Parents Need Help Essay Example for Free

Parents Need Help Essay In today’s society parents are faced with a critical parenting question that was not necessary 20 years ago; which video games should I let my children play? Parenting is tough enough without having to deal with a child that gets upset because he cannot play a certain video game that all of his friends are playing. The values that children are raised to believe in are those of their parents, not those of the city, state or country they live in, and those family values are the most important values a child will learn. Some very influential people in our society believe that the government should be able to dictate what a child is or is not allowed to play or watch. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich believes that â€Å"Parenting is hard work and the state has a compelling interest in helping parents raise their children to be upstanding men and women. † (Whitehead, 2005). Some studies show that these violent and sexually explicit video games provide â€Å"harmful effects ranging from health problems to violent behavior. † (Rutgers University Law – Newark, 2012). The completed studies and comments from government officials have very informative information and hard evidence to support their statement of â€Å"Parents Need Help†. As detailed in many articles and polls, one of the major problems with parents allowing their child to play violent or sexually explicit video games is covered in a 2013 Harris Poll. â€Å"The findings underscore the lack of awareness Americans have about the video game rating system, as well as confusion in the market†, said Mike de Vere, President of Harris Poll. PRNewswire, 2013). If parents took the time to understand the video game rating system like they understand a movie rating, they would be better informed as to what each game consist of. Parents have no problem letting a young child watch an â€Å"R† rated movie that shows violence and sexual activity, but if that same child is showing violent tendencies or sexual behaviors they are quick to blame video games for the behavior. Many American children spend a large amount of time playing video games. As a parent, you may be confused as to whether these games are beneficial or not† (http://www. thefreelibrary. com, 2008). If a parent takes the time to review what each of the video game ratings are and what material will be in the video games along with reemphasizing family values there would be less political emphasis on parenting. There has been violent and sexual behavior from children in a ysfunctional and functional home, but if a parent takes the time to ensure their child understands the difference between fiction (video games), reality (everyday life) and monitors their child’s behavior less of these violent outburst would occur. Movies provide the same access to violence and sexual behavior as video games do but there is no political agenda to ban movies that have a less restrictive rating system than video games. Parents need help restoring parental rights and help in stopping the government from taking over their parenting rights. When the government moves in and takes charge of everything that we as citizens can and cannot do, it provides today’s children with the authority to disobey their parents because the government said something different. If the government wants to help, then they should start applying stricter fines on the video game manufacturers and the stores which sell the video games. Threatening them with a fine and not imposing that fine when a manufacturer or retail store provides content to a minor, is allowing them to continue to profit off of children. Impose the fines and make it a stringent fine, at which point manufacturers and retailers would start adhering to the video game restrictions and responsibility would fall back to the parents of which games their children play. In closing, government officials should concentrate on raising their children and guiding our country instead of worrying about how each individual raises their children. Acts of violence and sexual behavior will still occur whether children are playing video games or not; they see it every day on television shows, cartoons, movies and in the news. Parents need to be more vigilant in monitoring what their children are doing, watching, and playing as well as ensuring that your family morals and values are upheld by each member of the family. If we do not accept the role of a parent then we cannot complain when the government decides what we as a society can and cannot do.

