Comparative Global Business System

Question: Describe about the Comparative Global Business System. Answer: History The African continent is inspires the world in terms of civilization and extraction of human origin. Archeological research support the fact that development of mankind occurred in Africa. First time in Africa, when only proto-bacteria to dinosaur dwells special kind of Ape known as Australopithecines appeared walk on two legs. The existence of Neolithic rock carving makes a point of existence of hunting and gathering culture in the grassland of Sahara Dessert of North Africa. Interesting fact is that Africa started agriculture in 6000 B.C. the break from Africa to the wider world occurs 100,000 years ago when a group moves towards North Africa. Africa is the oldest and enduring landmass of the world (Shillington, 2012). Figure showing culture of ancient Africa source (Shillington, 2012) Economic status Africa has a wide difference in terms of economy. Parts of sub-Saharan Africe are in the lower rank in terms of Gross National Income it has GNI of $765 per person in a year. Ethiopia and Burundi have the lowly GNI of $90 of per person. Countries with middle income people such as Gabon and Botswana contain moderate income level. While, North Africa are in better position than Sub-Saharan where economics are stable along with trade and tourism is high (BBC NEWS, 2016). Figure showing different income in different parts of Africa source (BBC NEWS, 2016). Education The education of Africa is under crisis with 128 million school-aged children 17 million never even attending school. On that among 800, 00 students 213,000 failed in the end of school examination. Though Africa contributed 6% of its GDP in education but the quality of education is not there for every student. Childrens in most areas had to travel 30km to go their schools. The schools in Africa mostly lack quality teaching and proper structured process in learning. There are 11 official languages in South Africa but most often they are teach in English especially math and science. The rate of absenteeism is also more in African schools (Nishimura and Yamano, 2013). Figure showing level of education in South Africa source (Nishimura and Yamano, 2013) Political The African people face problems in relation with leadership. It became the main problem for its political instability. Political turmoil affects the growth, infrastructure as well industrialization in Africa. Mostly, the leaders faced nation-building along with the hold of political power. The growth of conflict, along with terrorism in North Africa and Middle East and political violence in province of East Africa which enables the rise of political instability. Since 2010, many countries experienced political risk in which Africa is one of them. Political instability became a block for companies of Africa. The political violence in Nigeria along with northeastern border Cameroon, Niger and Chad made thousands of people to lost their life. In the north Libya faced the civil war with General Khalifa and Haftar along with the Islamic groups like Ansar al-Sharia (Halpern, 2015). Figure showing political instability in Africa source (Halpern, 2015) Employment The education of Africa is in crisis the only way is the vocational training that they take most of the time. But, with competition employment with vocational training is not enough. South Africa leads the unemployment rate with 25% in 2015. The rate increased to 26.7% in March. The ratio increased within last three months comparing with the ratio of January which was 24.5%. Since 2000, South Africa lowest unemployment rate was 21.50%. The reason for such rate in unemployment is because of legacy of apartheid, crisis in education and training, weaker in demand for labor and lack of entrepreneurial interest. Along with that increase rate of crime is also the reason for high unemployment rate (Anyanwu, 2013). Figure showing South Africa unemployment rate Source (Anyanwu, 2013). Infrastructure Africa has a poor infrastructure, though the President of South of Africa planed to spend $97 billion on infrastructure over the next three years. The concentration on infrastructure is to access return on certain investments. Africa suffers from low level of productivity in agriculture with constant famines. Rural infrastructure can be explained as poor in terms of transportation, irrigation, energy and telecommunication. The given study explains that its infrastructure deficit accumulates as a barrier for the growth of Africa. While, some estimates puts on the budget of Nigeria alone with $15 billion per year. The African Bank issued $40 billion bond for the development of its infrastructure (Herbst, 2014). Figure showing Africas infrastructure in comparison with the needs Source (Herbst, 2014) Development Rate The growth of Africa has slowed down to a measurable extent coming to 3.0% in 2015 from 4.5% in 2014. Among these years the weakest pace is from 2009. Per capita growth has slowed down weighted down by the growth of population. The price of oil, gas minerals and metals has force to lower to a great extent. Africa being the leader of exporter deeply affected from the falling price of commodities. It gives pressure to the current account as well as fiscal balance. Rising violence and the conflicts further hampers the development of Africa. The cost of doing business in Africa in short hampers the growth and productivity level (Cammett, 2013). Figure showing the GDP growth of Africa and Asia Source (Cammett, 2013) Worldwide raking of Africa South Africa positioned as 53rd in the most spirited country out of 148 countries reviewed in 2013/2014 in the competitiveness Index World Economic Forums Global. Global growth currently measures 3.1% in 2015 which is projected to grow 3.6% in 2017. The Ivory Coast Africa is the fastest growing economy. The West African nations are expected to grow on 8.5% this year (Hardoy et al., 2013). Figure showing world GDP Source ( Hardoy et al., 2013) Export Import Botswana and South Africa are major exporting countries of the Africa. South Africa is one the prime manufacturer in gold and diamonds. The nation consists of a well defined system in law. The key exporters of African nation are the palm oil, oil, gold and diamond, timber, cocoa, and precious metals. Nigeria is the worlds largest oil producer as it produces 3.2 million barrels per day. Sudan, Equatorial Guinea and Angola also exports oil to other countries. African mainly imports medical supplies and food. Other than that they import chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, machinery and equipment (A Turning Point for Agricultural Exports to Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016). Figure showing Sub-Saharan Africa agricultural imports 2014 source (A Turning Point for Agricultural Exports to Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016) Reference List: BBC NEWS. (2016).News.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2016. Shillington, K. (2012).History of Africa. Palgrave Macmillan. Nishimura, M. and Yamano, T., 2013. Emerging private education in Africa: determinants of school choice in rural Kenya.World Development,43, pp.266-275. Halpern, M. (2015).Politics of Social Change: In the Middle East and North Africa. Princeton University Press. Anyanwu, J. C. (2013). Characteristics and macroeconomic determinants of youth employment in Africa.African Development Review,25(2), 107-129. Herbst, J. (2014).States and power in Africa. Princeton University Press. Cammett, M. (2013). Development and Underdevelopment in the Middle East and North Africa. Hardoy, J.E., Mitlin, D. and Satterthwaite, D., 2013.Environmental problems in an urbanizing world: finding solutions in cities in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Routledge.

