not going to work. We are told that this situation was on-going. Added to all this was the fact the mother had to worry about how to provide the bare necessities of life for her children and ensure that there was food on the table.  Read also Critical appreciation of the poem â€Å"Old Ladies’ Home†.It was not a cheerful situation because ‘each month was weeks too long. ‘ This gives me the impression that the mother had to the hard work of ensuring whatever little money she had could be suffic ient for the month but this was not the case. ‘Her mouth laid clamped hard on this' shows us that the mother did not talk this aspect of her worries. She did not want the children to worry because she was worrying about how she was going to feed them. The first four stanzas paint a grim picture and describe a period of want when everything, including water, was in short supply.However, even though the situation was grim the mother made sure she bore everything in silence and concentrated on how to make her children happy. By not scolding them unnecessarily and by being gentle with in times of misbehaviour she was able to cope. Stanza five begins with a litany of the pranks the poet and her sisters used to play. They ‘skipped chores' and when the mother was not near they indulged in the ‘lovely sin' of filling the bath beyond the recommended limit given by their mother. However, stanza five is also a discovery for the poet.She tells us that as children they did not understand why their mother had to impose those water restrictions or why she had to bother about every little prank they played. ‘We thought her mean' is enough to tell us that she has realized this. Stanza seven echoes the title of the poem as we are told how water is no longer in short supply. The poet can afford to stay in the bath for as long as she wishes and can fill the tub to the brim if she so wishes. The ‘now' at the beginning of the stanza tells us that the poet's situation has changed.Unlike the past she is no a ‘sybarite' and devotes herself to luxury. It is as if she is saying making up for all the luxury she lost in childhood. The metaphor ‘The shower's a hot cascade' describes vividly the poet's feeling. She is comparing the shower to water fountain and not only that it is hot. She can even afford to leave the heating on. The last stanza begins with a feeling of nostalgia. The poet misses her sisters who, we can confidently say, are no longer staying with their mother. They have all moved on and perhaps enjoying the luxury of a filled bath tub.She even misses her mother's smile. Unlike in the past the mother's smile is full of mirth because the ‘lean dry times' are over. We get the impression that their mother's suffering was due to their long childhood and now that they are able to fend for themselves most of the problems have gone. The mother is now happy and does not have to worry about a month which was ‘weeks too long. ‘ A casual reading of the poem will make the reader think it is a reminiscence of someone's childhood experiences. But underneath this surface lies the themes and messages the poet puts across.We learn that patience can help us deal with a lot of life's everyday problems. Instead of adults taking their frustrations onto their children they should learn to cope with these frustrations. We also learn from the mother's reactions to the children's behaviour that children must be allowed to be children and occasionally brought onto the straight path when necessary. The mother did not do anything that would have driven the children away from home. She did not blame the children for the fact that she could not afford a luxurious for herself and the children.What she did is what every parent should learn: she accepted her responsibility as a parent and understood that the children did not negotiate with her to come into the world. Her responsibility was to provide the physical, biological and emotional needs of her children. It is also good that poet later realised the mother was not being mean after all. This is also a very important message for the youth of today. They should understand that every parent wants the best for their children and even though they may see some of the decisions taken by adults as harsh in the long run it is for their own benefit.