Evaluating a Health Promotion Website: Smoking Cessation

Evaluating a Health Promotion Website: Smoking Cessation Introduction: For the purpose of this assignment and based on the webquest, I have chosen Essay 2, evaluating a health promotion website. The current health promotion topic I have selected is smoking cessation. The National Health Service (NHS) has set up a â€Å"Go Smokefree† Services and a NHS smoking helpline plus a website offering free advice on stopping smoking and details of your local NHS Stop Smoking Services (NICE 2006). The rationale for this choice is that having completed a placement on a respiratory ward caring for patients with many smoking related diseases, it is important for me as an adult branch nurse to discuss health promotion issues, and to be up to date with current information in order to help educate people and allow them to make informed choices regarding their health, especially the health benefits of stopping smoking. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC 2008) states that it is important for nurses to ensure that any advice or information given to patients is evidence based. Smoking is a long established health hazard and it is the largest avoidable cause of premature deaths in the UK (DOH 2007). It affects almost all branches of nursing because of the wide range of diseases and conditions which it causes. All types of health problems are linked to breathing in second hand smoke, so smokers risk the health of others as well as their own. Almost everyone knows that smoking is bad for their health but despite graphic images of blackened lungs and cancerous growths in doctors waiting rooms and on cigarette packets people start smoking or continue to smoke. In order to evaluate the information from my chosen website I will be using a framework (Kapoun 1998). The reason for using this framework is because his approach supports the assignment guidelines, which include; an overview of the website; the author’s credibility; content accuracy; content objectivity or bias; and the currency of the content. Accuracy: Having decided on the subject, smoking cessation I searched the World Wide Web, using the Google search engine using the criteria. I typed in current health promotions smoking, UK search only. This displayed 240,000 results, the number one return was www.nhs.uk/smokefree and I decided to use this one. The page is produced by the NHS and has no individual author. The website contains facilities for e-mail should you encounter any difficulties with using the website, and a direct contact telephone number for help and advice. The purpose of the document and the reason for its production (Kapoun 1998) is to provide information on the benefits of stopping smoking; it achieves this by offering advice online, and a facility to download inspirational DVDs and stop smoking guides. The website is aimed at providing information for all age groups and sections of the smoking population, with information and support networks available in many languages and formats including Braille. The website a lso provides many facilities for health care professionals to order various support materials like leaflets. In distinguishing between the author and the webmaster (Kapoun 1998) the author of the site who produces the content of the web page is the NHS, but the site webmaster who maintains the website is not shown as a separate body. The NHS as the major health care provider in the UK is more than qualified to write this document (Kapoun 1998) as they have access to all departments of health information and resources, plus government statistics and strategies. Authority: As discussed in the previous subheading the website publisher is not shown separately from the webmaster, but the copyright is held by the Department of Health (DOH 2007) for which no address is shown. The URL address is www.smokefree.nhs.uk and the domain is www.nhs.uk which clearly shows the document is published in the United Kingdom. The publisher does not list any qualifications but the pre-eminence of the NHS would lend authority to the document. Objectivity: The website does achieve its goals (Kapoun 1998). It achieves its objectives by making available information on the benefits of stopping smoking, the health risks and financial costs of continuing to smoke. For example the online calculator shows that the cost of smoking 40 cigarettes per day is  £300 per month, or  £37,000 over the next twenty years. The information is very detailed and explained in ordinary non-medical terms, making it easily readable for the average person. The website was obviously non-commercial, there was no external advertising, and the motives of the website were very clearly aimed only at dissuading people from starting to smoking and persuading them to stop. I feel that the NHS website was an excellent source of information; it had links to the national statistics website and links to the DOH website which clearly stated that it was a department of the government with ministerial responsibility, which clearly adds to its authority (Kapoun 1998). It had content for the layman seeking assistance to stop smoking, through to professionals, planning local and regional smoking cessation initiatives. In my opinion this website gave an objective point of view, because it presented the facts, the options, costs, the health risks and benefits without being judgemental, or biased against the smoking minority. By comparison, the Action on Smoking and Health (Ash) website presented its information in a more opinionated manner, the website had the feel of a crusade about it, rather than persuasion and offering information and support, it seemed to portray smokers as victims of the tobacco industry incapable of free choice. The website gives information on stopping smoking, and the benefits and aids to quitting, but the website feels like an anti-tobacco company campaign rather than a website promoting the benefits of stopping smoking. The website did not seem objective, as it presented its information and statistics in a more judgemental and bi ased manner. The