First Person Shooter free essay sample

This essay explores the evidence in support of a correlative and/or causal relationship between video game violence and increased aggression in children. A variety of studies are cited, including independent studies, longitudinal studies, meta-analyses and physiological experiments. The conclusion of the writer is that there is sufficient evidence to support the increase in aggression in children is causally affected by their exposure to video game violence. First Person Shooter Rapid gunshots filled the air, then muffled moans and shrieks sounded in the living room. The phone rang for the sixth time in the kitchen before Mom could answer with a breathless, â€Å"Hello? † She listened intently as the voice of Christian’s teacher on the other end explained that earlier that day Christian had threatened to â€Å"blow up the school. † â€Å"But he’s only in the third grade,† Mom thought as she quietly hung up the phone. She turned toward the living room where the cries of the wounded emerged as more shots were fired and shouted, â€Å"Christian, turn that video game off. . we need to talk! † For decades psychologists have studied the effect of violent television programming on children. Now a new source of media violence has worked its insidious way into children’s lives. Although it is only an emerging body of research, the evidence is clear. Video game violence makes children more aggressive. The History In America today, â€Å"youth between 8 and 18 spend over 40 hours per week using some type of media† (Anderson, 2003, p. 143). Television is still the most common form of media involvement, but video game play is rapidly growing in popularity. In this essay the term video game is used to refer to games played on any electronic system ranging from console stations, to hand-held devices, to computers. The advent of video games first emerged in 1977 with the introduction of Pong – a simple game similar to digital ping-pong. In the relatively short period of time since then, the graphics and realism of video games has increased exponentially. By the early 1990s, it became apparent that violent video games sold better and formatting of the games evolved from a third-person viewpoint to â€Å"first-person shooter†. In this format, the view of the player is as if they are the character and can see through his eyes, rather than seeing the whole character. The action in these games takes place as if the player is firing the gun, or stabbing the victim, or using his own fists. The high level of violence the player must display in these games is glamorized, reinforced, and rewarded. The relationship between the violence kids see and how they behave is not quantifiable, but numerous recent experiments reveal that even minimal exposure to such violence can cause an increase in aggressive behavior. The Evidence One longitudinal psychological study revealed that â€Å"viewing. . . violence at age 8 was a significant and positive predictor of serious adult criminality twenty-two years later independent of social class, intellectual achievement, or parenting variables† (as cited in Smith Donnerstein, 2003, p. 74). Many individual studies show a correlation between video game violence and increased aggression, but to get a clearer picture of the danger we turn to meta-analyses. Meta-analyses are statistical summaries of all empirical studies relating to a particular topic. They provide researchers with a more accurate statistical estimate of the effects considered in the studies. According to Anderson in his meta-analytic study of the effects of video game violence on aggression, â€Å"Overall, the results showed that exposure to violent video games significantly increases aggressive behavior, aggressive affect, physiological arousal, and aggressive cognition† (p. 53) and that it causes a significant reduction in pro-social behavior. It was concluded that effects of exposure to violent video games on aggressive behavior in children has a more significant impact than the effects of second-hand cigarette smoke, the effects of calcium on bone density, and the effect of doing homework on academic performance. Another meta-analysis reviewed the data from twenty-eight studies in regard to the effect of video game violence on aggressiveness in children. Bensley Van Eenwyk (2001) determined that â€Å"Three of four studies using behavioral observations of aggression during freeplay found that violent video game play causes increased aggression or aggressive play immediately after the video game†(p. 253). Many of the psychological studies of the relationship between exposure to video game violence and increased aggression in children are correlation and do not show a direct causal effect. Other factors that can contribute to increased have to be considered in such correlation studies where causality cannot be proven. However, a new type of study by Webber, Ritterfeld, Mathiak, (2006) provide us with empirical physiological evidence that video games do increase aggression in a causal relationship. In this study, functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) was used to take brain scans of activity in the parts of the brain associated with aggression immediately following exposure to violent video game activity. The part of the brain studied was the frontal lobe which had previously been determined to show reduced activity in anterior cingulated cortex (ACC) activity in teens with diagnosed â€Å"antisocial conduct and aggressive behavior disorders† (p. 2). The findings of Webber, Ritterfeld, Mathiak, are astonishing and provide definitive physiological evidence that exposure to video game violence causes an immediate response in the part of the brain where aggression is processed. The results of corresponding fMRI test by Matthews et al. (2005) reveal that â€Å"after high violent exposure to virtual violence, adolescents with no psychopathological history demonstrated the same reduced [ACC] brain activity in the frontal lobe as a control group of adolscents diagnosed with aggressive/disruptive behavior disorders† (as cited in Webber, Ritterfeld, Mathiak, 2006 