Recess is a necessary activity

Kyle Mulder

29th September 2008

Professor Wayne Francis

Timed essay #1

Everyone remembers having recess as a child. As a child I remember getting about thirty minutes to just run around laughing, screaming and sometimes I would play “kick ball.” Now some schools are trying to eliminate recess and substitute it with more academic study time. I believe that recess is a necessary activity for young children. I think that taking recess out will cause an even higher child obesity rate. Recess gives children a time to gain social skills. It also gives them time out of the stressful environment of a classroom.

In the United States over half of the adult population are considered overweight. Over a quarter of the children in America are overweight. Studies have shown that childhood obesity carries over into adult life. Taking out recess will cause this rate to increase because children need exercise to burn off calories that they consumed throughout the day. Recess for some children is the only form of exercise they acquire throughout the day due to having television and game systems. If anything should be changed about recess it could be introducing a set exercise for the children. The exercise could be something fun that the children did not even realize was to help keep them healthy.

I know that when I was in elementary school we were not allowed to talk in class. Most schools still do not allow talking to keep control of the classroom. But we had half an hour to socialize and meet other kids. A large percent of an individual’s personality is developed during their elementary years, including their social skills. Therefore children need time to talk and communicate, which is recess. Without recess we might have more secluded children that lack much needed social skills.

Children, as well as most adults, need time to let knowledge absorb into their brains. Most elementary schools have at least a six hour day and people of all ages can not absorb information taught to them for a six hour period. Children have a shorter tension span than adults and tend to drift off into their own little world. So as a break for the minds of the children and the teachers recess needs to stay a part of their daily activities.

Recess is one of my greatest memories as a child, and I think that it should still be an activity in elementary school. Children need recess to keep healthy and fit. An exercise during recess could help curve the growing obesity problem in children. People revolve around communication and our communication skills are learned as children during recess. We all need a break from our work and so do children. That is why it is necessary to keep recess in the school system.

Walmart's Toll on America.

Kyle Mulder

21 September 2008

Professor Wayne Francis

Blog post #2

We have all shopped at Walmart at some given time of our life, but most of us do not think about the cost of getting that low price. Walmart has beaten its competitors prices and has taken their business. Walmart has outsourced all labor and imported almost all the companies goods. Bad ethics has become a trend in American business. On these points, I do not think Walmart is good for America.

The first Walmart was opened in 1962 by Sam Walton. Sam Walton's theory was simple, to buy wholesale items at a low price and carry a variety of products. His theory worked, he beat his competitors prices and they would lose business. While Sam Walton was alive, all of Walmart's products were made in the United States, which would create American jobs. Sam Walton died in 1992 and the company was given to his family.

When Sam Walton's family took over Walmart they became greedy, they outsourced all labor to countries around the world including China. Out sourcing helps our consumers but it hinders us by taking away thousands of American jobs. The Walton’s are worth over one hundred billion dollars and yet they donate a small portion of their income. Bill Gates donates over half of his income every year to charities and other government programs. The Walton's went on a Walmart rampage and tried to put a Walmart in every city and town in America and the world. The company forced thousands of mom and pop stores to close their doors, and many small chains to close. When Walmart comes into a town they replace all the high paying jobs of a small business with more lower paying jobs at a Walmart super center.

Walmart is not the only company that seems to have bad work ethics. Enron was called “America’s most innovative Company” by Fortune magazine, but the ceo's wanted to make a couple million dollars and lied about Enron's financial standpoint, as a result the company went bankrupt. Lehman Brothers was founded in 1850, which is over a hundred and fifty years ago. The Lehman Brothers declared bankruptcy September 13, 2008. The Lehman Brothers went bankrupt due to lending money to groups of people considered high risk. The people then declared bankrupt which would, in turn hurt the Lehman Brothers. These examples of bad work ethics are not the same as Walmart's but could have the same ending as a result of the Walton's work ethics.

Sam Walton started out on a good idea. Today, however, Walmart has become somewhat of a monoploy. Walmart has beaten all of its competitors. Walmart's future depends on the Walton family. In this present day and time Walmart does not look good. The Walton family does not seem to have concern for their company's employees, or the citizens of America. The Walton's only care about having billions of dollars in their bank accounts.

Would you take ten million Dollars?

Kyle Mulder
14 September 2008
Professor Wayne Francis
Blog post #1


If I was offered ten million dollars to leave the United States forever, I would take the money. Taking the money would be wise. I know that I probably would not make that kind of money in a lifetime. I also have always wanted to travel the world but have never been able to because of my financial situation. Finally, there are other places in the world that I could live cheaper than the United States.
It would take me fifty years, making two hundred thousand dollars a year, to have ten million dollars. I would rather take the money now and spend it while I am young and agile. Even if I make ten million dollars in my lifetime it would be spread out over time and I would not be able to enjoy all at once. By taking the offer of ten million dollars I would be able to go where I want and do what I want. I would not have the stress of financial problems. I could even invest some of the money in rental property or I could buy a small business.
Taking the ten million dollars means that I could travel the world. Not everyone gets the chance to explore all of God’s creation. I could visit the continent of Africa. I could go on a South African safari, where I would see African animals in their natural habitat. I could take a trip to Egypt where I would explore the pyramids. I could even travel to Europe and visit the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Israel, Venice and Greece. I would be able to go anywhere and everywhere that I wanted without having to worry about money.
In the United States there are many living expenses from property taxes to home owner fees. Also, building is expensive, land is expensive, and insurance is outrageous. After my travels I would move to Mexico, where I would have little to no living expenses. Because of the high value of the US currency, I could move to Mexico, buy land, build the house of my dreams, and live on the money for the rest of my life.
I do not think that I would ever leave the United States. However if I was offered ten million dollars, I would leave in a heartbeat. Ten million dollars is more than enough to support myself for the rest of my life. In fact ten million dollars would be even more than my living expenses. I could do whatever I wanted. I could see the world and live the dream life without worrying about high expenses.