contents of this website whilst containing information on ceasing smoking and the benefits of ceasing smoking appeared mainly political with a motive of banning the sale of tobacco. I feel that this website had a totally negative approach to dissuading smokers, and more of a dictatorial outlook. In further comparison the Nicorette.co.uk appeared factual in as much as it offered similar statistics as the NHS website but in a much simpler format. The information was easy to read, but it was aimed only at the general smoking public. Although it gives you the possible health benefits, and the costs of smoking which are in agreement with the NHS website, it is clearly a commercial website, promoting its own nicotine replacement therapies, although they do state on all their web pages, that stopping smoking â€Å"does require willpower†, which would infer that the products advertised are only an aid and not a cure. Unlike (ASH) the content of the website does not c riticise smokers or the tobacco companies, however as a commercial entity, it would not be in their commercial interest if tobacco was banned which may show an unspoken bias in favour of tobacco. Currency: The website appears to be up to date as it was set up at the start of the NHS â€Å"smokefree† campaign in 2007, although no specific update information available. All of the links were working and appeared to be updated regularly, as there was information on all current campaigns for February 2009 (Kapoun 1998). A current campaign dated 2nd February 2009 is designed to make the consequences of smoking during pregnancy more personal by explaining how smoking deprives the baby of oxygen and causes the babies heart to beat faster (DOH 2008). Coverage: The website appears to be almost completely self contained with very few external links (Kapoun 1998). The whole document appears to be very well balanced with images, videos text and graphics. For example, several television celebrities after being given advice and support from local NHS stop smoking advisers have recorded video diaries of their personal experiences of stopping smoking, which are available to view online, or you can also order a DVD free of charge. There is no special software requirements needed to view the information on the website, no browser recommendations are given, nor are there any fees payable to use the website, plus all downloads and promotional material is free (Kapoun 1998). There are accessibility options of large text for people who are visually impaired. The information on the website is mainly in the public domain, meaning there is no copyright, and no citations are shown. Conclusion: First impressions of the website were very positive and this carried on through as I read the material and followed the links. The website is well presented and all the links worked, the website was easy to use, interesting and catchy. There is a wealth of information on the effects of smoking, social effects (stains your teeth and clothes smell), the effects on other peoples health (second hand smoke), the financial costs (to the smoker) and not least the huge negative effects on the smoker’s health. The website equally promoted the enormous benefits to be gained by stopping smoking, even after many years of smoking. All information downloads, and promotional material is free. There are telephones lines for help and advice; addresses for regional centres were also available. I thought the website would be of great assistance to many people who genuinely wanted to quit smoking, the support and advice offered was very comprehensive, and also had facilities for health care profe ssionals, service providers and employers on how to refer smokers to NHS services, support smokers in stopping, and plan the delivery of smoking cessation services (NICE 2008). The website policy and privacy guidelines were difficult to find via the page links, but they could be found easily by using the search facility, if you could find the correct keywords. In my opinion the information was accurate, reliable, and the source, Department of Health (DOH), which is a Government Ministry, is trustworthy. On writing this assignment I have improved my knowledge and understanding regarding website evaluation. As a student nurse, and to offer evidence based health promotional information to patients, I realise how important it is to research the information, making sure it is current, checking how often it is updated, how reliable the information is, does it come from a credible source, can the reader trust the information (Kapoun 1998). I will take with me into future practice the knowledge that, before I provide any information to patients, it has been critically evaluated, in order for them to make informed choices regarding their health care. Reference List. ASH (2007) Essential information on stopping Smoking. [Online]. Available at http://www.ash.org.uk/files/documents/ASH_116.pdf [Accessed on 11th March 2009]. Department of Health (DOH) (2007) [online]. Available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthimprovement/Tobacco/index.htm [Accessed on 28th February 2009]. Department of Health (DOH) (2008) [Online]. Available at http://smokefree.nhs.uk/smoking-and-pregnancy/ [Accessed on 28th February 2009]. Kapoun, J. (1998) Teaching Undergraduates WEB Evaluation. College and Research Libraries News. July/August 1998. p 522-523. Nice (2006) Brief Interventions and Referral for Smoking Cessation in Primary Care and other Settings. [Online]. Available at http://www.gpiag.org/news/smokingcessation/nice_smoking_interventions_quick_reference.pdf [Accessed on 28th February 2009]. Nice (2008) Smoking Cessation Services. [Online]. Available at http://www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/PH10 [Accessed on 28th February 2009]. Nicorette (2009). Stop Smoking Now. [Online]. Available at www.nicorette.co.uk [Accessed on 10 March 2009]. Nursing and Midwifery Council (2008) The Code. London: NMC. The National Health Service (NHS) (2007) â€Å"Go Smokefree†. [Online]. Available at www.smokefree.nhs.uk [Accessed on 27th February 2009].