p. 3) It was further concluded that the reduction in brain activity in the ACC â€Å"occur exclusively in the immediate vicinity of violent game play and predominantly follow virtual violent activities in time† (Webber, Ritterfeld, Mathiak, 2006 p. 47). While the body of research is still small, the evidence supporting the negative results of exposure to violent video games is expanding rapidly and clearly suggests that all children, ranging from the very young to at-risk adolescents, are vulnerable to the damaging effects of the violence they are xposed to in repeated violent video game- play. Who Is At Risk? With the evidence accumulating, it would be irresponsible to assume that large segments of the population are immune to the negative impact that video game violence clearly has. As reported in the 2010 Youth Violence Fact Sheet issued by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2010), â€Å"in 2007, 5,764 young people ages 10 to 24 were murdered—an average of 16 each day. Homicide was the 2nd leading cause of death for young people ages 10 to 24 [and] 84% were killed with a firearm. In 2008, more than 656,000 young people ages 10 to 24 were treated in emergency departments for injuries sustained from violence† (p. 1). The CDC fact sheet provides further data about violence and school-age children by stating â€Å"In a 2009 nationally-representative sample of youth in grades 9-12: 17. 5% reported carrying a weapon (gun, knife or club) on one or more days in the past 30 days [and that] between 1992 and 2006, 116 students were killed in 109 separate incidents – an average of 16. 5 student homicides each year† (p. 2). The results are clear across the board that violent video games have a negative causal effect that can increase aggressiveness in all children, yet some specialized groups may be more deeply affected by this increase in aggressive tendencies. The Young Player Young children (ages 10 to 12) are potentially at greater risk for increased aggression and other harmful effects because they are still learning social scripts. The social rules children develop early are referred to as scripts and become wired into the psyche where they tell the individual what to do, how to react and what is expected in common, everyday social settings. According to Funk, (2003), â€Å"It is well established that children learn general social rules and specific behaviors from repeated cycles of observation, practice and reinforcement. Such cycles are integral to playing violent video games† (p. 171). Funk, proposed that â€Å"a child could develop and internalize scripts for situations that trigger aggression [by] playing violent video games. If such scripts are derived from unreal violence that has no negative consequences [in the game-play], then the child’s response to violence in real life will. . . lack] recognition of the true consequences of violent actions and violence will be seen as a reasonable [response] in many interpersonal situations† (pp. 171-2). Very young children face another challenge when it comes to their developing psyche and the influence of video games – learning the basic constructs of morality. The development of morality in children continues throughout childhood as their higher-order emotions mature. Funk, supported this opinion stating, â€Å"The violent actions required by these [violent video] games are devoid of moral emotion and moral judgment† (p. 73). Professor Lasch-Quinn, (2003) reports that â€Å"Psychologists agree that the basic minimum requirements for the formation of moral conscience in children is the early development of a sense of empathy for others† (p. 50). Young children may suffer from impairment of moral development because the video games lack the normal connection between committing violent acts and realistic moral evaluation, in addition to depersonalizing the victims in the games and downplaying the perceived harm the victim receives. At-Risk Kids Another building block of the moral framework that children are constructing as they grow is that of attitude. Pro-violence attitudes are more prevalent in at-risk children such as victims of abuse or inner-city gang members (Funk, 2003 p. 174). The attitude of these at-risk children toward violence develops from a series of real-life experiences where violence is experienced as the primary way to express and resolve conflict. They view violence differently because it is something they encounter as part of daily life. Pro-violence attitudes are also prevalent in children who bully. According to Funk, victims of abuse, inner-city gang involved children and bullies â€Å"can now be identified as ‘high-risk’ with some degree of certainty† (p. 177) for developing aggressive behaviors as a result of violent video game interaction. Children with various cognitive and behavioral problems are also at greater risk. Funk stated that â€Å"It is well established that children with hostile knowledge structures. . . tend to misinterpret the actions of others as having hostile intent, [and] are more likely to behave in an aggressive manner† (p. 179). The evidence from the research supports the correlational and causal effects of violent video games on aggression in children and reflects that while all children are at risk, some groups may be more susceptible to the damaging effects. Conclusions As violent video games become an ever more popular form of entertainment for children, psychologists have increased their efforts to determine the relationship between the violence and increased aggression in children. Many studies reveal strong correlational data suggesting a direct link between interacting with violent video games and increased aggression. New physiological studies are able to pinpoint that certain areas of the brain that control aggression are affected by exposure to violent video game-play. Emerging data shows that while all children are at risk for an increased level of aggression due to violent video game play, certain groups are at greater risk for these disastrous results. As the number and variety of studies grow, it is clear that violent video games cause children to be aggressive.

How To Use Document Based Question Essay Samples To Help With Your Project

How To Use Document Based Question Essay Samples To Help With Your ProjectA reconstruction essay is a statement that gives you the information required to write a persuasive question. You will be looking for examples of questions that are reconstructed. The reader will be searching for these questions in search of answers and that is where the example will come in.As with any essay samples, it is important to remember that this does not mean that you have to give an answer to every reconstruction question. You have to be sure that the essay is something that can stand on its own and you do not need to worry about knowing what you should say. Remember, these are just written questions that will give you information on the topic. Be sure that you stay within the general outline that is required in your school or work sample, and you will find that this sample works well.Reconstruction question essays are best used in your class when the teacher is thinking of asking you some questions in class. You can go to this as a way to give you an idea of what kind of questions they would ask and how to answer them. You may find that your essay samples help your professor in your field as well. This may include a different writing style that helps you appear more skilled. If you are not used to this style, you can think about reading some books about the topic.Since the essay samples are a little more direct than normal essay, you may want to write down some notes about them. You will find that this will help you better understand what is required to complete this assignment. It is not always necessary to sit in front of your computer and do an essay. You may be able to get these samples online or you may be able to go to a library and find an essay available. There are a number of choices for writing an essay.The better you can take the time to see what is required for each essay, the better you will be able to do in your field. Do not worry about completing the essay on y our own if you are not comfortable with writing. You may be able to find some help with this. Take a look at some tips to help you out and you will find that you will be able to write your essay and an outstanding one.What is so great about reconstruction question essay samples is that they give you the information that you need. You will be giving the teacher with all the information that they need to help you out in your field. It is very possible that you will find a good fit when you begin taking some extra classes. After the essay, you will be able to know exactly what to say when you enter the classroom.Make sure that you spend some time doing the writing for the essay and then make sure that you read it over. If you find that it does not fit, then you can go back and edit it until it does. The one thing that you will not be able to edit is your reputation for rewriting and taking too long in writing a paper.Because of the reconstruction essay samples, it is possible to see th at this is a good way to be prepared for your field. If you are taking a long English class, do not let yourself down. Find these samples and take them to school to help you be prepared for your project.

Sword Art Online free essay sample

A grey sword cut my shoulder. The thin line at the top left corner of my field of vision shrank slightly. At the same time a cold hand passed over my heart. The blue line —called the â€Å"HP bar†Ã¢â‚¬â€ is a visual rendering of my life force. There was still a little over 80% left. No, that phrase isnt appropriate enough. Right now, I was about 20% closer to death. I dashed backwards before the enemys sword even began its attacking motion. â€Å"Haaa † I forced a huge breath to steady myself. The  «body » in this world didnt need oxygen; but the body on the other side, or rather the body lying down in the real world, would be breathing heavily. My limp hands would be soaked with sweat, and my heartbeat would be off the charts. Of course. Even if everything I see right now is nothing more than a rendering of a 3D virtual reality, and the bar being reduced was nothing more than a bunch of numbers that showed my hit points, the fact that I was fighting for my life didnt change. We will write a custom essay sample on Sword Art Online or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page When you think about it like that, this fight was extremely unfair. Thats because the  «enemy » in front of me —a humanoid with dully shining arms covered in dark green scales and a lizards head and tail— was not a human, nor was it really alive. It was a digital lump that the system would replace regardless of how many times it was killed. —No. The AI that controlled the lizardman was studying my movements and enhancing its ability to respond to them with every second that passed. However, the moment that this unit was destroyed, the data would be reset instead of being passed on to the unit that would regenerate in this area. So in a sense, this lizardman was also alive, a single being unique to this world. â€Å" right? † There was no way that it would have understood the word that I had muttered to myself, but the lizardman (a level 82 monster called  «Lizardman Lord ») hissed and smiled, showing the sharp fangs that protruded from its long jaw. This is reality. Everything in this world is real. Theres no virtual reality or fakery of any kind. I shifted the one-handed long sword in my right hand to waist-height and watched the enemy. The lizardman moved the buckler in his left hand forward and drew back the scimitar to his right. A chill breeze blew into the shadowed dungeon and the flame of the torch shook. The wet floor softly reflected the flickering torch-light. â€Å"Kraaah!! † With a tremendous scream, the lizardman leapt. The scimitar drew a sharp arc as it flew towards me. A blinding orange light lit its trajectory; a high-class one-hit sword skill of the curved sword  «Fell Crescent ». It was a formidable charge-type sword skill that covered a distance of 4 meters in 0. 