We Must Report Child Abuse and Neglect Essay -- Argumentative, Persuas

Each of us has the moral obligation to report suspected cases of child abuse. National statistics indicate that five children die daily as a result of child abuse (Childhelp, 2015). Reporting suspected child abuse can prevent the abused child from continuing the horrific cycle of abuse toward their own children (Smith & Segal, 2015). There are four forms of child abuse: physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and emotional abuse (Smith & Segal, 2015). Christine â€Å"Chris† Witty, a gold medal winning speed skater, molested by a family friend at the age of four, â€Å"it’s important to talk about it. You raise awareness. But you can also prevent it (child abuse) by not letting it be a secret† (Newberry, 2008, para. 3). Researchers have shown that child abuse may be caused by a complex combination of personal, social, and cultural factors (Family Resource Center, 2015). Measures should be taken to protect children because they are the future. Child abuse is a serious problem that no one wants to admit it exists or do not know how to stop it, if they are aware it exists. Although people are afraid to get involved, suspected cases of child abuse need to be reported immediately because reporting child abuse can save a life. Physical abuse and sexual molestation are the most common forms of child maltreatment (Pillado, Kim, & Dierkhising, 2010). Physical abuse is non-accidental trauma or physical injury caused by punching, beating, kicking, burning, or otherwise harming a child (Smith & Segal, 2015). Physical abuse is the most visible form of child maltreatment and there are several warning signs (Smith & Segal, 2015). The most common warning sign of physical abuse is continual injuries or unknown bruises, contusions, or lace... ...92502d%40sessionmgr4&hid=7&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=mih&AN=6743462 Kids First Child Abuse Treatment Center. (2009). 7 Ways to prevent child abuse. Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.kidsfirstinc.org/preventing-abuse National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. (2010). Understanding child maltreatment. Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/CM-factsheet-a.pdf Newberry, P. (2008, September 15). Olympian goes public with sexual abuse. USA Today. Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/olympics/2008-9-15 Pillado, O., Kim, T., & Dierkhising, C. B. (2010). Fact sheet: Child maltreatment. Web. 23 May 2015. http://stopyouthviolence.ucr.edu/factsheets/FACTSHEET%20ChildMaltreatmentSpring2010.pdf Smith, M., & Segal, J. (2015). Child abuse and neglect. Web. 23 May 2015. http://www.helpguide.org/mental/child_abuse_physical_

Moving and Literature :: Moving Immigration Essays

Moving and Literature Since I was six, my mother, sister and I have been moving to different places. Whether these were permanent moves or not, they have impacted me. The first of all moves was to an entirely different country, from Peru to U.S.A. I left my extended family, friends and surroundings behind for an unknown place. Although it was a dramatic change for me, I realize now how much that first change has influenced me in many ways. It has changed the way I view myself, and the way I tackle new experiences. A famous man once said, â€Å"America is my country, but Paris is my hometown.† I believe he too shared my feelings, that one can love two places equally yet differently without being partial to either one of them. When I compare all the places I have ever been to, I find that each one has left a unique trace in me. I do not find any one superior although they all stand out in their own way. Richard Ford, author of I Must Be Going, offers a different view to this argument: â€Å"It may simply and finally be the way most people feel when they are settled is the way I feel when I move: safe and in possession of myself†(111). Ford explains to the reader that the way he lives his life, frequently changing locations, is what his life is all about. The restrictions of having to stay in one place for the rest of his life is a frightening thought. Ford presents a good point; he believes that home is literally where the heart is. He feels at home when he is in the company of his family, not when he is in familiar four walls, like many do. I do not believe in Ford’s nomadic lifestyle; I like staying in one place, but I want to visit others and travel as often as possible.

The Dark Room :: essays research papers

The Book: Name: The Dark Room Author: R. K. Narayan Number of Pages: 214 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Date of Publication: January 1981 Classification: Fiction Summary: In the quiet town of Malgudi, in the 1930's, there lived Savitri and her husband, Ramani. They lived with their three children, Babu, Kamala, and Sumati. Savitri was raised with certain traditional values that came into internal conflict when she took Ramani, a modern executive, as her husband. Savitri has endured a lot of humiliations from her temperamental husband and she always puts up with his many tantrums. To find solace and escapism, she takes refuge in 'the dark room', a musty, unlit, storeroom in the house. But when Ramani takes on a beautiful new employer, Savitri finds out that her husband has more than a professional interest in the woman. So, at first, she tries to retreat to her dark room. But she realises that hiding in there won't help. So she tries to leave the house. She stayed with a friend in another village. But after staying there for some time, she can't help but think of her husband and their children. What would happen to them? After doing a lot of t hinking, she finally decides to go back home. In the end, Ramani has finally stopped seeing Shanta Bai, the other woman, and I guess you could say it's a happy ending. It's now up to you to go and guess the rest. Savitri is very much real. She is basically quite like most people. They treat problems like that. They find ways to escape it. Like booze, drugs, suicide, etc. In Servitor ¡Ã‚ ¯s case, she stays in the dark room, and finally, leaves her family. As I was reading "The Dark Room ¡Ã‚ ±, I felt compassion towards Savitri. I can clearly see that she was a confused woman. It was depicted through the first part of the story wherein her son was ill and she told Babu, her son, not to go to school that day. But Ramani intruded upon them and said that Babu has to go to school and that his illness is merely a headache. Savitri didn't know what to do then. She was concerned for Babu ¡Ã‚ ¯s health, but at the same time, she didn't want to argue with Ramani. In the end, Babu ha d gone off to school. As for Ramani, I felt like shouting at him while reading the novel because of his bullying.