4 seconds. But, I was already expecting the attack. I had slowly increased the distance to lure the AI into creating this situation. I closed in on the lizardman, my mind registering the burning smell that the scimitar left behind as it sliced through the air merely centimeters before my nose. â€Å" Ha! † With a short shout, I swung my sword horizontally. The sword, now covered in sky-blue light, cut through the thinly protected stomach and bright red light scattered instead of blood. There was a low scream. However, my sword didnt stop. The system assisted me through the programmed movements and chained the next slash with a speed that would normally have been impossible. This is the most important element in battles in this world,  «Sword Skill ». The sword sped off right from left and cut into the lizardmans chest. In this state, I spun my body in a full circle and the third strike stuck the enemy more deeply than before. â€Å"Raarrgh! † As soon as the lizardman recovered from being stunned briefly because it failed to hit with a big skill, it screamed with rage or perhaps fear, and raised its scimitar high in the air. But my chain had not ended. The sword that had been swinging right suddenly sprang, as if forced by a spring, left and up and hit its heart—a critical point. The sky-blue rhombus drawn by my four consecutive hits flashed then scattered; a horizontal, consecutive 4-hit skill,  «Horizontal Square ». The clear light shone strongly in the dungeon and then faded. At the same time, the HP bar above the Lizardmans head disappeared without even a single dot left. The huge body fell, leaving a long trail, then suddenly stopped awkwardly— With a sound similar to breaking glass, it broke down into infinite polygons and disappeared. This is the  «Death » of this world. It is instantaneous and short, a perfect destruction, not leaving even a single trace. I glanced at the virtual experience points and drop items I received, appearing in a purple font in the center of my vision, and swung my sword right and left before sheathing it in the scabbard on my back. I backed away a few steps and slid slowly down with my back against the dungeon wall. I spat out the breath I was holding and closed my eyes. My temple started throbbing, perhaps from the fatigue due to the long fight. I shook my head a couple of times to get rid of the pain and opened my eyes. The shining clock at the bottom right of my field of vision showed that it was already past 3PM. I should get out of the labyrinth or I wont make it to the city before dark. â€Å" Should I get started? † There was nobody here to listen, but I just spoke and got up slowly. I was done with making progress for the day. I somehow escaped the hand of death again today. But after a brief rest, tomorrow will come with more battles. When fighting battles without a 100% chance of victory, however many safety nets you prepare, theres going to be a day when you fall out of lady lucks favor. The problem is whether this game will be  «cleared » or not before I draw the ace of spades. If you value your life above all else, staying in a village and waiting for somebody else to clear the game is the wisest route to take. But I go to the front lines every day solo. Am I just simply an addict of VRMMO who keeps increasing his stats through countless battles, or— Am I an idiot who insolently believes that he can win the freedom of everyone in this world with his sword? As I started walking towards the labyrinth entrance with a slight smile of self-scorn, I thought back to that day. Two years ago. The moment that everything ended and began. Chapter 2 â€Å"Ahh The sword swinging to these strange shouts swished around, cutting nothing but air. Right afterwards, the blue boar (which moved surprisingly quick considering its bulk) charged fiercely at its assailant. I burst into laughter, watching him fly through the air and roll on the hill after getting hit by the boars flat nose. â€Å"Hahaha not like that. The first movement is important, Klein. † â€Å"Argh that bastard. † The complaining assailant, a party member called Klein, got up and glanced at me while answering plaintively. â€Å"But Kirito, even if you say that I cant do anything about the fact that its moving. † I met this person, who had reddish hair held up by a bandana and simple leather armor worn over his thin body, a few hours ago. If he had revealed his real name, it would have been hard to omit the honorifics, but his name (Klein) and mine (Kirito) were both names we had made up for our characters. Putting -san or -kun at the end of them would sound comical more than anything. The legs of the person in question started shaking. â€Å"Seems like hes a little dizzy. † I picked up a pebble from the undergrowth at my feet and raised it above my shoulder. As soon as the system detected the first motion of a sword skill, the pebble started giving off a slight green light. After that, my left hand almost moved by itself and the pebble went flying, drawing a straight line of light and hitting the boar between its eyebrows. *Ggiik! * The boar squealed in fury and turned towards me. â€Å"Of course they move, theyre not training dummies. But if you begin the correct motion, the system will put your sword skill into motion and hit the target for you. † â€Å"Motion motion † While muttering this like some spell, Klein raised the cutlass that he held in his right hand. Although the blue boar, officially named  «Frenzy Boar », was a level one monster, Klein had lost almost half of his HP from being hit by counterattacks due to his wild swings. Well, even if he died hed just respawn at the  «Starting City » near here, but coming all the way out to this hunting ground again was somewhat annoying. It seemed like there was one move left before the fight reached its conclusion. I cocked my head as I blocked the boars charge with the sword in my right hand. â€Å"Hmm, how should I explain Its not like one, two, three, then strike. But more like gathering a bit of energy and then, as soon as you feel the skill start, it goes BAM and you feel it hit the monster † â€Å"Bam, eh? † Kleins roughly handsome face grimaced itself into an unsightly image as he leveled his sword at his waist. Inhale, exhale; after taking a deep breath, he lowered his stance and raised his sword as if he was going to shoulder it. This time, the system sensed the pose correctly and the arcing sword slowly started shining orange. â€Å"Ha! † With his low yell, he jumped off the ground with a movement that was completely different from the ones before. *Swish—! * With this crisp sound, the sword drew its flame red trajectory through the air. The  «Reaver », a basic skill of the one-handed curved sword, struck the boar right in its neck as it was about to charge and got rid of the rest of its HP, which (like Kleins) was about half full. Guekk— it gave a pitiful cry and its large body shattered like glass and purple numbers appeared, showing how many virtual experience points I gained. â€Å"Ye~~a~~h! † Klein struck an over-blown pose of victory with a huge smile on his face and raised his left hand. I high-fived him and smiled again. â€Å"Congrats on your first victory  but that boar—its about as hard as slimes from other games. † â€Å"Eh, really? I thought it was some sort of semi-boss or something! † â€Å"Not a chance. My smile became a little forced as I sheathed my sword on my back. Even though I was teasing him, I understood what he was feeling right now. Since I had two more months of experience than him, it was only now that he could feel the exhilarating feeling of destroying his enemy with his own hands. Klein started to use the same sword skill over and over again yelling as he did so, perhaps as a way of practicing. I left him alone and looked around. The endlessly stretching plains gave off a beautiful red as the sun had started setting. Way up north, there was the silhouette of a forest, a sparkling lake down south, and I could just about make out the walls that surrounded the city to the east. To the west, there was a limitless sky going on forever with bunches of golden clouds drifting by. We were at the plains that stretched to the west of the  «Starting City », which was situated at the north end of the first floor of the colossal floating castle— «Aincrad ». There should be numerous players fighting monsters around here, but because of the enormous size none of them were visible. Finally seeming satisfied, Klein sheathed his sword and walked over while observing the area as well. â€Å"But really however many times I look around like this, I still cant believe that this is  «inside the game ». † â€Å"Well even if you say inside its not like our souls were sucked in or anything. Our brains just seeing and hearing instead of our eyes and ears with the signals that the  «Nerve Gear » is sending,† I said with a shrug. Klein pouted like a kid. â€Å"You might be used to it now, but for me its the first time doing a  «FullDive »! Isnt it awesome? Really its a relief that I was born in this era! † â€Å"Youre exaggerating. † But as I laughed, I totally agreed with him.  «Nerve Gear ». Thats the name of the hardware that drove this VRMMORPG— «Sword Art Online ». The basic structure of this machine is totally different from the older ones. Unlike the old-style man-machine interface hardware like â€Å"flat screen monitors† or â€Å"hand-held controllers†, Nerve Gear only had a single interface: a streamlined interface that covered your whole head and face. Inside, there were numerous signal transceivers. By using the electronic signals sent by those transceivers, the gear accessed the users brain itself. The user didnt use their eyes or ears to see and hear, the signals went directly to their brain. In addition, the machine could access not only sight and sound, but also: touch, taste, and smell as well—that is to say, all five senses. After slipping the Nerve Gear on, locking the strap under your chin, and speaking the initiation command ( «Link Start »), all noise fades away and youre swathed in darkness. As soon as you pass the rainbow colored circle in the middle, youre in another world made entirely of data. So Half a year ago, this machine (which started selling in May, 2022) successfully created a  «Virtual Reality ». The electronics company which created the Nerve Gear called the actual act of linking to the virtual reality  «FullDive ». It was a total seclusion from reality, fitting of the word â€Å"full†. The reason for this is that the Nerve Gear not only sent fake signals to the five senses, it also blocked and rerouted the orders that the brain sent to the body. This can be called the most basic requirement for moving freely in a virtual reality. If the body received the brains signals when the user was in FullDive, the moment the user decided they wanted to  «run » their actual body would run into a wall. Because the Nerve Gear could reroute the commands the brain sent through the spinal cord, Klein and I could both move our avatars around freely and swing our swords around. Weve completely leapt into the game. The effect of this experience captivated me and many gamers like me, to the point where we were sure that we could never go back to the old touch-pens or motion sensors. Klein was staring at the wind passing through the plains and the castle walls off in the distance with actual tears in his eyes. â€Å"So, SAO is the first game for the Nerve Gear that youve played? † I asked. Klein, looking like a calmly handsome warrior from the Sengoku period, turned his head my way and nodded. â€Å"Yeah. † If he wore a serious expression on his face, he had an impressive bearing about him worthy of an actor from a historical play. Of course, this was different from his actual body in the real world. It was an avatar made out of nothing, based on choosing from a list of options. Of course, I looked like a ridiculously handsome protagonist from some fantasy animation as well. Klein continued in his low vigorous voice, which (of course) was different from his real voice as well. â€Å"Well, to be exact, I sorta bought the hardware in a rush after I managed to get my hands on SAO. There were only ten thousand in the first batch, so I suppose I was really lucky. Well, if I think about it, you were ten times luckier when you got picked for beta testing. They only picked a thousand! † â€Å"Ah, yeah I suppose. † Klein kept staring at me. I unconsciously scratched my head. I remembered the excitement and enthusiasm that  «Sword Art Online » created when it was announced through the media like it was yesterday. Nerve Gear had realized the future foundation for gaming with FullDive. However, due to the innovation of the actual machine, only unremarkable titles came forth for the all-important software. They were all puzzles, education related, or environmental type games; causing discontent among game addicts like me. Nerve Gear can truly render a virtual reality. But you could only walk 100 meters before you hit a wall in that world, it was really a huge letdown. It was almost unavoidable that hard core gamers like me, who had been deeply absorbed in the experience of being within the game, started anticipating a certain game genre. We were waiting for a network response game, the kind that let millions of players log in and raise, fight with, and live as a character of their own—that is to say, an MMORPG. When the anticipation and craving reached its limit, the first VRMMORPG was announced just in time,  «Sword Art Online ». The stage for the game is a floating castle consisting of 100 floors. The players lived in a world with forests and lakes, relying only on their sword and drive to discover the route to the upper floors, defeat countless monsters, and make their way endlessly to the top.  «Magic », considered an indispensable part of fantasy MMORPGs, had been boldly left out. An almost endless number of skills, called  «Sword Skills », were created. It was part of a plan to let players actually feel the experience of fighting with their own bodies through FullDive as much as possible. Skills were varied, including productive skills (such as smithing, leather working, and sewing) and everyday skills (such as fishing, cooking, and playing music), allowing the player to not only adventure the huge game but also actually  «live » in it. If they so wanted, and if their skill levels were high enough, they could buy a house and live as shepherds. As the information was steadily revealed, the gamers enthusiasm only grew. The beta test only recruited a thousand testers. Its said that one hundred thousand people, the number of half the Nerve Gear sold at that time, volunteered to be a tester. Luck was the only reason that I got through the narrow gap and was picked. Beta testers also received the additional benefit of being able to pre-order the game. The two months of beta testing were like a dream. At school I thought endlessly of my skill set, equipment, and items. I ran all the way home as soon as school ended and dived till dawn. The beta test ended in the blink of an eye. On the day my character was reset, I felt a sense of loss as if half of my actual self had been cut away. And now— November 6, 2022, Sunday.  «Sword Art Online », after all the preparations were finished, officially started its online service at 1 PM. Of course, I had been waiting for 30 minutes and then logged on without even a seconds delay. When I checked the server, over ninety-five hundred people had already logged on. It seemed as if all of the people who had been lucky enough to get their hands on the game felt the same way I did. All the online shopping sites announced that the game was sold out seconds after it had gone on sale. The offline sales, which had started yesterday, had created lines of people who had queued up for four days, creating enough of a racket to get on the news. That meant that all the people who had been able to buy a copy of the game were almost all serious game addicts. Kleins actions showed this clearly as well. After I had logged onto SAO, I started running through the nostalgic stone paved roads of the  «Starting City », headed for the weapons shop. Realizing that I was a beta tester after seeing me start and dash, Klein ran over without any hesitation. â€Å"Hey, teach me a few things! † hed begged. I wondered how he could be so shameless and demanding to a person he hadnt met before. I was so lost for words it was almost amazing. â€Å"Ah, er, then why dont we go to the weapon shop? † I answered like some NPC. We ended up forming a party and I began teaching him some basics of fighting. And thats how we ended up in this current situation. To tell the truth, I didnt get along with people in real life; in games, perhaps even less so. During beta testing, I got to know a couple of people, but I didnt get close enough to anyone to actually call them a friend. But Klein had a side to him that grows on you, and I didnt find this uncomfortable either. Thinking that I might be able to get along with him, I opened my mouth. â€Å"So what do you want to do? Do you want to keep hunting till you get used to it? † â€Å"Sure! is what I want to say, but † Kleins delicate eyes looked at the bottom right of his vision. He must have been checking the time. â€Å" well, I should log off and eat. I ordered some pizza for 5:30. † â€Å"Pretty thorough,† I said at a loss for words. Klein thrust out his chest. â€Å"Of course! † he said proudly. â€Å"I promised to meet some mates at the  «Starting City » in a bit. I could introduce you to some of them and you could register them as friends. That way you could always send messages. How about it? † â€Å"Errr Hmmm † I mumbled subconsciously. I got along with Klein pretty well, but there was no guarantee that itd be the same for his friends. I felt like there would be a higher chance of not getting along with them and, as a result, fall out with Klein as well. â€Å"Should I? † Seeming to understand the reason for my not-so-confident answer, Klein shook his head. â€Å"Ah, I dont mean to force you. Therell be a chance to introduce them sometime anyway. † â€Å" Yeah. Sorry, and thanks. † As soon as I thanked him, Klein shook his head vigorously. â€Å"Hey, hey! I should be the one thanking you. I got a lot of help from you. Ill pay you back sometime soon. Mentally. † Klein smiled and took another look at the clock. â€Å" Well, Ill log off for a bit. Thanks a lot, Kirito. Be seein ya. † With that, he put his hand forward. At that moment, I thought this person would have been a great leader in  «another game » and shook his hand. â€Å"Yeah, see you around. † We each let go of the others hand. That was the point where Aincrad, or Sword Art Online, stopped being just some fun game for me. Klein stepped back a bit, put his right index finger and thumb together, and pulled downwards. This was the action that opened the  «main menu window ». Immediately afterwards, there was a ringing sound and a shining purple rectangle appeared. I moved a bit, sat on a rock, and opened my menu too. I started moving my fingers to organize the items that Id gotten from fighting the boar. Then â€Å"Eh? † Klein said in a strange tone. â€Å"Whats this? Theres no log out button. † I stopped moving my fingers and raised my head at that. â€Å"No button? No way, look a bit closer,† I said, a bit confused. The swordsman opened his eyes wide beneath the bandana and pushed his face closer to the menu. The rectangle, wider than it was high, had a bunch of buttons to the left and a silhouette showing what equipment you had on to the right. At the bottom of the menu, there was a  «LOG OUT » button that allowed you to escape from this world. As I was turning my head to the inventory that listed the items I had gained over hours of fighting, Klein started speaking in an unusually high voice. â€Å"Its really not there. You take a look Kirito. † â€Å"I told you that theres no way that its not there † I muttered with a sigh as I tapped on the button on the top left to go back to the menu screen. The inventory window on the right closed and the main screen re-opened. To the left of the silhouette, which still had quite a lot of empty spaces, there was a long row of buttons. I moved my hand down in a movement that had almost become a habit and My body froze. It wasnt here. As Klein had said, the button that had been there during the beta test —no, even right after Id logged on— had disappeared. I stared at the empty space for a couple of seconds then looked through the menu, making sure that it hadnt just changed its position. Klein looked up with â€Å"Right? † written on his face. â€Å" Not there, right? † â€Å"Yeah, its not there. † I nodded, although it felt slightly annoying to agree so easily. Klein smiled and started rubbing his thick chin. â€Å"Well, its the first day so these sort of bugs could occur. Around about now, the GMs should be crying by now from the number of messages flooding in,† Klein said calmly. â€Å"Is it all right for you to stand around like that? You said that you ordered some pizza, didnt you? † I