Apush Taxation Without Representation Dbq

The motivations of American Revolutionary movement, at its peak from 1765 to 1780, are a much disputed subject between historians like Bernard Bailyn and Esmond Wright. One of the questionable motivations is the demand for no taxation without representation from the colonies at the time. It becomes clear through the documents of the Virginia House of Burgesses and Stamp Act Congress as well as letters from Thomas Jefferson that no taxation without representation was the primary motivation and unifier of the American colonies between 1765 and 1780.In the mid-1700’s, due to the high debt created by the British after the French and Indian War, parliament created a series of new taxes used on only the American colonies to gain revenue. One of the most unpopular taxes, called the Stamp Act, required a stamp to be put on all legal documents for a certain fee. This upset many people in the colonies including the Virginia House of Burgesses, which was the legislature in Williamsburg, Virginia, at the time.The committee there created a resolution to ask the same rights as Britons, who had representatives in Parliament to defend themselves against taxation without representation (Document A). Since the British Parliament did not listen to the colonial legislatures individually, some of the colonies joined forces to create Stamp Act Congress. This grouping was the first formal and organized unification of the American Colonies at the time and would snowball into the first and second Continental Congress which would take place ten years later.Stamp Act Congress (Document B) addressed issues and their possible solutions relating to the House of Commons in Great Britain, the Parliament. With the issue the Virginia House of Burgesses addressed, the Stamp Act Congress created the resolution of having a representative democracy styled legislature to discuss matters of taxation. These ideas were on par with that of the Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies by Daniel Dulany which stated â€Å"A right to impose an internal tax on the colonies, without their consent for the single use of revenue, is denied. (Document C) â€Å"No taxation without representation! † was the slogan of many patriot groups like the Sons of Liberty in the mostly unified colonies of the 1770s. These patriots like Joseph Warren, who played a leading role in the patriot organizations in Boston and was a militia general at Bunker Hill, said that taxation without representation â€Å"could not be supported by reason and argument† and that â€Å"upon fair examination, appeared to be unjust and unconstitutional. † (D) Beginning with the Stamp Act of 1764, the colonists found themselves with an unfair laws and government on their hands.With this issue at hand, new legislatures were formed in the American Colonies like The Stamp Act Congress (B), First, and Second Continental Congress. These legislatures strived for a represent ative democracy, one better than the one they were deprived of in House of Commons in Great Britain. By the 1770s, the ideals of rights of men, as those mentioned in the Virginia House of Burgesses (A) and Joseph Warren (D), spread throughout the colonies. It was the demand of no taxation without representation that unified the colonies and drove them toward a representative democracy which every man has his say.

Inflation & The rise of cost Essay

Inflation can be defined as the rise of cost of goods and services in a country; and therefore the cost of living. Inflation can be measured when the cost of a product/service increases over a period of time and therefore decreases the value of money in an economy. Inflation is bad for the economy because of many reasons. One of the reasons is because inflation can decrease the value of money over time and therefore decrease the purchasing power for common people. Apart from that, it tends to create a lot of uncertainty in the economy for producers and buyers. When there is uncertainty in the economy, this leads to a lower level of investment as people are not confident enough to invest, and as a result this leads to a lower economic growth. Inflation also tends to discourage entrepreneurs to expand their businesses or to start a new business because of the high cost of goods and services. This therefore reduces competitiveness in the market which also affects international trades. When there are fewer businesses expanding or opening up, employment rate reduces which increases the level of unemployment rate. When unemployment rates are high, the crime rates increases as people find ways to survive and this affects the safety of the society. On the other hand, a lot of resources are wasted during inflation. For example, during the inflation period, people tend to save their money and spend less; therefore companies have a lower demand rate and have a high wastage on raw materials that were purchased earlier. High inflation rates also make the economy unsustainable as it’s not strong. Source from the US Inflation Calculator, 2009. The graph above shows the inflation rates from the year 2000-2009 in the US. As shown, there was a 3. 8% inflation rate in the year 2008, and has gone down to 0. 2% in 2009. References: US Inflation Calculator (2009) Retrieved on 28th March 2009. http://www. usinflationcalculator. com/inflation/current-inflation-rates/ Inflation fact sheet (2009) Why is Inflation Bad? Retrieved on 28th March 2009. www. reservebank. co. za/internet/Publication. nsf/LADV/C1E04C14CD41930A42257037003E1C24/$File/Factsheet2. pdf