asked teasingly. â€Å"Ah, thats right! † I smiled as I watched him jump around, his eyes wide. I threw away a couple of items I didnt need from the inventory, which had turned red from having too many items, and then walked over to Klein. â€Å"Argh! My anchovy pizza and ginger ale! † â€Å"Why dont you call a GM? They might cut you off from their side. † â€Å"I tried, but theres no response. Its already 5:25! Hey, Kirito! Isnt there some other way to log out? † After listening to what Klein, who was waving both arms, said My face became rigid. I felt a groundless fear send a chill down my back. â€Å"Lets see to log out † I said while thinking. To get out of this virtual reality and back to my room, I have to: open the main menu, press the Log Out button, and press Yes on the window that popped up on the right. It was pretty simple. But at the same time, apart from that procedure, I wasnt aware of any other way of logging off. I looked up at Kleins face, situated quite a bit higher than my own, and shook my head. â€Å"No theres none. If you want to log yourself off, you have to use the menu. Apart from that, theres no other way. † â€Å"Thats impossible theres got to be something! † Klein suddenly started shouting as if he was denying my statement. â€Å"Return! Log out! Escape! † But of course nothing happened. There were no voice commands in SAO of that description. After Klein shouted this and that and even jumped around, I spoke to him. â€Å"Klein, its useless. Even the manual doesnt have anything on emergency access terminations. † â€Å"But this is just stupid! Even if its a bug, I cant even go back to my room and my body when I want to! † Klein shouted with a bewildered expression on his face. I totally agreed with him. This was impossible. It was complete nonsense. But it was indisputably the truth. â€Å"Hey what is this? Its just really weird. Right now, we cant get out of this game! † Klein gave a desperate laugh then quickly started talking again. â€Å"Wait, we can just turn the power off. Or just pull the  «Gear » off. † As I watched Klein move his hands as if he was trying to take off some invisible hat, I felt the anxiety returning. â€Å"Thats impossible, both of them. Right now, we cant move our bodies our real bodies. The  «Nerve Gear » intercepts all the signals that our brain is sending here,† I tapped the back of my head, â€Å"and reroutes them to move our avatars here. † Klein slowly closed his mouth and put his hands down. We both stood speechless for a while, each lost in thought. To reach the FullDive state, the Nerve Gear intercepts the signals that our brain sends down our spines and translates them so that we can control our avatars in this world. So however wildly we swing our arm about here, the arm of my real body (lying on my bed right now) wouldnt move an inch, ensuring that I wouldnt hit my head against the corner of my table or anything. But because of this function, we cant cancel the FullDive of our own free will right now. â€Å" So unless the bug is fixed or somebody in the real world takes the Gear off, we have to wait it out? † Klein mumbled, still a little dazed. I silently signaled my agreement. â€Å"But I live by myself. You? † I hesitated slightly but told him the truth. â€Å" I live with my mom and my younger sister, a family of three. I think that Ill be forced out of the Dive if I dont come down for dinner † â€Å"What? H-How old is your sister? † Klein suddenly looked at me, his eyes sparkling. I pushed his head away. â€Å"Youre pretty calm right now, arent you? Shes in a sports club and hates games, so shes got nothing in common with people like us

Free Essays on Robert Lansing

I was born on October 17,1864, in a small town by the name of Watertown, New York. My mothers name is Maria Lay Dodge and my father’s is John Lansing. My father is a profound lawyer in New York, and my father-in-law who interested me in global and international affairs. Not to mention that he was at one time Secretary of State. His name is John Watson Foster. My family and I are very religious. We attend mass at a Presbyterian church regularly. My family is also Democratic, and we will only vote democratic. I graduated from Amherst College in 1886, and like my father and grandfather did, I have entered the legal profession. I joined my fathers practice in 1889, and continued with that until 1892. Up until 1892, I was better known then any American lawyer of the time. In 1892, I was appointed associate counsel of the United States arbitration. Because of this job, I got to go to Paris, France. In 1894, I served as counsel for the Mexican and Chinese in Washington. In 1906, I fo unded the American Society of International Law, and in 1907 I began the American Journal of International Law and became its associate editor. Woodrow Wilson grew very found of my work, and therefore appointed me US Secretary of State in 1915. While Woodrow Wilson began to grow very sick, I held several meetings with members of the cabinet. This angered him, and I was forced to resign from my position in February of 1920. I later died on October 30, 1928, in New York City, at the age of 64.... Free Essays on Robert Lansing Free Essays on Robert Lansing I was born on October 17,1864, in a small town by the name of Watertown, New York. My mothers name is Maria Lay Dodge and my father’s is John Lansing. My father is a profound lawyer in New York, and my father-in-law who interested me in global and international affairs. Not to mention that he was at one time Secretary of State. His name is John Watson Foster. My family and I are very religious. We attend mass at a Presbyterian church regularly. My family is also Democratic, and we will only vote democratic. I graduated from Amherst College in 1886, and like my father and grandfather did, I have entered the legal profession. I joined my fathers practice in 1889, and continued with that until 1892. Up until 1892, I was better known then any American lawyer of the time. In 1892, I was appointed associate counsel of the United States arbitration. Because of this job, I got to go to Paris, France. In 1894, I served as counsel for the Mexican and Chinese in Washington. In 1906, I fo unded the American Society of International Law, and in 1907 I began the American Journal of International Law and became its associate editor. Woodrow Wilson grew very found of my work, and therefore appointed me US Secretary of State in 1915. While Woodrow Wilson began to grow very sick, I held several meetings with members of the cabinet. This angered him, and I was forced to resign from my position in February of 1920. I later died on October 30, 1928, in New York City, at the age of 64....

The Shakedown Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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